Entertainment Systems

Modern PA applications are many and varied. A common arena in which most people have probably encountered PA technology is the live music setting. Whether the venue is a small club, a medium-sized theatre or an outdoor stadium, PA systems are used to deliver the sounds people have come to hear. This mission can be fraught with difficulties. Feedback, “messy” rooms, cavernous acoustics...these all contribute to challenge the efforts of sound engineers.

Feedback is probably the most easily recognisable of these issues. It occurs when a microphone is pointing at the speakers and picks up their signals, re-sending them back into the speakers themselves and thereby creating a feedback loop. Unwitting listeners usually experience this as a painfully loud, piercing screech. Anyone who was at or has seen footage of the recent Led Zeppelin reunion concert at the O2 arena in London witnessed, at the start of the gig, a performance plagued by feedback issues. After crews tamed that beast, the band delivered what has been hailed as a legendary set, powered by the craft of PA technology.

Other modern PA scenarios involve sound systems or “rigs.” These are mobile PA systems that provide the sounds for the underground rave scene or for the neighbourhood sound systems that feature dub and reggae as their music of choice. The “input source” in this case typically involves turntables and CD players as well as emcees wielding mics. In Jamaica, emceeing is known as “toasting” and it provided a springboard to fame for many now-famous reggae stars, including Eek-A-Mouse and Lee “Scratch” Perry.