Anheuser Busch Convention use Earthworks FM360 Mics

The Anheuser Busch Wholesalers Convention brings together 6000 dealers from around the world to view all the new TV commercials, and more importantly, to hear from the highest ranking corporate execs. of the company. This year the meeting was held in hall F of the New Orleans Convention center. The sound system design, by Chas Gerber of Gerber Acoustic Systems int¹l. of Lake Worth FL, included 2 Earthworks FM360 14² lectern mics, 16 V-Dosc speakers (main left and right), 18 d V-Dosc speakers (left, center, right delay), 3 ARC speakers (center fill), 8 Meyer UPA speakers as front fill, and 8 Electrotec 2 x 18² subwoofers.

Due to screen locations, the left and right main V-Dosc speakers were located upstage of the lectern about 25 ft, and off stage about 45 ft. So, the lectern was within the soundfield of the main speakers. To add to the acoustic difficulties, the lectern used was a large motorized unit, complete with air conditioning vents left and right of it on the podium platform! On top of that, August Busch III doesn¹t use teleprompter, and requires that the lectern mics be mounted far enough back so that they do not cast shadows on his notes. Additionally, the mics had to be low enough to avoid being predominant in the camera shots for image magnification.

These conditions gave the mics a working distance of 4-5 ft. Yet, despite all these acoustic compromises, the sound of the mics was phenomenal. There was more than adequate gain before feedback, with minimal eq cuts necessary. Even from that far working distance, there was enough upper bass proximity effect to give the voice some bass authority. And the off axis frequency response is so uniform, that if the presenter strayed a little from center, there was no tonal disparity from on axis. The high frequency ³lisp², or slur, of typical electret mics, was, thankfully, absent.