By Clive Young. Built during the Great Depression, New York’s Radio City Music Hall has become one of the best-known venues in the world, and much of that stems from the annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular, featuring the high-kicking Rockettes. The show is performed well over 200 times annually between November and year’s end in the 5,900 seat venue; as a result, it plays to more than a million people every holiday season. Ensuring that every seat hears every note of the show, Radio City upgraded its audio system a few years ago to stay in step with the times.

By Clive Young. Everyone loves the hardware that built Rock ‘n’ Roll. Guitars used by famous musicians wind up in museums; consoles that recorded classic tracks change hands between studios for jaw-dropping sums; and people gladly pay the Hard Rock Café for a cheeseburger, Coke and fries, just so they can sit next to a mic once used by the bald guy in Midnight Oil. We’re all prone to pine for the good old days now and then, but when it comes to music hardware, you probably haven't heard much rhapsodizing about legendary vinyl mastering lathes. Until now.

By Clive Young. Packaged media ain’t what it used to be. Much of this is due to the popularity of digital delivery systems like iTunes, but you can also point a finger at society marginalizing the importance of music in today’s world. Songs are becoming a side dish to another experience, whether it’s cleaning house, working out or pseudo-wailing on Guitar Hero. Occasionally, it seems the songs are secondary to the packages they come in, too.

By Mel Lambert. Los Angeles (November 2, 2009)--The recent SMPTE Annual Technical Conference & Expo included a fascinating session that addressed two critically important aspects affecting both content providers and broadcasters. Hosted by Tom Scott from Onstream Media, Audio Issues in the Digital Environment considered lip-sync errors that are produced during just about every stage of production, post and delivery to air/cable, while a separate discussion focused on how broadcasters wrestle with consistent loudness levels for the consumer. The SMPTE Conference & Expo was held at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel from October 27 thru 29, following a specially organized one-day Seminar on Advanced Media Workflows and MXF.