(L to R) Ron Cook, Kerry Haps (organizer), and Laz Rios
Soul City, in the West Loop, is a fine example of well applied tech. They have all the pieces.... Live cameras with IMAG and live stream, wireless ears and mics, well installed line arrays that actually sound good. Virtual Soundcheck. Just enough lighting to be cool. A backstage tech crew with clever ways of communicating. Lots to talk about, all of it a notch above entry level, but implemented so well you might mistake them for having an unlimited budget.
Laz and his team gave us a tour of their facilities and demonstrated their Virtual SoundChecks. They gave us a background on what their services were like every week, challenges they've encountered (such as complaints from neighbors about noise! fortunately that has been resolved). We had a chance to walk around the auditorium and on the stage so as to hear how things sound all around the room. It was nice to bring two different groups together to host a joint meeting, helping connect audio professionals from all around the area.
