Personifying the musical signature of New Orleans, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band derives its name from the Preservation Hall in the city’s French Quarter. A recent performance at Jacksonville’s Robert E Jacoby Symphony Hall in the Times-Union Performing Arts Center saw Mark Frink – audio and RF engineer for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra – on hand to lend his expertise, and using a Lectrosonics Venue with Lectrosonics LMa beltpacks and HH handheld transmitters.

‘Jacoby Symphony Hall has a single Lectrosonics Venue receiver mainframe that is fully loaded with six channels of their standard VRS receiver modules,’ Frink explains. ‘Due to its flexibility, the six-channel Venue is perfect for the vast majority of our Symphony Hall productions, which constantly vary in wireless requirements from conductor announcements, to narrators and actors, to pop vocalists, comedians and occasional solo instrumentalists, such as our presentation of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.’

Frink used a variety of microphones for the gig. The industry-standard screw-on capsule thread allows the Lectrosonics HH handheld transmitters to be used Lectrosonics’ HHC cardioid condenser capsules, as well as many other popular SM and Beta dynamic and condenser capsules.

In addition to the Lectrosonics HH transmitters, Lectrosonics LMa beltpack transmitters are used in conjunction with Countryman E6i earset mics, as well as B6 and B2D lavaliere mics. ‘We have six Lectrosonics LMa beltpacks that employ dual 16-position rotary switches to adjust their frequency,’ Fink says. ‘These transmitters perform very well for us and, while changing frequency settings is really quite easy, we never change them since they never leave the building. By using simple 4-pin male to 5-pin female mini XLR adapters, we were able to easily accommodate the band’s request for Beta 98 mics with the LMa transmitters for the band’s six wind instruments.

‘In a symphony hall, sound quality is of paramount importance because our audience is accustomed to natural, unamplified sound,’ he continues. ‘Lectrosonics’ Digital Hybrid Wireless, compander-free technology is preferred by wireless guitarists and by system engineers for wireless measurement mics. Further, the equipment is easy to use and is extremely reliable, so it inspires confidence.

‘Since Lectrosonics is so prevalent in broadcast and film production where there’s often no chance for a second take, the company’s technical support group treats each component as if someone’s job depends on it working perfectly,’ he adds.

‘In symphony productions, wireless mics are frequently needed, but the specifics are often an afterthought. For this reason, sometimes it’s only at rehearsal that a decision is made to go with lavaliere, earset, or handheld mics. The flexibility that our Lectrosonics wireless equipment provides allows us to be ready for anything.’

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