Recent Work

Awards Show Audio in Music City

mhof-105As one of the world’s great music capitals, Nashville, TN is at the crossroads of talent, television, sound, and spectacle. These all came together recently at the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2014 Induction Ceremony at the historic Nashville Municipal Auditorium. TC Furlong Inc. served as Audio Producer for the event.

The cavalcade of artists receiving or presenting awards and/or performing included: Billy Gibbons, Chris Isaak, Duane Eddy, Jimmy Capps, Barbara Mandrell, Will Lee, Randy Bachman, Kenny Wayne Sheppard, The Oak Ridge Boys, surviving members of Double Trouble (Reese Wynans, Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton), Mike Ferris, Brenda Lee, Velma Smith, Corki O’Dell, Wayne Moss, Buffy St. Marie, posthumous award for Roy Orbison (accepted by Roy’s sons Alex, Wesley and Roy Jr.) plus Don Felder, Peter Frampton, and—last but certainly not least—Neil Young.

The MC was Chip Esten (Deacon Claybourne on ABC’s Nashville) and the 15 person house band included many veteran session and touring musicians, such as Toto’s David Hungate on bass.

The complexity and challenge of any live event was intensified by the tough room acoustics (the nickname for the small arena is “the Dome”); the sheer volume and diversity of the artists; the limited rehearsal availability and the “live to tape” aspect of the show.

Recognizing the need for local support to accommodate anticipated last minute changes and additions, Brantley Sound Associates was contracted for sound reinforcement gear and technicians.

Better Audio by Design

mhof 125We worked closely with Brantley Sound Associates on loudspeaker design, splitter configuration, crew selection, and choices of everything else including consoles, wedges, and microphones. We also hired veteran live recording experts MetroMobile Location Recording (Glenview, IL) as our audio recording truck to complement TNDV mobile video production. SIR Nashville was chosen to handle the substantial backline needs. TC was our Project Manager—he reviewed all the riders, advanced the show with each artist, stitched together a cohesive input list and stage plot, and orchestrated all of the audio- and backline-related details. TC and Jeff Cech were on-site to oversee everything related to audio at the show.

Despite lots of curve balls, long days, and last minute changes, the audio and all aspects of the show went off without a hitch.

Whether you are planning a major music awards show, a dog show, a business meeting, or anything in between, you can rely on the expert designers, project managers, and engineers from TC Furlong to support you in producing a successful event.

Related Documents

All photos above credit Richard A. Famularo

Amos Lee Tour Takes Two Yamaha CLs on The Road in Support of Latest CD

TC Furlong Provides Two CLs for Amos Lee Tour

BJ-Templeton-at-CL5_mainAmos Lee is an American singer-songwriter whose musical style encompasses folk, rock, and soul.  Born in Philadelphia, the 36-year old is embarking on a new tour in support of his sixth CD, “Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song.”  This CD follows the release of his album, “Mission Bell,” that debuted at #1 on the Billboard top 200 chart.  Currently finishing the fall leg of the tour, Lee and the crew will be hitting the road again in February for the winter leg.

TC Furlong of Lake Forest, Illinois is supporting Lee’s tour with a rental package including a Yamaha CL5 digital audio console at front of house, a CL1 for monitors, and two Rio3224-D input/output boxes positioned onstage, along with wireless IEM units for the band.   [click to continue…]

TC Furlong Supports GoodPitch Chicago 2013

Goodpitch3On October 22, 2013, an amazing convergence of talent, technical prowess, vision, and goodwill took place at GoodPitch Chicago 2013.

Seven independent filmmaker teams pitched their socially-important films to a highly-energized audience.  The pitch table offered each team of film makers comments, connections, and, in many cases, funding to allow completion and distribution of these compelling documentary films.

TC Furlong Inc. was honored to participate as a sponsor and the audio systems designer and provider for the event.

Design Solutions for a Challenging Room

Designer and Project Manager, TC Furlong, knew the challenge of providing highly intelligible audio for 300+ invited NGO’s, philanthropists, foundations, and government officials.

The event was held in the Yates Gallery at the Chicago Cultural Center.

The acoustics of this highly-reverberant glass and stone space were greatly improved by constructing a room-within-a-room.

Fellow sponsor, Michael Reed (of Reed Rigging), supplied the truss and towers to create a 50’ X 70’ box that acted as a 28’ tall support for 250’ of heavy velour drape, multiple lighting pods, and eight loudspeaker locations.  Two independent Meyer Sound loudspeaker systems were deployed to handle the film’s soundtracks in one system and twenty live microphones in the other.

Mixing engineer, Scott Helmke, reports, “While it was a challenge to mix the large number of panel microphones, having Meyer loudspeakers in a solid system design made for a great result.”

Lasting Impact

Goodpitch2The films, chosen from over 400 entries to be pitched to potential supporters, included subject matter dealing with homeless youth braving Chicago’s harsh winters, former prostitutes helping sex workers leave the violent life of human trafficking, global climate change, and a host of important issues facing us all.

By the end of a full day of pitches, everyone in the room had embraced these important film projects and a tremendous amount of support was pledged.

Because high-quality audio connected everyone in the room, the world got one step closer to being a better place.

That’s what TC Furlong Inc. calls, “a good day at work.”

Live Events: Recent Shows

Showpic_500Our Live Events Department is the “one call does it all” team that serves event planners, technical directors, production managers, and others responsible for coordinating sound systems for events, concerts, festivals, and more.

Better Audio by Design

Combining our extensive inventory of quality audio equipment with our seasoned, professional staff, we are experts at designing and implementing every aspect of a high quality sound system for any event.

Here is a small sample of recent events:

  • An Ideas Week Chicago panel discussion/press event with Illinois Governor, Pat Quinn, Gary Sinise, Nila Boodhoo,  and other luminaries on DPA lavaliers with Shure ULXD digital wireless.  This was fed through a low-profile Meyer Sound PA designed, managed, and engineered by TCF staff.
  • Virtuoso mandolinist, Chris Thile, best known for his work with Nickel Creek and the Punch Brothers, in a solo concert setting.  Gear and system tech provided by TC Furlong Inc.
  • Equipment and technicians for High Holiday services at several area synagogues.
  • Swing revival giants, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, in a concert setting at a performing arts center.  Flown Meyer M’elodie and front fills provided.  Design, project management, and system tech by TC Furlong engineers.
  • Tony Award-winning stars, Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin at a fundraising event.  Complete sound system including Meyer M’elodies over 600-HP subs, console, UPM front fills, Meyer wedges, and DPA piano mics.  Designed, project managed, and crewed by TC Furlong staff engineers.

Let TC Furlong design a sound system for your next live event, please contact Jeff Cech at 847.367.9588 or jc@tcfurlong.com.

Gridiron Audio: Supporting Chicago’s Big 10 Team

Northwestern-Panorama-700

TC Furlong’s long-standing involvement with Northwestern University home football games is expanding in scope and complexity—all designed to improve the game-day experience for the Wildcats’ loyal fans.

Starting with a stadium sound system, based on (2) Danley JH90 “Jericho” loudspeakers, TC Furlong has expanded its suite of audio services over the years to include:

  • RF coordination of all game-day production wireless gear (including coaching communications, television trucks, and other media)
  • Managing the critical referee microphone (using Shure’s groundbreaking Axient systems)
  • Wireless point-to-point audio links within the stadium
  • Reinforcement of the pep band
  • Playback of audio drop-ins
  • Coordination of the booth mixing operations

“There are a lot of plates that have to keep spinning at every game,” says Crew Chief, Steve Whittenhall.  “Things are very dynamic—our team of 6 is always on their toes.”

Most recently, our company was tasked with designing and implementing a system in Ryan Field’s Stadium Club—an exclusive, glass-enclosed, 7th floor hospitality suite.

Our design team created a system that permits our in-room audio engineer to use iPad control of a digital console over a dedicated wireless network to mix wireless ambient mics that capture crowd, game, and band sounds, with dedicated feeds from the main console.

System designer, TC Furlong, notes, “It was a quite a challenge to weave this together—high expectations, a complex system, older infrastructure, and a hostile RF environment.  The result is an exciting live audio experience for the University’s VIP guests attending the game.”

TC Furlong’s team of designers, engineers, and technicians is pleased and proud to support Chicago’s Big 10 team with professional audio equipment and services.

Let us know how our team can support your next important event.  Contact Jeff Cech at 847.367.9588 or jc@tcfurlong.com.

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