A PA system with minimal signal path

It was used outdoors in the country side.


To the astonishment of everyone it sounded great.


It was explained that this is the way it is done in the States so everyone was very willing to proceed.


The roadies were most happy as all they had to carry from the warehouse was a Yamaha console mixing desk with self contained power amps and effects. 2 loudspeakers with their stand. And 2 Shure SM58 or similar microphones with their stand.


Yes they were used as Blumlein pair.


Allan Dower Blumlein is the inventor using 2 ribbon mics at right angles.


The great inventor or innovator of stereo was a great gentleman too. On their first date with his later to be wife he literally took her to the sky. He flew a small plane with her as the only passenger.


2 directional moving coil microphones were used at 90 degrees to each other. So that they could cover the whole stage. They were placed in front of the singers 1-3 feet away from them. This minimizes proximity effect too. The microphones were simultaneously facing away from the conductor. So they were in front of the conductor and possibly what the conductor heard is what the mics were picking up.


The Yamaha mixer had a stereo power amplifier built in.


The loudspeakers were placed in the dead area of each mic. At the console one channel was panned to the left, the other to the right to preserve the sound stage image.


Some reverb or echo was used. But much of space must have come from the acoustic late reflections from trees, rocks or far buildings.


The sound check was started by playing a top quality CD with a known song to EQ the whole system making sure it sounds correct (to listener's brain).


The sound engineer was away and facing the stage near the audience.


It was a joy pulling down the faders on sound check to hear the real acoustic sound. And then pushing them back up to hear the same quality but louder.


Singers would hear themselves. If they needed to sing softer they would just approach the mic pair. They could also hear themselves through the PA. Choir was at the back. Electric bass had its dedicated amplifier. The 2 violin players were playing with everyone as if it were a rehearsal. Everybody could hear each other.


After the concert members of the audience came to congratulate the lazy sound engineer.


References:


The Life and Times of A D Blumlein - Russel Burns - IEE


How to make Friends and Influence your environment - Dale Carnegie