For many, a "portable PA" (PPA) has long been the lightest, smallest and most basic live sound reinforcement tool that one can possibly cram into a hatchback along with instruments, musicians and so on. The product category, however, has broadened in recent years to include some all-in-one tools increasingly employed in smaller venues and multifunctional A/V environments such as houses-of-worship and educational, corporate and institutional facilities.
Let's salute the unsung hero of modern recording software: test and measurement. In the days of tape, your test gear was VU meters that sorta indicated when something was happening, a volt-ohmmeter in case you had to fix a cable or check for patch bay shorts, and if you had the bucks, a dual-trace oscilloscope or Audio Precision AP-1. Fortunately, you did have the world's most sophisticated test equipment—your ears—but they can do only so much.
"We will record a whole song very quickly, and in a way, it is all very honest. In a couple of hours, a song will be finished, and it's all captured in the moment. This helps us because we don't overthink the songs. " — James Hoare of Ultimate Painting
Click to read this article from the current issue of Pro Sound News.