Draft:Al Siniscal (audio engineer)
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Al Siniscal | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 6, 1941 St. Louis, Missouri |
| Occupations | Audio Engineer, Sound Systems Designer and Entrepreneur |
| Awards | Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award for Audio Innovation, 2010 |
Albert V. Siniscal (born July 6, 1941) is an American audio engineer, sound systems designer, and entrepreneur. He is credited with early development and adoption of concepts including tri- and quad-amplification, self-powered loudspeaker systems, line arrays, and foam-backed horns.[1] He received the 2010 Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award for Audio Innovation.[2]
Early life and education
[edit | edit source]Siniscal was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where he graduated from Chaminade High School. While there, he built and demonstrated a Tesla coil capable of generating a 150,000-volt spark at the school's science fair. In 1959, he received a scholarship to Washington University in St. Louis, where he earned both a Bachelor's Degree in Engineering and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). While attending university, he joined the USAF ROTC program and subsequently served as a First Lieutenant in the USAF Missiles and Space Systems Division.[1]
Career
[edit | edit source]After employment with Esso International (now ExxonMobil) in New York City, Siniscal was called to active duty at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah. There, he became involved in off-base electronic projects, including building plug-in amplifier cards and recording consoles. He was promoted to First Lieutenant and was responsible for conventional munitions supplied to the USAF by the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.[1]
While on active duty, Siniscal met and built relationships with the sound managers at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas during visits there for live performances. After his honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1969, Siniscal decided to pursue a career in professional audio systems, using the knowledge he had gained from his off-base projects, rather than return to New York with Esso.[1]
He moved to Hollywood, California, and began building amplifiers and speakers in his kitchen and self-storage units, developing the concept of putting amplifiers directly into loudspeaker enclosures.[3] His work was featured in the April 1971 issue of Recording Engineer/Producer magazine, in an article called “Bi and Tri Amplification”.[4]
In 1972, Siniscal presented a 10-page technical paper titled "High-Intensity, Modular Tri- and Quad-Amplification Loudspeaker Systems" at the AES Convention in Munich, introducing the concept of self-powered multi-amped loudspeaker systems to European engineers.[5] He repeated the presentation two months later at the US AES Convention in Los Angeles.[6]
By 1974, Siniscal developed the VIP system (Vertical Integrated Power),[1] an early forerunner to line arrays, featuring tri-amplified, self-powered enclosures. Each custom built VIP system cabinet contained high, mid and low range speakers along with power amps mounted inside the back of the enclosure in a two-part solid wood framed cabinet that was 3 ft wide by 4 ft deep. The speakers and drivers were rigidly mounted using pressurized foam technology to improve damping and alignment. A typical installation had 12 or more VIP speaker boxes, each standing 10 ft tall, half on each side of the stage.[7]
Siniscal's company, A-1 Audio, provided sound systems for artists including Paul Anka, Wayne Newton, Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, The Righteous Brothers, Tom Jones, Ann-Margret, and Shirley MacLaine.[1][8] A-1 Audio operated from a 20,000 sq. ft. facility in Hollywood that included a rehearsal stage, fabrication shop, storage areas, loading bays, offices and an artists lounge.[9] The facility provided services from research, design, construction, assembly, test, and delivery of sound systems for stage performers and showroom venues.[10]
His designs, including flying speakers mounted above the stage, were featured in the October 1978 issue of Recording Engineer/Producer magazine in an article titled "The Doobie Brothers Touring System".[7]
As concert tour groups required transportable sound systems that could be moved more efficiently from venue to venue, Siniscal developed the two-truck method of packaging a complete sound reinforcement system including all sound and lighting equipment, flying trusses and hoists, wiring, stage production gear and supplies into two 18-wheel tractor-trailer trucks.[11]
Siniscal provided audio systems for concert tours by Aerosmith, Van Halen, Julio Iglesias, Chicago, Mötley Crüe, Engelbert Humperdinck[12], among others.[13][14]
In January 1980, he provided the sound system for Frank Sinatra’s concert at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium, which set a Guinness World Record[15] for the largest one-man concert attendance by a solo performer (175,000 attendees).[16]
In the 1980s, Siniscal won a contract to provide stage sound systems for Andrew Lloyd Webber's Broadway opening of "Starlight Express"[17] and later for theater productions including "The Wiz", "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamboat", The Unsinkable Molly Brown", and others.[18] He provided sound systems for the Gershwin Theater engagements of Shirley MacLaine, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Wayne Newton.[19]
Siniscal designed and installed sound systems for Pope John Paul II’s 1987 visit to Dodger Stadium[13][20], which attracted 75,000 people and the 1988 "Concert for the Masses" in the Pasadena Rose Bowl featuring Depeche Mode for 80,000 fans.[18]
In 1989, Siniscal worked with British sound designer Martin Levan to supply sound systems, sound engineers and travel logistics for "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber", a touring concert that played in more than 30 US cities throughout 1990. The show featured a full symphony orchestra together with 12 Broadway singers, and included songs from the musicals "Cats", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Evita", "Jesus Christ Superstar", and "Starlight Express".[17]
In 1999, A-1 Audio was acquired by PRG (Production Resource Group), where Siniscal remained as a consultant.[1][21] He later moved to Las Vegas and founded A1 Entertainment Services and managed installations including the 7000 seat concert hall at the Aladdin Resort & Casino (now Planet Hollywood) in Las Vegas, featuring a permanently-installed L-Acoustics V-DOSC system.[1]
Siniscal serves as President and CEO of A1 Entertainment Services in Las Vegas. He is a Registered Professional Electrical Engineer in Nevada and California.[22][23]
Recognition and awards
[edit | edit source]In 2010, Siniscal received the Parnelli Lifetime Achievement Award for Audio Innovation, presented by Paul Anka.[24] At the ceremony, Parnelli Awards executive producer, Terry Lowe, stated that Siniscal's work in the early days with Paul Anka led to not only better sound but to better performances, and to this day his influence is heard in every showroom in town.[13] He is a legacy member of NAMM, and is profiled in the NAMM Oral History Program.[25]
Personal life
[edit | edit source]Siniscal has been a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for more than 20 years.[1] He lives in Las Vegas with his wife Holly, an artist. They have two children: Gabriel and Abby.[1]
References
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