The staff of Chicago Sound. Pictured from left to right: Jim Ostrom, Vice President Ian Hunt, President and Owner Lori Cole and John Lisiecki.

Morton Grove, Illinois. What do Regis Philbin and Kathy Lee Gifford have in common with Mr. Big? It's definitely not musical styles nor a penchant for speed demon bass solos. It's Chicago Sound, one of the fastest growing sound reinforcement companies in the Midwest.

The secret of Chicago Sound's success is largely due to their long ago decision to never turn down any event due to musical style or other unique sound requirements. In order for Chicago Sound to succeed and excel it was determined early on that it was necessary to be diverse enough to do it all; Corporate, broadcast, theater, municipal events, as well as rock and roll. According to Lori Cole, President and owner of Chicago Sound, "When we started the company in 1991, we made up our minds that we wanted the company to provide sound for every conceivable application." In that short three year span, Chicago Sound has done that and prospered

Chicago Sound's decision has propelled them into the upper echelon of professional sound reinforcement companies. They have supplied sound for such diverse clients as Sony Corporation, the grand opening festivities for Planet Hollywood, the Chicago Marathon, Johnny Paycheck, Maureen McGovern, Concrete Blonde and a Bill Clinton Campaign rally.

Lori Cole and Vice President Ian Hunt reflect back on their last three years of record growth. "When we made the decision to handle such diverse sound reinforcement applications, we required a sound system that would accomplish everything." States Lori Cole. "It had to have the power to project for hard rock acts and spoken word needed to be clear and audible over great distances and under unusual circumstances. Plus, the system had to have a crisp, transparent quality for the City's Blues and Jazzfests."

Ian Hunt continues, "The speakers also had to look cosmetically clean for televised and corporate events. The last thing we wanted was another heavy metal looking, big black box. We examined everything out there. But, considering our requirements, we were immediately faced with a very short list of manufacturers."

After investigating all competitive specs and finally comparing speakers side by side, Apogee Sound was the clear cut winner. Both Ms. Cole and Mr. Hunt agree that the 3X3 concert loudspeaker was the superior full range workhorse that was needed. "Overall Apogee was superior in sound and construction quality right out-of-the-box." States Ms. Cole. Chicago Sound's initial order consisted of two 3X3 loudspeakers with one P-3X3RV (Road Version) processor and six AE-6 monitors with two P-5RV processors.

After one year of field testing their Apogee system in smaller venues, Apogee loaned Chicago Sound two additional 3X3 loudspeakers for a few larger events. "We were very much sold on Apogee by this time," relates Ms. Cole, "But, we were concerned how the larger 3X3 loudspeakers would project and what kind of fidelity we could expect in much larger venues." Ms. Cole states, "Not only did the 3X3s and AE-6s excel in every test situation, Apogee's follow-up and willingness to work with us convinced my crew and I that Apogee Sound was the only way to go."

Within one month Chicago Sound had a "fire sale" and sold all of their old speaker inventory "to some strip-club on the Texas-Mexico boarder," and invested heavily in new Apogee product. Chicago Sound added ten additional 3X3 concert loudspeakers with P-3X3RV processors, eight AE-5 loudspeakers with P-5RV processors, eight AE-12 subwoofers with P-12RV processors and sixteen more AE-6 monitors with P-5RV processors.

In 1992, Chicago Sound became the sole provider of sound services to the City of Chicago. The Bluesfest, Jazzfest, Gospel, Taste of Chicago, Viva Chicago and, in October, 1992, and a Bill Clinton Democratic Campaign rally in Daley Plaza are just a few of the City's events to utilize Chicago Sound's Apogee system. "It was estimated that the Bill Clinton Campaign rally was attended by 50,000 people. I've never seen so many people in Daley Plaza at once. They were hanging out of the windows of the surrounding buildings, they were in the trees and on the monuments." Cites Ms. Cole, "It was an amazing event,"

By the mid 1993, the demand to provide sound for larger acts and venues was still increasing. In July, 1993, Chicago Sound provided their Apogee sound system for the star studded, gala grand opening of Chicago's Planet Hollywood. Club owners Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Bruce Willis were all on hand with guests Sharon Stone, Don Johnson, Melinie Griffith and Jean Claude Van Damme to name just a few.

Chicago Sound Senior Engineer, James Ostrom relates, "It was a very big event. There were live TV crews from all of the local and national networks, movie stars, 3X3 loudspeakers on the roofs of buildings, the works! To top it all off, it rained all day! Through load-in, set-up, tech set and rehearsal. Sixteen hours of solid rain. By show time the entire crew and equipment was soaked. Not only were the Apogee speakers being pelted by the rain, it was also very hot and humid. We had our AE-5s covered with plastic tarps most of the day, but the 3X3s on the rooftops and AE-12s on the stage were only covered with the standard Cordura covers. The entire crew was very nervous that nothing was going to work at show time. Five minutes before show time, the rain finally stopped."

Geno Byrnes of Jam Productions was the production manager for the Planet Hollywood grand opening event. Mr. Byrnes states, "Outdoor gigs are rough on equipment because of the weather. For most sound companies, this would have been a disaster, but Chicago Sound was simply weatherproof."

Ms. Cole adds, "The Apogee system performed flawlessly when Bruce Willis and his band performed later that night. Despite the punishment our Apogee system took that day, all of the speakers still work perfectly without ever having to be reconditioned."

Chicago Sound's Apogee arsenal currently consists of twenty-eight 3X3 concert loudspeakers, eight of the new XP-14 concert subwoofers (with an additional eight on order) twelve AE-12 subwoofers, two AE-10 subwoofers, twelve AE-5 loudspeakers, six AE-5NC (narrow conical) loudspeakers, six AE-3 loudspeakers, six AE-2s2 wide angle loudspeakers, thirty-six SA-700 power amplifiers and "an infinite number of dedicated Road Version processors," according to John Lisiecki.

Always ready are five full drive racks, each rack capable of powering four 3X3 cabinets per channel. A fifth rack is always ready in case of an emergency. Chicago Sound guarantees that four 3X3 rigs are ready to perform at any given moment. States Ms. Cole, "Usually we have several different events going on at the same time at different locations. Unfortunately, in the past we would have missed a lot of these golden business opportunities due to not having enough inventory available to fulfill a job request." Ms. Cole notes, "At this stage of our development, I believe there isn't an event or venue in Chicago we can't handle."

"We take great pride in being an unobtrusive sound company," states Ms. Cole. "We've learned a lot in only three years and from that we've streamlined our operation considerably. Many of the major events we provide sound for are set-up and torn-down in a few short hours without having to contract out for extra help. Also, everyone in the full time staff is very intimate with all of the equipment reducing problems in the field, We have no Prima Donnas in this organization. I'm very proud to say that we're like family and work exceptionally well together, as well as with the client."

Matthew Sweet, The Smithereens, Jimmy Cliff, Aimee Mann, Buddy Guy and, of course, Regis, Kathy Lee and Mr. Big (who opened?) are only a few of the major acts to utilize Chicago Sound's Apogee system on their way through the Windy City.

Ms Cole states, "With all of the new Apogee gear we recently took delivery of, I believe my rep, Tom Parnell, that's spelled P-A-R-N-E-L-L, of New Horizons Marketing, owes us at least dinner. Can you have him call me with those arrangements?"