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 How many times have you snapped the top off a cat5 ethernet connector? Or how often have you crushed it in a high traffic area? Wouldn’t it be great if it looked like a protected xlr end?
Popular in the live production world, but lesser known in other av fields, an answer to this problem is already around. Welcome to the Neutrik “Ethercon” connector. We use these connectors anytime we want to make sure an ethernet cable stays plugged in. If it's used often and we want to make sure the end does not wear out. we use them too. You can add female ethercon connectors to stage boxes or wall plates, and even many times add the outside of an ethercon connector to an existing cable. Check out this link to the Neutrik page and let us know if we can help ruggedize your stage connections!  MI-909 is an industry first, professional quality digital wireless stereo IEM system. Featuring digitally encrypted technology with unparalleled digital audio performance and transmission reliability, the superior frequency response characteristics of the MI-909 from 20 Hz to 15 kHz clearly exceed those of analog systems. Combining DSP & digital diversity technologies, this upgraded MI-909 system has advanced features and is a professional quality IEM system won’t break the bank. It can host up to 16 compatible channels within the same frequency group. It also has free scan. It selects an open, interference-free transmitter frequency and ACT syncs the transmitter and receiver frequencies automatically. The key components of the MI-909 IEM system include the MI-909R ultra compact bodypack receiver and MI-909T rack transmitter.  We have used this system on several installations including in Florida and Denver. We’ve used it recently in two different ways. We have used this on stage in conjunction with an on-stage personal mixing system and we have also rack mounted these boxes and fed them directly through an aux. Paired with the MIPro antenna distribution system this can offer a more cost effective solution to getting wireless in-ears onto your stage. If you’re wondering if this would be right for you, we are here to answer any questions you might have!
What Are They? And Why Are They Useful? A few times recently we have run into venues and sound technicians that donʼt know about how useful these little Direct Boxes are so we thought this would be a great tech tip to cover. We hope you learn something new and would love to answer any other questions you might have.
A direct box is a device used to interface a guitar or keyboard to a sound system. Inside the box is a set of transformers or coils of wire. The windings of these coils change a signal from high impedance to low impedance. Instruments usually have a high impedance signal because it is a stronger and higher quality signal, however, this signal type has some negatives. It is prone to interference over even short distances and it usually does not interface well to a sound board with low impedance “pre-amped” inputs. Plugged straight into a sound board with an adapter cable instead of a direct box, a guitar will be too loud, and have hum or interference. A direct box allows for a short un-balanced high impedance cable to be correctly converted to a low impedance signal. It then sends the signal down a balanced cable to the sound console. We always recommend having a few of these around as part of your “problem solver kit”. If you want to know how to integrate these little boxes into your system, contact us anytime! Get back to having a simple meeting. When you walk into a meeting you simply want to open your laptop, and get down to business. Now with Atlona you can have your meeting and won't have to worry about how to share information between devices. The HDVS-300-C-KIT was designed to eliminate the clutter and system complexity in meeting rooms where USB cameras and microphones are incorporated into professional AV systems by putting just two devices and a single category cable into the room instead. This kit is also great in hybrid rooms where a traditional HDVS system is required for in-person meetings as well as videoconferencing.  The Atlona AT-UHD-HDVS-300-C-KIT provides a complete integration solution for meeting rooms and conference areas by using PC-based conferencing codec. This little kit includes AV switching, USB and HDMI extension, an integrated system control, and an enterprise-grade PTZ camera. The Altona Kit simplifies conference room device management by using a system that provides two USB connectors for host computers. Two built-in USB hubs, one on the transmitter and one on the receiver, allow for numerous devices as well as microphones and speakers. For the HDMI inputs, the KIT is compatible with sources and displays up to 4K/UHD @ 60 Hz. It's time to cut the clutter and get back to business meetings that are productive! Don't worry about your system integrations any more! Try out this little Atlona KIt. Stay tuned for more information as we install one of these on an upcoming job!   In the audio/visual world one of our biggest fears is that something might go wrong or not work at the worst possible time. One of the ways we have found to minimize the chances of this happening is through a pre-event checklist. Whether producing or directing an event, mixing audio, or even just operating a camera, having a checklist to confirm everything is working properly can save headaches during the event. If you are using volunteers, who may not work with that piece of equipment regularly, this can also help you empower them to learn that area or piece of equipment. Keep the checklists simple and make sure if the operator doesn’t use that specific equipment regularly that they can still understand it and use it as a guide to help them. Use your checklists as markers of what should be working and what someone should be seeing regularly. Spending a few minutes to create a checklist for different pieces of your systems can save you lots of time before and during your events!   Check out one of our favorite products!! Now everyone in the band can hear clearly! The Presonus Earmix-16M is a personal monitor mixer that provides a high-quality networked solution for stage installed sound systems. Each EarMix 16M accepts 16 mono channels of input via AVB networking—and you can network multiple units with a StudioLive Series III mixer. Controls and inputs can be customized on each unit to allow each musician to create a mix that works best for them. Once you’ve perfected a set of monitor mixes, save the whole scene to internal memory; you can store and recall up to 16 mix scenes locally. Thanks to loud, clear headphone amps, and top quality signal processing, EarMix 16M delivers exceptional sound quality that your band will thank you for. Each band member can download the app onto their phone and adjust their mix channel in the moment to whatever their need might be. Do you want to hear just the drums? You got it! Do you want to hear the drums and your lead? You can do that too! We love the capability of this EarMix and the opportunity it gives your musicians. It was really fun to recently add one to Clayhouse and see the difference it made for them! We’d love to show it to you and talk through its abilities.   We receive lots of questions on a weekly basis of how to make computer and other signals work with professional video switchers. Frequently, when connecting a computer signal to a video switcher the signal must go through a scan conversion. Professional video switchers operate off of a frame rate usually of 29.97 or 59.94 rather than 30 or 60. This is a holdover from legacy TV systems where an offset was left to make room for color information so the signal could still be compatible with black and white. When you connect a computer signal using a simple HDMI to SDI converter it outputs 60p frame rate instead of 59.94 which makes it unable to be understood by the switcher. In order to fix this you need a scan converter. Even more useful would be a scan converter/ scaler combo. We have pictures of several of these useful devices from @datavideo @atomos and #blackmagicdesign. Message us if you have other questions on the very detailed and techie topic of getting video signals to work in your professional video switcher!
 These Live production switchers are designed for broadcasters and professional AV. These models feature re-sync on all models, so you always get clean switching weather you are using professional or consumer grade cameras. You get: Multiview output so you can see all of your sources, preview and program on the same screen, aux out, built in talk-back, 2 still stores, an audio mixer, camera control unit and more! These switchers are an affordable, fast way to create incredible programs from live events. They are perfect for broadcasters, concerts, seminars, or the new emerging generation of broadcasters using platforms such as YouTube Live and Facebook Live. You are able to switch between multiple cameras and computers all with quality broadcast transitions, graphics, and effects. They are easily portable and come in three different models to fit any of your needs.
We use these switchers in many jobs as a compact and inexpensive way to get into live-streaming with a few cameras or as a push button switcher for a projector in a small meeting room with the capability to drop in a camera or connect a recorder. Take a look back at our post on the G.O.A.T. to see how we used one to build the portable production setup we took to Hawaii with our friends at ASI! As always, feel free to contact us with any questions you might have!  In an effort to continuously be learning and improving our craft, we are excited to tell you that Trevor, our Shop Manager and Sound Tech, became SMAART certified! SMAART stands for System Measurement Acoustic Analysis Real-time Tool. What the heck does that mean? SMAART is a software platform that is used to view the frequency content of signal or measure the response of our electrical and electro-acoustic systems. Much like medical instruments for doctors, this tool helps us examine our sound systems with minute detail to diagnose and so any problems that may be occurring. At Lambda AV we not only want to provide you with the best equipment, but we also want to be able to provide clarity on how your system is affected by the environment that you are operating within. You can learn all about SMAART at rationalaccoustics.com. We will soon be running a special for you to check out this fun gear in action! You won’t want to miss this!
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