Keith_

Hi folks, I have a Midas Venice F-24 with two dodgy pots of the dual concentric kind. Actually one has a bent shaft and the other has a failed track or something (scratchy intermittent noisy). I think there are some other problems such as intermittent signal on Mon1. I believe the official answer is 'Musictribe' but to be honest I find them something reminiscent of the classic film Brazil (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088846/) in which all information is freely available (just one exception), as long as you know the right channels to go through (and that is the exception): in short inaccessible. Further, since I am in the back of beyond, Northern Ireland, I don't expect too much without forking out unacceptable sums for couriers etc.. So, I am wondering if anyone here can advise me on obtaining the required bits to have a go at it myself? The only source I found for the correct concentric ganged pots sells them in minimum quantity of 1000. Any ideas? (Please don't say it's time to throw away tempramental analogue desks and buy a digital: like an old soldier it keeps going despite several injuries!) Thanks.

Sorry I'm late here, but wondering what is inside the Senn A1031-U that justifies the ~£120. I have always been puzzled by the price of directional log periodic paddles, but these passive omnis are surely just a copper dipole sandwiched between two bits of plastic. What am I missing? Otherwise I'll just keep using the wee whips. I also note my efforts to fabricate antennas for UHF bands were not particularly impressive, but maybe that's my skills, ha ha.

Thanks Chaps. You confirm my instinct to stick with Sennheiser. Had a look at XSW2 - looks nice for the price. I have time to keep my eyes open for some G3 or even G4 if I'm lucky. Also it really is time I got out of Ch70 and bought a Ch38 license. My principle in building up this little business was always buy the best second hand I could, rather than go down the Beringer etc. route. One important point is fixing kit - something like the W-audio or Hill cheapies is, if they go fizz, they go in the Council recycle, but I would try to get the Senns fixed. I now have a retirement home for old Tannoy VX12s and A&H desks - ha ha! Thanks, Keith.

Just found this as I was looking into a relatively inexpensive, but still reliable (!) quad set to go into my 2 small, semi portable amp racks. Currently have four individual Senn W100 G2s with antenna splitter and SKP100s and a cheepo Hill Audio Chinese double with a pair of beltpacks (works OK). Small budget unfortunately (otherwise I would just upgrade the Senn kit or get into JTS). Seems to me the W-Audio DQM800 is not bad, but I am keen to know if I would regret it on the 'buy cheap, pay twice' principle. Over the past few years I have bought (well chosen) second hand kit, but with radio-mics, not sure where the trade off comes between much used pro and new semi-pro (or whatever you call the likes of W-Audio). Any thoughts?

Yes, but I am wondering how those Senn receivers are protected from the 48V if it appears on every channel. I agree a transformer is ideal to block DC, but I have used a pair of 64V electrolytics in the path as recommended on https://www.soundservices.co.uk/circuits-wiring-connecting-terminology-repairs/ (phantom power and radio mic receivers). Perhaps Paul would like to point you to a suitable mono transformer box.

Thanks Malcolm and Kevin. I had a look at both suggestions: Marsh seems more suited to my activities at the moment. A good example - on Saturday I did outdoor sound for a Peace in Ukraine rally (gratis of course), at the end of speaches and 'sturing music', the crowd all set off on a protest march through Belfast city centre. The marshals were not exactly on top of their game as the throng headed in the wrong direction, hundreds of people trampled right over my cables laid between the amp rack and speaker tower! I stood by repeating "please mind the cables underfoot" over and over like a vehicle reversing. Tenterhooks! Marsh specifically mention 'tripping over cables' in their brief summary of what is PLI. K.

Hi Folks, Anyone like to recommend a package, or point out some pitfalls, for small scale wet hire sound amplification business (outdoor and indoor)? Thanks, K.

Sure, I will try a bit of expansion and different combinations of sensitivity and gain at tx and rx end. I will let all here know how it works out. Right now kit has just come back from a morning in the rain, so it's getting some warm dry kindness. One day I might be able to afford better stuff 😉. Thanks.

Good point, JP. I have tried a different rx and tx, but it was just another SKIP and EW100 pair (that's all I have). I will look at lowering the AF output on both tx and rx - there is plenty of room for that. By the way, the RF carrier is super strong. Thanks, Keith.

Here is one that I find surprizingly puzzling and may draw out some good advice. I can plug a Sennheiser MD46 (nice mic) direct into the back of mixer amp (or into a mixer / amp setup) and get pretty good gain before feedback (GBF). Using the same mic in the same position etc. feeding a SKP100 radio mic transmitter with EW100 receiver plugged into the back of the amp (etc.) the GBF is awful. I have tried this with different bits of kit all the way through the system - the effect is always the same: cable from the mic is fine, radio link dreadful. Any ideas ? Note - no eq or dynamic processing, nothing other than switching between radio and mic cable and I mean GBF, so gain itself is not the issue. I can, of course, fiddle with eq and the compressor gate and feedback destroyer and all that stuff, but the point is I don't need to with the cable connection and actually I can not get the wireless to be anything like as good GBF. Stumped. Thanks, K.

Hi - I don't know what double glazing you are thinking of, but acoustic laminated glass (two layers with a plastic (Polyvinyl Butyral - PVB) sandwich layer) can be very good. This article on architectural acoustic glazing may be useful (explains theory with handy equations too). https://www.glassonweb.com/article/architectural-acoustic-glazing Specialist double glazing firms do it. You can compare some of that with a wall of glass blocks (dB loss and £££). I agree with all the previous comments about mass and stiffness, by the way, so some design work on the panel size and frame would be good. I recommend you get an acoustics consultant if possible (maybe someone on this board, even). Finally - you're in Glasgow I see. Lots of lovely architecture there, so maybe sensitivity required (especiallly if C.R. Mackintosh was involved*). Curtains strictly for looking nice. *https://www.crmsociety.com/

Thanks for the clarification, Stuart. Sennheiser manuals say almost nothing about it, so that was useful. Oddly enough, I have a small Hill Audio RM system (http://www.hill-audio.com/product/wmu-216/) working on Ch70 and the Senn G2 receivers pick its transmitters up perfectly (with pilot tone on). No chance with the old AudioTechnica, though. Those SKP100s are nice to put on a better sounding mic, though the scew collar is useless unless it's paired with one of the very few that take it. I am using a bit of tape to help keep them on because its all a bit like having a brick tied to a milk bottle. Good kit, though (you might have gathered every penny is a prisoner with me). By the way, I must praise all you contributors to this message board. Excellent answers with expertise and experience very evident and also tremendously quick. Not condescending either (which I take to be a real sign of professionalism). Much appreciated. Thanks. Keith.

Nice one! I just tried it (supposed to be going to my bed, but couldn't resist a last look here). Honestly speaking, I never ventured into the pilot tone menu before, but switching it off did the trick. Do I loose much by doing it that way - I see the pilot tone helps with setting squelch. Perhaps I should get a set of G2s instead? Thanks, Keith.

On a closeley related matter, folks, I have just got a set of 4 SKP100 (EW100 G1) plugin transmitters for band E to use with my EW100 (G2) receivers (with antenna splitter) on Ch 70 frequencies. They all produce a nice strong carrier signal (RF), but there is no AF at all. Yes, I have tried different mics and fiddled with the mute slider swich (which does not say which position is mute) and the attenuator is set at 0dB an off. Any ideas? The receivers work fine. I doubt they are all kaput (as the Germans would say). Thanks,Keith.

Thanks for helpful hints and remarks so far, folks. I got a moment to check the cables and saw at least one was not the best (bits of braid whiskers everywhere), so redid it (also double checking with sunray's prescription and the label on the sabine box). Confident that all was good on that front, I was looking forward to reporting success, but sadly, no: echo echo echo continues. By the way, I read the detailed pin 1 problem webpages, Staurt - very useful, if a little depressing. Anyway RF interference is not the current problem (though indeed I have battled with it at other times) - I do follow sunray's advocacy of transformers on these matters. (Also, sunray, point taken on the Euro blocks: though there are some physical compatibility issues, its good for fixed install and handy to just use screw down). I should say I have nothing like the experience you have using this stuff. So the hunt for the ghost in the machine continues. Otherwise the little units sound rather good. No problem sandall - I have plenty of those moments. FINAL UPDATE: Problem Solved! Well, first thanks again for all the suggestions etc.I now have them working properly and the last issue I solved was frankly just my own stupidity. I had eliminated the obvious acoustic recirculation, but in my last test I had forgotten to switch out the speaker and with headphones on, I didn't realise. These things happen! So I had actually solved the problem with the new cables, but had inadvertently created a new one. What can I say? Anyway all sorted now. Thanks, Keith.

Good idea. They have those nasty Euro block connectors. Pin 1 shield, Pin 2 low, Pin 3 high.I will investigate the Euro - XLR cables and report. Thanks, Keith.

Hi Peter and Mr Pearce - thanks for your lightening fast replies. I can assure you there is no acoustic coupling and I think the arrangement cannot introduce any electrical either (though I initially thought of that explanation as I first was feeding sabine's o/p back into the mixer on another ch.) I have simple linear signal path and I've also tested it a) with headphones only and b) with a line source (so no chance of acoustic return). Yes, both units do the same thing on both their channels (A and B) and the echo time depends on the delay time set (I guess it is a perfect repeat of the delay). I just wondered if this is a way a digital delay can fail... I've no idea. I can confirm they certainly don't have an echo effect or anything other than single delay built in - that is all they are for. Apparently there is a famous philosophy essay called "Ghost in the machine" - perhaps I should read it. All the best, Keith.

Hi Folks,just a quick question, if anyone has experience using Sabine's SDA102 delay boxes.I just bought a couple of them for time-aligninng speaker sets. I have never used them before, but have a pair of GRQ3102 s that work fine. These SDA102 s don't produce a clean single delay - you get a multi-echo effect like a 1970s tape echo sound. They are second hand, out of an installation, so I'm just wondering if they are knackered or I'm doing something wrong. Tested with a simple mic - mixer - Sabine - amp signal path. Any ideas of faults etc. much appreciated. Thanks, Keith.

Yes Mike, that's kind of where I started. Xirium is absolutely made for it and terrific stuff, but if, like me, you cannot afford that, then I am told great care is needed to match TX and RX which typically use different compression etc.. I never understood why those paddles (shark fins) cost so much when all they are really is a log-periodic printed on a circuit board (with maybe a balun or something like) to get <6dB. Not as good as a long (e.g. 14dB) Yagi, but I believe that would not be allowed by Ofcom. Since log-periodics are very wide band, one might as well use a digital TV antenna having UHF radio mic frequencies well within its scope (http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1993557.pdf). Is that not a viable option? At the moment, my radio mic tx (iem) and rx are from different manufacturers (maybe they could be traced back to the same Chinese factory, though), but I am interested to experiment with them (not had time yet). K.

I kind of like that, Tom! Reminds me of this story - the Apollo space programme was immensely expensive, but a lot of inventions grew out of it. For example a team of engineers worked for years on a pen that could write in zero-G. Eventually they developed the pentel pumped biro - a great commercial success. Meanwhile the Russians took pencils. K.

True, Jivemaster that is why I went off 2.4GHz. Cable is out because in this particular case, those punters cannot be stropped from trampling all over the cable and 200m of cable-cover would surely be extortionate and not the best. Pylons could carry the cable, but then I would need a whole load more poles and it gets tedious and expensive. I'm surprised there is no ready-made wireless solution for this, but there we are. K.

Yes, dbuckley, it seems Dante is the way to go for audio over ethernet (makes my Firewire mixer <Midas F32> seem old-fashioned). Unfortunately I found that (quoting Canford Audio, who quote Audinate) Implementation - Wireless 'While possible in principle, the practical limitations of current wireless technology (802.11a/b/g/n) render reliable performance unachievable. For this reason DANTE software such as Virtual Sound card will not recognize wireless connections for audio data.' I note that 802.11a/b/g/n includes 5.8GHz. I looked into adding external Yagi to the bluetooth 2.4GHz kit mentioned above and it seems that might infringe UK Gov. regulations (my interpretation of quite complicated rules on the OFCOM website) - if the antenna is fixed on e.g. the Denon, that might be for a legal reason. Then I started looking at a 5.8GHz system (https://www.pcs-elec...38;currency=GBP) which operated in band-C, for which a licence is needed (£50/year) (Bruce's suggestion) but it seems solid pro-quality kit, the only thing is, that high up, even a wet tree might spoil the signal (antennas planned to be on little 4m towers). My, how complicated this all is. K.

Thanks folks, and you have been so quick in responding! I rather like the idea of those little 2.4GHz boxes, boosted with directional yagi antennas. Should get much better range with say 16dB gain and a usable 30 degree beam that will help with isolation of the signal path. They are a simple solution, much better than digital wifi and much cheaper than radio mic type kit. Not sure between the KT and the Denon (the latter seems a bit more professional, but the KT has a 12V supply which is handy and anyway they might be the same thing under the case). I take sunray's point about 2.4GHz getting crowded, but with the directional antennas looking at each other, I hope it will be OK - am I right? Thanks again, Keith.

Hi Folks, I'm new to this forum, an amateur, having started in live sound 40 years ago and returned to it in what is for me an alien digital world. Currently, I am looking into linking up a pair of remote speaker stacks that will be 100m to 200m away from the main (with delays of course). I have seen others use radio mic frequency links with shark (log periodic) antennas for this, but it seems a very expensive way to go about it. I am wondering about using an ethernet over radio at 5GHz, but I am not sure how I would get audio into and out of the ethernet (though I guess it is the same technology as 'smart speakers' in the home). I prefer licence free and reasonably secure (we don't want the punters breaking in on the channel). Suggestions sought. Many thanks, Keith.