Biskit

Thanks for the replies chaps, both options mentioned worthy of a further look when they come available.

Just wondering if anyone has found any reasonable XLR plug-on wireless units which offer phantom power? Years ago Sennheiser had this feature even on its base model in the G1 Evolution range, however from G2 onwards, phantom power has only featured on the top of the range version. My budget won't stretch that far so I'm looking for other options. There seems to be a plethora of budget plug-on XLR wireless options these days, but all that I've seen are without a phantom option, and I've no idea if any of them are any good anyway. An alternative I'd consider would be a battery powered phantom source, combined with a plug-on transmitter. Has anyone come across a tidy and reliable combination along these lines? Application is for instrument spot-micing where the convenience of wireless is desirable, but where I'd like to be able to select specific (cabled/XLR) mics for the job, rather than a wireless HH on a stand, or lapel/clip-on type options.

A quick one - I'm in the process of doing a light service of a Formula Sound PM80 mixer. Yes it's essentially DJ gear, but it's fundamentally in good nick, and works reliably. The main issue is that many of the pots (old, open type) are quite crackly, and need a clean. When I last did this job, some years ago, I used Servisol Super 10 spray, and to be honest it seemed to work quite well. However I have read things more recently, online and elsewhere, suggesting that stuff doesn't do any good to pots. So what do people use for this? Are there better products nowadays, or ones to avoid? I'm guessing something which incorporates a mild solvent (to clean) plus a light (and conductive) lubricant would be the ideal? Or would something like that just tend to attract dust to stick, in an open design of pot/fader? Any advice appreciated - and I do realise there probably won't be a permanent or perfect solution here!

That sounds interesting - are you saying it would be possible to have one of these powered directly from an existing Strand Permus rack (either from the mains feed, or at a lower voltage)? And that it wouldn't send a surge on start-up, meaning it could safely and reliably be powered up simultaneously with the dimmer rack? That sounds like a good solution to my problem here.

Hi All, I've searched for similar topics and I know this area has been covered before - but not one specific point... I've been asked to look at an existing school install which is a 24 channel Strand Permus rack with analogue control. They want to have DMX control. Simple solution - the Showtec Multiexchanger demux and an appropriate break-out lead from the 25-pin D connector to 4 x DIN. I know it works, as I've done it as a temporary basis in the past. However my question is: how would people suggest powering the demux? The two options essentially are - 1. power it from the dimmer rack, so that when powered up, it just comes on and is ready to go, or 2. power it separately, which means the power-on can be sequenced (demux first) HOWEVER in reality I know the school staff won't do this, and it just adds another thing to go wrong which means I'll get a phone call saying it's not working. I'm keen to go for option 1, however I've noticed in the past these demuxes can sometimes spit out a 'blip' of all channels @100% when powering up, and I've known this cause nuisance tripping of dimmer racks in the past. Has anyone else experienced this, or am I likely to get away with it? I think the rack in question is actually on a distribution circuit with fuse protection, rather than breakers, however I'd be interested to know what experience others have had with this kind of setup. As ever with schools... simplicity is key. One of the teachers actually told me to specify 'prison grade equipment' haha Thanks in advance!

Hi All, I hate having to resort to posts like this because I know it probably looks like I haven't just searched Google/Amazon/Ebay/CPC etc... but I really have, and am drawing a blank! Just planning a minor AV install (not a big job but a tight deadline) and part of the spec is two wall-mounted HDMI connections. Needs to be flush to the surface of a plastered wall (alongside some existing 13A sockets which are already sunk into the wall, so surface-mount will look pretty naff). Could be two on one plate, or two separate. What I really want is an HDMI connector on a plate, with solder tags on the back, or even screw terminals, but all I can find are ones with either a short flying lead to another moulded HDMI female, or basically a F-F adaptor mounted so one end is effectively a panel mount connector and the other is hidden inside. Either type would potentially work... However... unless I chisel a hole practically the entire thickness of the wall, I'm not going to get enough depth behind the plate for either of these to work. Help! Am I missing something really obvious? I thought this would be the easiest bit of the job, but it's fast turning into the most frustrating! Any pointers appreciated. Many thanks!

Just one to canvass opinions as this is a matter on which there is no 'definitive' or 'right' answer... but a lot of options! I have quite a large collection of microphones: essentially lots of different 'options' for bands/live music, mainly general vocal and instrument mics, with some specialist types thrown in. Most are of the SM57/58 form factor, plus a number of small diaphragm condenser types and a few 'odd' ones. Storage is becoming a problem. I have always tried to keep mics in the pouches they came with - however I've ended up with quite a number sharing with two or more identical ones per pouch. They're all like this in a large box - it's ok, but difficult to find the one I want in a hurry. How do others store their mics? Am I perhaps missing a much more convenient way? The options I can see (without spending an absolute fortune on a custom made case with form cut to take every mic I currently have) are: 1. As I am now, with mics in pouches (possibly with better labelling of pouches) 2. Briefcase type cases which come with foam pre-cut to take 7 SM58 shaped mics, eg. https://www.musik-produktiv.com/gb/roadinger-microphone-case-road-7-microphones-black.html - seems wasteful of space, especially for mics which are smaller than an SM58. 3. Deep cases with holes for mics, eg. https://www.flightcasewarehouse.co.uk/industry/product.asp?item=microphone-briefcase-flight-case-2774-7826 - these are quite efficient in terms of space, but I worry about smaller mics rattling around and not being geld securely. Also mics which look similar end-on (eg. SM58 vs Beta 58) can be difficult to distinguish. 4. Generic briefcase style case with 'eggbox' type form top and bottom, and just lay the mics out flat and shut the lid. I imagine this would hold them all quite tight, but I'd worry that in time the foam would degrade and not hold the mics as tightly, so they'd end up all at one end of the case banging against each other in transit. Has anyone tried this approach? 5. Generic form case with 'cut your own form' or the type with the little square pieces that can be pulled out to create your own shapes. I've always thought these are a bit naff unless it just happens that your equipment is all perfectly rectangular, an exact multiple of the pull-out squares, and the exact depth of the case (never happens in my experience). Any other thoughts?

Has anyone come across an app for Chromebook (an Android app could potentially also work) which offers basic show control features for MP3/WAV (etc) playback - for backing tracks and such like. Nothing fancy: at the most basic level just an ability to cue up tracks, reliably play and stop with minimal lag/delay, and put tracks in the right order would suffice. An option to play continuously from one track to the next, or stop and automatically cue up the next, would be better. Something akin to SCS would be the ideal but I'm probably hoping for a bit much there! Any suggestions? There's (predictably) an enormous range of MP3 player apps available, but most are obviously aimed at the leisure market with things like instant play/stop/cue functions not prioritised. Responses/suggestions appreciated, thank you!

Hi, not sure if you received my reply to your message but yes I'm interested. Many thanks

Thanks for the input guys, very much appreciated.

My only issue with those are they need to be powered, either battery or Phantom. Ideally I'd prefer to go down the route of transformer based ones if possible.

I'm looking at purchasing some passive DI boxes for general use on stage in a live environment. They could see use for anything from guitar/bass, to keyboards, synths, or computers. I've previously used EMO single channel boxes, but these are getting pretty expensive (justifiably so, to be fair) and also there seems to be a supply issue with them at the moment. The toggle switch for ground-lift also seems to be a slightly irritating weak-point on these (though easy to repair, of course). Does anyone have experience with the IMG Stageline single passive DI boxes? I believe the same product is also sold as 'Pulse' and probably other brands too. They claim to be transformer matched (like the EMO ones), have switchable 0, -20 and -40 dB pad, and switchable ground lift. 1/4" jack in and XLR out - nice and simple, and I imagine they're pretty robust too. However are they ok sound-wise? Am I better just biting the bullet and waiting for stock of EMO ones and paying for a premium product? Note - I'm not working in situations where they'd necessarily need to be 'rider friendly', but I need to be sure I have kit which can be relied upon and is of reasonable quality - I know that's quite a fine middle-line to walk! Comments welcome! Ben

Hi Richard, Thank you for looking - if it does indeed turn out to be all working ok, and you're looking to move it on, then please drop me a message! Ben

I'm looking for an Avo Pearl Tiger desk - the 'classic' one of the same generation as the Pearl 2004/08/10 consoles, but with just 30 channel 'handles' and a ten-playback roller. Looking for one in the UK in reasonable working condition. Anyone have one they may be looking to shift from hire stock? Please get in touch!

Thanks for the pointers. Is this the power supply you're meaning? Searching for the term you mention brings up a confusing array of options: https://www.mouser.co.uk/ProductDetail/MEAN-WELL/ELGC-300-H-AB?qs=w%2Fv1CP2dgqrHxp9oegnKRg%3D%3D I did actually do a very small amount of crude experimentation before I ordered the LED. I got one of those LED torches, the small round black ones with a magnet on the back, an older type with a couple of dozen small LEDs in an array of similar size to the 300W LED I have bought. I found that by placing it inside the lamphouse, just behind the gate, it was possible to project an image of the LEDs by focussing the Cantata's lenses. It was obviously very dim, being powered by just three AAA batteries, but I felt proved the point that it should work. Moving the torch just a few mm back from the gate meant the 'image' of the LED array was diffused into an even circle, which could be usefully zoomed and focussed in the conventional way. An iris also worked as expected. On this basis I concluded that a much brighter LED of similar size will hopefully yield similar results, but with useful brightness. In response to Don Allen's mention of it possibly being underpowered - I guess time will tell though as with anything I guess it depends on the application - I'm looking at relatively small-scale applications here so hopefully it'll be adequate. Heat-sink wise, I guess I just need to look at the biggest I can fit in really? Noted the point about ensuring heat can escape. Fans and holes in the casing will be necessary I think. Thanks again for the replies, and Happy Christmas to all!

So... in a mad moment earlier this year I decided it might be a neat idea to convert a Cantata Followspot (essentially a Cantata 11/26 with an extra handle and a colour mag, for anyone who hasn't come across the followspot variant) to LED. I mean, they're pretty sturdy and well balanced, nice and compact, well built, just... a bit dim by today's standards with a 1200W lamp. On a whim, I bought one of these: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/High-CRI-97-High-Power-COB-LED-Daylight-White-5600K-47-56V-5-75A-300W-30000lm/312052272903?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 In my naivety, I thought sourcing a suitable power supply and heatsink arrangement would be straightforward, and I'd then just need to find a way to mount it in the existing lamphouse (stripping out the existing lamp holder, reflector etc). However in short, I haven't got a clue what type of power supply I need (ideally to allow manual dimming - external control eg. DMX would be handy but not essential) nor what type/size of heatsink. Can anyone help? I have seen similar projects on here a few years ago but much smaller in scale, much lower powered LEDs. Or perhaps it was just a daft idea in the first place! Any thoughts?

The Remembrance service I've done for the last 10+ years was as a direct replacement for a Black cabs on tripods system when the organiser was at an event I was covering with 100V horns on poles and commented how clear and distinct it sounded. Just how big do you need to go for little job like that? Ok fair enough perhaps I was being overly dismissive in that comment. There's absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong with a 100V horns system done properly - apologies if that's what you took me to be suggesting. In fact I used such a solution very successfully for many years at another local remembrance event which I did in a previous job. This one is (usually) a really big one though, by many times the largest in the area, with full brass band involved, a choir leading hymn singing, a soloist singing the national anthem, on an enormous and sprawling site, around 500 people in the parade alone, several thousand generally attending. The PA usually carries the band, choir and soloist, in addition to the spoken elements. They did tell me things had been (obviously) scaled back but asked me for the same provision as usual, as they were still anticipating the site being quite full, albeit with people spaced out rather than packed in. Miscommunication between the usual organisers (RBL) and the Town Council who took over this year (I was told afterwards that part of the criteria for determining whether remembrance events could go ahead this year was that they had to be officially organised by a local Council) meant I wasn't told that all the musical elements were removed. As I say, just one of those things.

Unfortunately there is always someone willing to do it for pocket money. Well, ours happened, & TBF the "official" part was pretty well-organised, with all participants (mostly masked) on 2 metre spacing. Of course it was a different story once everyone started chatting at the end. Lessons learnt: 1. Bring your own sanitiser (I had expected the "Sanitising Stations" to be on the lines of what you meet at your supermarket or GP surgery, not something the size of a roll-on deodorant). 2. Forget the idea of only 1 person touching each bit of kit - that goes out of the window as soon as the organisational goalposts start moving. You can't rig in surgical gloves & fabric ones get wet very quickly. 3. At least one hitherto totally reliable bit of kit will fail during setup, but will be absolutely fine when back at base. 4. However dry the ground seems at the start, every cable & mat will be covered in mud (that happens every year). Well in the end they went for the pocket-money option so someone turned up with a couple of 100V horns on a stick, running off a very noisy building-site style generator spluttering away in the back of their van; while I had quoted on the basis of a significantly larger system (which is what I had been asked to provide) and using mains power with battery back-up. Annoyingly, as there were only a few dozen people in attendance this year, they just about got away with it this time, but they definitely won't next year assuming it's back to 'usual' with 1000+ attending. Anyway c'est la vie! Other than that, the event appeared to run well. They had proper (staffed) sanitiser stations at all entrances to the park area, signing-in sheets, and QR codes for the NHS app. Dignitaries were appropriately spaced out while queueing to lay their wreaths, and they retreated to an area to the side which had been marked out for 2m distancing having had their turn. I made a fairly hasty exit at the end but I imagine the social distancing probably broke down to some degree afterwards. Most 'audience' were wearing masks. There were only two people speaking: the vicar, and a chap from the RBL who introduced the wreaths and spoke the words "they shall grow not old..." etc. They did stick to their own microphones (usually they'd share one) and remained a good 3 or 4m apart the whole time. I have to say I am quite glad that I'm not spending this week cleaning mud off my cables! One year, when it was particularly cold (but dry) my cables came back visually very clean, which I was understandably happy about. That is until a few weeks later when I found all the cables which had been on the remembrance job mysteriously soaking wet, indoors, with other cables and equipment completely dry just inches away. It took me ages to figure out it was because the cables had been coated with the salt which had been liberally spread everywhere on the day, and it was re-hydrating itself by drawing moisture from the air on my cables. So I had to clean them all anyway, several times, before this annoying phenomena stopped.

In my 'day job' we are looking at lighting up our prominent (local authority) buildings for Remembrance Sunday, using a combination of installed systems and supplemented by a contractor who is doing poppy projections on the outside of the building. There will be no timed switch-on or anything so no intention to attract people to come and look - it's for the benefit of social media really, and was all booked prior to the current lockdown. Meanwhile my local remembrance event has had the go-ahead, though there is suddenly doubt over whether I will be working it anyway as new organisers (the local Town Council rather than the RBL, with the parade element being cancelled this year) have found someone who will do it for pocket money apparently... which itself is a serious concern to me as local resident if nothing else!

Just to resurrect this, as much out of interest as anything else. I have just had final(ish) confirmation that my usual Remembrance event IS going ahead this year, albeit without the usual parade beforehand. Like what the OP described, the parade here primarily consists of hundreds of scouts, cubs, guides, brownies, air cadets etc, all of whom bring their parents. Without them I think the wreath laying service bit will be very quiet this year. However I've been asked to provide the same PA as usual in order to cover the whole site so that those who do attend will be able to spread out for social distancing. Has anyone else had similar requests/bookings now we're a bit closer to it? I should say that mine remains only confirmed(ish) because the final plan is yet to be approved by the local Council (who's site it is, so who ultimately have power of veto). I can see the final final final decision coming right at the last minute - we'll see.

Strangely I had just been thinking this morning about my annual remembrance parade gig and what the possibility is of 'something' happening. Mine sounds rather similar to that described by the o/p. I haven't had any official word yet (and was starting to wonder whether to chase them up now or give them a bit longer to see what happens - I know I'm free and the gear is available so in that sense I don't need a long lead-in). I'd also concluded that the band is possible, communal singing probably out, but the largest risk being large numbers of people turning up, regardless of any theoretical limits or distancing plans. On balance, I think the whole thing seems unlikely this year. However... I recently found out that my local RBL (who also organise the Remembrance Sunday event) recently held a small, low-key wreath laying ceremony on VJ day. Ok it wouldn't usually draw the crowds, but nonetheless a ceremony was held, and I've seen photos of a small gathering around the war memorial. So I guess we shall see...

I agree with just about all of the hints offered so far, and add a few others... I don't think you specify exactly what job you're starting out in, whether you're looking to 'freelance' or be employed, and whether or not you're looking to accumulate any of your own equipment, so this may be or may not be entirely relevant... 1. Promise less, deliver more: Never promise (or even lead a boss/client/director etc to expect) something which you're not 100% sure you can manage. If you promise the earth and deliver anything less, you'll be left looking daft. If you promise what you know you can achieve, and then do it well, you will gain a reputation as someone who can deliver. If you manage to pull off something extra or better, even just slightly better, then you'll gain a reputation for exceeding expectations. But never put the basics at risk while trying to pull off the fancy extras. 2. Remember that the laws of physics haven't changed recently. Even though there is a lot of fancy technology around these days, in many cases, techniques which worked well 30 years ago (or more) can still be effective today. I've had (amateur) directors gasp in astonishment in recent years at the effects that can be achieved with a well focussed static gobo wash, because they've become so used to everything being based around moving lights and bold LED washes. As above, something simple done well is far better than something fancy done badly. 3. Others have mentioned fault finding - I'll say that's probably the single most important skill to have. Knowing the more likely failure points in a system will help too, although this comes with experience. 4. If you do have any of your own equipment, invest in the best quality cables and connectors. I can 100% guarantee that cheap ones will let you down at some point. Ideally learn (if you don't know already) how to make up your own cables, and do it well. 5. Know the limitations of equipment. Cheaper 'stuff' does have a place and can be very effective when used appropriately. But don't expect a cheap LED wash light to be capable of providing key facelight across a large area, no matter what the spec sheet says. 6. Never borrow someone else's tools without asking. Hope this helps!

I imagine others will suggest getting a desk which can do everything, or a PC based solution. But to my mind keeping it simple is often the best thing - if you can simply run two separate desks and have the fixtures on separate DMX universes then there's nothing wrong with that if it works for you. If (for some practical reason) they all need to be on a common DMX line, there are DMX combiner/merger units available which would allow the signal from both desks to be combined into a single line, again allowing you to have two separate desks if that works in your situation. One thing you wouldn't have is a single 'master' fader.

I'm after two or four of the old (1980s/90s) Powerdrive speaker stands and top-hats. The chrome plated steel ones with 30mm diameter pole, and with a cast aluminium (painted black) top hat. Anyone have any of these lying around in store? Ideally West Yorkshire area. Thanks!

I've never done this but I'd have thought that the easiest way would be to cut out most of the cylindrical section of the barrel, leaving just perhaps 15mm on the 'lamphouse' side and the same on the front end formed section, still complete with the gel frame clips. Then join the two bits back together by pop riveting a 30mm wide strip of aluminium around the join - this could actually be cut from the 'waste' section of the can, so no new material required apart from the rivets. Won't be quite as short as a real short can, but as mentioned above, if you don't keep the rolled bit at the front, it'll be quite flimsy.