5 Points to Ponder Before You Buy a Mic for Your Studio

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Condenser MicrophoneYou’re putting together your home project recording studio. You’ve cleared out your spare room and plugged in your digital multitrack recorder. There’s only one thing missing- Microphones! What kind of mic should you add  to your home studio recording equipment? With a host of great sounding microphones by manufacturers like AKG, Shure, and Sennheiser, you can get warm sounds out… Read the rest

Is Another Wireless Spectrum Reshuffle on the Horizon?

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President Obama has authorized sweeping changes to the wireless spectrum, hot on the heels of the 700 MHz ban. What, if anything, will recent FCC recommendations mean for sound engineers and other wireless microphone users? The Infamous 700 MHz Ban Explained The FCC’s recent ban on 700 MHz wireless use caused a major shakeup for sound engineers across the U.S.,… Read the rest

Why Buy a Cassette Tape Player & Recorder?

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Cassette Tape Players: Tried, True, & Affordable Cassette tape players and recorders are popular, budget-friendly choices for teachers or parents who want to enjoy an existing collection of tapes without the expense of upgrading to CDs or other media. In my last post, I highlighted the benefits of using a portable stereo system for playback of existing (and future) media… Read the rest

Boomboxes Enter the Multimedia Age

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What is a multimedia boombox? Multimedia boomboxes have come a long way from the suitcase-size systems that earned their bassy moniker with their explosive entry onto city streets in the mid-1980s. Generally speaking, boomboxes still follow the same familiar blueprint: a portable stereo system that plays a variety of media formats through self-contained speakers, often with enhancements to pump up… Read the rest

Samson Expedition PA Systems Carry the Day

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Samson PA SystemSamson Brings Down the House With Expedition PA Systems Samson Technology has long been known for bringing wireless technology down to earth with their AirLine mic systems. Now Samson is taking aim at the PA market with a revamped line of systems offering pro-quality toolkits in highly portable packages- at price points well within reach of musicians, party planners, or… Read the rest

Dynamic or Condenser? A Tale of 2 Microphones

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Dynamic MicrophoneDynamic vs. Condenser Mics Microphones — both dynamic and condenser — are key components of every PA system and recording studio, but even among sound reinforcement pros there can be considerable disagreement as to which mic is best for which task. Fortunately, you don’t have to be an audio school graduate to understand the difference between these two most basic… Read the rest

3 Sound System Solutions for Outdoor Sporting Events

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Our Forecast for Outdoor Fun Summer is here — and with it comes a host of outdoor sporting events! Whether you’re putting together a volleyball tournament or soccer match, you’ll need a sound system to  broadcast to fans and enable communication between coaches and officials. For calling to the players or firing up a tightly packed group of spectators, you… Read the rest

How Assistive Listening Systems Enhance Worship for Everyone

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Can Assistive Listening Systems Enhance Your Services? Choosing the right assistive listening system to use in your house of worship not only fulfills ADA requirements, but also makes religious services and group activities more rewarding. What are ADA compliant assistive listening systems, and how can they help you make religious services accessible to everyone? ADA Compliant Assistive Listening Systems Let… Read the rest

Taming Your Church Sound System

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Church Sound Systems: Reining in the Volume Sound engineers struggle against overly loud mixes every time they’re in front of the mixing console of their PA system. And while providing a satisfying mix at non-lethal volumes in a club or concert hall is one thing, mixing on a church sound system is entirely another. A congregation can include a wide… Read the rest

Are All Wireless Mics Created Equal?

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The ins and outs of wireless microphone systems have caused many amateur (and more than a few professional) sound engineers to scratch their heads in confusion. Reception, interference, operating frequencies — not to mention price — can make choosing a wireless mic a daunting business. Wireless microphones operating in the UHF frequency band are often cited as the optimum choice… Read the rest