The Purpose of Consultants in Audio Industry

CONSULTANT [kuh n-suhl-tnt]: noun: 

A person who gives professional or expert advice

You know how sometimes when you’re dealing with an issue in your life you turn to friends and family for their opinions? Companies often need this reassurance or advice, especially when making tough decisions that may substantially impact their business. Often times clients have an idea of how to solve the problem they are facing, but want assurance that what they’re thinking is correct. Or, in some cases, find a way to develop a more efficient solution. So, they turn to a consultant for their opinion on the situation at hand.

But this isn’t just any opinion

Because consultants often work with many different companies and may have worked through this problem in the past with someone else, they have the great advantage of being able to provide a unique perspective based on what they’ve seen work (or not) before. And given this experience, they can often bring new and innovative ideas or possible challenges to the table that clients probably wouldn’t have been able to see on their own. 

Specialized Skills

Perhaps the most common reason that companies hire consultants is to gain access to a specialized skill set that might not exist in house. Or, there is an extraordinary situation that comes up and it just isn't feasible for a client to create and maintain internal capabilities to address it. By engaging a consulting firm, the client gets direct access to a group of professionals with specific expertise in that particular situation. 

Professional Audio Industry

When looking specifically at the professional audio and visual industry, a consultant provides planning, design and construction services based on direct experience in engineering and operations of theater audio-video, broadcast, recording and broadcast systems for live events. The focus is always on providing innovative and individualized designs tailored to the specific needs and budget of each project. 

Where do the consultants go for help?

If clients go to consultants for help, who do consultants turn to for help? 

• Forums: Online forums are a great way to post questions to other Consultants or End Users to find solutions or tackle problems with designing and building a system. Examples include: PSW forums, QSC pro audio discussions, Sweetwater Live Sound
• Organizations and Associations: There are various global organizations and associations that host industry events and seminars that are designed to focus on the latest innovative products, industry trends and networking. Examples include: SVG, AES, NAB, InfoComm, NAMM, IABM
• Manufacturers: Go directly to the source by learning more about new products from a manufacturer's website, blog, visit them at tradeshows, call their technical support team, or book a training session.
• Training Sessions/Classes: Training sessions are also available via third party training classes or panel sessions that are geared toward industry trends, specific markets, or developing technologies.
• Other Consultants: When in doubt, ask your peers!

How does Clear-Com help Consultants?

Clear-Com has always supported our consultant clients throughout our 45 years of business and continues to offer specialized services to our consultants. Clear-Com has a secured Consultant Portal where Consultants can get access to helpful tools, such as Visio and AutoCAD Stencils, A&E Specs, System Design Examples, and so much more. For specific questions, Consultants can search our Solution Finder to find a quick solution. If Consultants still have questions, they can submit a Support Request that goes directly to our global Technical Support teams  who can offer help when they really need it. 

Clear-Com Hosts Training for IATSE Local 16

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/IATSE-Local-16/156851841041721

Come join Clear-Com as we do our training for IATSE Local 16! 

Where: Moscone Center 747 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 

When: January 30 - 31, 2015

About the Training: Become more familiar and proficient with our Tempest wireless intercom and HelixNet digital network partyline! While these systems are certainly intuitive and provide an easy out‐of‐ box experience, we will train members to impress clients with their ability to configure and operate them at the power‐user level. Though simple configurations are instantly achievable, the more advanced features are equally easily attainable. We will also look at very new and emerging technologies in IP and fiber transport as well as the newly released FreeSpeak II DECT wireless digital intercom system. Whenever possible, we will keep the training as generic as possible, including attributes of Clear‐Com products, as well as other manufacturers’ features and models. This will include pin outs for products and handy tricks to interface all of the many popular professional intercom systems, wired or wireless, together. Your presenter has spent many years doing exactly what your members do every day. He or she can relate to the workflow and challenges which IATSE members confront at their gigs. Clear‐Com knows that a smooth gig, staffed by a knowledgeable crew leaves the client feeling well served and ready to recommend both crew and gear for future shows. This is our goal: to make the staff shine and have the client confident for the future.

Wireless Device Management and Frequency Coordination in Sports Venues

SVG Venue Initiative has created a white paper called "Recommendations for Sports Venues: Wireless Device Management and Frequency Coordination", with contributions from industry experts and Clear-Com Applications Engineer, Rom Rosenblum. 

The white paper provides peer-reviewed best-practice guidelines for venue operators and other interested parties in the day-to-day operational deployment and management of all wireless Radio Frequency (RF) technologies commonly used in sports/entertainment venues.

Make sure you read all about this!: Recommendations for Sports Venues: Wireless Device Management and Frequency Coordination

Wireless Intercom Tip of the Week!

Question: Do the Tempest2400 and HME DX Series wireless intercom base stations support third party directional antennas (U.S. only)?
 
Answer: There a large number of 2.4 GHz directional antennas available in the marketplace.

Tempest2400 and HME DX Series wireless intercom base stations can be made to work with them as long as the antennas are fitted with the correct RF connectors. However, we often find that the correct placement of antennas is a major contributing factor to system performance. When using directional antennas, make sure to aim the antennas towards the specific spot that you want to cover. 

Do not run long cables from the base station to the directional antenna. Please check with an RF professional for more information.

The use of directional antennas is governed by local country regulations. It is legal to use most directional antennas in the U.S.*, and customers can purchase the directional antennas from Clear-Com:
http://www.clearcom.com/product/wireless/tempest2400/tempest-directional-antenna

*It is illegal for Clear-Com to sell directional antennas in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Foot Switch Recommendations

Looking for a foot switch that you can use with Clear-Com Partyline and Digital Matrix products? Check out a few of our recommendations below! Please make sure to modify the foot switch connection to suit.

1. Yamaha
Link:  http://amzn.to/1g6Sp9J

2.  Linemaster
Link: http://amzn.to/JzuTHI

Eclipse HX Matrix Tip: Create a Global IFB

A global IFB means that any panel on the system will be interrupting the fold back audio going out on the IFB port.

Just follow this 4 step process to create one:

1. You need to enable the "Global IFB" in the "Advanced Settings" for the IFB port. Then, set the dim level or cutting level.
2. Add the IFB label to the panel or panels that need to talk to the IFB destination.
3. Route the audio to the IFB. To do this, go to "Local Advanced", then "Forced Listen" and add a crosspoint from the PGM (source) port to the IFB destination port.
4. Perform "Apply Changes to Frame".

For more tips and tricks from Clear-Com, check out our Clear-Com Solutions Finder.

Tip for Eclipse HX: Beltpack Role in Eclipse ECS/EHX

Question: What is the purpose of a "Beltpack Role" in Eclipse ECS/EHX (CellCom/FreeSpeak Integra)?

Answer: Beltpack Roles define the beltpack the same way that a label defines a key on a panel. Assigning a role to a beltpack has the effect of creating a label for it that can be referenced by other devices in the system such as a panel. The Beltpack Roles screen is only available if an antenna or splitter card has been configured in the matrix.

To create and edit beltpack roles:

1. Select the Beltpack Roles entry in the Setup menu to display the beltpack roles editor. 
2. Next, select a port and click on the Type drop-down menu and select the entry "Beltpack Role". This adds a new role entry on the selected port. 
3. The Talk and Listen labels can be edited by placing the cursor in the box. Then, click to select the entry and edit the text.
4. To edit the description, position the cursor in the description box and select the text to edit.
5. Once the user has created a beltpack role, he or she can assign labels to the beltpack role from the panels menu in Eclipse ECS / EHX.
 
***Another way of looking at Beltpack Roles is similar to having different user logins for a PC. There is one hardware item, which is the beltpack, but you can create many roles (logins). Each role has different key assignments. The same beltpack can be logged into a separate role and get a distinct set of key assignments. This allows the same physical unit to be used by different operational groups (ex. lighting, sound, production...etc.) When you power up the beltpack, the user is shown a list of available roles and that individual can then scroll through the list to select the appropriate role.

Tip for HelixNet Partyline - Menu locking HelixNet Beltpacks

Question:  I'm using HelixNet Partyline at our theater and I want to keep users from accessing the local beltpack menus to make unauthorized changes. Is this possible?

Answer:  The beltpacks can be menu locked. You need to access this feature from the HelixNet base station.

1. Go to the Menu button and press it in to activate the displays in menu mode.
2. From the leftmost display menu, scroll to “Administration” and highlight.
3. Then, from the 2nd leftmost display menu, scroll to “Beltpacks” and highlight.
4. Next, from the 3rd leftmost display menu, scroll to “Menu Lock” and highlight.
5. Last of all, from the rightmost display menu, select “Lock All” and highlight.  Then press in the scroll knob associated with this display.

The beltpack menus should now be locked. When the user presses the menu button, the OLED display on the beltpack should say “LOCKED” in inverted highlighted text. To unlock the menus, (again you must do this from the base station), use the rightmost display menu and select “Unlock All”.

Note:  As currently set up in v 1.1 firmware, the user can either LOCK or UNLOCK all the beltpacks on the powerline string.  It is not possible to menu LOCK or UNLOCK specific beltpacks on the powerline at this time. 

Tip for HME DX Series Base Stations

Question: How can I select a Spectrum Friendly mode option from the HME DX Series base station?

Answer: 
1. Hold down the CLR/BND or RESET REGISTRATION* button first, then press and hold down the REG or REGISTER BELTPACK* button until you see the letter "A", "L" or "H". 

2. Next, release both buttons and quickly press the CLR/BND or RESET REGISTRATION* to cycle through the "A", "L" or "H" options. 

3. Stop at your selection and wait for the LED display to go blank. You will see the LED display a lowercase "c" upon completion of the configuration of this feature. 

After this procedure is performed on all base stations, beltpacks and Communicators will need to be re-registered to the base.

HelixNet Partyline Tip

Here’s a handy tip for the standard pinout to use when using CAT5 cable with XLR connectors for HelixNet Partyline:

XLR	CAT5
1	Orange & Orange/White (RJ45 2 & 1) – Ground
2	Green, Green/White, & Brown/White (RJ45 6, 3 & 7) - PWR +ve 30v & Digital Audio
3	Blue, Blue/White & Brown (RJ45 4, 5 & 8) - PWR-ve 30v & Digital Audio

*Note: If you are using CAT5E cable, then put the screen of the cable to the XLR chassis.

Build a Footswitch for a PTT Pedal to Use with a V-Series Panel

See notes in the Eclipse matrix V-Series user panel manual in section 4-10.

Above is the female DB-25 on the back of the V-Series panel.
 

 

 

Get a DB-25 Male connector to connect to the V-Series panel’s DB-25 female. See the pinout above and the description below.

Jump pins 9 and 10 together.
Connect pins 21 and 22 to the (+) and (-) legs of the switch.

In ECS, highlight the port with the V-Series panel you wish to control with the footswitch. In the LOGIC INPUTS category, change the LOGIC INPUT 1’s function from “NO FUNCTION” to “PTT: Activate all Talk keys”.

Apply the changes from ECS to the matrix. Now, on the V-Series panel, activate all talk keys you’d like to be speaking on. When you push down on the footswitch, the MIC ON light will come on, activating the microphone. When not pressed, even though the talk paths are open, the mic is not passing audio. It will only pass the mic’s audio when the footswitch is engaged.

 

Learn more cool tips and tricks from Clear-Com's Solution Finder.



 

Cables for Wiring Partyline Products

Partyline: Is there a recommended cable list for wiring partyline products?

The Clear-Com intercom line is intended to run on one shielded cable pair per intercom channel. One conductor carries audio and the other conductor carries the DC power for Remote Stations. The shield serves as the ground return for the audio and power conductors. When choosing interconnect cable, keep the following considerations in mind:
 
Keep cable runs under 500 feet (150m). The DC resistance of the ground or common conductor affects crosstalk. For permanent installation runs longer than 500 feet (150m), do not use wire smaller than 20 gauge. The capacitance of the interconnect cable affects system frequency response and sidetone stability. Total capacitance should not be greater than 0.25 uF.
 
Ground Isolation: The Pin 1 ground connection of each XLR connector must be isolated from the chassis. Pin 1 should not be connected to the shell of the XLR connector.
 
Multi-pair Cable: Individually shielded multi-pair cable is acceptable for use in multi-channel systems. For crosstalk considerations, the shields must be tied together on both ends of the cable to produce the lowest possible DC resistance path for the ground return.
 
Portable Installation Cable: Practical cable for portable system interconnections is flexible, two-conductor, shielded microphone cable. We suggest using BELDEN #8413 (24 Gauge). For runs longer than 500 feet (150m) use a 20 gauge cable or larger (BELDEN #8412).
 
Permanent Installation Cable: Vinyl-jacketed shielded pair is the cable of choice for permanent installations. Placing the cable in conduit is recommended but not necessary.
 
Suggested Cable Types: The following chart lists the specifications of various BELDEN cables:

Waterproof Your CellCom/FreeSpeak Beltpack

What can you do to waterproof your CellCom wireless beltpack? We've got a tip for you about that!

 

SealLine pouches and bags such as the ones in the image below can be purchased at REI. Simply cut a small hole on the bottom for the headset jack. Then, it can be sealed with waterproof sealant. That's all there is to it!

 

Connecting Cameras to Partyline

Clear-Com's MS-704 Encore Partyline

 

If you want to learn how to connect cameras to Clear-Com's MS-704 Encore Partyline unit, here's how:

First off, the MS-704 unit has four beltpack channels.



You have two options to connect depending on the type of camera CCUs that you have.

1) If your camera’s CCUs are Clear-Com partyline compatible, then you can wire them in a chain into one of the MS-704 channels.

 



2) If the CCUs are four-wire type, then you need an extra interface before you can connect them to the MS-704.

 

 

a. Connect an XLR mic cable from the MS-704’s channel “A” to the IF4W4’s channel “A”.

b. Connect an XLR mic cable from the MS-704’s channel “D” (engineering channel) to the IF4W4’s channel “B”, “C” and “D”.

c. On the front panel of the IF4W4, select “B to A”, “C to A” and “D to A”

d. All cameras will participate on the master station’s main partyline channel A.  When you want to select CCU1’s intercom to have the “D” engineering channel, switch off the “B to A” and that allows camera 1 to be on the engineering channel. When the issue is addressed, it can be switched back to “B to A” and rejoin the main partyline.

 These are the switches to move all the CCUs to channel "A" (main partyline).

 

You’re the Genius. Share with us!

Have you made any interesting adaptors or interfaces for use with Clear-Com gear? If so, we want to hear from you! Let us know what, how, and why you made it.

Every week, Clear-Com brings you intercom and audio industry information from across the globe, but the part you play in contributing is very important. Whether it is an article, photo, video, or diagram, please share it with us since it can make a world of difference to our many readers.

 

Below are the different ways to send in your contributions:

---

Email

Email your articles, pictures, videos, and/or diagrams to us at clearcommarketing@clearcom.com with “Blog Submission” in the subject line.

Blog

Submit your information here: My Brilliant Ideas/Invention

The Solution to Everything!

Have you checked out Clear-Com's Solution Finder? We have nearly 1,700 solutions to the most frequently asked intercom questions. This database is still growing rapidly. Check it out: Clear-Com Solutions Finder

Why Use Intercom?

Photo Credit: Josh Hancock, Hope Community Church

"The answer to this question is that form follows function. Intercom was invented to solve live production requirements. It is designed specifically for the challenges and situations inherent to this type of environment. Any other communications systems you try to implement for live production in your facility will always be a 'workaround'," says Bob Boster in the Technologies for Worship Magazine article, Why Use Intercom?. In this article, he discusses the factors for house of worship facilities to consider before making the leap to intercom including cost, communication requirements, and infrastructure.

Only Seven Weeks Before the Show!

Photo Credit: naplesnews.com

If you only had seven weeks to put on a play or musical, how would you go about getting organized?  Flexitrol put together a count-down-to-opening-night  theatrical planning guide to assist schools, community theatre groups and other non-professional theatre companies in planning and organizing their productions.

Not only does the guide discuss the roles of each staff member in the production, but it also gives an overview of what should be done week by week before the performance.

Learn more: Theatrical Planning Guide & Theatrical Chain of Command

Check Termination on the Clear-Com Partyline

How do you check termination on the Clear-Com partyline?

Measure the resistance between pins 1 and 3 on one channel XLR connector on the rear of the unit. Proper termination would measure approximately 4KΩ. A very high channel resistance means the channel is not terminated. Channel resistance of 2KΩ indicates a double-termination. If a double-termination is indicated, locate the other terminated power supply or main station and set its termination to "off".

Repeat this step for the other channels.

13 Great Tips for First Time Matrix Intercom Users

http://www.clearcom.com/

1.       Don’t repeatedly push the buttons really fast or run your fingers up and down the control panel keys.

2.       Always use a high-quality surge protector/suppressor.

3.       Remember that if you have a key latched, then someone on the system can hear what you are saying.

4.       Even if you don’t have a key latched to a particular destination, someone may still be able to hear you via a partyline.

5.       If you don’t have any keys latched, someone might have a listen key to you and hear your conversations. (In short, if the mic is plugged in and the mic on switch is lit, you can still be heard by others so be careful what you say!)

6.       If using a headset, remember to remove it before moving away from a panel.

7.       Kill your talk key before taking off and set down your headset otherwise, an unpleasant sound will be produced.

8.       Try not to point the microphone towards the loudspeaker.

9.       Make sure you know what you are doing before you adjust local panel settings.

10.   On the Eclipse-PiCo digital matrix intercom, make sure the Tel-14 is installed above port 17.

11.   Recognize what the LEDs on the matrix mean as well as their flashing rate in a normal state of operation so that you can recognize if something goes awry.

12.   Familiarize yourself with the reset buttons so you know when and how to use them.

13.   Most important of all, read the manual! That will help a great deal!