Which Does Not Belong?





Find out the answer here: Clear-Com Headsets

MS-223 Gets a Makeover

Photo Credit: Nytimes.com

As students arrived for their first day of the new school year at MS-223, also known as The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, in the South Bronx, they were greeted by the site of the school's newly upgraded auditorium. During the summer, Masque Sound, a theatrical sound reinforcement, installation, and design company, as well as a Clear-Com Partner, completed the auditorium overhaul and installed new audio equipment, including Clear-Com intercoms, for the school.



Clear-Com's PS-702

Read the full story on Lighting & Sound America: Masque Sound Makes the Grade With Custom Audio Equipment Upgrade for Auditorium at New York City's MS-223



Clear-Com Booth, Back in the Day

We found some photos of our Clear-Com tradeshow booth from 1981. How do you like our previous logo and displays?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Holidays!

 

 

Our Clear-Com office would like you wish you a very happy holiday season!

 

 

 

 

 

Clear-Com President Bob Boster Selects the Right Instruments

Kirsten Nelson, Editor of SCN, interviewed Bob Boster, Clear-Com President, regarding his career, experience and perspective on the industry in Clear-Com President Bob Boster Selects the Right Instruments.

Article summary:

• Bob Boster's background in radio, television and motion picture
• How user interface development is overlooked
• Key factors in product development
• Boster's roles at Clear-Com
• Clear-Com's involvement in niche market applications

Learn more about Clear-Com's President: People Worth Knowing

House of Worship Productions: PC3 with Clear-Com

The Production Team at Port City Community Church is committed to create an engaging worship experience within a distraction-free environment for people who regularly attend PC3 as well as guests who may be attending for the first time. The community wants to provide a place where people who love music, art or technology can serve their church and grow spiritually. The PC3 production team members utilize Clear-Com's intercom systems to coordinate the service, from running the camera to cuing lyrics for the worship leaders and congregation.

Here's a video of the service with conversations over Clear-Com:

Video Credit: pc3production.org

In Rememberance of John D. Silva

Photo Credit: airspacemag.com

 

This past November, John D. Silva, a pioneer of the broadcast industry, passed away. We'd like to recognize his valuable contributions in this post.

According to Bob Pool of the Los Angeles Times, "[John D. Silva] turned a rented Bell helicopter into the Telecopter, essentially a flying TV studio. The first of its kind, it put Channel 5 news at the forefront of live aerial coverage of major events like parades, fires, earthquakes and massive freeway snarls.

Hundreds of televised car chases later, Silva's invention is a staple of local television news stations, along with the mobile unit he also had a hand in developing."

Read more: John D. Silva dies at 92; introduced news helicopter

DUSHOW Wax Exhibition Highlights Clear-Com

DUSHOW is one of the largest audio and lighting rental companies in France. The business is responsible for supplying equipment and services for well-known productions, including The Voice, Carnival of Nice, The Enfoires and more. DUSHOW recently had its thirtieth anniversary and the inauguration of its new office in Paris.

For the grand opening of the new site, the company had a wax exhibition showcasing Clear-Com’s intercom systems.

Check out these photos from the event:

 

 

Set Free

Photo Credit: www2.tbo.com

 

Busch Gardens Iceploration demonstrates advances in projection mapping.

At the Iceploration Show in Busch Gardens' Moroccan Palace theater, ice skating, multimedia, puppetry and aerial acrobatic come together to tell the story of a teenager and his grandfather as they set out on a journey around the globe. With the help of Clear-Com's Encore partyline system, the production team was able to effortlessly pull off the show.

Read the full article here: Set Free

Friday Fun Flash Mob

Happy Friday! We hope your holiday season is full of good cheer! May this video below bring you even more joy! Watch as this amazing orchestra surprises an unsuspecting crowd in Germany with a rendition of the iconic Star Wars theme song.

November 2012 Tradeshow Wrap-Up

NATEXPO (Nov. 6th-8th / Moscow, Russia)

NATEXPO is an annual, international exhibition and conference focused on technologies, professional equipment and services for television, radio, new media broadcasting and cinema production. Over 16,000 industry professionals from around the world attended the event for international business development and to learn about the latest technologies.

Clear-Com (Booth#A41) and Oltbert, Clear-Com’s exclusive Russian distributor, demonstrated Clear-Com's extensive portfolio of wired, wireless and IP-based intercoms.

Content and Communications World (Nov. 14th-15th / New York, NY)

At CCW, thousands of attendees and exhibitors alike participated in the ever-changing conversation surrounding content creation, management and distribution/delivery. The tradeshow provided a plethora of networking opportunities as well as interactions with new products and technology.




Clear-Com displayed its revolutionary HelixNet Partyline, Tempest2400 wireless system, and Eclipse-PiCo matrix intercom.

All That Jazz

Jazz is taken quite seriously in New Orleans. That's why the addition of a music performance venue on the third floor of the Old US Mint last year was not undertaken lightly. A joint venture between the state and the Federal Interior Department, the new Jazz Theater is located just steps from New Orleans' Frenchmen Street entertainment district, and is co-curated by Preservation Hall and the Louisiana State Museum. Clear-Com's Encore partyline systems were used by the technical crew to communicate and manage events and performances at the venue. 

 

Read the full article here: All That Jazz

Things to Expect In the World of Live Sound

Mark Farmer, Live Sound Engineer with Live Technologies Inc. in Columbus, Ohio, created an interesting list of things to expect in the world of live sound. Some of them include:

The security or the parking lot attendant will give you a hard time.
I know every year for the last nine years I have been given a hard time, by parking directors, at one particular seventeen-day event...I have had my car towed about four times in the last 14 years at events.

"Jimmy" will come and tell you his brother plays guitar in a band.
This is a classic moment in the world of live sound. "Jimmy" proceeds to ramble on about how his brother is the greatest living guitar player since Chuck Berry and his band plays great versions of, Back in Black and early Ozzy.

The power will go out.
The convention center electrician forgot to tie you in on a separate service from the lighting or forgot to put spare fuses in the electric closet. It seems inevitable that no matter the precautions taken, the electric gremlins will have your power for dinner. I have experienced this at a few high-pressure events over the years and it will take one or two of your nine lives away from anyone.

Read the full article: Things to Expect In the World of Live Sound

First Baptist Church Builds Impressive AV Capability

The First Baptist Church in Dallas TX, which has held worship services at the same location since 1890, has spent $130 million on its new downtown worship center and second hi-rise building that looks to revitalize the city of Dallas, as well as the church's ministry. Clear-Com's intercom systems were installed at the worship center to enable communiction between the production team members for the coordination of services and events.

Read the full article: First Baptist Church Builds Impressive AV Capability

Creative Headsets

We found some pretty cool headsets and artwork of headsets. Which is your favorite?


Photo credit: Nokia.com

Photo credit: deviantart.com

Photo credit: brit.co

Photo credit: jennacjones.wordpress.com

Photo credit: designswan.com

Photo credit: twist-n-turns.deviantart.com

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:

Real Broadcast, Fake Soundtrack

Photo Credit: theatlantic.com

According to Alexis Madrigal, Senior Editor at The Atlantic, "Massive sporting extravaganza like the Olympics requires massive media production. The television broadcasts from the Olympics aren't merely an act of capturing reality, but an act of creation. TV sporting events are something we make, and they have a tension at their core: On the one hand, we want to feel as if we watched from the stands, but on the other, we want a fidelity and intimacy that is better than any in-person spectating could be...For the London Olympics, Baxter deploy[ed] 350 mixers, 600 sound technicians, and 4,000 microphones at the London Olympics. Using all the modern sound technology they can get their hands on, they shap[ed] your experience to sound like a lucid dream, a movie, of the real thing."

Read the full article: How the Gorgeous, Sometimes Fictional Sound of the Olympics Gets Made

QSC, A-T, Clear-Com and DAS Win for Obama

Equipment from pro-audio manufacturers QSC Audio, Audio-Technica, Clear-Com and DAS Audio played key roles in enabling re-elected US president Barack Obama to deliver his message to American voters over the last few month. Clear-Com's  Eclipse Median digital matrix and HelixNet Partyline intercom systems and Tempest®2400 digital wireless intercom with the new Seamless Roaming feature provided production team members at each of the four debate locations with an integrated communications solution for coordinating all the production elements within the venues as well as the pool broadcast truck.

Read the full story: QSC, A-T, Clear-Com and DAS Win for Obama 

The A to Z Sound Engineer Glossary

Photo Credit: audiotechnews.com

How many of the following sound engineering terms do you know?

Attack
The rate the sound begins and increases in volume.

Baffles
Sound absorbing panels used to prevent sound waves from entering or leaving a certain space

Coax
Two-conductor cable consisting of one conductor surrounded by a shield.

Dry
Describes a sound coming from the PA with no effects on it.

Electret Condenser
A condenser microphone that has a permanently polarized (charged) variable capacitor as its sound pressure level sensor.

Fader
A control to control the gain of a channel on the console, thereby determining the level of the signal in that channel.

Ground Loop
A double grounding of a line or electronic device at two different “ground” points of differing voltage.

Hum
The 60 Hz power line current accidentally induced or fed into electronic equipment.

Isolation
A containing of the sound wave in a certain area so that it will not leak into other areas and/or unintended mics.

Check out the full Glossary of Terms for Sound Engineers!

Hope Springs Eternal



Photo Credit: Proaudio-central.com

Singapore’s Hope Church moved into its brand new premises in the Textile Centre on Jalan Sultan. The new facility consists of an auditorium which can accommodate 1,400 people, and two smaller multi-purpose halls, each of which can accommodate 200 people. The staff at the new venue keep in contact with Clear-Com's Encore partyline and HME DX210 wireless intercoms.

Read the full article: Hope Springs Eternal

October 2012 Tradeshow Wrap-Up

AFCEA C4IST (October 2-4, 2012 / Fort Huachuca, AZ)

Photo Credit: svherald.com

AFCEA C4IST provided an ethical forum for government and industry professionals to come together to demonstrate and discuss the latest C4I technologies, products and services. Clear-Com’s advanced intercom solutions, including our Eclipse matrix and Tempest2400 wireless system, caught the attention of many military, government and aerospace personnel.

Read the full article here: Technological Improvements Highlighted at Exhibit

LDI (October 19-21, 2012 / Las Vegas, NV)

Live Design International (LDI) has become the leading tradeshow and conference for live design professionals in North and South America.  Over 8,000 attendees working in theater, concerts, houses of worship, theme parks, and more went to LDI to see the latest gear in action and to replenish their creativity.

Clear-Com hosted the LDI 2012 training session, Advances In Intercom Communications. Vinnie Macri, Clear-Com’s Product Marketing Manager, spoke on the role of intercom systems in backstage communications. He also discussed the benefit of intercoms with seamless wireless roaming and highlighted the major advances in digital partyline technology.

Clear-Com also demonstrated HelixNet Partyline, CC-300/CC-400 headsets, Tempest2400 Seamless Roaming and MasterBelt intercom solutions at booth #805.

AES (October 27-29, 2012 / San Francisco, CA)

For over 60 years, the AES Convention has been the largest gathering of audio professionals and enthusiasts on the globe, attracting delegates from over 100 countries worldwide.

Larry Estrin, Clear-Com's Global Rental Group Director, was a panelist at the AES live sound seminar, Wireless Frequency Wrangling at Large Events. Topics discussed include microphones, in-ear monitoring, and production communications with a specific focus on antenna systems, cabling, RF environment isolation, monitoring, verifying operation, and procedures.





Clear-Com also showed its HelixNet Partyline, HME DX210 wireless system and CC-300/CC-400 headsets.

Press Release
>Clear-Com Announces Expansion of Optocore Partnership

Other tradeshows from this month included the following:

2012 Broadcasters Clinic (October 9-11, 2012 / Middleton, WI)

 
SBE Broadcast & Technology Expo (October 11, 2012 / New York, NY)
 
NEBC (October 16, 2012 / Worcester, MA)
 
Rocky Mountain AVX (October 23-24, 2012 / Denver, CO)

ITC (October 22-25, 2012 / San Diego, CA)

AUVSI USIC (October 29 – November 1, 2012 / San Diego, CA)

Tune Into Free-Form Radio!

Photo Credit: kdvs.org

Relive what FM radio was like in the early days as KDVS, the radio station operated by UC Davis students, joins forces with former air staff of legendary Sacramento radio station KZAP to celebrate free-form radio.

KDVS will dedicate 48 hours of continuous programing featuring former KZAP disc jockeys playing the music of the late-1960s and early-1970s and telling stories about what it was like in the early days of progressive FM radio. The special programming begins 6:00 a.m. Thursday, November 8, 2012, and ends at 6:00 a.m. Saturday, November 10.

Back in the 1960s, most radio stations were only playing music from the top 40 playlist. Around that time, Tom Donahue invented free-form radio in which a station would play the album tracks chosen by the DJ rather than from the predetermined top 40 playlist.

Founded in November 8, 1968 in Sacramento, CA, KZAP was one of the earliest adopters of free-form radio. Ed Fitzgerald, Clear-Com’s Director of Customer Satisfaction, was the General Manager of and a DJ (Uncle Ed) at KZAP during its early beginnings. He will be one of the individuals featured on KDVS this week.

On a similar note, many of the rock and roll legends that were featured on KZAP played at the Avalon Ballroom, which was a music venue owned by Bob Cohen, who was one of the founders of Clear-Com. Those musicians included the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and more. Tune into KDVS to hear some of those great hits once again!

 

Read the full press release: KDVS Radio Celebrates Free-Form Radio

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!

 

Church Production with Clear-Com (Video)

Here's a cool video of the service at Browns Bridge Community Church. This video was produced with the help of Clear-Com.

Watch it here.



http://vimeo.com/22659816

Back When? Sports Broadcasting

1921 was the year of the first sports broadcast on the radio. It was on the Philadelphia Phillies game.

1936 was the first year that the Olympic Games were shown on television. This broadcast in Berlin and Potsdam was seen by over 162,000 viewers.




Feb. 4, 1937 was the first time that sports commentary was heard on TV. They first commented on amateur boxing. 

1939 was the first year that an NFL game was televised. The first game was between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Eagles to approximately 500 TV set owners.
 
May 16, 1960 was the first night a major league baseball game was on TV in color. 

Sept. 1979 was when the first all-sports network (ESPN)  aired.

Source:
Television Sports Production
Olympic Broadcasting Services
The History of Sports Television Broadcasting

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).