I couldn't agree more. Now all I have to do is convince the client to spend the money for that person. I think that everyone in the facility would benefit from having good audio and not worry about feedback or noisy microphones. I think that I should have all the answers because I am the only technical person in the room. There are only so many things that I can control.
Audio Confusion....Please Help
- Thread starter nklaeser
- Start date
Doc Bernard
Indie Arms Member
LOL, since no one has asked........
Where area are you in? There a bunch here from all over the world. Who knows, maybe there is someone here in your neck of the woods.
Where area are you in? There a bunch here from all over the world. Who knows, maybe there is someone here in your neck of the woods.
kgimedia
Well-known member
Being a former A/V tech I can't even believe I am going to suggest this but if you can not get the help a talented sound pro and the sound from the speakers was acceptable then place a Dynamic mic (SM58) near the speaker. Run that mic to one channel on camera and board feed to other. I even do this sometimes with my wireless LAV when clueless Dj's refuse to let me patch in at weddings.
This is a very much worst case scenario were you can't touch the Amps and Board, can't afford help, can't afford to bring your own system, can't get the client to listen to reason and still want to get paid.
Good Luck and know we all feel your pain.
This is a very much worst case scenario were you can't touch the Amps and Board, can't afford help, can't afford to bring your own system, can't get the client to listen to reason and still want to get paid.
Good Luck and know we all feel your pain.
ullanta
Veteran
OK, nklaeser, here's my win-win-win-win suggestion:
Sometime before May, volunteer to "tune up" the audio system for the venue, and provide them with a custom set of default settings for their equipment. Set up a day when you can familiarize yourself with the equipment, and set up one or two OTHER events that you can use to refine the setup. Take this seriously, and do a good job of it. When you're done, share a copy of your work with the venue. Tell them that whenever you work there, you'll take some responsibility for the audio.
Win-win-win-win?
You'll learn a lot about this setup, and this type of audio work in general.
The house will get better sound, and hopefully a fairly idiot-proof set of default settings and procedures. Also some burden of maintenance / event support will be taken off them.
Your client will get better sound.
If you do this right, the house will recommend you to future clients... being the "go to" video guy for a venue can be a comfortable and lucrative position.
Sometime before May, volunteer to "tune up" the audio system for the venue, and provide them with a custom set of default settings for their equipment. Set up a day when you can familiarize yourself with the equipment, and set up one or two OTHER events that you can use to refine the setup. Take this seriously, and do a good job of it. When you're done, share a copy of your work with the venue. Tell them that whenever you work there, you'll take some responsibility for the audio.
Win-win-win-win?
You'll learn a lot about this setup, and this type of audio work in general.
The house will get better sound, and hopefully a fairly idiot-proof set of default settings and procedures. Also some burden of maintenance / event support will be taken off them.
Your client will get better sound.
If you do this right, the house will recommend you to future clients... being the "go to" video guy for a venue can be a comfortable and lucrative position.
I have done the speaker in the ceiling trick but unfortunatel the speakers are 30 feet in the air. Any suggestions..,besides a tall ladder?I like your suggestion about the set-up of the audio system but it's a strange situation at this banquet facilty. The equipment belongs to a off-site a/v company and they leave their equipment locked up until it's needed for an event. So, when there is an event the night crew sets-up the equipment and in the morning an a/v guy comes in and turns the equipment on. And to be honest with you I would need a good sound person with me to show me the ropes. Oh...I am located in NW Indiana 30 miles outside Chicago.
Steve House
Veteran
How about calling up the A/V company and arrange to rendezvous with their tech who's coming out to do the switch-on? Find out what time he's due in and offer to buy him breakfast or lunch.
You posted a pic earlier of a Mackie 1402. Is that the exact mixer that is in the venue? If so, a perusal of the owners manual wouldn't hurt if you haven't already done so. Here's the link http://www.mackie.com/products/1402vlz3/pdf/1402VLZ3_OM.pdf
paulears
Veteran
Ullanta has it nailed, I think. If the event had 5 mics on the go, and little noise in the room, then if the system is also used to do loud music shows, then pushing the channel fader with the gain well down - maybe just because the previous setup had similar mic levels means with channel faders and masters at the usual positions, the op had enough room sound. You, however needed it much hotter, and it just wasn't there. There is no problem whatsoever with long cables from the aux outputs - after all they're designed for amps feeding monitors on stage - so driving long cable runs is part of the design, and no modern mixer has Hi-Z auxes - they do have pairs of Hi-Z for recorders with usually domestic (.775V) outputs.
Whenever you do this kind of thing in the future - you need your own pair of headphones so you can monitor what is coming in. Without them, it's guesswork!
Whenever you do this kind of thing in the future - you need your own pair of headphones so you can monitor what is coming in. Without them, it's guesswork!
I do own my own headphones and was monitoring the sound unfortunately I ran out of time and the conference started but I had my own
Wireless on the principal speakers. I guess I will be doing some clean-up in post. I am trying to contact a local sound person to a least come in and calibrate the system. Hopefully the client will agree with this.
Wireless on the principal speakers. I guess I will be doing some clean-up in post. I am trying to contact a local sound person to a least come in and calibrate the system. Hopefully the client will agree with this.
Doc Bernard
Indie Arms Member
Kudos! That's what you need. Good luck with the project, and despite the "tough love" I mentioned, it came from a place of wanting to see you get the best audio you could.
Thank you. As i am listening to the audio ingest and I noticed that the audio is fine at the beginning as it was when I tested the feed. But, as time went on the audio got increasenely worse. Now, its either that there are problems with the board a bad cable on my part or someone did something on the board that they should'nt have. Who knows. That's why I don't like relying on other peoples equipment. But, in this case I had no other option. Here's another scenario...when I tested the system with the a/v guy I believe he tested each mic seperately and muted the channel after each mic. Maybe he should have left on the mic and fadr up as he went through each source? Ahhhh!!