Wireless Mics

By: Tony Flammia

"The right to remain silent"

......was on the cover of one of the major Audio Mags for Worship centers. I don't know if its was scare tactic but it needed to be done. This topic is very important to House of Worship buildings and anyone using wireless mics.....surprisingly most everyone I talk to still has not heard of the issue.

Ok, here is the deal.....

Imagine you’re driving around listening to your stereo and your favorite song is on…your jamming out…. Looking around to make sure no one sees you singing into your tightly clenched fist…nothing but good times! Right at the best part you hear some static and then the song gets interrupted like your coming into a stronger signal, but you know for sure you’re not too far from the station…..why is this happening?

This is what is going to begin to happen after June 12^th 2009. If you’re wireless mics are running in the freq range of 698 to 806, you will be open to interruptions from other devices in that range. This wont happen suddenly...but over a period of time.

The Story behind the story....

The FCC is advocating for Digital TV vs analog due to the fact its better, and in short, the digital signal allows the FCC to tightly fit the channels one after another. Analog had to be spaced out.

So,…the frequencies from 698 to 806 has been auctioned off to the highest bidder . Why didn’t the wireless companies bid on it? Well, all the wireless companies together couldn't cover what it sold for. Even Google was out bid! 19 Billion dollars for those coveted white spaces.

So now that these freqs belong to others....mostly telecommunication companies, they will begin to produce devices that will use those freqs to go online. So at first, when we vacate the 698 to 806 spectrum, the whitespaces will be pretty clear. You may even notice your wireless working better! But, as the devices grow in numbers they will eventually take over.

FCC comes to the rescue.....

The Fcc did however make provisions for these telecommunication devices. Before the device uses a freq it has to check a database for the area being used to see if there are registered wireless devices in use. Anyone ever register anything with the FCC? I can only speculate fees and penaltys but I can see that coming.

Final Thought......
Bottom line....if your using a mic in the 698-806 range.....get rid of it. Its not lawful to continue to use these freqs. Its not what we all wanted to hear, but....what can you do? If I paid 19 Billion for clean airways I wouldent want anyone using them.

There is Hope......
Creative Sound Solutions, LLC is offering wireless units at cost to help those who were blindsided with this event.

www.creativesoundsolution.com
239-458-3408

What is proximity effect?

Proximity effect is an increase in low frequency response when a microphone is very close to the sound source, and is an inherent characteristics of direct tonal microphones. Omnidirectional mics do not exhibit this effect and variable D mics (like the EV RE20) can limit the proximity effect.

What is the real difference in audio cable?

Much of the difference is in ruggedness and in the quality of shielding. Speaker cable should not be shielded, but all microphone and line level cables must be shielded. Some shields are less than 100%, some are braided for flexibility and others are foil for permanent installations.

The quality of the connectors, connections and raw materials determine whether the cable can be used in a harsh environment. The connector quality is important if the cable will be reconnected often or seldom.

There are visible differences in video cables, but those differences are quantifiable in specifications such as impedance, velocity, capacitance, dielectric loss, and shielding quality.The sad truth is that much esoteric cable is designed on "faith," without any real specifications or measurements of quality.

On the humorous side are dealers who offer, for an added fee, to "break in " cable for their customers. We suppose that if you are going to buy into the myth, you might as well go all the way and loosen up those sticky electrons.

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Bass Drum EQ Nugget

When I'm setting up my board I typically start with the Kick, snare, tom, tom, tom, OH, OH, HH, Bass Guitar, Keys, then other instruments.......

So I figured I would post some blogs about each channel one by one.....

Channel 1 Kick:

With channel 1 muted and the PFL (Pre fade listen) Button pressed in, I always check the input level on the meter before moving up the fader or un-muting. This allows me to make sure the level coming into the board will not destroy any of the equipment. I then turn the gain knob (Typically the top knob of the channel strip) up or down to get the level on the meter to "0".

After me channel level is at Zero, I'll un-mute the channel and begin to bring the fader to Unity or "0". This of coarse is after the main fader has been brought to unity.

I'll listen to the sound of the kick drum to see what can be done to make sure it has the low end presents and the high in attack that allows it to cut through the mix. I'll begin by moving the mid-sweep freq to around 300hz to 500hz and cut 10 to 15db. I will usually be happy with the kick once I find the mid freq that make the drum sound muddy.

Now that we cut 10 to 15db in the eq....look at your PFL again...we may need to add more gain to bring the channel back up to unity. This is also something to think about when adding DBs with your EQ. Make sure your levels are as close to "0" as possible.

After I'm happy with the mids, I may add a hair of 63-80hz and 5k for attack.

Some drummers like to drive the sound guy nuts by not putting any pellow in the drum. Something needs to rest just slightly on the resonant head (Front head...not the one you kick) or the kick may have a after taste.

Make sure the heads are tuned...60lbs on the batter 65lbs on the resonant head. Make sure the kick beater is correct for the application. If your doing jazz, dont use a plastic head...use something soft.

If you have any questions please email me at Tony@creativesoundsolution.com

or

Call 239.738.2942

Is that too loud???

By: Tony Flammia

In every Church I go to there are a set of parameters that someone has come up with when is comes to the overall volume of the PA. In fact, I've even heard exact figures to the Decibel what cannot not be exceeded.

"We never go above 95db in our worship" "We don't want to feel the music, just hear it" "We never go below 105db"

That's great that there are some guidelines in place for the volunteer engineer, but.....is 95db the same as 95db? I mean, if you heard 95db on a mix that was loaded up with high end frequencies it may sound ear piercing, but if you had your mix where all the nasty mid and highs were cut you may be able to get up to 105db and think it 95db.

I was mixing a VERY contemporary Church this morning with one of the best bands in town. During worship I noticed people were entering in and jumping up and down from the front to the back. The dynamics in my opinion were spot on. I was asked "How loud do you think it is? With out looking at the DB meter I figured we were running at 95db with 100db peaks." I noticed the house sound guy was looking nervous about overall volume so I told him... "listen.....you hear what everyone else is hearing.Now if the first couple rows were backing up and leaving you may have it a bit loud but everyone is jumping." Then I pointed out the pastor in the front row with his hands raised and jumping up and down like he wants someone to pass him the ball.

While I mix I look and listen for a few things.

1. Is the sound warm and pleasing?



2. Who is taking the lead?



3. How is the congregation responding?

First, is the sound warm? Some instruments are harsh to begin with...guitars could be ear piercing and female vocals can break glass. If the EQ is not set to "warm up" those channels, your overall volume could suffer. Try to cut some high-mid and highs from the guitars and vocal...not too much to where they become muddy, but just enough to take the edge off. (This will be a future blog on EQs)

Second,who is taking the lead? Is the main focus the verse of the song? If so, why is the guitar or the keys the loudest thing in the mix? Make sure your focus is on the lead instrument or vocal...don't be afraid to push the lead up to single out the lead. Remember, the vocals should be sitting on a bed of music. The vocal is the most important part in a worship setting.

Third, keep an eye on the congregation. If you see people backing up, standing still, or just plain leaving....TURN IT DOWN!!! If you see everyone entering in and jumping up and down...you may have found the sweet spot. Personally, I like to feel some kick drum, I like to feel some bass, I want to be able to close my eyes and hear only the music in a wide mix. (Wide mix...another future blog coming soon)

Some thing to remember when mixing a PA is you can really hurt someone. The NIOSH institute, which is where OSHA gets their sound level guidelines, had studied the effects on sound pressure level at extended time frames. Below is a chart that shows DB levels with time durations that OSHA will not allow a worker to be exposed to. According to the chart 95DB for 30mins is ok. 100db for 30 min is causing hearing damage!

Next time you go to a concert and listen to an hour of pounding 115db to 120db just remember... your fragile ears can only handle about 30 seconds..........

Download this DB level meter...its a bit scary to think how much damage we've done to ourselves already.....Click Here

For more information or if you have questions, visit www.creativesoundsolution.com or call our office at 239-458-3408

Why are my Wireless mics acting up???

The transition to Consumer Wireless Devices Begins
The story goes back to 1996 when Congress began to look at the need to update the U.S. system of TV broadcasting. This process is finally coming to the point where analog TV stations will be gone soon, replaced by Digital TV. DTV is already online and stations are required to maintain both analog and digital signals until February 17, 2009, the official changeover to DTV....which has been pushed off a few months by our new President.

What is DTV?
OK....The FCC says it best: “Digital Television (DTV) is an advanced broadcasting technology that will transform your television viewing experience. DTV enables broadcasters to offer television with better picture and sound quality. It can also offer multiple programming choices, called multicasting, and interactive capabilities. “Converting to DTV also will free up parts of the scarce and valuable broadcast spectrum. Those portions of the spectrum can then be used for other important services, such as public and safety services (police and fire departments, emergency rescue), and advanced wireless services.”

This means better broadband penetration in your home and your city, and a whole host of new wireless devices.

How will DTV and these new devices fit in the available RF spectrum?
In order to free up space for these new broadband services Congress and the FCC have reduced the UHF spectrum space that will be used for DTV. Before this transition analog UHF TV stations used channels 14 through 69, for a total of 55 possible channels across the USA. Those have been given to DTV, but with a reduced number of channels. Beginning in February 2009 stations will only have channels 14 through 51, or 37 possible channels nationwide. This is more than a one third reduction of available space for TV broadcasting!

The remaining channels (52-69) are now reserved for new consumer wireless services and for public safety. The band spans 698 to 806 MHz, and has been described by the FCC as “beachfront property.” They are pushing the broadband capabilities of this part of the spectrum. This is good news for all of us who like our wireless devices to work everywhere, but bad news for all the UHF wireless mics out there.

Why is this squeeze a problem for UHF wireless microphones?
Wireless mics have traditionally coexisted with the much more powerful TV broadcast signals by using the “white spaces” between the TV channels. These “white spaces” vary in each area of the country and that is why you have to be careful to choose the right UHF frequencies according to where you will use the mic.

Now that one third of the space available for TV is gone, that means a huge chunk of the white spaces are gone, too. UHF mics are getting squeezed into a shrinking area of the spectrum, and that means it will be harder and harder to collocate multiple channels of mics. Many users are already experiencing this – getting 16 UHF mics to work together in a metropolitan area can be quite a challenge.

What is so appealing about these White Spaces?
Broadband network providers seek this for regional wireless networks – the kind that can cover an entire city and deliver high-speed Internet to an increasingly mobile population. This gives content providers a chance to compete with cable and satellite delivery – imagine getting rid of your cable and getting programming on demand via broadband. But broadcasters object to these potentially unlicensed uses – they claim that these will interfere with their new DTV broadcast signals.

What can we do about this squeeze?
It appears the new FCC allocations don’t leave enough room for conventional UHF mics, and this has users and manufacturers scrambling for solutions, both technical and political. There are industry groups lobbying Congress to allocate a section of the spectrum for wireless mics, but the persuasive power of the performance audio industry is tiny compared to the muscle of companies like Google, AT&T, or Verizon.

Beware of any wireless manufacturer that continues to sell microphones in the 700 MHz band. These will be illegal starting February 17, 2009. Don’t waste your money on a product that will be useless in less than a year.

The Solution:
Choose a wireless mic that is not UHF – Sabine 2.4 GHz Wireless, Sabine is way out in front of the industry on this issue. We offer the first complete wireless solution entirely outside the shrinking UHF band. Operating in the license-free and globally accepted 2.4 GHz band, Sabine Wireless is immune to all of the escalating problems with finding clear UHF frequencies.
Sabine gives you up to 70 simultaneous wireless systems usable anywhere in the world, and that means you don’t have to worry about choosing the right frequencies for your area. The solution is simple and robust. You don’t have to worry about DTV, white spaces, or whether you are operating legally. The 2.4 GHz band provides these key advantages:

• Globally-accepted and license-free
• Low-power devices only, by international agreement
• Does not share band with TV, so no issues with UHF or FCC
• All users at around the same power level
• 70 simultaneous channels
• Co-locate with UHF & VHF mics without frequency coordination
• Simple and easy - one frequency band for the whole world