Monthly Archives: January 2011

Price matching

Posted on January 31, 2011 by | Comments Off

Mark Kisby out lines AVD’s price matching policy:-

In this competitive climate we at AV Department Ltd recognise the need to keep your costs to a minimum.  Anyone can be cheaper than their competitor in providing a service, but cheaper need not mean better value.

We will be happy to price match a competitors quote on a like for like basis. To allow proper comparison we format our quotations to show every cost item, and highlight what is excluded, this is to make our quotations as transparent as possible.

If we are advised of our competitor we can then say how we differ in the equipment and services provided, outlining the key differences and the added value that we bring to an event. We concentrate on the following four areas:-

  1. Equipment quality & suitability
  2. Staff quality, qualifications and experience (Technical staff, Interpreters & Facilitators)
  3. Health and Safety
  4. Resource Management and Ecology

From time to time we have seasonal promotions, we also negotiate discounts on deposit payments or repeat business.

Of course the differences highlighted may have no bearing on your purchasing decision or we can’t match the quote, in which case we will advise you that you have a good offer, and hope that you will remember us next time.

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What is a discussion microphone? Part 2

Posted on January 26, 2011 by | Comments Off

What is a discussion microphone? How is it different from a conventional microphone?  Part 2. Mark Kisby continues his explanation… (missed Part 1? click here)

Conference, discussion or ‘push to talk’ microphones provide the best conference audio solution for speech reinforcement. Though sometimes not the best in absolute sound quality, it is the ability for the microphone to be controlled by both delegate and sound technician that ensures every word is heard.

Boardroom discussion microphones

Discussion microphones set for a boardroom style conference

For this reason conference microphones are particularly suited to the recording of meetings, councils and parliaments and the provision of the ‘original’ feed to a simultaneous interpretation system.

In these applications the aims is to have as few microphones ‘live’ or ‘on’ at any one time, each ‘live’ microphone adds more back ground noise to the audio feed.

The standard operation of a sound desk with just 6 conventional microphones on a top table is to leave all 6 microphones live (but set to a low volume) so if someone does speak the technician need only increase the level of a microphone. This allows at least some audio, albeit low level to begin with, to be heard which is better than nothing. This is because the technician does not know who is going to speak next and the speaker is unable to make their microphone live independently of the technician. There are two main reasons why this is not acceptable in a recording or for simultaneous interpretation.

Firstly the delay in a delegate speaking and in the microphone becoming live, as the technician recognises which microphone is in use and increases its level,  introduces a pause into which whole sentences can disappear and critical meaning can be lost. Conference microphones can be operated by the speaker directly so eliminating this delay in making the microphone live or louder. This allows a freer flow of dialogue to take place without a word being lost. This is critical in the recording of important meetings and in the original language feed for simultaneous interpreters.

Secondly by having so many partially live microphones live you are introducing unwanted and distracting background noise into the audio. This is often not recognised by the delegates or by the technician who generally listen to the audio via the PA in the room where these noises are already present. However other users, e.g. interpreters, listen to the proceedings via headphones so they are very ‘close’ to the audio and can clearly hear the rustle of paper or the pouring of water. This unwanted audio is very distracting and can mask important elements of the speech.

With a conference microphone system you have the capability to control and help eliminate these spurious sounds without losing the critical audio by only having one or two microphones live at any one time.

The other added advantage is that it is possible for a system to extend to include  10 – 100 – 1000 participants so making the discussion microphone ideal for use in council chambers, parliaments and general meeting rooms.

The advantages in using discussion microphones or discussion systems are very clear (especially the audio!).

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Posted in Audio, AV Department, Field Stories, Hire, Public Address, Simultaneous Interpretation

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What is a discussion microphone?

Posted on January 16, 2011 by | Comments Off

What is a discussion microphone? How is it different from a conventional microphone? Mark Kisby explains…

Commonly referred to as a discussion microphone, delegate microphone, conference microphone, or Push to Talk. This type of microphone is used as part of a larger system of microphones where the use of a conventional microphone is impractical.

Discussion Microphone

A discussion microphone also known as a 'delegate' or 'conference' microphone.

What makes a discussion microphone different to a conventional microphone is typically a discussion microphone will have a built in pre-amp, this allows for an installation that ‘daisy chains’ the microphones in series and sending the audio along a common ‘bus’. The conventional microphone as used for music or recording has no pre-amp instead this is contained in a sound desk or mixer. This conventional arrangement requires individual cables to be run from the sound desk to each microphone. The discussion microphone is usually enclosed in a table top enclosure that houses the microphone, pre-amp, an on /off button, and possibly an amplifier with a small ‘personal’ speaker.

Both types have different applications, conventional microphones are used for music (both in live sound, recording) and in speech applications where individual tonal / gain controls are required. i.e. lectern or top table. Discussion microphones are used for situations of extended speech reinforcement applications ie. Conferences, Board rooms, Council Chambers, Parliaments, etc… With these applications in mind a discussion microphone system has features which are unique to its type.

Boardroom discussion microphones

Discussion microphones set for a boardroom style conference

Designed to allow the orderly control of a meeting, these features include:- Push to talk (PTT) on /off microphone activation switch to allow delegate operation. A microphone mounted light to show the microphones status, not only the user but also other delegates / chairman.  A limit on the number of microphones that can be ‘live’ at any one time is applied, typically 6-8 microphones, to prevent too many microphones becoming live and causing feedback (howling speakers).

The limiter is normally adjustable to various modes of operation including ‘Automatic’ where delegates switch ‘on’ and ‘off’ their microphones at will. The ‘Manual’ mode is where delegates ‘request to speak’ and their microphone is made live by the chairman or a technician when it is their turn to speak. Another feature is the ability of a chairman’s or president’s microphone to over ride all others.

Discussion microphones connect via a ‘daisy chain’ cable network that puts the microphones in series running back to a central controller. The controller outputs a single audio connection which allows up to a hundred microphones to be connected to just a single audio input on a sound desk or amplifier. More modern digital systems may make use of common cable types such as Cat5, some systems may use a proprietary cable which is unique to the system and can add greatly to the cost of an installation.

The daisy chain cable arrangement suited the traditional table layouts of board rooms and council chambers however this has now developed in to wireless models which allow the use of these systems easily in a cabaret table style arrangement. Wireless systems also allow for the installation of such a system in a listed building where a cabled installation would be invasive or where a room needs to be multi purpose requiring the easy removal and re-installation of the equipment.

Control of the system is by a chairman’s unit or a comprehensive technicians control panel which allows full remote control of all microphones.

I hope this helps explain this type of microphone. Look out for another post soon on how these microphones are used in simultaneous interpretation systems.

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Posted in Audio, AV Department, Hire, Presentation Tips, Simultaneous Interpretation

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AVD now offer an early payment deal which can see our already competitive pricing further reduced by 10% when paying a 100% deposit. In this day of reduced income and tightened budgets the charity sector is hard hit, but charities generally have a … Continue reading →

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Posted on January 12, 2011 by

Portable PA chimes at bells protest

Posted on January 11, 2011 by | Comments Off

Staff at AV Department can from time to time borrow equipment from the company’s inventory. Normally this a PA for a party or a projector over Christmas but a recent protest in Burntisland saw the MD Mark Kisby make use of the unique qualities of an Anchor Audio MegaVox portable PA. Mark tells the story…

I live in Burntisland, a small coastal town on the shores of the Firth of Forth just north of Edinburgh. Its town clock has chimed on the hour, and quarter hour, for the last 150 years. It rings to the throbbing heart of the community and living within close earshot of the bells it marks the passage of time in our home.  Then recently they suddenly stopped?

It transpired a complaint had been made that they where too loud so the Fife council silenced the bells after one complaint in 150 years. Reaction from the townsfolk was initially incredulous but a petition was organised, to show the feeling of the residents, collecting 1100 signatures. With the coming of the New Year and the fact the town clock would not be ringing in 2011 a protest was also organised proclaiming that ‘Hogmanay had been cancelled!’ Protesters were to bring a bell and chime their wish to have the clock bells re-instated.

Feeling strongly that the bells should return I wanted to take part in the protest but found myself without a bell! Now a person of my problem solving skills should be able to over come this little matter. A quick search of the Apple app store revealed a bell application aptly named ‘bells’. This turned my ipod touch into a whole peel of different bells but an ipod is not loud enough in a crowd so I borrowed an Anchor Audio MegaVox portable PA from our hire stock. This battery powered PA is designed for out side use in large crowds… and for a hand help system it is very loud!

So the time came to show our displeasure at the silencing of the bells by ringing ours… as I chimed it sounded like the bells had been miraculously re-instated! Fellow protesters turned round to see who had managed to lug a church bell down the road… It gave the protest a bit of volume which seemed to be appreciated by the 200 strong crowd.

Our little protest made national news the following day as a topical human interest story. Here is how the BBC web site covered the story.

The MegaVox has now been returned to the warehouse ready for use at the next protest…

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Posted in AV Department, Field Stories, Hire, Public Address

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New Year, New Gear

Posted on January 5, 2011 by | Comments Off

As the dust settles on 2010 and the gigs gone by, we at AVD like to look forward. Our S.I customers will be treated in 2011 to our new digital S.I system which we will be showcasing over the coming months.  With improved IR field we will be able to cater for larger spaces with crystal clear digital sound. Any analogue purists out there need not worry though, we still have our “classic” system which will be available for tighter budgets which in the last 12 months has facilitated interpretation for The Lions Club, Chivas Regal and various other high profile clients . We look forward to providing the same high level of service and expertise that AVD customers have come to expect from our dynamic and enthusiastic team of techies. We also look forward to playing with our shiny new toys, now all we need is for someone to invent the inflatable SI booth :-D

All the best for 2011 from AVDept Ltd

Paul

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Posted in AV Department, Field Stories, Hire, Simultaneous Interpretation

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