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Author Archives: Ryan McLeod

  • Power Distribution – I’ve got the powwww-ah!

    Posted on November 19, 2012 by Ryan McLeod

    Power distribution at an event is something that you don’t have to worry about “until something goes wrong”…. When you have a small pair of speakers and a microphone, things either work or they don’t! But… as events get larger and you start to comprehend the power needs of a Sound, Lighting, Video and backline, you may be surprised just how much power is required to get the job done…
    Enter: the Power Distro! A power distribution system instantly becomes the backbone of the entire event, and is often taken for granted.

    What proper power distribution offers you is:

    a mains inlet [...]  Read more   


    This post was posted in Audio Garage, Rentals

  • Hybrid Cables – The Next Era!

    Posted on July 19, 2012 by Ryan McLeod

    In the “old days”, you had racks of amplifiers and miles of speaker cable to get from those amps to your speakers… but as we’re all well aware, “powered speakers” are more than just a fad, they’re here to stay.
    Making cable looms were also common-place, where - if you knew you needed power at stage-right for a guitar amplifier, as well as a mic for the guitar player and a mic for his amp, AND you were going to need this exact same setup for the next 30 shows you do, you would simply tape together the necessary cables [...]  Read more   


    This post was posted in Audio Garage, Rentals and was tagged with Cables, Cosmo Music, Pro Audio, Rentals

  • The Right Speakers in the Right Space to do the Job Right!

    Posted on May 7, 2012 by Ryan McLeod

    Now that the world has embraced the world of powered speakers, there seems to be a new myth… that “the speaker you have” happens to have is the one that’s “right for the job”… and this is not always the case!
    While It’s true that many speakers are good at many different tasks (such as being a speaker OR a monitor, or can be used on a stand or on the ground) and if you’re playing similar rooms you’ll likely get similar results… you’ll often get thrown a curveball when you step into a new environment, such as what happened with [...]  Read more   


    This post was posted in Rentals and was tagged with Speakers

  • New Compact Mixers in the Rental Department – Soundcraft MFXi Series!

    Posted on March 12, 2012 by Ryan McLeod

    I’m happy to say that we’re upgrading our current compact mixer inventory to the new Soundcraft MFXi series! Available in 8, 12 and 20 channel versions, they offer all of the “usual” features at a great price, with a few extras thrown in that make them perfect as everyday tools:

    IEC Power Cable inputs (no wall warts!)
    Balanced XLR Outputs (no more ¼” converters!)
    Four auxiliary sends, including built-in Lexicon Effects… that sound good!
    When they say “8, 12 or 20 channels” they mean MONO Mic/Line channels, and they always have at least two more stereo inputs and returns too!
    They sound great, thanks to [...]  Read more   


    This post was posted in Audio Garage, Rentals and was tagged with Mixers, Soundcraft

  • Recording: Computer Interfaces 101

    Posted on February 29, 2012 by Ryan McLeod

    Man…. Recording sure has changed in the last five years or so!
    In the “old days” it was an expensive and somewhat gruelling adventure involving rooms with big speakers, floating floors and consoles as long as the eye could see. These usually operated by “vampires with a Studio Tan” (Engineers rarely see daylight!)… in my past life I was a vampire with a thirst for expensive microphones and 2” tape J
    “Home Studios” were usually less than stellar spaces…. With gear that had been cobbled together from begging, borrowing and stealing, with the closet filling in for a vocal booth as long [...]  Read more   


    This post was posted in Rentals and was tagged with Recording

  • Why a GOOD MONITOR is a STABLE MONITOR, and why it makes a difference!

    Posted on October 20, 2011 by Ryan McLeod

    Monitor wedges for the last few years were feeling like a possible thing of the past; but now that IEM’s are all the rage it seems that a good monitor wedge in our rental inventory is what everyone was asking for.
    A 12” driver (or 15”) with a horn config was common and in most cases it seemed to make sense (because your speakers were the same config). But… wait for it… you don’t want a monitor to be a speaker… YOU WANT A MONITOR TO BE A MONITOR! (I should be on Dr. Phil! It’s so simple!).
    When a manufacturer designs [...]  Read more   


    This post was posted in Rentals and was tagged with Monitors

  • Care & Feeding of XLR Cables

    Posted on September 27, 2011 by Ryan McLeod

    If this is what you’re carrying to your next show... read on!
    If you’ve ever been the sound guy or gal on the show when an instrument or mic either stopped working entirely or had a mic start crackling or popping for no known reason (that same mic that was fine until five minutes ago!) you were likely a victim of a bad XLR Cable – it happens to everyone at some time.
    XLR Cables are one of those simple, use every day common tool – like gas in your car, or the pen at your desk, they just exist and you [...]  Read more   


    This post was posted in Rentals and was tagged with Cables

  • Powered Speakers – what’s the deal?

    Posted on September 19, 2011 by Ryan McLeod

    As of late, it appears that powered speakers are taking over... and in many ways this is very true and here's why:
    Over the last 10 years or so power amplifiers have become considerably less expensive, primarily because they’re also becoming more efficient, smaller, lighter, faster, and more power for less money. Back in the day it was a huge achievement when Peavey was able to deliver a CS800 power amplifier for $800; that amp weighed in at 60lbs, took up three rack spaces and required A LOT of electrical power to operate. Now-a-days you can get 2000 watts for under [...]  Read more   


    This post was posted in Rentals and was tagged with QSC, Speakers

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