Staged Right Productions

Audio 101: Why Not To Use the Venue's System (In Most Cases)

[And no, not just because we are trying to sell you ours]

            In-house audio systems are notorious for being shoddy at best, and utterly useless at worst.    The audio and presentation systems are typically first on the chopping block when budget becomes a concern during the construction process.  The components are cheap, and abused regularly.  Maintenance is more problem-solving rather than preventative.  Also, speakers are a big concern.  The types of speakers most commonly found in ballrooms, conference rooms, and other event spaces have very narrow fields, meaning that only a very small amount of people are actually hearing what is being broadcast, and the rest of the crowd is suffering.  Placement of these speakers is also an issue.  Hotels are very fond of putting speakers in the ceiling, which is great for conserving space, but horrible for sound quality.  It is incredibly disorienting to be looking at a presenter in front of you, but hearing them from above and/or behind you.

            Aside from the system itself, you also have no control over equalizing the sound source, or doing any sort of processing at all.  By using an audio system from Staged Right, you eliminate all of these problems.  We set up each sound system specific to the room it is in and its application, making sure that high-quality sound reaches every part of the room.  Our equipment is some of the finest available in the industry, and we treat it with the utmost care and concern.  Plus, from Staged Right you are not only getting a sound system, but you are also getting a top-notch sound engineer to make sure that things run smoothly.  You could settle for the in-house system, but if all you need to achieve auditory perfection is one phone call, call Staged Right

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Audio 101: Wireless Microphones in a Wireless Age

            In today’s world, everything is wireless.  Phones, televisions, computers, music players, etc., are all operating on radio frequencies.  This may make daily life a lot more entertaining, but it makes using sound equipment and communication devices increasingly difficult.  The amount of frequencies on which we can operate wireless microphones, for example, is dwindling.  Production companies are competing not only against consumer products, but when working in Washington DC, also have to contend with government-only channels.

            Add this to the list of reasons why you should be particularly selective when choosing an audio company.  You may turn on a wireless microphone, a walkie-talkie, etc., only to hear deafening levels of hissing and popping.  Try and adjust the frequency, and you may meet with the same fate channel after channel.  If your audio engineer can’t adjust to this quickly, your entire event could be stopped in its tracks.  Not only does Staged Right have a better handle on this situation than most companies in our area, but we are actually familiar with the frequencies that are “off-limits.”  Our engineers maintain a meticulous log of interfering frequencies and their sources in every venue we work, this allows Staged Right is to send the right frequencies and pieces of gear to each site. Doubling our efforts to make sure your show is suprise free, we testing each frequency onsite as a regular part of our installation process, ensuring that any problems with the operating radio frequencies are discovered well before your event begins, so that we can solve problems before they happen.

When your event matters, select Staged Right.

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Audio 101: Why Louder is not better

[What did you say?]

There is an alarming trend in special events, concerts, and rallies that louder is better. This can be readily demonstrated by a trip to your local movie theater where audio systems are frequently bone-jarring. The only explanation that we can up for this trend making its way into the special event industry is that your audio engineer is concerned not everyone can hear.

            Even if your sound system goes to eleven, repeat after me:  turning up the volume does not mean you will hear any better.  In some cases, yes, volume can definitely be a legitimate concern.  However, when you are already pushing the upper limits of an audio system, louder is almost certainly NOT better.  At that point, volume is irrelevant – clarity becomes the issue.  By turning up the volume in this situation, you are only amplifying every ambient noise, every hum in the system, every little imperfection, and increasing the level of distortion, which will ostensibly be counterproductive to achieving auditory clarity.  You are also risking plunging headlong into major feedback, which will do more damage to your audience (and equipment) than a muffled speech.

            When clarity becomes a problem, what is the solution?  By adjusting the parameters of your system, or including some basic processing equipment, you can achieve improve intelligibility a hundredfold.  Human hearing sensitivity actually peaks at a certain point, and becomes considerably less functional at both the higher and lower volume extremes.  Any monkey can turn a volume knob in hopes of pacifying complaint after complaint of, “I can’t hear what’s going on.”  It won’t necessarily help the situation at all.  It takes a skilled audio engineer to be able to improve audibility without blowing-out a speaker, or damaging the eardrums of everybody in the room.  Despite the popular misconception, take it from us – louder is not always better.

If top quality audio, delivered to every seat in your house, is what your event requires: trust the professionals at Staged Right to make it happen without potentially causing permanent hearing damage.

Also, be sure to ask about our Line Array Systems, these speaker systems use a large number of very small, precise speakers in unison to reach the back of your house without blowing out the front of the house with excessive amounts of noise.

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Audio 101: Large Outdoor Festivals and Rallies

            For events this large, you want to be heard.  The question is how to make sure that even the last guy to arrive in the back can hear as well as the one right up against the stage, without shattering anybody’s eardrums.  You want to make sure that you have the right size speakers, placed in the right places throughout the event space.  You also need enough amplification to boost the signal without overdriving the system.  Everything needs to be properly mic-ed, and you need an engineer who knows the ropes to make everything run smoothly.  Staged Right’s audio technicians have plenty of experience designing systems of this caliber, as well as operating them throughout the event.  Years of hand-on experience producing these events have forged engineers capable of compensating for wind, weather, and a host of other obstacles unique to the festival environment.  Whether you’re hosting the next Woodstock or a freedom rally, you’re going to want a Staged Right technician behind the sound board.

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