By Scott Helmke

At TC Furlong Inc., we take pride not only in the size and scope of our rental inventory, but in the quality and reliable performance of the gear we offer. This means that every piece of gear we send out on a rental gets tested before it leaves the shop, and again when it returns, to ensure that our customers are getting gear they can always count on. In this article, TC Furlong engineer Scott Helmke lays out our process for testing IEM earbuds in a way that is more objective and reliable than a listening test, and doesn’t require the additional sanitization steps that a listening test would.

Several years ago we realized that we needed some way of testing IEM earbuds that had been used as part of rental systems. The most obvious method, actually listening to the earbuds directly, had issues with sanitization and also with having a truly reliable test.

The next test method was to use a TOA speaker impedance tester through an adapter box. This test is still used with single-driver earbuds, as it is quick and simple to do as well as providing a good test. However, the impedance meter test is not useful for testing earbuds that have multiple drivers as the meter only works at one specific frequency. Since the multiple drivers in an earbud are usually used to cover different frequency ranges, an impedance test would need to work at several different frequencies to be effective.

For a while we went back to a version of the listening test, which was to use a measurement microphone and a small acoustic coupler (literally a block of wood) to feed the earbud sound into a test microphone. The person doing the testing would listen to the microphone through a pair of headphones, which made the listening test much easier and with no need for extra sanitization. However, it was still not a very accurate test.

Finally, we devised a system for directly measuring the impedance curve of an earbud driver across the whole frequency range, using Rational Acoustics’ SMAART software and a dedicated test box. This is not the same as measuring frequency response, of course, but it doesn’t require any special acoustic coupler or test mic – literally just some connectors, a resistor, and a switch. The test circuit sends pink noise from SMAART through a small resistor and then into the earbud under test. The inputs to a SMAART transfer function (a display which measures the difference between two signals across a frequency range) are the direct pink noise as reference signal, and the pink noise from where it leaves the resistor and enters the earbud as the test signal.

The theory of what is happening is perhaps a little beyond this blog article, but the result is a crude impedance curve of the earbud under test. This test does not show the true impedance curve, but it does give a repeatable test. An earbud with damaged driver(s) will show a different impedance curve than a good earbud of the same model, and so it is possible to measure a known-good earbud and use that as a reference for testing others of the same make and model. And small differences can be seen in the test – simply covering the earbud’s end with a finger will visibly change the displayed trace.

Finally, to make the test easier and cheaper to set up on multiple workstations, we started using a free application called Room EQ Wizard. This software, which is popular with amateur loudspeaker builders, includes an impedance test mode. The setup is very simple, the test signal is sent through a small sense resistor and then the earbud under test, and the signal voltage is measured at each side of the sense resistor. From those two voltages an impedance curve can be calculated and displayed. A small box with an ⅛” earbud jack and a switch to choose left or right earbud makes the test very easy to perform, and a PC with a stereo headphone output and a stereo line input jack is all the computer hardware needed.

As an example, below is a display of two traces (left and right on the same pair of Sennheiser IE4 earbuds). You can see slight differences, but the traces are closely matched. Reference traces can be saved as a file for later tests. Different brands and models of earbuds will have different traces than these.

Whether it’s a pair of earbuds, a full PA system, or anything in between, you can have confidence that every piece of gear you rent from us has been thoroughly tested to meet our standards. We won’t send anything out on a rental if we wouldn’t be confident using it on our highest-profile gigs. We also have strict sanitization procedures for all of our gear, to ensure the safety of everyone who uses it.

If you’d like more information about our earbud testing rig, or anything related to our in-shop gear testing and troubleshooting procedures, reach out to Scott at shelmke@tcfurlong.com.

 If you’re interested in renting an IEM system, or anything else from our extensive rental inventory, get in touch with one of our Project Managers at rentals@tcfurlong.com or by calling us at 847-367-9588.

An intercom system is integral to the behind-the-scenes success of any production, yet specifying the right intercom solution for a given show frequently seems to be an afterthought. While intercom generally falls under the purview of the audio team/provider for a production, many audio engineers and technicians regard it as something of a mystery, or simply a burden. In earlier articles, we’ve taken some time to demystify analog partyline intercom systems, as well as wireless intercom systems. Now, we’ll explore some of the intercom options available in our rental inventory.

Our engineers have experience designing and implementing intercom systems of varying complexity. Whether you need a single-channel, wired partyline system, a complex multi-channel wireless system, or anything in between, our Project Managers can help you find the right solution for your next show.

Wired Intercom

Analog partyline intercom systems have operated in largely the same fashion, with largely the same feature sets, for decades, and with good reason. They just work! A wired partyline intercom is still the best and most cost effective solution for the majority of shows, and we have a number of options available in our inventory.

As we explained in our Demystify: Party-Line Intercom blog, there are two different wiring conventions that almost all manufacturers conform to: Clear-Com and RTS. All of our wired intercom systems are manufactured by Clear-Com, so as you might expect, they conform to the Clear-Com wiring standard.

The simplest possible wired intercom deployment is a single-channel partyline, accomplished with an intercom power supply like the Clear-Com PK-5 or PK-7. If you need a two channel partyline system, we have two master station options: The Clear-Com CS-222 or MS-232. The CS-222 supports up to 30 beltpacks or 10 speaker stations. Meanwhile, the MS-232 supports up to 60 beltpacks or 20 speaker stations for more robust applications. If you require a four channel partyline solution, we carry the MS-440 master station, boasting features like a Linking Control to instantly link separate channels together, four separate program inputs, and three interruptible IFB channels.

We have a number of beltpacks available for our wired intercom systems, including the Clear-Com RS-502 and RS-602 dual-channel (both the 5-pin and 3-pin versions) and the RS-501 and RS-601 single-channel beltpacks. Along with the TWC-10A, the RS-502TW beltpacks allow users to communicate on two channels over a single 3-pin XLR connection. Other options for intercom “drops” include speaker stations, like the Clear-Com KB-11A, telephone-style handsets, call lights, and more. We stock all the accessories necessary to configure a wired intercom system for any application.

Wireless Intercom

As they’ve become more affordable and flexible in recent years, wireless intercom solutions have become an essential part of the toolkit for many productions. The convenience and freedom of movement offered by wireless intercom systems makes them an attractive choice, but they often require a bit more forethought and design time to put together a properly functioning system than an equivalent wired solution. Our project managers can guide you through the process of designing an appropriate wireless intercom system for your next show.

If you require a simple single-channel wireless solution, we carry the HME DX200. DX200 operates in the 2.4GHz band, and each base station can support up to a maximum of 15 beltpacks or all-in-one wireless headsets.

Another wireless intercom system we carry is perhaps our most flexible: Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak II. The FreeSpeak II base station supports up to 25 beltpacks, and also acts as a powerful hub for wired intercom, with four 2-wire analog partyline connections, and four 4-wire connections. The system is fully programmable via the base station, or Clear-Com’s browser based Core Configuration Manager tool. When properly deployed, FreeSpeak II transceiver antennas create an interlocking cellular network, seamlessly passing off beltpacks to one another as users move in between coverage zones. FreeSpeak II is also the only intercom system in our inventory with a fiber connect option, allowing transceiver antennas to be placed at extreme distances from the base station. FreeSpeak II is ideal for large or complex deployments, and we’ve relied on it as a lynch pin for many of our highest-profile jobs.

Intercom Accessories

Whether you choose a wired intercom system, a wireless solution, or some combination of the two, you’ll almost certainly need some extra pieces of hardware to accomplish tasks that can’t be completed with master stations and beltpacks alone. We have a variety of call lights, speaker stations, telephone style handsets, and more for instances when a beltpack and headset would be impractical or insufficient.

We also carry a wide selection of adapters and interfaces for more complicated intercom deployments. The Studio Technologies Model 72 is a “dryout box”, which strips the power from a partyline signal, and outputs a dry, line-level signal. This is commonly used for talent or production personnel cueing (i.e. plugging into a console channel so a monitor engineer can listen to the intercom through their cue wedge). We also carry the Studio Technologies Model 45DC, a Dante to dual-partyline interface that can easily bridge Dante I/O into Clear-Com partyline systems. The Studio Technologies Model 46 is also our go-to for 2-wire to 4-wire interfacing, or even for interconnecting partyline systems between Clear-Com to RTS systems. One final accessory we’ll highlight is the Clear-Com TW-47, which allows two-way radios to interface with partyline intercom systems.

Conclusion

A rock-solid intercom solution helps every production run at 100% efficiency. Whether you need just a couple drops of single-channel wired intercom, or a complex multi-channel system with dozens of wired and wireless beltpacks, we have the necessary tools in our rental stock. Our project managers will work with you to design an intercom system that will fit your needs from the ground up, and ensure this important, but often overlooked, piece of your production performs flawlessly.

If you have questions about setting up an intercom rental, or renting anything else in our extensive inventory, get in touch with our Rental Team at rentals@tcfurlong.com or 847-367-9588.

We’re also authorized dealers of all the products discussed in this article. To request a purchase quote, reach out to our Sales Team at sales@tcfurlong.com or 847-367-9588.

Proper gain staging (or gain structure) is a critical skill for any audio engineer to develop, and arguably the single most important determining factor in the overall quality of a mix. Proper gain staging can lead to a mix that is clear, free of extraneous noise, appropriately loud, and with plenty of headroom. When gain staging is not done properly, the result can be a mix that is full of noticeable noises and hiss, not loud enough, or, perhaps worst of all, characterized by unpleasant distortion or clipping.

Gain management is of heightened importance in the era of digital audio. In the days of all-analog signal flows, overloading an individual gain stage would often be seen as a beneficial effect, imparting “warmth,” “punch,” or “fullness” on a signal. Unfortunately, the effects of digital distortion are far less pleasant on the ear, and care should be taken to avoid clipping in a digital signal chain.

A gain stage is any point in a signal chain at which the level of the signal can be altered. In this article, we’ll discuss gain staging from the perspective of using a digital console for live sound mixing, but many of the principles here are equally applicable to mixing in a DAW, or on an analog console.

#1: A Clean Signal At The Source Is Key

We’ve all heard some variation of the phrase “garbage in, garbage out” in reference to properly capturing audio at the source. This is especially important advice when it comes to gain staging. For example, if a lavalier or headset mic is improperly positioned to pick up a speaker’s voice, it may be necessary to crank up the gain on that channel, unnecessarily raising the noise floor. A vintage electric bass guitar’s pickups might have a weak output, necessitating the use of an active DI to bring the signal to an appropriate level for your mixer’s input. Similarly, some dynamic mics are known for their low output levels, and can sometimes benefit from the use of an additional phantom-powered ‘clean’ preamp. You’ll notice that the last two examples involve the addition of extra gain stages, which brings us to our next tip…

#2: Your Mixer’s Preamp Is Not The Only Gain Stage

At first glance, you might think there’s only one gain stage to worry about in the signal flow of any one channel: the knob labeled ‘GAIN,’ right? Of course, there’s a lot more to it than that. Thinking back to our previous tip, there are often multiple gain stages to consider in a signal chain before it even reaches the input of your mixer. In addition to the examples given above, wireless mic receivers usually have gain control, and it’s important to set the gain properly to deliver a strong signal to the mixer without distortion.

Gain structuring considerations don’t stop once a signal passes through your mixer’s head amp. While we don’t think of it as such, the channel EQ is a gain stage that deserves consideration. Whether you’re making additive EQ changes (i.e. boosting the gain of certain frequencies) or subtractive changes (i.e. cutting the gain of certain frequencies), you’re impacting the overall gain of the channel. Dynamics processors (compressors, gates, expanders, etc.) by their very definition have a huge impact on gain, and in fact most have a ‘makeup gain’ control – that is, yet another gain stage to take into account.

Finally, we come to plugins. While the use of hardware inserts in live sound applications becomes rarer by the day, the use of software plugins has exploded in recent years. Many digital console manufacturers have gotten into the plugin game themselves, offering plugin bundles for purchase alongside their hardware, or bundling them in for free with their consoles. The digital nature of plugins means they are often overlooked as a gain stage, but they have the same impacts on your signal as the analog hardware they are often designed to emulate. It’s important to take into account all of the gain stages a signal will pass through, to maximize headroom and minimize noise and distortion.

#3: Think About Optimal Fader Placement

To the untrained eye, a fader on a console looks like a tool that makes linear adjustments. In other words, no matter where the fader is positioned, moving it by one centimeter should have an equal impact on the signal level. Of course, we know that’s not the case; faders operate logarithmically. To put it into the simplest terms possible, faders are more sensitive to adjustments the closer they are to their ‘0’ or ‘Unity’ point. Thus, in order to have the most precise control over your mix, you should aim to structure your gain so that you end up mixing with all your channel faders near unity. Some engineers will even set all their faders at unity during sound check, and adjust levels with their gain controls to ensure maximum control when it comes to showtime. This practice isn’t strictly necessary, or even recommended by most, but it goes to show that optimal fader placement is worth taking into account.

#4: Leave More Headroom Than You Think You Need

‘Headroom’ is the difference in dB between the normal operating level of your channel or mix, and the point at which the signal clips. It’s tempting to decrease your available headroom and squeeze the maximum signal level possible out of your mix, but keep in mind that sudden, unexpected signal peaks are a fact of life in live sound mixing, for a variety of reasons. It’s better to have a slightly quieter signal overall, in exchange for avoiding the ugly sounds of digital distortion.

There’s more to think about in gain staging than first meets the eye, but by following a few simple principles, you can make the most of your gear by achieving optimum levels and maximum headroom with minimal distortion and noise.

TC Furlong Inc.’s engineers have the experience to make your next live event sound great. If you need top notch gear and technicians for your next event, get in touch with one of our Project Managers at 847-367-9588.

For more technical tips, sign-up for our email newsletter!

TC Furlong Inc. was established in 1973. Six years later, in 1979, Meyer Sound Laboratories was founded. For over half of Meyer Sound’s lifespan, our companies have enjoyed a productive relationship, with Meyer becoming a trusted manufacturer partner, and one of the staple brands of our extensive rental inventory.

Based in Berkeley, California, Meyer Sound Laboratories has been pushing the envelope of loudspeaker design for over 40 years. Meyer Sound Labs are the holder of over 40 patents, including the now-ubiquitous trapezoidal loudspeaker cabinet, the self-powered loudspeaker, and more. Renowned for their culture of innovation, the quality and consistency of their products, and their excellent customer service and support, Meyer Sound is one of the select few elite loudspeaker manufacturers in operation today, and the only one that manufactures all their products in the USA.

TC Furlong Inc. has carried Meyer loudspeakers in rental inventory for over 20 years, starting with the UPA-1P in 1999. Since then, we’ve steadily added more Meyer products to our stable, and they have long been the featured loudspeaker brand in our Rentals and Live Events Departments. We have been early adopters of numerous Meyer products, including the MJF-212, MICA, ULTRA-X40, and many more. 

We take pride not only in our large inventory of Meyer products, but in our deep institutional knowledge of those products. Our team has collective decades of experience in designing Meyer systems across all departments of the company. In addition to sales and dry hire rentals, we deploy Meyer systems of all scopes and sizes on the numerous live events that we staff each year. Whatever your unique needs, we have the right Meyer loudspeakers and the requisite know-how to design a great sounding PA.

Self-Powered Loudspeakers

For much of their history, Meyer’s focus has been on the development of self-powered loudspeakers. That is, loudspeakers with their amplifiers built into the enclosure. All of the products we’ll look at in this article are self-powered. Self-powered loudspeakers have several advantages over their conventionally powered counterparts. These include easier deployment due to the lack of amp racks and corresponding heavy speaker cable runs, more predictable operation, and better frequency and phase response, because all amplifier components are perfectly matched and calibrated with the loudspeaker’s drivers.

Line Arrays

If a line array best suits your needs, we currently carry two offerings from Meyer’s LEO family. LEOPARD is a versatile and powerful mid-sized line array option. Surprisingly light and compact for the power and headroom it offers, LEOPARD is an incredibly flexible option that’s equally at home in house of worship sanctuaries, ballrooms, and outdoor festival-style stages.

LINA is the most compact member of the LEO family of line array solutions, and is an excellent choice for smaller rooms where space to hang or stack a PA is at a premium. LINA arrays also work well as side fills in larger systems that are built around LEOPARD main hangs. Individual LINA boxes can even be used as frontfills or under-balcony fills.

LEOPARD and LINA can both be configured as ground-stacked or flown systems, and they pair excellently with the 900-LFC and 750-LFC low frequency control elements respectively. LEOPARD and LINA can both be operated in Native Mode, allowing for excellent performance in simple setups without the need for significant external signal processing.

Point Source

Our inventory includes a wide variety of Meyer point source loudspeakers. One of Meyer’s newest innovations is the ULTRA series. The successor to Meyer’s incredibly successful UPA loudspeakers, the ULTRA-X40 and ULTRA-X42 utilize much of the same technology seen in the LEO line array series. The result is a speaker that weighs less than 55 pounds – 20 pounds lighter than the UPA-1P – but delivers incredible SPL levels efficiently and with low distortion. The ULTRA-X20 is the latest introduction to ULTRA series, and packs the same innovations from its bigger brothers into an even more compact package. The ULTRA series features rotatable horns and a variety of rigging options (including an integral pole cup) for maximum flexibility.

Also available is the UPQ-1P for applications that require more output power than the ULTRA series. The 15” woofer in the UPQ delivers excellent low end extension, making it a great choice for the primary loudspeaker in many small to mid-sized rooms.

For smaller systems and a variety of fill applications, we carry many smaller point source Meyer loudspeakers, including the MM-4XP, UP-4Slim, UPJunior, UPJ-1P, and UPM-1P. Whether you need a tiny speaker to hide in some scenery for a theatrical show, or a discreet option to amplify a presentation in a conference room, we carry a Meyer product that will be a perfect solution.

Wedges

The dual 12” woofer MJF-212A is Meyer’s premier dedicated stage monitor. The MJF-212 far outperforms typical wedges with its flat phase response and excellent transient response. The MJF’s even 50° vertical x 50° horizontal coverage provides a comfortable “sweet spot” for performers to move around in, while minimizing bleed to other areas of the stage. We also carry the smaller UM-1P, which sports a single 12” woofer and a tweeter.

Subwoofers

The 900-LFC and 750-LFC are low frequency control elements from the LEO family of products. They pair well with LEOPARD and LINA respectively in ground-stacked or flown arrays. They also have the flexibility to be used in conjunction with many of Meyer’s point source options. The 750-LFC has an integral pole mount, making it an excellent companion for ULTRA series boxes for sleek “speakers on sticks” configurations.

If you need more low end power for your system, our stock also includes the dual 15” 600-HP, dual 18” 650-P, or dual 18” 700-HP. Finally, there’s the compact MM-10ACX, which complements smaller point source speakers like the UPM or UP-4Slim.

Slim System

Our Meyer Slim System package pairs together the ultra-compact UP-4Slim loudspeaker and MM-10ACX subwoofer. The speaker, subwoofer, mounting hardware, and cables are packaged together in a Pelican 1690 for easy portability, and the system can be set up in a matter of minutes. The Slim System is a great choice for speaking engagements in smaller rooms where a compact, discreet, but excellent sounding PA is required.

Bluehorn System

The Bluehorn System is the culmination of Meyer’s decades of loudspeaker design experience. Designed for full bandwidth monitoring with near-perfectly flat amplitude and phase response, Bluehorn represents a new paradigm for studio monitoring applications.

MAPP Software

MAPP is Meyer’s loudspeaker prediction and system design software.The most important factor for any system design software is accuracy; the designer needs confidence that the results predicted by the software will be matched by the performance of the system once it’s deployed. MAPP’s prediction accuracy has made it an essential piece of our system design process for many years. Earlier this year, Meyer released MAPP 3D, giving system designers an even more powerful tool to fully visualize and accurately predict the results of their work. MAPP is an invaluable tool that supports our company mantra: Better Audio By Design.

SIM 3 Audio Analysis Workstation

SIM, which stands for Source Independent Measurement, is another one of Meyer’s many patents. SIM 3 is an integrated hardware and software package that allows a skilled technician to measure the response of a sound system with exceptional speed and accuracy. Our SIM 3 package is an essential tool for tuning and optimizing a system once it’s deployed on a show site.

Conclusion

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to loudspeaker system design. That’s why we carry a wide variety of Meyer loudspeakers; their quality and consistency allow us to design excellent sounding systems for any application. Contact us today to begin designing the perfect system for your next show.

If you have questions about renting Meyer loudspeakers, or anything else in our huge rental inventory, get in touch with our Rental Team at rentals@tcfurlong.com or 847-367-9588.

We’re also a longstanding dealer for Meyer Sound, and all other major professional audio manufacturers. To request a purchase quote, email sales@tcfurlong.com or call 847-367-9588.

Our system design team has 50 years of combined experience, and is ready to help design a loudspeaker system for your venue. If you have questions about system design, or would like to schedule a free phone consultation, email align-design@tcfurlong.com.

From December 1st – 3rd, TC Furlong Inc. hosted its 10th Annual Digital Console Expo as a three day virtual live event. This year’s Expo featured content from seven leading manufacturers of digital consoles, including Allen & Heath, AVID, DiGiCo, Lawo, Solid State Logic (SSL), Waves, and Yamaha.

The Digital Console Expo has traditionally been an in-person event, held each year at Moody Church in Chicago. When it became apparent that an in-person event would not be possible this year, we pivoted to using our experience in virtual and hybrid live event production to bring our Expo entirely online, with the goal of providing the same engaging and valuable experience attendees have come to expect from the events of years past.

A New Format

The Expo featured morning Main Session presentations by two or three of our manufacturer partners each day, followed by afternoon Breakout Q&A sessions, giving attendees the opportunity to engage in direct dialogue with presenters in a small group setting. Some manufacturers also presented additional Deep Dive webinar sessions in the evening each day.

Each manufacturer’s Main Session segment consisted of a short, pre-recorded presentation, followed by a brief live segment with a member of the TC Furlong Sales & Marketing Team. Those who watched the Main Sessions live were eligible for a chance to win giveaway prizes from each of the manufacturers.

The Breakout Q&A Sessions were 30-minute, open format Zoom meetings. A virtual alternative to stepping into a manufacturer’s booth at an in-person Expo, the Q&A sessions were an opportunity for attendees to ask questions that weren’t addressed during the main presentations, and dig in to details about specific products.

The Expo also featured Deep Dive webinars from Allen & Heath and Lawo. Allen & Heath presented three webinars on their SQ Series, dLive Series, and Avantis consoles. Lawo’s Deep Dive focused on their mc2 Series of digital consoles.

All of the Main Session presentations and Deep Dive webinars were recorded, and are available for review on our YouTube channel.

Behind The Scenes

Switching to a virtual event this year was not only a hurdle for the format of the event, it also presented a challenge to the TC Furlong Live Events team, who were tasked with putting together the entire production. The annual trade show-style, live event at Moody Church has always been a TC Furlong team effort, but this year’s event was truly an interdepartmental project with the necessary video, audio, lighting, and overall event production all being handled in-house at the Lake Forest, IL office.

The first step was designing the office layout including the presentation set, the video playback/control, and audio control suites in a safe and pandemic-responsible setup. To allow for appropriate social distancing measures, the set for the shoot was located in one of our warehouse spaces, while video switching, technical direction, and audio mixing took place in separate office spaces throughout the building. All of these spaces were tied together with the necessary cabling for audio/video I/O and each location had a multi-view monitor setup to see what was happening all over the office.

Technicians were using FreeSpeak II wireless intercom to stay connected and had a separate intercom channel dedicated to stage announce/aux inputs to talk to and hear back from the hosts of the event on-set.  Audio for the program and other matrix outputs was mixed in our front lobby, and playback and Zoom audio returns were routed through monitors at each technician’s work area and into the in-ear monitors of the on-screen hosts.

The multi-camera shoot was routed to a video switcher in the office where a technician was able to handle switching duties.  Video playback of manufacturer presentations was handled locally, while manufacturers joined us live via Zoom from across the country.

While we weren’t able to gather in person for this year’s event, we’re proud that we were able to provide much of the same great educational content and opportunities for conversation via a virtual alternative. We’d like to extend our thanks to our manufacturer partners, and everyone who attended, and we look forward to welcoming everyone to our next Digital Console Expo in 2021!

TC Furlong Inc. is proud to be an authorized dealer for the manufacturers featured at this year’s Expo. To request a quote, or more information about any of the featured products at this year’s show, reach out to our Sales Team at sales@tcfurlong.com or call 847-367-9588.

We also carry many of the brands featured at the Expo in our rental inventory. To learn more about renting a digital console, or anything else in our extensive rental inventory, reach out to our Rental Team at rentals@tcfurlong.com or call 847-367-9588.

Is your organization looking to host a virtual or hybrid live event? TC Furlong Inc.’s Live Events team can provide a full AV production solution for your next event. Contact Jeff Cech at jc@tcfurlong.com to get started.