Education

TC Furlong Inc. has been providing the Chicagoland area with quality live sound for over 40 years, but do you know the full extent of the services we provide?  Here are some facts that you might not know about us…

Contact us at 847.367.9588 to learn more about our Equipment Sales, Rentals, Live Events and Services.

Photo credit: LordMinion777 via Youtube

Does this sound familiar?

“It was  a good  piece of gear and it came from a nice home.”

“It was working fine yesterday and then… betrayal.”

“I loved that gear like it was my own.”

We’ve all been there with good gear that succumbed to the influences of abuse, entropy, old age and neglect.  What are you going to do about it– Fix it or forget it?

TC Furlong offers  a range of support –including  Repair services, Warranty Support Advantage and Emergency Audio Support –to help “repair” your relationship with your gear.

Repair Services:  our repair technician Scott Helmke is an excellent bench tech who has the specialty tools and experience to diagnose and repair most sound reinforcement equipment.  Most work is done in our shop, but we do a limited amount of field work as well.  Our focus is on gear that we’ve sold and there are items we don’t work on (speaker re-coning, power amplifiers, musical instruments).  Contact Scott at repairs@tcfurlong.com to start a conversation about labor rates, capabilities and turn-around time.

Warranty Support Advantage:  our warranty support service offers end-to-end peace of mind on every purchase.  If any new item you buy from us fails during the manufacturer’s warranty period, we will provide a no-charge loaner while we assist you in dealing with the manufacturer.  After the manufacturer’s warranty expires, we provide a 50% discount on a rental while we assist you with the repair, for as long as you own the gear.  For more information about our Warranty Support Advantage contact sales@tcfurlong.com or go to www.tcfurlong.com/warrantysupport/

Emergency Audio Support:  our Emergency Audio Response Team is available 24×7 for show-related emergencies.  Leave a message with our 24×7 answering service (800-866-3875) and we’ll get back to you quickly – usually within 5 minutes.  We’ll do everything we can to get your show back on track, whether it’s helping troubleshoot over the phone, or dispatching replacement gear.  For more information: www.tcfurlong.com/support/

When your gear goes bad, let TC Furlong help get things back on track with repair services, warranty support or emergency support.

by Brian Grahn, Sales/Marketing

As of January 18, 2017, the fourth stage of the FCC Incentive Auction has proceeded into the Forward Auction phase.  In these confusing times, Shure has created their Incentive Auction Resource Center where they are compiling and updating information as each stage of the process is completed.  The website provides great details about many of the nuances of the auction system, but we have included some of the basic information here for easy reference.

What is the Incentive Auction?

Congress has directed the FCC to reallocate some of the UHF TV Spectrum for use by broadband wireless devices, such as smart phones. Unlike the 700 MHz auction, the incentive auction offers broadcasters an opportunity to voluntarily give up spectrum in return for a share of the auction proceeds, hence the term “incentive auction”. This auction is sometimes referred to as the “600 MHz Auction” because the frequencies offered at auction start at 698 MHz (currently the top-end of the UHF TV band) and move down from there. After 4 stages, supply met demand with a reallocation of 84 MHz (614-698 MHz). TV stations electing to continue operations will be “re-packed” into channels below TV37. The UHF TV band is therefore getting smaller, and what remains will likely be more crowded.

How does the Auction work?

The Incentive Auction consists of several sequential phases: the reverse auction, forward auction, and spectrum re-pack. In the reverse auction phase, broadcasters that have elected to participate submit an exit price for relinquishing their spectrum assignment. The level of participation in this phase determines how much spectrum is available for auction and its corresponding valuation. These figures are also known as the clearing target and clearing cost. After the reverse auction, the buyers (such as, AT&T, Verizon, Comcast, Dish, T-Mobile, etc.) bid on the available spectrum during the forward auction. If the dollar amount generated during the forward auction is less than that of the reverse auction, the process repeats. This sequence of reverse and forward auctions is known as a “stage.” After 4 stages that began March 2016 and ran through Jan 2017, the dollar amount generated in the forward auction exceeded that of the reverse auction.

Since Stage 4 of the auction was successful, a new UHF band plan will be issued and work begins to repack the UHF TV spectrum. Once the band plan is made public, the clock starts on a 39-month transition. During this time, broadcasters will move to their new TV channel assignments, and the auction winners will begin building out their new services. Once a new service commences operation, wireless microphones that operate in the spectrum between 617 MHz through 652 MHz and 663 MHz through 698 MHz can no longer be used, making this a rolling transition on a city by city basis. However, the entire repacking process is scheduled to be completed by the end of this 39-month period, after which time no wireless microphones may legally operate in any of the auctioned spectrum, regardless of its level of occupancy. At this time, the soonest this could happen would be sometime in the year 2020.

How will the Auction affect my wireless systems?

The FCC has successfully auctioned 84 MHz of UHF spectrum. 70 MHz of this spectrum will be reallocated to mobile broadband services. A 3 MHz band and an 11 MHz band will be used as a guard band and a duplex gap band. During the 39-month transition period, if you own wireless microphone systems that operate in auctioned spectrum (617-652 MHz and 663-698 MHz), it will be your responsibility not to interfere with new services once they begin operation. At the conclusion of the transition period, operation of wireless microphones in the auction spectrum will not be permitted by law. On a practical level, it is likely that these new services will create an unpredictable spectrum environment, resulting in interference that will impact the reliability of a wireless microphone operating in this spectrum. Equipment owners are advised to confirm the operating frequency range of their systems and comply with the new rules of operation during and after the transition period. It is worth noting that 653 MHz through 663 MHz will still be available for wireless microphone operation, with some restrictions, during and after the transition period. See our webinar (linked below) on the topic for more details.

For more information about the auction, visit the Shure Incentive Auction Resource Center.  

If you have any additional questions about how the auction could potentially effect your current wireless systems and help planning for the future, contact our Sales Team at 847.367.9588 or sales@tcfurlong.com.

Click here for a free consultation with our Sales Team.

by Scott Helmke

Rupert Neve’s “Primary Source Enhancer” is a curious piece of gear. I’ll admit that when I first heard about it I laughed. What could it possibly do to justify that pretentious title?

It turned out that it does something very useful in the live sound world—making a lectern mic or a lavalier mic more stable and clear in a live situation.

So what does it do?

The 5045 is a dynamics processor, tailored specifically for voice applications. It lowers the signal between syllables and words, minimizing ringing before it can turn into feedback and also reducing ambience by diminishing the amount of room sound that gets back into the microphone

This is sort of like using an expander or noise gate, but with less artifacts and a much better result.

We typically use the 5045 in a couple different situations.

Most often we use the 5045 on lectern microphones, where it often gives us a more intelligible and several dB worth of extra gain before feedback.

The most dramatic application is on referee microphones at NCAA football games, where it significantly reduces the long echoes from the big loudspeaker systems needed to cover a 50,000 seat arena.

Setup and Usage of the 5045

Setting up and using the 5045 is relatively simple. It needs to be inserted in line with the source microphone, after a microphone preamp, since the 5045 operates at line level. The input signal level needs to be above -20 to -10 dB, so it may be necessary to boost the gain a bit on the mixer or preamp feeding the 5045.

Basic starting settings would typically have the Time Constant knob at “C,” Process Engage in, and Threshold and Depth at 12 o’clock.

The Peak/RMS button can be in either position, though I typically start with it out.

With a volunteer speaking through the microphone, adjust the Threshold knob until the Process Active light comes on fully during words but is dark between words. When the Process Active light is on the signal will be coming through full strength, and will be attenuated when the light is off. The Threshold knob has a relatively narrow range, so it may be necessary to send a hotter signal into the 5045 if the Process Active light stays dark.

With the basic threshold setting there should be reduced ambience and ringing. The next adjustment is to the Peak/RMS button, which affects how the 5045 detects signal. Try both settings and play with the threshold to see if there’s any additional improvement. This can make a big difference on a windy day at the football games.

The Time Constant and Depth knobs can be used to balance between a more natural sound versus reducing ringing and ambience. The Time Constant setting controls how quickly the 5045 adjusts gain to the microphone. The fastest setting of “A” is usually the most effective at reducing problems, but also has the most audible artifacts.

Depth affects how much the signal is attenuated between words, with the most clockwise setting of -20dB being the most effective but also with the most audible artifacts.

I typically use a Time Constant setting of “B” or “C” and leave the Depth setting at -10dB (12 o’clock), becoming more aggressive if I’m in a situation where I need intelligibility more than I need natural sound quality

If you’re looking to clear up the audio on a vocal lectern or lavalier microphone, the 5045 does a better job than any piece I’ve seen.

If you’re interested in renting the 5045, or anything else from our expansive rental inventory, please contact our Rental Team at 847-367-9588 or rentals@tcfurlong.com.

TC Furlong Inc. is also a Rupert Neve dealer, along with most other professional audio manufacturers. If you have questions about purchasing a 5045, or any other item from our line card of over 100 pro audio manufacturers, contact our Sales Team at 847-367-9588 or sales@tcfurlong.com.

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