Thursday, October 7, 2010

SC48 case by Pro Cases Review :: http://ping.fm/nyz2r capsicumpro

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Waves C6 MultiBand Compressor Review http://ping.fm/KIQzk
Waves C6 MultiBand Compressor Review :: http://ping.fm/3P4bc capsicumpro

Monday, October 4, 2010

Greening of Live Audio Panel 129th AES Convention :: http://ping.fm/Lt90B capsicumpro

Friday, October 1, 2010

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Monday, August 30, 2010

Capsicum Pro Audio adds Venue SC48 to inventory :: http://ping.fm/yAQj0 capsicumpro

Monday, June 7, 2010

Tech Tip: How To Blow Up Your Speakers http://ping.fm/PD0VP
Tech Tip: How To Blow Up Your Speakers :: http://ping.fm/TDCZc capsicumpro

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Monday, May 31, 2010

Tech Tip: Critical Distance vs. Microphone Placement http://ping.fm/3HDni
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Monday, May 24, 2010

Tech Tip: Get the Rumble off the Stage!! http://ping.fm/5eGd1
Tech Tip: Get the Rumble off the Stage!! :: http://ping.fm/HmKlS capsicumpro

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Tech Tip: Side Chain Compression/Ducking http://ping.fm/9zP9E
Tech Tip: Side Chain Compression/Ducking :: http://ping.fm/fP7PN capsicumpro

Friday, May 21, 2010

Tech Tip: For Musicians and Technicians...

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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Tech Tip: Triggered Gates http://ping.fm/cxMJQ
Tech Tip: Triggered Gates :: http://ping.fm/YUVrA capsicumpro

Sunday, May 16, 2010

River Crossing chooses Capsicum and JBL VRX http://ping.fm/GPpNF
River Crossing chooses Capsicum and JBL VRX :: http://ping.fm/cJxwY capsicumpro

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Newsletter Sign Up :: http://ping.fm/zAu69 capsicumpro
Wow - Twhirl is my new best friend!
Capsicum Pro Leverages Social Media http://bit.ly/bjhqT2 capsicumpro
Capsicum Pro Leverages Social Media http://bit.ly/bjhqT2 capsicumpro

Monday, April 12, 2010

A message from the FCC

OPERATION OF WIRELESS MICROPHONES IN THE 700 MHZ BAND
IS PROHIBITED AFTER JUNE 12, 2010

Under a new FCC rule, anyone who uses a wireless microphone (or similar device) that operates in the 700 MHz Band will have to stop operating their wireless microphone (or similar device) no later than June 12, 2010. To see if this law affects your wireless microphone, check ourManufacturers Equipment list.

Why did the FCC make this rule?

Certain wireless microphones have operated in frequencies that are needed for public safety. When these microphones were first designed, the frequencies they used were in between the frequencies that television stations used to broadcast television programs. With the completion of the digital television (DTV) transition on June 12, 2009, television stations no longer use the frequencies between 698 and 806 MHz (the 700 MHz Band) for broadcast. These frequencies are now being used by public safety entities (such as police, fire and emergency services) and by commercial providers of wireless services (such as wireless broadband services).

The wireless microphones that had been operating in the old TV broadcast channels can cause harmful interference to these public safety and wireless consumer services. Therefore, all users of wireless microphones (or certain low power auxiliary stations) that operate on any of the frequencies in the 700 MHz band – including both licensed users (under Part 74) and unlicensed users – now have to stop operating in this band.

The FCC is only prohibiting the use of wireless microphones (and similar devices) that operate in the 700 MHz Band. You may continue to use wireless microphones (and similar devices) that operate on other broadcast frequencies. Microphones and other similar devices with cords are not affected by the FCC’s decision.

Similar devices to wireless microphones are also known as equipment for “low power auxiliary stations”. Typically these devices can transmit over distances of 100 meters. Examples of similar devices include wireless intercoms, wireless in-ear monitors (IEM”), wireless audio instrument links, and wireless cueing equipment. (aka “IFB”).

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Win a custom 808 Tubescreamer!!!


Wanna win a TS808 TubeScreamer? If you are a guitarist, or if you love someone who is a guitarist, this would be a great addition to their arsenal of effects pedals.

Here's how to win.
Suggest all your musician, concert going, promoter, event oriented friends to join Capsicum Pro Audio on Facebook. Also send them a link to our website http://www.capsicumpro.com.
After two weeks go to the Capsicum Facebook page and find your friends in our fans list and report them back to us...The one who reports the most people Wins....That's it!!
We will check to see if they are your friends.

Send us your address and we'll send you the goods!

Noah Waldron of Capsicum Pro Audio has been making these guitar pedals for a number of years now for some of his close musician friends and they all love em'.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Jackson Hole Mountain Festival

The weekend of March 27th 2010 was a great weekend for Capsicum Pro Audio. We were blessed with the opportunity to provide our services for the Jackson Hole Mountain Festival at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.



This was our 5th Mountain Festival and the smoothest one we have done yet. In the past we have consistently been faced with harsh weather. Last years (2009) Mountain Fest, Ozomatli and Chali 2na performed in a decent sized snow storm, with a very cold and wet load out. Regardless of the conditions we were still able to provide an excellent production.

At the 2008 Mountain Fest, with Michael Franti, we showed up at 8am the day of the show with 6 inches of fresh snow and 45 mph winds. The rest of the day was much the same with a temperature near 0 degrees for load out. The crew stayed in good morale regardless and Capsicum was able to provide a fantastic production.

This year our crew was greeted with nothing but sunshine and seasonably warm weather.
Setup was simple and a pleasure.


The evening started off with Jet Black Ninja Funk Grass Unit. They provided a very energetic show with a good mix of some of your favorites, but all funkgrassed up!
With a 30 minute break to strike the stage for Grace Potter, Capsicum staff double checked microphone lines, stage monitors, and the main front of house system.
Grace Potter and the Nocturnals kicked off the show at roughly
6:30pm and kept the energy high until around 8:30pm when the fireworks kicked off.
4,000-5,000 people from all walks of Jackson Hole life showed up for the event.

A special thank you goes out to Poppa Presents, World Famous Productions, and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for co-ordinating such a fantastic event.

Andy Calder of World Famous Productions had this to say about our services:

Infinitely experienced, knowledgeable, energetic, and friendly audio/stage/light production crew. Special thanks to Noah Waldron and Adam Klomp at Capsicum Productions for keeping that monstrous task moving on schedule! Sound was AMAZING this year!


Now for the geeky stuff:
Capsicum provided a JBL Vertec Line Array powered by Crown I-Tech amplifiers Processing was handled by a Dolby Lake running V4 presets for the Vertec 4888s.
The system was tuned, and time aligned using SMAART.
At FOH a Soundcraft GB series console was used for Grace Potter and a Midas Venice 320 for Jet Black Ninja Funkgrass Unit.
10x JBL SRX712m bi-amped stage monitors, powered by Lab Gruppen 10000Q, and 2x Dolby Lake Processors to handle crossover and E.Q. The monitor console of choice was a 40 channel Soundcraft K2.

The stage for this event was an SL260 provided by MSR (Mobile Stage Rentals).

We are so blessed to be able to do this for our jobs. Events like this one make for a very special year for us at Capsicum Pro Audio

http://www.capsicumpro.com

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Cleaning Your Microphones (Good advice from Shure Microphones)


Here are some great tips for cleaning your microphones. Not only is it good for the performance of the microphone but also for the hygiene of others! At Capsicum we believe it is very important to clean our microphones regularly for the sake of our clients and to protect our investment in our microphones by ensuring their performance,
Dynamic Microphones: 
The best way to clean a microphone is to remove the grille. Most vocal microphone grilles simply unscrew, e.g., SM58, BG3.1. If the grille doesn’t slide off easily, gently rock it back and forth while pulling it away from the cartridge. Do not pull sharply or with excessive force, since that could damage the cartridge or separate it from the microphone housing.
Once the grille is removed, it can be thoroughly cleaned without damaging the mic. Since most of the offensive material on the grille comes from the human body, plain water should be a sufficient cleanser. Adding a mild detergent (dishwashing liquid) to the water will act as a mild disinfectant and remove odors absorbed by the foam windscreen.
To remove lipstick and other material stuck in the grille, use a toothbrush with soft bristles. In some models, the foam windscreen can be removed from the grille, but this is usually not necessary since water will not damage the grille. Most Shure microphone grilles have a nickel finish that makes them resistant to rust, and replacing the foam windscreen can also be difficult and time-consuming.
The most important thing to remember is: let the grille dry completely before reattaching it to the microphone! Microphones don’t like water, and although dynamic mics can withstand small amounts of moisture, a soggy foam windscreen will introduce more than is acceptable.
Air drying is the best way to dry the grille, but a hair drier on a low-heat setting can be used. Care must be taken not to get too close to the grille as excessive heat can melt some windscreen material.
Cleaning must be done more carefully for microphones that do not have removable grilles, e.g., SM57, 545.
Using a damp toothbrush, hold the microphone upside down and very gently scrub the grille.
Holding the mic upside down will prevent excess moisture from leaking into the microphone cartridge.
This technique is also useful for cleaning the foam that covers the diaphragm inside an SM58.
Again, keep the mic upside down, and be very gentle.
In live situations with multiple acts, it may be desirable to clean the microphones between acts. Use a diluted solution of mouthwash (Listermint, Scope) with water. Using a toothbrush and holding the microphones upside down, scrub the grille of the microphone.
At the very least, this technique will make the microphones smell more pleasant to the performer. Also make certain the sound system is turned off before the cleaning begins!
Condenser Microphones 
Due to the more delicate nature of condenser microphones, never use water or any other liquid for cleaning purposes. Even a small amount of moisture may damage a condenser element.
For microphones with removable grilles like the Beta 87 or BG5.1, the grille and foam windscreen may be washed as described above.
Again, the grille and windscreen must be completely dry before reattaching it to the microphone. To clean a microphone with a permanently attached grille like the SM81 or BG4.1, use a dry, soft bristle toothbrush and gently scrub the grille.
Keep the microphone upside down so that loosened particles fall away from it. Take care not to let stray bristles get caught in the grille. This technique also works well for lavaliers and miniature gooseneck mics.
For condenser microphones that will be subject to harsh conditions, such as vocals and theater applications, it is advisable to use a removable external foam windscreen.
This will protect the microphone from saliva and make-up, and can be removed and cleaned with soap and water after the performance. Remember, never get water near a condenser element!

A special thanks to Shure Microphones for writing this article. They make some of the best!

http://www.CapsicumPro.com

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Haiti Benefit


On Saturday February 12th 2010 Capsicum Pro Audio had an awesome and amazing opportunity to help the people of Haiti. As a company we believe that it is important to help those in need, and we were honored to have the opportunity to help raise money for Haiti.
Hole Hearts for Haiti benefit show had all the best musical groups in the Western Wyoming region. Held at the Pink Garter Theater in Jack
son Hole.
The evening started off with the group "Soul Impressions" who played a soulful set of tunes from "Stevie Wonder" to "Prince". Following "Soul Impressions" two of Jackson Holes favorite D.J.s (Cutter and Chris Howell) took to the stage for set breaks and set changes.
Then "Jet Black Ninja Funk Grass Unit" delivered an amazing performance of their eclectic interpretations of many of our favorites from the 80's 90's and today. They definitely had everyone shaking their booties. Next up was one of my local favorites, "Mandatory Air". Lead by the Miller Sisters, Mandatory Air brought the heat!! Nobody was sitting still during their set!
The evening was closed out by Peter Chandler and his "Chan Man Roots Band". Chandlers island vibe had the audience dancing well past 2 a.m. Rocking all the classic reggae tunes and a few of his own originals.

The Pink Garter Theater was packed shoulder to shoulder, upstairs and down stairs all night long. It would be safe to say that 600-700 people came through the doors to offer their financial support for Haiti Relief. Foster Friess of Jackson Hole offered to match all donations up to $2 million dollars to aid the people of Haiti!!!

Capsicum Pro Audio provided a sound system and lighting rig that definitely impressed the audience and kept them in a dancing and giving mood.

I will post pictures soon.........
If you were there, please leave a comment.

http://www.CapsicumPro.com

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Cymatics

Cymatics is the science of visualization of sounds. Pretty Cool!!!
I got a kick out of this........Enjoy!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Why The SM58 is the best microphone in the world.....


Quite often we relate quality to price. The highest quality products cost the most amount of money. But this is not necessarily always true. Some of the best audio equipment is the stuff that has been around long enough to to stand the test of time.


I would like to introduce you to the Shure SM58 microphone.......You probably already know what it is.


Many sound engineers refer to this microphone as the best ever made. It is extremely durable, versatile, and has some of the best acoustic characteristics of any microphone used for live sound.

For the past 40 years the Shure SM58 has been the go to microphone for audio professionals all over the world. With a street value of roughly $100 no production crew is complete without at least 10 of these guys.

So i set out on the web to find out why exactly this microphone is such a staple in the audio community. I found 2 YouTube videos that summed it up quite well.



WOW!!! That was quite entertaining!!!

The next video I want to show you really sums up why the SM58 is the toughest microphone in the world.


After all that abuse..............It still works!

At Capsicum Pro Audio & Visual we don’t always buy into the latest and greatest new products. We strive to provide our clients with the highest quality audio visual services possible. That is why we utilize products like the SM58. By doing this our clients are guaranteed an event that goes off, without a hitch.


Noah Waldron

noah@capsicumpro.com

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Line Array Speakers

Have you ever been to a concert, theater, or conference where near the front of the audience the sound was present and clear, but as you walked further away to go to the restroom, the sound became less present and became muffled almost. This is a common situation with many events. An inexperienced sound technician may attempt to fix this situation by simply turning up the sound system. This is only irritating to the people up front, as they are being deafened, and the people in the back are hearing a lot more of that unclear, muffled sound.


In recent years this issue has been remedied by Line Arrays.


Capsicum Pro Audio & Visual uses the JBL Vertec Line Array, an industry standard used by many of the nations top concert tour providers and event centers. When JBL decided to start the Vertec Training Program, Capsicum was invited to assist in the programs early development.

When line arrays are improperly deployed, they can sound horrible! They require an understanding of acoustic physics and training to set-up properly. When set-up properly, they can provide even coverage, and consistent sound to all parts of the venue. Simply put, someone in the back seats can have the same listening experience as any one in the front seats.


A line array is a loudspeaker system that is made up of a number of loudspeaker elements coupled together in a line segment to create a near-line source of sound. The distance between adjacent drivers is close enough that they constructively interfere with each other to send sound waves farther than traditional horn-loaded loudspeakers, and with a more evenly distributed sound output pattern.


Line arrays can be oriented in any direction, but their primary use in public address is in vertical arrays which provide a very narrow vertical output pattern useful for focusing sound at audiences without wasting output energy on ceilings or empty air above the audience. A vertical line array displays a normally-wide horizontal pattern useful for supplying sound to the majority of a concert audience. Horizontal line arrays, by contrast, have a very narrow horizontal output pattern and a tall vertical pattern. A row of subwoofers along the front edge of a concert stage can behave as a horizontal line array unless the signal supplied to them is adjusted (delayed, polarized, equalized) to shape the pattern otherwise.


The coupling between adjacent drivers results in a frequency-dependent reduction in dispersion along the axis of the line segment. A vertical line array has a narrow vertical dispersion. This results in less loss in sound pressure level over a given distance. Typically sound pressures is lost at 6dB per doubling of distance but in true line sources, it is only lost at 3dB per doubling of distance. The horizontal dispersion is unchanged.


Modern line arrays use separate drivers for high-, mid- and low-frequency passbands. For the line source to work, the drivers in each passband need to be in a line. Therefore, each enclosure must be designed to rig together closely to form columns composed of high-, mid- and low-frequency speaker drivers. Increasing the number of drivers in each enclosure increases the frequency range and maximum sound pressure level, whilst adding additional boxes to the array will also lower the frequency in which the array achieves a directional dispersion pattern.


The large format line array has become the standard for large concert venues and outdoor festivals, where such systems can be flown (rigged, suspended) from a structural beam, ground support tower or off a tall A-frame tower. Since the enclosures rig together and hang from a single point, they are more convenient to assemble and cable than other methods of arraying loudspeakers. The lower portion of the line array is generally curved backward to increase dispersion at the bottom of the array and allow sound to reach more audience members. Typically, cabinets used in line arrays are trapezoidal, connected together by specialized rigging hardware.

http://www.capsicumpro.com/

Speech Intelligibility

Have you ever been to a conference, church service, or any event where a speech is made, and it is hard to understand what is being said? Not because the guest speaker is Charlie Browns school teacher, but because your in a tin building, the speakers are aimed at the ceiling, and the microphone is 5’ from the speakers mouth.


Many sound system designers and day to day engineers do not take into consideration the importance of speech intelligibility. Though, for most of us sound engineers, it is not a life threatening issue. But imagine an event where your potential clients, employees, or congregation did not receive a clear message. Misunderstanding simple words, leading to a false understanding of the message. Or imagine a situation where an air traffic controller is giving instructions to two different pilots and one of them mis-understands one word. Now this situation could be life threatening!


Speech intelligibility issues can come from various situations in the public address system, the interaction of the public address system with the room, placement of microphones, and many more.

In a perfect world, we would only hear the direct sound of the speakers, eliminating the sounds of rooms, and their reflections.

The interaction of a speaker system in a room is very complex to understand, model, or measure. But there are some great tools out there that engineers are using to analyze rooms and their acoustical responses to a public address system. One of these tools is a software called SMAART. "Smaart" stands for Sound Measurement Acoustical Analysis Real Time Tool. Smaart is used to measure PA's in specific venues or recording studios, mainly to initially tune and adjust the PA to operate at it’s maximum potential in a specific venue.

The proper use of SMAART can greatly improve intelligibility, increasing the impact of a speech by the CEO who has something really important to say.


Speech Intelligibility is measured by %ALcons (Percentage Articulation Loss of Consonants). It is computed from measurements of the Direct-to-Reverberant Ratio and the Early Decay Time using a set of correlations defined by SynAudCon, and is specified in percentages.

Consonants play a more significant role in speech intelligibility than vowels. If the consonants are heard clearly, the speech can be understood more easily.

Since %ALcons expresses loss of consonant definition, lower values are associated with greater intelligibility. It is generally assumed that the maximum allowable value for typical paging applications is 10%, assuming that the environment is relatively free of masking noise. For learning environments and voice warning systems, the desired value is 5% or less.

Alcons is the measured percentage of Articulation Loss of Consonants by a listener. % Alcons of 0 indicates perfect clarity and intelligibility with no loss of consonant understanding, while 10% and beyond is heading toward bad intelligibility, and 15% typically is the maximum loss acceptable.


Capsicum Pro Audio & Visual uses SMAART to acoustically correct our sound systems to match the venues and address the issues of reverberation, time alignment, and phase problems that occur in most rooms and venues.

Line Arrays have allowed us to drastically reduce the amount of acoustical energy directed at reverberant surfaces, and focus the energy at the listeners.Greatly enhancing the quality of our services by allowing us to achieve lower %ALcons.

Feel Free to check out our Blog on Line Array technology.

http://www.capsicumpro.com/Site/Blog/Entries/2009/10/14_Line_Array_Speaker_technologies.html


Noah Waldron

http://www.capsicumpro.com/

noah@capsicumpro.com

Psychoacoustics and why people daydream during speeches

So you are at a church service or speaking engagement and watching the guest speaker (or pastor) but the sound seems to come from someplace other than his / her lips? If you closed your eyes and tried to guess where the sound was coming from, you might open your eyes to be staring at the speakers, or even worse, a wall! This kind of issue can be confusing and somewhat tiring for the brain to process, as your eyes are telling you one thing, and your ears another.


As this kind of acoustical phenomenon is tiring to process for the brain, it is also just plain tiring. Often people attending a church service, or speaking engagement, will wonder off into daydreaming or even drowsiness. Not because the person giving the speech is delivering horrible content, but because it is simply too difficult to listen. I recently read a great article on Pro Sound Web, that pointed out this issue of yawning, and daydreaming in church services.


From here I would like to delve into the realm of Psychoacoustics. Psychoacoustics is the study of how sounds are perceived and processed by the human mind. Many venues are plagued with issues relating to psychoacoustics, such as the issue mentioned earlier.


Our brain has many ways of filtering sounds, and processing what is coming into our ears. If we did not have these filters, we would not be able to have a conversation in a restaurant, localize sounds, or be able to decipher the intensity sounds. The less our brain has to process sounds the better we are able to absorb important information, or enjoy our sonic experiences.


One psychoacoustic effect that I would like to focus on is the “Haas Effect” also known as the Precedence Effect, or the Law of the First Wave Front. This effect is responsible

for the ability of listeners with two ears to accurately localize sounds coming from around them.

When two identical sounds originate from two sound sources at different distances, the sound created from the closest location is heard first. The listener perceives that this sound is from that location alone and all later arriving sounds are suppressed, even if the later arriving sound is louder. This could be called “involuntary sensory inhibition”

The Haas Effect occurs when the arrival times of the two sound sources are within 30-40 mili seconds. Any sounds arriving later than 40 mili seconds are perceived as delays or echoes.

So imagine a person on a stage, speaking, is 10 feet behind the main speakers. Obviously you would hear the sound from the speakers first as opposed to hearing the persons actual voice. You would hear the persons actual voice 8.9 mili seconds later than when you heard the main speakers. According to the Haas Effect, your mind would disregard the persons actual voice and perceive that the persons voice is coming from the main speakers.

The Haas Effect often happens because of reflections of sounds as well. Imagine if you’re in the back of a venue and the sound that arrives first is from a reflection off of the back wall. You would perceive that the persons voice is coming from behind you, which could be quite confusing, and would require your brain to work a little more, causing you to daydream as you’re looking at the guest speaker and his voice is coming from behind you.


Many of these issues can be dealt with by proper speaker placement, acoustical treatment of reflections, and time aligning speakers. But the sad case is that many local sound contractors do not understand some of these basic acoustic concepts that are critical to creating an accurate listening environment.


If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send me an email. Capsicum Pro Audio & Visual would love to help in creating a better listening experience for your audience.


Noah Waldron

Capsicum Pro Audio & Visual

http://www.capsicumpro.com/

noah@capsicumpro.com