Earthworks PM40 Piano Mic System
Effortless Grand Piano Sound - well, almost
Sometimes, it’s hard to get great sound. Sometimes, it’s not. Actually, getting fabulous sound can be pretty easy and almost effortless, but that ease comes at a price, and many folks think that they can’t afford it.
Most days, I can be found scouring the world of audio and video equipment for products that I think will fit the unique needs and budgets of the typical church. Today, it hit me. What does a “typical” church look like?
The challenge that I present to myself every day is to find products for you that are the right fit for your needs. Sometimes, the right fit might be the most expensive products we sell – products that you think that you can’t afford until you start counting the costs and benefits of performance, reliability, ease of use, and long-term effectiveness.
Contrary to what I believed at one time time, the “lowest cost” doesn’t stop when you buy something. Anyone can sell for less. That’s easy. Providing the lowest cost of long-term ownership takes effort, planning, and making sure that you get the right product. That way, you have tools on which you can depend – week in and week out, so that you can focus on your purpose.
I’d like to introduce you to a product – one that you might never have seen before, and a product that might not be for you. But then again, when you count ease of use, exceptional quality, long-term service, and other factors, you might just find that it's the perfect fit.
It used to drive me crazy that my dad would go to the same stores and pay “too much” for a pair of khaki pants when he could shop and shop and shop like I did and get a better deal. His response to my questioning went something like this, “Dave, I know that these pants are more expensive, but I know that I can drive to the store, pick them off the shelf – in any color – and that they’ll fit, wear well, and I’ll like them. It’s just not worth the time and hassle to try to save $50.”
Granted, we’re not talking about $50 savings, but the principles still apply. In order to get a great piano sound every week, what would the right solution be worth?
SurgeX SU1000Li - finally, a back-up system for pro AV!
Protect your AV equipment with the new 1000VA UPS surge eliminator.
You're in the middle of your weekend service and the lights go out. Not only do you flinch, but the audio and video systems go off then on, and then off again with a flicker, a bang, and a flicker and bang again. We've all been there, but what can you do?
The first things that we were all taught about audio systems is to make sure that your low-level electronics (mixer, equalizers, processors, recorders - everything except the amplifiers) are to be turned on first (before the power amplifiers) and off last. In a blackout, everything goes off at once and comes back on together and you'll often experience a loud bang, sometimes followed by puffs of blue smoke from your speakers. And no one has ever figured out how to put the smoke back inside once it escapes.
Okay, you got me. That's a little bit dramatic, but spikes from turning some low-level devices on and off are strong and very audible if amplified. Those spikes can damage your speakers as a result of blackouts or other power failure. Those power failures can also cause you to lose unsaved settings on computers and other devices in use during your services.
Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) have been commonplace in the computing world for years. The advantages are obvious. No lost work, longer lasting equipment - no more surges, spikes, blackouts and brownouts, more stable voltage and more.
Why now? People have been asking for it. If it makes sense for the computer world, it makes sense for the AV world, too. I'm not sure why this has taken so long.
I can hear your brain humming. Can I put my entire sound system on one? In a word, no. The goal of using a UPS in the worship setting isn't to keep the systems operational, but to give you time to get your wits about you and to shut things down in an orderly fashion. I can envision one of our clients, in particular, running toward his amp racks now.
The SU1000Li will give you about four minutes to either shut things down in an orderly manner, or to wait for the power to come back on. Since your low-level electronics will remain on, what the SU1000Li will allow you to do is to make sure that your amplifiers are switched off and/or that you're ready in case the power comes back on in a hurry.
When the power goes out, as long as all of your low-level electronics are plugged into the SurgeX SU1000Li, your system will go silent after the load on the amplifiers bleeds off what's left. Without the SU1000Li in a power failure, there's a good chance that one of your processors will send a big spike down the line to the amplifiers and that spike will bleed off what's left in the amplifier with a big bang, and maybe a little bit of blue smoke. If you happen to avoid the blue smoke (which you probably will), and the power happens to come right back on, you'll probably get another big bang.
Those bangs, over time, damage your system and especially your speakers.
The SurgeX SU1000Li offers advanced Series Mode surge elimination, Impedance Tolerant EMI/RFI Filtering, Over/Under Voltage protection, 1000VA battery backup, voltage regulation, power management and diagnostic software, and a 10-year warranty. It's not only a battery backup, but it's part of the SurgeX family - with some of the most advanced power protection circuitry available today.
The SurgeX SU1000Li is $1189.00 and it's available today. Please find the SU1000Li in our webstore for specifications and more information.
SU-1000Li, SU 1000Li
Kramer Electronics releases free iPhone app to control VP-729 Scaler/Switcher
KRAMER ANNOUNCES IPHONE® APP AND PC BASED S
OFTWARE FOR SWITCHING AND MENU CONTROL OF THE VP-729 PROSCALE™ DIGITAL SCALER/SWITCHER
NEW IPHONE APP AND PC SOFTWARE OFFER EASY-TO-USE INTERFACES PROVIDING CONVENIENT CONTROL OPTIONS FOR KRAMER SCALERS
Kramer Electronics has released both an iPhone App and PC based control software for Kramer’s popular VP-729 ProScale Digital Scaler/Switcher. The new iPhone App and the PC based control software provide easy-to-use interfaces to control both switching and operation of all menu features of the VP-729.
Kramer has created an iPhone App called “VP-729” that allows users to conveniently operate Kramer’s popular VP-729 scaler/switcher. The VP-729 App provides an intuitive and easy-to-use interface for the most necessary functions of the VP-729. To operate, enter the IP address of your VP-729 and press the connect button. You can switch inputs, increase and decrease the audio output volume and adjust all menu items over your wireless network. There is no need to manipulate the front panel buttons or look for the wireless IR remote control. Just grab your iPhone and start working.
The new iPhone App can be found in Apple’s App Store within iTunes®. Once in iTunes, search for “VP-729” and download the app. There is a video posted a video on YouTube demonstrating how to use the VP-729 App.
Kramer has also created new PC-based software for the VP-729 that also works with the VP-728 via the RS-232 port. This freeware switching and control program can be obtained from the Kramer Web site via the “Downloads” tab on the VP-729 or VP-728 product pages. After the program is installed on a local computer, it connects via Ethernet to a Kramer VP-729 or via RS-232 to either a VP-729 or VP-728. All the switching and menu functions of the VP-729 and VP-728 can be set and controlled remotely from the connected computer.
The PC-based control software emulates the appearance of the front panel of the Kramer VP-729/VP-728 scalers on the computer screen so that the user can control switching by clicking on the inputs buttons. If menu control is selected, the VP-729/VP-728 menu appears on the computer screen. The on-screen menu is visually identical to the menu generated by the scalers on a connected display and the user has full control over all features including the ability to define and set custom resolutions.
The new VP-729 and VP-728 PC-based switching and control software can be found on the VP-729 or VP728 product pages via the “Downloads” tab or under the heading “Software” on the “Software Firmware Updates” page on the “Support” tab of the Web site at www.kramerus.com . It is available at no charge as a value-added freeware program.
If you would like to order the Kramer VP-729, please click here or call (800) 747-7301 for more information.
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What others say
WOW!!! I installed the projector last night and can't believe how bad the old one was! I can't wait to see the congregation's faces on Sunday morning during the missions video! This baby is bright and clear. Very nice!
Showed the projector to the pastor last night and he said "Hmm..now you'll have people complaining it's too bright!" He marveled at the color correctness and contrast and his wheels started turning as to new ways we can minister with it.
Eric Shaver, Crossville, TN
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