Portable Possibilities
Ideas to Help You Get The Most Out of Your Portable Sound Gear
Below are some practical ideas to think about when putting together a portable sound system. Case It
 House as much of your equipment as possible in quality, properly fitted road cases to protect your investment. Current construction technology has made cases very tough, lightweight and affordable. Many models have wheels and well-placed handles making them easier and safer to transport. Cases and bags are available for virtually any piece of equipment you can imagine, from sound gear to musical instruments, lighting and video. Examples of popular cases are those that house 19” rack rails for mounting mixers, amps, processors, etc., and have enough room for cables and connectors. These rack cases usually include removable front and rear doors providing easy access to equipment for control and patching. Some are even pre-fitted with AC power for added convenience. Lockable rack drawers or  shelves can be added to the racks to house mics, batteries, cables and accessories. Some equipment, such as mixers, are fitted with their own covers so no additional cases are required. Take the time and the modest initial expense and you will realize much longer life and performance from your portable gear. CCI Solutions representatives can help you find the right protective housing for all your portable sound and video gear — just ask us. Label It
Identify your equipment with labels wherever possible. It is not unusual for your equipment to get mixed with gear belonging to others, and you want an easy way to identify which cords, mics, stands, etc. go back with you when an event is over. Make matching labels for cases and equipment so things get back into their proper place. Catalog your equipment on a sheet mounted inside of cases where possible. Label or color-code connections to facilitate easy set up, especially when you have help from non-technical folks. Nesting Instinct
Give thought to how things stack and pack together. Folding tripod mic stands and models that allow the bases to be nested together take up far less storage space than conventional designs. Mixer/processor cases can be purchased with deeper covers that allow more storage for cables and connectors. Some mixer cases allow the working surface to tilt for optimum operating angle and to fold back for transportation. Look for speaker models that are designed to stack securely together. Also convenient are speaker systems where the main speaker is mounted on a pole that projects out of the subwoofer, eliminating the need for separate speaker stands. Stay Connected
Whenever possible leave connections between components plugged in. For example, if you have a mixer case, leave processors, cassette/CD decks and wireless receivers plugged into your mixer. You can have the fan-tail of your audio snake plugged into the input channels and terminated to a multi-pin connector on the other end. A power strip mounted inside the mixer rack will leave only one AC cord coming out of the rack. So, when you set up, all you need to do is plug in one power cord and make the one connection to the audio snake and your mixing station is good to go. Portable lighting can be set up more quickly if dimmer packs are fastened to the crossbar tree of a light stand and lamp cables are left plugged in. Go Wireless
 Wireless microphones and wireless in-ear monitor systems can be a real advantage on the road as they eliminate the need for some of the hard-wiring required to and from the stage area. Wireless mics and personal wireless monitors also give performers more freedom to move around. Personal wireless monitoring can help eliminate some acoustic problems associated with conventional monitor speakers. Consider systems with selectable frequencies so you can achieve clear reception in any area. Your CCI Solutions sales representative can help you plan systems that will work best on the go. Power From Within
Using powered speakers or powered mixers can eliminate the need for amplifier racks, and both options make things easy to set up. Bear in mind that powered speakers will almost always need power cables. There are, however, battery-powered systems available for places where AC power is hard to come by. Take A Stand
No matter where you go, this principle will be the same: sound travels best when unobstructed. That's why you'll always get the best performance out of your speaker system if you place your loudspeakers where they have a clear “line of sight” to the listeners. This is most critical for the high and high-mid frequency information coming out of your speakers since it is the most directional.  Placing your loudspeakers on tripod speaker stands will get them in the air where, once elevated, the sound can travel farther because it's not absorbed by audience members in the front row. And, because the sound is coming from overhead, your front row of listeners is not forced to endure severely high sound levels. Sub woofers or “low-end” cabinets do not have to be elevated the same way: low-frequecy sound is omni-directional and tends to travel in and around the audience better.
Some loudspeakers should not be placed on stands. Speakers that exceed the weight limit of a tripod stand or speaker enclosures with excessive low frequency vibrations could cause a speaker stand to shift or fall over. Generally, a speaker meant to be placed on a stand will have a speaker mount socket built in or offer provision for one to be added. You can find examples of all the types of products mentioned above on our Shop Online site. If you would like to discuss your particular needs or if have questions, please contact one of our helpful sales representatives by calling 1-800-562-6006, or e-mail us at sales@ccisolutions.com. |