Transcript A-2 For General Session

A-2 Overview
for Local 16 Employees
Tom Adams
Lisa Woodward
What does an A-2 do?
 Represents Local 16.
 Communicates with the A-1.
 Asks questions.
 Follows instructions.
 Interfaces with client and talent.
A-2 is in charge of:
 Audio power distro, snake runs,
hanging speakers, wireless mics,
stage mics, backstage monitors.
 Audio to and from: video, computers,
press, prompter.
 Intercom.
 Micing the talent.
 Monitoring all of the above during the
show.
What an A-2 does not do:
 Mix the show.
 Choose the equipment.
 Redesign the system.
 Whine about the equipment.
 Give the client/talent “a piece of your mind”.
 Read the newspaper by the wireless rack...
Represent Local 16
 Attitude.
 On time.
 Proper tools.
 Proper attire.
Communicate with the A-1
 Get information!
 Give information!
 Get a stage plot.
 Get a patch sheet.
 Don’t know? Don’t guess…. Ask!
 Keep track of info, take notes and tell
the A-1.
Follow Instructions!!!
Interface with client
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It’s all attitude: you represent us all!
Be polite.
Be calm yet attentive.
Be discrete.
Be efficient.
Be proactive.
Be accommodating yet firm.
Be persuasive.
Be PROFFESIONAL. (YOU!)
Power Distro
 Find out from Electrician where
comes from and goes.
 Have someone (if not you) meter
before any equipment is turned on.
 You are in charge of getting power all
audio equipment AND keeping others
off our circuits to prevent ground
loops.
Snakes
 SEND is the snake from the stage to the
FOH. MALE ends (pins) to the FOH!
This is for mics and playback.
 RETURN is the snake from the FOH to the
stage. MALE ends to the stage.
This is for: amps, monitors, record, press,
com, etc.
 FOH audio AC power is run with these as
well. Female to FOH.
 Keep Audio snakes away from AC power
other than our own!
Amp Set Up
 Find out from A-1 or stage manager/TD
where they go.
 Find out from A-1 which one will be for
mains, delays, fills, monitors, subs.
 Label them.
 Consult A-1 about settings on each. He/she
may not want them automatically set at full.
 Biamp & Triamp systems.
Patching
 Get patch sheet from A-1.
 LABEL, LABEL, LABEL!!!!!!!!
Label at the male & female end of a mic
cable. Label at the male end of a return
feed at the snake, and the extension cable.
Label all mult boxes and DA’s at the box
and the out going end of each cable. Label
rec sends at the male end.
 Did I mention labeling?
Speaker Cabling
 Find out where the speakers go and find
the simplest, most efficient, safest path to
lay the cables. Remember the out!
 Did I mention labeling?
 All cables should be labeled at the amp end
(at least).
 Any cable in the air should be labeled at
both ends.
 Powered Speakers.
 Be neat. It looks good, tends to be safer
and goes out faster.
Hanging Speakers
 An A-2 must be lift certified. Period.You will
spend a lot of time in a lift.
 Learn 3 knots: clove, bowline, taught line
hitch.
 Hardware and hanging technique should
have been figured out by the vendor. Find
the vendor and ASK. The head rigger
and/or A-1 get paid to answer them.
Someone’s life could depend on you.
Hanging con’t.
 Label all cables in the air. Pay extra attention
when patching in the air. Double check all
connections.
 Generally we hang speakers upside down. Why?
 Speaker focus will be called by A-1 from the
ground. This is where your protractor will be a
helpful tool. A radio would be good, too.
 What is a “delay” anyway?
 Double check your labels and connections before
moving on to the next one!
Stage mics
 Know your mics!
Wireless Microphones
RF Basics
 Transmitter
 Diversity
 Receiver
 Intermodulation
 Carrier Wave
 Squelch
 FM-Frequency Modulation  Tone Key and
Digital Code Squelch
 Frequency Range
– VHF
– UHF
Setting up a RF mic system
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Set up receivers
Place antennae and cable to receivers
Connect audio output to sound system
Choose and program frequencies on
receiver
 Program transmitters
 Choose mics
 Test
Antennae and Cable
Antennae Placement
 Maintain a line-of-sight between the transmitter and receiver
antennas.
 Avoid placing antennae where metal or other dense
materials may be present.
 Avoid placing the receiver near computers or other RF
generating equipment.
 Point the antenna tips away from each other at a 45° angle
from vertical.
 Maintain a distance of at least 10 ft between the transmitter
and receiver to prevent overloading the receiver.
 Keep diversity antennae at least 10 inches apart.
 Do not let antennae touch.
Source: http://www.audio-technica.com/using/wireless/quicktip/oneplus.html; uhf_en.pdf at www.shure.com
Cable
Cable Type
UHF
VHF
Length for 30%
Range Reduction
Length for 50%
Range Reduction
Length for 30%
Range Reduction
Length for 50%
Range Reduction
Lo-cost RG
58
33' (10 m)
65' (20 m)
15' (4.5 m)
30' (9 m)
Quality RG58
54' (16 m)
107' (32 m)
24' (7 m)
48' (14 m)
Lo-cost RG-8
70' (21 m)
140' (42 m)
31' (9.5 m)
63' (19 m)
Quality RG-8
110' (33 m)
220' (66 m)
48' (14.5 m)
96' (29 m)
Foam RG-8
(Belden 9913)
165' (50 m)
330' (100 m)
75' (23 m)
150' (46 m)
Source: http://www.audio-technica.com/using/wireless/advanced/cables.html
Cable
Shure UA830
 Antennae amp
 50 ohm cable only (RG8)
 Up to 25’ use the 3 dB gain
 Up to 50’ use the 10 dB gain
 May gang two together for
more than 50’
 No more than two ganged
together
Source: http://www.shure.com/pdf/userguides/guides_wireless/ua830_en.pdf
Directional Antennae
Antennae Dividers or Distros
 Allows several receivers to use just 2 antennae.
 Connect the antennae to the input of the distro.
 Connect the antennae outputs of the distro to
the inputs of the different receivers.
 Terminate unused outputs with 50 ohm BNC
terminators (but not inputs!).
 Use cascade output ports to connect additional
distro together.
 Be sure to check that frequency range is
compatible with the rest of the system.
Connecting to the Sound System
Gain for Receivers
 Mic/line level
– Shure “mic/line” switch in the rear
– Sony “level” switch –20 on the front
 Output gain knob all the way clockwise
 The set the “mixing” switch on Sony
receivers to OFF
 Use XLR connectors when ever possible
Sony “Mixing” Switch
Programming Receivers
Shure UHF and Sony UHF 800
Programming Shure Receivers
Source: uhf_en.pdf at www.shure.com
Programming Sony Receivers
Choosing Frequencies
Frequency Bands
Frequency
Band Number
30 - 300 Hz
2
Extremely Low Frequencies
ELF
300 - 3000 Hz
3
Voice Frequencies
VF
3 - 30 KHz
4
Very Low Frequencies
VLF
30 - 300 KHz
5
Low Frequencies
LF
300 - 3000 KHz
6
Medium Frequencies
MF
3 - 30 MHz
7
High Frequencies
HF
30 - 300 MHz
8
Very High Frequencies
VHF
300 - 3000 MHz
9
Ultrahigh Frequencies
UHF
3 - 30 GHz
10
Super-High Frequencies
SHF
30 - 300 GHz
11
Extremely High Frequencies
EHF
300 GHz - 3 THz
12
Source: http://www.testeq.com/charts/freqclas.lasso
Classification
Abbreviation
-
-
Frequency Ranges of Popular Brands
 Shure UHF
– “UA” series: 782.125-805.875 MHz
– “UB” series: 692.125-716.000 MHz
 Sony 800 UHF
– TV Channel 64: 770 MHz to 782 MHz
– TV Channel 66: 782 MHz to 794 MHz
– TV Channel 68: 794 MHz to 806 MHz
 Sennheiser 3000
– Range: 434 - 960 MHz
Sources: http://www.Shure.com; http://bpgprod.sel.sony.com/proaudio/index01.htm; http://www.sennheiserusa.com/
TV Frequencies in the US
channel
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Frequency (MHz)
channel
54-60
60-66
66-72
76-82
82-88
174-180
180-186
186-192
192-198
198-204
204-210
210-216
470-476
476-482
482-488
488-494
494-500
500-506
506-512
512-518
518-524
524-530
530-536
*Currently allocated for Radio Astronomy only.
Source: http://www.flyingwombat.com/usa_tv_freqs.html
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37*
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
Frequency (MHz)
536-542
542-548
548-554
554-560
560-566
566-572
572-578
578-584
584-590
590-596
596-602
602-608
608-614
614-620
620-626
626-632
632-638
638-644
644-650
650-656
656-662
662-668
668-674
channel
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
Frequency (MHz)
674-680
680-686
686-692
692-698
698-704
704-710
710-716
716-722
722-728
728-734
734-740
740-746
746-752
752-758
758-764
764-770
770-776
776-782
782-788
788-794
794-800
800-806
Bay Area TV Stations
Channel
Frequency
Frequency
NTSC
DTV
DTV
City of
Transmitter
From MHz
To MHz
Station
Station
Status
License
Location
51
692
698
KDTV-DTV
San Francisco
Mt. San Bruno
52
698
704
KICU-DTV
San Jose
53
704
710
KVIE-DTV
Sacramento
54
710
716
KTEH
"
San Jose
KFTY-DTV
Santa Rosa
KTXL-DTV
Sacramento
55
716
722
64
770
776
KFTL
Stockton
65
776
782
KLXV
San Jose
66
782
788
KPST
Vallejo
67
788
794
KSMS
Monterey
68
69
794
800
800
806
KWOK
Novato
Source: http://www.lns.com/sbe/Bay_Area_TV.html
Mt. Sutro
Groups, Channels and
TV stations on Shure and Sony
 Groups and channels are arbitrary designations to
make frequency choices easier.
 In both Shure and Sony choose channels within the
same group so frequencies will not overlap.
 The Shure A/1 and A/2 are master groups and cross
all other groups (1-7). Groups 1-7 also cross each
other with in the same series.
 The Sony 00 group is a master group and crosses all
other groups (11, 12, 13, A1, A2, A3). Sony groups
cross each other within the same TV channels.
 Sony TV Channel 66 and TV Channel 68 overlap
Shure series “UA”.
Example of Cross Frequencies
Specific TV Groupings-- Cannot
use cross group mix
SHURE SONY
FREQ
A1/1
A1/2
A1/3
A1/4
A1/5
A1/6
A1/7
A1/8
A1/9
A1/10
A1/11
A1/12
A1/13
A1/14
A1/15
A1/16
A1/17
A1/18
782.125
782.250
782.375
782.500
782.625 66/67 11-1
782.750
782.875
783.000
783.125
783.250
783.375
783.500
783.625
783.750 66/67 11-2
783.875
784.000
784.125
784.250
66-1
66-2
66-3
66-4
66-5
66-6
66-7
66-8
66-9
66-10
66-11
66-12
66-13
66-14
66-15
66-16
66-17
66-18
Sony 11
Sony 12
Sony 13
Even #
Odd #
TV 66 TV 67 TV 68 TV 69
TV
TV
No TV Present
Present Present Present Present
Present Present
Sony A-1 Sony A-2 Sony A-3 Shure 1 Shure 2 Shure 3 Shure 4 Shure 5 Shure 6 Shure 7
No TV
Present
7-1
A1-6
66/67 13-1
3-1
A3-4
5-1
1-1
7-2
2-1
3-2
6-1
1-2
66/67 13-2
7-3
2-2
6-2
3-3
66/67 13-3
Source: Spread sheet by Jim Risgin of On Stage Audio
5-2
Choosing Clean Frequencies
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Manually scan through frequencies
Contact other operators
Use the same group for all frequencies
Frequency separation
Frequency intermodulation
Shure website at www.Shure.com
Audio Technica website at www.audiotechnica.com/index2.html
Transmitters and Mics
Shure Transmitters
Start with gain all the way down
Default setting is –6
Power Lock and Frequency
Lock on Shure Transmitters
 Power Lock :
– Press and hold the SET button, then press and hold the
MODE button. Hold both keys down until “PoL” (for power
locked) is displayed.
– To unlock, repeat the steps.
 Frequency Lock :
– Turn the transmitter power off.
– Turn the power back on while holding down the SET
button until the fuel gauge on the transmitter is active.
“Fr L” will appear momentarily, until you release the SET
button.
– To release, repeat steps.
Lavalier Mics
 Mic selection
– Cardioid: Shure mx185
– Hyper Cardioid: Shure mx184,
sennheiser 104
– Omni: Shure mx183, sennheiser mke2,
countryman trams
Polar Patterns of Mics
Sennheiser Lavalier Mics
mke 104
Source: www.sennheiserusa.com
mke 2
Countryman ISOMAX
Source: Countryman website http://63.194.67.202/
Check for Failures
 Windscreen
 Mic Capsule
 Exercise the connections
of both mic and antennae
 Seat batteries firmly or
tape them in
 When using “combo
packs”, make sure that
only the handheld or the
belt pack programmed to
the same frequency is on
at one time.
 Walk the room to check
for RF dropouts
 Test every mic on stage
through the speakers
before the audience
arrives
Mic and Belt pack Placement
 Have talent remove
badge and/or jewelry
that may hit mic
 Leave a little slack if
dressing through
clothing
 Clip mic just under tie
in the center of the
body
 Turn off cell phone
 Some clips can be
rotated
 When double micing,
place belt packs on
either side of back
Other Topics
Shure Scanning Software
Shure UA888
UA888 Software
Wireless Resources on the Web
 Audio-Technica http://www.audiotechnica.com/
 Sennheiser
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/
 Shure Brothers http://www.shure.com/
Backstage Monitors
 Bkstg Monitors are to help people
backstage (including yourself) hear the
show.
 They will most probably be needed by
at least these stations: A-2, Video,
Graphics, Teleprompter, Dressing
Rooms.
Bkstg Monitors Con’t
 They are generally small, self powered
speakers and tend to need adapters for
their input cable(xlr to 1/4in) and an
edison ground lift.
 They are best fed from the FOH return
snake to a DA or mult box at your
station. Label the out going cable at
both ends!
XLR Mult Box
To & fro pop quiz
 By the way, what is a:
– Press pool?
– DA? Are there different kinds?
– DI? Are there different kinds? Why are there
usually two 1/4” input/output jacks on a DI?
– Why a stereo mini from a computer?
– Which out put from a computer, head phone or
line out?
– Iso transformer?
– An imp splitter?
Audio to and fro!
 You will run the audio feeds to and from: Video,
computers (on and off stage), press pools,
webcast etc.
 For professional video playback you will be
patching from the deck into your SEND snake
with the male end of the xlr. For vhs decks you
will need a rca to xlr adapter and possibly a DI.
 For computer playback you will be patching the
same as above and will need a stereo mini plug
to a DI to xlr adapter configuration.
Distribution Amplifier or DA
Passive DI
Active DI
To & Fro Con’t
 It is often the case that you can pick up a ground
hum from video or computer playback sources. It
might be a bad connection in the adapters or you
may have to add iso transformers.
 You will be providing the feeds for video record,
webcast, press pools etc. You can also pick up a
buzz here, the solution would be the same. It
would be best if they came from the FOH
RETURN snake to a DA and fed out from there.
Label the cables….
Intercom: (whatever flavor)
 Two most popular brands: Clearcom and RTS.
 Base station usually lives with Stage Manager at
FOH. Feeds to you for distribution come from the
RETURN snake. Com is sent with the male (pin)
end of the cable.
 There is voltage on the com line. Do not mispatch
and send it to the board or other equip.
 You will most likely be sending com to: video,
graphics, prompter, asm, yourself, dimmers, follow
spots, cameras, head carpenter, webcast etc.
 Multichannel systems
Com con’t (forever…)
 Find out who gets what (dual, single, biscuit,
which channel) from stg manager, TD or A-1.
 Interfacing multiple systems: Clear Com, Telex,
RTS, Wireless etc.
 Did I mention labeling? No?
Well, well, well…Label cables, belt packs,
biscuits, mult boxes. Label labels just in case...
 Trouble shooting: volume, gain, feedback, hum,
antennas etc.
Clearcom vs RTS
 clearcom pin out:
– Pin 1 Circuit Ground
– Pin 2 +VDC
– Pin 3 SIGNAL
 rts pin out:
– Pin 1 Circuit Ground
– Pin 2 CH 1 + Power 32V
– Pin 3 CH 2 + Dry or 32V
3 Models of Clearcom
 single channel
– 501 beltpack
– 3 pin xlr
– effects of phase reverse of pins 2 and 3
 old style dual channel
– 502 beltpack
– 6 pin xlr, 6 pin xlr-3 pin xlr "y" adaptor
 new style dual channel
–
–
–
–
502TW beltpack
3 pin xlr
twc-10a box
call light only works on the "b" channel
501 and 502 Belt Packs
Old Style 502 Belt Packs
TWC-10A
RTS
 dual channel
 3 pin xlr
 BP 300 beltpack is programmable
via dip switches inside beltpack
Interfacing Intercom
 clearcom TW-12B
– isolates both systems
– eliminates ground hums
– matches gain
Wireless Intercom
 Popular Brands
– Clearcom WBS-6
– Telex BTR series
– HME 800
 Be sure to note what frequencies the
units use and coordinate them with your
wireless mic system!
Telex BTR-200
Telex BTR-500
Telex BTR-600
Clearcom WSB-6
Good practices
 Label clearly
 Don't daisy chain the whole system,
use multi boxes and y's when possible
 Don't leave belt packs and headsets
near video monitors
 Don't wear headset while using cell
phone
Intercom Resources on the Web
 Clearcom http://www.clearcom.com
 Telex http://www.telex.com/
 Systems Wireless http://www.swl.com/
 PL Systems
http://plsystem.com/index.htm
Micing talent
 You have a chance to make or break the show
here. Your attitude, appearance and skill define
the moment.
 Try to find talent ahead of time. Inform A-1 of
names, order of appearance etc.
 Pre label mics with name & number.
 Be polite and firm. Try humor with discretion.
 Once miced, contact A-1 to confirm signal.
 Monitor signal and RF reception continually
during show.
Micing con’t
 Always have a standby mic ready.
 Special micing situations: Be prepared.
 Try to find out in rehearsal what they’re
wearing for show.
 Always try to get the mic in the center not
the lapel.
 Women’s issues: clothes and modesty. Be
discrete, polite, professional and creative...
Relax and have a
good show!
Thanks to:
 Elton Halley
Web Resources:
 Margaret Murray
 www.local16.org
 Gary Erwin
 Scott Clark
 Projection, Inc.
 www.shure.com
 www.sennheiserusa.com
 www.audiotechnica.com
 www.clearcom.com
 www.telex.com
 BBI Engineering
 www.swl.com
 Local 16
 www.plsystems.com