Audio Tech Tips

Utilizing a Stage Manager in a live event offers numerous benefits

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 18:05:39 GMT

13 Benefits of booking a Stage Manager as part of your AV Technical Team for your Next Live Event!

Stage Management is not just for Theatre!

Utilizing a stage manager in a live event offers numerous benefits, ensuring the event runs smoothly and successfully. Here are some of the key advantages:

Organizational Expertise: Stage managers are highly skilled in planning and organization. They create detailed schedules, coordinate logistics, and ensure that everyone involved knows their roles and responsibilities.
Communication Hub: They serve as a central point of contact for all members of the production team, including performers, crew, and event staff. This streamlined communication helps prevent misunderstandings and keeps everyone on the same page.
Crisis Management: In live events, unexpected issues can arise. A stage manager is trained to handle crises effectively, making quick decisions and solving problems to minimize disruptions.
Timing and Pacing: Stage managers are crucial for maintaining the event's flow and timing. They cue performers, technicians, and other crew members to ensure that each element of the event happens at the right moment.
Technical Coordination: They work closely with technical crews (e.g., sound, lighting, AV) to ensure that equipment is set up correctly and runs smoothly during the event. They also handle cues and technical transitions.
Safety: Stage managers prioritize safety, both for the performers and the audience. They enforce safety protocols and coordinate emergency procedures, if necessary.
Adaptability: Live events often require last-minute changes or adjustments. Stage managers are skilled at adapting to new circumstances, whether it's accommodating a late performer or dealing with a technical glitch.
Team Leadership: They lead and motivate the production team, ensuring that everyone is working together efficiently and effectively.
Quality Control: A stage manager monitors the quality of the performance or event, ensuring that it meets the desired standards and adheres to the artistic vision.
Record-Keeping: They maintain detailed records of the event, which can be valuable for post-event evaluations, future planning, and legal or contractual matters.
Guest Experience: A stage manager helps create a positive experience for the audience by ensuring that the event runs smoothly, minimizing disruptions, and providing clear information about the event.
Peace of Mind: Knowing that a skilled stage manager is overseeing the event can provide peace of mind for organizers, performers, and crew members, reducing stress and allowing them to focus on their specific roles.

In summary, a stage manager is an essential part of any live event, helping to ensure that everything runs smoothly, from planning and preparation to execution and crisis management. Their expertise and coordination skills are invaluable in creating a successful and memorable event.

VIRTUAL GALAS & FUNDRAISERS - SERIES #4 - Benefits of Hosting a Virtual Gala

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Sun, 07 Jun 2020 17:03:16 GMT

Highlighting the Benefits and Potential to Reach your Fundraising Goals with an Audience-Free Event.

As we all navigate through how Covid-19 restrictions have impacted the Live Event industry; Virtual Events are quickly becoming a viable option to help you still meet your annual fundraising goals.

Below is a List of Benefits MTAV has

put together for you:

a) Engage a new audience who wouldn't regularly attend your events and who can now learn about your organization and needs.

b) Viewers can watch in real-time or at their convenience with prerecorded stream links.

c) You can still reach your audience while keeping to physical distancing measures.

d) Reduced overall cost benefit without the catering and decor expense component.

e) Reduced venue cost. Preproduction requires little footprint compared to a large venue rental for live events.

f) Reduction of travel costs for remote presenters. Our team can facilitate remote presentations.

g) Live Streaming offers an excellent backup plan to a postponed event.

h) Only require 30- 45 min of content maximum - make it count!

i) Virtual Events posted to a Youtube page can continue to attract new viewers and donors long after the event ends.

j) Simultaneously stream to multiple platforms.

k) The fundraising portion of your event can start days before and continue long after the live stream.

l) Consider raising more $'s by using software platforms for live and silent auctions. They exist and are worth looking into.

Take your control back - Don't Cancel your Event

We hope this information is helpful. We would love to hear more about your specific event plans and how we could support your efforts to host a Virtual Event.

Contact MTAV.ca today! It's never too late to get started.

VIRTUAL GALAS & FUNDRAISERS - SERIES #3 - A Sample Schedule and Outline

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Thu, 28 May 2020 18:17:49 GMT

Navigating through the new normal in
the Event Industry.

Unlike a Face-to-Face Event, we recommend in order to produce a successful, engaging Virtual Gala; it should only be approximately 45-60 min long, putting a high priority on the Fund-A-Need Ask.

Content Strategies:

By being strategic in your messaging and content, you can take your audience on an emotional journey all while sharing information about your organization, success stories, video content, testimonials, possible entertainment and circle back to your Fundraising ask.

Hire an entertaining Host, Professional Speaker or Emcee and/or Professional Auctioneer.

Below is MTAV's suggested outline:

#1. Start with enthusiastic energy & excitement.

#2. Story-based content (video); quick introductions followed by Fund-a-Need.

#3. Proceed to entertainment, auction items, etc. (Keep entertainment short - 2-3 min).

#4. Include a few pre-recorded messages.

#5. Add a informational banner with the Donate Now URL throughout the event.

#6. Indicate funding status, additional auction items.

#7. Closing and thank everyone for attending.

#8. End with a picture slideshow, or entertainment or last message.

It is never too early to start.....

It's never too early to start writing and creating content for your Gala. A Virtual Gala is also a great backup plan to any postponed or cancelled events. Time to get creative.

Experience the Peace of Mind of Technical Services

Contact MTAV to learn more about how our team can help support your live-streamed event. It is important to hire an AV Company to provide high-quality audio and visual broadcast experiences if you are looking to attract serious donor and sponsors.

www.MTAV.ca

VIRTUAL GALAS & FUNDRAISERS - SERIES #2 - Event Ideas & Recommendations

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Tue, 26 May 2020 17:31:39 GMT

Navigating through the new normal in
the Event Industry.

As we all navigate through how Covid-19 restrictions have impacted the Live Event industry; Virtual Events are quickly becoming a viable option to help you still meet your annual fundraising goals.

Below are some of MTAV's Virtual Event Planning RECOMMENDATIONS:

a) Keep it short, 45-60 minutes.

b) Adjust your AV budget to accommodate the extra equipment required, including possible pre-production. More than ever, the AV component of this type of event is crucial for flawless execution.

c) Don't cancel an annual event; continue to grow your audience and sponsorship relationships.

d) Include impactful, captivating visuals and video.

e) Opt-out from playing any video material in Zoom. Hire an AV team to produce seamless switching between all media, including any remote presenters, creating a professional and polished look.

f) To streamline testimonials and messaging - consider pre-recording this content.

g) Your communication and marketing plan is critical, be concise with your messaging and Fundraising ask.

Fundraising drastically impacted by COVID-19 - Large group gathering restrictions:

Below are some of MTAV's Virtual Event Planning IDEAS:

a) Attract Sponsors with the same format as a Live Event - offer 30-sec commercials and logos on event banner.

b) The main focus during the Virtual Gala should be to communicate the Fund-A-Need, Ask!

c) Post-Editing will allow for titling, additional media, keeping within timeframe and giving video a polished look.

d) Consider using any additional pre-recorded messaging and testimonial videos in an email campaign or social media campaign leading up to the Virtual Event.

e) Create an event landing page, including a donate button. Be Creative!

f) Consider monetizing an exclusive pre-show or virtual after-party.

g) If you are gathering video content independently, let's chat about additional suggestions.

h) Utilize Social Media to promote the Virtual Event. Reach broader audiences through Premiere's on Facebook and YouTube with automated reminders to subscribers and their friends. You will need to set up a (Brand Account) on YouTube.

i) If you are streaming for the first time on YouTube, you must get permission. This process can take up to 24hrs for permission to be granted. Any further videos after the initial upload on your channel skips this process.

j) Focus on growing your Youtube subscribers and social media pages months before the Virtual Event, if you wish to capture a new, broader audience.

k) Make sure your presenters are rehearsed and prepared. Keep a high-importance on good lighting and appropriate location, camera quality and technical support.

l) Your goal should be to keep your audience viewing the broadcast. Consider asking for pledges in the chat field instead of a donate button that encourages your audience to stop viewing your event and go to another page. Your Fundraising team can follow up with pledges.

m) Our team can facilitate and manage remote presentations if required; keep in mind, engaging content is paramount.

n) Sell tickets? Consider selling/delivering meals supporting local restaurants, include a gift, coupons, thank you cards or wine?

o) Consider team captains (main supporters) who try to fill virtual tables to help fundraising efforts. Create a "contest" or create a fun challenge to help drive attendance to your event. ie photo contest, #HASHTAGNew Paragraph

Contact MTAV today! It's never too late to get started.

If your team is considering moving this year's face-to-face event to an audience-free fundraising event; consider leaving the technical aspects to the experts. Experience the benefits and peace of mind of having access to professional equipment and production to produce a broadcast-quality virtual event. We are all competing for audiences attention. Quality matters!

www.MTAV.ca

VIRTUAL GALAS & FUNDRAISERS - SERIES #1 Production Technical Tips

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Mon, 25 May 2020 21:19:54 GMT

Looking to Attract Serious Donors and Sponsors - Hire an AV Company to provide a High-Quality Audio and Visual Broadcast Experience.

Pictured: Our team producing a Virtual Live Stream Fundraiser scheduled for May 28th, 2020

MTAV's Virtual Gala Tips:

a) Include both live presentations and/or pre-recorded videos.

b) Consider pre-recording testimonials and entertainment with the same backdrop/set or create a secondary, complementary look and/or theme to create the illusion the event is completely LIVE.

c) Pre-recorded entertainment should be supported by our sound technician, including mic'd instruments and performers for the optimal guest experience.

d) Include impactful, captivating video with the addition of moving graphics, titling and optimal audio mixing.

e) We recommend using multiple comfort monitors for the EMCEE or Live Auctioneer to read their notes (teleprompter) and see the content that the online audience is viewing.

f) Looking straight into the camera has never been more important. Do not read notes at the podium - practice and utilize a teleprompter to engage your home viewers.

g) We recommend a microphone for each presenter to comply with COVID best practices and efficiencies.

h) Create a brand account YouTube channel or utilize MTAV's channel. A link to the live stream will be supplied to the end client.

i) Use multiple camera shots to create interest and a professional, polished look.

Production Options:

a) Video editing available, Let's chat.

b) Our team can facilitate and manage remote presentations.

c) Create a brand account YouTube channel or utilize MTAV's channel. A link to the live stream will be supplied to the end client.

d) Use multiple camera shots to create interest and a professional, polished look.

e) Audio Production

Fundraising must go on:

The face of Fundraising has drastically changed due to Covid-19 and the restrictions placed on the Live Event Industry. Combining our experience with streaming during Live Events and working within the event industry itself, we can easily help navigate your team through the decision making and the planning/hosting of a virtual event. Adding engaging, captivating content will be the key in helping you reach your Fundraising Goals. Leave the Technical aspects to us. Our objective will be to produce a professional, clear sounding, polished viewing experience for your audience.

Hosting a Virtual Gala may be completely new and overwhelming to you and your fundraising team. Contact us so we can learn more about your organization and fundraising goals. We would love to share our experience and strategies to help you meet your goals through an innovative audience-free fundraiser.

Contact us today at MTAV.ca

Highlighting Local Musicians Blog - John Anderson

Wed, 01 May 2019 17:52:20 GMT

A Local Country Star in the Making

We first met John during the planning of our MTAV BattleJam - Grand Opening Launch Party in Barrie, March 2015. Often, it is a family member who steps up and takes on the managing role for young artists just embracing a music industry career. Personally, I have not met a more committed family member than John's Father, Mark. It has been our pleasure following John's journey as he continues to make a name for himself in our region as a working musician, playing local venues, winning contests and most recently getting involved with the Simcoe Rising Stars #Dreambig Contest as a judge and mentor. John focuses on Country Music and for good reason. We are thrilled to be involved in John's first "Sold Out" EP Release Launch Party this Saturday, May 4th at Redline Brewery.

If you would like to learn more about John's Music and Events...Visit his new website at www.johnandersonmusic.com

Mark writes:

John Anderson grew up on ball fields and in hockey rinks. March 31 2015, John picked up a guitar and sang a song that he sent to his mother. Mom played it for her grade 8 class and they all thought it was a superstar singing the song. It changed John’s life.

John was quickly encouraged by teachers to develop his musical talent. After a summer teaching himself the guitar he went to an open mic at the Stone Grill. John got up and sang a few songs. The place went quiet. The veteran musicians knew they were listening to something special even thou John and we had no clue. Again these musicians helped and encouraged John and within a few months he played his first paid gig at the Stone Grill. John got booked very quickly by different venues across Barrie area. It was amazing the support John got from every local musician he ran into, along with all the venues he played at, helping him out. It was really terrific. John started entering contests and winning them. A big break happened when he won Magna Hoedown, where Beverley Mahood and Tom Cross wrapped their arms around John.

John was taken to the next level. John left the ball field bright lights and embraced music’s bright lights exclusively. John developed his writing skills, guitar and vocal skills by working with a series of professionals across Canada and Nashville. A lot of work went into it. The whole family was involved, pitching in due to the amount of time and commitment required. The last 4 months have been very hectic for John with writing, studio time for recording, photo shoots, special courses, getting merchandise, being ready. John Anderson will have his first 7 song EP ready for release. One of those songs will be going to Country radio right away. You will find out that night.

Support Local Music.

For information on our Live Music Production Services, contact us a www.mtav.ca

Local Singer/Songwriter - Megan Anne Baillie announces the release of her new EP called Phoenix

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 18:21:11 GMT

Song Writing Tips - Part #2

You may have enjoyed listening to the melodies of Megan Anne's music while performing in Barrie and surrounding areas. We had the pleasure of working with her during our Grand Opening Live Music Contest in 2015. We are excited to help Megan Anne get the word out about her new release. I hope many of our readers check out her music.

In this Blog, she continues a Part #2 version of songwriting tips. As Megan Anne 's music evolves, she continues to share her insight.

Megan Anne writes......

About two years ago (wow, time flies!) I had the opportunity to write a post for MTAV about my tips for beginner songwriters. I talked about trusting your gut, and finishing the ideas you believe in. While I still stand by those things, now that I’m a little older and have refined my own process, I am grateful for the opportunity to share with MTAV readers again.

1. The biggest advice I think I can give to a burgeoning writer is to remain authentic.

My inspiration for songwriting comes from capturing the emotional development of interpersonal relationships. What I mean by this is that I believe relationships - whether romantic or platonic - are constantly changing and evolving. What I strive to do in my songwriting is capture a particular moment in time with how I and another person feel about each other. For myself, my songs offer me a release of emotion, and closure. I hope that for listeners my songs make them feel understood and like someone can relate to how they feel in their own lives and their own relationships.

2. The second most important thing to keep in mind is that inspiration can come at anytime, from anywhere.

My songs almost always begin with the lyric writing, so I can be sure that the song will be telling the story I want it to. The lyrics can come from anywhere, whether it be an overheard snippet of conversation, or a stream of words that get stuck in my head. This can happen to me in any physical location, and places that I have written lyrics include (but are not limited to): in my room, on the bus, mid-conversation, in class, first thing in the morning, right before I fall asleep, drunk on a kitchen floor, in my crush’s basement when he was not there, in my best friend’s room while she was trying to sleep, and while on the phone with an ex-boyfriend. All of these lines of lyrics get typed into my cell phone so I know I won’t lose them.

3. And remember: the fun part is exploring your ideas.

Once the lyrics are complete, or have at least some legs to stand on, I will take them to the piano and begin carving out the melodies and chord progressions I think best serve the lyric. This process is a quieter one, and has only ever been completed on my own keyboard in the comfort of my own home, while I’m alone. All of my songs are written in the first-person perspective, because I believe that makes them feel both more personal and more relatable.

Songwriting has always been one of the most important aspects of music to me. Even when I get too old or tired to perform music, I know that I will still be writing, and getting thrilled whenever I find a lyric that manages to say exactly what I need it to.

Megan Anne Announces the New EP Phoenix

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[Barrie, Ontario] – Megan Anne is thrilled to announce the release of her debut EP, Phoenix , available on iTunes, Spotify, and all other major online realtors on October 26th, 2018 .

Phoenix is Megan Anne’s first major release since her single “Stay Out All Night,” produced by JazzFeezy (Drake, T.I.) and mixed by Michael Jack (Hilary Duff, Nelly Furtado.) The rest of the indie-pop EP was recorded with Jeff Wardell (Your Productions,) and Dayne Gerous (Waking Life Studios.) With a flair for storytelling, her unique sound has been compared to Amy Winehouse, Hayley Williams, and Halsey.

Megan recently attended York University, studying Vocal Music. She was the 2017 recipient of both the Sterling Beckwith Award, and the Imasco Performing Arts Award. Megan’s music has been heard on Beach Booster Radio and RogersTV. Notable 2018 performances of Megan’s include Downsview Park, Celebrate Barrie, The Brownstone, Flying Monkeys, and the Georgian Triangle Music Festival.

Audio Visual for Meeting and Event Planners Series: How to Prepare your Laptop

Thu, 04 Oct 2018 17:01:25 GMT

Audio Visual for Meeting and Event Planners: Preparing a Laptop for a Presentation

Like all of my blog posts, I am focusing on the basics, and I’m gearing the discussion towards non-technical people in the live event business. Also, these are broad stroke tips so, you will have to delve further to find any step-by-step instructions that pertain to your hardware.
If you rent computers for use in presentations, they have very often been optimized to run PowerPoint
or other presentation software, but not all of us have the luxury of using rented presentation
computers and have to use our own personal computers. Our personal computers will often have a
myriad of applications installed, so we need to optimize them before we use them for our presentation.

Power to the people
By default, most computers will have a power scheme that allows for longer battery life. Meaning, they
will go into sleep mode; hard drives will shut down and/or displays will turn off to save your battery.
Often these modes require a password to return your computer to a normal operating mode. You will need to turn these power saving modes off BEFORE your presentations. There’s nothing worse than your computer going to sleep and you having to enter your password while the audience watches. ALWAYS PLUG IN YOUR COMPUTER. Too often, I’ve seen presenters run off of the battery, only to have their laptop shutdown mid-presentation. It takes just a few seconds to plug it in, and you will be able to rest easy, knowing that even though you’ve turned off all the power saving modes, your computer will use up your battery much more quickly, but will remain unaffected, since you are plugged directly into a power source.

How to disable power management settings in Windows
How to disable power management settings in Mac OSX

Not everybody is a Cat Lover (True Story)
If your computer has been designated as the presentation laptop, (all the presentations will be loaded
on to it), you should clear the desktop of any icon clutter. Simply create a folder called “desktop,” and
drag and drop all your folders, icons, and shortcuts into this, for safe keeping. You should also remove
any personal pictures you’ve used as a background/wallpaper, including your kids, spouse and yes your
cat. You could use your company’s logo, or the theme slide of the conference, showing name, place, and
dates. You can easily create a theme slide in PowerPoint, and then do a “save as” and choose JPEG File
Interchange Format (*.jpg) as your “save type.” This will save your single slide as a picture that you can
then use as your background or as a theme slide in other presentations. To do this, find the image that
you just saved, and “right-click” on the icon, and simply select “set as desktop background”.

Optimize
The average person’s laptop is bloated with unnecessary applications and services running in the
background. Take the time to uninstall any unneeded applications (which is a good idea anyway) which
may be using excessive hard drive space and or memory. The leaner your computer is, the better it will
run and the less likely it will stutter, crash or freeze. You will also want to turn off all “pop up” notifications coming from E-mail, Facebook, Twitter etc. You don’t want a message from your Mom popping up on screen while you’re giving your talk in front of your boss or colleagues.

How to enable or disable notifications, and configure notification settings Windows 10
macOS Sierra: Receive or stop notifications

Additionally, you should close every single open application, folder, and window, (apart from PowerPoint, and the folder that contains your presentation(s)). It’s also a good idea to optimize your presentation. Often, we use high-resolution pictures that end up making our presentation’s file size unnecessarily large. It is not very often that we get to see the benefit of these high-resolution pictures on screen (or on the web if the presentation is being webcast), but they can create a significant strain on our computer’s resources. The best thing to do is to compress all your pictures, so they take up less hard drive space and are less taxing on the computer. These smaller file sizes also allow your presentation to be emailed more easily.

How to Reduce Your PowerPoint (PPT) File Size

A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth ……
More and more people are using the power of video in their presentations. Unfortunately, there are
numerous video formats to choose from. Depending on what version of PowerPoint you are using, (or
whether you are using a Mac or Windows), there are video formats that may be better suited to your
presentation. If your presentation will be played off of a Mac, then the best video format will be MP4. If
your presentation is coming off of a windows computer, you can either have MP4 or MPEG-1. The
default format is MPEG-1, but MP4 will give you a better quality image. It is NEVER a good idea to rely on the free hotel Wi-Fi, in order to show a video, and therefore, it is recommended that you have the video embedded in the presentation, or downloaded onto the computer. It is also a good idea to confirm what presentations require audio.

Keep it Organized
When you’re dealing with multiple presentations, it is imperative to know the order of presenters. Too
often you will get a presenter’s file named “Main Presentation Final” or “Conference 2018”. Neither of
these names gives you the information you require. Here’s a quick way to organize presentation files:
- Create Folders for each day of the conference. Within each day folder create subfolders for morning,
afternoon and evening, and place each presentation in its corresponding folder
- Each file should be named with a number, (what order they present in), Presenter’s name and Name of
talk. An example would be “1 – Doctor John Smith – Depression in Cats.”
If the presentation is coming to you on a USB stick, quickly copy it to its proper folder and rename it.
Never launch a presentation from a USB stick. Always copy them to your computer’s hard drive first.

Presentation View
Those who haven’t used “Presenter View” during their presentation are missing out on one of
PowerPoint’s best features. Presenter View allows the presenter to view the slide that they are currently
on, the next slide, and their speaker notes on one screen. Here’s how to set up your computer for
Presenter View.

Present on multiple monitors (and view speaker notes privately)

Once you’re set-up for “Presenter View,” you can then use the extended desktop as your “holding slide,” when you’re going between slides. Effective because when you end a presentation in “Presenter View,” your extended desktop is what is seen on the projector until you start the next presentation. So all you need to do is make your theme slide your desktop background/wallpaper, (like I explained earlier), and then that will be what is displayed on the projection screen. For the audience, this is much nicer than watching you close down a presentation and then load the next one. Everything is done behind the scenes and looks seamless, and significantly more professional.
Multi Tech Audio Visual, (MTAV), continues to stay informed about advances in event technology. We pride
ourselves in providing the latest audio visual solutions, for events of all sizes. Having a modest budget
does not mean you have to cut corners when it comes to AV anymore. Contact us for a quote or if you
have any questions regarding event technology. We love talking AV.

Follow us on FACEBOOK for additional tech tips

Non-Profit Blog Series # 4

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Thu, 30 Aug 2018 19:10:26 GMT

Jully Black Concert helps the Barrie Women and Children's Shelter

WORKING WITH MICHAEL WEBB AND JULLY BLACK
Both Vanz and I were happy to partner with Michael Webb from the Michael Stuart Webb Realty team on the Jully Black event production in support of the Barrie Women and Children's Shelter on July 27th, 2018.
We were astonished at the statistics Kelly Letourneau was revealing regarding the number of families turned away due to lack of resources each year, right in our own backyard.

Recently Michael Webb presented the Shelter with a cheque for $5,000. We are very proud to call him a client but also a friend. He is an amazing, compassionate individual. The live event business grants us the opportunity to meet and work with such amazing people in our community, who like MTAV are passionate about making a difference and having a positive impact where we can.

If you are looking to help out in your own way, the Barrie Women and Children's Shelter is gearing up for their signature fundraising event coming up in September 15th at Heritage Park.

Kelly Letourneau writes:

WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES
Barrie Shelter’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes hopes to raise $50,000 for local women and children

When Frank Baird created Walk a Mile in Her Shoes in 2001 no one knew that what started out as a small group of men daring to teeter around a park would grow to become a world-wide movement with tens of thousands of men raising millions of dollars for crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and other violence education programs in local communities across Canada.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a symbolic gesture of men marching in women’s footwear to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women. The walk gives men the opportunity to publically take a stand on this important issue and demonstrate that violence against women and children is not just a woman’s issue; it affects everyone and they need the help of the entire community.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AFFECTS US ALL
Violence against women affects women from all segments of society. However, it is intensified by poverty, limited access to resources, lack of affordable housing or child-care options, language, and immigration challenges. ‘Violence against women affects us all’, says Kelly Letourneau, Development Manager for the shelter. Children can be traumatized by witnessing violence against their mothers or by experiencing direct violence themselves. Society is reduced when gender-based violence is tolerated and allowed to continue. We are all affected and we all have a responsibility to advocate for the elimination of violence against women and girls in our community.

Even though the shelter receives approximately 75% of their funding from the government, these funds don’t cover the costs of the services they offer such as group and individual counselling, family court support and transition/housing support. Every year, the shelter hopes to raise the remaining $350,000 needed from fundraising events like the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes campaign.

JOIN THE WALK
The Women and Children’s Shelter of Barrie’s 9th annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes will take place on September 15th at Heritage Park in Barrie. Families of all sizes are encouraged to come out show support and take a stand against violence against women. Don’t worry guys, the pumps aren’t mandatory…but if you talk the talk, let’s see if you can walk the walk. Register your team today! Their fundraising goal this year is $50,000.

For more information or to become an event sponsor email: Kelly Letourneau at kelly@barrieshelter.com

Non-Profit Blog Series # 3

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 03:39:13 GMT

Learn how Simcoe Rising Stars #Dream Big Contest is helping our Community

Why Youth Haven?

Youth Haven works diligently towards providing homeless and abused youth between 15 and 25 with love, support & life skills needed to foster their sense of well being and security. As Simcoe's only youth shelter, Youth Haven provides an atmosphere of respect and dignity to approximately 500 youth per year.

#Simcoe Rising Stars #Dream Big – Gives Back

After visiting Youth Haven House, our committee noticed that they are in desperate need of some upgrades to their house on Wellington Street. Some fresh paint, new mattresses, furniture, doors, trim, locks, and floor tiles etc. With the goal of making our Fundraising Event and efforts unique, we held a talent contest, Simcoe Rising Star #Dream Big. This contest was open to any and all of the arts including singer/songwriters, bands, dance, comedy etc. Talented people from all over the Simcoe region came out to audition. Our first audition was held on June 3rd and the Semi’s on July 15th. Our Top 12 were selected and have moved on in the contest, with plans to perform and entertain guests at our Black Tie Gala on Saturday, September 22nd, 2018 at Ferndale Banquet Hall & Catering. Join us and be present for the exciting announcement of the 1st place winner. They will go home with an All-inclusive trip for two to the Iberostar Cozumel resort.

"The Event of the Year"

With an amazing production company, MTAV, and our Events Board #EVN, this is sure to be the “Event of The Year”. We anticipate this Event is going to change these Youth's lives and their accommodations. This Event is already having a positive impact on the Top 12 contestants. Our Top 12 contestants have been lending their support by participating in a few collection drives for Youth Haven here in Barrie. As much as they are all working hard to compete against each other, hoping to win one of the top 3 prizes, it is nice to see that they understand what this is really about and they are all aware of how important it is to give back to their communities and help those around them.

How can you Help?

Black Tie Gala ticket proceeds are going towards the cost of these Renovations & Tailored Workshops for Today’s Youth. Together we can make a difference. Together we can help our #Youth feel good about their surroundings, their environment and start each day on a positive note.

For more information or to purchase tickets please visit our website

Simcoerisingstar.ca

Non-Profit Blog Series #2

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 16:44:24 GMT

Learn more about the man and mission behind Five Points Media.

MTAV was on board right away helping provide the much-needed lighting and effects equipment to help John Ironside and his team at Five Points Media film a batch of very special videos for Candlelighters Simcoe, Parents of Children with Cancer who support the families of these heroic and mighty little warriors.

All pictures by Kelly O'Shea Morrison.

Learn more about the man behind Five Points Media, how he is having an incredibly positive impact on our community including his new plans to create a new project called "The City of Barrie Network".

Five Points Media:

Five Points Media is a not-profit-motivated social enterprise that exists to help our local community and the charities that call it home. We do not generally charge for our services for small projects, and our daily fees for larger or funded productions run at less than half of what the charity or not-for-profit group would pay if hiring a similarly experienced and equipped crew out of Toronto. It is a balancing act of the need to cover our bills while giving as much as we are able back to our community.

To best explain why I created Five Points Media, I turn to a quote of the Dalai Lama that can be found in ‘Visions of Compassion’, a collection of writing about Altruism, Ethics, and Compassion. “Basic human nature is compassionate. We humans have an innate, not learned, disposition toward affection, care, gentleness, and positive mental and emotional states.”
When I was a younger man you could not have convinced me of this truth. I worked as tech-support for the security industry, and I had recorded news in places where only those who had to travelled. Without realising it, I had submerged myself in the darker side of life, and my view on life was bleak and limited.

"Then I became a father":
My first child was healthy, bright, and physically unencumbered, and as such there was little if any motivation to change my views. I worked, provided for the family, and remained in my bubble of centrally focused reality. Then, when that marriage ended, and my wife moved away with our son, I drew deeper into the darkness.
I then met another woman who already had a daughter. The girl was very young, and she was experiencing undiagnosed medical issues that were eventually diagnosed as Cystic Fibrosis. Then, a couple of years later, we learned that her little brother, my second son, had Autism.
It is hard to explain to the parents of ‘normal’ children how so much of your life becomes consumed with the care of children who are special needs. I spent an hour every morning and night with our daughter working on breathing exercises and ensuring she took her pills, and one morning in January we were woken to the sound of the French door sliding open and I had to run out into the snow in bare feet and my shorts to stop our son from running onto a busy street. Through trips to doctor’s offices, hospitals, fundraisers, special camps, and other sources of shared experiences, my eyes were opened to the reality of the needs of others in a way that I could never have imagined was possible.
That relationship ended a few years ago, at which time I managed to return to my original trade of commercial video production through the creation of 3B Solutions.

Commercial Video Production
I had the equipment, so I thought it prudent to offer the donation of my services to charities. In a short time we became known as a company that cared and requests for our community services increased as our commercial business grew due to our newly-earned reputation. My crew and I then decided to create Five Points Media as a way to further provide to the community.
I will never get rich running a not-for-profit social enterprise, but I cannot describe the joy of knowing my crew and I have helped those in need who simply cannot afford to hire professional video production services to reach the community. My thoughts now are in line with the final scene of Schindler's List, when the thousands of decedents of the hundreds of people he saved pay homage to him. Each life is a ripple on a pond, intersecting with others, and causing changes in all they touch.
Through the nearly one hundred videos we have donated to charities and community groups, we have reached literally hundreds of thousands of local people and we have been credited with helping those benevolent groups to raise tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars that is now flowing to help those in need.

City of Barrie Network:
We are now launching the City of Barrie Network to share with local businesses the success we have enjoyed through altruistic advertising. Through it, local businesses will benefit from reaching tens of thousands of nearby consumers through advertising on video projects about their community that are seen to be helping others. This regional network will allow our neighbourhood business to support and promote each other without cost, and to advertise their own business in the most powerful way possible for the lowest area rates in advertising.
Most business owners understand there is a need to help others. Doing so feeds their soul, and it also helps their business. Helping the community creates a bond with local consumers, and altruistic advertising gives the owner and their staff credit for their ultraistic and philanthropic donations to the community we all share. This form of self-promotion has been around for decades, but it is only recently, with the advancements of social media, that small businesses can work together to help their community and benefit from doing so.

For more information about the City of Barrie Network please call John Ironside at 705-828-5605 or contact by email at jironside@fivepointsmedia.ca.

Planning your Corporate Party......Yes, we can provide Dinner Music

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 11:28:03 GMT

Need Music? Think MTAV....... we have you covered.

Never too Early to Plan

Yes, we are still wearing flip flops, but that doesn't mean many companies have not already started to organize their fall special events and corporate parties.

As we approach corporate conference and gala season, we thought it was a great time to discuss your options.

DJ or AV Company?

As an Audio-Visual company, our services begin even before your event date. We are available to help our clients make technical decisions when they looking for Audio-Visual services that exceed the venue's in-house offerings. This could be as simple as a sound system to play music and a wireless lavalier for speeches. Most in-house speaker systems are meant for public address only and do not manage the extremes of recorded music well, or live music for that matter.

Start by asking yourself, what is the primary reason your organization is meeting? Routinely, it is to convey a message, whether that is a celebration or informative. MTAV can help you deliver that message in the most effective way. Audio-Visual company stocks special equipment that only enhances the success of your event, unfortunately, most DJ's do not have these items readily available in their arsenal .... and yes.... we can provide music.

What does an Audio Technician bring to the table?

Often when individuals are planning a corporate party or gala function, knowing they will want background or dinner music and access to a microphone, they instantly think …… DJ. If you are planning an event that has a more formal itinerary, consider the significant benefit of having a skilled technician on hand to operate/troubleshoot, facilitate seamless visual presentations and monitor microphone levels. Along with taking the stress out of the technical side of event planning and execution, AV companies concentrate on the overall audio coverage in the room; having a direct impact on your guests overall positive experience, whereas a DJ's main focus/expertise is the dance floor. ..... and yes.....we can provide music.

Does your event include a live music element? Our technicians can be on-site to assist the musician in hooking into our sound system that will be utilized for both the public address, live music..... and yes.... background music. Our technician would be tasked to set up the sound system for a musician, or if you have hired a band, we would be ready for a sound check hours before your guests arrive. It is important to note that a musician or DJ can't be expected to successfully mix sound from the stage where he can't hear what the audience hears. There is value in having our technician manage both the speeches and live music.

Along with our pro-rated sound and visual equipment, our technicians can provide suitable purchased themed music playlists and any special pre-arranged music for awards or themed parties, but if your function is ready for an old fashion dance party.... We have great news..... We now offer a UNIQUE NEW SERVICE which includes both a TECHNICIAN & DJ.

Budget for both a DJ and Technician and MAXIMIZE your guest enjoyment level !!!

MTAV has added a new unique Service. Knowing that some events incorporate a party or dance into their agenda, we offer a premium DJ plus Technician Service. Our technicians are on-site to manage the formal portion of the event and work well with our DJ's who are on-site to play continuous dance music and take requests. Noteworthy, a DJ's primary focus in the dance floor. Often they bring in a sound system suitable to cover the dance floor well. MTAV puts equal importance on all aspects of your event, ensuring proper audio coverage in the entire room. Being that MTAV is an equipment rental shop, we also offer a wide selection of additional items including party lights, subwoofers, fog machines, microphones, decor lighting, all helping to get the party started. https://www.mtav.ca/barrie-dj-services

Providing Outstanding Corporate Event Experiences….What are you waiting for?

If your goal is to have your guests talk about your event long after it is over, consider wowing them with an extraordinary, outstanding experience. MTAV also offers the first Magic Mirror Photobooth Service in our region. Our photobooth with Social Sharing Kiosk is changing the photobooth experience through touch-mirror technology.

www.mtav.ca/photobooth

Let's get started today. Multi Tech Audio Visual (MTAV) offers free on-site consultation. Call today!

www.mtav.ca I 705-726-0333

Non-Profit Blog Series # 1 - Lupus Ontario

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Tue, 15 May 2018 22:19:00 GMT

A Blog Series Highlighting local Non-Profits in our Region

Multi Tech Audio Visual has had the pleasure of working with many non-profit organizations and charities over the last 4 years. We thought it would be beneficial to highlight some of these charities in a blog series giving them an opportunity to showcase upcoming events and help bring awareness to their cause. The first of our series is from Lupus Ontario.

In my opinion, often, as business owners, we tend to support the charities that either pull on your heart-strings or the ones we feel a personal connection. MTAV has walked and supported the Barrie Lupus chapter for a very dear friend who completely inspires us with her strength and gifts of a positive attitude.

Sharon and Gayle write:
Lupus is an auto-immune disease in which a person’s body attacks its own organs, tissues, muscles, tendons, joints, etc. Lupus mainly affects women and no two will experience Lupus the same way, making both treatment and diagnosis very difficult. There is no cure.

This year commemorates Lupus Ontario’s 40th Anniversary and we would like to make our walk our best ever so please come out and join us. Our walk is Saturday, May 26th at St. Vincent Park, Barrie, beginning at 12pm.

Visit www.walkforlupusontario.org for information on our Walks or www.lupusontario.org for more details about Lupus.

Walk For Lupus Ontario wishes to express our appreciation to MTAV for the rental of their equipment. The AV equipment allows us to effectively communicate with our walk participants, vendors and volunteers.

In gratitude,

Sharon and Gayle from Lupus Barrie

Paramedic Nat's 2nd Annual Mental Health Evening

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 00:09:42 GMT

A community comes together to help change the stigma of Mental Health

In the Live Events business, there is the odd show that sticks out and will be remembered for a long time, simply due to how the event affects you personally. Paramedic Nat's 2nd Annual Mental Health Evening is one of those nights. Mental Health has touched our family, like many others. As well, being a resident of Barrie for almost 50 years, we have seen many changes at RVH. The newest addition being the much needed Youth Mental Services department. #youngmindsmatter It was an honour to be present and have the opportunity to provide the audience with a well-executed Audio Visual experience so that nothing took away from the important messages presented throughout the evening. We met so many amazing, inspiring men and women who share the same mission to remove the #stigma from Mental Health.

You could hear a pin drop as top-level speakers (Sean McCann, formerly from the band Great Big Sea and Michael Landsberg, founder of #sicknotweak) shared their stories and true accounts of why Mental Health hits home. We enjoyed providing Sound Reinforcement support for Sean during his 5 song set. He describes how telling his story through singing and his song writing has helped in his recovery.

This event raised awareness and funds for the RVH Foundation (Youth Mental Health) and #IveGotYourBack911. The audience was filled with prominent Barrie residences, Serve and Protect men and women as well as Mayor Jeff Lehman and supporting area councillors.

The woman behind the evening is Natalie Harris. A local advanced care paramedic. She has published a book titled Save-My-Life School: A first responders mental health journey, whose foreword was written by 6-time Canadian Olympian and mental health advocate Clara Hughes.

More Pictures and Recap of the Evening Here:
Enjoy Natalie's Blog https://paramedicnatsmentalhealthjourney.com/2018/01/30/paramedic-nats-evening-for-mental-health-a-huge-success/

Audio Visual for Meeting and Event Planners Series: Video Switchers

Wed, 13 Dec 2017 23:48:35 GMT

How can a Video Switcher save the day?

Like all my blogs, I am focusing on the basics and I’m gearing the discussion towards non-technical people in the live event business.

What is a video switcher?

A video switcher is a piece of audio visual equipment that allows the user to select between multiple video sources and then send that source to a single output. Video sources could include computers, DVD players, cameras, gaming consoles, video conferencing systems, etc.

Why do you need one on your event?

Video switchers allow seamless transitions between sources. This would be important if you had two computers used by two different presenters. Instead of having to unplug computer 1 from the projector and then plug in computer 2, you could smoothly transition from computer 1 to computer 2 with a push of a button.

Do I need a video switcher if I only have one computer?

Even if you have a single laptop with all the presentations a video switcher can be helpful. Many modern video switchers have a logo store function. This allows the user to store a single frame, slide or logo into memory that can be transitioned to like any video source. So the user can transition to the logo while the presenter loads up his/her presentation on the laptop. This also puts your presenter at ease as the audience does not see the presenter opening and loading files live on screen until he/she is ready to go.

What if you need more than one output?

Video Switchers that can output to 2 or more outputs are called matrix switchers. These switchers allow the user to send different sources to separate outputs. As an example, if your presenter was presenting in two different languages (French and English) you could output the English computer to screen 1 and the French computer to screen 2. If you then returned to an English only presenter you could then send the English computer to both screen 1 and 2.

Why do AV Techs love video switchers?

Nothing will make an AV tech more anxious than having to put something on screen that they haven’t had a chance to view first. Preview is another great feature of video switchers. Preview allows the user to look at the source before switching to it. As an example, say a presenter wanted you to play a video from a certain point. By previewing the source you could cue up to the specified point without the audience seeing and pause it until the presenter asked for it. At that point you could then push play and transition to it.

Aren’t video switchers expensive?

The cost of broadcast quality seamless video switchers has dropped significantly. What used to rent for thousands of dollars per day is now within the grasp of even the smallest of event budgets. As an event planner ask yourself, why are people getting together for this. If the purpose of the event is to exchange and share ideas then the AV component is paramount and a video switcher aids in making the audience’s experience better by keeping the technology invisible and the event flowing smoothly.

Has this happened to you?

As event planners you endeavour to have a flawless show by planning your event down to the minutest of detail. However, things don’t always go as planned. As an example, you’ve asked all you presenters to send you their presentations at least one week before the event. Most of them comply but one does not. Then to make matters worse that individual shows up minutes before they are scheduled to present and the event has already started. This would usually be a time for stress but not if you have a video switcher and a secondary computer. Instead of stressing, your AV tech can quickly load up the presentation on the secondary computer, preview the content to make sure it’s working and then standby to switch to that computer when the presenter is introduced. Cue big sigh of relief.

Multi Tech Audio Visual continues to stay informed on advances in event technology. We pride ourselves in providing the latest audio visual solutions for events of all sizes. Having a modest budget does not mean you have to cut corners when it comes to AV anymore. Contact us for a quote or if you have any questions regarding event technology.

We love talking AV.

mtav.ca

Do I need to hire a Wedding Planner?

vanz@mtav.ca (Vanz Zinn) — Mon, 15 May 2017 14:42:38 GMT

Two common questions Event Planners are often asked.

Written by: Teara Bella Stringer - Bella Event Planning

“Do I need to hire an event planner?"

The most commonly asked question in my business of weddings, intimate gatherings and corporate functions. Now for the passionate DIYer, or the hostess at heart, they typically will not feel the need to hire a planner because, well, they themselves ARE the planner. And kudos to those who can pull it off, or make it look that way. Many businesses do not have the time to plan a function and will most certainly have an Events Coordinator on payroll, or they outsource on a contractual basis to a company like mine. For most Brides, Grooms and lovers alike however, it is often considered a luxury not a necessity, and quite often they feel they can do it all themselves, with a little help, of course – right? Absolutely! But that help should not be your mom, or your sister in law who happens to also be a Bridesmaid and the make up artist, and oh, the decorator too.

The Uniqueness of Wedding Planning

Your wedding day, of all days is a day for you to celebrate, enjoy and bask in the entirety of the day – stress free. And if you think about it, that is what a planner is, a helper. All your life (or for the past few years even), you have spent countless hours envisioning, creating and making your big day a reality. YOU have planned your big day, we just come and help ensure that vision is executed, while you get to enjoy your hair and make up artists spoiling you with your ladies. Your significant can rest assured that their partner is at ease, allowing them peace of mind too.

An Event Planners Role

“What is it, that you would come and do?”, is the other question we are asked and here is the answer: everything that you would have done, if there was not a team of us, dedicated to making your day a success. It involves not only ensuring vendors show up, but that they provide the product or service they promised you both, at the quality you deserve. We not only ensure your décor is how you want it, but we are also a shoulder to lean on, a solution finder, relief expert, bargain hunter and most of all, in the end, your friend. We are your family away from family.

Bella Event Planning is proud to have been published two years in a row in Hitched: Ontario’s Most Beautiful Weddings Magazine. They pride themselves on their added value and taking care of their clients. They specialize in uniquely themed events and weddings, and offer a range of services that include Day of Coordination, Full Service Planning and Consulting packages. For more information or to stay in touch, please check out their website or social media platforms.

www.eventplanningbybella.com

www.facebook.com/planningbybella

www.twitter.com/planningbybella

www.instagram.com/planningbybella

www.pinterest.com/planningbybella

How to Record a Singer

vanz@mtav.ca (Vanz Zinn) — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 12:26:17 GMT

Industry tips from a local Music Producer/Engineer - Pete Swann

How to Record a Singer

This method involves recording several vocal takes to be "comped" later. Comping means taking the best lines and words from several takes and compiling them into one final vocal.

Setup

Technical aspects are well-documented so I will be brief on these.

- Ideally, record the singer in an Isolation booth, or in a quiet room. An isolation booth is ideal not just to contain sound, but also to eliminate natural reverb. Room reverb may sound nice, depending on the room and the song, but you're stuck with it. An isolation booth is anechoic (no echoes) which allows you to add an appropriate reverb later in the mix. High quality mics pic up heaters and air conditioners so these should be turned off during home recordings. A Shure SM-58 mic is good to use on a budget (about $150) since it will not pick up much noise beyond the radius of a foot or so.

- Use a good mic with a pop filter. Some singers sound better on different mics, even cheaper mics, so try a few if you have the luxury.

- Use a preamp. Think of the mic and preamp as two parts of a camera. Just as Photoshop cannot make your camera better, plugin effects cannot make your mic and preamp better. You only have one chance to capture in high quality and the better the mic and preamp, the better your vocal will sound. A good preamp will also compress the signal, which I highly recommend doing. I typically use these compression settings: Take out 6 db of gain on the loudest parts, set the release time to the fastest setting and set the attack time to a medium-fast setting.

- At the start of a session, test your levels. Have the singer sing something loud briefly and record it while watching your preamp levels.

- Adjust the headphone mix for the singer. Singers have a wide range of preferences for a headphone mix: some like everything loud, some like the music track almost inaudible, some want reverb, etc..

- I never apply EQs, de-essers or other processors (other than compression) to the vocal I'm recording because these can be applied non-destructively in the mix. There are different schools of thought on this and other engineers will use more processing during the capture.

Vibe

Good vibes make good vocals. If both the engineer and singer are in a positive mood, the vocal usually comes out better. If the singer is depressed or angry, he or she might not be up to singing anything convincingly. Give it a chance, but if the singer is not on his or her game, suggest scrapping the session and re-scheduling. Most singers know when they have it and when they don't. There's no point recording and comping for hours when you'd get a better performance the next day or next week.

Less Critique, More Takes

Imagine yourself in the recording booth, singing or playing an instrument. You do the first take. Now the engineer has a lot to say through the talk-back mic. He tells you to hold certain notes longer, emphasize certain parts, watch your timing in a certain part, watch your pitch in another part, etc. He spends more time critiquing you that you did performing the first take. This is a vibe killer and performers don't respond well to it. Even if the engineer is correct on all points, many problems are solved by the second and third takes without instruction. Use the first three takes to let the singer get acclimatized. Mark areas of concern on the timeline as you go, but don't mention these until you've heard a few takes. If take two solves an issue from take one, delete the marker. I never get specific about performance problems until the about the forth take because by then, I know that these are recurring problems. All I need is one good take for every line, not necessarily from the same take since I will be comping later. If someone else is going to be in the control room and they are qualified to advise the singer, I tell them ahead of time to be quiet until the singer has done several takes.

Workflow

The ideal workflow involves fast responses from the engineer. If the singer flubs a line, the engineer should be ready to stop the recording for a retake before the singer can finish the sentence, "sh**, let me do it again". If a singer says "I have a new idea, put me on a new track and record me from the bridge", the engineer should take no longer than five seconds to make that happen. This may create a disorganized timeline, but you can organize later. To be prepared for this flexibly and speed, have a lot of empty tracks ready to record onto.

Straight Through and Section Takes

Once the singer has done three or four takes straight-through, I like to record in sections, for example, we will record several takes of verse one, then several takes of verse two, then several for the bridge, then several choruses. This allows the singer to fine tune one small part of the performance before moving on, staying focused on the desired timing, emphasis, spots to breathe, etc.. The order of parts to record should be based on the vocal damage factor, IE, if the chorus requires screaming, do the choruses last, or the singer might not have a voice left to sing verses and other parts. The nice thing about having contiguous tracks is the flow factor, while lots of punches can sound disjointed, especially if the singer is inconsistent from take to take. During the comp, I will often harvest these straight-through takes for smooth transitions and even breaths. For example, sometimes I have to replace two words which overlap as a result of recording in sections. This overlap problem can be avoided with good punching practice.

Punching

Long lines with no time to breath may require a punch-in at some point to keep the energy strong until the last word of the phrase. Digital recording makes non-destructive punching easy, just record the punch on its own blank track. To make this work in the comp, an overlap of words is necessary. For example if the phrase is "I'm going off the rails on a crazy train" and you want to punch in "crazy train", make sure the singer sings "on a crazy train". If you want to record the first half, "I'm going off the rails", make sure you record "I'm going off the rails on a". In other words, sing and record at least one redundant overlapping syllable before or after the punch point, and the comp will be seamless.

Get a Lot of Takes

The more takes you capture, the happier you will be with all those choices during editing. You will often regret having recorded too few takes, but you will never regret having more. I tend to get 3 or 4 straight-through takes plus about 5 or 6 section takes for each part; verses, choruses, bridge, etc.. Obviously, the better the singer, the fewer takes you'll need.

Comping

If the singer is consistent and proper punching protocol has been followed, comping should be a breeze. Create a blank "comp track" above the takes and slide chunks vertically up into that track. Audition small chunks at a time from all takes, not necessarily whole lines. Make sure to keep the breath that goes into a line with that line, don't use a breath from the previous chunk. Sometimes you can cut between syllables. S and F sounds can be cross faded smoothly, but vowels are tricky and don't always work. Watch for repeated or missing consonants - a common artifact of comping. Check every edit to ensure all the cross fades sound natural.

As far as what parts to select for the comp, ideally, use the line with appropriate emotion, good timing, good intonation and smooth continuity with the lines before and after. If you are planning to tune the vocal, then choosing an in-tune part may be a less important consideration. For example, only one take has great emotion, great timing and great flow, but it was sung slightly out of tune. Since the intonation will be fixed, that is the take to select.

Pete Swann, Producer/Engineer, Attitude Productions
AttitudeProductions.com
Pete@AttitudeProductions.com

Planning a Panel Discussion?

vanz@mtav.ca (Vanz Zinn) — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 01:40:03 GMT

What your AV Technician wants you to know.

I've been an audio engineer working in the corporate audio visual industry for over 25 years. In that time I've done literally thousands of events. Many of those events included a panel discussion component. For those that aren't familiar with this, a panel discussion involves a group of people situated on stage that answers questions from a live audience or sometimes questions coming in via the web or other conferencing equipment. The technical aspect of these can be difficult to manage especially when the panel groups are large. Many times event planners decide that wireless lavalieres should be placed on each panelist which makes managing it even more difficult. What I often propose is that wireless handheld mics be used for the following reasons:

Sound Quality-

Handhelds sound better than lavs. If this wasn't true then people would sing into Lavs.

RF Signal Strength -

The wireless transmitting strength of a wireless HH is considerably more than a LAV because of the larger antenna. Also, the antenna of a LAV is often hidden from the sight of the receiver, since the transmitting pack is often placed behind a person on their pants or dress. This lessens the broadcast strength considerably and can cause dropouts in the audio.

Management-

Multiple Lavs are extremely difficult to manage for several reasons. It takes time to place a LAV on a panelist and can be challenging if somebody isn't wearing clothing that allows the mic to be placed properly. Then the transmitting pack needs to be clipped on to a belt or waistband which may be impossible with some (ladies) outfits. Now if you have concurrently running panels things get crazy and often a secondary audio technician needs to be hired at an extra expense to manage the chaos. You will need one LAV for each panelist so if you have a 10 person panel you now have 10 lavs that need to be turned up at the appropriate time. You can't simply just turn them all up at once unless of course you want feedback . So what is normally done is all the mics are pushed up to 50% and the audio tech does his best to watch for who is talking and turn up the correct channel (unless you have a Dugan, more about that later). Things get worse if you have simultaneous translation. All the open mics makes it difficult for translators to do their job properly because of all the extra noise (coughing, sneezing, side discussions amongst panelist and other undesirable sounds that you don't want broadcasted that having all the mics open creates).

Enter the Wireless Handheld -

Handhelds are the smart choice in this situation for many reasons. You won't need to place them on anybody. You can simply place them on the panel chairs or a table. You will not need one for every panelist. You can have one for every 2 or 3 panelists and have them pass them around saving you money. Concurrent panels?, no problem just make sure the mics get put back to where the next set of panelists can see them and access them quickly. No need for a secondary technician, saving you money. With fewer mics to manage it becomes easier for your audio technician to turn up the appropriate mic. Because Handheld mics are held closer to the mouth they don't require as much gain so you can push them all up without creating any feedback. The noise is also reduced significantly which will make your translators happy.

If after all these great reasons, to use handhelds over Lavs, you are still wanting to use lavs for aesthetic reasons, there are tools and protocols available to make things run smoothly. One thing you can do is setup your panel so where they are on stage (audience left to audience right) corresponds to the mic number 1 to 10 as an example. This makes it easier for the audio technician to follow. Another easy one is have your panel facilitator refer to the panelists by name when asking them a question; this also helps the audio technician.

Why I love Dan Dugan

The Dugan Automixer is used by many broadcast TV shows to "automix" multiple microphones. This does not replace an audio technician but rather aids them in managing multiple microphones more effectively. What the Dugan Automixer does can be explained best by it's inventor Dan Dugan "An automatic mixer controls a group of live microphones, turning up mics where someone is talking, and turning down mics that aren't being used." This is faster than the reaction time of even veteran audio technicians. The Dugan Automixer is available as a separate piece of equipment but is becoming increasingly available in many digital audio consoles.

For more details go to:

https://www.dandugan.com/products/ or

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automixer

Vanz Zinn is the owner of Multi Tech Audio Visual and has been working in the corporate audio visual industry for over 25 years. Visit his website at mtav.ca for more great tips.

Pete Swann explains his "Demo to Single" process.

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Mon, 06 Feb 2017 19:11:12 GMT

A little insight from Vanz's good friend Pete Swann explaining his "Demo to Single" process.

Pete adds a little humour to his very informative video. Working with artists throughout North America he brings 30 years of industry experience to our community.

If you are looking to turn your musical aspirations into reality, we suggest you reach out to Pete at Attitude Productions.

Pete is a music producer, recording engineer and musician operating his studio in Aurora, ON.
http://www.attitudeproductions.com

WATCH VIDEO HERE : https://www.facebook.com/avrentalsbarrie/videos/1854802394734373/

When your client is looking for some visual "eye candy".

vanz@mtav.ca (Vanz Zinn) — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 17:43:59 GMT

Being creative by supplying visual layering effects along with our Audio Production.

Using a Visual Presentation to Wow your Guests

Had a great time providing Audio production for our client's at Gordon Food Service this month. The show took place at the beautiful Sheraton on the Falls in Niagara Falls.

Our client was looking for an interesting "eye candy" to enhance their evening entertainment. From the formal PowerPoint presentation during the first part of their show, we moved into the evening using the GrandVJ software by Arkaos to project layered moving graphics on multiple projection surfaces behind the band.

How did we do that?

We provided the media server including moving graphics to an additional technician operating Pandora's Box - projection mapping technology.
It was a wonderful opportunity to be creative utilizing the layering capability of this visual program.

Thinking outside the box?

Looking to finish off your conference or meeting with a Gala Evening or Live Music. Contact Multi Tech Audio Visual for a free consultation. We have the expertise to provide an outstanding Audio-Visual experience for your attendees.

Let us help with the planning of your next conference. We have the ability to walk you through your AV decision-making, provide state-of-the-art equipment and skilled technicians to ensure your events success.

We care about your event as if it is our own. Contact Karen or Vanz today.

Photo Credit: Andy Byers Photography

A Little History on how Music has impacted the Shure SM58

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 18:18:39 GMT

Learn from Shure themselves why the SM58 is the standard and one of the most recognized microphones by Musicians. MTAV's microphone of choice.

How They Did It: Inside the SM58®

Written by Michael Pettersen on October 20, 2016 under Education

Crisp, clear sound. Fantastic low end. Great on vocals. Virtually indestructible. Rock solid. The standard bearer.

Like most performing legends, the SM58 makes it all look so easy. But making the leap from the original ‘birdcage’ style Unidyne models to the ‘new’, smaller handheld style was a real challenge. Shure engineers Ben Bauer and Ernie Seeler wanted to improve on the frequency response and directionality of Bauer’s original Unidyne design, while making the transducer much smaller to fit in a handheld microphone. The handheld form factor added some new concerns: p-pop protection, vibration isolation, and symmetry – things that were rarely an issue with large stand-mounted microphones that didn’t move around.

How the SM58 came to be can largely be attributed to three mini-miracles of microphone engineering: the diaphragm, the transducer and the shock mount. We’ll look at them one by one.

First, though, a crash course in how a dynamic microphone converts sound waves into electrical energy.

Dynamic Cartridge

Like all dynamic microphones, the SM58 employs a diaphragm/voice coil/magnet assembly that forms a miniature sound-driven electrical generator. Sound waves strike a thin and light membrane called the diaphragm, causing it to vibrate. The voice coil is attached to the rear of the diaphragm and vibrates with it. The voice coil is surrounded by a magnetic field created by a small magnet. The motion of the voice coil in the magnetic field generates the electrical signal corresponding to the sound picked up by the microphone.

The Diaphragm

DesignWhen Ernie Seeler designed the diaphragm for the Unidyne III transducer used in the SM58, he set out to solve one of the biggest challenges of microphone design: diaphragm flexing. Diaphragms tend to flex differently depending on whether they are struck by bass, midrange, or treble frequencies. This means that the movement of the coil will not correspond exactly to the soundwave, and will cause noticeable variations in sound quality.

Seeler used Mylar™ polyester film for the new diaphragm – a particular form of plastic that is very rigid but also very light, so it would move easily in response to subtle sound waves but not flex much. He molded the diaphragm with a unique shape: like a doughnut, but with a dome in the middle. These features make the diaphragm and voice coil move up and down uniformly as one piece, with little flexing, regardless of the incoming audio frequency – bass, mid or treble. This Mylar™ diaphragm also has variable thickness and is thicker and more rigid in the center, resulting in a significant improvement of high frequency response. This design helped to give the SM58 its smooth, balanced sound across the frequency range.

The Transducer Design

Ernie Seeler wanted the Unidyne III cartridge to have “uniform polar response over the entire audio spectrum” — in other words, the cardioid pattern would be the same at low, mid, and high frequencies.

He also wanted it to be “rotationally symmetrical”, meaning that the sound and the pickup pattern would be consistent no matter how the mic was rotated around its axis. In the 1930’s, 40’s, and 50’s, this wasn’t very important because performers stood in front of a microphone on a fixed stand. Most microphones at this time had polar patterns that were quite different above and below the mic, but it didn’t matter because the performer didn’t move in relation to the microphone, and the microphone didn’t move in relation to the loudspeakers.

In the 1960’s, as rock and roll grew in popularity, performers wanted to be able to hold the mic while moving around the stage and not be restricted to one location. Since the microphone’s position relative to the performer and to the loudspeakers could vary, it became important that the microphone’s sound quality was consistent no matter how it was oriented.

When designing the original Unidyne, Ben Bauer had devised an ingenious ‘front door/back door’ system (called the Uniphase principle) that provided two pathways for a sound wave to reach the microphone diaphragm. Sounds from behind the mic reach both the front and the back of the diaphragm at the same time. Like two people pushing on opposite sides of a door, the forces cancel each other out and the diaphragm doesn’t move, so no signal is generated.

Seeler adapted the Uniphase principle to work in the much smaller handle of newer hand-held models like the 545 , 565 , and SM58, and improved its directional capabilities across a wider frequency range by adding a complex network of openings, screens, and cavities that act as an acoustic network.

While the concept of a uniform polar pattern and rotational symmetry along the mic’s axis seem obvious today, they were instrumental breakthroughs that gave performers greater freedom to connect with the audience while allowing sound engineers to deliver more gain without feedback from the more powerful PA systems needed to handle larger venues.

The Shock Mount

Deep in the SM58’s handle is another technological innovation: a shock absorber for physical vibration. A microphone diaphragm is designed to be moved by the miniscule energy of sound waves alone. It has to be extraordinarily sensitive to do this, but that means that it is also highly sensitive to vibrations coming through the microphone handle when it is touched.

The simple solution is to mount the transducer in one or more rubber rings, which absorb some of the vibration energy. But every microphone is sensitive to some types of vibration more than others, and some vibrations have a more audible effect than others. Instead of the one-size-fits-all approach used in lesser microphones, Seeler designed a unique shock mount specifically for the Unidyne III transducer used in the SM58 – one that could actually be tuned to control vibrations in the most critical frequency ranges where vibrations posed the biggest threat to sound quality.

The shock mount is the unsung hero of the SM58’s performance. Tap on a cheap microphone and it will resonate like a drum; tap on an SM58 and you’ll hear only a dull, muted thud. The shock mount is the reason why performers like Roger Daltrey can be as rough as they want with the 58, to the point that it becomes part of their act.

Shock mount inside SM58

Engineering Then and Now

Legend has it that the development of the shock mount alone involved over 300 hand-written mathematical computations. How many hours were spent researching, testing and retesting the materials required to make the principle work perfectly in a microphone slated for mass production is unknown.

One person who understands the SM58 intimately is Principal Engineer Yuri Shulman. While the development of the Unidyne III cartridge predated Yuri’s arrival at Shure in 1981, he remembers Ernie Seeler very well and recalled the primordial tools employed by audio engineers of the day.

“Ernie Seeler, just like Ben Bauer in the U.S. and Georg Neumann in Germany, was one of the most talented engineers in the past century”, according to Shulman. “Ernie was a giant in acoustics and a brilliant mathematician.”

Back then, the tools of the trade were drafting boards, logarithm tables and slide rules. Frequency response was tested in a small sound room with an Ampex reel-to-reel tape machine. Mic drop tests were performed by dropping microphones from the mezzanine to the first floor. A team of machinists made parts for prototypes. Everything – from marketing, design, engineering, plating, molding, painting, assembly and shipping – was performed in the company’s headquarters in Evanston, IL. “If the plastic in the molding machine overheated”, he said, “everyone knew it.”

Contrast the limited space of the early mic development department to the 65,000 square foot Technology Annex at Shure today and you’ll find some of the same mechanical devices used in Seeler’s time, but there is also electro acoustical software that can produce more accurate results in seconds, not minutes or hours. Two anechoic chambers and a state-of-the-art listening room are constantly in use. 3D printers reduce prototype development by weeks. A small number of machinists (with the help of robotics) in the Tool Room do the work of many people thirty-five years ago.

There isn’t much about the old days that Shulman misses, except the convenience of being able to check production a short walk away. He is emphatic that today’s SM58 microphone “is dramatically improved”, pointing to more precise tooling, new materials, greater consistency, better production processes and increased durability. “Today’s SM58 is the best one we’ve ever made. Every SM58 is tested to meet all rigorous specifications before it leaves the factory. I don’t know of another manufacturer that does that.”

For more great Shure Blogs, click the link below.

http://blog.shure.com/how-they-did-it-inside-the-sm58/

MTAV now offers Disc Jockey Services

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 16:49:02 GMT

Tell us about your Event, we will suggest the right Services so your audience will have the most memorable time.

Song Writing Tips

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 13:33:57 GMT

Megan Anne Baillie shares her writing process.

Song writing - like any other creative process - will always differ from person to person. Here’s the process I use to write my songs, written in a formula that hopefully allows you to apply it to your next creation!

It all starts with an idea.

As a vocalist, my songs usually start with the lyrics. For me, that’s always been the heart of the song - what makes it intriguing. For others, the idea might be a melodic fragment (a sick guitar riff) or even just a topic. Write whatever interests you. If you’re starting vague, try to narrow it down. For my song “I Want You To Know,” I didn’t set out to write a love song. I was determined to write a song about the fear that the person you’re falling for might walk away before you get the chance to tell them how you feel. Humans are storytellers - and we crave stories in return! Once you’ve nailed down what’s at the core of your song, there are endless possibilities ahead for you to explore.

Trust your gut.

This is your song - you know what it takes to make it work. If it’s an exhilarating rush through a one-sided conversation, you might decide it doesn’t need a guitar solo. If it’s a calm lullaby, you might decide that the chorus should be the same line repeated four times. Sometimes the song tells you what it needs. Go with what feels best, and remember that nothing is set in stone; you can always go back and edit later.

If it ’ s not stuck in your head, it won ’ t be stuck in anyone ’ s else.

One of the biggest struggles I have is trying to figure out if the song that I’m working on is catchy. While this might not be essential for you in your project, I always try to have a hook to worm it’s way into listener’s ears so that they’ll want to listen again. One method I’ve found that works is to sleep on it. If you can’t remember your melody the next day, maybe it just wasn’t the right one.

It all ends with you finishing the idea.

I can’t even tell you how many half finished songs I have. So many. So, so many. And that’s okay! Sometimes you’ll find that whatever you’re working on just isn’t clicking. Don’t be afraid to set it aside and try it another day. That being said, if none of your ideas are coming to fruition it’s time to buckle down and see this thing through. Figure out what’s stopping you and continue on your way. Can’t find a lyric that flows smoothly? Cross out the last line you wrote and try again. The melody isn’t fitting right? Take a look at your chord structure and see what needs fixing. Remember how excited you were about what sparked the song in the first place. You owe it to yourself to complete it!

You will write more bad songs than good ones.

Maybe “bad” and “good” are too simple of terms, but there will definitely be songs you like more than others, and that’s okay. There are always more ideas to find and more songs to write. Just keep going.

Megan Anne is a singer, songwriter, ukulele-and-piano-playing human currently residing in Ontario, Canada. She is currently attending York University, working towards her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music. https://soundcloud.com/meganannemusic/phoenix-megan-anne-studio-version

Megan's single "Stay Out All Night" is available on iTunes. She is currently working on her first EP, and is always looking to play in new places.

For more information visit: http://www.meganannemusic.com

For bookings/inquiries please contact:

meganabaillie@hotmail.com

5 Establishments hosting Live Music this Long Weekend

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 20:58:43 GMT

Say Farewell to Summer with a little Live Music this Long Weekend!

Who doesn't' love a little live music? As the summer holiday season comes to an end and we prepare for the readjustment of routine, consider supporting any one of our local businesses offering live music and entertainment on a regular basis in our community.

Below is a list of 5 establishments hosting Live Music this Long Weekend (Sept. 2-5th, 2016)

1. Sticky Fingers - Sat. Sept. 3rd - The David Love Band
2. Donaleighs - Sat. Sept. 3rd - Memphis Mudd Live
3. Malones Pint House - Fri. Sept 2nd - Rikki Rockslide
4. Bourbon - Sat. Sept. 3rd. Backfire (Classic Rock)
5. The Foxx Lounge Rock Bar & Hotdoggery - Sat. Sept. 3rd. - The Darenots, Stuck on Planet Earth

Are you a Live Music Fan?
Performing Musician/Band?
Business hosting Live Music?

I invite you to check out the Facebook Page - Live Music in Barrie and area .
This is a fantastic page that lists the Live Music Events happening in our region. Not only does it connect the general public to businesses hosting Live Music, but also supports our local musical talent by helping them promote themselves.

If you fall into one of the categories above, I encourage you to start posting on this page. Help be a part of letting everyone know who is playing where. Get busy and POST, POST, POST.

Happy Safe Long Weekend everyone from the crew at Multi Tech Audio Visual Inc.

For more insights & technical tips and tricks, please visit our additional Blogs at www.mtav.ca

Cheers.

4 Useful Apps having an Impact on your AV Team

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 22:30:04 GMT

Technology helps with Productivity

Useful Apps having an Impact on your AV Team

The massive mobile app market is expanding without any signs of slowing down. It’s high time for all AV professionals to jump into the future and take advantage of the amazing technology that’s waiting at the tips of their fingers.

Technology is constantly evolving. That’s what makes it so exciting! And the more IT changes the more it intertwines with AV, transforming the products that are available to tech-savvy professionals. Gone are the days of bringing all your calculators, documents or tools just in case. No need to lug that huge gear bag anymore, just don’t forget your phone!

Having any one of these AV inspired apps at your disposal decreases the number of tools you need to keep track of, will keep you organized, on budget, and manage all your important documents with ease.

Take a peek at four apps for AV professionals. We guarantee you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how indispensable these programs really are.

4 Apps - To Keep you Productive

Trello : Nowadays, with the high number of daily emails we receive, it is nice to have a different method of information sharing with your entire team. Event Planners can create project specific boards and invite anyone who needs to keep informed, including your AV team. On-Site Consultations, load-ins, budgetary information, resources and estimates all shared in one place. See the project unfold, share files and keep in the know saving everyone time.

AV Tools : This incredible app eliminates the need for excess tools in your gear bag. The versatile program includes multiple conversion calculators, adjustable tone generators, and an easy distance calculator, to name a few.

Cube time and Expense Tracker : This app will keep you on budget no matter what. Seamlessly track expenses, manage time, track income, and create reports for it all. You can easily take pictures of receipts, customize cost and tax rates based on each project, easily search past information, and sync all of your important documents with existing cloud servers.

LiveToolKit : Allows AV techs to determine ideal equipment placement, determine specific calibrations, and determine optimal conditions in a hurry. This app allows you to determine delay times for PA systems, save speaker and amp settings for the future, and provides multiple easy calculators.

Allows you to operate your Digital console at front of house, literally! To achieve a perfect audio mix, the perfect place for your audio technician to live is right mid-stage at the back of your room. Depending on the function, this is not always possible. It is difficult for a sound technician to hear what is coming out of the speakers when they are positioned to the right or left of the stage. Now, MTAV will be often seen mixing our 32 channel digital console from an iPad, walking, inconspicuously right into the sweet spot to verify the sound.

With some or all of these incredible apps in your pocket, your next job is sure to go so smoothly you’ll wonder how you ever worked without them.

Investing in Professional Video to Reach New Heights

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 22:30:02 GMT

According to researchers , with the dawn of the age of the smartphone, the human attention span has dramatically dropped from 12 seconds, reported in 2000, to a measly 8 seconds. And, yes for you trivia buffs out there, that is one second less than a goldfish!

With only this short window to engage your audience, business owners are feeling the pressure to provide engaging and multi-faceted video presentations during events.

Video has the power to really peak a potential customer’s interest in what else you have to offer. So, our advice is to just keep swimming, swimming, swimming right to a professional videographer.

Is Professional Video Really Important?

There really is no right or wrong way to shoot video per se.

After all, producing and editing your own cell phone videos for social media accounts or websites can be an effective strategy to connect with customers consistently. It is exciting for current and potential clients to see what you and your team are up to!

But, for important events, bumping up the quality a bit with a professional video shoot can make a big splash.

Video media is the key for really getting your audience to buy into your message as it provides a clear, concise vehicle for getting your point across quickly. Remember, 8 seconds speeds by!

To make the most of your time and save yourself the stress of stumbling over a speech again- let your media do the talking and prove your business is willing to go the extra mile.

What is the Big Difference?

Professional videographers take video media to the next level by first using multiple cameras to capture interesting shots and angles. This also cuts down on shooting times because they will edit many of the same shots together in post-production to create an interesting final product.

Professionals also know exactly how important good lighting is. They will incorporate professional lighting equipment and utilize techniques you might not know how to recreate with homemade media.

But, the real kicker for hiring out professional video projects for events is the high-quality post-production process. Videographers will spend hours editing your shots together to ensure they are perfect. They can also add in exciting effects like titles, background music, voice-overs, and transitions.

Between the picture, audio, and production quality, sometimes it can be worth it to make the extra investment.

How Can my AV Team Help?

Once you have taken the time to shoot some high-quality video media, it’s time to hand it over to the professionals to make sure it is projected and heard perfectly throughout your event space.

This is where AV professionals truly shine and will work their magic for you.

From projection mapping to using the latest and greatest LED and laser based projection innovations or utilizing revolutionary screen fabrics, audio/visual professionals will take your high-end video to heights you didn’t know were possible.

Choose MTAV for All Your AV Needs

Without a doubt, the professionals at MTAV are the best choice for any of your AV needs.

They will rent, set-up, and strike all the highest-quality AV equipment with ease. They will take the time to design your event room set-up according to the type of media you have created and with the soundscape in mind.

Your audience will have the best seat in the house even if they are in the back row seated behind a loud talker.

Trust your video media to the dedicated professionals at MTAV and watch your event come to life.

Gotta Love Tutorials

karen@mtav.ca (Karen Zinn) — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 20:25:15 GMT

Gotta Love Tutorials!!!!

OUR RENTAL PROCESS:

For our D.I.Y. customers, you know who you are. We are striving to keep it simple, by providing a streamlined rental process with clearly identified products and parts. We have taken the time to package our rentals with a user-friendly mandate. We have gone one step further to assist our clients by adding packaged pricing and suggested equipment add-on’s (depending on audience size) on our website. (Link here) Note: Our Packages reflect popular AV rentals.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE:

At Multi Tech Audio Visual Inc. our tag line is “AV Made Simple”. With that being said, we are striving to take the mystery & fear out of the technical side of Audio-Visual equipment. It is a fact that an Audio-Visual and Lighting element added to any live event can increase the impact, pleasure, and effectiveness. We would like to see our equipment rentals be so straightforward that virtually anyone could have access and utilize the equipment with success. Call and reserve your rental for pick-up and it will be packed, ready and waiting for you.

I LOVE TUTORIALS!

Along with our instruction booklet and diagrams, you will be able to reference our Step-by-Step TUTORIAL videos found on our YouTube Channel. Our mission is to be helpful. Along with the general set-up instructions, we also provide you with the insight on how to get the most out of your rental. At Multi Tech Audio Visual Inc ., you can rent with confidence. You will be able to set-up your rental with ease with the help of visuals and printed resources available.

TECHNICAL TIPS N’ TRICKS VIDEOS: CLICK HERE

We at MTAV are committed to working towards educating our clients on best practices, audio techniques, and speaker tips, to name a few. If this topic helps you in your business or past-time, then please stay tuned as we continue to add to our Support Videos.

The Importance of A to your V

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 14:23:20 GMT

Audio is classically the forgotten component of audio/visual events. But, as AV professionals, it is our job to give A and V the individual attention they deserve.

Let’s ponder a scenario. A friend invites you to a concert and uses this plug to convince you to go: “Hey lets go to this amazing concert, last time I saw them I could barely hear the band! It’s going to be awesome”! What are the chances you want to go to that concert?

Let’s assume we would all turn that offer down. Why would you want to go to an event and struggle to hear? The same thing goes for any other audio/visual event.

When you think about audio in this way it becomes painfully clear just how important it is to the overall success of an AV project. But, to the detriment of most, it is too often a last-second afterthought with video getting all the quality time.

This backburner mentality is the equivalent of playing AV Russian roulette with your audience on the losing end of the shot.

Why do we Short-Change Audio?

So, if audio is so important, why isn’t it given much focus?

From a planning standpoint, audio can seems less labour intensive than video. It just seems low-key. Simply slap up some speakers and a microphone and you’re good to go! We don’t recognize how much more there actually is to audio set-up and testing.

Project managers get preoccupied with the giant screens and projectors forgetting the nuance of audio and all the effort it takes to make audio a formidable asset to the project. Too often, people settle for audio that simply works, not audio that sounds amazing.

It’s also important to remember that everyone has preferences. Sometimes professionals just get more excited about dealing with video and don’t enjoy audio as much. There’s no shame in that, but we are AUDIO/visual professionals and we shouldn’t let preference interfere with the quality of our work.

Invest in True AV Projects

While it is undeniable that we humans are primarily visual creatures (making video important) it cannot be denied that we also gain a lot of information and enjoyment from what we hear (making audio important too).

Audio is what pushes project narratives forward, engages the audience, and adds detail to the visual aspects. Instead of presenting events with some audio, it’s time consumers’ demand and professionals provide true AV experiences.

In most cases, a project can continue without video, but not the other way around.

What is Good Audio?

Now that we understand the importance of audio it’s time to recognize what that really means. Good audio should be balanced, suit the room acoustics, and be heard clearly from any place in the room.

This means extra time for the rental specialists to determine the type of acoustics you have. From there they can design the set-up accordingly.

Another consideration for high quality audio is determined by audience size and placement. Speakers and microphones will be placed strategically so everyone can hear and minimize the chance of ear splitting feedback.

In the end, to ensure the best audio possible it is advisable to save a chunk of your budget to hire highly experienced and dedicated professionals who know the real ins and outs of audio/visual set-up.

MTAV Are the AV Wizards

With years of experience and a passion for well-rounded AV events, MTAV will ensure every aspect of your project is professionally set-up and tested to ensure your audience will have an unforgettable experience.

No matter the size of the room, acoustics, or audience size, MTAV has the best equipment for the job. They will rent, set-up and strike their high-end gear, designing their set-up to suit your space.

MTAV’s incredible professional services don’t stop with equipment rentals. They also offer on-site technical support and consultation services. So if there ever is a problem, they can fix it immediately. They know their equipment like the back of their hand and will undoubtedly make your event better for it.

Invest in true AV events with MTAV, you won’t regret it.

From musicians to board room tables – really????

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 13:26:53 GMT

For Musicians : MTAV loves the versatility of the Behringer B205D lightweight personal monitor. Tired of lugging around your heavy stage monitor or using the inner-ear piece? Now available, a personal monitor with zero stage footprint. Just attach to your mic stand. Whether you are practicing or playing live, this monitor is perfect for a solo or duo musicians.

But it doesn’t stop there. The B205B monitor can also be used as an instrument monitor for any band member. YAH! You have personal EQ adjustments, 2x ¼ mic inputs or 2 x XLR inputs and volume control right at your fingertips. No more calling out to the technician or a band member behind the board because can’t hear yourself play.

For Business : The ultra-compact monitor acts as a perfect 150 watt speaker plugged into any laptop for a small video presentation. The time and effort you put into your Powerpoint or other presentations should be heard by all. A quick rental will ensure even coverage within the room.

If I didn’t convince you, here is a review from SWEETWATER (Music Instruments and Pro Audio).

ROCK BAND MONITOR,,, YES and YES !!!!!

I almost did not buy this B205D because almost all the reviews I read and everywhere else ONLY talk about using this small monitor in coffee shops or small acoustic duo's, I found like almost NO reviews of it being used in a full on rock band,,, so here's a rare "rock band use" review of this monitor.

I'm in a pro, steady working rock band in Vegas and we do play loud, not ear bleeding loud on stage but we're at around 100db in FOH at most of our gigs, we also have sound and light persons provided at almost all our gigs, and at our weekly casino club house gig.

I'm putting the whole entire band thru my B205D including my bass guitar !!!!!

All the vocals, 2 guitars, drums and my bass guitar are ALL in this little monitor, mounted on its own mic stand right in front of me beside my vocal mic stand.

How to run this monitor, put as much electric guitars and vocals as you want and as loud as you want, back the bass and drums off a bit and don't run them really hot and you will be fine and you will still hear everything perfectly and in your face loud.

As mentioned I'm the bass player and I am running my bass thru this monitor, I back off the low EQ to around 10 or 11 o'clock and leave the mid and high EQ set flat at 12 o'clock, doing that helps keep my low B string from causing the Behringer from farting out, pumping my low B string will make the monitor fart out once in a while if I'm playing real loud and hard but it's really not that noticeable.

On stage I'm running a new Fender Rumble 500 bass 2x10 combo amp (highly recommended) and that does the heavy lifting on stage so I'm not using the B205D for any thump, I'm using it only to hear myself really well and to hear the rest of everything my band is doing.

My band is playing stuff like STP, Nirvana, Sublime and Zepplin just to give you an idea of what I'm pushing thru this monitor and we are by no means quite on stage.

Reason I got this monitor, I'm not a big fan of using my in-ears and I wanted something smaller than a giant floor wedge taking up a big footprint on the stage (at our weekly house gig the stage is not huge, only about 25 to 30 feet wide and 15 to 20 feet deep) were a 4 piece band.

Anyhow, I would 100% recommend the Behringer B205D for a loud rock band stage monitor,,, this thing totally blew me away on how clean and loud it is.

Cheers, Davyo

What your AV Tech wants you to know

Mon, 18 Jul 2016 13:26:53 GMT

Can you hear me in the back? What your AV Tech wants you to know:

For anybody that has attended a conference, or meeting, you've likely noticed the guy or girl in black, sitting behind a table covered in equipment. This person is an Audio Visual technician or AV tech for short. Their main function is to make sure the technical side of the event runs smoothly. The AV Tech(s) controls the sound, lighting and video. If you are an event presenter, you want to introduce yourself to this individual.

Here are 5 things you can do as a presenter to ensure your presentation goes smoothly.

1. Show up early and assume nothing

Show up with content (PowerPoint, videos) early to be able to check through it. Don't rely on the fact that you emailed your PowerPoint to the organizers two weeks prior. Too often, things get lost and don't make it to the AV Tech. When you show up early, you can go through your presentation with the AV Tech. If you run into issues, you can fix them ahead of time. No AV tech wants to go to screen with a presentation that they haven't seen yet. This time also allows you to familiarize yourself with all the technology available including the device that cues the slides so you're not on stage fumbling.

Knowledge is power.

2. Come prepared

Although most of us have 16:9 televisions you will still find many conferences using either 16:9 or 4:3 screens. This means that if your presentation isn't in the same format as the screens, you will not be able to go full screen. To avoid this, arrive with your presentation in both 4:3 and 16:9 formats. If your presentation contains videos and special fonts make sure you have copies of those as well. If you plan on presenting from your own laptop, test it and bring the power cable. The AV Tech will think you're a rock star.

3. Dress for Success

Knowing that you're going to be wearing a microphone, dress accordingly. This goes out to the ladies especially. Your outfit should allow for a LAV microphone to be attached to your clothing located centrally on your chest under your chin. Also, the mic's transmitter pack needs to be attached. A one piece dress falls under the "LAV unfriendly" category. Avoid checkered patterns or pin stripes on clothing. These cause video interference and look bad on video. Solid colours work best.

You're presenting too loudly: said no AV Tech ever

Too many presenters get up on stage and proceed to "low talk" for their entire presentation. A presentation is not a private conversation. When you "low talk" you make it very difficult for the AV Tech to get your voice loud enough to be heard properly by the audience. What you have to say is important, or you wouldn't have been invited to speak so make sure you talk with authority. It's never difficult for your AV Tech to turn your microphone down if you're loud. Never ask "can you hear me in the back?". There are people who's job it is to ensure they can. You asking the audience, says that you don't trust your technical team, which ultimately reflects poorly on the person or group that invited you to speak.

Vanz Zinn is the owner of Multi Tech Audio Visual and has been working in the corporate audio visual industry for over 25 years. Visit his website at mtav.ca for more great tips.

Audio Tech Tips

Utilizing a Stage Manager in a live event offers numerous benefits

13 Benefits of booking a Stage Manager as part of your AV Technical Team for your Next Live Event!

Stage Management is not just for Theatre!

Utilizing a stage manager in a live event offers numerous benefits, ensuring the event runs smoothly and successfully. Here are some of the key advantages:

In summary, a stage manager is an essential part of any live event, helping to ensure that everything runs smoothly, from planning and preparation to execution and crisis management. Their expertise and coordination skills are invaluable in creating a successful and memorable event.

VIRTUAL GALAS & FUNDRAISERS - SERIES #4 - Benefits of Hosting a Virtual Gala

Highlighting the Benefits and Potential to Reach your Fundraising Goals with an Audience-Free Event.

Below is a List of Benefits MTAV has put together for you:

Take your control back - Don't Cancel your Event

Contact MTAV.ca today! It's never too late to get started.

VIRTUAL GALAS & FUNDRAISERS - SERIES #3 - A Sample Schedule and Outline

Navigating through the new normal in the Event Industry.

Below is MTAV's suggested outline:

It is never too early to start.....

Experience the Peace of Mind of Technical Services

www.MTAV.ca

VIRTUAL GALAS & FUNDRAISERS - SERIES #2 - Event Ideas & Recommendations

Navigating through the new normal in the Event Industry.

Below are some of MTAV's Virtual Event Planning RECOMMENDATIONS:

Fundraising drastically impacted by COVID-19 - Large group gathering restrictions:

Below are some of MTAV's Virtual Event Planning IDEAS:

Contact MTAV today! It's never too late to get started.

www.MTAV.ca

VIRTUAL GALAS & FUNDRAISERS - SERIES #1 Production Technical Tips

Looking to Attract Serious Donors and Sponsors - Hire an AV Company to provide a High-Quality Audio and Visual Broadcast Experience.

Pictured: Our team producing a Virtual Live Stream Fundraiser scheduled for May 28th, 2020

MTAV's Virtual Gala Tips:

Production Options:

Fundraising must go on:

Contact us today at MTAV.ca

Highlighting Local Musicians Blog - John Anderson

A Local Country Star in the Making

Local Singer/Songwriter - Megan Anne Baillie announces the release of her new EP called Phoenix

Song Writing Tips - Part #2

Audio Visual for Meeting and Event Planners Series: How to Prepare your Laptop

Non-Profit Blog Series # 4

Jully Black Concert helps the Barrie Women and Children's Shelter

Non-Profit Blog Series # 3

Learn how Simcoe Rising Stars #Dream Big Contest is helping our Community

Non-Profit Blog Series #2

Learn more about the man and mission behind Five Points Media.

Planning your Corporate Party......Yes, we can provide Dinner Music

Need Music? Think MTAV....... we have you covered.

Non-Profit Blog Series # 1 - Lupus Ontario

A Blog Series Highlighting local Non-Profits in our Region

Paramedic Nat's 2nd Annual Mental Health Evening

A community comes together to help change the stigma of Mental Health

Audio Visual for Meeting and Event Planners Series: Video Switchers

How can a Video Switcher save the day?

Do I need to hire a Wedding Planner?

Two common questions Event Planners are often asked.

How to Record a Singer

Industry tips from a local Music Producer/Engineer - Pete Swann

Planning a Panel Discussion?

What your AV Technician wants you to know.

Pete Swann explains his "Demo to Single" process.

When your client is looking for some visual "eye candy".

Being creative by supplying visual layering effects along with our Audio Production.

A Little History on how Music has impacted the Shure SM58

Learn from Shure themselves why the SM58 is the standard and one of the most recognized microphones by Musicians. MTAV's microphone of choice.

MTAV now offers Disc Jockey Services

Tell us about your Event, we will suggest the right Services so your audience will have the most memorable time.

Song Writing Tips

Megan Anne Baillie shares her writing process.

5 Establishments hosting Live Music this Long Weekend

Say Farewell to Summer with a little Live Music this Long Weekend!

4 Useful Apps having an Impact on your AV Team

Technology helps with Productivity

Investing in Professional Video to Reach New Heights

Gotta Love Tutorials

Gotta Love Tutorials!!!!

The Importance of A to your V

From musicians to board room tables – really????

What your AV Tech wants you to know

Below is a List of Benefits MTAV has

put together for you:

Navigating through the new normal in
the Event Industry.

Navigating through the new normal in
the Event Industry.