For anyone working in the video or graphics industry the question of absolute color is essential. I’m sure we’ve all seen something on one display that looked great, but when shown on another looked terrible, or not at all like the original creation. The same thing happens in video production. In live production it isn’t uncommon to look at the projection screens and realize that the image doesn’t match the reality of the scene on stage. For anyone wondering if there isn’t any sort of standardization to the question of color, there is. The television broadcast industry and motion picture industry tackled these questions decades ago. Unfortunately in the quest for a manufacturer to capture your eye while shopping for a new television or projector, for many displays the standards are completely ignored.

Let’s start with what the broadcast standard actually is. When the color television system was standardized in the United States, the color of white was chosen to be 6500 Kelvin on the 1931 CIE chart. For those of you who have no idea what that chart is, give it a quick Google search and you’ll get a pretty picture of grids and colors. Peruse the Wikipedia explanations and you’ll learn some fun terms like “black body curve” and such. The quick and dirty explanation is that if an “ideal metal” is heated to a specific temperature measured in Kelvin, there is a specific color of light given off that can be used as a standard. Since there are a range of colors that humans perceive as white, other temperatures can be used as standards. In Japan and also in many computer monitors 9300 Kelvin is the standard for white. This is much closer to the color blue than 6500K so if two monitors were side by side at these color temperatures, they’d look very different even if displaying the same image. In the motion picture industry, 5600 Kelvin is the standard which is slightly redder or warmer looking than 6500K. The point is not necessarily that there are different definitions of white, but that the proper standard should be selected for your application, and that all displays throughout the entire production chain are calibrated the same so that what you see on one is the same as all the others.

Here is a quick review on color and the perception of color. Remember in elementary school how we learned that colors can be mixed together to create other colors? When Red, Green, and Blue mix together for any known display technology, they will produce the color white. This is called an additive color system. In order to produce a specific color temperature, the relative amounts of red, green, and blue are changed in order to move the result along the continuum between the reddish side of white and the bluish side of white.

Let’s look at a practical example of where calibration would be beneficial. Consider a camera production scenario. There is a video assist monitor on the camera, shot monitor in the control room, preview and program monitors, shading monitor, capture and editing monitors, and let’s say some projectors in a live room for IMAG (Image Magnification). Which of these monitors do you think is telling the truth of what the image looks like and what if the final product on the projectors doesn’t look like what you see on stage in the room? That’s a difficult decision and one you should never have to make. With proper calibration, all monitors from the video assist monitor to the projector could be adjusted to the video standard of 6500K within the physical limitations of the equipment.

Except for people with super magical perfect vision, the only way to do this calibration is with a test generator and a colorimeter. There are many different kinds of colorimeters ranging from the $200 version that sticks to a computer monitor all the way up to $20,000+ models used in manufacturing and production. A colorimeter measures the color temperature of light and gives a coordinate readout on either an integrated display or via software on a computer. Remember the 1931 CIE chart I recommended looking at? You’ll notice there are grid lines and X, Y axis. The color temperature 6500K relates to a coordinate of .313X, .329Y. Using the colorimeter the temperature of white can be measured and the display adjusted for proper temperature.

At CTS Audio I use what is called a non-contact colorimeter. This means I don’t have to physically attach it to the screen in order to measure the color temperature. There is a huge advantage to that type of colorimeter especially when working on projection systems. Imagine the difficulties in getting a sensor all the way up to the screen in a large venue with a bunch of cable trailing out of it! The test generator I use can generate a number of useful patterns and output just about any video format from composite analog video all the way to HD-SDI. In future blogs I’ll outline the steps for calibrating a display, different types of transmission systems for getting your video signal from point A to point B, considerations for display resolutions, and other topics related to video. For now it is good to lay the groundwork for what we’re trying to achieve. There really is no personal taste involved in calibration. It is based on the standard most applicable to the application. Making the displays behave themselves and adhere to that standard will then take skill, knowledge, and specialized equipment. In the world of cables and distribution, the adage holds “What goes in one end better come out the other just the same”. In the world of displays it should be “What you see on one should be seen on all”.

There is a lot of chatter about the “White Spaces” decision by the FCC and the 700 MHz issue with pro audio wireless systems. These are seperate issues and need to be explained in simple terms.  Whether you are a beginner audio engineer, a volunteer at your church, or an over the top informed pro…these two issues will affect everyone who uses wireless audio devices.

First-700 MHz range sale….Essentially the FCC decided to limit the range of space that wireless microphones and in ear monitors might use. The space in the 700 MHz range was sold off to the highest bidder and was purchased by Disney, and some other cell phone providers to use for their own operation. Many churches use wireless microphones and in ear monitor systems in this band.  As of February 17th, 2009 these devices will become illegal to operate…that’s right-illegal. 

The companies that purchased the band width did not spend all of that money to allow you to continue to operate wireless devices in their owned band width–or should I say-in their owned property range.  It is not known yet exactly how the FCC will monitor the use of devices in an area but soon there will be a method either by the FCC or by a third party to enforce compliance.

What can you do? 

1) Read up on this subject to be well educated

2) call Glenn @ CTS Audio 877-977-4377 x15 to help walk you through what your options are with different manufacturers.  We will be your intermediary to make sure you have every advantage in moving into compliance and getting the best deal possible.

3) trade in your wireless system for a new system that will be in the legal range of operation. 

4) we will help fill out all of the paperwork to get a trade in rebate from a manufacturer for you

5) register your wireless mic systems for your church or theater (venue) with the FCC. (Yes, this is vital to keep your stations open for your use.  It is a little known law, but it is a law and still on the books that all wireless be registered with the FCC, yet almost no churches are in compliance with this law.  The advantage to living in compliance with this law is that the FCC will keep traveling shows, additional churches built in your area, or other venues from using the frequencies that you register.

What is the new range of that wireless products can use?

They can now operate between 470 MHz and 698 MHz.  This does cause a dilemma as there are many manufacturer models which have operated beyond this range.  What will now happen to all of those products from Shure and wireless competitors?

In rides Shure to the rescue to offer a generous solution. Right now Shure is offering rebates up to $1000 for the trade-in of Shure 700 MHz frequency band wireless systems purchased prior to Feb. 1, 2007 AND for any other manufacturers’ qualifying systems operating in that 700 MHz frequency band as well.  There is a short rebate form to fill out as linked here www.shure.com/rebate

Depending on the level of your wireless system will dictate the rebate value.  There is even the flexibility of trading in competitor’s in ear monitoring product for wireless product.  That is a plum for Shure to offer as no other manufacturer’s have stepped to the plate to address this looming issue.  We support many brands in the wireless realm of products, but Shure, Inc. stands heads above them all right now.

If you are confused how to trade in please do not hesitate to call me to help facilitate you getting usable wireless in your hands before it is too late. Please contact me toll free @ 877-977-4377.

The second issue is the dreaded “white spaces” issue that is up for a vote in congress as I write this.  All television signals will be moving to digital transmission as of February 17, 2009.  What changes does this create for you?  In the past the MHz graph of what a television station signal looked like was a simple spike, fairly narrow and all other wireless devices could be used between those spikes.  With digital television signals, the pattern looks like a large rectangle and much wider as far as the band width than the traditional spike was.  This leaves less band width between stations to operate wireless microphones.  Now add in wireless phones and portable devices that will also be wanting to use these same narrow spaces.  This is brewing trouble because these wireless phones with GPS operate at 100 milliwatts or more as the strength of their signal is measured.  Consider that Shure wireless operates at approximately 50 milliwatts output and Sennheiser 10 milliwatts of output.  Yes, simple consumer phones will squash your wireless signals.  This is what all of the fear in our industry is about.

CTS Audio is pleased to be partnering with Point of Grace and Compassion International for the 5th year in a row to bring audiences an escape from the normal ‘run of the mill’ Christmas shows.  I had the pleasure of going out on the opening weekend and working as the audio crew chief and must warn you, singing Christmas songs is contagious.  The “Girls” from Point of Grace once again deliver stellar performances with 2 decisively different halves of a show.  The first part is filled with all of the Christmas classics, while the second half incorporates local church choirs.  What takes place is a sweet and beautiful time of worship directed at sharing the ture meaning of Christmas. 

The Winter Wonderland Christmas Tour is being sponsored by Compassion International, an organization that works to bring schooling, food and housing to children in poverty stricken countries.  I’m pleased to say that through the first weekend of  shows, Compassion was able to sponsor 97 children.

If you have the chance, I highly recommend attending one of the shows if it is in your area.  It’s certainly a night full of Christmas joy!  Here’s link to see if the Winter Wonderland Tour is coming to you area: http://www.pointofgrace.net/tour116.htm

Merry Christmas!

Church audio installations and real worship bands need powerful wireless tools that can be set up quickly and used confidently.  What is the top wireless microphone for Christmas Productions? We rated our selections based on factors such as available features, affordability, and sonic clarity. 

Our winner is the Shure SLX series.  The system offers over 950 frequency selections and is rated for 16-20 systems in the same area.  We tested all of the top ten systems for signal strength without additional antennas and the Shure output strength rated tops.  The real cost of the wireless systems has to factor in all of the parts needed to make it work in your church environment.  I love Sennheiser and AT wireless and sell those brands as well, but the signal strength as we measured it just didn’t provide the same results as the Shure model.

Then we get to the main reason above all others that the Shure SLX series wins is sonic clarity.  You can buy less expensive wireless, but dollar for dollar this series is great because of the companding circuitry.  The long explanation is here at this Shure technical link http://www.shure.com/ProAudio/Products/us_pro_product_wireless_ARC

The short of it is that all manufacturers compress the sound prior to transmission of the wireless signal and then re-expand the signal after reception.  Instead of companding across the entire dynamic range like most wireless systems (causing a whooshing audio artifact known as “breathing”), companding only occurs at high audio levels. These levels are high enough to make the companding artifacts inaudible. The results can be heard by the untrained ear as a microphone that sounds more like a regular wired microphone.

Don’t just take my word for it…Buy one for your Christmas program at a special Christmas price or rent one and if you agree with our results and wish to purchase within a week of that rental, we’ll discount the rental from the sales price.

I received a call this week from BJ Crowe of the First United Methodist Church in Little Rock, AR.  “Glenn, I have a few cables that have been beaten up from our volunteer staff.  Can you take care of them for us?”  This is a common occurrence for anyone directing a volunteer staff which is why CTS Audio offers a lifetime warranty  on our cables.  This means the cables you purchase from us are covered for life. 

In today’s market you can buy cables from anyone and many customers choose to save on the interconnect.  Why not?  There are many Chinese brand products that are readily available and I can get the overall price cheaper. 

I like to quote Phil Mogami of Mogami Cable “You are only as good as your weakest link.”  Usually when we hear this we think of the great rack effects gear or the console with the inumerable functions.  Very rarely would our thoughts go to the interconnect cabling of the system. When you decide that cabling is not important you reduce the effectiveness of all other links in the system chain.

In today’s tough economic times buying cables with a lifetime warranty saves you over the life of the system.  Next time you are shopping for cables and interconnect give CTS Audio a call to see how we can help you. Please keep in mind when you buy from us, thankfully I get to tell you just like I told BJ when he called “I’ve got you covered.”

I received a call this past week from a customer I recognized well.  Carrie Phillips of Effective UI in Denver, CO. was on the phone to buy another dozen headphones from us. A lot of people may not know about this company (the UI stands for User Interface) but tens of thousands are familiar with its work.

 Effective UI’s computer developers and designers work out of rugged-but-hip former warehouse space a block from Coors Field that lacks any indication of what’s inside. Its name doesn’t appear on internet sites the company has enhanced. There are currently 58 web site developers and enhancers on staff.  These creative young minds need to be able to work out planning and designs in their mind.  How do they get the peace and quiet they need in a noisy large building where renovations are continually taking place to prepare more space for their company and other tennants?

Enter Audio Technica’s ATH-ANC7 noise cancelling headphones.  Effective UI is providing these headphones at no charge to give the web staff the peace to get the creative juices flowing.  Jack hammers may be going on the floor above them and renovation teams are preparing more space for the future but they are marching to their own tunes.  “This used to be a real problem and we tried many solutions” says Carrie.  “I researched and tried many products, none were really noise cancelling except the ATH-ANC7.”  Today the staff is on track developing user interfaces creatively while listening to their own genre of inspirational music.

This fall, CTS Audio sponsored a team in the Williamson County, Adult Softball Recreational League.  Led by player/coach Mike Taylor, the team went 8-4 in regular season.  Referred to as the “best-dressed” team in the league, the roster consisted of several CTS Audio staffers including, Glenn “smash em” Taylor, Forrest “still running” Colegrove, Jason “pile driver” Polk, ”Big Carl” Bowker, LD McMullin, Phil “the kill” Bledsoe, and “Superman” Christy.  The team rallied together and won 3 straight games on a blistering cold Tuesday night (below 35 degrees) to claim the title. 

 Team Sponsor Carl Taylor said that he was really impressed all season with how encouraging and supportive the team was of their teammates. “These guys really came together as a team to enjoy themselves and offer sportsmanship to one another.  I’m proud to be associated with such a great group of gentlemen.”

CTS Audio hosted a training day for the staff at Harpeth Heights Baptist Church, Bellevue, TN. The hands-on training session was led by our very own CTS Certified Audio Engineer, Jon Schwarz.  At CTS, our goal is to foster a learning environment where our clients feel comfortable asking any question and getting their hands dirty working with the same audio equipment they use in service on Sunday mornings. One of the things that Jon focuses on is helping the church audio engineers and the worship team understand the dynamics of working together to maximize the impact of worship. 

The 8-hour training session was centered around a Yamaha LS9-32 Digital Console. John Pope and the rest of the Harpeth Heights team walked out different audio production scenarios to understand how to best handle the various events and worship line-ups featured at Harpeth Heights.  The guys walked away with a better grip on what their own Yamaha LS9-32 Console can do to really enhance their worship as well as the best way to integrate it within the worship mix.