The Jeff Show: Thanks for Not Flying

December has rolled around, and you probably want another travel tip. This month is easy. Under no circumstances do you want to get on an airplane towards the end of December. These weeks are for amateurs, folks. Unlike Thanksgiving, everyone is flying with about 4 boxes that are the size of a small bus. And God forbid there's a snow storm. Good times.

Actually, I really want to take a minute to say thanks to a few people.

I’d like to thank all our clients who send us through all those far flung cities to work for them. We appreciate your faith and trust in us, and without you we would be homeless. 

A special thanks to my wife, Nancy, who keeps me straight...that's not an easy job.

And another special thanks to Margaret who really runs the company and keeps us all in line at the office...that's also not an easy job. 

I also appreciate all our Project Managers and Technicians who work for us. Without all of them I would not be as grey or as old. Just kidding, they all do a great job keeping our clients happy.

So from me, my wife Nancy, my son Greg, and our puppy Hailey, we wish you a joyful holiday filled with love and peace...

...well maybe not Hailey, she is pretty busy trying to pull down the Christmas tree; but she should have it done by Christmas.
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Company owner Jeff Warner has been involved in the industry of as long as he can remember as his dad, Harry, started WAV. He joined the company full-time in 1979, and travels the world to help big clients like Bankers Life and Casualty, McDonald's and Microsoft plan AV displays for meetings and events. Please e-mail Jeff you own travel tips to jwarner@warnerav.com, and your tip might be featured in our blog.

It's Magic! Remote Control of Consoles and Networking Applications

How would you like to roam around your event space and stand or sit anywhere you’d like and still be able to control the audio output? Does that sound like magic? Well, it’s not really; it’s just the application of wireless networking applications with digital audio consoles.

Today, we take remote control of consoles and speaker management devices for granted.

Twenty years ago, this wasn't available, and it certainly would have seemed like magic to any sound engineer. With our recent expansion of digital consoles from Soundcraft (both the Si and Vi series) it’s now possible to control the console via a wireless router and Apple device.

Available from Apple’s App Store, a virtual Soundcraft application will let you control input and output fader levels, turn input and outputs on and off, control groups and VCA’s and control EQ’s.

Although it’s possible that more features will be added in future releases, there are still plenty of control surface features that aren't reachable with the Soundcraft app. However, having the ability to move from behind the console and hear how the sound is projecting is a vast improvement.

Since this works with both Si compact and Vi series consoles even smaller shows can take advantage of this technology during system set up and live shows. Fold back which allows a single engineer to control levels from the stage lets you hear exactly what your performer is hearing.

The application also allows distribution of voice and audio to remote rooms. Imagine being able to go outside of the main room to the foyer or lobby and adjust the music and announcements with your own ears instead of relying on someone else’s judgment. Like many modern tools, these applications would have seemed magical to sound engineers 15 or even 20 years ago. Today, it’s just one more tool to help you make your event the best event your guests have ever attended in today’s modern age.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Craig Vlasic | Technical Director/Audio

Joining WAV in 1982, Craig was the first full-time employee. In 30+ years, Craig has engineered over 700 meetings with audiences ranging from 20 to 35,000 people. While current in the latest audio techniques and theories, he brings knowledge in fundamental audio logic to every production from corporate talking heads to rock-n-roll bands.

Celebrating 100th Anniversaries with BIG Events

Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash

As 2012 comes to an end, we took a minute to reflect on all the amazing events that happened around the world.

Many companies and brands celebrated their 100th anniversary this year, and BizBash covered the top six centennial celebrations this year. While we weren't didn't provide AV services for any of them, we thought they were pretty great.

The most creative is L.L. Bean's event. At the beginning of the year, the company debuted out a 13 foot sized version of it's acclaimed "duck boot" in Maine. Throughout 2012, the boot toured in other major U.S cities. What a sight!

View other cool events, openings and the best event ideas of 2012 on BizBash.

The Jeff Show: Scary Travels

Since it's the spookiest month of the year, Nicole, the glue that holds this newsletter together, suggested that we have a Halloween theme. “Do you have any scary travel tips?” she asked.  

Let’s see, getting into Dallas 20 minutes late on gate A4 to find out that the connecting flight is on time and departing from C28 is pretty scary. Or, how about any story that involves Miami International airport? Because we all have heart pounding travel tales that involve MIA.

When I seriously think about it, New Orleans comes to mind. Visiting "the Big Easy" is a haunting experience you can't find anywhere else in this country. Not only for the famous drinking in the French Quarter (although, that can be a mind altering experience), but for the city itself.  Walking through and around New Orleans is always a little scary to me. Sometimes it’s the people walking past me, but most times it’s catching an otherworldly glimpse out of the corner of my eye in one of courtyards that happen to be centuries old. Or, seeing one of those little dark shops off of Bourbon Street. To me, being able to purchase voodoo supplies for yourself or a loved one raises the little hair my neck. The look of the trees along the streets in the Garden district, seems a little ghostly. 

But for a real trip, take a day tour of the bayou. Something is sure to scare you out there.

But, New Orleans is really about the food.  Next time you visit there are two must-try places. The first is getting a muffuletta at CentralGrocery. It's located right on a sea wall of the Mississippi.  The wait to get the sandwich is forever, and there is no good place to eat it.  But it is the best, and try their root beer.

Right near the Westin, a popular ballroom in town called Mr. B’s Bistro. The barbeque shrimp for lunch is the real deal...and get extra bread.  Trust me.

Next month I hear that we are doing Thanksgiving recipes.  Yummy. I can’t wait.

The AV Gig from H$LL

Since Halloween is this week, we have ghouls, ghosts and goblins on our minds. We let Jeff handle that one. This week, we all reflected on gigs and events that could made out as a meeting planner's nightmare - the power went out, a piece of equipment broke or a wire went bad. But my experience from May 2010 is literally from a meeting planner's version of Halloween 13.

My day started late at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN. Our equipment was delayed due to inclement weather; and when it finally arrived, I was able to mount the two projectors, six lights and dimmers, three 40” LCD monitors, and one 32” monitor in record time. 

Shortly after lunch, I was about to hang the last monitor when a man on a cart drove by me, and rudely said I had to stop setting up gear and evacuate. I thought he was crazy, and proceeded to hang the monitor. Several minutes later, the same gentleman plus two more men drove by me, and told me and my crew to evacuate the building. Wishing we could finish up the job, we grudgingly left the hotel.

For hours, we stood in the rain outside on the Opryland steps waiting for permission from show management to re-enter the building and get back to work. It was fruitless, and we decided to call it a day.  My colleague and I decided grab dinner across the street and find out what was going on in the hotel. When we stepped out to leave, we saw this car parked next to the building.

At that point, we knew we were in trouble; and luckily, I was staying at the Country Inn and Suites on top of the hill opposite of the Opryland Hotel. We decided to wait out the storm at my hotel, and get to work the next morning to finish last minute preparations on the booth.

I awoke the next morning to one of the largest floods to take Nashville, TN.  I headed back to the Opryland Hotel to assess the damage, and found that it was only accessible by row boat.

Scrambling to leave Nashville I stood at the main entrance of the hotel and frantically made phone calls. Of course, I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw a staple “Elvis” from the wax museum floating by me.

I arrived home safely, but never saw the gear again. It probably floated away with “Elvis” to a better place.  Here are some more photos from employees at the Opryland Hotel:

Entrance to the Exhibit Hall where the booth was setup.

A lonely road case floating under the famous atrium.

 From the ballroom looking down to the convention center.

So next time your event isn't going as you planned, just think back to my own AV Halloween 13 experience. Happy Halloween!

By Cory Wetzell, Project Manager

Event Advice: Managing Live Social Media

Photo: Courtesy of Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee

Less than a decade ago, social media barely existed. Today, this communication revolution is hot, word of mouth travels quickly. It's important to welcome, manage and engage your event attendees. Not only will social media enable you to receive instant feedback, it also generates awareness for your event.

Rishi Dave the Executive Director of Online Marketing for Dell explains how other businesses are using social media to engage attendees in Social Media at Live Events: Who's Managing Real-Time Interaction for Target, Dell, and Other Brands, in BizBash magazine:

• It's really important to have at least one social media expert present at the event to capture the activities, energy and what people are saying.

• At last year's inaugural Dell World conference, Dave included a Twitter stream and Tumblr feed, but also created an app that encouraged live questions and win rewards 

• Big brands that have sub-brands (i.e. Target Baby or Target Style) need to have a separate community manager and should be attending events such as promotions and product launches to communication with customers and key influencers.

• If you do not have a budget to hire an in-house social media team, look into companies like MKG that send out an external team to help drive engagement among attendees at your next event.

We can always work with you to make sure you are driving social engagement by setting up AV displays that include your Twitter feed and other social activities at your next event.

The Jeff Show: A Unique Haunt in Denver

The Buckhorrn Exchange: main dining room

Everyone always assumes I get to go to all the glamorous parts of the world for gigs. To put it all in the proper perspective for you, I am writing this month’s installment at a Holiday Inn Express in Grand Island, NE. The weather is beautiful here; the sun is shining, the birds are singing and it hasn't rained in about 200 days. But it's still the Holiday Inn Express in Grand Island, NE.

Since I'm this far west, I recall a unique but tasty restaurant in Denver that is off the beaten path. I haven't eaten there for about four years. Since the joint has been open since the late 1800’s, odds are it is still worth the trip if you find yourself in Denver.

The Buckhorn Exchange sits in Denver's oldest neighborhood. It’s not much to look at from the outside, but you'll find a one-of-a-kind restaurant. This haunt has the oldest liquor license in Denver, and it's the place to go for a different dinner...like wild game meat. You know, rattle snake, elk, bison, that kind of stuff. Their menu is the most interesting I have ever seen. For the less adventurous, I hear they also have a really great steak. Although, I have never tried it.

The only thing that is a little creepy is the stuffed heads of the animals hanging on the walls. You can see from the picture I've included for this post...the décor fits, trust me.

Now, Denver has a lot of really great places to eat. The 16th Street Mall is crawling with them. But, you will never experience a place like the Buckhorn Exchange anywhere else. So give it try.

Well now, it’s time for me to figure out where we are all going for dinner tonight in Grand Island, NE. We tried the Texas Road House last night. Great wine list -- I’m kidding.

Wow, they have an Olive Garden and a Red Lobster here. We're in luck.

Until next month...

Your Back-to-Meeting Season Checklist

Once the kids are back to school, meeting and convention season is right around the corner. We hope you had a wonderful and relaxing summer, but we were busy improving our AV inventory for you. We also created our back-to-meeting season supply list of new equipment we added this summer.

☐ Audio

Warner introduced three new digital consoles to our inventory. The Soundcraft Vi1, Soundcraft SI Compact 32, and the Soundcraft SI Compact 24. These consoles give flexibility on mixing large venue arenas to breakout room meetings in digital format. Digital consoles are self-contained with all of the processing built into the unit-- meaning there is less clutter at the front of house where meeting attendees are paying attention to your client's presentation.

☐ Video

This meeting season, take your presentation to the next level with a complete HD video package. Our newest inventory in the video department is the Eiki LC-HDT2000. The HDT2000 projector is a 15,000 ANSI lumens with full HD 1080p 2K Resolution. The Eiki has internal edge blending and image warping which means no screen is too big for us anymore.

☐ Lighting

We have not forgotten about lighting and neither should you. We introduce to you the ColorBlast TRX 32xLED-HB/RGBAW fixtures with the standard Red, Green, Blue, color scheme and offering the addition of Amber and White to make white light…whiter! These fixtures are small and versatile to accomplish any job.

Call one of our AV specialists at 815.469.1422 to discuss your next meeting,
and remember to check off all of the boxes to receive $500 off your quote.

The Jeff Show: the Racine Zoo + Security Lines

Since I am supposed to give you monthly cool travel tips, I'm giving you a bonus - two tips this month - sort of like Christmas in July.

On your next road trip, go to the Animal Crackers Jazz Festival in Racine, WI. The concerts are every other Wednesday. And this year, they start on July 11th and run through August 22.

We have been providing sound for these concerts at the Racine Zoo for 26 years. It's a cool place to see a show. The zoo sits on a bluff with a great view of boats in Lake Michigan and a refreshing breeze. It’s complete with a lion, bear plus a bunch of other animals. You can see the show Ravinia-style (minus the traffic, hassle and 15,000 friends) with picnic food and blankets to enjoy the music.

Photo:  AP Photo Kiichiro Sato

On to the serious business of getting around airports. You're flying out of O’Hare on American and running late. There are 600 people in line ahead of you in the security line. Ever since they started the TSA pre-line, they really check the paperwork; meaning you also can’t get through the business class line anymore without a proper boarding pass.

Now what, you're stuck. Not if you go to the hidden line down by the L gate. They have a security line down there that used to be used by Delta. Now, Spirit still uses it along with Virgin America but those are like three flights a day. You will be through TSA in less than five minutes. Not to mention, the first thing past security is a Starbucks that no one uses. You also get the added bonus of getting a little exercise while getting a chance to to purchase lottery tickets while getting back to the HK feeder.

Don’t forget the zoo.
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Company owner Jeff Warner has been involved in the industry of as long as he can remember as his dad, Harry, started WAV. He joined the company full-time in 1979, and travels the world to help big clients like Bankers Life and Casualty, McDonald's and Microsoft plan AV displays for meetings and events. Please e-mail Jeff you own travel tips to jwarner@warnerav.com, and your tip might be featured in our blog.

Who Stole My Bandwidth; or Wireless Device Management

June 12, 2009 was a historic day marking when broadcasters switched from analog to digital transmission of on air programming. Previously, the frequencies (54 MHz-806 MHz) encompassing TV channels 2-69 in the VHF and UHF spectrum were no longer available to musicians, AV companies and TV/film production houses. In fact, we had to send our old wireless mics to Shure for shredding.

With the switch to digital transmission, broadcasters are required to operate between 54 and 698 MHz. This leaves the 700MHz bandwidth open for the FCC to broadcast public safety messages. It's now illegal for AV production and rental houses to use the this bandwidth range, causing a major overhaul of costly UHF wireless systems. The switch from fixed to frequency agile systems also became paramount for users because of the reshuffled D-TV transmissions.

The new UHF bandwidths designated for wireless audio systems are low-band UHF (450-698 MHz) and high-band UHF (900-1GHz). The 900 MHz bandwidth is undesirable for wireless manufacturers because it already has primary and secondary users, including STL (studio to transmitter links), and consumer products like cordless phones and home AV repeaters.

This leaves the low-band UHF (450-698 MHz) for the growing number of wireless devices. The average corporate production is comprised of many wireless microphones and instruments, IEM’s (in ear monitors) and more. This leaves an AV specialist with the daunting task of managing as many as 20+ frequencies within a narrow bandwidth, all while dodging around the local D-TV transmissions.

Luckily, computers come to the rescue! Computerized scanning software and hardware (i.e. free download, Shure Wireless Workbench) help AV specialists see what signals are present. These programs help bundle channels in non-interfering groups.

Some programs will automatically assign frequencies to open units allowing for the maximum number of devices in a given bandwidth. There are also new high-tech systems that detect outside frequency interference and warn the AV specialist; or automatically switch to a clear frequency making it undetectable to the listener. These new systems are costly, but it will ensure that your chairman or CEO's mic will not fail.

High-tech systems notwithstanding, your best solution to wireless device management is careful planning and coordination before load-in. Implementing both will ensure a flawless presentation and impress your client.

______________________________________________________________________________
Craig Vlasic | Technical Director/Audio

Joining WAV in 1982, Craig was the first full-time employee. In 30+ years, Craig has engineered over 700 meetings with audiences ranging from 20 to 35,000 people. While current in the latest audio techniques and theories, he brings knowledge in fundamental audio logic to every production from corporate talking heads to rock-n-roll bands.

Graffiti6 at Shubas

A few weeks ago, WAV helped the rock band, Graffiti6, provide the sound equipment for a webcast of the Graffiti6 concert live at Schubas in Chicago.

Project Manager, Craig Vlasic, created a web viewing experience that makes viewers feel like they were actually at the concert by taking the band's feed from the sound engineer who was mixing the band and adding two audience microphones.

D-TOUR Presents: Graffiti6 - Free by D-Tour

The Jeff Show: Re-booking a Flight Due to a Summer Storm

June is very busy at WAV with three Microsoft events and two Honeywell events; and with the beginning of summer concert season, a myriad of other small events. As I write this, everyone is on the road except me. 

This makes me think about summer storm season around the old airport. That means at some point you (and I do mean you) will get caught at a gate with your travel plans delayed by Mother Nature. You and about 180 of your closest friends (ok they are not your friends) are trying to get a seat on the next flight home.
  

Everyone lines up at the ticket counter as two gate agents try to rebook 180 people with travel plans that are next to impossible. So, you’re looking at about a two hour wait just to talk to an agent.

You won’t have to wait if you have status or are smart. If you have status, the computer will automatically rebook you and send an email. If you’re smart, you can rebook your flight in no time and get a free drink for a mere $50. That’s right, head over to the airline club, pay the $50 one day fee, go upstairs to the desk and let the agent fix it. You're in the club, they are the best at what they do, and they never want to tick off a club member.  While the other 179 of your friends all battle for the last 3 seats on the next flight, the number just went to 2 as you get your boarding pass.

Problem solved.  But wait Jeff, what if you are in Smoot Wyoming where there is not a club. Just go past security and hit the ticket counter. It helps if you can give the agent puppy eyes. And remember; never be mean to a ticket agent. Mother Nature is not their fault.

I, myself. try to restrict my summer travel to taking the family to Door County. But when we drive by O’Hare every time on the way up, I promise to think of you.
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Company owner Jeff Warner has been involved in the industry of as long as he can remember as his dad, Harry, started WAV. He joined the company full-time in 1979, and travels the world to help big clients like Bankers Life and Casualty, McDonald's and Microsoft plan AV displays for meetings and events. Please e-mail Jeff you own travel tips to jwarner@warnerav.com, and your tip might be featured in our blog.

Remembering Our Roots

Harry Warner appeared in a
Shure Brothers microphone ad, circa 1968

WAV company founder, Harry Warner, served in the Pacific theatre of World War II. Upon the conclusion of his service, he returned home and embarked upon a career in the growing field of electronics.

Landing a position on the stage crew of Chicago's Arie Crown Theater in 1962, Harry showed great interest in live sound. In those days, there was rarely an audio department, as sound equipment and techniques were often found in the electrical department along with lighting.

Harry eventually became the Head Audio Engineer and worked with big name, one-night headliners of the era from Frank Sinatra to Henry Mancini's Orchestra. He also had longer runs with stage plays that featured Carol Channing, Yul Brynner and Sammy Davis Jr.

Each production offered it's own unique challenges, especially with the primitive state of audio concepts such as equalization, feedback-reduction, mic placement and audience coverage. Eager to learn all he could about audio in all applications, Harry soaked in all the knowledge he could.

Harry lost his audio job due to a tragic fire that swept through the original McCormick Place and Arie Crown Theatre. The theater closed and did not re-open until 1971, when he would return briefly to his previous position.

Although he was still able to secure temporary positions on other Chicago stage crews in the interim, Harry made the decision that he had accumulated enough experience to open his own business in the growing field of live sound reinforcement. Although the names have changed over the years (early versions were Concert Sound, Audio Equipment Co and Warner Sound) the seeds of what would become Warner AV were planted.

EIKI LC-HDT2000 Joins WAV Inventory

We're thrilled that two EIKI LC-HDT2000 projectors have joined our vast inventory. These projectors are very bright, and project everything in HD.

This sophisticated projector includes a vast array of lenses and projects, 15,000 ANSI lumens bright with 90% uniformity and a 3000:1 contrast ratio. It's compatible with inputs up to USGA and WUXGA, and supports analog and digital video plus more.

Perfect for widescreen blends, large screens that require a high lumen projection and screens that are used for HD, be sure to ask for this versatile projector if you are having a meeting of 300-1,000 attendees.

WAV Helps Kick-off the Auditorium's Katten/Landau Studio Series

Trina Hamlin warms up at sound check.

Last night, WAV had the honor of helping to kick-off the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University's Katten/Landau's Studio Series with music phenom Trina Hamlin.

Project Manager, Cory Wetzell, used the Soundcraft Si board which can recall pre-programmed settings for Trina. This was a useful piece of equipment to have as Cory had to stay on his feet as Trina opened the concert by playing the harmonica and guitar simultaneously and also mixed a surprise performance by Trina's friend and colleague, Susan Werner.

We'll continue to help at the Studio Series on July 21 when The Bourne Family performs, and on August 25 when Tammy McCann closes the series.

The Jeff Show: Nabbing a Cab in Vegas

It was exciting to read all your smart travel tips in response to my plea for ideas. However, I must confess, almost everything started or ended with food. Let a tech out of a ballroom for 30 minutes, and they will find food. Please continue to e-mail me with all your travel tips. We’ll include some of them soon. 


So on to giving away the travel tip for May.

Sooner or later, everyone flies to Vegas. It’s a rule in our business.

When you get off the plane at McCarran International Airport, you'll fight the urge to play the quarter slot machines. You ride down and fight your way on to the tram. Hurling down through the tunnel, you arrive at baggage claim with several thousand of your friends. With no thanks to your air carrier, you wait a good half hour for your baggage. Then, it’s time to hustle outside and get into the cab line.

Now don’t get me wrong, the cab line is not as bad as used to be since the economy tanked. But snaking through that line can take a good half hour. It’s never fun – and I’ve always wondered if there was a way to bypass that stupid cab line.

But wait there is, and you walked right past it. The pesky sky caps that push their carts into your way are your salvation. Let them put your bag on that silver cart, and they will whisk you outside to the left of the line and straight into a cab. It’s the best couple of bucks you can spend in order to get to the casino and lose your money faster - just the way God intended it.

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Company owner Jeff Warner has been involved in the industry for as long as he can remember as his dad, Harry, started WAV. He joined the company full-time in 1979, and travels the world to help big clients like Bankers Life and Casualty, McDonald's and American Airlines plan AV displays for meetings and events. E-mail Jeff your own travel tips to jwarner@warnerav.com

Line Array VS Virtual Array Systems

To Line Array or not? That is a question you should ask your AV vendor when evaluating the best audio solutions for your next event. Today, audio engineers have many tools to solve problems. There are two major forms of sound design to help solve these problems, Line and Virtual Arrays:

• Line Array: Many people might think Line Array systems are a recent development. You can actually trace them to the design of the column speaker that’s been used since the late 1950’s. Put simply, a Line Array has multiple speakers stacked closely in a vertical column. This produces a wide horizontal and narrow vertical sound wave. The intent is to distribute and direct sound to the audience in a controlled pattern, keeping unwanted energy reflection to a minimum.
   
• Virtual Array: This sound theory became relevant in the mid-1980’s as a development of concert sound practice of the time. It’s design seeks to combine all the elements of a sound wave to produce sound that appears to come from a single point in space, which comes from the surface of a sphere. When that surface resonates it sends sound waves equally in all directions. Through careful manipulation of cabinet design, multiple cabinets are arrayed to produce a unified wave that represents a portion of that sphere.
   

These two different designs both provide a uniform sound wave to the audience with as little unwanted reflection in the room as possible.

In today’s industrial audio world, knowing which set-up to use is the key to a successful audio display. If your room is wide and deep with a low ceiling, Virtual Array elements used in a distributed system may be your best solution.

However, if your room is wide and deep with a high ceiling, the application of a Line Array system may give you the best bang for your buck.

In small to mid-sized rooms Line Array speakers and ground supporting may work, but it might not be the most efficient and cost effective answer. Using Virtual cabinets can give you a more flexible installation.

Everyone likes to use the newest and most advanced AV equipment. Remember, one tool does not fix all your problems. Technologies may or may not be more relevant to a particular problem regardless of age. Give your clients the best results by knowing the strengths and weaknesses of different sound systems and applying them correctly to different types of rooms.
______________________________________________________________________________

Craig Vlasic | Technical Director/Audio

Joining WAV in 1982, Craig was the first full-time employee. In 30+ years, Craig has engineered over 700 meetings with audiences ranging from 20 to 35,000 people. While current in the latest audio techniques and theories, he brings knowledge in fundamental audio logic to every production from corporate talking heads to rock-n-roll bands.

WAV Comes Prepared for Lissie, Zumba and More.

In Wheaton's Cantigny Park, Project Managers Craig Vlasic, Tim Stenberg and Tom Kaster provided the sound set-up for a wonderful cause - the Chicago Chapter of ALS Association's (Lou Gehrig Disease) "Walk to Defeat ALS."

Since the event took place outdoors, Craig, Tim and Tom made sure they were prepared for rain by covering the speakers with tarp. Covering speakers ensures the event goes on rain or shine!

Participants enjoyed a two-mile family walk, DJ, a concert by Lissie as well as a Zumba class.

PlaybackPro Plus Players an A+

In our never ending quest to make the most advanced equipment available, we’re excited to add PlaybackPro Plus Players to our inventory. Setting the standards for the capabilities of DDRs, DVD players and video tape machines, this MacBook Pro loaded with 128g of solid state drives and PlaybackPro Plus software tailors to the unique demands of the events industry.

You can build a cue list for a show in less than 10 minutes and play back 4:2:2 ProRes in 1080p all day long. It can also cut and dissolve between clips, and has variable fade and kill settings. Any type of file can be played by adding easy to find QuickTime components to the software.

Its fast, it’s reliable and it’s affordable. These are all qualities we like to see in our inventory.

The Jeff Show: April 2012

Welcome to the first edition of WAV News. Since this is our first eZine, I get the honor of writing a column in the corner, The Jeff Show.

In addition to our endeavors, advice on AV, and planning meetings, I am imparting my great wisdom on years of traveling this big world and running shows. You’ll read important stuff, like finding a good sushi restaurant in the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest; or, how you can nab the last business class seat on a four-hour flight - back to that in a minute.

Here is what I’m also thinking. Since almost all my good ideas are the advice I most likely heard from someone else, I also want your help. Please send me your travel tips. Now in all fairness, you should get something for the idea. So I will give you credit for it. Just think of your name right here in the newsletter. It kind of makes you feel all warm inside.

On to the important part of getting upgraded to the last seat in business class.  Remember this, no matter what you may think; they always save one seat for airport release just in case someone runs up at the last minute with a wheel barrel full of money to purchase it. At the airport, it’s all about who gets on the list first. Get there early enough to be the first one to request the upgrade and you might get it. Unless you’re gold, then someone will bump you anyway.

On a serious note, thanks for taking the time to read this, and for letting us work for and with you.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Company owner Jeff Warner has been involved in the industry for as long as he can remember as his dad, Harry, started WAV. He joined the company full-time in 1979, and travels the world to help big clients like Bankers Life and Casualty, McDonald's and American Airlines plan AV displays for meetings and events.  

How to Know Your Room

Creating a fantastic audio visual presentation means choosing the right space for the event and maximizing its potential. Here are some tips on how to get to know your room for your next meeting or trade show.

Before booking your space, schedule a walk-through. Be sure to invite all your vendors. An AV expert will be able to create a unique staging display that uses the space to its full potential. Here are some things our Project Managers look for:

1. Is it enough space?

AV equipment can use a lot of space. On a site visit, we will determine if everyone will fit in the space with the equipment that we provide. We can help with other things like selecting the correct screen based on the ceiling height, or deciding whether images from your presentation should be projected from the front or rear in relation to your space. We’ll even tell you what kind of audio system would be best.

2. Can you hide things?

It can become a tighter squeeze in your space that you expected with your attendees and staging equipment. You wouldn’t want to have to rent an extra space to keep empty boxes and equipment cases hidden, would you? On a site visit, we figure out where to hide empty cases and boxes. We’ll make sure that cases fit back stage, behind some strategically placed drape, or in an extra room that your venue provides.

3. What’s hanging?

One of the major issues what we face are beautiful chandeliers - that hang too low. If a low hanging chandelier or another decorative item suspend from the air is permanent, your entire staging display will have to be scaled accordingly. This creates a visual imbalance. We’ll also check to see if there are any soffits or decorative molding that might cause a cove. Coves can cause audio feedback and obscure screen placement.

WAV provides a full service for your next event including, site surveys, advice for placement, and a full scale / fully rendered drawing of the room so you can see what your show will look like before it takes place.

İHola Microsoft Window’s 8!

We're having an exciting 2012! I was in Barcelona, Spain assisting Microsoft in their launch of Windows 8 at the Mobile World Congress, the planet's largest cell phone trade show.

To make the Consumer Preview an immense success, we partnered with a German company, Satis & fy. The strong work ethic and level of knowledge our new friends, Oliver (Project Manager), Danny (Camera / Video), Stefan (Video Playback / Video Engineer), provided was among the best we’ve worked with in a long time.

For visual gear, we used Stumpfl 16:9 screens and a Barco FLM HD20 High Def Video projector to present Windows 8. We also used Thomson LDK 8000 Elite Worldcam cameras and Fujinon HA42x13.5 BERD-U camera lenses to show off and record the presenters.

For audio gear, Yamaha MSP 3 powered speakers were used with a Yamaha M7CL48 digital mixing console. Speakers used Shure UHFR wireless microphones.


Watch video of the Consumer Preview here.

-- By Kevin Peterson

WAV Helps Bankers Life and Casualty Give Managers the Royal Treatment

We're into our busy season, and were thrilled to create an AV display for Bankers Life and Casualty's National Managers Meeting.

The highlight of the meeting was the Excalibur Awards on the last evening. We used a Screen Pro Video Switcher and SI Compact 24CH Digital Mixer to play video and audio during the meeting.

The best part of the evening was when the awards (which were swords!) were flown in from above to the recipients.