Blog

Group Tours Speaking Up

Thu, 09 May 2013 16:04:27 +0000

U.S. and factories, distribution centers, plants and other industrial facilities welcome visitors daily to get an insider’s view of the products and manufacturing process. For some companies, these tours are focused on VIPs, potential clients and partners. For others, it’s interested tourists and community members. Whoever is visiting, guided tours can be an unforgettable experience.

To help tour participants get the most out of their visit and to make sure they have a positive tour experience, the tour needs to be planned, coordinated and executed in a way that everyone on the tour can see and hear the amazing things the company has to offer.

Below are 5 key elements that can help every tour visitor have a positive, memorable experience.

Ensure that everyone can hear every word from the tour guide. Factories can be loud—if the participants can’t hear, they will walk away with little more than a headache. An excellent solution for mobile tour groups is a Portable RF system from Listen Technologies (Link to landing page). A wireless microphone/transmitter broadcasts the speaker's voice to the tour audience. People on the tour have a personal receiver where they can adjust the volume control to suit their own needs. Gone are the days when a person in the back of the group is frustrated because she can’t hear the guide’s tantalizing commentary over the hum of the machines.
Plan the best route. A meandering route through the factory’s innards usually isn’t enough for a knock-out tour. The route the tour takes should be long enough to show off the amazing machines and other interesting areas of the facility but not too long to get monotonous. The tour should also include, but never interfere with employees as they busily engage in their daily activities.
Write a Script. Some tours are replete with quips, jokes and other such wisecracks, while other tours, particularly those given to current or potential clients and customers take on more of a serious or impressive tone. Whatever the intention of the audience, a tour should never be conducted off the hip. The tour guide should be well versed on every aspect of the facility and the workings of the equipment.
“Right-size” the tour for the audience. Some tours are short and others can be relatively long; however, regardless of the length of the tour, it is important to ensure the message fits the audience. Tours give the opportunity to impress guests with a “behind the scenes” look at the manufacturing process, the company culture, and how many widgets are produced each hour, day or year. Interesting facts and tidbits make for a memorable tour.
Sell the past, present and future of the company. A tour is a great opportunity to discuss the history of the company, how it got to its current state and the innovations it is continuing to employ to take it into the future. Always highlight the benefits and remember that a great tour can be one of the most powerful sales tools a company has.

What additional tips do you have for guided tours? Sound out in the comments and let us know. To learn more about our products and how they can make your guided tour more positive and memorable, head here http://bit.ly/LTManufacturing or call 1.877.760.9271.

The Invisible Disability

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:39:00 +0000

At Listen Technologies we are passionate about educating people on the pervasiveness of hearing loss. As part of this passion, we invite architects to participate in an open dialogue concerning the laws and new regulations surrounding assistive listening systems.

Quite often, sound is an afterthought when it comes to building design. Including assistive listening systems into designs isn’t just about following the letter of the law; it’s about helping people with hearing loss make a connection to their environment and enabling positive listening experiences wherever they go.

Below are ten reasons to design with both your eyes and your ears.

Nearly one-fifth of all Americans 12 years or older suffer from hearing loss severe enough to negatively impact communication
Only 1.4 percent of the population uses a wheelchair, but more than 20.3 percent of Americans have hearing loss in at least one ear
It’s the law! The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) stipulates that designing assistive listening systems into assembly areas is required
With new legislation and rapid technological advancements, it is becoming increasingly important for architects to actively design assisted listening solutions into the project as early as possible
About 26 million young people have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to loud noises at work or in leisure activities
There is currently no cure for the underlying cause of hearing loss, due to damage of sensory and supporting inner ear cells
The three top technologies used for assistive listening are RF (radio frequency), IR (infrared) and IL (induction loop, also known as hearing loop)
Designing in an assistive listening system is much more cost effective than renovating and retrofitting
In 2001, only 37 percent of hearing aids came equipped with telecoils (to receive a signal from an induction loop—today, more than 60 percent are hearing loop enabled
The issue is not going away. As people age, hearing loss increases; at age 65, one out of three people has a hearing loss

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Feel free to leave a comment below. For more information about how architects can incorporate assistive listening systems into building designs, visit to http://bit.ly/LTArchitecture or call 1.877.760.9271.

Tumbleweeds Film Festival

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 20:02:00 +0000

Nancy Eaves, Development Manager at the Utah Film Center approached Listen Technologies about providing our assistive listening devices for a unique application for the Tumbleweeds Film Festival for children and youth.

Tumbleweeds has become the most noteworthy festival of its kind in the Intermountain West. The Utah Film Center puts on the film festival to provide access to children of all ages and all means to the art and impact of film and film-craft.

In its third year the Utah Film Center was planning for over 4,000 children, their families and educators to attend 20 public screenings of international films. Through the support of many sponsors free tickets were offered to organizations like the Neighborhood House, Sorenson Unity Center, Art Access/VSA of Utah, Boys & Girls Club, Guadalupe School, Neighborhood House, The Odyssey House, YWCA and Women’s Resource Center at the U of U to reach those that might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend.

For many patrons this was their first experience with foreign films. English subtitles were provided for the various films but the Utah Film Center was faced with the challenge of some of the children either not being able to read yet or not as quickly as would be needed for the subtitles. Organizers wanted to ensure that all that attended would have an enhanced appreciation of foreign-language movies.

Their solution was to provider readers for the subtitles and use the same technology used for assistive listening for this application. Listen Technologies provided loaner equipment for this purpose.

The control rooms of the Black Box and Jeanne Wagner theaters at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center were each equipped with an LT-800 Stationary RF Transmitter for the reader. A LA- 278 Behind-the-Head Microphone was connected to the LT-800 transmitter via the LA-280 1/4 inch to 3.5 mm Microphone Adapter. The reader watched the movie through the control room window and simply read the subtitles as they appeared on the screen.

The children that needed to hear the narration picked up a Listen RF receiver from a festival volunteer before each screening and would hear the narration of the subtitle. Children could choose either a LA-165 Headphone or LA-164 Ear Speaker both options allowed the children to hear the narrator and the score and dialogue.

I attended the screening of ‘Zarafa’ an animated French film based on a true story of a 10-year old African boy and a giraffe that experience an adventure from desert sands to snowy mountains. While the intent of the receivers was for the children I found that I was able to watch the movie vs. read the movie. I found it to be very enjoyable and less distracting to watching a foreign film. I think it may be something the motion picture industry should consider for foreign films for audiences of all ages!

Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Chooses Televic

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:31:00 +0000

CUK Audio is a distributor for Listen Technologies in the United Kingdom and Ireland. This content was originally posted as a case study on CUK Audio's site. >>>

As part of Doncaster Councils new £300m Civic and Cultural Quarter, a new 5 storey Civic Office has been built in the Waterdale area of the town centre. The signature element of the building is a new Council Chamber. A purpose built space for the 63 elected members from 21 Wards. This new chamber has been fully equipped with a 77 Way Televic flush mount conference system.

Customer Requirements
The Council had been using a Auditel Conference system for over 10 years and had a good understanding of its functionality. This gave them a significant insight into the specification required for the new system. Alan Haywood , the manager of the electrical engineering department was chosen to lead the supplier selection process.

The Council decided they needed a system that embraced recent digital developments within the sector and came up with a list of additional features they required.

Automatic Camera Control - Full screen recording of the current speaker with on screen delegate information without the need for an external operator.
Full Audio and Video recording - Recording and archiving of all meetings to a secure storage device.
Live Feeds - The ability to transmit or replay to large displays within the Chamber and overflow rooms within the Centre
Web Casting - The ability to transmit the Council meetings over the Internet and also allow interested parties to watch archived meetings.
Wireless Delegate Units - The facility to have Portable units which can be used in any position around the Chamber.
Hearing System - Equipment to allow hearing impaired delegates and spectators to listen clearly to the meetings.
Touch Screen Control - All major functions to be operable by a touch screen control system from two separate control points within the Chamber.
Vote Reporting - Fully automated collation of voting information by delegate or party, including live on screen information

AV integration specialists Nuway looked at the key manufacturers within the Conference market and chose Belgian specialist Televic Conference as their product partner. The Televic product allowed Nuway to supply Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council with a system that combined high build quality and feature rich specification. Nuway were also impressed by the on-going product development, which set Televic apart from other manufacturers of conference equipment. Equally impressive was the support offered by the Televic UK distributor, CUK Audio "who were superb and offered technical assistance throughout the project" commented Danny Hird of Nuway.

The system used was a Televic wired flush mount solution utilising flush mount panels with integrated chipcard readers, and 5 button voting facility. Televic's advanced technology and thorough understanding of the conference market means that wired and wireless Televic products can be seamlessly integrated together. This was key in this project where wireless delegate units with voting needed to be made available for any members with a disability.

The audio system deployed in the chamber was also supplied by CUK Audio an covered sound reinforcement via products from Community Professional Loudspeakers and T&M. While assistive listening is provided by an IR system from Listen Technologies. All audio processing an routing for the chamber, gallery and assistive listening is handled via a powerful Symetrix Solus 16 rack mount DSP.

Client Feedback
"Nuway Audio Visual delivered an excellent solution for Doncaster's new Civic Council Chamber. The installation was completed on time within budget to an exceptionally high standard and their performance exceeded our expectations throughout the project. I would not hesitate to recommend them." Alan Haywood, Electrical Engineering Manager, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council.

Equipment List
Televic
1pc FC/MV5BD - Flushmount Chairman Unit with 5 button voting, chipcard reader, integrated loudspeaker and GSM proof gooseneck mic.
76pcs FD/MV5BD - Flushmount Delegate Unit with 5 button voting, chipcard reader, integrated louspeaker and GSM proof gooseneck mic.
1pc Confidea CU - Central Unit
75pcs ICC5/2 - 2m interconnect cable
80pcs CC5000 Chipcards
1pc Confidea DIV - Wireless Delegate unit with voting
1pc Confidea BP - Battery Pack for Confidea DIV
1pc Confidea MIC38SL - 38cm Gooseneck Microphone for delegate unit
1pc Confidea WCAP+ - Access point and central unit for the wireless delegate unit
1pc Televic S-MM - Microphone management Software
1pc Televic S-DM - Delegate Management software
1pc Televic S-VB - Voting (With Chipcards) Software
1pc Televic S-SO - Camera Control Software
1pc Televic T-ReX - Recording Software
1pc Televic T-ReX - Transcription Tool and Pedal

Listen Technologies
1pc LT-82 - IR Transmitter
5pcs LA-140-GY - IR Radiator
2pcs LA-205 - Radiator external PSU
12pcs LR-44 - Lanyard IR Receiver
12pcs LA166 - Neckloop
2pcs LA350 - Charging Station for IR Receivers

Symetrix
1pc Solus 16

Community
14pcs D4 4" coaxial ceiling speaker
2pcs Entasys 220 (White)

T&M
1pc Project 60.2P
1pc SA40

Induction Loops In Museums

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:14:00 +0000

Utilising induction loops for applications such as museum exhibits where attendees tend to be moving through a space in a short period of time and therefore cannot easily access loan equipment, is a common practice. Since the majority of new hearing aids have T-coils installed, users equipped with these do not need to request extra equipment to receive the signal. The only requirement being to simply move a switch from ‘M’ to ‘T’ (mic’ to T-Coil) on the hearing aid.

In a museum, where the user will be moving across a number of exhibits, assistive listening solutions using RF/FM which by its nature is a “broadcast medium” require users ask for equipment and be directed to change frequencies to pick up a specific audio feeds or areas.

Hearing loops can be designed to confine their coverage to tightly defined local areas for the benefit of both the hearing impaired and non-hearing impaired, by delivering audio for an exhibit to the viewer/attendee by having them simply move into that loop area.

The normally abled user would be provided with a loop-listener which works on the same principal as the T-Coil in the hearing aid. For this type of application a low overspill area coverage system would be designed. This noticeably improves the user experience and eliminates the possibility of user error.

Another significant benefit with these types of induction loop systems is the ability for addition of further looped areas at a later date. Low overspill induction loop systems provide an opportunity for further expansion without tearing out existing systems with the related cost and disruption. For example; when an exhibit is added locally within the museum, the field from the existing loop(s) is already localised to the specific area of the current exhibit(s) and therefore no issue with cross talk or addition of more RF channels has to be addressed.

In order for a system like this to work satisfactorily the electromagnetic noise floor must be clear of background noise produced by units such as transformers. Occasionally people complain that induction loops are noisy when you step outside the looped area. This is not noise produced by the loop but rather, electromagnetic background noise produced by noisy transformers or bad wiring practice within the building, such as live and neutral power being separated by a long distance and forming a loop, causing the signal to noise ratio to be much higher than is acceptable. In most situations where a buildings electrical wiring is modern and the loop is positioned away from any noisy transformers this noise outside a low overspill loop is too low to notice.

The following is an example of a museum system that utilises a combination of localised systems and low overspill induction loops to provide a free moving ‘guided tour’ to its patrons allowing them to move seamlessly between exhibits without having to conform to a pre meditated tour or change between channels when moving between exhibits. As you can see a large number of areas are covered simultaneously.

Understanding Hearing

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 18:56:14 +0000

Who knew that being sick could help you relate to your end user?

You see, germs have invaded my house. Everyone (except for the cat) has been battling various forms of sickness. I had a viral infection which turned into a double ear infection (with a perforated ear drum), double pink eye, strep throat and sinusitis. Thank goodness for modern medicine and an understanding employer who allowed me the time of to recover.

I’m feeling much better, but I am left living in a “bubble”. While I’m not contagious anymore (don’t worry co-workers!) I still have fluid in my middle ear which causes everything to be very muffled. When someone is talking to me, it’s like my ears are under water. I can hear bits and pieces, but not the crisp details.

Even as I sit here at my desk, I’m amazed at how quiet things are. Normally I can hear the buzz of conversations all around me. One look shows me that things are still hopping; it’s just that I can’t hear it as I normally do.

Here are some of the things I notice:

I am more introverted as I need to strain to hear what is going on around me – I feel disconnected with my surroundings
I worry that I will miss something that is said to me and offend that person
I catch about 1/2 of what is being said and try to piece it together (helps if I can look at the lips)
One on one conversations are much easier to follow than group conversations

Hearing loss is an invisible handicap as it’s usually difficult to tell by looking at someone that they have a hearing loss. Many times people don’t have patience to deal with those who have hearing loss or worse they assume the person with hearing loss is a little “slow”.

Better Hearing Institute reports that studies have linked untreated hearing loss to:

irritability, negativism and anger
fatigue, tension, stress and depression
avoidance or withdrawal from social situations
social rejection and loneliness; reduced alertness and increased risk to personal safety
impaired memory and ability to learn new tasks
reduced job performance and earning power; diminished psychological and overall health.

Here at Listen Technologies, we offer several lines of products designed to help people that have hearing loss. I realize now more than ever just what an impact these products can make in the life of a person living with hearing loss. Here’s what Chelle George had to say about her first experience with a hearing loop, “Before the actual workshop started, a lady reminded us to turn on our T-coil because the rooms are looped. I did and WOW!!! I never experienced it before this and I was totally amazed at the clarity of sound coming through my hearing aids at the push of the button.”

How would things be if we each walked a day in their shoes? In fact, that’s just what Ken Wood, CEO/President of Upstate Hearing has his employees do. All staff members are required to complete a hearing loss exercise as part of an orientation to their new positions, which entails wearing a customized set of earplugs while continuing normal daily activities. He said, "Hearing loss is very difficult to understand, Wood said. Most people kind of understand blindness, or being with limited use of a leg from having a cast etc. but unless you have experienced hearing loss or lived with someone with hearing loss it is hard to understand the frustrations and energy required to communicate easily."

Luckily I know that my hearing will return, but I appreciate the perspective that I now have.

Wireless Conferencing Frequency Management

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 19:35:03 +0000

Frequency management of the Wireless Conferencing system is worry free. It doesn’t matter how many adjoining meetings there are or if there are other RF sources in use. You’ll have peace of mind to focus on your meetings rather than managing frequencies.

Can I run multiple systems in one building or on the same floor?

With a multi-band wireless system that works in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, you have 25 channels to choose from (in Europe). So you can set each system up to work on a different channel, so that one doesn’t interfere with the other. In theory – if each channel is available – you can run 25 completely separate systems in one building.

How do I know which frequencies are free in my building?

The answer to this is fairly straightforward: make sure that your wireless conference system has a built-in spectrum analyzer that constantly monitors the available spectrum and visualizes the activity on a web page. It will allow you to do two things. If you wish to keep control of the frequencies that your system is using, you can easily see which channels are free. With a simple mouse click you can then select the channel in which you want your system to operate.

However, spectral conditions can change and channels that are available today might be taken by other systems tomorrow. To keep your system operational in such volatile situations, you can set up your system to automatically and unnoticeably change to a free channel. In this mode, the system guarantees maximum audio quality and reliable operation.

Brooks Gibbs at Listen Technologies is a resource to help you further understand the options available for managing frequencies in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands in North America. Be sure to reach out to him for assistance.

Lessons Learned From Asking and Listening

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 19:06:00 +0000

This was originally posted on March 1 on the InfoComm All Voices Blog >>>

On a trip to Louisville, Kentucky, I had the opportunity to visit some end users of my company’s products. I set up the trip with the help of two integrators in order to research and understand how our products are used, managed and maintained by the end user.

As a manufacturer, these meetings are invaluable to me. All too often, when I’m on the road, I fly into a city to meet with dealers and consultants. I talk to them about how our products can be used and sold, learn what projects they have in the works, and ask if they’d please consider our products. Over the years, this approach has served me and our company well.

This trip was different. It was an eye-opening experience in that it allowed me to talk to those who actually use the products. What a novel concept! And yet, it’s one that we manufacturers don’t often focus on because we go to market through the channel. This trip allowed me to ask users about the challenges they’re experiencing, what they thought should be improved, and why? It was an enlightening experience to get a real understanding of how products are used day in and day out from users that didn’t hold anything back.

Our products are personal devices that people use, for example, on tours and in theaters, houses of worship and stadiums. We, our dealers, and our consultants are focused on sound quality and ease-of-setup. What I learned on my Louisville visit is that the end user is focused on how to manage, maintain, use and dispense the personal devices. They also need to know the best way to clean the devices and charge the batteries, and they want to know how often they should replace the batteries.

These are all issues that come up after the sale, installation and sign-off. Often, users never think to ask these questions at the beginning because they don’t have the experience yet to know what to ask. I’ve always believed accessories are important and I learned they’re often the most critical part. Accessory items may be the small details of an overall system, but they are often what causes venues the most grief.

I’ve taken what I learned from this trip back to my company. We’re focused on bringing this voice and perspective into our product development. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve done this in the past as well, but the perspective we’re getting now is much stronger.

Visiting Louisville reinforced so many things I appreciate about what I do, the industry I’m a part of, and the people I’m privileged to connect with. I love building relationships, and I’ve learned that dealers enjoy bringing manufacturers with them on client visits. It shows their client that they have the support and backing of the manufacturer. I also learned more about the dealer contacts that will help me be a better partner to them. What I enjoy most in this industry is that I am continually learning and growing. Others are so generous with their time, thoughts, and suggestions — if we just ask the right questions and truly listen.

Why Is Audio An Afterthought?

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:14:00 +0000

This was originally posted on March 1 on the InfoComm All Voices Blog >>>

I attended two networking events where there were more than 100 professionals gathered to make contacts and hear a presentation. For each presentation, the rooms were set up classroom style. This first event was a Business Networking International event, and it was standing room only. To kick off the meeting, the chairman made a brief introduction from the front of the room to welcome attendees. Then she asked the participants to stand up, introduce themselves and share with the group how much business they’ve gained through involvement with BNI.

While it was fun and interesting, it was impossible to hear each person because there was no audio system. Introductions went on for more than 30 minutes, and as I sat in my seat straining to understand, all I could think is, “Why is audio often an after thought?” I know I wasn’t the only person in the room frustrated that I couldn’t hear. But I may have been the only person that asked “why?” And more importantly, why did organizers think it was okay to overlook audio?

Of course, this meeting wasn’t unique. In fact it’s a far too common occurrence. So sad, too, because 100 professionals couldn’t hear the message and missed out on much of what they came for. Yet I’ll bet dimes to donuts that few gave it a second thought. Why is that? Far too often, audio isn’t on the radar for such meetings. And all it takes is thinking about how the participants’ experience might improve if only they could hear the content.

The same week, I went to a Women’s Tech Council of Utah presentation on how LinkedIn can grow your business. It was the same situation — not an empty chair in the room, everyone there to glean a nugget of content on how to grow their businesses over their lunch hour.

Again, the meeting gets started; introductions begin, and there’s no audio system to reinforce the content and message. I couldn’t believe I was going to sit through another meeting, only picking up bits and pieces because I simply couldn’t hear. Fortunately, when the main speaker was introduced, I was happy to hear him — really hear him — because he was wearing a wireless microphone. Phew!

Not surprisingly, I got a lot out of this second meeting and (event organizers take note!) I even ordered the presenter’s two DVDs. It’s a shame that his introduction, which included the meeting’s sponsors, wasn’t picked up by all. Money not well spent.

So why do we tolerate poor audio? And why do we attend meetings where we hear only part of the content? Why do we sponsor events where our name and message aren’t going to be heard, let alone remembered, by those who attend?

I’ve committed to checking whether organizers have a sound system prior to sending RSVPs for future meetings. I may still attend, but at least meeting organizers may put thought into their audio.

What will you do to make sure you can hear and be heard?

Santa Visits Kauri Sue Hamilton School

Mon, 24 Dec 2012 14:56:00 +0000

I knew I’d have fun.

I knew that I’d have stories to tell.

I did not know just how deep an impact the students at Kauri Sue Hamilton School would make on my heart.

Now in its third year, the Kauri Sue Hamilton School in Jordan School District is a school for students with severe, multiple disabilities. The land was donated by Cletus and Sharon Hamilton in gratitude for the education Jordan School District provided for their daughter, Kauri Sue. Kauri Sue is now 40 years old and lives in Spanish Fork but has fond memories of going to school at Jordan Valley School, Bingham High School, and South Valley School.

When Santa Claus came to town, to the Kauri School to be more specific, I had a chance to be his elf/helper for the day. Of course that meant I needed elf attire and the Hale Center Theater’s costume department did not disappoint. Being an audio company we decided to have a little fun and bring in one of our portable systems.

Imagine Santa walking into the classroom and not only calling each student by name but having a conversation with them. These children face many challenges and a better part of them cannot verbally communicate their thoughts and feelings. When Santa was able to talk about their lives and their interests, the excitement was palpable. One little qirl, a quadriplegic, could not speak or move. But when Santa talked to her and held her hand, her breathing became more rapid. One of the teacher aides told me, “That means she is excited!”

Another little boy would stick his leg out straight and shake it. Santa stuck his leg out and shook it. He shrieked with joy and stuck both legs out shaking them. So Santa did the same. Then he stood up and plopped down, stood up, plopped down, stood up, plopped down. Santa did the same. And they connected.

The amazing Teacher Specialist, Jenny Eyre, wore a portable transmitter with a lapel mic while Santa wore an earpiece and had a receiver clipped to his pants. Jenny was able to stand on the far side of the room or down the hall and whisper details in to Santa’s ear. The details she knew of each student and teacher in the school showed that this isn’t just a job, it’s an important part of her life.

Santa was able to bring joy not just to the students but the teachers as well. They were trying to figure out who Santa was and how he knew such details. Several teachers would whisper to me with a knowing look in their eyes, “Okay, who is Santa? I can’t figure it out?” My response was simply, “Why it’s Santa Claus of course!”

In a world where so often the focus is on material things and winning the rat race, this magical experience is something that I will treasure. The love and acceptance that was shared with me was far greater than any service that I could have provided. Thanks Kauri Sue for letting me see the world through your eyes for a day.

Protecting Teens From Hearing Loss

Mon, 03 Dec 2012 20:40:57 +0000

This was originally posted on February 21, 2012 on the InfoComm All Voices Blog >>>

For the first time in nearly 25 years, teens have experienced a 30% increase in hearing loss. The culprit: noise-induced hearing loss. Recent studies show that 1 in 5 teens now have noise-induced hearing problems. Although reported by many, I believe there is still much work to be done to build awareness about this important issue. I personally find it concerning because hearing is so critical to our interactions with others, and it’s all too easy to take our hearing for granted.

“Blindness separates us from things, but deafness separates us from people.” Helen Keller

I grew up listening to Foreigner, Thin Lizzy, AC/DC, Def Leppard, and others at high volumes in my bedroom, barely hearing my mother’s voice as she yelled for me to “Turn that ‘ya ya’ down.” I was also very proud to redo the stereo system in my 1964 Volkswagen Bug — I put eight speakers in that little car! Nothing seemed more important than playing my music so loudly that I couldn’t hear anything else. And I know my friends were impressed when I pulled up and they could hear me before they saw me.

Many of us have shared similar experiences; after all loud music is a rite of passage for teenagers. Our industry is rich with individuals who once played in a band — and in many cases still do. Being a member of a band is cool, and it’s a passion for many in our industry. We understand the joy and emotional connection that music brings to us, and often we believe that the louder the better. Remember the saying that if it’s too loud, you’re too old? If you’re working in the audio industry, chances are that you or some of your colleagues are already dealing with hearing loss.

In some ways, hearing loss in a seasoned AV professional seems understandable. But such a significant rise in teen hearing loss is alarming. The fact that it’s noise induced — and therefore preventable — makes it tragic.

We have an opportunity and a responsibility to communicate that it’s not cool to lose your hearing. The fact is that once you’re hearing is gone, it’s gone forever. There is no fix for hearing loss. Let me state it again: Once it’s gone it’s gone!

Imagine what this means. Hearing loss changes our ability to fully enjoy experiences, and it impacts our lives in so many ways. It’s more difficult to understand a conversation or appreciate music. Hearing loss doesn’t just affect an individual, but also one’s family and friends. It affects our ability to connect with people. It can separate us, isolate us. Some people get ringing in the ears, called tinnitus, which often becomes permanent. All of this can cause anxiety and irritably.

Noise-induced hearing loss is a permanent hearing impairment resulting from prolonged exposure to high levels of noise. Everywhere I look, I see people wearing ear buds and headphones, and often the volume is such that I can hear some of what the person is listening to. But here’s what else is happening with those headphones and ear buds:

You have your earphones on and you’relistening to your favorite music at high volume.
The sound waves enter the ear, travel thru the ear canal all the way to the hair cells located in your inner ear.
Hair cells help convert sound energy into electrical signals sent to the brain. This allows you to hear the music clearly.
But when the volume is too loud, those hair cells get damaged — nd never grow back

For more information about noise-induced hearing loss, visit the House Research Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with hearing loss and related disorders.

The fact of th ematter is, noise-induced hearing loss is preventable. Even a small loss of hearing can have a lifetime of consequences fora child. Here are a few tips for noise-induced hearing loss prevention:

Talk about it and educate your kids
Monitor sounds in excess of 85 dB
Remove headphones and ear buds often and take 15-minute breaks
Move away from on-stage monitors or amplifiers while listening or performing
Use hearing protection often — and not just at concerts

Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable, but more education on thetopic is necessary. We need more dialogue about how to prevent this type of hearing loss and it needs to come from this community.

Historical Background of Hearing Loop Technology

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 21:11:27 +0000

Although such illustrious names as Franklin, Faraday and Tesla had been experimenting with electromagnetic fields (the core scientific principle behind the operation of a hearing loop) as early as the 1700’s, it was not until 1937 when Joseph Poliakoff filed for a patent in the UK on an Induction Loop Hearing Assistance System featuring what was called a ‘telephone coil’ that hearing loop technology really started to be developed.

In early designs such as this, the telephone coil was designed to pick up the magnetic field produced by a telephone handset speaker coil, which could then be converted back to an audio signal.

The advantage of this for the hard of hearing was that it picked up only the audio signal from telephone and none of the acoustical distortion, making the speaker’s voice more intelligible, as is still the case today. The telephone coil name would later be shortened to ‘Telecoil’ or ‘T-Coil’

This patent was picked up by the UK’s Multitone Electric Company in 1938 that then brought to market what is thought to be the first Telecoil enabled hearing aid, the Multitone VPM, which fitted into a user’s top pocket (Vest Pocket Model) and was fitted with external earphones.

The implications and benefits for combining an induction loop, driven by an amplifier, that completely surrounded a user carrying Telecoil enabled hearing aids was obvious. Experimentation with systems was prevalent in the late 60’s and 70’s in Scandinavia and many were fitted into places of worship and schools.

In the early 1970’s the first ‘behind the ear’ hearing aids featuring Telecoils were developed, and in 1974 the UK’s National Health Service began prescribing the technology to large numbers of hearing impaired patients. This encouraged the development of loop amplifier technology that would make a more reliable and powerful magnetic field that covered larger areas, and would work in modern buildings with metal construction, that can weaken and distort the magnetic field produced.

In 1987 Ampetronic was established and began to rapidly develop the technology in the UK. In 1991 Ampetronic developed the first ‘phased array’ systems (multiple induction loops operating together out of phase to create constructive interference) capable of covering large areas in modern buildings with metal construction and/or to control spill.

In 1995 Ampetronic introduced sophisticated ‘metal loss control’ systems to allow the successful application of loop systems in proximity to metal structures and still meet quality and use standards and the company began to expand globally, entering the US market in 1999.

During 2005 Ampetronic developed the first computer aided design software that made the accurate modeling of the magnetic field produced by different induction loop layouts possible. This new technology made it possible to design a system for virtually any environment and the company began to expand globally, entering the US market in 1999.

In 2009 the Hearing Loss Association of America, with the assistance of European manufacturers and other technology advocates, started a campaign to introduce Hearing Loops to America, which had previously not picked up on the technology in favor of FM and Infra-Red systems; this produced a rapid expansion in the take-up of the technology and its popularity with hearing aid users.

In 2012 Listen Technologies formed a partnership with Ampetronic to distribute the technology and to provide market education and technical support to the growing number of US based installers.

Congregation Hears Service Inside & Outside

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:14:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

When Pastor Mark Ailanjian at the New Heights Church in Vancouver, Washington needs to be outside the main sanctuary during Sunday services, he has a simple solution to monitor the proceedings.

He dons a Listen Technologies Corporation wireless receiver and headset, and goes about his business on the 17-acre church campus. He might be in another building when he hears that the offering has begun. Then he heads back to the sanctuary for the presentation of the gifts.

“That’s not always at just the same point in the service,” Ailanjian said. “I wear the system so I can know when the next step is happening.” He’s not the only one. The senior pastor at the 5,000- member congregation has to be in and out of the service as well, there for the opening prayer, and maybe off to the Welcoming Center for part of the service, always returning in time for the sermon.

The New Heights Church purchased the wireless assistive listening system more than three years ago as a means to help the elderly and others with hearing disabilities hear the services clearly.

The Listen system transmitter takes sound from the main microphones and routs it over wireless FM radio waves directly to the small battery-powered receivers worn by listeners. The receivers send the sound through the headset or ear bud to the parishioners’ ears, allowing those with hearing impairments to enjoy the full spectrum of sound without the garbling effects of interference.

Since New Heights purchased its system, at least several of the 16 units are used at every one of the eight services offered every weekend. In addition, New Heights takes the system with them for off-campus events. Coordinating a church picnic or calling the group together at a community bowling or paint-balling event becomes much easier with Listen.

“We even use it as a paging system,” he said. “We ask someone to pick up a lost child, or escort someone to the first aid station.”

But more often than not, it’s the young mothers who use the Listen system at New Heights Church.

“It’s mostly nursing moms who need to step out of the service but who want to hear what’s going on,” Ailanjian said. “Sometimes they have crying babies and don’t want to disturb other people. Or sometimes they listen to the service while their toddlers play on the playground.”

Ailanjian said he’s been pleased not only with the quality auditory assistance systems but also with the many other uses.“It’s been a trouble-free system,” he said. “I’m very pleased with how they’ve served us.”

AV Week - Tour Of The LDS Conference Center Part 3

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 20:17:56 +0000

This blog is the third in a three part series. To read part two click here >>> To read part one click here >>>

The LDS Church has a history of embracing technology to communicate its message to the community with its first radio broadcast in 1922 and first video satellite broadcast in 1972. Presently, in addition to its semi-annual General Conference and many independent productions, the church produces and broadcasts “Music and The Spoken Word” live to BYU TV and KSL TV every Sunday morning and later distributed to more than 2200 TV and radio stations. If you’ve ever seen a broadcast, you know that in addition to the beautiful words and music, it is visually inspiring.

During our tour of the LDS Conference Center which was part of our AV Week (a week set aside for the audiovisual community to celebrate, promote and share the impacts of the AV industry across the world) activities, we were able to get a firsthand look at the video production process.

Guy and Jeff testing out the robotic cameras

While I’ve talked a lot about the audio installations (after all we are all about audio here at Listen), but the video installation is second to none in producing feature films and educational videos. Using Sony digital HD technology, there are more than 120 fiber drops throughout the campus. Several control rooms handle all the steps of production. The video capture control room could easily be confused with a teenagers gaming room. We had a chance to play around with the mounted cameras using the joystick fashioned control. I was amazed to see how a camera that was mounted on the top balcony of the 1+ million square foot building could zoom in on the wall at the front of the room, showing the texture details in the paint.

In the video control room everything comes together. During a production, the director calls the shots on everything. All of the camera, lighting and audio are choreographed ahead of time, but there are constantly changes and mishaps that need to be taken into account.

Let’s talk lighting for a minute. With 70 dimmer racks and approximately 100 dimmers in each one, there are over 6000 controllable outlets and dimmers. There are stage lights, lights that project images on the walls and lights that change the look of the famous organ pipes. When you are in the audience of a major production, it’s as if you are center stage. From the lighting control room the computer has a map of the stage allowing you to easily use pre-programmed settings or to try your own. Once again, we were allowed to have a little fun as we experimented with the controls (you should have seen the 70’s Technicolor transformation the organ pipes made)!

Amanda testing out the lighting controls

Now for a little more audio talk! From the audio mix room they run 2 HD systems simultaneously. Everything is multi-tracked through Pro Tools so that if they get to the end of a show and need to redo a piece, they can pull that mix and it is recorded and mixed again within 5 minutes. While it is currently a digital set up, they are actually in the process of going back to analog with and API Legacy Vision consul. Digital audio just doesn’t have the same quality as analog and doesn’t offer the flexibility that is necessary. We listened to a recording of the Tabernacle Choir accompanied by the Orchestra at Temple Square and I really noticed all of the layers of sound that contributed to the piece.

Thanks again to Jason McFarland and his team for providing this tour. Being new to the audiovisual industry, I am so glad that I could experience such an impressive display of AV at its best.

Community United Thanks To Assistive Listening Solution

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:26:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

What do you do when the only performance space in your rural Midwestern community is the school gymnasium? You celebrate the building of a new, state-of-the-art performing arts building on campus.

From architecture to audio “everything was handled for us,” says Valerie Sweers, performing arts director for the K-12 Grant Public Schools in Grant, Michigan. The 794-seat structure, completed in August of last year, has a state-of-the-art sound system, designed and installed by Listen Dealer, Audio Designs. Included are twenty-two assistive listening units from Listen Technologies Corporation.

“The nearest movie theater is a half-hour drive,” notes Sweers, who emphasizes that the new space, an arts center that is used by the entire community for theater, music, and special events, has brought the community together in a new way.

According to Speers, the old cavernous space was so bad from a sound perspective that some folks, especially the hard of hearing, simply stopped attending performances. They’re back now. The overall acoustics are greatly improved, of course, but thanks to Listen’s assistive listening units, more of the community can now attend without the frustration of not being able to understand what’s going on onstage. One man, in particular, returned for a performance and after using the Listen equipment. He was “ecstatic” about the crisp, clear sound and the prospect of attending more events.

The site, which has an art gallery in the lobby, affords students the opportunity to learn about the workings of a performing arts venue. In fact, student interns run the center - lighting, sound, tickets, distribution of the assistive listening devices, etc. They have adult supervisors, but it’s really their baby, creating a niche for youths geared toward the arts and those interested in the mechanics of the stage.

Listen has made life easy for the center, as it does for other customers, by providing signs and stickers to remind patrons about the availability of the assistive listening devices. Of course, in this small, rural community, like other small, rural communities, news travels fast and most now know they won’t miss a single sound when attending cultural events, thanks to Listen Technologies.

Multiple Identities at Hale Center Theater

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:40:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

The Hale Center Theater just outside of Salt Lake City had been filling its seats each night with the uproarious British farce, “One For the Pot.”

In this fast-moving tale of mistaken identity, one actor plays young Hickory Wood and his three identical quadruplets, each of whom is unaware of any others’ existence, but all of whom want to claim the inheritance of a rich business associate of their late father.

The delightful deceits of “Pot” require the actor who plays the young would-be heir and his siblings to make 50 entrances, speaking in four accents and portraying four different personas.

All went hilariously well at the Hale Center Theater until the main actor injured himself during one of the performances. The understudy, who had not had the chance to run through the whole show or even all of the scenes, was suddenly called into action.

“We felt this actor would end up playing the show with a script in hand so that we would be able to keep him straight,” said Michael Fox, the assistant box office manager at Hale Center. “We didn’t want to do it that way, of course.”

Fox said that’s when they remembered the Listen Technologies Corp. (Listen^Æ) system for assistive listening that Hale Center uses to help patrons who are hard-of-hearing. The system transmitter plugs into the amplification system, with the sound wirelessly sent over FM radio waves to each patron wearing a discreet Listen battery-powered receiver and headset. They hear the sound clearly and without interference.

“We dreamed of a system that would allow our understudy to wear a listening device into which we could feed him his lines,” Fox said. “It would be akin to what a television news anchor wears on TV.” Fox called Listen, an international company that is headquartered near the Hale Center Theater in Sandy, Utah and a wireless audio system was delivered that afternoon.

Backstage that evening, the director was able to speak quietly into the Listen microphone, sending the signal to the actor wearing a tiny earpiece and wireless, concealable battery pack and receiver.

So while the four identical quadruplets and other parties to their folly became more confused as the play progressed, the actor himself was able to remain clear-headed and on cue, knowing his lines and proper identity were just a whisper away.

“Listen met all of our needs,” said Fox. And the show went on.

In The Loop: Hearing Aid Technology Grows, But Are You Using It?

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:17:11 +0000

This blog was originally posted at The Sahuarita Sun. Read original post >>>

In technology time, the idea of “looping” to help those with hearing loss hear better is ancient. But everyday, there still are people with access to better hearing who aren’t using it.

In Green Valley, that could amount to quite a few, as at least a third of the over-60 population is estimated to have some level of hearing loss, and half of the over-75 crowd, significant loss, says Lou Touchette, a Green Valley resident who found help for his own hearing loss through looping technology, and has installed the wire system in numerous facilities throughout Tucson and Green Valley. He’s also part of the Arizona Loss of Hearing Association (ALOHA), a non-profit support group for the deaf, hard of hearing and their families and its “Let’s Loop Tucson” initiative to equip as many rooms and facilities as possible, making it easier for the hearing impaired to hear with more clarity.
The Technology

Looping technology has been around for years, and more than 80 percent of hearing aids have a loop called a telecoil, or t-coil — a tiny spool of wire that converts sound from a microphone, TV or radio into magnetic energy that fills a room, helping users hear with less background noise. Every hearing aid manufacturer has a t-coil model, said Dr. John Cobb, an audiologist with Arizona Hearing Specialists in Green Valley. But probably 20 percent of hearing aid owners don’t use them, he says.

Many don’t know whether theirs has a t-coil, and if it does, how to activate it, he said, noting that Arizona is one of the few states in which hearing aid sellers must, by law, indicate on the purchase contract whether a hearing aid has a coil.

Some people don’t use their hearing aids at all, often because they’re in denial about hearing loss, Cobb said. As speech-discriminating skills start to fade with age, depression, anxiety and paranoia can result, according to a National Council on Aging survey. But once a person accepts hearing loss, the fix is relatively simple for most, say fans of looping, which has become so popular in Green Valley that it is now one of, if not the most-looped, areas in the United States. Maybe even only second behind Holland, Mich.

There Are Options

“I’ve heard that, but don’t think it’s documented,” Cobb said. A transplant to Green Valley from Texas three years ago with hearing loss of his own attributed to playing in a rock band when he was younger, Cobb sees many patients who can’t admit they need help.

With about 30,000 part- and year-round residents in Green Valley and its abundance of senior citizens, it’s likely that at least 10,000 people here have some hearing loss, many of whom could benefit from looping, Touchette said. For some, it might only involve activating a switch on a t-coil hearing aid they already have.

And Green Valley’s getting looped, alright. The first known hearing loops were installed in Green Valley Recreation facilities in about 2004, said Shelly Freeman, GVR lead sound and light technician. For a year, she researched ways to improve sound quality for patrons of the organization’s major social halls before deciding on looping.

“Nobody in Green Valley or Tucson was doing it at the time,” she recalled. Years later and with the understanding that no system is perfect, especially with a microphone moving around with a performer on stage, she still calls looping a good investment. Coaching the hearing impaired on how to set their hearing aids for the right size room and type of event was a challenge partially met through loop workshops, but is ongoing, she said. While t-coils were originally designed to amplify a land-line telephone, there are many more magnetic sources now that can be “heard” by a coil-equipped hearing aid. The newest challenge is that users start with a phone volume and don’t adjust it for a large-room setting, Freeman said. Settings differ for a soloist and a full concert, and can even be adjusted to minimize a robust horn section so other instruments and vocals don’t get lost. “Not a lot know they have these options,” she said.

Lots of Looping

Freeman favors the t-coil system over others on the market because it allows a dignified way for the user to hear better without letting the world know they need help. T-coil equipped hearing aids can be worn over the ear, in the ear or as a plug in the ear canal. Those without t-coil aids can use a portable receiver, which picks up the magnetic sound and channels it to a headset.

Since GVR looped five facilities, at least 15 other area organizations have added the technology, including nine churches, Joyner-Green Valley Branch Library, La Posada retirement village, Casa de Esperanza Senior Center, Handmaker Jewish Services for the Aging; Community Performance and Arts Center, and Cobb’s office. The latest to get looped is the Sheriff’s Auxiliary Volunteers Building, where dozens of active volunteers and Pima County Sheriff’s staff meet monthly. The system was donated by Cobb and installed by Touchette, who will formally be recognized for their efforts at SAV’s next meeting November 12.

It’s so new, officials are still getting their heads wrapped around it, so to speak, said SAV President Wilma Ludwig. It was installed just before the last meeting with no time to notify attendees in advance. Ludwig isn’t sure how many will benefit but said the group plans to purchase headphones for those without t-coil hearing aids.

“We’re also hoping that, with the receivers, maybe by trying this people will realize their hearing is not what it should be,” Ludwig said. “I’m glad we have this and will encourage people to use it.”

Cost-wise, getting looped runs $250 to $300 for a home installation, and $2,000 or more for a church or other large venue, depending on complexity, said Touchette, who also teaches classes on how to install loops in the home. He lost much of his hearing driving farm tractors as a kid then later working as a jet fighter mechanic without much ear protection. He eventually developed tinnitus, a ringing in the ears, and in 1977 was diagnosed with severe hearing loss. In the 1990s, he joined a self-help group for the hard of hearing where he learned about telecoil technology, and has been an advocate for it since.

After moving to Arizona, he joined the ALOHA board in Tucson and took on the “Loop Tucson” challenge, part of which involves giving demonstrations on looping and training workshops. In 18 years, he has installed 100 loops.

Cobb said he’s been told by patients how much t-coils have changed and improved the quality of their life. One of Freeman’s fondest moments involved a GVR stageplay actor several years ago who couldn’t hear his cues. She said she asked him if he had a telecoil but didn’t know how far the loop extended into the stage area. They tried it and discovered it worked, and at the next rehearsal he was on time with all his cues without any help.

Generally, the loops in all GVR facilities work well, she said. “We get good feedback from members.”

She welcomes any GVR member wanting to know more about the system and would consider offering workshops again if there is interest, she said.

Printed with permission from the author, Kitty Bottemiller.

Guaranteeing Confidentiality In Meetings

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 19:01:41 +0000

There are a number of concerns that prevent people from trusting a wireless conferencing solution. One big concern is the scenario of conducting a highly confidential meeting – will you ever know if someone else is listening in on the conversation?

It goes without saying that security is an important issue and should not be treated lightly. But consider this: if you make the right choice, anyone trying to listen in on your meeting would have to leap three major hurdles.

The first is proprietary protocol. Make sure that your system uses a communication protocol that is proprietary to the manufacturer of the gear. If the eavesdropper does not have the same type of equipment, he will have to figure out first how the communication protocol works before he can start decoding information.

It would be like putting a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle together with no image on the pieces. Then there is the access list – a list of identified and trusted units that are part of your conference system.

This access list is stored in the system and used to verify whether a unit is allowed to be part of the system. A rogue unit that tries to connect will be rejected because its unique identifier is not in the list of trusted units.

Finally, encryption. If your system supports this, all communication between the delegate units and the Wireless Conference Access point will be secured with an encryption key. Be sure though to select a system that uses an encryption key of at least 128 bits.

With these security measures in place, unauthorized eavesdropping is virtually impossible.

Providing Sound In Historical Funeral Home

Thu, 08 Nov 2012 14:30:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Sound Advice of Lafayette, Indiana, was recently faced with a rather formidable challenge. The Butler Funeral Home in Rockville, Indiana, contacted Rodney J. Cowden and Michael J. Howe to help upgrade their sound system. Ordinarily, this is an easy task for the custom installation company, however Cowden and Howe discovered that this particular funeral home was in a converted mid 1800’s Victorian two-story mansion. It boasted “tornado-proof” solid brick walls at least 18” thick. To make matters worse (from an installation standpoint) the owner had waited until remodeling of the structure was almost completed. Final paint, wallpaper and carpet were already in place. Cutting wire channels in the plaster was not an option; neither was surface mounted raceways. It was decided that a wireless audio system would be the best method of sound delivery, but the system would need to be utterly reliable, totally interference free, capable of adequate SPL [sound pressure level], not visually objectionable, and user friendly to operate.

Enter Listen Technologies Corp. With the help of Ken Voss (Online Marketing), Sound Advice received a demo unit in their shop for some rigorous testing. Cowden, Howe and their team’s initial tests of the product showed it to be interference free. They were also impressed with the knowledge that if there was a frequency noise problem at the funeral home, they could simply change the units to one of the other 57 available channels. In fact, they were so thrilled with the in-shop demo that they made a 1 ? hour trip to the funeral home with the product to show it off.

Sound coverage at Butler was excellent. And just as important, the owner liked the appearance of the products. Like many of Sound Advice’s clients, Butler Trustee Rodger Davies was initially very concerned with how the system would visually impact the surrounding environment; nevertheless, Davies placed his trust in Sound Advice to handle the aesthetics and to make sure the system performed.

Impressed by the demo, ten LR-600 Wireless Speaker / Receivers, one LT-800 Stationary Transmitter, two LA-316 Expansion Speakers and an LA-122 Universal Antenna Kit was ordered and installed with the Butler Funeral Homeis Yamaha tuner and a Superscope PAC750 combination cassette/CD and mixer. An Audio- Technica UHF wireless handheld microphone and lavaliere and Hammond organ were also connected to the mixer. The output of the Superscope PAC750 is fed to the input of the LT- 800 transmitter.

The LR-600 Wireless Speaker / Receivers were strategically placed throughout both stories of the funeral home and in a nearby unattached garage. With only minor adjustments for tone and volume made, the overall performance of the entire system proved to be exceptional, with no glitches. One of the LA-316 Expansion Speakers was placed on the front porch, the other on the rear porch - areas that are occasionally used for overflow with large funerals.

“This particular installation could not have been accomplished without Listen’s exceptional products,” said Cowden. Sound Advice, Inc. is a custom installation company offering many services, including custom design, installation and integration of music and video distribution, system automation, home theatre lighting, furniture and equipment, HDTV, DSS satellite, phone systems, networking, security and commercial sound. Sound Advice has enjoyed more than 13 years of business and has developed close working relationships with many local builders and cabinet-makers. Though small, their staff has close to 100 years of collectiveexpertise helping clients through the process of aesthetically integrating audio and video into their home or business in a user-friendly fashion, something especially important with the new technologies that are available but are frequently misunderstood. Listen designs and manufactures wireless devices to help people hear better. Originally primarily known for assistive listening devices for the hard-of-hearing, Listen products are now used around the world for language interpretation, tour guide systems and sound field applications.

Listen’s transmitters send a clear, clean audio signal to individual receivers equipped with earphones. Or for sound field applications, Listen has multiple stationary receiver products to meet the needs of end-users. Listen is dedicated to providing products to help people hear and understand, and thereby have their lives enriched. For details on Listen products, visit http://www.listentech.com on the web. Or for more information about Sound Advice, Inc. go to http://www.soundadviceinc.com

WIN Stadium Gets A Sound Makeover

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:27:00 +0000

This blog was originally posted at http://noisebox.com.au/case_study/stadiums

Rechristened as WIN Stadium, following corporate sponsorship, Wollongong Showground is a rectangular multi-purpose stadium in Wollongong, which regularly hosts the St George Illawarra ‘Dragons’ rugby league matches. The stadium boasts a capacity of 23,000.

LOCATION

Wollongong

CUSTOMER BRIEF

Public Address system for sports announcements, commentaries, BGM and paging. The Western Grandstand is also home to two new 400 person function rooms

NOISEBOX SOLUTIONS

Two rows of speakers installed into the roof canopy provide coverage of the seated audience areas.

‘Of all the 12-inch speakers on the market, there was only one that was powerful and lightweight enough to fit the bill and that was the EV ZX3 speaker system.’

As systems integrator, Noisebox installed the 24 white ZX3 cabinets from the top of the canopy, by suspending the speakers from single points into cut out templates before adjusting their angles and fixing into position. The entire loudspeaker system is powered by six Dynacord H-5000 multi-channel amplifiers, whilst an EV Netmax N-8000 system controller provides complete system management including routing, DSP, system control and supervision. At the insistence of the local council, a Drawmer SP2120 processor provides speaker limiting so that the stadium sound does not exceed imposed limits in the surrounding neighborhood.

The West Stand is also home to two new function rooms, which are used for game days in addition to corporate conferences, weddings and parties. Processed by an EV Netmax N-8000 processor, two EV CPS4.5 amplifiers power the EviD C8.2 ceiling speakers in these zones. An AMX NI-4100 processor provides complete remote control via a tablet, including Panasonic Blu-Ray DVD playback, whilst a lectern loaded with A/V equipment has been installed with an EV RE90P microphone. Four channels of RE2 wireless microphones have also been installed into the venue to enhance the facility’s functions.

Hearing Augmentation in this type of environment cannot be serviced by tradition loop design nor IR technologies. Noisebox investigated an RF solution utilizing the Listen product from the US. A single di pole antenna strategically positioned within the Grandstand successful delivers 100% coverage to the 7000 capacity audience. The success of this deployment was outstanding and confirms to AV professionals that the most successful solutions are the most elementary in their execution.

About Noisebox

Based in Sydney, with contractors nationwide, Noisebox Integrated Technologies is a privately owned, full service audiovisual product and services provider. Noisebox’s integration division is one of the best-trained teams in the industry, providing custom design and installation services to network operation centers, government chambers, boardrooms, meeting rooms, computer classrooms, and distance learning facilities. For more information visit http://noisebox.com.au/

A New Day at Caesar’s Palace

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 23:30:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Stationary FM

Caesar’s Palace is home to one of the newest and most elaborately constructed theaters that is devoted to a single show. The Colosseum is a 4,100 seat theater and home to the new show featuring one of the world’s top selling female recording artists, Celine Dion.

Construction of the $95 million theater began in Spring of 2001 and was completed when the show opened in March of 2003. “A New Day” was created by Franco Dragone, known for his work with Cirque du Solei. The 58 member cast performs on a 22,450 square foot stage with a state of the art sound and video system. Outside Caesar’s Palace is a giant 120 foot Mitsubishi LED wall marquee. In the theater, the show takes advantage of a video wall made up of 12 50-inch video cubes behind the stage, a state of the art 5.1 Meyer Sound System, and a Listen Technologies Corporation assistive listening system.

Listen products are ideal for the Grammy Award winner’s live performance. With a Listen LT-800 Stationary Transmitter installed with the main sound system, guests use individual LR-400 Display Receivers to hear the audio anywhere in the theater. Guests simply check out a receiver from guest services free of charge and find their seats. The units are electronically locked on channel, so the guest simply puts on the earphones and adjusts the volume to a comfortable level.

Listen products are widely used for live performances, theater productions, and other presentations due to its exceptional audio quality, ease of use, and simple maintenance. For more information on Listen products and their applications, check the web site at http://www.listentech.com

AV Week - Tour Of The LDS Conference Center Part 2

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:41:06 +0000

This blog is the second in a three part series. To read the first blog click here >>>

As part of our AV Week Activities, a week designated to celebrate, promote and share AV throughout our community, I was able to tour the LDS Conference Center with almost 40 Listen Technologies employees and friends. The Conference Center has the ability to interpret and disburse 97 languages live.

Not even the United Nations comes close to that number (they interpret 6 languages live). I was impressed by many things during the tour, but I think that the language interpretation process is especially impressive as it really is uncharted territory.

On the 2^nd floor between the main auditorium floor and balcony, is the language interpretation area. There are 58 individual language booths, a general meeting area, a control room and one set of bathrooms. ASL translation is performed in a different area as it requires its own studio and production staff. During LDS General Conference, which is two full days of content streamed live twice a year, they will simultaneously translate up to 97 languages. Each language team has from 6 to 16 people, depending on the availability. Even more impressive to note, these interpreters are volunteers. That’s anywhere from 500-600 people who freely donate the time and talents. And remember, there’s only one set of bathrooms.

Each booth is set up for two people to see and hear the broadcast; one is actively translating while the other is on standby for backup. In many languages, there are not locals who can either speak fluently or without a thick accent. For these languages a Tieline codec is used and the audio is sent directly to that country, using IP, ISBN and analog phone lines, where it is interpreted and sent back to the Language Control Room and then distributed around the Conference Center campus using Listen Technologies and other receivers. In all there is less than a ten second delay from the time the original content is spoken, to the time the interpreted language is received. It makes my head spin just thinking about it!

Everything produced out of the Conference Center, is in a minimum of 13 languages though the majority goes out in 32. To keep things moving quickly, the translations are all recorded and cut at the same time. This goes for audio recordings, films and productions.

The Translation Control Room has a complete wall of custom designed boxes, 48 ATM-2000 (Automatic Translation Mixers) designed by dlb Research. The ATM-2000 automatically adjusts the microphone volume of each interpreter, fades the live program up and down for the musical numbers and provides an intercom to each interpreter’s booth. From the Windows based control surface allows the operator to monitor all 96 languages, see at a glance the status of microphones and signal levels, as well as use a talkback system to speak to individual interpreters or all at once.

“Fifty years ago we were interpreting from dirt floors in the Tabernacle, and now we are interpreting for a single event from essentially anywhere in the world,” said Brad Lindsay, the Church’s manager of interpretation services. “This is a huge change, and technology makes this all possible.” Source >

It’s inspiring to see just what can be achieved as technology evolves.

TBM LeanSigma Improves Quality

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 18:45:04 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

TBM LeanSigma provides some of the nation’s best manufacturing firms with continuous improvement seminars and plant tours. Wanting to upgrade their current tour-guide system, they found Listen Technologies. “We needed something clear sounding, easy to use and easy to transport,” says LeanSigma Event Coordinator, Cheryl Groves. No small thing when conducting tours for groups of 50 to 200 in some very noisy plants. The fact that Listen receivers don’t require batteries, and that their cases also function as chargers, has been another strong point: no need to change batteries. Not only does this feature save the company valuable time, it also eliminates the quality problems of receivers dying out in the middle of a tour.

The Listen equipment “makes us look good,” to clients and prospects, a big plus for a company concerned with image. “There’s a level of dependability, knowing that the tour guide system won’t fail in the midst of a plant tour for 50 senior-level executives,” which helps LeanSigma immensely. “A plant tour loses its value when a participant is busy trying to fix their receiver instead of listening to the tour guide,” says Groves, who adds that they “have no worries” with the Listen equipment.

Working with Listen dealer Steve Elias at Baycom, Inc. made things incredibly easy, despite the fact that LeanSigma spent a lot of time on the decision-making process. “He was very patient.”

One of the biggest pluses, according to Groves is the equipment’s multiple channel feature. “We can run up to 12 different tour groups at the same time in the same manufacturing plant” with no loss of sound clarity and no disturbing ambient noise. Finally, she says about the equipment, “We can’t be more pleased.”

Blue Angels Air Show Soars With Sound

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 19:56:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Every year the Navy’s Blue Angels put on an air show at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, located in northern San Diego County, California. Their breathtaking flight demonstrations are performed with music and narration on the ground, creating an interesting challenge for any public address system. Thanks to San Diego-based Listen dealer Tri-Media Pro Sound, there’s been no problem hearing what’s happening on the ground amid the roar of the F/A-18 Hornets overhead.

The show at MCAS Miramar is the largest military air show in the country, with more than 500,000 spectators in attendance over a three-day period. The primary spectator seating area covers 3800 linear feet, with another 600-foot area behind the grandstands.

The air base sends the project out for bid each year. For the past two years the contract was awarded to
Tri-Media, which supplied the Listen equipment through their rental division, an ideal arrangement for both entities.

“Tri-Media [has] provided better-quality equipment and services for the same price [we’d paid others],” said Lieutenant Colonel USMC (Ret), Edwin Downum, the air show’s coordinator, who indicated that a major challenge for the event is having cable on the ground. “It can be a trip hazard in high-traffic areas,” he said.
Tri-Media’s solution was simple: a wireless RF setup, with a Listen LT-800 Stationary FM Transmitter, LA-107 Ground Plane Remote Antenna, and LR-100 Stationary Receiver/Power Amplifier feeding into speakers.

Downum found that the Listen equipment delivered consistently high-quality sound, easily reaching beyond the grandstands to spectators walking around the displays and entering the gates to the flight line. With most systems, one would expect sound coverage like that to require volume levels so high that those sitting closest to the speakers would be less than comfortable. According to Downum, that’s just not so with Listen’s system, resulting in excellent customer satisfaction.

“We received outstanding support and excellent sound equipment,” said Downum, who added, “Tri-Media Pro Sound was outstanding, setting up, operating and tearing down the equipment in a professional and timely manner.”

The project is going out for bid again, and there’s no doubt it will be hard to match the quality and value provided by Listen equipment and Tri-Media.

AV Week - Tour Of The LDS Conference Center Part 1

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:57:29 +0000

This blog is the first of a three part series.

The LDS Conference Center located in downtown Salt Lake City is the largest LIVE audio installment in the US. As part of its AV Week celebration Listen Technologies co-hosted a tour of the 1.4 million square foot facility that seats 21,000 people.

The AV Tour of the LDS Conference Center was
my first InfoComm AV Week experience. What an impressive way to be introduced into what AV Week is all about. Every October the audiovisual community comes together to celebrate, promote and share the impacts of the AV industry across the world. I joined over 35 participants from Salt Lake City for a behind-the-scenes AV tour of this extraordinary facility.

The LDS Conference Center hosts the semi-annual General Conference which is broadcast to 12 million people worldwide, “Music and The Spoken Word” (a weekly LIVE musical broadcast) as well as various cultural and artistic shows.

According to LDS Sound Engineer Trent Walker, “We get quite the gamut of performers who come through this room. In addition to LDS events there are approximately 25 other shows per year, including the National Rotary and World Barbershop conventions, concerts such as a recent performance by The Oak Ridge Boys with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir to benefit Feed the Children, and a variety of guest soloists who perform with the choir every week.”

I have been to the Conference Center several times to attend performances, but it never fails that my breath is taken as I step into the theater. It’s a one of a kind space large enough to fit a Boeing 747 but the shape of the room makes distributing audio a challenge. Most of the equipment needs to be modified. For instance, when the 350 person Tabernacle Choir is singing at full voice (and let me tell you, this is amazing to witness), it measures at about 121 dB. When using a tube mic it saturates the diaphragm so the mics are attenuated 7 dB. The result is pure, beautiful sound. Another challenge is transitioning from the full sound of the choir to a 90 year old man whose voice is a whisper. The solution is a custom built podium mic with two shotgun mics in the capsule, one on top and one on the bottom, allowing customization between presenters.

With a LIVE weekly broadcast, a Christmas concert that requires 120 inputs and productions that require the utmost care, the two common keywords that I heard throughout the tour were redundancy and consistency. Everything has a backup so that if any one element fails, it goes unnoticed by the audience. The setup in the Conference Center is identical to that in the Tabernacle, a separate building across the street where performances and practices are also held. So if mic 5 is over the harp in the Conference Center, you bet it’s mic 5 over the harp in the Tabernacle. This gives consistent sound as they move from room to room, the only difference comes when they go on tour. Isn’t it funny how these minor details may not be noticed by the end user unless they are missing?

We learned just how the sound system was designed so that no matter where you are sitting, you have not only an unobscured view of the stage but a magical experience in sound. For my #AVTweeps, here’s the rundown. The front-of-house system is set up with 18 L-Acoustics dV-DOSC cabinets flown per side and six dV-SUB ground-stacked below for extended low-frequency reinforcement. The foldback system for the choir and orchestra runs 16 discreet mixes, and monitors deployed are combination of L-ACOUSTICS MTD112b and MTD108a enclosures. There are up to 96 channels on the PM1D. Peluso P-47 cover a wide cardio A1 pattern in the soprano/alto center and tenor/bass configuration. Additionally, there are 8 hanging mics that tie to a LARES system developed by Steve Barbar an electro acoustical enhancement reverb system since the room is pretty dead on its own.

Over the terrace and balconies in the main auditorium, there are over 400 separate down firing speakers that are time aligned to the custom center cluster which uses Electro-Voice Xf, Xcn and Xb. With one speaker per channel and one DSP per channel, engineers are able to manage separate EQ, separate sound levels, test individual units and the sound is delayed exactly.

Not a detail is missed in assuring an unforgettable experience. Whether it’s the warm full sound coming from the choir or the crisp clear spoken word, there’s not a bad seat in the house.

Thanks to Sean McFarland and his team for giving us such an in depth tour of this magnificent facility. I certainly have a greater appreciation of the manpower and expertise that is brought together at the Conference Center. Impressive only begins to tell the story. I’ll be sharing more details from the tour including language interpretation (did you know they translate into 97 languages?) and audio, video and light mixing.

Smooth’s New Listen System

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 20:50:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Some say success in the restaurant business is hard to come by. But like any other business, branding can be the play that cinches the game. Just ask the folks at Smooth’s Sports Grille in Long Beach, California, who got a winning assist from Listen Technologies.

With a taste for fine cuisine and a love of the game - baseball, hoops, football, rugby and more - the restaurant’s owner stepped solidly into the 21st century, installing 27 plasma televisions - 26 50-inch, and one 65-inch - along with six 8-foot projectors. They also have two cases of Listen personal wireless audio receivers that enable patrons to tune in to their favorite color commentary and instant replays while enjoying the catch of the day.

According to Banquet Manager, Robyn Joyce, there are always multiple games and multiple stations tuned in. With the Listen solution, what could have been a cacophony of sounds is simply the muted hustle bustle of any busy restaurant.

The system, designed by Listen dealer A-Vidd Electronics, has proved a great move for the establishment. The earpieces are widely used (by request) and have become a great selling point. They are wildly popular though Smooth’s does not advertise them at all. “It’s all word of mouth,” says Joyce.

Offering something for each segment of their market, Smooth’s is a little bit fine dining, a little bit sports bar and grille, with an undefeated record for foodies and sports fans alike, thanks to adding Listen Technologies to the team.

Walk4Hearing Kicks Off AV Week

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 12:20:48 +0000

October 14 officially kicks off InfoComm AV Week 2012. InfoComm members in Utah got a jump start and began celebrating AV Week in September this year.

AV Week proclamations were secured from Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, and Bluffdale City Mayor Derk Timothy.

For the third year in a row Listen Technologies picked the Hearing Loss Association of America and its Walk4Hearing as a charity to support as part of AV Week. The Listen Trek Team raised over $2,500 through combined efforts of reaching out to family and friends asking for donations and sponsorship dollars. These efforts helped the Salt Lake City Walk4Hearing raise over $18,000.

Walk4Hearing participants also were able to experience either a Hearing Loop or RF assistive listening solution for the audio portion of the Walk4Hearing.

The foreboding rain withheld and a festive and inspiring atmosphere took over the day’s activities Over 300 people came out to Sugarhouse Park on Saturday, October 13 to support those with hearing loss and help raise funds to bring awareness to this invisible yet rampant situation. 17% or 36 million people in the United States alone experience some degree of hearing loss. With this kind of prevalence the reality is that we all know or will soon know someone with hearing loss.

There is a lot more to come this week. Here are just a handful of samples of what members of InfoComm will be doing to celebrate AV Week.

InfoComm is hosting two AV Week events this year:

The Power of AV Education – designed exclusively for the audiovisual technology professional working in education, training and learning environment. This event will examine future trends in learning and technology’s role.

AVlypmics – Forty area high school TV production students will receive education on career paths in the industry and will train and compete in various AV themed activities. Local InfoComm members will form teams and compete in the first ever AVlympics for a chance to win a trip to InfoComm 2013 in Orlando and compete again.

CMA Digital is hosting an open house showcasing their office with large digital signage displays and software solutions.

Columbus State Community College will host a display and presentation.

Draper, Inc. will host an event at their headquarters for local technical high school students. Students will tour the facility and discover career opportunities in the audio visual industry.

Kramer Electronics is participating in AV Week by hosting two training and educational sessions at their New Jersey office.

Listen Technologies will be hosting a behind-the-scenes tour of the LDS Conference Center. Additionally, Listen employees will compete in AV Week Jeopardy to test their AV knowledge.

Net-AV will speak at several local community colleges and technical council events to educate and promote the AV industry.

Projector Lamp Services is holding a Relampit Recycling Raffle once again. Participants are encouraged to recycle used projector lamps and will have a chance to win a new projector.

Rp Visual Solutions will teach a class to the film, TV and IT departments at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, California.

Westminster College will celebrate for the fourth consecutive year with a multitude of events.

We hope that wherever you might be this week you’ll find a way to celebrate the AV industry.

Wireless Sound For Go-Cart Track

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 20:23:21 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Thunder Creek Speedway in Dorney Park, a go-cart track in Allentown, PA, had a sound problem. The track, located in a residential area, was receiving numerous and ongoing complaints about the PA system on the track. In order for drivers to hear instructions and announcements over the noise of the car engines, track officials had to increase the PA system volume to a level considered offensive by their neighbors.

“For years, the park had been replacing windows in neighbors’ houses, installing thermal paint windows, putting more insulation in their walls, and spending large amounts of money to buffer the (bull) horns from the track,” explained Bob Schermerhorn, vice president of sales at Allentown-based Entertainment Services Group (ESG). “They started to realize that no matter how many windows they replaced, these were all houses built in the `30’s and `40’s. No matter what you did, you were not necessarily going to be able to completely minimize the noise.”

Bob and ESG suggested using a Listen wireless audio system for the cars. After installing an LT-800 Stationary Transmitter in the control booth, ESG utilized LR-600 Wireless Speaker / Receivers for each of the cars. The LR-600’s were adapted with custom designed rechargeable batteries and a shock absorbing mounting system. Then one was installed in each of the track’s 33 cars. “You really don’t see the speaker at all,” Bob laughed. “If you haven’t driven the car before, it’s almost as if God is talking to you. This voice comes out of nowhere, and it gets your attention. And the gain is enough that it can be heard over the engine noise.”

“I think it’s a great example of showing that there are a lot of applications for wireless audio,” said Bob. “When you say wireless, a lot of people think of microphones. But there are a lot more applications than you think.”

Listen wireless audio ... applications that can really go places.

Story originally printed in November, 2002 issue of System Contract News, storyby Travis McGee.

Komatsu America Tours

Tue, 09 Oct 2012 19:28:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Komatsu America International Company, a manufacturer of earth moving equipment, uses Listen^ÆTechnologies’ tour group listening systems for showing guests through their manufacturing plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, U.S.A.

Komatsu tours customers, potential customers, distributors and corporate people through their plant during “Customer Field Days” in February and March each year. Seven tour guides simultaneously tour groups of 30 guests through the plant two days each week. Because of the large number of people on tour each day, Komatsu hands out a color-coded slip to each guest upon arrival. Thirty guests receive the same color slip while each color represents one tour group. The guide and an assistant with the same designated color hand out Listen headsets marked with that color. The guide and assistant can easily manage the devices and keep the guests together using this color coding system.

These tours help strengthen Komatsu’s relationship with existing customers and assist in impressing potential new customers with their manufacturing and customer service capabilities.

Because Listen receivers and portable transmitters can tune to up to 57 channels in the field with a push of a button, they can easily be turned away from interference, which can potentially come from machinery and other tours in the same facility. Seven Komatsu tours are conducted at one time without interference.

Use of rechargeable batteries within the Listen products along with drop-in charging cases make system management and distribution of product easy.

Komatsu America International manufactures earth-moving equipment such as excavators, wheel loaders, dozers, motor graders and dump trucks. Komatsu International is a unit of Komatsu Limited, a diversified provider of industrial products and services.

Great Falls Improves Downtown With Wireless Audio

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 21:41:35 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

As a time-honored summer tradition, the Great Falls Business Improvement District (B.I.D.), auto dealer Bennett Motors, and KLFM 92.9 oldies radio sponsor Cruisin’ the Drag, a popular classic auto show. The show spans about nine blocks right in the heart of downtown Great Falls on Central Avenue. It features classic restored automobiles on display from all over the nation. The event, which has steadily grown from 300 - 600+ cars in its 4-year history, drew about 9000 people in 2004. This one-day event, like many others in the area, brings much needed business the downtown shops and eateries.

The Challenge

The Great Falls B.I.D. had been renting a cabled audio system to broadcast sound around the downtown blocks for their events, which cost thousands of dollars each time. While the system adequately distributed the sound, it required tripods and a multitude of cables on each block. All that cabling also required considerable time to install. With all the many events the B.I.D. hosts throughout the year, this audio solution was cumbersome and costly on an annual basis. Great Falls B.I.D. was looking for an easier and more affordable way to spread sound around downtown.

The Solution

Great Falls B.I.D. brought in local audio guru Mark Pritchard of Mountain Sound Project to take on this challenge. Using his technical knowledge of audio products and his own mechanical skills he devised a weather-proof wireless audio distribution system that has quick to set up and was affordable enough for the client to purchase outright.

The key technology that made Pritchard’s solution possible was wireless FM transmission available from Listen Technologies Corporation. In the central control box, Pritchard had various audio sources plugged into Listen’s LT-800 Stationary FM Transmitter, rack mounted with the other equipment. The transmitter would send sound out to LR-100 Stationary Receiver/Power Amplifiers located in speaker clusters which mounted to the old-fashioned lampposts around the downtown area.

In addition to the LT-800 Transmitter, the central control box also included a sound mixer, a CD player, a wireless microphone, an AM/FM tuner, and a cassette deck offering virtually any media to the users. Volume for the whole system is controlled from this box, which is usually located right in the middle of Central Avenue for downtown events, but can be set up anywhere.

The speaker clusters, which can be installed in less than a minute and a half, include the LR-100 Receiver/Amplifier, two JBL speakers, a Stuart 2-channel power amplifier, a fan, and an on/off switch. He fabricated steel brackets and weather proof boxes for these clusters. During the winter holidays, the system was left up for four solid weeks, without any problems. A single power cable plugged into an outlet on the lamppost provides power for each of the components. Two clusters per block are staggered in the six-block downtown area. Dismantling each cluster takes less than a minute - and B.I.D. volunteers can do it all themselves, no special labor is needed.

The system as a whole is ideally suited for a wide variety of community events. Because it is so easy to install and is so portable, the system can be used virtually anywhere, such as the parks and civic center, and anytime. The versatility of the central control box enables the B.I.D. to broadcast background music, radio remotes, announcements, commercials, and more. In fact, during radio remotes the AM/FM tuner broadcasts the remote as it comes across the radio station. In addition, the radio personalities will cut over to the microphone for the central control box to make special announcements just for those in the downtown area.

Client Satisfaction

Great Falls B.I.D. Director Greg Madsen reported that this innovative audio solution has worked beautifully since its birth at the Cruisin’ the Drag event. The clusters have worked flawlessly despite temperatures of nearly -30 degrees in the winters and 105 degrees in the summers. Purchasing a system saves them a lot of money over time. Plus it has helped increase revenues to downtown business.

“It’s worked flawlessly! For Cruisin’ the Drag and other events the system has worked so well to make the atmosphere comfortable and inviting. In fact, people who work downtown have proactively sent us message telling us how much they enjoy the background music.”

The Great Falls B.I.D. has continued using this easy and affordable solution for a host of other events to help rejuvenate the downtown area, including its Annual Downtown Summer Sidewalk Sale, the Christmas Stroll, and First Night festivities.

Instruction Without Interruption

Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:26:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Lehman College’s Speech and Hearing Center of Bronx, NY, recently received a most remarkable renovation. What was once a small collection of speech therapy rooms and two-way mirrors is now one of the most high-tech speech pathology labs in the U.S. The innovative technology that the college brought on board is having an important impact on instructors, students, and patients.

The Speech and Hearing Center’s control room is adorned with multiple monitors, a touch screen control panel, and communication equipment – all part of a complex yet easy-to-use system that facilitates more efficient and effective training of speech pathology students. However, one of the system’s key components keeps a pretty low profile – the wireless Listen LS-04 Advanced Installed FM System.

Student therapists in the therapy rooms are equipped with the Listen LR-500 programmable body pack receiver with a pluggable earpiece. Because the equipment is discreetly worn by the student therapists, it does not become a distraction during the session.

The whole audiovisual system was designed by AV integrator IVCi LLC, and works like this. The wired therapy rooms are equipped with inconspicuous cameras and low profile plate microphones, which act as the digital “eyes and ears” of the room. These images and sounds are sent to the control station where an instructor monitors the session by watching the screens and listening through headphones. When correction or assistance is needed in the session, the instructor speaks into the microphone at the control station, which is then heard by the student therapist through the LR-500 receiver.

Thanks to ingenious design, one instructor can monitor several sessions at once, all from one spot. Before installing their elaborate AV system, which will accommodate up to 14 users, the instructors had to traverse corridors to monitor therapy sessions through two-way mirrors.

The instructor entered the room during the sessions to provide correction and feedback – a necessary learning tool and practice that unfortunately can disrupt the momentum.

Because Lehman College’s lab specializes in communication problems in children, interruptions cannot be underestimated.

One speech pathologist said children may sometimes misinterpret an instructor’s interruption and think that he/she did something wrong, which naturally may embarrass them. The disruptions also have the potential to undermine the credibility of the student therapist in the patient’s eyes, which could embarrass the student therapist and slow the patient’s progress.

With the Listen components, instructors can essentially “whisper” into the ear of the student therapist and provide real-time assistance without disrupting the flow of the session by entering the room. Thus, many of the “soft” risks are eliminated.

More importantly, having their new AV system means the instructors won’t miss opportunities to help students because they are away watching another session. They can manage all the sessions from one central control station. All of these innovations point to two important achievements for the college: better training for student therapists, and better outcomes for the patients.

Gates Corporation Chooses Listen Portable FM System

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 20:38:08 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

As the Gates Corporation’s main training facility in the U.S., the Gates Rubber factory, located in Siloam Springs, Ark., uses plant tours not only to introduce vendors and visitors to Gates’ “well-oiled” operations, but also to conduct employee training.

In a noble attempt to enable all guests to hear over the industrial machinery, tour guides and trainers toted around a microphone and small loudspeaker, requiring the use of both hands. This somewhat cumbersome solution worked well for those in the immediate vicinity of the guide, however it still was unable to reach all of the listeners adequately.

Gates’ HSE Coordinator Bill Medley knows the value of ensuring good sound especially on the shop floor to not only ensure visitor safety, but also when teaching employees about safety. Medley was tasked with finding a more effective audio solution, and his search led him to Listen Technologies’ LS-08 15-Person Advanced Portable FM System.

The wireless LS-08 consists of 16 body packs: 1 transmitter and 15 receivers. All body packs come with the needed accessories (microphone, earphones, batteries, etc.) and fit into a convenient charging/carrying case. You can also add more receivers to the system if 15 isn’t enough, or if your needs grow in the future. The system features 57 frequencies to ensure users can always find a clear signal. The individual receivers have a channel up/down and seek button, as well as access to the batteries, which are concealed behind a small lockable door, to prevent accidental adjustment, but which also allow easy access to the user.

Bill Medley, HSE Coordinator for the Gates factory noted, “The Listen system allows us to conduct trainings and factory tours in a noisy environment where everyone can clearly hear the speaker or trainer.” Since the Siloam Springs factory is one of the main training facilities, they frequently host guests from other Gates facilities as well as vendors. The visitors were so impressed with the clarity and ease-of-use of the Listen system that many of them have purchased systems for their own facilities.

Gates Corporation, which started out as a family business known as the Gates Rubber Company, has been inventing and manufacturing various mechanical and rubber-based products for close to 100 years. In fact, they actually invented the V-shaped drive belt commonly found in automotive engines. In addition to a booming aftermarket business for serpentine belts, tensioner pulleys and other items related to the automotive industry, they are also an OEM supplier for several major automotive manufacturers, so they have several production facilities all across North America and other parts of the world.

“We’ve been very happy with the Listen system,” says Bill Medley. “It’s been trouble-free and when ever we’ve had any questions about the system, the Listen people have always been very responsive and friendly.”

Why I Walk In Support Of Hearing Loss

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 22:30:56 +0000

Over the last three years I have had the privilege of getting involved with the Salt Lake City chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America and the Walk4Hearing.

To be honest I initially got involved because of my role as the Director of Marketing for Listen Technologies. In this role, I get approached by many parties that want to know if Listen is interested in sponsoring this, advertising in that, exhibiting here, buying lists, and on and on. Its okay, I get it, as a marketing professional these are all opportunities that I need to consider.

There were several things that were different about the sponsorship opportunity for the Walk4Hearing. First, Kathy Evans who has hearing loss approached me in person. Before she even asked about Listen getting involved she shared her story with me. I quickly learned that Kathy is someone who is a passionate advocate for the hearing loss community here in Salt Lake City. In addition to her involvement with the HLAA chapter she is also involved with Sanderson Community Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Utah Communication Access Network, Association of Late-Deafened Adults, SayWhatClub and Cochlear America. Phew, I’m exhausted just thinking about it. But, every one of these organizations is lucky to have Kathy’s involvement – she speaks from the heart about what the challenges and struggles she has had with her own hearing loss but that together with others a difference can be made so that the stigma associated with hearing loss diminishes and people with hearing loss can lead engaged lives.

This is Kathy with one of her team mates.

Her optimism was infectious. I quickly recognized that supporting the hearing loss community was well aligned with Listen’s core purpose and the solutions we offer. So, off I went and joined the volunteer planning committee and represented Listen and our sponsorship involvement. Well, the people I met on the committee and at the Walk4Hearing drew me right. I have been profoundly touched by this community of people with hearing loss. I have also come to quickly understand how widespread hearing loss is. With the numbers being where they are in the US population – 17% of Americans there is an excellent chance that if we are not personally affected we have a friend, colleague, family member that has some degree of hearing loss. What seems to be a common thread is their desire to engage fully despite their hearing loss.

There are several people in my life that are affected by hearing loss. All have different degrees of hearing loss and what I hope for them and anyone with hearing loss is that addressing hearing loss with whatever aid is needed becomes as common place as glasses have become for those that need glasses to see fully. It seems to me that using an assistive listening device or hearing aid will only make your experiences better.

So, what began as a job responsibility has turned into something that excites me to get behind and do what part I can to make a difference for those with hearing loss. Every spring and fall thousands of walkers – children, families, young adults, young at heart and everyone in between – form teams and walk in their communities to raise money for programs and services for people with hearing loss and to increase public awareness.

They walk together with hearing help providers, hearing device manufacturers and members in the medical field who believe in the cause and organize teams to fundraise for programs that make life better for people with hearing loss. Here are some of the programs and services that the HLAA and the Walk4Hearing fund:

· Advocating for the rights of people with hearing loss

· Funding for hearing aids and devices for people who cannot afford them

· Outreach to veterans returning with hearing loss

· Installation of hearing assistive technology in public places

· Support for parents of children with hearing loss

· Captioning of live theater productions

· Scholarships toward college tuition for students with hearing loss

If you’ve read this far, thank you. I invite you to consider supporting the 2012 Walk4Hearing to make a difference to people with hearing loss. You can register to walk as an individual, to start a team, or join a team at a walk site near you by clicking here. If you would like to donate to someone who is walking, please click here.

I’ll leave you with this video the HLAA produced to educate about the Walk4Hearing.

Calvary Chapel Offers Language Interpretation

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 21:04:52 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

With a thriving ministry in Salt Lake City, Utah, Calvary Chapel had just one drawback: they did not offer Spanish language services, and thus could not adequately serve the growing Hispanic community around them. The solution? Real-time language interpretation equipment from Listen Technologies Corporation.

The first step was to research their options, notes Calvary’s Jim Harris, church administrator, who turned to the internet for his search. It didn’t take long for him to find Listen’s real-time interpretation and assistive-listening products. “We were impressed with the customer service and follow-through” provided by the greater Salt Lake City-area-based Listen dealer, Marshall Industries. The sound quality and competitive prices sealed the deal.

Answering an immediate need

The church placed an announcement in their bulletin, asking for volunteers comfortable enough with Spanish to assist with the interpretation. They found two. In the meantime, Listen sent them a demo. As soon as they had it, a family arrived for Sunday’s service needing language interpretation. The husband shared that his wife, who did not speak English, hadn’t attended church in over a year. She used the wireless equipment that morning and hasn’t missed a Sunday since.

The interpreters, who take turns between translating printed materials and interpreting services, watch the service on a monitor from a room offstage. They have Spanish/English Bibles printed with side-by-side columns, one in English and the other Spanish.

Real time in no time

The entire process - from the decision to try Listen’s equipment to the implementation of the system - took only four to six weeks, with assistance every step of the way from Listen’s corporate office and the dealer. Calvary also learned from Marshall Industries that their language interpretation system could be augmented to provide assistive listening. They offer listening assistance now too, thanks to the addition of a wireless transmitter for that purpose.

“We were already familiar with wireless,” says Harris, who explains that the pastor uses a wireless mic with the youth group. Still, they were “surprised” by how seamlessly the Listen system worked, how easy it was to install, and how clear they found the sound. Another bonus, unique to this equipment, is that Spanish-speaking churchgoers need not sit in a specified section of the sanctuary.

Since implementing the system, Calvary, which in the summer hosts a Church in the Park every Wednesday, has been able to use Listen’s transmitter to facilitate sound at these outdoor events full of fellowship, music and breaking bread (a barbecue is part of the afternoon activities). It is flexibility like this that has made Listen’s equipment and service priceless to the ministry and to its Spanish-speaking community.

School District Eliminates Disruptions At Meetings with Language Interpretation

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:57:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

While lively discussions may ensue in some PTA meetings, most are fairly routine and occur with little disruption. For the Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD), however, disturbances from language interpretation, which accommodates its large Chinese-speaking community, were becoming increasingly noticeable and problematic.

Director of Technology and Information Services Robert Leri reported that 65 percent of the population is ethnic Chinese, the majority of those speak Mandarin as their first language. While interpreters in the back of the room and parents did their best to be unobtrusive during meetings, it became evident that the district needed to find a better way to unite the parents linguistically, so they could continue to strengthen the education for the students.

Commitment to Outreach AUSD has already been doing a lot of community outreach to help all parents become involved with their children’s education. In addition to the language interpretation at PTA, booster, and other committee meetings, the district also offers community liaisons for ethnically diverse families and free English classes to members of their community in an effort to help children more quickly acquire English skills.

Following suit, AUSD purchased a Listen Portable FM system to reduce disruptions from language interpretation, enabling them to continue providing the valuable service and conduct more efficient meetings.

Taking “Charge” of Interpretation the custom-designed system consists of three LT-700 Portable FM Transmitters with microphones, 50 LR-400 Portable FM Receivers with headphones, and convenient charging carrying cases. The charging cases were a major factor in AUSD’s selection of technology, according to Leri. “Other systems we looked at required a separate cord for each unit. That would have been a cord nightmare,” he said.

To facilitate quieter interpretation services and smoother meetings, an interpreter listens to the proceedings through the headphones of an LR-400 receiver set to one of its 57 channels. Then the interpreter speaks the interpretation into the microphone connected to the LT-700 transmitter set to a separate channel, which broadcasts a clear RF signal out a radius of 150 feet.

Listeners, equipped with the body pack receivers, hear through the headphones. Each unit has individual volume control so even guests who may be hearing impaired can listen to the interpretation clearly.

“This system really addresses the needs of the parents, so all of then can understand and participate in their children’s education,” Leri said. The district also intends to use this portable language interpretation system with its bilingual advisory committee, other parent groups, and possibly with students.

Why I Wear Earplugs

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:44:12 +0000

Band tour manager Forrest Reda shares his experience with House Research Institute for their feature SoundRules and www.EarBud.org on why he wears earplugs.

I’m a tour manager for the band Dr. Dog and I wear high fidelity earplugs because I love music, and I want to enjoy listening to it for the rest of my life.

The music industry is filled with artists and crew members who have blown out their ears by being around loud music too long. Unfortunately, most people don’t wear earplugs, but they aren’t very effective when you need to be able to hear nuances in live music, and they also tend to fall out of your ears, so they are often abandoned. When we are on tour, we arrive at the venue hours before the show.

We load-in the instruments and gear and the band sets up and sound checks their equipment so that our audio engineer can adjust the sound system and make the show sound as good as possible. The theater is usually empty, except for me, the band and the rest of the crew and stagehands. While the band is rehearsing, our sound engineer needs to have the volume turned up as loud as it will be later in the evening when the venue is packed with bodies that naturally dampen the volume coming from the stage.

This means that sound check is loud. When I am wearing my earplugs, I can listen to the band and make sure they are getting the sounds they want, while protecting my hearing from excessive volume, which can spike as high as 110 decibels. During the show I wear them too, in case I have to get onstage to trouble shoot a problem or otherwise get close to the speakers.

My earplugs allow me to still hear people speaking to me, and I can hear the music, especially the guitars, with a clarity that I can’t hear without the plugs. The muddy low-end is filtered away, and I can hear the mid and high frequencies, with the right amount of bass. Once I started wearing my custom molded, high fidelity earplugs, my concert experience improved dramatically.

Interpreting Simultaneously: America Translating Uses Conferencing Solution

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:13:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Listen Technologies, distributor of Conferencing solutions in the U.S.A., has found the market eager to embrace the conferencing microphone systems. Now the envelope has been pushed even further, with America Translating Service’s purchase of a Digital Conferencing System from Listen Technologies Corporation.

America Translating’s Digital Conferencing equipment is capable of processing and transmitting simultaneous, real-time language interpretation for up to 31 languages, with one additional channel transmitting the floor language. America Translating added to their system seven audio expanders that extract the interpreters’ speech and then transmit the interpretations directly to FM receivers worn by foreign-speaking conference participants.

According to Mike Devlin, translation project manager for America Translating, the Listen equipment seems “built for this century. It offers more simplicity, less manpower and more reliability” than their previous system. “We did a feature to-feature comparison to others on the market. The Listen system was clearly the system most able to take advantage of today’s leading-edge technology.”

America Translating acquired the system to serve the immediate needs of a client seeking simultaneous interpretation of 27 languages for an international convention.

The Digital Conferencing equipment emerged as the only system capable of doing the job in an efficient, seamless manner. It was a tall order, even for Listen, but Devlin is sold. “The system has great potential, and Listen played a critical role in pulling it all together; they were fantastic!”

This innovative system will be part of America Translating’s conference package, which includes on-site interpreters versed in any needed language. It will also be available on a rental basis for events needing this type of system.

The Detroit Science Center

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:52:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

The Detroit Science Center, founded by Detroit businessman and philanthropist Dexter Ferry nearly 30 years ago, was among the first centers for scientific exploration and learning in the country to include an IMAX Dome Theatre. An exhibit floor program plan encourages hands-on interaction, exploration and study of science and technology. Plans to transform the Science Center into a leading center for science education began in late 1998. In December, 1999, ground was broken on a $30 million expansion and renovation.

In March 2001, Advanced Lighting & Sound (ALS) of Troy, Michigan was asked to design and install the audio systems within the Center. The Center wanted to have independent sound systems, with the ability to tie all systems into one main system when necessary. Their requirements for audio within the Center consisted of one main demonstration area, the Science Stage, and five (5) satellite areas (the Sparks Theatre, IMAX Theatre, Motion Lab, the Matter Energy Lab, and the Hut).

Committed to following the American with Disabilities Act guidelines, the Detroit Science Center wanted an auditory assistance system capable of serving four percent of their total capacity. ALS choose to use Listen^Æproducts. “We wanted to use the Listen system because it offers a single tunable receiver with multi-channel capabilities and rechargeable batteries,” said Greg Koss, Advanced Light & Sound System Integrator. “This means a visitor can tune into each individual exhibit as they pass by it just by pressing one of the presets.”

Each of the five presentation areas was configured with an appropriate sound system which included a wireless Listen system. With each transmitter rack mounted and remote antennas placed on the top of each rack, the system was able to deliver the needed assistance for ADA compliance. The Listen transmitters were set up so that from the master control area, all transmitters could be tied into a single system with the throw of a single switch.

ALS later installed a sixth transmitter in the Science Center’s Planetarium.

Tour Guides Serve Up Satisfaction On Food Processing Plant Tours

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 14:38:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

As an experienced industrial tour guide, Robert Sapien has been taking advantage of tour group communication technology for a number of years. The first system he used worked pretty well at blocking out the din of noisy machinery on the plant floor. However, its clunky design and flimsy nature was undesirable and quickly wore out.

Sapien, who is the administrative assistant for Fresh Express’ flagship plant, tried a second system for his tours. Unfortunately, the system was ineffective with the industrial-strength noise in this exemplary salad processing plant in Salinas, Calif. Sapien reported that the noise-canceling quality was so poor that even with the sound equipment on, he had to shout to be heard. This limitation also meant he could take fewer guests on a single tour because everyone had to be within “shouting range.”

Using his experience with other systems, Sapien knew what he needed, and kept his eyes open for several years to find the right product. While browsing through a catalog from Hello Direct Inc., Sapien found an ideal solution: a Listen Technologies’ Tour Group System. Not only did the features listed in the catalog match his needs, but the free 30-day demonstration of the Listen products also would enable him to ensure the product could handle the noisy salad processing environment before he spent any money.

Sapien reported that the demonstration went really well. They made the switch to the Listen LS-07 15-Person Portable FM System, and now his visitors, sales director, and his vocal chords are thanking him for it.

The system Sapien uses includes a portable transmitter and 15 portable body pack receivers. Their system also features a noise-canceling microphone that expertly eliminates background noise from the loud machinery on the plant floor.

“We conduct about 60 tours each year, and we get tons of compliments on the quality of the tour. First, the presentations are good and second, they can clearly hear what is being said through their headphones,” Sapien said. “Providing tours period has such a great impact on our customers.”

In addition to great tours, Sapien explained that using Listen’s equipment is another way to convey the plant’s commitment to top quality, an integral element of the Fresh Express brand. The excellent tour experience reinforces the value of the company, its products and its professionalism to its clients.

“Using Listen’s tour group system makes it much easier for me to convey the important selling points to customers,” Sapien said. “It’s much more easy and comfortable for the visitors to hear the message clearly.”

From experience, Sapien knows how to serve up satisfaction on his plant tours. Listen-ing.

The Purple Rose Theater

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 14:20:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

It was Jeff Daniels ambition to become an actor. A struggling actor out of the small town of Chelsea, Michigan, Daniels received a prophetic call from the Artistic Director of the prestigious Marshall W. Mason’s Circle Repertory Company in New York City. It was that phone call that became Daniels’ break into major theatre and eventually, Hollywood.

After many years on the stage and screen, Daniels decided to move back to his roots in Michigan. With that move, he wanted to start a professional theatre company in the midwest that would allow area actors, playwrights, designers, etc. the opportunity to ply their craft and hone their skills.

In 1991, Daniels bought an old bus garage in the town of Chelsea with this dream in mind, and in the fall of that year the Purple Rose Theatre opened. In 1999, a full renovation of the non-profit theatre was accomplished thanks to donation efforts, costing over two million dollars to complete.

The theatre is configured in the round with a seating capacity of 168. The sound system includes a Yamaha 01V console, four (4) Community CSX-35 speakers, Bose speakers above the stage area, four (4) Tascam 801R dual mini-disc player/recorders and a few DSP’s. There are two (2) hanging microphones above the stage area.

The Chelsea community supports several retirement communities. After the renovations, Master Electrician Gary Ciarkowski received many requests for auditory assistance equipment. He approached Advanced Lighting and Sound for a solution.

Advanced decided that a Listen system would be the ideal solution for the venue. The LT-800 Stationary Transmitter was specified for the theatre, along with ten LR-300 Digital Receivers with headsets. The transmitter resides in the sound booth, with the antenna remoted within the theatre proper. Since its installation and implementation, the Listen system has performed admirably. “I’m impressed with the system’s fidelity and reliability,” Gary said. “And our patrons couldn’t be more pleased!”

You can learn more about the Purple Rose Theatre by going to their website at: www.purplerosetheatre.org

Article written by: Greg D. Koss, Systems Integration/Engineering, Advanced Lighting & Sound, Troy, MI.

St. John’s Engages and Enlightens Congregants

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 20:42:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

When it came time to upgrade the sound system at the beautiful St. John’s Lutheran Church in Santa Rosa California, Pastor Michael Schmid chose top-rate equipment.

His reason was simple. “Sound is vital,” the pastor said. “There is no point in being there if people can’t hear.”

For his parishioners’ assistive listening needs, he chose Listen Technologies Corporation. Listen provided the church with high-quality wireless sound that allowed those with hearing impairments the flexibility to sit in favorite or preferred locations in the sanctuary. That freedom can be extremely important to some in a house of worship.

“The system we had before was hard-wired to designated seats,” Pastor Schmid said. “But that wasn’t desirable. We wanted a system that would enable them the freedom to sit wherever they want.”

Utah-based Listen Technologies Corp. designs and manufactures wireless devices to help people hear better. Listen’s LT-800 transmitter, which was wired off of the main audio mixer for the church sound system, sends a clear, noise-filtered signal directly to parishioners wearing discreet battery powered receivers with headsets. The system also helps the church meet the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Greg Adams, chief engineer and systems designer at Sound Expressions in Santa Rosa, said the pastor and others at the church were delighted with the Listen system when they heard the quality of sound.

“The Listen equipment sounded so good in there, it basically blew everyone away,” said Adams, whose company sold and installed the system. “All the different options with speakers, the neck loops, the ear buds, made it real easy to accommodate any particular hearing impairment.” St. John’s later decided to extend the Listen system to the Cry Room by installing an LR-600 Wireless Speaker/Receiver. That way, parents of fussy children could still hear the sermon.

“You can just turn the Listen speaker on to hear the service,” Pastor Schmid said. He’s been very pleased with the system’s performance.

“We want to bring the best to the Lord and also the best to the people,” he said. “So high-quality sound is very important. It’s not an area that you want to skimp on.”

Wireless Listening Solution Clear In Any Language, Over Any Noise

Tue, 07 Aug 2012 17:28:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a "Listen User Profile" of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

When managers at Subaru of Indiana take groups of visiting Japanese and American business executives through their 550-acre campus, Subaru needs a tour guide system that handles both language translation and noise control.

That’s why ProAudio by Brand’s Richard Tappenden recommended Listen Technologies Corporation. He said Subaru of Indiana, or SIA, had been using a system with pre-set channels that could not easily be switched to accommodate the size of the group, or the number of people speaking English vs. Japanese.

“With the Listen system, SIA can easily do the multi-lingual tours,” said Tappenden, ProAudio’s systems consultant and design engineer. “They just tell the people which channel to set their receivers on and they get the right language.

With Listen, they have the flexibility they need.” But Tappenden said the managers at SIA were too business-minded to throw away working equipment from their older system. No problem. Tappenden said Listen was easily programmed so that SIA could continue using their old receivers as backup for large groups.

“The Listen system is versatile enough that clients can customize it for a variety of applications,” Tappenden said. “They will eventually phase out the other system and replace it completely. But Listen’s flexibility allowed SIA to continue using their existing product for now.”

Utah-based Listen Technologies Corporation produces wireless sound systems for tour guides and language interpretation, as well as assistive listening and soundfield uses. The small battery operated portable transmitters send sound over FM radio waves, allowing receivers to capture clear, noise-free sound. At SIA, tour guides are able to transmit two languages simultaneously to the touring executives by setting their personal, portable transmitters and receivers to different channels.

Whether their tours consist of 20 English speakers and 80 Japanese speakers, or vice versa, SIA can adjust the Listen system accordingly. But SIA has other concerns as well. The system needs to be strong enough to transmit clearly over such sound obstructions as the din of the stamping plant, where machines flatten 3,900 pounds of coiled steel and cut it into sheets the size of a car body, at the rate of up to 7,200 pieces per hour.

“Listen projects sound directly to the receivers,” Tappenden said. The noise-canceling headsets have the ability to filter out the machine noise from the stamping mill, the grinder, or other machinery. It’s a very tight system. Most importantly, Tappenden said his clients at SIA are extremely pleased.

Trojan Horse Training Uses Wireless Listening Solution

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:12:12 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

It’s another hot weekend that finds ten students of Las Vegas-based Trojan Horse Training dressed in smart jodhpur trousers and show jackets, and competing in jumping and dressage* events with their equine companions. In the warm-up arena, a handful of trainers busily chase and call out final instructions to their dozens of students competing that day. The result is little more than a shouting match – each instructor trying to get the attention of his or her riders and communicate the corrective actions.

For expert trainer Gina Tatom, who sits outside the arena, her instructions pierce through the chaos to her students with crystal clear reception. Tatom uses a portable wireless audio system from Listen Technologies to train and coach more effectively.

Tatom first saw wireless audio technology being used by internationally acclaimed training moguls Pat and Linda Parelli. She immediately recognized how audio technology could aid her training program and started an extensive search for an affordable system that could withstand the rigors of her business, which spans from horse breaking and problem behaviors to show jumping.

“When working with some of these more challenging horses, there can be a lot of bumps, especialy if a rider falls off,” Tatom explained. “I needed a product that could withstand that kind of jolting.”

After passing up expensive professional systems and flimsy residential systems from the local electronics store, Tatom tried a Listen Portable FM System by taking advantage of the manufacturer’s free 30-day demo program. Between her private lessons and weekend shows, she put the Listen system through the wringer ensuring it could hold up to the demands of equine arts. Listen gave a blue-ribbon performance and the lifetime warranty gave her the additional assurance that she would always have functioning equipment should something go wrong.

Her satisfaction met, she purchased her own Listen Portable FM System which includes one LT-700 Portable FM Transmitter and four LR-400 Portable FM Receivers. The body pack styling enables the users to clip the units to their belts, allowing free movement for both the coach and the student. Tatom wears thetransmitter, which is equipped with a headworn microphone, and the students tune in with their receivers and headphones.

“The Listen system is great! I love having it,” said Tatom, whose passion and drive have earned her a reputation of never-ending energy. “My work is not as exhausting now because I can coach while sitting in the shade outside the arena instead of following my riders around. Plus, I don’t have to shout anymore.” Tatom further explained that in windy conditions especially, it’s difficult to hear a trainer even if she’s shouting.

The Listen system is particularly effective in those warm-up arenas with all her students wearing the receivers. “I can call out the name of the student, easily get his or her attention, and give instructions in a normal voice. The students have commented that this really helps them stay calm, which is so important when competing.”

From the trainer’s perspective, Tatom reports that her students are able to learn more quickly during their lessons because they can hear well. They save time because there’s no need to repeat instructions. To top it all off, her clients get more value for their money because the audio technology allows them to make the best use of their training time.

Thanks to the solid performance of Listen’s Portable FM System, Gina Tatom gets all-around winning results with her students at Trojan Horse Training.

*Dressage (pronounced dreh SAHZH) is the guiding of a horse through a series of complex maneuvers by slight movements of the rider’s hands, legs, and weight.

Smooth Meetings With Wireless Conferencing

Tue, 31 Jul 2012 13:03:55 +0000

With only a few components and no cables in a Wireless Conferencing system you can ensure that set-up time for your meetings will be efficient and fast. Using a Wireless Conferencing system also ensures that all participants can hear and be heard during discussions. Still, there may be considerations beyond delivering a simple discussion system for a short meeting.

What if I also need voting and language interpretation?

Today, wireless conferencing systems exist in a multitude of flavors, offering three- or five-button voting as well as RF language interpretation. The latter eliminates the need to add an infrared language distribution system and again reduces the complexity of the installation. State-of-the art wireless RF conference systems go as far as offering at least 40 language channels, surpassing the capabilities of current IR systems. See diagram below.

How do I make sure that batteries don’t run out during a meeting?

Obviously, with wireless units running on batteries, there are some simple rules of thumb to keep in mind when setting up a meeting. First of all, make sure that your batteries can last the duration of the meeting – and take into account the possibility of the meeting overrunning.

With the web interface you can easily check the condition of the battery of each unit and see the number of hours remaining.

You can even check this during the meeting, without anybody noticing. Should you discover that one of the batteries is running out, you can wait for the coffee break to exchange it for a new one, or connect a wall plug adapter to the battery so it continues working and charges at the same time. Fully loading an empty battery takes about 4 hours and guarantees at least 20 hours of typical use.

Pushing a button on the bottom of the battery pack allows you to see the remaining charge via the LED bar.

How do I keep my batteries in good condition?

This really depends on the battery technology. If you have nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, you will need to discharge them fully before you recharge to avoid loss of battery autonomy over time, due to the memory effect.

Better is to use lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries. This battery technology does not require a discharge-before-charge cycle. This significantly reduces the time needed to keep your batteries in good shape and there is no loss of autonomy due to memory effect.

The Charging Tray is a 3 unit high tray that can recharge 6 Wireless Conferencing Battery Packs at once. It has an auto-ranging power supply and a loop-through mains connector. A maximum 4 chargers can be daisy-chained for 110 VAC regions. It can be rack mounted (19") or installed on a table.

I hope this blog helped you understand some fo the considerations for making your meetings run smoothly with the use of a Wireless Conferencing solution.

Sign Language Interpreters Benefit From Wireless Audio

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 21:37:17 +0000

This blog post was repurposed from a Listen Technologies User Profile.

Houses of Worship are finding more uses for assistive listening systems with the availability of products offering increased flexibility along with great sound quality. For example, Grace Brethren Church in Simi Valley, California, is using a Listen system not only for assistance to hard of hearing congregants, but also for a hard-of-hearing sign language interpreter. She uses a Listen receiver to listen to the pastor at the podium or other audio over the PA system in order to interpret the spoken word into sign language.

As with many Houses of Worship, the walls at Grace Brethren Church are highly reflective for sound. Audio bounces around the room, making it very difficult for the hearing impaired interpreter to distinguish the speech in order to translate it into sign language. To solve this problem, the interpreter now wears a Listen belt-pack receiver and ear speaker to listen to the speech routed through the assistive listening transmitter.

“I don’t know what I would do without it,” said Marcia Walter, sign language interpreter at Grace Brethren. “Before I was literally at the mercy of the speaker at the pulpit. It they were too far back or turned even slightly, I couldn’t hear clearly or read their lips to interpret. I have been so thankful for this system. If I can help even one person to hear and understand the message better, my joy will be great and I will feel we have succeeded in our goals.”

Other members of the congregation with hearing loss may also listen to the assistive listening transmission and control their own volume while sitting anywhere in the congregation hall. One member of the audience at Grace Brethren uses a belt-pack receiver with a neckloop. The neckloop works with any T-coil hearing aid and allows the user to significantly adjust the volume in order to hear and understand the service, without environmental distractions that can otherwise be picked up by a hearing aid. This solution has been well received in many houses of worship.

With Listen’s LR-600 Wireless Speaker/Receiver, Grace Brethren or any other house of worship can pick up and amplify the assistive listening audio in a nursery or any remote room to listen to the service. No hard wires are needed!

Museum of Contemporary Art Mounts Listen for Gallery Tours

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 21:46:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Cleveland is a non-collecting institution, and thus is recreated three times a year. This ensures a steady stream of traffic through its 23,000 square feet of gallery space. Like most museums, MOCA conducts tours, some led by docents, others by artists. All share a common thread: unparalleled sound, thanks to equipment from Listen Technologies Corporation.

While reviewing the museum’s overall sound options, Grayson saw an unmet need for a reliable, portable system to facilitate these ‘walking talks.’ From this came a rather innovative sound solution for the tours.

Each of two Listen LR-600 Wireless FM Receiver/Speakers were mounted onto a microphone stand so they could be moved by floor managers from one area to the other as the tour moves through the galleries. With an LT-700 Portable FM Transmitter worn by the tour leader, a unique answer to portability was found.

The superior sound from the Listen speakers is made all the better by being positioned mid-room rather than in front of the group. In addition, opting for speakers rather than individual receiver packs worn by patrons has allowed folks to join in or move on from the group at their leisure.

“It’s a highly effective means through which the tour leader communicates with participants,” said MOCA’s Director of Development, John Grayson, “providing an ideal solution for intimate, one-off tours. And everyone appreciates that they don’t have to shout to be heard, which makes it easy to conduct three or four consecutive tours.

“Listen offers a variety of solutions for tour groups in this kind of atmosphere and really addresses making the visitor experience more pleasurable. In fact,” said Grayson, “the folks at Listen have solutions to problems you never knew you had.”

That’s just what we at Listen like to hear.

Assistive Listening Solution Hits A Home Run at UNLV

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 21:43:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Hear the roar of the crowd. Listen to the crack of the bat. Wait ...is that the announcer trying to say something over the stadium noise?

When the University of Nevada, Las Vegas was designing and installing their new high-fidelity sound system, they wanted a completely integrated system for the entire stadium. Their requirements were specific: High volume intelligible sound with no feedback throughout the stadium; input sources of C.D., laptop MP3, cassette, two booth mics, a crowd mic, a field mic, and field line jack; and everything had to work with their assisted listening system (ALS). And it all had to work simultaneously with their assistive listening system (ALS).

Listen Technologies rack mounted LT-800 Stationary Transmitter and LR-400 Display Receivers fit the bill perfectly. With two lines of input, there was no problem integrating the ALS with the stadium sound system. And with 57 field programmable channels, set-up couldnít be easier. UNLV personnel simply scanned the frequency range to find a clear channel, and then locked the transmitter and receivers to that channel.

Maintaining the system is also simple because UNLV uses a Listen LA-311 16-slot Charging Case. Receivers are stored in the case between games. With Listen’s SmartChargeô there is no guessing which units have to be charged or how long until they are done charging. Each unit receives the correct charge, and then charging is automatically shut off.

Ease of installation. Simplicity of use. Convenient maintenance. Once again, Listen ALS products hit a home run!

A Very Moving Hearing Loop Demo

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 15:02:41 +0000

Last Friday I conducted a loop demo with Steve Schlaff of Norcon Communications, Inc. at Temple Israel located in Lawrence, New York.

We used a 100 foot radius loop to cover five rows of seating. What was interesting was that there were heat “caps” if you will all throughout the floor beneath the seating. When I saw that and based on what I have learned about steel hindering the performance of a loop system I figured the system would never work.

For just such a reason like that, we also brought the FM and Infrared demo kits to show the client all three technologies and used a headphone amp to distribute the same signal of spoken word to all the systems.

Surprisingly, even with the heat caps every two feet or so under the seating, the loop system worked quite nicely.

So we waited for the client who was driving the project, a woman who has been very active with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and from our meeting was headed up to a weekend at the Hearing Loss Association of America seminar in New England.

She had all the Ampetronic hearing loop materials we gave the folks at the temple prior to us getting there. She really did her homework.

So we have spoken word going through all three systems, none of us have any devices on, and the woman walks into the looped area. Her eyes pop open and she says, “oh my God, oh my God, this is great!” It took us all a bit by surprise because we were just talking with each other while she walked into the space, and the room was basically dead quiet since we had no devices on ourselves.

It was a dramatic response from her, and really something emotional to see. Since being at Listen’s Springfest and hearing the sound bite illustrating what a hard of hearing person actually does hear, and also having my mother in law in that position, it was so gratifying to see the woman’s reaction.

She and a few others had been Batmitzvah’ed recently in that Temple, and everyone who went through the ceremony gave short speeches. While everyone said that the speeches were wonderful, this woman unfortunately couldn’t hear any of them because she couldn’t see them directly.

So with any luck, we will have a system sold with an FM system for overflow areas, and allow this woman and others in the congregation a chance to finally hear things they should.

It was a very moving demo, and great to see the loop technology at work. Thanks as always to the folks at Listen for getting us the gear to make it happen.

Listen Tour System a Smooth Blend for Gavina Gourmet Coffee

Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:46:38 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

There was a time when the folks at Gavina Gourmet Coffee led tour groups through their Los Angeles plant, yelling. It was the only way to be heard over the din of roasters and the other machinery needed to create and crate these popular fine coffees. Then a trip to a coffee plantation in Brazil introduced the Gavinas to a Listen Technologies wireless portable system.

Founded by Don Francisco, patriarch of the Gavina family, the company remains family owned and operated. A Cuban immigrant, Don Francisco arrived in the US with his eight children, 150 Cuban pesos, and coffee knowledge gained from growing up on a coffee plantation. Today, his children are at the helm, with nieces and nephews part of the business as well.

Roasting gourmet beans from around the world is not, for the Gavinas, a matter of importing beans by reputation. They travel to plantations around the globe to find the best beans for their customers. It was during one such trip to Brazil that they were introduced to a Listen portable tour group system.

“We’d needed a friendlier system,” said Leonor Gavina, co-owner of the company, so the first item of business upon return from Brazil was to put in place a Listen Technologies sound solution. Now, whether guiding a group of sixth graders or hosting interested vendors, “The best part of this is that we no longer need to yell or repeat ourselves.”

With the rising interest in coffee over the past several years, the Gavina plant sees more and more visitors interested in learning about how their morning lattes, espressos and robust cups of unadulterated java actually end up in their hands. The two Listen transmitters and 14 rechargeable receivers, make their tours an exercise in comfort.

“This equipment easy enough to use that we pretty much just put on the transmitters and receivers and started in. It has taken some getting used to, only because it has made everything so different for us,” she said. In fact, the only “problem” encountered was realizing they’d forgotten to recharge the batteries a time or two.

“Sometimes someone just drops in to see the plant, and even with one-on-one tours the system is great. Everyone loves using the equipment.” Indeed, it’s a far cry from the days when Mike’s answer to guiding a tour meant picking up a bullhorn.

Wireless Audio Across the River

Tue, 03 Jul 2012 19:16:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

The Bridge to Bridge Waterfront Festival is a timed race for boats on the Sacramento River. Along with boat racing there are Jet Ski races, Coast Guard rescue demonstrations, and other festival activities. Seating and events are held on both sides of the river.

For the 2nd Annual Bridge to Bridge Waterfront Festival, Keith Wackford of Associated Sound was asked to set up a sound system that could be used on both sides of the river. Traditional sound system wiring could not be used because of the river’s width (about 500 feet). The show also had boats and helicopters, each with its own radio system, moving in and out of the reception field. A Listen wireless audio system proved to be the answer.

Wackford and his team recommended the Listen LT-800 Stationary Transmitter and the LR-100 Stationary Receiver / Power Amplifier. This system had two advantages: it could broadcast the event’s audio to the needed locations without wiring, and it provided auditory assistance via personal receivers to individuals who were hard of hearing. To increase the transmission range and signal strength, the team installed Yagi (high gain) antennas on the LT-800 and LR-100 units. Testing at Associated Sound revealed that the system could broadcast up to 2,000 feet without problems.

The system performed beautifully for the entire two day event. The festival directors were overjoyed by the audio quality and the fact that there were no reception problems all weekend. The audio was clean, full, and loud. Listen wireless audio products were able to provide not only a workable solution for a problematic installation, but one that offered flexibility and quality performance as well.

Listen Helps Give Lawyers The Edge In Trial Prep

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:16:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Instant Video Replay is a company that facilitates training and focus group research for law firms and other organizations. The firm is often called upon to organize “mock trials” for lawyers. Mock trials give lawyers the benefit of watching and listening to jury deliberations, which are closed in actual trials. This gives them an understanding of the thought process used by jurors in reaching decisions. Instant Video Replay sets up focus group or “mock-jury” so lawyers can practice their technique outside the courtroom. When the “jury” goes to deliberate, the lawyers can watch the discussion on closed circuit television. Instant Video Replay often has several juries for each mock trial, thereby giving a law firm feedback from multiple groups rather than a single panel.

Instant Video Replay was faced with the challenge of getting all of this valuable information to the ears of the lawyers. Legal teams were forced to crowd around televisions in order to hear the discussions. When lawyers wanted to hear another group’s discussion, they would have to physically move to a different monitor or different room.

Listen wireless audio provided a solution. Now, Instant Video Replay sets up the televisions along with LT-800 Stationary Transmitters and signs indicating the wireless audio’s channel for each television and signs indicating which channel the audio for that particular set is being broadcast on. Each lawyer then has a Listen LR-500 Programmable Receiver with earphones, and simply tunes to the audio channel for the television they are viewing. They can just adjust the volume to a comfortable level and sit in any part of the room — no more huddling around a television trying to decipher what is being said.

“The lawyers love them,” says Helen Knox of Instant Video Replay. “Once they have the headsets, there is no going back. I even have other law firms and companies call me to ask me about the ‘wireless system I heard Instant Video Replay is using’.”

Law firms, market focus groups, law enforcement agencies and any other organization that utilizes remote monitoring for educational purposes can use the Listen products in the same way. Wireless audio provides new flexibility and functionality for training, marketing research, and many other applications.

North Carolina Aquarium Makes A Splash With Wireless Listening

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:02:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

In the popular Pixar animated film Finding Nemo, the young and stubborn clown fish, Nemo, proves to his overprotective father that“fin impairment” cannot prevent him from exploring the adventures of the ocean. With the same vigor and ambition, the staff at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is ensuring that their patrons can also savor the aquatic adventures regardless of hearing or language barriers.

The Aquarium is using a wireless audio system from Listen Technologies to assist patrons who are hard of hearing as well as offering tours and language interpretation. They acquired the LS-06 Portable FM System from Independence Audio for the job because of its simple operation, intuitive design, hearing aid compatibility, and versatility.

“Our patrons really like using the Listen system. They like being able to adjust the volume to suit their individual needs, and it’s so convenient to use with hearing aids,” Aquarium Educator Jackie Harris said. The LA-164 Ear Speaker they use slides around the back of the ear and can be worn over hearing aids or ear plugs. With most tours being populated by seniors, this is a very helpful feature.

The need for a Listen system originated with the Aquarium’s activities for Deaf Awareness Day, which occurs annually around early October. “On this day, everything is directed toward those who are deaf or hard of hearing,” Harris said. Among the activities are dive presentations, films, and guest lecturers. Additionally, organizations that offer products and services for the deaf and hearing impaired assemble at the Aquarium to inform these important patrons about their specialized services. With the help of the North Carolina Division for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, this proactive attraction identified ways to accommodate people with hearing impairments. With Listen’s Portable FM System and sign-language interpreters, both the deaf and hard of hearing can participate in the many informative and entertaining presentations at the Aquarium. “We also use the Listen system for tours,” Harris added. “Especially when it’s busy, the walls of our facility bounce a lot of noise. So the system helps people hear the tour guide better and helps them stay together as a group.”

Having the Listen Portable FM System also enables the Aquarium to make an impressive splash with its Hispanic community, overcoming language barriers for this growing segment of patrons. Harris explained, “We have a staff member who is bi-lingual and interprets tours and programs for our Spanish-speaking visitors.”

The interpreter listens to the presentation and simultaneously speaks the Spanish interpretation into the microphone attached to the portable transmitter that comes with the Listen system. The transmitter sends a signal out a distance of 150 feet, and patrons wearing the portable receivers can listen to the interpretation through their ear speakers.

Thanks to the perseverance of and listening technology made available by the dedicated staff at the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher, hearing impaired and Spanish speaking patrons no longer need to “fish” for the words and meaning of the presentations. And they’ll all “hear” the guide confirm that indeed they’ve found Nemo.

Women in AV (and everywhere else)

Mon, 25 Jun 2012 22:28:03 +0000

This blog post was originally posted on Leonard Suskin’s blog, Confessions of a Pixel and inked-stained wretch.

"Daddy, do any girls work with you," -- Chloe, age 5 on the eve of Take Your Children to Work day (see earlier blog post)

I work, as you know, in the wonderful world of commercial AV, spreading the joys of audio-visual technology throughout the land. I've worked for two different integrators, worked for scores of clients including Fortune 100 companies with their own internal AV support staff.

Of team with whom I currently work?
Installation technicians - all male.
Service technicians - all male
Project engineers - all male.
Design engineers and sales engineers - all male.
Programmers - all male.
Project specialists (testing and verification technicians) - all male.
CAD technician - female.

That's right. Of the twenty-some people in various technical positions in our local office, there is exactly one female in a technical role.

Scenes from a day of AV Training

Lest you think this a local problem in the past six months alone I've taken part in vendor training from Biamp, ClearOne, Extron, Crestron, AVI-SPL's in-house AV Project Management training, Crestron again, and Meyer sound. Those training classes alone represent contact with somewhere between a hundred and a hundred fifty of my fellow AV professionals.

Of those, exactly one was a woman.

At Extron Training – this was the highest female/male ratio of any training I attended this year

Why do I see this as a problem? The quote with which I lead is the first hint; inequalities like this create a self-perpetuating division between "women's jobs" and "men's jobs". Your psychologist, your kids' schoolteachers, and the receptionist in the last office you visited are probably women. Your car mechanic, your computer programmer and, yes, your AV technician are probably men. This drives young people to specific industries by an idea of where they'd "fit in" and what's "appropriate" for them rather than what their natural talents and interests would lead them; if you're a young man and all of the psychologists you encounter are women, then it's hard for "psychologist" to be an aspirational position for you. If you're a young woman and all of the technical people you encounter are men, it becomes a role in which it's harder to see yourself. If you're a teacher and have a promising young female student, she likely doesn't look like a potential engineer to you, even if you never consciously recognize this bias.

The second problem is one for the industry; we rob ourselves of half the potential talent available by closing the door to half the population. This is a truism for all industries; greater diversity of candidates breeds greater diversity of viewpoints and, in the long term, better results.

So what do we do about it? The good news is that the culture is changing, from greater acceptance to less of a "boys' club" atmosphere. For example, most AV professionals today are reluctant to use sexually suggestive test media when commissioning a system. It is worth noting that at least two of AVI-SPL's local offices are being run by women. I'm very proud that the Women in AV group (an industry group of some very talented and successful people working towards mentoring and promotion of women in the industry) chose one of our account managers (Alexis LaBroi from the Atlanta office) for their inaugural mentoring award. Having women not only in leadership positions in the industry but using those positions to help others follow in their footsteps is one step towards a more inclusive industry. It's the slow, organic way to grow.

Are there wider, better solutions possible? That's very hard for me to say. I suspect it would take an overall change in how we look at men and women for the AV industry - or any technology industry - to become truly gender blind. It's still an ideal worth fighting for and one towards which we're currently - albeit it slowly - working.

About Leonard Suskin >>>>>

Qwest Center Patrons Experience Full Exciting Sound

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:10:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Hard of hearing fans can now enjoy a hockey game’s blow-by-blow commentary, Stevie Nicks’ velvety voice or a circus ringmaster’s baritone with a new wireless assistive listening system now installed at Nebraska’s largest new venue.

The modern Qwest Center Omaha, with more than one million square feet of convention, arena, meeting, exhibition and ballroom space, installed Listen Technologies’ assisted listening system in its grand arena and convention center in time for a late September opening. The Listen system, which uses FM radio waves to wirelessly transmit noise-free sound to individual patrons wearing headsets or ear buds, was chosen for its clear signal that is effective for medium- to high range hearing impairment, for its ease of use and versatility.

Beth Ellsworth, a field representative with the Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, tested the system and liked what she heard. “This particular system makes the sound not just louder, but much clearer,” said Ellsworth, who has a moderate-to-severe hearing loss. “This system screens out the background noise. It was really great.”

Like many who are hard of hearing, Ellsworth has not attended many concerts. But she plans to now. “I’m going to look at the Qwest Center schedule to see when Simon and Garfunkle are coming,” she said.

The Listen system at Qwest Center, which also meets the requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, includes both portable and permanently installed transmitters, which are wired into the building sound systems. Patrons who use the system clip on small battery-powered receivers and don headsets or ear buds, channeling the clear sound right to their ears.

Christy Harris, senior vice president of administration and Qwest Center project director, said she is pleased to offer patrons a full experience, whether they have come for sports or music, a convention or a circus.

“This system allows the hard of hearing the chance to experience the excitement and sounds here, just like everyone else,” she said.

For more information on Listen products, check the website at www.listentech.com. To see the Qwest Center Omaha event schedule, go to www.QwestCenterOmaha.com.

Boardroom Gets Lift with Digital Conferencing System

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:45:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

The McGregor Memorial Conference Center on the Detroit campus of Wayne State University has long been a magnificent pinnacle of architecture for the educational institution. Designed by World Trade Center architect Minoru Yamasaki, this versatile edifice serves as the university’s main hospitality and meeting center. It is also the long-time home to the university’s Board of Directors meetings.

Because Board meetings are open to the public, the conference center has an expertly designed space in which the Board members surround a horseshoe shaped table. Facing the board are two conference tables occupied by cabinet members. Behind the cabinet is theater-style seating for the public.

“Over the last few years the conferencing equipment has been wearing out,” said Associate Vice President of Business Operations Nabelah Ghareeb. With some of the pieces boasting a 30-year life span, the equipment has served them very well. However, it was time to not only get functioning equipment, but also to update the meeting space with audiovisual capabilities to carry those years into the future.

With in-depth technical research and product demonstrations, Wayne State University selected a Digital Conferencing System from Listen Technologies because of its superior sound quality and versatility. “We conducted a pilot of the Listen system during a session,” Ghareeb explained. “It was superb! The sound was clear and precise.”

The system’s versatility speaks for itself. Like a number of other educational and training institutions, Wayne State University has integrated their conferencing system with recording equipment to record and archive meeting proceedings. In addition to the Digital Conferencing System, they also added plasma screens adding visual capabilities to their meetings.

The heart of the university’s system is the Central Control Unit (CU). This single unit provides power and control for their 24 microphone units (23 delegate units and 1 chairman unit). The CU has the capacity to support over 100 such units. The Digital Conferencing System also includes voting capabilities.

The Digital Conferencing delegate and chairman units – placed around the board and cabinet tables of the university’s Board Room – feature push-to-talk activation which enables the user to speak. A lighted ring around the mouthpiece of the pluggable microphone glows red when a microphone is active and the delegate has requested to speak. Participants may also use the units to register a response request, listen to the speaker, and to vote.

One of the most impressive capabilities of the system is that it is immune to mobile phone interference. The flat panel loudspeaker design offers superior acoustics with minimal feedback, which maximizes intelligibility. The chairman unit also includes voting administration and microphone override capabilities.

Wayne State University’s system also includes a convenient and durable storage case.

In addition to the satisfaction of the Board of Directors, Ghareeb’s comment summarizes just how glad Wayne State University is with their system; “We are pleased we made the investment.”

Surf City Sound Merits Badge for Wireless Sound System at Scout-O-Rama

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 16:35:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Although the Boy Scouts of America don’t offer merit badges to vendors, if they did, it’s likely that Surf City Sound of Orange County, California, would have earned one for their brilliant solution to sound system needs at the organization’s recent Scout-o-Rama.

The annual outdoor event draws scouts and their families, as well as others interested in an entertaining, educational family outing. Scout booths - no two booths are alike - offer demonstrations and activities ranging from wall climbing to solar cooking, knot tying to leatherwork. Local law and fire enforcement agencies also sponsor a variety of demonstrations. This year more than 27,000 enjoyed the event, which included performances from skate and bike teams and other entertainment. It goes without saying that developing an event-wide sound system -- for an area that spans approximately 1,300 linear feet (396.2m) -- was no small order.

Surf City’s Ross Ricks handled the contract. His first order of business was to take the event’s sound system into the 21st Century by replacing what would have been miles of cable, with a self-contained, wireless system. This not only brought an obvious ease to the situation, but also streamlined setup and teardown needs. “Our Listen representative was a great help,” says Ricks, who notes that Listen’s recommendations took much of the guesswork out of the equation.

So how does one set up a system to handle paging, announcements, public addresses and background music for an outdoor event of this size? Familiar with Listen equipment used for assisted listening in churches, Ricks sensed a similar wireless concept would be a natural solution. “We first set it up and tested it in our shop to gauge range and other things,” says Ricks. “Once that was done, the rest was really simple.”

The system began with 10 Mackie 1521powered speakers - at 500 watts per unit – for maximum blast power. These were mounted strategically throughout the grounds. A Listen LR-400 receiver was mounted onto each speaker. Ricks then strategically placed a Listen LT-800 transmitter and a LA-107 Ground Plane Antenna (mounted 30 ft. (9.1m) in the air). An extra-long LA-266 Professional Camcorder Cable was plugged into a Listen LA-202 Power Supply.

It was a job well done, according to Lara Beecher of the Orange Country Boys Scouts of America. “The sound system, which was heavily utilized throughout the day, was great. It was really crisp and clear, and helped create a more festive, smooth-flowing event.”

Purchasing the Listen equipment was a “no-brainer,” says Ricks, who is certain he’ll be using it for other contracts. “We’re a full-service audio/visual shop with onsite production and a recording studio, so this offers us greater flexibility. We’re that much more prepared for concerts, company picnics, carnivals and other community events.” Perhaps next year Surf City Sound should have a booth and teach a few of the scouts some tricks of the trade.

For more information on Listen products, check the website at www.listentech.com.

Rocking and Rolling with Listen Tour Group

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:32:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

When you visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, OH, you have the option of taking a tour with a Listen wireless audio system.

John Grayson, corporate relations manager, explains how they have benefitted from the Listen products. As museums go, the Rock Hall can be pretty noisy. Hey, it’s rock and roll. But the cacophony isn’t always conducive to group tours. The Listen units really help to save the voice of the guide. Also, when we pause along the tour, large groups tend to slowly disperse as folks are drawn by their interest in the artifacts. The units are so practical for rounding everyone up and moving along. They help save time and keep the tour moving on schedule. “

Tour guides at the hall wear LT-700 Portable Transmitters with a head worn microphone. Each guest wears a personal belt pack with an ear speaker that can receive the transmitted audio up to 150 feet away. This can have other advantages as well, as Grayson explains. “Today when the group got on the elevator to move to another floor, one of the tour members fell behind and missed the car. When it was discovered that she had gone missing, the interpreter simply used the transmitter to tell her that we were waiting for her-three floors away. “

With their international appeal, the Rock Hall also uses the Listen devices for interpretation. Multiple tours (or interpretations) can all take place in the same area, thanks to Listen’s 57 channels and field tunability.

“People love them because of the clarity, “Grayson points out. “That seems to be the unifying theme when people finish the tour --it sounds so clear. “The tour guides also appreciate the system. “They (the guides) say after four of these hour-long tours, they are not going home hoarse at the end of the day.

Presentation, ease of use, flexibility, and clarity ... all great reasons why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum uses Listen wireless audio for their guided tours.

Language Interpretation Is Easy for Oregon Judicial

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 16:25:00 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Things can get complicated in court, especially in a trial with seven young co-defendants. The confusion compounds when the court’s English must be translated into three other languages - simultaneously.

That’s the scenario that the Oregon Judicial Department faced recently when seven youths were on trial for alleged rioting. One of the defendants spoke only Spanish, one set of parents spoke only Marshallese and another set spoke only Truukese. The court’s dilemma was to find a way to move the proceedings along without having to wait for three translations each time someone spoke.

Enter Listen Technologies Corporation language interpretation system. This product allows interpreters in remote locations to speak into wireless microphones, transmitting their words directly to the defendant. When the defendants answer questions, their words are funneled back through the interpreter into open court. Listen’s easy push-button frequency adjustments allow the court to set frequencies so that two interpreters speaking in different languages can use them at the same time.

“Without the Listen equipment, we would either have to have a technician there with us, or we would not have been able to do three languages at once at all,” said James B. Comstock, the interpreter supervisor for the Oregon Judicial Department and an interpreter himself. “I love the Listen transmission and its easy frequency changing.”

The systems are permanently installed in seven Oregon courts where they are used daily. A separate portable system goes with Comstock or other interpreters when they travel to remote courtrooms.

The Listen system uses FM technology to transmit the spoken word from the interpreter directly

to the listener. The interpreter speaks into a microphone and a transmitter sends the signal to the small battery-powered receivers worn by the defendants. A headset or ear bud carries the sound to the defendant’s ears.

With the Listen system, the interpreter does not have to sit near the defendant. Comstock said that is good for two reasons.

“The wireless equipment lets the interpreters sit as far away from the defendants as they want to,” he said. “It’s safer for the interpreter, and more pleasant, since defendants can also have hygiene issues. It also does not project an incorrect perception to the jurors that the interpreters are helpers or sympathetic to the defendants.”

Comstock also likes the Listen system for what he called relay interpretation. In one case, when one defendant spoke only a pre-Columbian language known as Mixteco, and no interpreters were available who spoke both Mixteco and English, a third language had to be looped in. So the defendant spoke Mixteco into his microphone, which was wirelessly transmitted to a Mixteco speaker who translated into Spanish. That was wirelessly transmitted to a third person, who interpreted for the court from Spanish into English. Again, all of it was done simultaneously, and from remote locations.

“That way, there weren’t three people talking all at the same time in a confined area, which can get very loud and confusing,” Comstock said. “The interpreters or the defendants can speak very quietly into the microphones.”

Comstock was able to change frequencies by pushing buttons, rather than calling in a technician to reprogram the transmitters to use separate frequencies.

Comstock said the ease of changing frequencies made the otherwise complex interpretation relay simple. The frequency agility also comes in handy in courthouses because they often share buildings or are in close proximity with Sheriff’s offices that have large powerful transmitters atop their buildings for contact with officers in their cars. When the frequencies conflict, Comstock pushes a few buttons and sets up on a new frequency, and he’s ready to go. “I’m very pleased with the Listen system,” Comstock said.

For more information regarding Listen products, visit their Web site at www.listentech.com.

Yeshiva University Conquers Acoustic Challenges with Discussion System

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:09:55 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

New York City’s Yeshiva University consists of four active campuses around the city. It has an equally active Board of Trustees to steer the Jewish university to distinction. Although the Board assembles regularly, the locations where they meet are not.

While some meetings are held in traditional boardrooms, other locations pose particular acoustic challenges with concrete walls and other architectural variations. Providing audio support for these meetings, which accommodate anywhere from 25 to 40 people, has been a task that Project Systems Manager Joseph Shatoff has skillfully accomplished for several years.

The Board includes the university’s President and several influential non-paid members— some of whom are distinguished seniors in the community who may have some hearing loss. Shatoff emphasized, “It’s critical for everyone to hear clearly and be heard. To do that we need sound reinforcement and microphones at each seat.”

In the past Shatoff rented a makeshift sound system and set up services from an audiovisual vendor for each meeting. “The systems worked most of the time, but it was always tenuous whether it would,” he said. “The system wasn’t really designed for conferencing. With all the coordination involved, it seemed like an extreme effort especially for an inconsistent outcome.”

Shatoff began searching for an easier and more reliable way to provide audio support for the board meetings. He was introduced to the Listen Discussion System by audiovisual dealer Steve Grosskopf of Real Time Services, Inc.

Listen’s Discussion System consists of three core components: central unit (CU), chairman microphone unit, and delegate microphone unit. The chairman and delegate units daisy chain together, and one end of the chain is connected to the CU, which is plugged into a wall outlet. The CU powers all the units in the chain and also administers system settings: number of active microphones, auto-off, and feedback suppression.

Taking advantage of Listen’s free demonstration offer, Grosskopf conducted a live demonstration with Shatoff and the university’s vice president of administrative services. The system was set up in just a couple of minutes and “went very well,” according to Shatoff. The university ordered a system with two chairman units and 25 delegate units.

“With the demo, we were able to get immediate buy-in from key decision makers, which is sometimes the toughest part of purchasing equipment,” Shatoff said. “The Listen system does its job very well and reliably. It’s just a really simply system. We also have cases with our system which makes it easy for us to transport to the various meeting locations.”

The university’s president has expressed his satisfaction with the discussion system as well. Because the Listen Discussion system is so effective and reliable, the Board remains focused on its discussion rather than becoming distracted by the technology.

State-of-the-Art Shipping and Tracking Facility Shines with Tour Group Solution

Tue, 29 May 2012 23:41:59 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

How do you show off a state-of-the-art shipping and tracking facility when the equipment includes conveyor belts and jet aircraft making so much noise you can’t hear someone yelling next to you? With Listen, of course!

At UPS’ Louisville Kentucky transport hub, executive and VIP tours are conducted which include walking guests through the maze of conveyors in the warehouse and out onto the tarmac where the planes are speedily taking packages to their worldwide destinations. UPS executives wanted to create a favorable impression with their important guests, but had trouble making them heard over the background noise.

By utilizing a Listen LT-700 Portable Transmitter and Noise Cancelling microphone, UPS Tour Guides are now able to speak comfortably while feeling secure that all tour members can hear the presentation.

UPS was so happy with their Listen system in Kentucky that they added another system at their Chicago, IL facility. With Listen, it’s easy to give a great tour!

UPS’ comments on Listen: “Listen Technologies’ products play an important role in the UPS Welcome Center. We use their equipment every day for customer visits to our international air hub in Louisville, KY.”

“These visits often involve high-dollar customers and important dignitaries, so it’s essential that we convey the best possible image of our company. Listen’s hands-free equipment allows us to communicate key information clearly and safely while moving around our operation.”

“Listen Technologies has been an important strategic partner with UPS.” “We needed results quickly and Listen’s entire team made it happen.”

“They do “listen,” and they do hear you.”

Finds Long-Term Solution with Listen Wireless System

Thu, 24 May 2012 21:13:44 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

With a congregation of 6000 and three services daily, Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, California, found a long-term solution for integrating their non-English-speaking congregants: real time interpretation with wireless technology from Listen Technologies.

Located in the eastern part of San Diego County, El Cajon is home to the nation’s second largest Arabic population. Shadow Mountain also has a large number of Spanish-speaking members, as well as German and other non-English-speaking visiting family members from time to time. Prior to acquiring their Listen system, separate church services accommodated Spanish- and Arabic-speaking parishioners. Timothy Hunten, the ministry’s technical director, looked into how to best address the church’s unique multilingual needs and found Listen Technologies. Now services are more fully integrated, allowing for a greater degree of multicultural fellowship.

The real-time interpretation is conducted from five booths, each equipped with a video monitor and headphone allowing interpreters to observe what they are hearing during the approximately 90-minute services (sermons, which are the main portion of the interpretation, last approximately 40 minutes). Up to five channels may be accessed during a given service, one dedicated to assisted listening. Hymns, announcements, and dramatic enactments are not interpreted, but non-English-speaking churchgoers find having their own language right in their ears helps them more fully understand and follow along.

Looking back, the entire acquisition process was really easy, says Hunten, who found Listen’s equipment to be “not only superior in sound quality, but a fraction of the competition’s cost.” The system has been worry-free from the start. Well, almost.

“We underestimated how much cable would be needed to set up the antenna (our church is quite large). We purchased the additional cable from a local retailer and we goofed. We bought the wrong kind. We couldn’t figure out why things weren’t working. Next thing I knew, Listen sent someone out get the problem resolved. We were astounded that a company would provide that kind of personal service for an account so small.”

“We’ve been thrilled with our investment,” he adds. “Once we tuned it in and tweaked it for optimum output, we haven’t had to do much with it. In fact, the only maintenance issue we’ve encountered is changing the batteries, and you can’t really call that maintenance, can you?”

The church’s 50 headsets are wheeled out to the lobby on a custom-built cart so churchgoers simply pick up headsets as they enter. “It has been so rewarding to look around during church services and see so many different faces, to have such a clear picture of who we are as a community,” says Hunten, who takes pride in knowing the church’s Arabic- and Spanish-speaking members feel at home, despite the language differences. The system’s assisted listening component has also allowed quite a few elderly members to more fully participate in the church.

Impressed with Listen’s quality equipment and customer-oriented approach, Hunten says he has recommended the company to three or four other churches in the area, as well as other businesses that might find such a system useful. “I figure if our four-year-old system is this good, the newer Listen products have got to be even better.” We like the sound of that.

Aging Public Address System Rejuvenated by Listen Stationary FM System

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:58:44 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

For most people, understanding legal jargon is tough enough. For graduate students in a unique judiciary interpreter training MA program, that’s just the beginning.

Each year thousands of snow enthusiasts glide down the slopes and half-pipes at the award-winning Sundown Mountain Resort in Dubuque, Iowa. A ready team of resort staff patrol the terrain to assist with emergencies and lost skiers, instructors are busy helping first-timers learn the basics, and lodge personnel attend to the skier’s and boarder’s equipment, appetite, and transportation needs.

To support all these efforts, the resort uses a public address (PA) system to make important and sometimes urgent announcements across the slopes. For some time, however, their existing, hard-wired PA system has been plagued by a constant “buzz” from stray voltage contaminating the system. This made sound intelligibility next to impossible.

Al Wilsey, of Sundown’s operations technical support team, said, “The horrendous noise was so bad that the staff shut off the system. The only other option was to shut off their chairlifts, which was obviously not an option.”

Sundown began an ardent search online to find ways to handle the noise. When sound filters didn’t work, and replacing the hard-wired system was time- and cost-prohibitive, they knew a wireless solution might be a better option. Unfortunately, wireless microphones were expensive and couldn’t effectively send a signal to the distant lodges and ski shacks “over the hill and through the woods.”

With the help of Lifeline Amplification Systems (Platteville, Wisc.), Sundown acquired an ideal wireless audio solution with a Stationary FM System from Listen Technologies.

“When we tried out Listen equipment during an on-site demonstration, we were thrilled that it eliminated the buzz,” Wilsey said. “We were really impressed that it could reach our lodges ranging from 100 to 400 feet away – and with hills in between. We thought wireless would require line-of-site conditions, but Listen’s system worked great. There was no signal interference either. Most importantly, we saw that it was reliable.”

Although the resort’s Board of Directors was initially hesitant to try something during the ski season, they were won over by Listen’s clear sound quality, ability to utilize existing equipment, and low price – 75 percent less than the other solutions they considered.

Building for a New Century with Listen Digital Conferencing System

Thu, 17 May 2012 20:24:01 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

In 1998, Montclair State University’s new President, Susan Cole, PhD, inspired the faculty and staff with the vision to take the renowned educational institution from its established excellence to contemporary superiority. To accomplish this, the university needed to grow. But at nearly 100 years of age, the university was already filled to capacity with enrollment at 13,800 students. Their resolve? To build the campus for the next century.

The centerpiece of the grand construction initiative is University Hall, a 270,000 sq. ft. edifice housing numerous offices and instructional spaces and sporting the newest audiovisual capabilities. Among the most impressive rooms are the auditorium classrooms: six that seat 100 students and one that seats 200 students.

In these spacious auditoriums, each pair of seats is equipped with a flush-mount digital conferencing microphone. Each mic has a push button that activates and deactivates it. A light ring around the mouthpiece illuminates to indicate when a microphone is active.

MSU’s Assistant Director of Academic Technology John O’Brien explained that the Listen microphone systems are configured to allow 4 microphones to be active at one time. When an additional microphone is activated, the first active microphone is automatically deactivated. Vice President for IT, Dr. Ed Chapel said, “We call them the ‘touch-me’ mics. When you have a class that seats over 100 people, with one microphone per two students, if all mics were to be open at once the ambient noise would be very distracting.

With this design, the microphones are muted and when students want to speak, they just touch the mic button to open it. It’s conceptually very simple, but you’d be surprised at how much hard work went into designing this microphone system.”

The Listen Digital Conferencing System is connected to a robust archiving system, which allows for recording and management of all audio proceedings. Together with the latest video conferencing and broadcasting equipment, these instruction spaces are revolutionizing the way the faculty teaches.

“The audiovisual upgrades have literally changed the way they teach. These capabilities require less preparation time and are much more effective for student learning. Most faculty had never comprehended this type of classroom before,” O’Brien said. He further explained that the design team, headed by communications and acoustics consulting firm Shen, Misolm & Wilke, intentionally excluded transparency projectors from the rooms to encourage faculty to adapt to the richer digital technologies.

At the opening in January 2006, 280 faculty members were introduced to the new University Hall and its marvelous technology environment. O’Brien was thrilled that all the equipment worked as intended. The faculty members were “immensely impressed” with the set up and with the new possibilities the technologies afforded them.

The Listen Digital Conferencing System has been particularly instrumental in several MSU sponsored events, including a press conference with New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg. Members of the media could participate in the press conference by speaking their questions into the Listen microphones. Live local and cross-country presentations have also benefited from the audio support provided by the Listen Digital Conferencing System. The systems are working so well that many conferences are conducted in these technology-rich environments.

The grandeur of University Hall is impressive indeed. What adds to the marvel is that the audiovisual aspect was completed on a budget less than 50 percent of the original project budget. The winning bid was proffered by Allentown-based AV integrator Vistacom and was based on durability, cost-efficiency, and manageability.

President Cole’s vision of building for a new century has certainly come to fruition in less than a decade. University Hall – and its technology rich rooms – is just the thing needed for the current enrollment of 16,000 students – a 30 percent increase to start MSU’s second century of history.

Weyerhaeuser Handles Industrial-Strength Noise with Listen

Tue, 15 May 2012 18:03:26 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

If you’ve ever used a cardboard box, you’ve probably used a Weyerhaeuser product. These standard and custom designed corrugated boxes, as they are called in the paper industry, are produced in more than one hundred Weyerhaeuser plants across the country; plants teeming with activity and filled with noise. There is so much noise that employees must wear earplugs to protect their hearing.

So how do they communicate with each other? They yell. Not the best way to conduct plant tours for visiting managers, potential clients and vendors. But thanks to a wireless solution from Listen Technologies stopped. , a lot of the yelling has

Having worked in similar plants with similar noise issues, Maintenance Manager, Jim Dixon, decided to look into how others had met that challenge and what new technologies, if any, might improve those results. After some investigation, Dixon found Integrated Systems Support Group ISSG provided Dixon with a demo system from Listen Technologies Corporation for a test run. , a Listen dealer.

Everyone liked the results. “In an industrial environment like ours, earplugs are a necessity. Listen’s crisp, clear sound- even with earplugs - is more than we’d hoped for,” says Dixon, whose experience with tour sound systems landed him the responsibility for finding a solution for Weyerhaeuser.

With the new Listen system, tour guides are finding their jobs easier and their tours more professional. They wear a portable transmitter and a behind-the-ear microphone, and can speak in their normal voices – no background noise to add distraction. Their listeners wear portable receivers and stereo headsets. All the equipment is compact and easy to wear, and is conveniently stored in a charging/carrying case.

Many companies that turn to Listen for a sound solution soon find additional uses, adding to their ROI. Weyerhaeuser is no exception: using the same system they purchased for tours, the plant manager can now speak from his office to an employee, equipped with a Listen receiver, anywhere in the 173,000 square-foot facility and the sound remains crisp and clean.

With their Listen tour group communication system, the only yelling that Weyerhaeuser hears now are the shouts of praise from delighted customers, energized tour guides, and happy visitors.

College of Charleston Teaches Bilingual Interpreters with Conferencing System

Thu, 10 May 2012 21:36:07 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

For most people, understanding legal jargon is tough enough. For graduate students in a unique judiciary interpreter training MA program, that’s just the beginning.

The College of Charleston, located in Charleston, South Carolina, is a pioneer in developing and offering a bilingual interpreter training program. Virginia Benmanman, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, is the director of the Bilingual Legal Interpreting program at the college. Even though the Masters Program is already a decade old, it is the only graduate level interpreter training program in the U.S., and most likely, the only one in the world focused on the legal discipline.

“Finding candidates who are highly competent in both languages is really quite a challenge,” Benmaman said. “However, there’s much more to interpreting than just speaking two languages. Bilingual competence is only a pre-requisite.” This understanding drives the intensive training in the graduate program at the school. The Masters Program offers interpreter training for Spanish/English legal settings. The demand for professional bilingual legal interpreters, especially in court proceedings, parallels the rapidly increasing Hispanic population throughout the country.

An integral part of the success of the program is a first-rate interpreting facility on campus. The facility is housed in a large room with six double interpreter booths along three perimeters of the room. Each booth has two interpreting stations, making a total of 12 stations. A large conference table is situated in the center of the room. When the facility was first constructed, an analog audio interpreting system was installed. It was continually fraught with problems such as cross talk, fuzzy reception, and equipment breakdown.

Frustration with the technology sent Benmaman, together with Wendy Williams, Director of Procurement at the College of Charleston, to Multi-Media Services located in Greenville, South Carolina.

“I think Bud Moseley, Executive Vice President, truly understood our equipment needs for the interpreting facility. He recommended the new Listen Conferencing equipment because it was the only system on the market that could do the job we needed,” Benmaman said.

“Although the equipment is designed for simultaneous interpreting at multi-language conferences, the Listen system has been adapted to meet the required functions of an academic interpreter training system,” she continued. This required custom software modifications provided by Multi-Media Services.

The Listen Conferencing equipment includes 12 interpreter desk units designed for listening and recording purposes by the students. The instructor has one interpreter unit and monitor screen that controls audio and video output, and other functions that allow the instructor to listen to individual student performance and provide immediate feedback as needed. System software is provided with the equipment. Additionally, for listening and recording, units are placed on different sections of the conference table. With all the pieces in place, the next incoming group of students will be among the first to use the system as it was designed for this interpreter training facility.

Beaver Island Ushers in Grand Celebration with Wireless Audio

Tue, 08 May 2012 19:50:47 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Jutting out of northern Lake Michigan is a small outcropping known as Beaver Island. Home to approximately 550 year-round residents, this little haven houses another 1500 during the summer months, with vacationers bringing the population of the 6- by 13-mile-island somewhere between 3,000 to 4,000.

Every 4th of July the community puts on a grand celebration, including a parade, replete with a 35-piece marching band and floats. The town’s commander of the American Veteran’s Post reads the names and ages of islanders who have served and died in the Civil War through the Korean War, a moving aspect of the day’s program.

“Last year I realized only a few people could hear the reading of islanders who gave their lives in service to the nation, and I knew we needed [a better sound system],” said Gary Voogt, an engineer and seasonal township resident, who spearheaded raising funds for the wireless sound system. Voogt, who contributed his engineering skills and a cash donation, found fellow islanders more than happy to join the fund-raising effort.

The township purchased from Listen a stationary transmitter and receivers, a ground plane antenna, and a rack-mount kit, complemented by JBL speakers, an Audio Technica wireless microphone and a Shure mixer. The multifunction base station includes a four-channel mixer and a five-disk CD changer, enabling soft background music to be broadcast. An outdoor wall socket allows musicians to plug in to the system directly from their sound mixer.

Because no hard wiring was required, installation was a quick and easy task. And, with a base station installed in the Chamber of Commerce building and receivers and speakers located throughout the community, the sound for this year’s event was amazing.

Although the weather didn’t cooperate (yes, it rained on Beaver Island’s parade), the mic worked without a hitch and sound reached everyone, no matter where they were in the town. With such flawless sound quality, this year’s reading of the veteran’s names “was incredibly moving,” notes Steve West, who owns and operates the island’s newspaper. “In fact,” adds West, “you could hear a pin drop (or in this case, soft rain falling).”

Angelus Plaza Uses Listen for Language Interpretation

Thu, 03 May 2012 17:33:42 +0000

Imagine for a moment that you cannot read this. Your eyesight is fine. It’s just that you don’t read, write, or speak any English. Now pretend you’re elderly, with no family, barely able to make ends meet, and experiencing one or more significant health problems that need medical attention. If you’re a bit concerned, so are a lot of other people.

According to the latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, close to 2 million people in the United States do not speak English. U.S. residents now speak 329 languages, and in some cities, less than 60 percent of the population speaks English. Many are elderly who are unable to receive proper healthcare because of language barriers.

But if you lived in the Los Angeles area, you could take advantage of a Multicultural Healthcare Initiative sponsored by the Angelus Plaza where simultaneous interpretation is conducted for lectures and panel discussions.

For instance, when Dr. David Shavelle spoke to a large and ethnically diverse group of Southern California elderly, the audience heard his counsel on cholesterol and heart health in four languages.

The Good Samaritan Hospital cardiologist, along with simultaneous translators from Pals for Health, used Listen Technologies Corporation transmitters to send their words over radio waves in English, Chinese, Korean and Spanish.

Non-English speaking members of the audience, as well as those who needed auditory assistance in English, donned small wireless receivers and headsets to listen to the doctor’s advice in a language they understood at a volume they could hear.

Eagle Audio & Lighting Delivers Event-Wide Sound System

Tue, 01 May 2012 23:11:52 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Celebrating 15 years in Ft. Worth, Texas, the Race for the Cure® features more than 18,500 women, men, and children converging on the streets of Sundance Square to walk, run, or stroll to raise money for breast cancer research.

Sundance Square is a 20-block commercial, residential, entertainment and retail district. Sundance Square’s beautiful landscaping, red-brick streets and turn-of-the-century buildings make it a delightful setting for this special event celebrating survivors and loved ones involved in the battle against breast cancer.

The annual outdoor event offers more than the race as part of its schedule. Vendors set up booths for education outreach, food and entertainment. Prior to the race there is an aerobic warm up, a master of ceremonies starts the race and at the conclusion of the race there is a closing ceremony with awards. The entertainment features a musical performance by a local band. Developing an event-wide sound system -- for an area that spans approximately 2,500 linear feet (762 m) – is no small feat. Particularly one that can deliver excellent audio quality for both spoken word and musical performance.

Enter Jerrell Evans, Audio Operations Manager for Eagle Audio & Lighting. Evans and his team have been providing the audio to the Ft. Worth Race for the Cure® for the last five years and have seen the audio system needs grow just as the event has grown. The solution came via a system that included a Shure microphone system with speakers and a Listen LT-800 Stationary FM Transmitter and a LA-107 Ground Plane Antenna on the main-stage. Two delay stations were equipped with a Listen LR-100 Stationary Receiver/Power Amplifier connected to a weather proof powered speaker.

Listen’s Wireless Audio Distribution System is ideal for events that don’t have existing hard-wire infrastructure available for audio distribution. Additionally, it saves rental staging companies significant time, money and hassle to deliver sound to their events.

The Listen equipment “blew me away” says Evans, who is certain he’ll be using it for other events. “We’re a full-service sound, stage, lighting and video rental company. I can see this equipment being used for many of our events, one that comes to mind is a Fourth of July event we do that has eight different stages and eight different sound systems. It will be easy to integrate the Listen system with the other systems we use.”

For more information on Listen products, check the website at http://www.listentech.com

Toyota Industrial Improves Factory Tours

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:48:42 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

A group tour is a popular way for companies and other organizations to impress customers, public relations professionals, vendors, associates, and new employees. When a tour has to be conducted in a noisy environment or the tour group is quite large, it is difficult for the tour guide to communicate clearly to all participants. Shouting or using a megaphone can result in distractions to workers, and can fatigue both the guide and the guests. With a Listen tour group system, guides can communicate comfortably, guests can clearly hear the presentation, and distraction to workers is reduced.

Toyota Industrial in Columbus, Indiana, is now using Listen’s tour group systems for tours within their facility. Each tour is set up so that the tour guide uses a Listen portable transmitter. This transmitter can be clipped to the guide’s belt or placed in a pocket while the microphone is secured to their ear or head, depending on the microphone used. The tour guide doesn’t have to speak loudly because guests hear the guide’s presentation through because guests hear the guide’s presentation via personal FM receivers and earphones. The guests can adjust volume as desired and can be as far as 150 feet away from the guide while clearly hearing the message or instructions.

The Toyota plant uses Listen ear speakers, which securely hang over the top of one ear. This allows guests to hear environmental sounds and comments from other guests. However, if your environment is particularly noisy, you may choose to use headphones that cover both ears.

Toyota Industrial bought their Listen system to expand upon an existing system. Listen is 100% compatible with most 72-76 MHz FM assistive listening systems, and in several cases, will improve the sound quality of the system.

Toyota Industrial has two tour systems. With Listen’s 57 channel accessibility, the facility is able to conduct up to six tours at once without transmission interference from one tour to the other because channels can be set up at frequencies far from each other to avoid interference. Listen receivers can be used on one tour or divided among two or more tours. Channel selection or adjustment is simple and fast using UP and DOWN buttons, which can be electronically locked to prevent users from changing channels.

Listen Infrared System Ideal Solution for Divisible Rooms

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 02:36:43 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Located 19 miles north of Salt Lake City in Layton, Utah, the Davis Conference Center offers over 32,000 square feet of meeting space incorporating ballrooms, break-out meeting rooms, and two exhibit halls. The Center is a high-tech facility, providing users such amenities as wireless internet, Sirius/XM Satellite Radio, bright LCD projectors, “continuous break” dining and food stations, and even two weather towers that indicate the coming day’s weather through LED flood lighting. The facility’s AV design also incorporates advanced technologies thanks to system designer David Drommond of Sound Design International. Automatic A/V switching systems are used to route audio and video to the meeting rooms and exhibit halls, and infrared assistive listening systems from Listen Technologies are part of the package.

Drommond was an early adopter of Listen IR products. “I’ve known Russ Gentner (Listen Technologies CEO/President) a long time,” says Drommond. “When Listen began the design of their IR system, I was quite interested and Russ sought my input on what should be included in the system. I had been using other manufacturers’ products for a while, but those designs hadn’t been updated in years and were pretty costly. I liked what I saw in the Listen IR products and wanted to give them a try, so I specified them for this facility.”

System integrator Poll Sound installed eight Listen LT-82 Stationary IR Transmitters in a central equipment room, and placed LA-140 Stationary IR Radiator units in each of six meeting rooms.

LA-140 units were also placed in each of the two exhibit halls at the facility. “We used the white radiators for the meeting rooms, because they blend in nicely with the walls,” says Drommond. “The black versions went into the exhibit halls’ rafters, which are also black, so they virtually disappear from sight.” LR-44 IR Lanyard 4-Channel Receivers are available for use in each of the rooms.

The Davis Conference Center is set up with movable walls that can create many different configurations for meeting spaces, including the capability to open up the entire space. Drommond designed an infrared switching system for the center that senses when a wall has been moved and automatically combines the audio, video, and Listen IR systems for the new space.

“The advantage of IR is that it doesn’t penetrate the walls, so when rooms are set up individually the people using the Listen system are only getting the audio for the room where they are located,” Drommond says. “But, as soon as the wall moves, the Listen units in both rooms will automatically switch to the same audio source and will both transmit the same information. As far as I know, this is the first system of its kind that has been done this way so the hearing assistance systems are able to combine and divide along with the rest of the system. It makes it really slick for the people who work here because they don’t have to think! They move a wall and the system automatically resets itself to the new configuration.”

“We use the Listen systems for both hearing assistance and language interpretation,” says Jay Clark, AV Manager for the Davis Conference Center. “The center is perfect for groups of different sizes and interests who can all be here at the same time and each have their own AV sources running. The Listen system works really well for us because we have lots of diverse groups including senior citizens who need assistive listening as well as groups who need an interpretation system. We can have an interpreter anywhere, providing language interpretation services for a meeting, and the interpretation can be heard in multiple rooms. Assistive listening can be provided for single or multiple rooms, and everything can be combined. It’s really versatile and very useful.”

Seattle Public Schools Connects to Multi-Lingual Families

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:33:04 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is the largest public school system in Washington State, and the 44th largest in the United States. SPS also boasts an incredibly diverse network of 97 schools, serving 45,900 students from more than 70 countries representing over 89 languages. Some of the represented languages and dialects include Amharic, Chinese, Laotian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrigna, and Vietnamese.

The administration and teachers of Seattle Public Schools believe that teaching and learning are truly enriched by the diversity of its students and staff. Their goal is to provide a range of services that assist bilingual students and their families to feel welcome at school and support students’ academic success.

One person charged with responsibilities for connecting the students and families of Seattle’s diverse population is Hung Pham, SPS District Community Liaison & Consulting Teacher. With over 32 years of experience, Mr. Pham is committed to ensuring that Seattle Public Schools families’ needs are being met. He also understands the importance of making a connection with students and their families in their native tongues.

Mr. Pham partners closely with the district’s bilingual program services department to offer English language programs, bilingual instructional assistants to support students with limited English proficiency, and assistance with referrals to health care, employment, and legal services. This multilingual team also supports students’ families by enrolling their children in an appropriate educational program and informing parents about school policies, enrollment, school transportation, transcripts, testing, and many other school activities.

“Effective education is about everyone taking part in the process—parents, school staff and community members—to create an effective experience for all students,” said Mr. Pham. To facilitate the community’s involvement he oversees 4-5 outreach meetings per month. These community outreach meetings are a reflection of the diversity of the student population and Mr. Pham’s team has been instrumental in providing language interpretation services to meeting attendees.

“I knew we had the resources to provide the translators, but needed a solution to make the interpretation easier to do,” noted Mr. Pham. Mr. Pham turned to Anne Renaldi, Deputy Director, of Conference Services for ASET International.

“We knew we could provide Seattle Public Schools with a solution for their meetings,” stated Ms. Renaldi. ASET International is a Listen Technologies dealer offering full-service rentals, sales and support. Ms. Renaldi suggested using Listen Technologies’ Portable FM products for Seattle Public Schools’ language interpretation needs at their community meetings and state wide conferences.

“I recommended Listen Technologies because their products offer the best sound quality, a lifetime warranty and they are easy to use,” stated Ms. Renaldi.

Thanks to the generous partnership of the Seattle Council Parent Teacher Student Association, Seattle Public Schools was able to purchase a Listen system.

Mr. Pham, Ms. Renaldi and Listen worked to create a custom system to meet Seattle Public Schools needs. Multiple LT-700 Portable Transmitters with 57-channels are used by the interpreters and allow for more than one language to be interpreted at every meeting. Attendees in need of language interpretation services use the LR-400 Portable Digital Display FM Receivers. “Many of our clients have had trouble with the old style receivers that do not have digital tuning. This was a perfect product for their application,” noted Ms. Renaldi. Mr. Pham’s team can easily program the receivers to the applicable channel making it easy to use. “We really like the Charging/Carrying Cases, our equipment is organized and always ready to use, stated Mr. Pham.

“We have been very happy with the results of using Listen Technologies’ products for language interpretation, our meetings are more professional, efficient, and effective,” noted Mr. Pham. “We are really connecting to our Seattle Public Schools families.”

Listen Builds Solid Assistive Listening Solution for Center for Architecture

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:37:56 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

The American Institute for Architects, founded over 150 years ago, represents the professional interests of America’s architects and demonstrates a commitment to excellence in design and livability in the nation’s buildings and communities. Saundra Stevens is the Executive Director for AIA in Portland. “We are now the 16th largest chapter in the country, and needed a space where we could bring people together for exhibitions, continuing education, and other functions,” she says.

The AIA’s search for a new location led them to an old building in the Pearl district of Portland, very close to the city’s downtown core. The Pearl district was an industrial area at one point but is now known for its art galleries, upscale businesses and residences. The chapter set to work designing a space that would be ideal for meetings, education and public gatherings. The main floor of the building, covering approximately 5,000 square feet, was divided into two sections. Half is devoted to a staff area and board meeting space; the other half is set up as an open room that can be used as a gathering place for meeting, educational events, and gallery exhibitions.

As a nonprofit organization, the AIA chapter asked for corporate help wherever possible to keep costs to a minimum. Listen Technologies assisted the AIA with the purchase of an FM assistive listening system for the facility, and system integrator Spectrum Systems Design donated the

overall AV system design and integration.

For the “gallery” area, Spectrum Systems Design’s Lindsey McGill installed a Listen LT-800 Stationary FM Transmitter with the LA-122 Universal Antenna Kit. LR-400 Portable Display FM Receivers are available to visitors needing auditory assistance. The LR-400 is an ideal choice as the guests do not need to regularly change channels. “I’ve dealt with Listen many times,” says McGill, “and as always the system installed easily and worked great.”

The “gallery” space in the Center for Architecture is in constant use, says Stevens. “In addition to music, we are doing continuing education in that space for AIA members throughout Oregon,” she says. “An assistive listening system was very important to our plans for using the space. We have events in here that hold anywhere from 20 people up to over 100 (standing room only) for any

number of events. The system from Listen Technologies enables our membership and the people we’ve invited to attend, whether it’s a film, lecture or continuing education, to be able to hear properly. We are pleased to have that ability.” Stevens says that as word spreads through the community that auditory assistance is available, more people are likely to attend events at the center.

Guests Experience a Friendly Ice Cream Tour

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 20:35:18 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Friendly Ice Cream Corporation opened its first Ice Cream Shoppe in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1935. In addition to providing a gathering place for guests to enjoy delicious, made-to-order food, Friendly’s also manufactures its own ice cream products at its plant in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.

The Friendly’s manufacturing plant makes premium ice cream using milk from area dairies for distribution to over 4,500 supermarket and retail locations. It also serves as a location to showcase the ice cream making process via plant tours to managers in training, executive VIPs and consumer groups such as school children.

While the tours are a great way to present Friendly’s to these special groups, they faced the challenge of providing a quality experience in a very noisy environment. The manufacturing managers and corporate staff also needed the flexibility to conduct multiple tours. With a pace of 10 tours per month, Friendly’s also needed a reliable product.

“We were using one of Listen’s competitor’s products for the tours. The product was adequate, but we did not realize how much we could improve the quality of our tours until Glen Aber of AdTech Systems, Inc. provided a demonstration of Listen’s system,” Chuck Shelander, Senior Manager of Training & Communications said. “We noticed the difference immediately.”

Listen provided Friendly’s with an LT-700 transmitter with noise canceling microphones and LR-400 receivers with headphones. The system also includes rechargeable batteries with a charging carrying case. The Listen system provides high quality sound, and Shelander has been pleased with the reliability of the products. “The Tour Group system has had a very positive impact to our operations. Our tours are more enjoyable and efficient for our guests and this reinforces our desire to show Friendly’s as a quality, professional organization,” noted Shelander. “We also appreciate the excellent service and support we have received through the ordering and implementation process.”

Friendly’s thanks Listen for providing a quality solution to their tour group needs.

Menachem Begin Heritage Center Delivers Experiential Exhibits

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:25:52 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

The Begin Museum of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem was inspired by the life and leadership of Menachem Begin, a former Israeli Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner. The architecture is modest with an air of dignity and was intentionally designed this way as a representation of Begin’s own character.

The museum uses an experiential process in its exhibits, telling the story of the engaging life of one of the most important leaders in the history of the state of Israel in a unique fashion. The Museum integrates pictures, reconstructions, original artifacts, documentary films and dramatizations, interactive contact screens, dramatic lighting and an enveloping sound track in ten exhibit areas. Visitors are immersed in the key phases of Begin’s life – his childhood in Poland, his years as the commander of Etzel and as leader of the opposition, and the period when he served as prime minister of Israel. The museum receives 350 to 400 international visitors per day conducting tours in groups of 25 people.

Barkai Benny Brookstein, Ltd, Israel’s leading professional audio-visual company worked closely with the project consultant and the museum to design, supply, install and program the AV and Control System needs for the exhibit.

Audio is a critical element of the exhibit, each of the ten exhibit areas has a unique message. The museum wanted to ensure that the audio portion of the exhibit could be heard clearly by all guests.

Additionally, due to the international diversity of their guests, they needed to provide their message in multiple languages. The base broadcast is in Hebrew, but the audio is also available in English, Russian, French, Spanish and Arabic. The result is a requirement for 40 individual transmissions in 10 locations.

Barkai Benny Brookstein, Ltd knew that in order to deliver on the museum’s requirements they would need to provide a reliable system whose quality could be trusted. They turned to Listen Technologies for the solution. Listen Technologies GmbH worked closely with Barkai to create a custom Stationary IR system to meet the auditory needs of the museum.

Listen’s Stationary IR system is ideal for the museums need to transmit 40 transmissions in multiple locations with no interference between channels. Placement of the IR radiators was key to avoiding interference, especially with the close proximity of the exhibit areas and the open atmosphere. Listen and Barkai worked closely together to determine the appropriate number of radiators and placement for clear signal coverage. The Listen system also offers higher modulation frequencies which decreases the risk of light interference from fluorescent lights and other sources.

Listen’s compatibility with other manufacturers allowed for the implementation of a seamless audio system for the exhibit. An Alcorn McBride Audio Binloop Playback System was used for the multilingual recording for the exhibit. A Crestron control system is used to select the needed language as well as other museum AV and lighting system needs.

At the end of the exhibition visitors are left with the full scope and depth of the heritage of Menachem Begin – and with Listen’s Stationary IR System they won’t miss a single sound.

Interpretation Services Strengthens Palm Vista Community Church Membership

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 20:31:39 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Not too long ago, Sovereign Grace Ministries sent four pioneering families to Miami to establish a new branch in the sunny resort city. The Marcos Gonzales family was one of those selected for the honor to build the membership of the new Palm Vista Community Church.

Having grown to 150 members in a short time, the congregation is strengthened by the Spanish Outreach efforts of its members. Playing a vital role in the success of this outreach program is language interpretation assistance using the LS-07 Portable FM System from Listen Technologies Corporation. The 15-person language interpretation technology enables Spanish-speaking members to participate in worship services in their own language.

“The system is a huge blessing for members and even for my family,” Gonzales said. “Like many other people, my mother wouldn’t be attending church at all if interpretation wasn’t offered.” Palm Vista Community Church now regularly provides interpretation for 10 members each week, and the 15-person system they purchased gives them room to grow.

Palm Vista Community Church meets in a junior high school for its worship services. An interpreter sits outside the auditorium and listens to the services through a headphone and then speaks the simultaneous interpretation into the microphone of his or her LT-700 Portable FM Transmitter. The powerful FM signal gets carried to the LR-400 Portable Display FM Receivers worn by Spanish-speaking members seated throughout the congregation and they hear the interpretation, crystal clear, through their headphones.

“We could have saved a few dollars and purchased a less expensive system, but we would have sacrificed sound quality to do it,” Gonzales said. He continued explaining that the school where meetings are held is constructed of heavy concrete walls that interrupt most cell phone signals. “We tried a few different systems, and Listen was better than everything else. We get strong, clear sound every time.” Gonzales said. He further explained that if they had settled for lower quality, their technology investment would have been a wasted investment.

“The handy carrying case also makes it easy for us to take this system with us anywhere,” Gonzales said. “Things can get banged around in a junior high school, but this case helps us keep the equipment safe and secure.”

Gonzales first saw a Listen system used at a church retreat that included several churches from around the Western hemisphere. Another church had rented a system to provide interpretation for participants from South America, and Gonzales immediately recognized how the same system could help him draw and serve members from the Spanish-speaking community in his area.

When asked what advice he’d give someone considering a portable wireless audio system, Gonzales gave two points:

1) Shop at least three dealers to ensure a fair price.

2) Try different systems before buying.

“Try the competition. But at the end of the day, you’ll buy Listen and the customer services of an audiovisual dealer,” Gonzales said.Community Ch

Rochester Institute of Technology: Accommodating All Hearing Abilities

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 21:34:40 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), the first and largest specialty college of its kind. Since first accepting deaf and hard of hearing students in 1968, NTID continues to provide outstanding technical and professional education programs, while supporting deaf and hard of hearing students with a wide variety of services, from dispensing hearing devices and providing interpreters to assigning note-takers and installing group audio systems.

In 1999 NTID identified a gap in access to auditory information for hard of hearing students campus-wide. While assistive listening systems were available in many of the venues, the students and faculty were not aware of their options. In addition, the equipment was prone to breakdown, and was not always compatible with the students’ hearing devices; and the variety of systems around campus only added to the confusion.

Chas Johnstone, technology coordinator in the Technology Support Services Department said, “Some venues had FM systems, others had infrared systems. There were also technical problems like interference. For some students, changing frequencies on their devices required swapping out frequency cubes. It really was just a logistical nightmare.”

To add to the complexity of serving all hearing abilities, cochlear implants* were becoming more popular among students. Lawrence C. Scott, chair of the Communications Studies and Services Department explained that “the number of students with cochlear implants has skyrocketed.”

“The challenge then,” Scott explained, “was to provide ample and equal access to classes, seminars, productions and events to the deaf, hard of hearing, hearing and cochlear implant students and visitors.”

Both Johnstone and Scott agreed that the kind of technology needed to handle all these variations simply did not exist in 1999. After deciding to replace the old bulky FM systems with the new Phonak MicroLink system, the only challenge that remained was finding an FM transmitter compatible with both MicroLink’s narrow-band receivers and the many other brands the college dispenses.

Thanks to a recent partnership between Phonak and Listen Technologies Corporation – leading manufacturers of hearing devices and wireless audio technology respectively – a best-of-breeds technology solution was born that fit the bill perfectly. It includes the Listen LT-800-216 MHz FM stationary transmitter that can be programmed to work on wide-band or narrow-band frequencies.

Now on the RIT campus, 26 venues are outfitted with this new solution. Each system includes two Listen LT-800 FM Transmitters which are connected to the venue’s sound systems. One transmitter is set to a wide-band frequency, and the other transmitter is set to a narrowband frequency, which accommodates hearing devices such as the Phonak MicroLink Receivers.

Because these specialized transmitters have a broadcast range of 3000 feet, the solution is suitable for larger venues, such as the 440-seat Panara Theatre and the 8,200-seat Gordon Field House. NTID selected Listen’s LR-400 Display FM Receiver as the standard assistive listening receiver around campus for its durability, ease of use, and high sound quality.

What makes this solution as elegant as it is effective is how seamlessly the whole system works. As students with MicroLink receivers (attached to hearing aids) “float” within a couple of feet of MicroLink WallPilot wall plates, the users’ frequencies are automatically synchronized with that of the room’s group system. In addition, the overall “smart” presentation system enables instructors to operate the system without a technician on site. They control the volume for convenience.

“Initially logistics were challenging because transmitters would be in close proximity of each other. We were very concerned about interference, like we had experienced with our older systems,” Johnstone said. “With this system though, there was no interference and no problems.”

Scott called it a “zero-maintenance solution” and said, “the cross-platform compatibility really makes all the difference in the usability of the system. There is compatibility with anyone who walks in the door.”

Yes, that includes even those with perfect hearing abilities. Because NTID is fertile ground for training and developing with the use of American Sign Language, the college will host a number of events – usually in a theater – with ASL as the floor language.

Scott explained that in an ASL conference, silence is appropriate. “To maintain the purity of the language, we issue our Listen LR-400 assistive listening receivers to the hearing,” he said. “It’s like assistive listening in reverse.”

Voice interpreters are equipped with a specialized soundproof mask, and speak the interpretation into a microphone. The FM system’s transmitters (installed in the venue) broadcast the interpretation into the theater, where the personal receivers pick up the digital signal. Listeners hear the interpretation through the attached headphones.

Whether the technology is used forwards or backwards, NTID is enhancing the experience of their community with their own creative innovation.

*Cochlear implants, which are designed for the deaf and severely hard of hearing, bypass damaged parts of the ear and directly stimulate the auditory nerve so the brain can “hear” sound. While it does not restore normal hearing, implants enable people to hear and recognize a variety of sounds in their environment, such as warning signals and speech. (For a quick science lesson on cochlear implants, visit www.nidcd.nih.gov.)

The Hult Center for Performing Arts

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:05:18 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

The Hult Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1982 through perseverance and initiatives by the citizens of Eugene, Oregon. Since its opening the Hult Center has been delighting audiences and world renowned performers alike with its stunning architectural and acoustical features.

The Hult Center has become the artistic cornerstone of the community offering a range of environments for its artists. From the towering glass lobby, to the massive 2,500 seat Silva Concert Hall with its basket weave ceiling, to the intimate 500 seat Soreng Theater with its intriguing asymmetrical design, to the divine Jacobs Gallery downstairs, the Hult Center is a stunning venue for all.

The Hult Center strives to provide excellent services and support to its patrons and offers assistive listening devices to patrons at no charge. The assistive listening system had been in use for almost all of the twenty five years the Hult Center has been open. Recently the operations team determined that the existing system was in dire need of an update if they were going to continue providing quality service for their patrons.

Denny Conn, Head Audio Engineer for the Hult Center contacted Steve Armstrong, from Pros, Inc. to assess options for their assistive listening needs. Mr. Armstrong reviewed the possibility of repairing and upgrading the existing system or installing a completely new system. Because they wanted to broadcast in stereo as well as provide a descriptive listening channel, he recommended a new Stationary IR System from Listen Technologies. “He told us that it would provide us with enhanced performance over our old system, and at a fraction of the price we would pay for another competitor,” stated Mr. Conn.

Steve Armstrong contacted Kyle Anderson, President/CEO Principal Designer of AGI to arrange for a product demonstration. AGI, a Listen dealer is noted for designing and installing complete audio, video, lighting and acoustic solutions for large and small organizations throughout the world. “We brought in key potential users of the system to hear how it sounded and test how easy it was to use. All were very impressed with the quality of the Listen system,” said Mr. Conn.

Wireless Audio Distribution System Brings Ambiance to Historic Downtown

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:10:56 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Located just a 35-minute drive or short train ride from downtown Chicago, The Village of Tinley Park is a community that has worked hard to attract prime business and hospitality industry development for the benefit of its residents and business owners.

In addition, village officials have partnered with the business community to revitalize its historic downtown, developing carefully planned incentives to encourage new construction and façade improvements. The construction of an architecturally outstanding train station and an inviting town square has made Tinley Park a popular venue for numerous community activities, attracting visitors from the entire area.

To further the ambiance of historic downtown, officials had wanted to provide audio programming to a rather remote location of the village for a number of years. The ultimate goal was to make Christmas music available during the holiday season, as well as audio reinforcement for various presentations by local dignitaries throughout the year. However, due to the isolated location of the courtyard, village personnel were just not able to find an economical solution. One possible approach discussed was the use of fiber-optic cabling over which to route the audio signal. However, the cost of running new fiber alone would have overwhelmed the available budget. Furthermore, the cost of additional equipment needed to perform the analog/digital conversion which allowed for transmission over fiber made the final estimated project cost look quite prohibitive.

Adding complexity to an already potentially expensive system, the courtyard was located across a set of busy commuter train tracks from the closest village owned building in which to house equipment. Thus it was not feasible to simply run a new distributed speaker system or fiber network from this building to the courtyard. The village needed a cost effective solution and they needed it quickly since the new holiday season was rapidly approaching.

Enter Pace Systems, a full service systems integrator focused on providing design and design/build for a wide range of services. After discussing the issues with one of its key suppliers, Pace personnel decided the best way to approach the situation was to utilize a wireless audio system from Listen Technologies Corporation. The supplier had seen the effectiveness of distributing audio via FM wireless firsthand. They were familiar with an installation at a local zoo which had utilized a Listen FM wireless system for the distribution of audio program material to each of the animal exhibits.

Utilizing this information, Pace was able to design a Wireless Audio Distribution System utilizing Listen’s LT-800 Stationary FM Transmitter and LR-100 Stationary FM Receiver/Power Amplifier.

Getting the audio out to the courtyard was only the beginning of the process. The signal was then translated to sound via several Electro Voice loudspeakers. Electro Voice was able to supply speaker systems that were weatherproof enough to survive the harsh Chicago land winters while still providing pristine audio quality. The small 4.2” satellite speakers were also small and unobtrusive when installed. This was an important consideration since village management desired to keep the visual impact of audio equipment to a minimum. The LR-100 receiver/power amplifiers were installed in a weatherproof, heated enclosure which kept the audio equipment at a comfortable operating temperature.

Installation of the wireless system turned out to be a breeze. Once power was run to the new enclosure, Pace engineers merely installed amps, transmitter, receivers and speakers, and the would-be complex installation was nearly licked. The only adjustment needed was to lower the power of the remote transmitter residing in the local building since it tended to overpower the mic transmitter used for the village’s holiday celebrations.

Once the installation was completed, village employees were quickly able to pipe Christmas music over the tracks to the courtyard speakers. Citizen feedback toward the added audio programming was enthusiastic and positive. The village was so impressed with the solution that talk has even started regarding an expansion of the wireless network out to the local farmers market at some point in the future.

Approaching a Cultural Tipping Point for Hearing

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:12:06 +0000

Imagine yourself in the skin of a person with hearing loss. You are in a movie theatre, at worship, or attending a lecture—and having trouble hearing. Which of these two hearing assistance options would you prefer?

a) To get up out of your seat and attempt to locate, check out, and wear an extra headset that delivers generic sound, or

b) Simply to push a button, whereupon your own hearing aids or cochlear implant instantly becomes an in-the-ear loudspeaker, delivering sound customized for your own hearing needs.

It’s a no-brainer for those with hearing aids or cochlear implants. In Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, the second (customized, wireless loudspeaker) option is fast being realized. Hearing loops, a classic technology now in modern forms, magnetically transmit sound directly to hearing instruments with telecoils in tens of thousands of venues. These now include back seats of all London taxis, teller windows at 11,500 post offices, countless ticket windows and service points, and in most places of worship that have PA systems, including the great British cathedrals.

Hearing loops address two huge problems with assistive listening systems that require supplementary equipment: First, the equipment seldom gets used—“about once per month per theater,” a manager at my community’s biggest theater complex told me. Second, it isn’t feasible in transient venues, such as pharmacy counters, airports, and ticket booths.

With support from the Hearing Loss Association of American, the American Academy of Audiology, and hearing loss associations in various states, grassroots efforts are now spreading this directly hearing aid-compatible assistive listening. See here for what the Wisconsin audiologist Juliette Sterkens and others has accomplished in their state. West Michigan now has hundreds of looped facilities, including most worship places, the Grand Rapids Airport (both concourses and all gate areas), and even the 12,200 fixed seats of Michigan State University’s basketball arena. See also hearing loop initiatives in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, New York City, Oregon, Rochester (NY), Sarasota, Seattle, andSilicon Valley.

Information about this “directly hearing aid-compatible” assistive listening has recently been featured in Scientific American, as a cover story in a major hearing trade magazine, as a major article for audio contractors, on NPR’s All Things Consideredand Science Friday, as a Chicago Tribunefront page story, as a New York Timesfront page story, and in other print media.

New companies are manufacturing product and offering design and installation support to audio contractors, increasing numbers of whom are gratified by the response. “Of all the AV installations we do, it’s the induction loop that receives the most positive feedback,” reports Glenn Hall of Bestboy Audio in Avondale, PA.

Is this the ultimate wireless hearing solution? The cost, limited range, and power demands of alternative wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth, make hearing loops today’s technology of choice for public access.

But if some future wireless technology is similarly affordable, miniaturized for most hearing instruments, simple to use, inconspicuous, and able to cover a wide area with a universally accessible signal, then bring it on.

Our advocacy is less for hearing loops per se than for hearing technology that enables hearing instruments to serve an important second function, as simple, affordable, wireless loudspeakers.

Happily, with support from more and more AV professionals, we are now approaching a cultural tipping point where that dream looks like an achievable reality.

David G. Myers, PhD, a social psychologist at Hope College, is author of A Quiet World: Living with Hearing Loss (Yale University Press); the recipient of a 2011 American Academy of Audiology Presidential Award; the author of three dozen articles advocating hearing loops; and the creator of the informational web site hearingloop.org.

Professors and Students Connect via Digital Conferencing Solution

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 19:26:09 +0000

This blog post has been re-purposed from a “Listen User Profile” of actual Listen customers detailing their experience with Listen Solutions.

Digital Conferencing System Connects Professors and Students

Lakehead University is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, at the head of Lake Superior where they provide distance learning. Professors at Lakehead are using advanced communications technology to connect with learners both on and off campus.

Videoconferencing and web streaming technology enable them to reach students living around the world. The professors enjoy going online during class to access their own resources and to visit related websites. They also like the new conference microphones, document cameras, and the LCD monitors that make it easy for all students, no matter where they are seated, to hear the instructor and see the demonstrations.

Lakehead University has invested in six Digital Conferencing Systems with a total of more than 300 portable microphones - all with two built-in channel selectors in order for two students each to share a microphone. Simultaneous interpretation with six channels (English, French, Cree, Ojibway, Innu and a guest language) is also available at the university. The system has a maximum of 32 channels.

All the digital microphone units are delivered with the intelligent Voice Active Technology (VOX). VOX facilitates a discussion as the student may speak without remembering to push the button.

Voice active microphones have the ability to measure audio activity around the microphone capsule. When a student starts to speak, they system will process the speech activity and decide intelligently and instantly when to turn off the microphone. Likewise the microphone will be turned off when there is no valid voice activity.

State EOC Gets Clear Secure Sound with Digital Infrared Solution

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 19:38:08 +0000

Listen Technologies Wireless Listening Infrared (IR) has changed the face of emergency management for command and control centers across the country.

The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Massachusetts is using one such system. The fully digital IR system delivers exceptionally clear sound, and thanks to a higher-frequency band (2 to 8 MHz), is immune to distortion from ambient lighting - a critical component for an agency needing to be ready at any moment, should a public emergency arise.

Chaos is a natural by-product of emergency situations. So imagine a room full of personnel, other state agency representatives and, at times, reporters. Add in three 12-foot projection screens displaying up to 14 images and their related audio/visual feed of real-time news and weather from local, national, cable and satellite broadcasts simultaneously, 24 hours a day. The noise alone breeds chaos.

But with the Listen Digital IR system, audio feed is sent directly to the personal receivers, which deliver the sound into earpieces worn by personnel. Suddenly you have changed what John Tommaney, the agency’s response and recovery branch chief, refers to as a virtual “Tower of Babble” into an efficient center able to immediately access and address need.

The system allows users to tune their receivers to any one of the 16 channels, enabling them to “surf” through the various media sources for the information they need. Prior to acquisition of the Listen system the agency relied on six large monitors with full audio feed, some of which did not offer mute or closed caption capability.

The system proved its mettle immediately during a January blizzard. According to Tommaney, it took users a whopping 30 seconds to learn how to operate their systems. The ability to monitor audio sources without audio disruption and its related confusion was profound.

Another plus is the system’s increased signal security; no small thing for an agency housed in an underground bunker. The system is also flexible enough to be linked to individual computers or used for video/DVD teleconferencing.

The agency started out with a dozen units. Once the system’s exceptional, problem-free sound quality and its flexibility to grow with agency needs and emerging technology became clear, plans to acquire additional units began.

What I’ve Learned about Goals and Objectives

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 14:03:05 +0000

Between running Gentner Communications (now ClearOne) and Listen Technologies, I’ve racked up over 30 years of organizational management. One of the most powerful concepts I’ve learned in these years is to align goals, objectives and assignments. I thought it might be helpful to pass along a little of what I’ve learned.

Aren’t goals and objectives the same?

This is one of the biggest misconceptions. The answer is: No. Goals represent an aspiration while objectives represent a specific outcome. In fact (and this is critically important), objectives are the specific things you do to accomplish a goal.

Goals usually come out of the vision or mission of the company.

For example, a company might have the goal to improve the turnaround time from when an order is received to when it is shipped. This goal may have come from the vision of the company to be a customer focused organization. It’s just great to have a goal (especially when it’s tied to the vision), but behind this you MUST put some specific objectives that support the primary goal (more below).

Company Vision > Goals > Objectives > Achieve the Objectives > Achieve the Goals > Get Closer to the Vision

Key Concept: Vision and goals are useless if you don’t have a specific system to put them in action! That’s where SMART objectives come in.

SMART Objectives

Personally, I like the SMART test for objectives and I think that all objectives should be SMART. For an objective to be SMART it must be SPECFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, REALISTIC and have specific TIME for completion.

Example Goal and SMART Objectives

So let’s take the goal above and think through some specific objectives that support the goal.

Let’s say the XYZ Widget Company has the following goal for 2012 that is tied to their vision of being a customer focused organization.

Goal: Improve responsiveness to customers.

In setting this goal, XYZ knows one of the things it needs to do is to reduce its order turnaround time. Therefore the following SMART objective is created:

Master Objective: Reduce the order turnaround time from 5.6 hours to 2.3 hours by June 30.

This becomes one of the master objectives for this goal (there are several other objectives that are needed to achieve this goal).

XYZ then starts tracking this within the company. The weekly average turnaround time is posted on a bulletin board so that everyone can see the progress on achieving the goal. The company can now rally around something that is SPECIFIC and MEASUREABLE!

From this, the company comes up with this objective:

Objective 1: Form a cross functional team that analyzes our ordering processing system that produces objectives for improvement. Complete this process by March 1.

This cross functional team then comes up with these objectives:

Objective 2: Implement a bar coding system that reduces the time needed to package and ship a product by May 15.

Objective 3: Redesign the layout of the warehouse to reduce picking time and implement by May 15.

You will notice that each of these objectives meets the SMART criteria.

This is all well and good, but if you don’t have a plan of action for each objective you won’t achieve the goal. So my suggestion is that whenever an objective is agreed to, the following is set up to support the goal:

1. One person is responsible for the objective (project manager).

2. The project manager is then responsible to create a written plan.

3. A measurement tracking system is put in place.

4. The project is implemented.

So for example, let’s take Objective 2: Implement a bar coding system that reduces the time needed to package and ship a product by May 15, 2012.

1. Mary is named as the project manager.

2. Mary writes a short plan (one page). Mary shares the plan with her boss and the project team members. The plan includes:

a. The Goal. Team members need to understand why they have this objective and why it ties into the company goal.

b. What the objective is and how it will be measured.

c. A list of assignments for each person on the team.

3. The objective is placed in the weekly management meeting agenda each week until accomplished (this is the tracking system). Mary must report her progress on the goal. By doing this, the goal becomes measurable.

4. Mary then uses her plan to follow up with her team to ensure that each assignment is completed and the project proceeds to completion.

As each project manager (including Mary) completes and achieves their objective, the master objective is completed and the XYZ Widget Company gets closer to achieving its goal to improve customer responsiveness and closer to its vision.

Let’s review:

1. Create goals towards an organizational aspiration that is tied to the company’s vision. Most companies should have a low number of goals at any one time. If you don’t keep it low, you’ll have too many objectives!

2. Once a goal is created, create the necessary objectives to support the goal. Make sure the each objective is SMART. Most goals require 2 to 5 objectives to achieve the goal.

3. For each and every objective:

a. Name a project manager.

b. Project manager writes a one page plan that includes specific assignments.

c. The project manager creates a tracking system to track the progress on the objective.

d. The project team completes their assignments and the project tracking system shows the objective has been achieved.

4. As each objective is created, the company gets closer and closer to the goal.

5. The goal is complete, the company celebrates the success!

Company Vision > Goals to Support the Vision > SMART Objectives to Achieve the Goal > Project Plans to Achieve the Objectives > Specific Tracking System for Each Objective > Assignments Completed > Objectives Completed > Goal Achieved > Company Gets Closer to its Vision

Multiple Wireless Listening Solutions in Use at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 17:37:58 +0000

When the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels was built for the Los Angeles the Archdiocese’s investment of $189.5 million delivered a campus over 64,000 square feet, and a monumental structure that can accommodate 3,000 parishioners in the main sanctuary.

It is located in the heart of Los Angeles, right off the Hollywood Freeway. Along with the potential urban noise, the interior’s limestone, wood and poured concrete surfaces created acoustic challenges.

Based on preliminary investigations, the acoustical reverberation of the untreated sanctuary would have fallen in at some 14 seconds RT60 (great for a pipe organ, but making speech almost unintelligible). This made getting a proper sound system including the assistive listening system very important.

Listen Technologies Corporation provided the answer with an installed assistive listening solution using the LT-800 Stationary FM Transmitter distributing audio to listeners using the LR-500 Programmable Display Receivers. Now worshippers simply adjust the volume on their personal receivers and enjoy the enriching service.

But the Archdiocese had other needs beyond assistive listening. A center for culture and exchange, they regularly hold conferences and meetings where language interpretation is necessary, many times in multiple languages. Listen’s 57 channels and programmable receivers make this easy for Archdiocese officials and participants alike, as the receivers can be programmed on site to display only the channels being used. For example channel “S” can be programmed for Spanish, channel “F” for French and so on.

The receivers are then distributed to guests along with a program telling them the channel assignments for each language. Guests can easily select the appropriate channel for their languages, using the display on the LR-500 units.

The Cathedral and surrounding campus also receive a number of visitors to experience the unique architecture and exquisite priceless artwork on display. The Listen LT-700 Portable Transmitter, used with individual receivers, makes the perfect solution for tour groups as they are led through the facility. Tours can be conducted in multiple languages thanks to the large number of channels available in the Listen systems.

The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels is a perfect example of the flexibility and usefulness of Listen systems. Auditory assistance, language interpretation, and tour group communications, all using the same product, providing wireless audio of the highest quality with minimal effort. In a word, inspiring.

Harmons Culinary Tour

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:57:06 +0000

Have you ever had a chance to tour your favorite grocery store? I don’t mean running down the aisles grabbing your items off the grocery list. I mean an opportunity where you get to connect with those that make grocery shopping an experience not an errand we dread.

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a tour at a local Harmons grocery store here in Salt Lake City, Utah. Well, Draper, Utah to be exact.

I accompanied 27 chefs in training from The Art Institute of Salt Lake City Culinary program on an amazing tour of the Draper Harmons.

One might think, what could there possibly be to see at the grocery store? Well Harmons is not your ordinary chain grocery store. As their slogan states: “We're Not Normal, We're Harmons”

They are truly anything but your normal grocery store. Harmons is Utah’s oldest and largest family owned grocer. Their cheese aisle alone offers over 100 different cheeses imported from all around the world. The cool thing is whichever cheese you are interested in they let you sample it right there and then. Is that heaven on earth or what?

With 30 people on the tour, the noisy environment in the grocery store, and the need to move from department to department posed a challenge for the chefs to be able to hear the presentations clearly. Ken Krause, Cooking School Coordinator understood how important hearing the presentations would be to the chefs in training. A Listen Technologies tour guide system made that possible.

Before we started the tour, all the chefs in training and the tour guide were equipped with a Listen Technologies portable tour guide system. Each chef was provided with an LR-400 Portable Display Receiver and a LA-164 Ear Speaker. The tour guides where provided with LT-700 Portable Display Transmitter and an LA-274 Hand-Held Microphone.

Chef Evan Francois was our tour guide. The tour started at what they call their “WOW” area. We started in the Delicatessen area, where they had us sample some cheese, with a presentation on all the different cheeses they offer.

After that we were taken to the Chef Prepared aisle. Here you can find delicious recipes that are created by Harmons’ chefs. Anything from a potato salad, chicken fingers and sushi is available. A perfect solution for a take home meal and you will still get the freshness as if you had it made at home.

Next stop the bakery; walking by here is hard. The aromas of the different breads that are baking are hard to resist. This is not your standard grocery aisle with donuts, and a French baguette. Here all the baked goods are made fresh daily from scratch.

While we were taken from department to department, the amazing chefs showed us how they prepare the items daily, and how important the freshness of the meat, seafood and delicatessen is.I wasn’t the only one impressed; all 27 chefs from the Art Institute were amazed by the service Harmons provides.

With Harmons that is not all they offer, after the tour at the grocery store we were taken by Chef Evan to the Cooking School. Yes they have a cooking school! They teach both hands-on and demonstration classes.

From baking pizzas from scratch, to a three course meal and wine classes! The cooking school is available for beginners, families, private classes, parties and business. It’s a great way to socialize, while enjoying some delicious food!

So next time you are at your favorite grocery store, ask for a tour. You will be amazed how much you will learn!

Sound Reinforcement For Technicians

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 19:36:18 +0000

SynAudCon takes a multimedia presentation and an interactive “hands on” approach with this 3-day seminar. Scheduled for Atlanta in March and Dallas for April.

Please watch this informative brief video for information about this seminar. [Watch Now]

Who Should Attend?

This seminar is for those who install, configure and calibrate sound reinforcement systems.

Seminar Description

Learning "how it works" is the key to troubleshooting and setting the system up correctly.

This seminar has been updated and refined for 2010. It covers the theory behind how systems work, and demonstrates how to use instrumentation to look "under the hood" to troubleshoot systems. Advanced topics such a crossover adjustments and equalization are presented in a technical, yet practical way.

SR for Technicians includes "Hands-On" Exercises. The attendees will use a tool kit that includes meters and other items that's needed to test and troubleshoot systems.

The class also goes into detail on how to use modern dual-channel FFT measurement platforms.

On day three, we show the setup of a 3-way triamped loudspeaker, including polarity testing, equalization, crossover selection and signal alignment. The principles presented in the Technicians seminar are built upon those presented in the Level 100 - Principles of Audio Web-based Course.

What You Will Learn

The inner workings of audio interfaces, including a practical exposure to concepts of voltage, current, impedance, power and other signal characteristics.
How to select loudspeaker cables based on loudspeaker impedance and required cable length.
How to establish an optimum system gain structure using both "on the fly" and in-depth approaches.
How to know how much power you are feeding a loudspeaker, and how to stay below the loudspeaker's power limits.
The proper use of peak and RMS metering to track audio signals.
How to figure out if you should run your power amplifier in dual-channel or bridge-mono mode.
The principles of grounding and shielding for quiet and safe interfaces.
The essential and common principles of all room measurement systems, enabling you to use any of them to their fullest potential.
An equalization strategy that gets at what you can fix, and avoids "over equalizing" the sound system.
How to calibrate a loudspeaker signal processing chain, including crossover, equalizer, delay and compressor/limiter.
How 70 volt systems work, and how to make sure they're working correctly.

Seminar Dates:
Atlanta, Georgia - March 19-21, 2012
Dallas, Texas - April 2-4, 2012

The class is approved for 24 InfoComm Renewal Units, 16 NSCA LUs, 10 CEDIA CEUs, and 19 BISCI CECs. Continuing Education Overview

Suggested Prerequisite:

Level 100: Principles of Audio - Web-Based Training Course
Suggested Follow up Training: SynAudCon Digital

Supplies Needed

Bring a notebook computer if you would like to take part in the "Audio Click Rule" exercises. Mac users, the Audio Click Rule will work if you have Windows installed on your computer. The Toolkit used for this seminar is provided by SynAudCon and remains the property of SynAudCon at the end of the seminar.

ADA Before & After....

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:25:50 +0000

In September 2010, the government made changes that were very significant to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The specifications and verbiage related to assistive listening were modified to help both the public venues to become compliant and those who would need the accommodation for assistive listening. The major changes included the following:

1. The 4% rule was eliminated and replaced with a table adopted from the International Building Code.

a. 2003 IBC

2. The wording “fixed seating” was replaced with “capacity.”

3. The addition of T-Loops was added.

a. T-loops address the T-coil functionality on some hearing aids.

4. The “less than 50 seat” rule was eliminated.

a. All venues that have an audio source need to have an Assistive Listening System.

Table 219.3 from Section 706 outlines the quantity of assistive listening devices and neck loops that make it easier for large venues to be compliant. Before the changes, larger locations would have been required to have thousands of receivers on hand making it expensive and unrealistic to the number of people that needed to be accommodated…this has been reduced to hundreds. The table also addresses smaller venues as it requires them to provide assistive listening even if they have a capacity of less than 50.

The math around the new requirements can be a little confusing so we created an ADA Compliance Assistive Listening Calculator. All you have to do is plug in the capacity of your venue and it outputs how many assistive listening devices and how many neck loops you need to meet the standards.

You can download the calculator by [clicking here].

The ADA Compliance Assistive Listening Calculator App is also available as a free app for iPhones and iPads at:

iTunes Media > App Store > Productivity > Listen Technologies Corp. (ADA Compliance Assistive Listening Calculator)

Knowing that it would take time to change, and time to institute the change, the government gave us a deadline of March 15, 2012 to bring all future projects into compliance. This date specifically addresses:

1. New construction projects

2. Remodel or retrofit projects

I recently kicked off Listen’s Quick Info Webinar series with “What You Need To Know About 2010 ADA Assistive Listening Changes & Compliance Deadline.” Watch this 24 minute webinar for details about what has changed, impacts to projects, understanding the math, enforcement, and the ADA compliance deadline.

Hearing Aids May Help Decrease Brain Atrophy in Older Adults

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:16:00 +0000

Originally posted at Hearing Review in October 2011. http://www.hearingreview.com/news/2011-09-01_01.asp

A new study from the University of Pennsylvania shows that declines in hearing ability may accelerate gray matter atrophy in auditory areas of the brain and increase the listening effort necessary for older adults to successfully comprehend speech. However, a hearing aid may help decrease the atrophy, as well as help hearing ability.

When a sense (taste, smell, sight, hearing, touch) is altered, the brain reorganizes and adjusts. In the case of poor hearers, the researchers found that the gray matter density of the auditory areas was lower in people with decreased hearing ability, suggesting a link between hearing ability and brain volume.

Lead author Jonathan Peelle, PhD, research associate in the Department of Neurology, explained in the press release, "As hearing ability declines with age, interventions such as hearing aids should be considered, not only to improve hearing, but [also] to preserve the brain." He added, "People hear differently, and those with even moderate hearing loss may have to work harder to understand complex sentences."

In a pair of studies, researchers measured the relationship of hearing acuity to the brain, first measuring the brain's response to increasingly complex sentences and then measuring cortical brain volume in the auditory cortex. Older adults (60-77 years of age) with normal hearing for their age were evaluated to determine whether normal variations in hearing ability impacted the structure or function of the network of areas in the brain supporting speech comprehension.

The studies found that people with hearing loss showed less brain activity on functional MRI scans when listening to complex sentences. Poorer hearers also had less gray matter in the auditory cortex, suggesting that areas of the brain related to auditory processing may show accelerated atrophy when hearing ability declines.

In general, research suggests that hearing sensitivity has cascading consequences for the neural processes supporting both perception and cognition. Although the research was conducted in older adults, the findings also have implications for younger adults, including those concerned about listening to music at loud volumes.

"Your hearing ability directly affects how the brain processes sounds, including speech," says Peelle. "Preserving your hearing doesn't only protect your ears, but also helps your brain perform at its best."

The research appears in the August 31, 2011, edition of The Journal of Neuroscience and was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Physicians should monitor hearing in patients as they age, noting that individuals who still fall within normal hearing ability may have increasing complaints of speech comprehension issues. Patients should talk to their physician or an audiologist if they are experiencing any difficulty hearing or understanding speech.

SOURCE: Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

Sound Amplification Basics

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:11:52 +0000

Sound amplification needs to not only make sounds louder but more intelligible. A loud overhead sound system that no one can understand has no value. The effect of quality sound amplification for presentations and trainings is significant. Studies have shown that sound amplification in small- to medium size rooms can increase people’s retention by as much as 30%.

For sound amplification to give everyone in the presentation or training room a full sound experience, it must deliver sound that is:

• Clean—free from noise and artifacts

• Intelligible—clearly recognizable and comprehensible

• Natural—full range of frequencies are properly reproduced

• Balanced—different audio sources produce the same level

• Evenly dispersed—loudspeaker coverage is such that everyone can hear

When you consider the cost of attendee time, particularly higher salaried employees, any downtime due to issues with the room is wasting company money. A recent study of IT managers who support presenters in company presentation rooms found that on average, each problem wastes up to 31.5 minutes of the meeting time—from the initial attempts by meeting participants to resolve the problem to the final resolution. Multiplied by the average number of meetings and the wasted time added up to 21.2 hours per attendee per year.1

Exploring Sound Amplification Options

For most small organizations, choosing a solution is a balance between the sound quality they are willing to tolerate and their budget. Here are three possibilities:

• Attaching external speakers to a laptop, for example, will amplify music and video audio that is played from a laptop as well as from Skype remote callers. But it won’t amplify the presenter’s voice, improve intelligibility, accommodate speakerphones, or make it easy to use.

• Purchasing a microphone, amplifier, and loudspeakers will make it easier to hear the presenter—particularly if the loudspeakers are properly placed in the room. But it won’t accommodate additional audio sources or remote callers.

• Installing a feature-rich solution that provides microphones, loudspeakers, digital-signal processing, numerous input and outputs for audio devices, and a variety of control options will deliver excellent sound quality. However, it will probably cost upwards of $4,500.

In reality, an installed system like this has far more horsepower than most organizations need for their multi-purpose rooms. But if you could strip an installed system down to only the most necessary components, you would have a complete sound system that includes:

• Wireless microphone for the presenter

• Ceiling speakers

• Device with a VoIP port, audio inputs, control interface, and wireless microphone receiver

• Equalization and filtering capabilities

• User-friendly controller

Components of a Complete Sound System

The illustration below depicts the basic components of a sound system for training rooms or presentation rooms. It is a system that is able to deliver rich, full sound. This system uses four loudspeakers to distribute audio throughout the room, creating a soundfield. It also includes a microphone with volume control, a control unit that interfaces with audio devices and provides volume control and device selection. Finally, the room module ties the system together and delivers audio signals from the various inputs to the loudspeakers.

1 The Meeting Room Marathon - A Waste of Corporate Time, Dynamic Markets research commissioned by Casio, July 2010.

A Comparison of Loop, FM & IR Technologies For Assistive Listening

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 19:36:34 +0000

There are many options for assistive listening technologies. This blog post provides a comparison between the three technologies used in assistive listening.

There’s been a lot of discussion about Hearing Loop technology for use in assistive listening. The recent New York Times article “A Hearing Aid That Cuts Out All The Clatter” points to the many benefits of using induction loops in theaters, places of worship and other venues. Thus, the purpose of this blog is to provide a comparison between the three technologies used in assistive listening.

RF (Radio) Technology - This uses the same technology used by a radio station or a two-way radio to wirelessly deliver audio to your ears using an RF receiver and earphones. The system uses a small transmitter with an antenna to cover an entire theater or stadium.

IR (Infrared) Technology - This uses infrared light (yes, the same IR technology as in your TV remote control) to transmit audio to your ears using an IR receiver and earphones. These systems uses IR radiators (it’s like a headlight on a car) to flood IR light into the facility. Most facilities require about four radiators to be installed throughout the venue.

Induction (Loop) Technology - Hearing Loop technology uses a magnetic field to wirelessly transmit audio to your ears using either a "T-Coil equipped" hearing aid with a built in “T” switch or or, with a Hearing Loop receiver with earphones. These systems use a wire, or flat copper tape of loop(s) that are typically installed on the floor of the entire venue. The added install cost is the reason that hearing loop systems can potentially cost more than RF or IR system, especially in retrofit installations.

If you’re like 10% of the population and you struggle to hear, assistive listening systems like these can dramatically improve your ability to enjoy the content delivered by the venue. All three of these technologies offer this advantage whether you have a hearing aid or not.

The “Magic” Of Loop Systems

Now, if you do have a T-Coil or, TeleCoil equipped hearing aid and it has a “T” switch, a hearing loop system makes it very simple to use. You simply walk into the venue, set your “T” switch and presto you hear audio right in your ears. You don’t need a receiver or earphones. It’s magic! This is why hearing loop systems have such a wide appeal for people who have “T” switch hearing aids.

In North America, many people who have hearing aids don’t have a T-Coil or, TeleCoil equipped hearing aid with a “T” switch where as in Europe most hearing aid users do have a “T” switch. My hearing aid does NOT have a “T” switch, and thus, no matter what type of technology a facility might have, I have to request a receiver and earphones to hear the audio. Maybe my next hearing aid will have a “T” switch.
(NOTE: When this article was originally written the percentage of Tele-Coil equipped hearing aids in the U.S. were fairly low, but now most hearing aid manufacturers are offering this technology and the percentages are increasing)

Thus, the “magic” of a hearing loop system can only be enjoyed by those individuals who have a hearing aid with a “T” switch. Everyone else must use a Hearing Loop receiver and earphones. The fact is that the majority of people who are hearing impaired do not even own a hearing aid.

Advantages Of RF And IR Systems

RF and IR technology assistive listening systems offer two main advantages:

1. Low cost

2. Ability to deliver multiple audio sources.

The cost of a typical RF system is less than $5,000 and the cost of an IR system is less than $10,000 for an average venue. Haering Loop systems can potentially cost much more. The lower cost of RF and IR is because the building does not need to be modified to be installed. In Hearing Loop systems, (depending upon the design) the loop must be installed over the entire floor of the venue and it must be carefully designed and installed to ensure complete coverage and no interference to equipment within the facility.

Additionally RF and IR systems can also be used for multiple audio sources. For example, at the Kennedy Center they use their IR system not only for assistive listening but they also use it for audio description and audio instruction.

While the New York Times article “A Hearing Aid That Cuts Out All The Clatter” referenced this facility, the Kennedy Center does not use loop technology* because of their requirement to transmit multiple audio sources.

If a person does have “T” switch or, "T-Coil equipped" hearing aid, they can still use an RF or IR system to connect directly to their hearing aid. This is done by plugging a neck loop into an IR or RF receiver (it’s worn around the neck). The neck loop inductively connects to the hearing aid.

It is great to hear the enthusiasm and the interest in Hearing Loop systems for assistive listening. Hearing Loop systems offer a great convenience and “magic” factor people with “T” switch hearing aids. And no matter what technology a venue chooses, anyone can use and benefit from the system.

When you consider 10% of the population is hearing impaired (just like me…) it’s important that we have the ability to enjoy a play or enjoy the music.

This chart offers a side by side comparison of some of the considerations for each type of technology.

Consideration	RF Technology	Infrared Technology	Induction Loop Technology
Can be used with a hearing aid that has a "T" switch without ANY other equipment	No	No	Yes
Can be used with a hearing aid that has a "T" switch but requires a neck loop plugged in to an FM or IR receiver	Yes	Yes	Not Applicable
Relative convenience level for individuals with a hearing aid that has a "T" switch	Medium	Medium	Very High
Relative convenience level for individuals with a hearing aid that DON'T have a "T" switch	Medium	Medium	Medium
Relative cost of installation for a new building	Low	Medium	High
Can be used for applications beyond assistive listening such as audio description, language interpretation, etc.	Yes	Yes	No
Maximum number of simultaneous channels	6	32	1
Secure. Signal does not travel outside the room	No	Yes	Yes (if designed properly)
Relative audio quality	High	High	Medium / High
May interfere with equipment within the facility (such as a mixing console)	No	No	Yes / Possible

(* The NY Times article was reference a onetime event that had a temporary loop system installed)

Pursuing Happiness in 2012

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 16:48:00 +0000

For many of us celebrating New Years is about the opportunity to start fresh and consider how the year ahead can be different. For me a part of considering what lays ahead is pursuing what makes me happy. Even the greeting “Happy New Year” suggests that happiness should be the priority.

I came across this blog originally posted in August and it really resonated for me as being applicable to pursuit of happiness in the New Year. What are you pursuing in 2012?

Posted on www.marcandagenl.com by Jacob Sokol of Sensophy

12 Things Happy People Do Differently

“I’d always believed that a life of quality, enjoyment, and wisdom were my human birthright and would be automatically bestowed upon me as time passed. I never suspected that I would have to learn how to live - that there were specific disciplines and ways of seeing the world I had to master before I could awaken to a simple, happy, uncomplicated life.” -Dan Millman

Studies conducted by positivity psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky point to 12 things happy people do differently to increase their levels of happiness. These are things that we can start doing today to feel the effects of more happiness in our lives. (Check out her book The How of Happiness .)

I want to honor and discuss each of these 12 points, because no matter what part of life’s path we’re currently traveling on, these ‘happiness habits’ will always be applicable.

Express gratitude. – When you appreciate what you have, what you have appreciates in value. Kinda cool right? So basically, being grateful for the goodness that is already evident in your life will bring you a deeper sense of happiness. And that’s without having to go out and buy anything. It makes sense. We’re gonna have a hard time ever being happy if we aren’t thankful for what we already have.
Cultivate optimism. – Winners have the ability to manufacture their own optimism. No matter what the situation, the successful diva is the chick who will always find a way to put an optimistic spin on it. She knows failure only as an opportunity to grow and learn a new lesson from life. People who think optimistically see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in trying times.
Avoid over-thinking and social comparison. – Comparing yourself to someone else can be poisonous. If we’re somehow ‘better’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, it gives us an unhealthy sense of superiority. Our ego inflates – KABOOM – our inner Kanye West comes out! If we’re ‘worse’ than the person that we’re comparing ourselves to, we usually discredit the hard work that we’ve done and dismiss all the progress that we’ve made. What I’ve found is that the majority of the time this type of social comparison doesn’t stem from a healthy place. If you feel called to compare yourself to something, compare yourself to an earlier version of yourself.
Practice acts of kindness. – Performing an act of kindness releases serotonin in your brain. (Serotonin is a substance that has TREMENDOUS health benefits, including making us feel more blissful.) Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to feel good inside. What’s even cooler about this kindness kick is that not only will you feel better, but so will people watching the act of kindness. How extraordinary is that? Bystanders will be blessed with a release of serotonin just by watching what’s going on. A side note is that the job of most anti-depressants is to release more serotonin. Move over Pfizer, kindness is kicking ass and taking names.
Nurture social relationships. – The happiest people on the planet are the ones who have deep, meaningful relationships. Did you know studies show that people’s mortality rates are DOUBLED when they’re lonely? WHOA! There’s a warm fuzzy feeling that comes from having an active circle of good friends who you can share your experiences with. We feel connected and a part of something more meaningful than our lonesome existence.
Develop strategies for coping. – How you respond to the ‘craptastic’ moments is what shapes your character. Sometimes crap happens – it’s inevitable. Forrest Gump knows the deal. It can be hard to come up with creative solutions in the moment when manure is making its way up toward the fan. It helps to have healthy strategies for coping pre-rehearsed, on-call, and in your arsenal at your disposal.
Learn to forgive. – Harboring feelings of hatred is horrible for your well-being. You see, your mind doesn’t know the difference between past and present emotion. When you ‘hate’ someone, and you’re continuously thinking about it, those negative emotions are eating away at your immune system. You put yourself in a state of suckerism (technical term) and it stays with you throughout your day.
Increase flow experiences. – Flow is a state in which it feels like time stands still. It’s when you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you become one with the task. Action and awareness are merged. You’re not hungry, sleepy, or emotional. You’re just completely engaged in the activity that you’re doing. Nothing is distracting you or competing for your focus.
Savor life’s joys. – Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to enjoy the joy. It’s easy in a world of wild stimuli and omnipresent movement to forget to embrace life’s enjoyable experiences. When we neglect to appreciate, we rob the moment of its magic. It’s the simple things in life that can be the most rewarding if we remember to fully experience them.
Commit to your goals. – Being wholeheartedly dedicated to doing something comes fully-equipped with an ineffable force. Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to get somewhere. When you’re fully committed to doing something, you have no choice but to do that thing. Counter-intuitively, having no option – where you can’t change your mind – subconsciously makes humans happier because they know part of their purpose.
Practice spirituality. – When we practice spirituality or religion, we recognize that life is bigger than us. We surrender the silly idea that we are the mightiest thing ever. It enables us to connect to the source of all creation and embrace a connectedness with everything that exists. Some of the most accomplished people I know feel that they’re here doing work they’re “called to do.”
Take care of your body. – Taking care of your body is crucial to being the happiest person you can be. If you don’t have your physical energy in good shape, then your mental energy (your focus), your emotional energy (your feelings), and your spiritual energy (your purpose) will all be negatively affected. Did you know that studies conducted on people who were clinically depressed showed that consistent exercise raises happiness levels just as much as Zoloft? Not only that, but here’s the double whammy… Six months later, the people who participated in exercise were less likely to relapse because they had a higher sense of self-accomplishment and self-worth

Getting Started With Wireless Conferencing

Tue, 27 Dec 2011 22:53:10 +0000

So, you’ve decided that a Wireless Conferencing system could be the right solution to make your meetings run more smoothly. However, there are still a couple of lingering questions about ensuring that the system will work for your application and that you’ll have an effortless experience getting the system up and running.

How do I make sure the wireless system works?

Today, a lot of digital wireless equipment works in the license-free 2.4GHz band. Most commonly known is Wireless LAN. At first glance, you might think that if you have a wireless conferencing system that works in this popular band you are as snug as a bug in a rug. Wrong.

The reality is quite the opposite. The 2.4GHz wireless band offers room for only three non-overlapping wireless systems. Non-overlapping means that they are not interfering with one another. Each system therefore eats one third of the available bandwidth. So having two Wireless LAN networks in the vicinity significantly reduces the possibility of running a conference system reliably. Increasing the transmission power of the conference system to blast away the competition from Wireless LAN is a very crude way of resolving this and might result in unhappy delegates who can’t use their wireless laptop connection during the meeting. It is not the solution either if you have several conference systems operational in adjacent rooms.

The solution is a multi-band wireless conference system that also works in the license-free 5GHz band. This will give you a multitude of channels to work in and allows you to stay out of the very busy 2.4GHz band. Moreover, it will make your IT department more relaxed if it knows that your system is not messing with the Wireless LAN in your building.

Are these systems complex to set up?

On the contrary, a wireless conferencing system in its most basic form – that is, audio only – is extremely easy to set up. The only components in the system are the delegate units and a Wireless Access Point. In this case, you don’t need the central unit. Bring in your laptop, or connect the access point to the local area network to set up the system with the intuitive web pages provided, and you’re good to go.

Can I easily connect other audio equipment?

The wireless access point has an analogue audio input as well as an output. Connecting a wired or wireless microphone, a videoconferencing system, teleconferencing system or an audio recorder is just a matter of connecting a cable. So with a minimum amount of equipment, you have a fully operational system.

In this short video Peter Papageorge, Director of Sales, North America gives a high level demo and overview of the Listen Wireless Conferencing solution. Papageorge reviews system set-up, ease of use, coverage, operation, and battery life.

New Ear Buds Protect Your Delicate Ears With Balloons

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:19:32 +0000

The popularity of ear bud headphones has exploded in recent years, in part because of the better sound they are said to deliver, their easy compatibility with hats and hairstyles, and in no small part from their association with a certain iconic portable music player. But while functional, and some claim comfortable, ear buds don’t really play nice with the structure of our ears. In fact, they may be hurting us.

The issue comes from the stapedius reflex, where the middle ear undergoes an involuntary muscle contraction in the presence of loud noises to protect the delicate inner ear. This responses happens all the time, particularly while talking or humming, which is why you have may have been told to hum right before a loud noise to protect your ears. Because in-ear headphones create a closed space, transferring the sound into a concussive force against the ear drum and middle ear, the stapedius reflex kicks in making the music sound quieter, and often results in users turning up the volume even higher to compensate. The middle ear attempts to compensate further, leading to fatigue on the muscles, leathery calluses on the ear drum, and eventually actual hearing damage from the high volume.

Until recently, the only way to prevent this was switching back to over-the-head headphones or listening at low volumes. But Stephen Ambrose who created of in-ear monitors, the professional grade progenitors of ear buds, thinks he’s found a way to deliver high-quality sound without deafening listeners. TheAmbrose Diaphonic Ear Lens (ADEL) uses air-filled balloons around tiny speakers to act as a barrier between you and sound. The sound vibrates the membrane of the balloon, transferring the sound to the wall of the ear canal and through the bones of the inner ear.

With the balloon ear buds, or alternatively, tiny membrane inserts for traditional ear buds, listeners can use less volume but experience more sound. Moreover, Ambrose’s research shows that the membranes greatly reduce the force applied to the ear, preventing fatigue and hopefully guarding against hearing damage. The balloon buds are still in the prototyping phase, but consumer grade versions should be in the pipe soon. For music lovers everywhere, this should sound like good news.

InfoComm Lunch & Tour Of Smoky Hill Vineyard Church

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:07:33 +0000

On December 8, 2011 InfoComm made an appearance at Smoky Hill Vineyard Church in Denver Colorado, teaming up with Logic Integration and putting on a fantastic presentation on DSP, digital signage, and digital content. After the presentation Shawn Hansson with Logic Integration conducted a tour of the church using a 28 person Listen Technologies tour system which provided clear and precise speech, allowing tour participants to understand all of the gear at this house of worship.

The event began with a presentation on digital signal processing (DSP) and all of the things they are used for and all the applications they are specified in. The group was also shown a very unique instant text to vote system using DSP technology.

Kristen Chasey with Logic Integration is their expert in digital signage and she explained what exactly digital signage is and how it is used everywhere! Kristin showed us how basic digital signage can be used such as; a fast food menu and also how complicated it can get as in monitoring airport flights with hundreds of displays.

Bill Craig, VP of Business Development for Logic Integration presented a topic they like to call “analog sunset” obviously saying goodbye to analog and welcoming digital in everything we do. Bill taught everyone how EDID is a handshake sort of process when using a digital display with a digital source. He also showed everyone DVI, HDMI, and all of the digital cables and how they are used for different situations.

Shawn Hansson CEO of Logic Integration had the honor of using the Listen Technologies tour system for his church overview. He took the group behind the stage showing everyone the cabinets of gear the church uses for all their AV, a full functioning Starbucks restaurant was also at this facility with a number of digital signs, the hallway behind the screens was very thin to fit and hear everything Bill was saying which made the Listen tour system an excellent demonstration on how much it helps in this type of application.

Tour participants make their way through the church

Shawn Hansson, CEO of Logic Integration led the tour

Get Ready For Your Holiday Sound Challenges

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:26:29 +0000

Is your house of worship sound system ready to meet the challenge of the holidays? Or will you and your congregation be annoyed and disappointed once again by poor sound intelligibility, runaway feedback squeals and frustrated musicians?

During the holidays, pageants, special services and concerts make extraordinary demands on your sound system and staff…
The HOW-TO Church Sound Workshops, the nation’s leading providers of sound worship training, are ready to help by offering our seasonal SAT training sessions during December.

These System Analysis & Training (SAT) sessions are dedicated to fixing what ails your sound system — from how to set up microphones to configuring mixing boards to adjusting speakers and everything in-between.

Plus, we provide hands-on training for your Sound and Praise teams on your own sound system including how to do a proper sound check and getting the band to turn down their stage volume. That's 8 hours of sound system set-up and hands-on training on your own gear with your musicians and sound teams!

Our SAT sessions have helped dozens of churches throughout the USA make holiday and year-round services more productive and enlightening. We are here to serve you. Click HERE to read church testimonials, letters of recommendation and past and present church sites.

Please contact me, Hector La Torre at 732-741-1275 or hector@fitsandstarts.com for pricing and scheduling. We have a limited number of open SAT dates available on the east coast month, so call now for scheduling. More SAT dates will be open in 2012, so contact us now for next season's road schedule, no matter where you're located in the country.

This year be prepared for the holidays.

Strategies To Get Ahead Of The Competition

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:14:08 +0000

Staying ahead of the competition is a challenge many business owners face. Understanding the changing policies, technologies and business tactics necessary to win a bid these days is a necessity for business success. The sessions and keynote speakers featured at NSCA’s 2012 Business & Leadership Conference, March 1-3, 2012, in Dallas, TX, will provide integrators with solutions to these issues and many more.

This year’s conference features sessions selected by systems integrators who truly understand today’s hottest industry topics. From industry trends and business tactics to human resources and management skills, the agenda for the 14th annual event includes:

Leadership at 100 mph:
Keynote speaker, Cameron Herrold, is most renowned for his driving force behind the spectacular growth of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, which went from $2 million to $106 million in revenue in just six years, Herrold will lead “Leadership at 100 mph,” a session on business growth. Conference attendees will learn how to use a unique process called “Painted Picture” to create total alignment within their teams; attract and retain top talent; establish long-term goals; and create an effective work environment. Herrold will also present a break-out session on company culture, an area in which he has been recognized by Canadian Business magazine and BC Business Magazine for creating companies that were recognized as the #1 and #2 best places to work.

Trends, Technology and Taking the Lead:
Scott Klososky, former CEO of three successful startup companies, specializes in technology advances in business settings. His uncanny ability to see trends in emerging technologies has helped businesses thrive, leaders prosper and entire industries move forward. In his session, “Trends, Technology and Taking the Lead,” Klososky will help executives understand how to fully leverage technology to drive top-line revenues and reduce bottom-line costs. Klososky will also talk about technology and innovation within our primary sectors, but not necessarily in our control during the Executive Power Hour .

Economic Outlook 2012: Conditions That Impact Your Business
Returning due to popular demand, Dr. Lee McPheters will bring his engaging and entertaining presentation on the economic outlook for 2012. Dr. McPheters’ unique delivery provides attendees with an understanding of how factors such as the government, business and consumers drive your business profits.

Additional sessions focused on business strategies include:

Construction forecasts, presented by McGraw-Hill

A case study on “Internal Measures: Is Your Business Safe,” which evaluates internal factors that may put a company at risk and how to protect its assets

“Social Media for Revenue Growth,” an interactive session on how to use social media to promote your business, products and services

“Business Valuation,” an opportunity to understand why so many integration firms are merging or being acquired in today’s economy and gain insight into the numerous factors and options that exist for today’s integration firms

“Ownership Thinking: The Business Model for the 21st Century,” a session to help attendees discover a proven process to turn a company into a successfully working team to improve financial performance and outperform their competitors by 30% or more

Finally, the popular Beer ‘n’ Bull session is being driven by none other than the attendees themselves. Discussions for this casual, yet often lively, session will be derived from NSCA’s LinkedIn group. Topics such as vendor relationship management, the supply channel and the integration of IT into A/V have all been proposed thus far. Participants of this engaging discussion will gain insight into common business concerns during this popular session.

Sponsors of the event include Atlas Sound/IED (host sponsor); Systems Contractor News (media sponsor); AMX; Biamp Systems; Bose Corporation; Chief Manufacturing; Cisco; FSR, Inc; Herman Procurement & Logistics; InfoComm International; Kramer Electronics; Listen Technologies Corporation; Magenta Research; Meyer Sound; Rauland-Borg Corporation; Shure Incorporated; Solutions360; SurgeX; Synnex Professional AV; Tannoy; and West Penn Wire.

The conference is also endorsed by PSA Security Network and USAV Group. The only conference designed specifically for commercial electronic systems executives, managers and business owners, the 14th Annual Business & Leadership Conference will be held March 1-3, 2012, at the Four Seasons Las Colinas Resort and Club in Dallas, TX.

Attendees can save $100 off the regular price if they register before January 5, 2012. For more information or to register, visit www.nsca.org/blc or call 800.446.6722.

About NSCA
NSCA is the leading not-for-profit association representing the commercial electronic systems industry. With more than 2,500 member companies worldwide, the National Systems Contractors Association is a powerful advocate of all who work within the low-voltage industry, including systems contractors/integrators, product manufacturers, consultants, sales representatives, architects, specifying engineers and other allied professionals. NSCA is dedicated to serving contractor members and all channel stakeholders through education, advocacy, outreach and member services. For more information, visit www.nsca.org.

Julian Treasure at xSolutions

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:35:48 +0000

The Sound Agency’s goal is to optimize an organization’s BrandSound™ Led by Chairman Julian Treasure a man passionate about sound and importance and impact of sound in our lives, The Sound Agency has developed models and methods for businesses to improve its results by becoming conscious about its sound.

Julian Treasure is one of few people with three talks on the prestigious TED.com website. We used his “Sound Matters” talk in a recent interactive white paper.

In October Julian Treasure delivered an InAVate sponsored seminar – Sound Affects! to attendees of the xSolutions conference in London. xSolutions is a two day conference for professionals who sell, install, purchase or have responsibility for the day-to-day running of audio and video communication technologies within UK commercial facilities.

What follows are five videos in various lengths from Julian Treasure’s seminar. He is an engaging presenter and delivers a truly transformative presentation on the profound effects of sound on us all.

In the first chapter of his keynote presentation at xSolutions 2011, Julian Treasure introduces the Sound Agency, and talks about the wonderful organs we all have strapped to the sides of our head.

This segment delivers information on the four ways we are affected by sound.

In part three Julian Treasure presents a model that has been developed called soundflow to help with designing soundscapes for different environments.

This portion is about the areas of brand sound and the ways in which pro audio is in play.

Julian addresses the sad reality that we are losing our listening and offers hope for how to remember how to listen.

In the final segment Julian reviews the ten most common errors he sees in pro audio installations.

Can You Hear Me Now? 1 In 5 In US Suffers Hearing Loss

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:45:50 +0000

This blog was originally posted on msnbc.com.

Nearly one in five Americans has significant hearing loss, far more than previously estimated, a first-ever national analysis finds.

That means more than 48 million people across the United States have impairments so severe that it’s impossible for them to make out what a companion is saying over the din of a crowded restaurant, said Dr. Frank Lin, author of a new study published in the latest issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

“It’s pretty jaw-dropping how big it is,” said Lin, an assistant professor of otolaryngology and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Previous estimates had pegged the number affected by hearing loss at between 21 million and 29 million.

Lin and other researchers were surprised at the magnitude of the problem, but the significance of the findings goes beyond the “wow” factor, he said.

That’s because other studies have shown that hearing decline is often accompanied by losses in cognition and memory. Further, Lin said, some studies have associated hearing loss with a greater risk of dementia.

Lin’s study is the first to look at the hearing loss in a national sample of Americans aged 12 and older who have actually had their hearing tested. Earlier studies were smaller or depended on people’s self-reports of hearing loss.

For the new study, Lin and his colleagues analyzed data collected as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES), a research program that has periodically gathered information from thousands of Americans since 1971.

Using the World Health Organization’s definition for hearing loss as not being able to hear sounds of 25 decibels or less in the frequencies for speaking, the researchers found that about 30 million Americans, or nearly 13 percent of the population, had hearing loss in both ears.

That number jumped to about 48 million, or more than 20 percent of the population, by adding people with loss in just one ear.

Many people begin to lose their hearing in their 50s, Lin said. And the process is so gradual that they barely notice. That’s one of the reasons earlier studies found lower numbers of people with hearing loss, Lin said.

“Young people will come in with hearing loss from an infection and they feel so impaired that they can’t do their jobs,” Lin said. “But a lot of times, their hearing loss isn’t as bad as what we see in someone in their 60s who has learned to live with it.”

Because of the association with memory problems, loss of cognition and dementia, Lin would like to see more middle-aged people and seniors getting tested -- and treated -- for hearing loss. Now, the problem is often ignored, he said.

“If a 10-year-old has mild-to-moderate hearing loss, universally clinicians, insurers, and society say we’ve got to treat it,” Lin said. “But if you have the same hearing loss in someone who is 60, universally you get a shrug. That person still has to go to board meetings and hear people over dinner. But we don’t think it’s important for him to get treated.”

Linda Carroll is a regular contributor to msnbc.com and TODAY.com. She is co-author of the new book “The Concussion Crisis: Anatomy of a Silent Epidemic.”

Giving Thanks Beyond Thanksgiving

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:50:00 +0000

The month of November in the US is a time for us to look forward to our Thanksgiving holiday and for a time for reflection and giving thanks. It’s one of my favorite times of the year as I’m a strong believer that all of us need to reflect more often. I believe I have so much to be “thankful” for both personally and professionally beyond the month of November.

In business I am so thankful for the relationships I have established. Frankly, it’s what I enjoy most. I’ve learned that although having a great product or solution to offer is important, the crucial element of business is relationships with people and for me it’s the fun part. People don’t do business with companies; people do business with people.

Strong relationships require time, effort and thoughtfulness. All too often businesses and sales people are focused on the “transaction” when we should be focused on strengthening the relationship with the people we do business with.

Strong relationships are built on trust and building trust takes time. Trust can never be taken for granted. It takes nine to eighteen months of communicating with someone before they decide to do a business transaction with you. Another way to look at this is that it takes nine to 18 months to build trust. This isn’t just the AV industry, but rather all industries. This timeline may seem long, however if you really think about it, it makes sense. People do business with people they trust. It takes time to build trust and it takes a concerted effort that doesn’t happen overnight.

All too often we become impatient and we don’t make the investment in nurturing relationships and building new relationships. I know that I have to focus my efforts on this and it’s an area on which I can improve upon. One thing I do to help my focus is; every week I carve out two hours to just brainstorm ways that I can nurture and grow my relationships. I don’t always get my two hours in, however it’s a goal that I strive for.

During this week of giving “thanks” consider reaching out to some of your business relationships and consider what you might do to move relationship forward. Remember, these are great ways to thank you any time of year! Some ideas for you to consider:

Send A Handwritten “Thank You” Card

To clients letting them know you do appreciate their relationship.

To your vendors. Often we are not focused on thanking those that contribute to how we get your business done.

To your employees to thank them for their contributions.

Do Something Extra

Write an unsolicited recommendation

Post on LinkedIn or other social outreach

Send an article of news or related topic via e-mail or snail mail on a topic that you know may be of interest to your client.

Recommend them to someone who could use their services.

Introduce them to something you’ve found valuable like a networking opportunity.

Host A Customer Appreciation Day

Organize an open house at your place of business so your VIPs can rub elbows with you, your staff, and one another. Provide snacks, beverages, and desserts.

Spread The Word

Shine the spotlight on a special customer in your company newsletter, in your social media outreach, every month or quarter.
Tell readers how important that person is to your business, as well as what you’ve done for them.

Let me end by saying “thank you” to all of you who have contributed to my personal and professional life. It’s been so rewarding and enjoyable.

Factors that Impact Sound Quality

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 21:38:17 +0000

It would be nice if all a presenter had to do was speak louder to ensure everyone could hear. But it’s rare to find a powerful voice that carries all the way to the back of the room.

If they did, it would likely be too loud for the people in the front of the room. But volume is just part of the battle.

Sound quality is affected by a number of conditions, chief among them:

• Distance—between the listener and the person speaking

• Room noise—such as HVAC systems, paper shuffling, and people whispering

These factors make it difficult for people to hear regardless of how loud the presenter tries to talk.

Distance

In physics, the inverse square law tells us that sound decreases by 6 decibels (dB) every time the distance from the person speaking to the person listening doubles.

The typical presenter’s voice measures 60dB at a distance of 4 feet from the listener. Double that distance to 8 feet and the volume drops to 54dB. At 16 feet, the volume is 48dB.

Click on the image below to experience what that’s like for the audience. NOTE: This demo will only work on a desk top. When the image opens click the sound icons to hear an example.

The effect of distance on sound is the reason we huddle around speakerphones and try to move closer to the person speaking. But in a large group meeting, that’s clearly not a practical solution.

Room Noise

In addition to distance, we also have to contend with noise. All rooms have noise. This noise is created by a number of things: projector or computer fans, building systems (HVAC, plumbing), people whispering or shuffling papers, external noise (traffic, construction), etc.

The combination of these noises is called ambient or background noise. Loudness is measured in decibels.

For a person to be heard clearly, the level or loudness of their voice needs to be significantly above the room noise. An acceptable separation of speech to background noise is about 15dB. For example, let’s say the ambient noise level in the meeting room depicted in the figure above is 45dB. The presenter is speaking at 60dB so her voice is 15dB louder than the room noise and can be easily heard and understood.

However, the room has noisy fans that just turned on so now the ambient noise is 50dB. Now with only 10Bb of separation from the background noise to the speaker, intelligibility starts to suffer.

At this level, while the people in the front, near the speaker may be able to hear, it would be very difficult for the people sitting 16 feet from the presenter in the previous example to hear, because being farther away from the speaker’s voice, the speech would start to blend in with the background noise.

This is similar to when you’re sitting in a crowded restaurant and you can hear the person next to you, but have a hard time hearing people across a larger table.

Click on the image below to experience what that’s like for the audience: NOTE: This demo will only work on a desk top. When the image opens click the sound icons to hear an example.

Room noise can be minimized by installing sound-absorbing materials such as ceiling tiles and wall panels. However, that can be a costly endeavor. In many multipurpose rooms, the easiest way to overcome the effects of distance and room noise is through mild or slight sound amplification.

To read in more detail about factors that impact sound and some practical ideas for improving sound quality in training rooms and multi-purpose spaces download our free interactive white paper.

http://www.listentech.com/listenpoint-interactive-white-paper

Assistive Listening Systems & “Loop/T-coil” Technology

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:08:25 +0000

Basics

Wireless hearing assistance transmission systems with Assistive Listening Devices (ALD’s) have been a standard component in venue sound installations for decades, encouraged by the Americans with Disabilities Act legislation passed in 1990.

ALD’s with headphones and neck loops provide an enhanced listening experience for a wide variety of listeners, those with and without disabilities, and has many other applications, including language translation, audio description, program audio (TV and music), and guided tours.

A good microphone system is essential for an ALD. The benefit of “zooming in” to the direct sound and eliminating background noise is the fundamental benefit of an ALD. This can only be achieved using close microphones for speech, and well engineered mixing (not too many open microphones, good level between program audio and speech, no feedback hum or buzz, etc.). An assistive listening system of any type cannot work without a good microphone system.

The most common type of ALD wireless transmission is “FM”, which uses a radio signal to listener’s receiver units. IR (infra-red) is another type if transmission, and follows the same transmitter-receiver model. The ALD units are typically kept at the venue, where they are picked up and dropped off “at the door” by users.

Federal legislation requires public venues to have ALDs available. It is an unfortunate fact that many installed FM and IR assistive listening systems are rarely used due to lack of signage, poor maintenance, locked closets, dead batteries, or inadequate microphone performance. Also, many facilities are unaware that personal neck loops can replace headphones (plugged into the ALD receiver) to benefit t-coil users, and so do not have neck loops available.

For this reason, an installed “loop system” for users who have t-coil hearing aids is attractive.

Loop Systems

“Loop” systems use another type of transmission: inductive field energy from alternating current flowing through coils, loops or long wires. The advantage of this type of transmission is that inductive receivers are built-in to many hearing aids, so an ALD (receiver) is not required to listen to a loop signal. This optional hearing aid feature is called a “tele-coil” or “t-coil”. It was developed for use with telephones. When the user switches their hearing aid to T-coil they pick up inductive field energy instead of acoustic sound. If the inductive field is modulated with a good audio signal (like a telephone earpiece or a well designed loop system) then no other listening amplification device is needed.

Considerations

T-coil users can benefit from any assistive listening system by using a personal “neck loop” instead of a headphone. Neck loops should be included with headphones as part of any well managed system, along with, signage, spare components, and regular testing.

As tele-coil hearing aids are recommended by more audiologists, and installed loop systems become more prevalent in the US (as they are in Europe) installed loop systems should be considered by venues wishing to offer the widest possible access. There are two strong advantages: eliminating “pick up and drop off” and the high quality processing of imbedded hearing aid technology.

“Pickup and drop-off” receivers will still be necessary for patrons without t-coils who want to enjoy the advantage of direct amplified sound.

Relative Cost

FM systems are the easiest to install, more prevalent, and the least expensive. The equipment for a 15 unit system, including neck loops, could cost less than $2,500.00. For about $600.00 more, a portable transmitter could be added for use in other locations or for tours. Installation could be as little as $300.00 if a good quality PA system is already in place.

IR systems require more installation and the equipment tends to be about 25% more expensive than FM. Its advantage is security and isolation from adjacent rooms, as the audio signals (light beams), cannot go through walls. It is not portable, and cannot be used outside. Neck loops can be used with both FM and IR systems.

Loop systems for large areas require careful engineering and extensive installation of long wires around room perimeters under carpets or in ceilings. They are not portable.

Keep in mind that any assistive listening system is only as good as the sound of the microphones going into it, so a quality sound system needs to be factored into pricing.

Regarding loop costs, the following is quoted from www.hearingloop.org October 2011

Typical costs range from $2000 to $8000 for small to medium-sized worship centers, but more for very large facilities with lots of embedded steel. Most congregations' loop systems will cost no more than what one of their members would pay for a pair of today's high tech hearing aids.

When comparing loop system costs to alternative listening systems, consider what counts: cost per user.

(A system that costs slightly more, but has many more eventual users, will be most cost-effective.)

Also, loop systems can be used without the additional expense of purchasing and maintaining portable receivers and headsets (although many venues will purchase one or more loop receiver/headset units for possible use by those without suitable hearing aids).

For rental, sales, or installation of ALD systems, or anything audio, feel free to contact us to review your needs.

Terry Hanley Audio Systems

+1.781.932.5300

www.terryhanleyaudio.com

Impressive #WomeninAV

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:58:00 +0000

This blog was originally posted on AV Technology Online’s blog.

http://avtechnologyonline.com/blog/65786.aspx

This blog is not one of my usual technical blogs – instead the focus will be around Women in AV and in particular about an individual who I have known for over 7 years. Yet the blog isn’t really just about HER, or her accomplishments, but rather it is about what she stands for and how she has made an impressive mark on an industry that she literally jumped into and then grew up in.

First, a little background – I am a very demanding and meticulous manager. In every part of my work day, I strive to improve processes, make things better and most importantly – keep clients happy. In my career, I have had over a dozen administrative assistants, but only a handful who have been able to live up to the challenge of riding in my wake.

Working in the ever demanding world of corporate AV is difficult, to say the least. Corporate Fortune 1000 clients are THE most demanding clients in our industry – and make some of the most ridiculous requests with regards to completing projects with absurd schedules. Case in point, I once told a large investment banking client we needed four days to complete an upgrade to a trading floor AV system. The trading floor manager (a sweet lady named Lucy) looked at me and said: “No problem – you can start the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving but you better be done come Monday morning.” She was dead serious. I make this point to stress the fact that this is not an industry for the faint of heart, or those who are easily rattled.

The role of business owner means you get to handle LOTS of stuff. In addition to client / project work, business owners are responsible for accounting, payroll, 401k plans, HR, medical and insurance plans, employees, running the IT department, implementing CAD standards, overseeing engineering – and unclogging the pantry sink – you get the idea. Anyway, in this type of management position, one person cannot successfully be in all these places without a trusted administrative assistant. A truly competent “Number One” (for those who understand the Star Trek reference) is critical to making one manager as effective as three.

So, when my last administrative assistant burst into flames I went in search of a replacement. At the time, a client and friend mentioned she had a friend – who was moving back to Long Island and that had worked in a photographer’s studio as a general office assistant. My friend convinced me to interview her, which I did. Immediately, I saw a talented person with a strong work ethic and a willingness to “give it a try” (she was warned prior to our meeting working with me wasn’t going to be a cakewalk and she was hired on the spot.)

Nancy didn’t even know what “AV” was when we met, but she was a fast learner, and she worked diligently beside me as we pursued and managed some of the most prestigious clients and most sought after AV projects in the world. Nancy learned AV. She grew from a glorified secretary to top notch administrative assistant. She helped me manage and oversee all aspects of my duties and responsibilities – project and non project related. She kept pace with me and learned to anticipate my needs and the needs of our clients. Nancy is one of the few that “get it” and she quickly learned the ropes and the ins and outs of the AV world. (Refer to my article on this subject “Do You Get IT?")

I brought her to InfoComm where she established her own place among many much more seasoned colleagues. With regard to clients, Nancy became the “go to” person on all of my accounts and clients were supremely confident that when they called her, she would address and resolve whatever issue had arisen and that she would handle it promptly and professionally. .

Over time, Nancy morphed into a position I coined “Project Coordinator” as she became the air traffic controller for all of the “planes” I had flying in the AV sky. She scheduled, juggled, processed and managed our very busy AV world. Somewhere along the line she picked up enough technical knowledge to understand the fundamentals of AV design, equipment, processes, assembly and installation.

In every way, Nancy exceeded my expectations. She embellished the position and created a niche in which she continued to learn, to grow and to succeed.

Fast forward to the present day. After I moved on to build another business, Nancy also decided to move on and further her career in AV. She took a position as an associate at Cerami & Associates, a well known acoustical & audiovisual consulting firm and considered to be one of the “best” consulting firms in the U.S. (and incidentally run by another great woman).

It took just over a year and a half, but last week, Nancy was promoted to senior associate for Cerami, an honor and a position that she well deserves. In fact, I smiled from ear to ear when I heard the news, and took pride in knowing that I contributed to her growth and in doing so, to the growth of our industry. Somehow, this photographer’s assistant that I took a chance on, and believed in, morphed herself into a valued senior associate at one of the most prestigious AV consulting firms in the nation.

Nancy stands for the fact that with hard work and great determination you can become anything you want to be. She leaped and knew the net would appear because she had confidence in herself and her abilities. I applaud her, and all the women in AV who are making their mark and making this industry better and stronger for being in it.

Nancy – way to go. Congrats on your success and I expect nothing less than it will continue in the future.

To support Women in AV, join them today on LinkedIn at Women in AV and follow them on Twitter @WomeninAV.

Christopher Maione, CTS-D, is president of Christopher Maione Associates. He can be reached at cmaione@chrismaione.com.

Wireless Audio Conferencing Made Easy

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:10:50 +0000

Technological advances mean that sophisticated audio conferencing systems can combine the convenience of wireless with the security of traditional systems.

Wireless gear is becoming widely accepted, both in the professional and the consumer worlds. And wireless audio conferencing is an option that more and more users are willing to consider.

There are, however, a number of concerns that prevent people from trusting a wireless conferencing solution. There is the idea that if a delegate unit is not connected with a solid wire, there is no guarantee that it will work.

And what if you are having a highly confidential meeting – will you ever know if someone else is listening in on the conversation? Finally, do you have to understand the ins and outs of radio waves and frequencies to set up a system with confidence?

Luckily, things are not as bad as one might think. Of course, there are a number of technological challenges involved in making a wireless connection robust and reliable. The good news is that today, technology has evolved in such a way that it is possible to build a conference product that combines the user experience of a wired system and the convenience of a wireless one.

In the video below I show the Confidea® Wireless Conferencing solution that is quite unique for those in the market for a Wireless Conferencing option.

We at Televic have partnered with Listen Technologies to add wireless into their line of Conferencing products. They now have it available for customers in the US and Canada. They are pleased to have a solution for those that want to have meetings in historical buildings, multipurpose rooms and other applications where running cable is difficult or simply not possible.

Furnishing The Conference Room For AV

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:34:11 +0000

You know it’s a formal conference room when there is a 20-foot long table made of natural dark wood surrounded by matching pieces. You can tell it’s a group collaboration space when you see furniture with durable, manmade surfaces in lighter colors, and by the flip charts and white boards.

What isn’t always evident is how much audiovisual technology is hiding in that furniture and the expertise that went into integrating it. The unknowing eye may perceive a handsome room and may not realize that often, every piece of furniture was custom-made to accommodate very specific conference room AV requirements.

“The importance of the furniture in relation to an AV system is huge,” says Patrick DeZess, director of engineering at Audio Video Systems, a Virginia-based integrator. “If the furniture is not designed for the AV system, there can be major issues. Elements such as cooling, cabling, and mounting are all critical to the design of the AV system.”

Audio Video Systems’ installation at the Command Conference Room, United States Marine Corps Commandants at the Pentagon features two video walls, a plasma monitor, and full matrix capability. Photo courtesy of Audio Video Systems

Richard Mangione is president of one such AV furniture company, Illinois-based Marshall Furniture. “Conference furniture must accommodate AV and IT usage gracefully,” he says. “The room itself, the furniture, the wiring, lighting, and window controls all come together to make the room a joy to use or an aggravating and very expensive failure.”

Today’s basic conference room furniture most often includes a meeting table, chairs, and a credenza. There are sometimes other pieces as well. Every decision regarding conference room furniture, including the color, the choice of finish, and accommodations for AV, depends entirely on how the room will be used.

AV FURNITURE: THE TRENDS
Several current trends affect AV furniture design. One of those trends is network usage.

"One of the neatest things we have seen is that many AV components now talk to each other through Ethernet,” says Tad Petrick, director of marketing and product management at Bretford Manufacturing, an AV furniture manufacturer in Illinois. “We no longer have to deal with piles of cables going from the source to the amplifier and out. This will allow us to have very small profile furniture and put a liberal amount of equipment into a smaller area.”

Along those lines, Petrick says Bretford also worries less about working with Ethernet cabling too, since so many conference rooms are opting for wireless.

Green is another trend with which all AV furniture companies contend with as manufacturers move toward recycled and recyclable materials. “Some of these options are very expensive,” says Petrick. “But that’s fine, because some customers are very passionate about it.”

Modularity is hot, too. Furniture that can be moved according to what is needed in the room at the moment allows more use out of each AV component, and better fits with today’s space-saving mindset. That space-saving mentality also results in fewer rackmounted enclosures in closets or adjacent rooms. The AV equipment is, instead, often housed in the room itself.

CENTERPIECE: THE CONFERENCE TABLE
The table is the focus of the room — where the action happens. It needs to give participants comfortable lines of sight, appropriate proximity to others, and effective use of AV equipment.

Fixed tables are often rectangular, “boat-shaped,” oval, or U- or V-shaped. Round and boat-shaped provide better personal sight lines and U-shaped is often best for training. V-shaped improves sight lines and is often used for videoconferencing, as are wedge and Y-shaped configurations.

Marshall Furniture created this cherry, Y-shaped video teleconference table with barrel legs. Each leg has a door to allow easy access for service and wiring. The table shape ensures each participant can be seen on camera in a videoconference

Ontario, Canada-based office furniture dealer atWork suggests a 24-inch wide space for each chair (more may be needed depending on chair size and needed workspace). The table should provide enough room so that people can shift, spin, and lean back in their chairs to stay comfortable.

Bretford’s Petrick says a modular approach is very popular. A set of six of Bretford RHOMBII modular tables can be put together in a variety of ways — as one long rectangular conference table, a larger rectangle with an open middle, and arrangements suited to videoconferencing or team breakouts.

“Everyone is watching their budget these days,” says Petrick. “Modular gives more bang for the buck. The integrator can give the end-user a multifunction room at the cost of just one room.”

Each seat has access to connectivity, one of the crucial considerations in a modern conference room. New Jerseybased FSR and California-based Extron are two companies providing floor, table, and wall connectivity. FSR’s T3- AC2 table box is a box embedded into the table with a flip-up top. When the top is open, two computers can plug into AC power and ethernet. The keystone areas can be populated with a variety of connectors, including network, telephone, RCA or mini stereo audio, push buttons, and more.

Extron says the most common connectivity needs in a conference room are power, VGA, audio (3.5mm mini stereo jack), USB, network, and power. HDMI and DisplayPort will join VGA for video connectivity. Extron’s Architectural Connectivity line is designed to provide connectivity, yet blend into the environment.

“The Extron HSA 822 MS is the ultimate invisible connectivity product,” says Lee Dodson, vice president of marketing. Extron’s HSA 822 MS, which features a motorized, vertical-lift enclosure, has a top that can be finished in the same material as the table. When closed, it is flush with the table surface and virtually disappears.

Visibility of displays may also alter the table design. Marshall’s president, Mangione, says a recent install of a giant table seating 60 resulted in 14-inch monitor lifts at every seat to ensure audience viewing.

System integration firm AVI-SPL faced such a design challenge with an installation of a boardroom for APi Group of St. Paul, Minn. AVI-SPL’s design included a 165-inch diagonal HD 1080p rear projection screen at one end of the room, but all 46 people could not view it. Seven Sharp 46-inch 1080p LCD flat panels around the table, three with automated swing arms, did the job.

SITTING COMFORTABLY: THE CHAIRS
As with the table, chairs need to be specified according to use. In a formal conference room, high-quality leather may be appropriate, but in a daily working conference room, cloth may be a more practical choice, since it’s less costly to repair should it become damaged.

Chair ergonomics are important for keeping people comfortable during long meetings. Office furniture manufacturer Steelcase of Michigan has research indicating that people frequently modify postures when seated for a long time. In fact, the most comfortable people are likely to change their posture 20 to 30 times per hour, so the chair needs to provide tilt and swivel. Seats should be height-adjustable so that people of different heights can sit with their feet on the floor. A comfortable attendee will pay more attention than an uncomfortable one.

CONFERENCE ROOM WORKHORSE: THE CREDENZA
“Credenzas are a great way to hide electronic equipment,” says Bruce McCullough, president of Arkansas-based Sound-Craft Systems. “Also driving sales of credenzas is that ideoconferencing is filtering down to smaller companies wanting to save on travel. With airfare, car rental, gas, and meals, it makes more sense to videoconference with the whole team.”

A traditional conference room using coordinated furniture that’s specially designed to house and hide AV equipment. Photo courtesy of Bretford

A flat-panel monitor on top of a credenza becomes the focus during a videoconference, and McCullough says some integrators are even requesting hutches with crown molding tops to further beautify the install.

Of course, just any credenza won’t do. A credenza holding AV equipment must provide ventilation, and lots of it. A credenza needs to deal with cable management easily and it has to be just the right width and depth to house equipment. It may need a sensor on the outside to handle IR commands, and it may need sound proofing so that whirring fans don’t disrupt meetings. It should also be accessible from the back for easy servicing. But put your refreshments elsewhere: food and drink on top of electronic components can result in quite a disaster.

FOCUS ON THE SPEAKER: THE LECTERN
Presenters are better seen when standing at a lectern, and today’s lecterns offer more than just a place to put papers. They are height-adjustable to accommodate the shortest women and tallest men. Many have built-in microphones, touch panel control, computer inputs, a laptop well, cable wells, connectivity plates, monitor wells or extendable or articulating monitor mounts, the monitor, and focused lighting.

Sound-Craft has a smart approach to manufacturing lecterns. “The work surfaces are removable by just unscrewing them,” McCullough says. When lecterns need updating with different cutouts or mounts, Sound-Craft simply sends new ones that the integrator can replace in the field. “We just provided 22 new surfaces for lecterns at Brooklyn College,” he says.

MOBILE AV: THE CARTS
Although most AV gear is permanently installed these days, carts are still often used in conference rooms. Why? Mobility. Carts keep rooms clutter free and help attain maximum use of each AV component.

Mike Skinner, CEO of Ontario, Canada-based Video Furniture International, points to videoconferencing as one application where carts offer advantages.

“Portable videoconference carts shine in today’s internet environment,” he says. “No longer are systems restricted to single-room usage. Simply roll the system from room to room, plug in your network connection and a power source, and you’re up and running.”

Skinner says freedom from mounting is another major advantage. “Bear in mind that, when you mount screens, it involves a lot more than just putting mounts on walls. You have to hide cables in the wall and reroute power as well. Lots of today’s offices utilize metal wall studs that require special hardware to support heavy plasma or LCD screens; this is not the case with cart applications.”

Skinner says his company provides carts with single- and dual-screen mounts, mounts for a camera or set-top codec, in a variety of roll-about styles, including a wood-grained credenza finish. A variety of storage is offered within the carts, from 19-inch EIA rack rails to shelves.

Carts are even used as mobile administration stations. Some rooms have fixed operator stations, but some companies wheel an admin cart in and out. This approach allows the end-user to buy one station and use it in various locations rather than having to duplicate the AV — a huge cost savings.

As with most conference room furniture designed for AV, not just any cart will suffice. Carts need to be resistant to tipping. UL-listed carts ensure a cart can handle equipment of a certain size and weight. The shape of the cart is important, too. The wider the cart, the more the equipment can be placed in the center of gravity, meaning the cart is more likely to stay upright. Other stability considerations are safety straps and locking casters or wheels.

Carts are still used for hospitality. Food and drinks can be wheeled in during breaks. The difference now is that furniture manufacturers make the wheels very quiet in order to not disturb the meeting.

AV FURNITURE: A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT
AV furniture resembles regular furniture in appearance only. The nuances are many, and a well-conceived AV installation allows meetings to run smoothly and leaves a good impression of the professionalism of a company. “A furniture company’s knowledge of custom hardware and mounting mechanisms is crucial,” says DeZess of AVS. “It’s important that we have a high trust level in their design and that they understand exactly what we do. It makes our job easier and the system that much better.”

Denise Harrison, a writer and marketing communications consultant, has managed publications in a variety of industries, including commercial and consumer audiovisual.

Women In AV – Let’s Get Educated!

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:11:46 +0000

This blog post is reprinted with permission from rAVe [Publications].

There are many stats (and opinions) about why so few women have careers in technology and young girls are not encouraged in school to pursue math and science. It’s encouraging to see people looking for ways to make a difference and talking about the problem, but I’d like to see more dialogue focused on what the solution to change is and how we can all work to implement it.

That’s where we come in, ladies. We're doing something we're not typically known for -- putting ourselves and our education first. Let’s get our CTS Certification!

InfoComm International (InfoComm) has done an amazing job creating the new CTS Exam Guide. It is a 500-page textbook and each page is filled with technical and process-oriented data on the AV industry. There are test questions in each chapter and a supplemental CD containing a sample CTS test exam. Simply put, it’s everything we need to learn and prepare to pass our CTS Test Certification.

The plan is to form a study group that meets regularly over the course of the year and prepares for taking the exam at InfoComm 2012 in Las Vegas. The how, when and where our group meets is still coming together and more details will be coming in the next few weeks. Our first run will be a learning process and we’ll adjust as we grow. We’re incredibly fortunate our industry trade organization is InfoComm, and their guidance and support will direct us throughout our journey!

Do you want to go for it? Whether you want to study for your CTS or just have a great AV reference guide for your office, here is the link to purchase a CTS Exam Guide. For those of us who want to study for the CTS, I’d suggest you purchase the book now to get a feel for the material.

For women that are already CTS-certified, please contact us if you are interested in helping instruct our group. Reach us at womeninav@gmail.com.

See you in Vegas!

Connect with Jennifer H Willard on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jennifer-h-willard-cts/1/959/841

Join the Women in AV Group on LinkedIn
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Women-in-AV-3971032?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

Sound Matters

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:20:18 +0000

If you ask how to improve a presentation, the first suggestion you’d likely receive is “add a graphic or an effect.” As presentation software has improved over the years, the focus on visual elements has eclipsed audio. We’ve been so distracted by cool transition effects that we’ve forgotten to make sure everyone can hear.

Studies conducted in classrooms have found that students in the back row miss 30% of what the instructor says. That’s alarming since many company and sales meetings are held in multipurpose rooms of equivalent size.

Straining to hear is stressful and frustrating. It becomes easier just to tune out. That same study found that when sound is properly amplified in a room:

• Attention improves

• Interaction and participation increases

• Stress is lowered

• Retention improves

This is not to say that visuals are not important. In fact, the combination of seeing and hearing is by far the most effective method of communication. Another study found that three days after an event, people retained 10% of what they heard from an oral presentation, 35% from a visual presentation, and 65% from a visual and oral presentation.

Sound affects listeners in four key ways, according to Julian Treasure, chair of the Sound Agency, a firm that advises worldwide businesses on how to use sound. If you’d like to learn more, watch this short clip from his 2009 TED talk.

What do you think - does sound matter? Do the visual aspects of preparing for a presentation or training session sometimes get more planning and preparation that the audio?

For more details on the impact of sound and some practical ideas to those impacts download our interactive white paper. http://www.listentech.com/listenpoint-interactive-white-paper

Entrepreneurial Insights From Russ Gentner

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:55:48 +0000

Today I had the opportunity to be a guest speaker at Dr. Yong-In Shin’s Emerging Technology class at the University Of Utah’s College Of Engineering. They asked me to share my insights on being an entrepreneur. Here’s what I discussed:

1. Do what you love to do and what comes natural to you. You won’t be successful if you don’t have the natural drive and passion that comes from doing what you love to do.

2. Surround yourself with people that compliment your abilities and share a common vision. Many entrepreneurs fail because they think they can do it all themselves. This may get you part of the way to your vision, but I can tell you it won’t get you all the way. Work hard with your partners to build and nurture a clear and common vision. When everyone is focused on the same vision, the obstacles melt away.

3. Discover your strengths and build those strengths. Tiger Woods doesn’t work on improving his bowling. Work to constantly build your game.

4. The road to your success is different than you think it will be. When I started Gentner Communications, we provided engineering services to radio stations in Utah. Now, Listen Technologies provides wireless listening products to organizations worldwide. I would have never dreamed the road I took would lead me to the place I am now.

5. It’s a get-rich-slow-scheme. If you think you’re going to get rich quickly, you’re most likely doomed to failure. You have to “chip” away at success. Don’t be tempted to take the path that seems easiest.

6. Relationships are not important, they’re CRITICAL. The relationships you have with virtually everyone that connects to your business will make or break you. If you don’t build an organizational culture rooted in nurturing relationships you may not have the success you were striving for. If you’re personal strength is not rooted in building relationships, your organization can still do this (see point 2 above).

7. It’s not JUST about the products or service you provide, it’s the total experience you provide to ALL your stakeholders. Consider what Apple does for its stakeholders. Yes, their products/technologies are important, but they’re only one part of the experience that Apple provides. At Listen Technologies, our stated core purpose is “connect people to positive experiences.”

8. Sign up for millionaire insurance. Ensure you become a millionaire by doing the most simple, risk free thing possible: invest the maximum amount allowed by law in your 401(k) for the lifetime of your employment and never deviate. If you do this, I guarantee you’ll become a multi-millionaire (assuming you begin before you are 30 years old). This is the by far the number one most important personal financial thing you can do to make sure you and your family are secure for your lifetime. What does this have to do with being an entrepreneur? By signing up for millionaire insurance, you have the peace of mind to build your business and the risk of failure will become a positive thing – see last point.

9. Failures are the building blocks to success. I personally have never considered systemic failure as an option. I always knew our business would be successful But, the truth is that there have been many failures along the way. These failures are the building blocks that lead us down the path of success. Not only should you not be afraid of failure, you should embrace failure.

If you're an entrepreneur what insights do you have to share?

AV Week Activities Successfully Promote AV Industry in Utah

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:15:26 +0000

AV Week is InfoComm International’s annual event to promote the audio-visual industry and its importance in the daily lives of consumers. Listen Technologies joined a host of companies and organizations across the country to celebrate InfoComm AV Week from October 16 – 23, 2011.

In preparation of AV Week, Listen Technologies secured proclamations for AV Week from Utah Governor Gary Herbert, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, Bluffdale City Mayor Derk Timothy, and Park City Mayor Dana Williams. All four proclamations stated the impact of the audiovisual industry on everyday lives, noting AV applications in architecture, medicine, government proceedings, education, entertainment and business.

Listen selected the Hearing Loss Association of America and its Walk4Hearing as a charity to support as part of AV Week. The Listen Trek Team secured just over $1,600 through combined efforts of reaching out to family and friends asking for donations.

Hugh McDonald, Walk Chairperson and bassist for Bon Jovi addressed the crowd on the realities of his own hearing loss and also how what he does as a musician can impact his audiences. He stressed the importance of understanding the simple things one can do to prevent hearing loss.

On Monday, October 17 Listen held a continental breakfast and AV Week presentation in its kitchen and flex room to acknowledge the start of AV Week at Listen. The presentation featured InfoComm’s videos on “Best of the AV Experience” and “State of the AV Industry”

On Tuesday, October 18 over 27 guests were taken on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Rio Tinto Stadium, home of the Real Soccer Team. Hans Niska, Director of Facility Management guided guests through the intricacies of the AV elements used to create an immersive soccer fan experience. Additionally, tour participants were given insight into the complexity of turf management.

Throughout the week Listen employees were encouraged to bring in AV memorabilia to display in the Listen mailroom. A fine collection of photos, equipment and collateral allowed all Listen employees to enjoy a walk down an AV memory lane.

On Wednesday, October 19 the Women in AV hosted a webinar with four award winning Women in AV that shared their secrets and tips for challenges and success in the AV industry. Gina Sansivero, Partner, Sales & Marketing at Projector Lamp Services acted as moderator for the four panelists. Panelists included; Laureen Jones, Technology Solutions Manager at Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand and 2010 InfoComm Woman in AV winner; Erin Bolton, Partner in Pivot Communications based out of Utah and 2011 Woman in AV winner; Jennifer Willard, CTS Supervising AV/Video Systems Technical Analyst at Judicial Council of California and 2010 InfoComm Young Professional in AV winner; and Deb Britton, CEO of K2 Audio and 2009 Woman in AV winner. I really appreciated the comments these women made about their experiences and their careers in the AV industry. One of the comments that resonated with me was Jennifer Willard’s in response to the question about what these women find the most satisfying about what they do in the industry. I am paraphrasing but Jennifer indicated that “what we do day in and out is about delivering communications in a way for people to be connected.” I love that aspect about what our industry is all about.

The Listen Team concluded the events of AV Week with a competitive round of Wheel of Fortune. Participants were put into teams to test their AV industry and InfoComm knowledge. Cory Paxman and Amanda Wilkinson have safely secured themselves as Listen’s Sajak and White celebrities.

This video is a short slideshow of the Walk4Hearing, Rio Tinto Stadium Tour, and AV Week Wheel of Fortune.

AV Week is presented by InfoComm International, a worldwide association serving the audiovisual industry. The association offers regular training and support to its members and sponsors the annual InfoComm trade show, which attracted over 30,000 attendees in 2011. InfoComm members in the State of Utah include manufacturers, AV consulting and design firms, system integrators, and end users. The AV industry is very healthy in Utah and benefits our economy not only through the technologies that are available, but also through job creation and revenues.

To learn more about the AV industry, please visit www.infocomm.org. To learn more about AV Week, please visit www.avweek.org.

Equipment Review of Listen Technologies Tour Group System

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 21:23:50 +0000

As a Listen Technologies dealer, we might be a little biased but with 20 years of experience, we have used, tested, owned and handled numerous portable interpretation transmitters from several manufacturers which, in our opinion make us the perfect candidate to review the Listen Technologies Tour Guide system. Language interpretation actually uses these units on a regular basis and Atlas Language Services, Inc. uses these as both our in-house interpretation equipment in addition to the rental of these units. As a dealer of Listen Tech equipment; we thought we would provide our feedback and findings for our readers.

Before we get into specifics lets cover the frequency differences first.

72 MHz vs. 216 MHz (North America)

While both frequencies work great with the Listen Tech systems, our preference as a Language Service Provider (LSP) is the 72 MHz range. Both the 72 and 216 MHz portable transmitters such as the LT-700 offer up to 150’ of transmission range based on line of sight (LOS) and personally, I have heard the LT-700 broadcast in excess of 150’ but it does tend to pick up static once you exceed that 150’ LOS. However, that is not a statistic that is supported by Listen Tech that we know of, nonetheless, the 72 MHz is our frequency of choice for one simple reason. The 72 MHz frequency can support up to six (6) transmitters broadcasting simultaneously whereas the 216 MHz frequency can only support up to three (3). For exhibition tours that require us to support six (6) tours going on simultaneously, the 72 MHz is our only choice! Every even numbered year, we provide simultaneous interpretation and language support services to a large international company. During that event, we also provide six of the LT-0700-072 transmitters and about 200 of the LR-400-072 receivers. We prefer the LR-400-072 receivers during these exhibit floor tours since we have so many tours going on simultaneously, we need to control the frequencies. So the 72 MHz is numero uno in our book. Now don’t get me wrong the 216 MHz frequency works very well when less than three transmitters are needed, however, if there is ever the chance of needing more than three transmitters/tours going on at once then why not allow yourself the option of supporting multiple tours simultaneously.

Portable Transmitters

When it comes to portable transmitters, the Listen Tech LT-700 is one of my favorite portable transmitters. There are other manufacturers who sell portable transmitters as well such as: Williams-Sound T36 and the Gentner Venture-Express which are both good solid units. That said the Williams-Sound T36 is a solid choice and would be my second pick next to the LT-700 and the Gentner Venture –Express coming in third. The Gentner is a solid durable unit as well, however, it is only offered in the 216 MHz range which to me is a shame. The Williams-Sound T36 is a little lighter in weight then the LT-700 and can theoretically broadcast up to eight units simultaneously in the 72 – 76 MHz range, however, from my experience it is a little difficult to quickly change channels and mute. So what separates the LT-700 transmitter, that is the users ease of use. The LT-700 has a nice big red mute switch with flashing light, easy to read LCD display, exceptional battery life and can bounce well when dropped (although, I don’t advise doing so)! It is a very user friendly unit that is very dependable.

Receivers

Being able to quickly locate the channel of the tour and/or change channels really makes the receiver a critical unit during a tour or interpretation. When it comes to ease of use for attendees, we find that the Listen Tech LR-400 or LR-500 are great options depending upon the usage. The LR-400 has the channel section buttons hidden behind the cover, which is both good and bad in the sense that the attendee will not be able to change channel but during interpretation, it is ideal to keep the attendee from channel hoping. The Listen Tech LR-500 has the channel section accessible on the face of the receiver which for tour groups transitioning from one room to another and having to change channels in order to hear various tours. Personally we like the Listen receivers as they have proven to be very durable, simple to use and easy on battery consumption. The Williams-Sound R37 is a very close second in that it is just as durable and easy to use as the Listen LR-400/LR-500 receivers but is not as cosmetically attractive in my opinion nor as easy to use. I know that is a stretch, and honestly if that is the only thing that separates the Williams-Sound R37 receiver from the Listen Tech LR-400/LR-500 then that speaks for itself.

Batteries

I am not a huge fan of rechargeable batteries in any of the receivers nor the transmitters. I have not had good luck on a long term basis with rechargeable batteries and as a LSP that rents the equipment, the last thing we need is a couple hundred people rushing to the headset distribution center to say that their unit is dead and having to change out batteries on the spot. That said, I prefer to use Energizer Industrial AA batteries. We replace the batteries after every event, regardless of the amount of time used. Although this is an added cost, it does eliminate the crowds from rushing the headset distribution counter as well as unhappy users who lose time listening to the tour or event. The amount of time the disposable batteries last is about 15 hours give or take.

Cases

Let’s face it, a case is pretty much as case… but I do like the Listen Cases as they are custom cut to accommodate the unique shape of the Listen receivers. The downfall is that the Listen cases (LA-320, LA-311, LA-321, LA-324) do have the outer shell which tends to scratch pretty easily, but when it comes to durability the case does what it is made to do, protect your equipment. The Williams-Sound cases tend to have the same issues, easy to scratch, dent, etc. but durable. The outside might show signs of wear, but once again your equipment inside will be protected.

Conclusion

Overall the Listen Technologies tour guide system is a great choice for tour groups or event language interpretation. Depending upon the number of receivers you need, the system is easy to adapt and upgrade. The transmitters and receivers can take a beating and we have had some in our inventory with hundreds of hours of usage that are still going strong. Since Atlas Language Services, Inc. is an authorized dealer of Listen Technologies, please feel free to contact our sales team for very competitive prices.

Atlas Language Services, Inc., a Chicago based Language Service Provider specializing in language interpretation (spoken), translation (written) globalization, localization and conference interpretation and simultaneous conference equipment rentals and sales.

With over 20 years of industry experience in the legal, medical, corporate, pharmaceutical, engineering and conference interpretation fields as well as expertise in written translations for advertising, marketing, promotions, sales, human resources, publications and technical research material, you can be assured that Atlas can handle all your language needs, not just domestically but worldwide.

Atlas Language Services, Inc. is an A+ rated business by the Better Business Bureau as well as a corporate member of: American Translators Association; Association of Language Companies; Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce; Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce; Midwest Association of Translators & Interpreters; Meeting Planners International; and the Illinois Paralegal Association.

Atlas Language Services, Inc. can be reached at 888-816-0577 / 312-372-1600 / 815-479-1600 or online at http://www.AtlasLS.com

AV Week - Spotlighting the Value of the AV Industry

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:31:41 +0000

October 16 officially kicks off InfoComm AV Week 2011. InfoComm members in Utah got a head start on celebrating AV Week this year.

AV Week proclamations were secured from Governor Herbert, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, Bluffdale City Mayor Derk Timothy, and Park City Mayor Dana Williams.

Listen Technologies picked the Hearing Loss Association of America and its Walk4Hearing as a charity to support as part of AV Week. On Saturday, October 15, the Listen Trek Team joined about 400 other people to raise money for programs and services for people with hearing loss. The Listen Trek Team raised $1,500 towards its goal of $3,000. Listen Trek was also on hand to be a part of eradicating the stigma associated with hearing loss, and raise public awareness about the need for prevention, treatment, and regular screenings throughout life.

For 2011, session musician and Bon Jovi bassist Hugh McDonald served as Honorary Chairperson. Hugh understands that hearing loss is not only a reality of being a professional musician but their performances can also impact their fans and audiences. Hugh McDonald was excited about the opportunity to bring awareness to people of all ages about what resources are available to those with hearing loss and what can be done to prevent hearing loss.

There is a lot more to come this week. Here are just a handful of samples of what members of InfoComm will be doing to celebrate AV Week.

AV Week Scavenger Hunt
Test your InfoComm AV knowledge by participating in InfoComm's Scavenger Hunt. Each weekday during AV Week @InfoComm will tweet three trivia questions. All you have to do is scour www.infocomm.org for the correct answer. The first person to repsond with the correct answer will win a $25 gift card! @InfoComm will tweet three questions per day, so you have 15 chances to win! tweet your answer and include hashtag #AVSH or submit directly to avweek@infocomm.org.

Denver, Colorado

Ed Logsdon with D. L. Adams Associates, Inc. will be presenting “Technology in the Boardroom” at the Rocky Mountain Audio Video Expo in Denver, CO on October 20, 2011. The presentation will identify the various design elements to consider, including aesthetics, lighting, room acoustics, network bandwidth, Wifi, etc., to successfully integrate technology into boardrooms. The audience will be architects, owners, facilities personnel and IT staff. More information can be found on the website.

Anaheim, California

rp Visual Solutions is hosting an open house to tour their new 10,000 Sq. Ft. Anaheim Facility and get hands-on with their myriad of Visual Display Mounts. Complete details can be found on the invite.

Bohemia, New York

Projector Lamp Services is holding a Relampit Recycling Raffle. Participants are encouraged to recycle used projector lamps and will have a chance to win a new projector. Complete details can be found on their website.

New Wilmington, Pennsylvania

Westminster College once again celebrates AV Week with a multitude of events. The Titan Terror II Showcase calls for amateur videographers to submit their spookiest digital movie for a chance to win prizes. The university is also hosting its 12th Annual "Gently Used" Equipment Hand-Off Drive, 5th Bi-Annual E-Recycling Drive and much more. Visit their website for a complete listing of events.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Metropolitan Acoustics Celebrates AV Week with a seminar & AV exposition at the Center for Architecture in Philadelphia on October 26. The event is open to architects, MEP engineers, related professionals, and anyone with related interests. Complete information can be found on their website. Contact Sharon Ho at sharon@metropolitanacoustics.com or 215-248-4352 for more information.

Salt Lake City, Utah

On Wednesday, October 19, Listen Technologies is hosting a behind-the-scenes tour of Rio Tinto Stadium - home of the Real Soccer Team - focusing on how AV makes the soccer fan’s experience come to life. Listen is also hosting several staff events at their headquarters including a presentation spotlighting the value of AV and InfoComm, audiovisual trivia and "Bring out your Inner Geek Day."

Fairfax, Virginia

InfoComm is celebrating AV Week with events throughout the week. Participate all week long with our AV Week Website Scavenger Hunt. At our headquarters, we start off celebrating with our 3rd Annual InfoBake contest and e-recycle drive. We will also be on the road in San Diego celebrating with a Member Roundtable and end-user AV Technology Today conference. For more information on any of our events, contact avweek@infocomm.org.

We hope that wherever you might be October 16 – 22 you’ll find a way to celebrate the AV industry.

SynAudCon Digital: The Indianapolis Convention Center

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:59:01 +0000

The 3-day SynAudCon Digital Seminar is divided evenly between basic digital theory and Ethernet-based audio networks. Brenda arranges a site visit of a large networked system in the area for each class.

Pat Brown, Steve Macatee, and Brad Benn

This year we had the pleasure of touring the Indianapolis Convention Center. This is a newly renovated system that utilizes CobraNet to provide sound reinforcement, intercom and paging to the facility. It is also linked to the newly constructed Lucas Oil Stadium, which will be host to the 2012 Super Bowl.

The tour was made possible by a number of individuals. Bob Potter is in charge of audio at the convention center. Fairchild Communications was the installing contractor, and Biamp Systems, Inc. and Crown International were the main vendors for the gear.

Mike Cast of Fairchild was our tour guide. Jeff Philips of Biamp was present to take questions on the signal processing. Brad Benn, who is one of the course instructors, was also involved in the installation of the system. Between Mike, Jeff and Brad, anyone who asked a technical question got an immediate answer.

Mike Cast did an excellent job leading the tour.

The 2-hour walking tour included an equipment room, the convention center main floor, and an intercom room. The tour was greatly enhanced by the use of a portable FM listening system provided by Listen Technologies. This made it possible for the entire group to hear Mike at all times, even when only a small group could fit into a control room where he was speaking. I was quite impressed by the clarity and ease-of-use of this system.

Indianapolis Convention Center Exhibition Hall

On day three of the seminar Steve Macatee and Brad Benn presented the fundamentals of Ethernet-based audio networks to the group back at the hotel. Their presentations came alive since the group had been introduced to the terminology during the tour the night before. It was one of those magical times where everything fell into line for a great synergetic experience.

We were honored to have some special guests for the seminar. Don and Carolyn Davis came up from their Farm in southern Indiana. John Royer of the Indiana State Fairgrounds and Indy Motor Speedway was with us for all three days and even provided some excellent donuts one morning.

Don and Carolyn Davis, Pat Brown

This group of attendees made full use of the synergy opportunities. Nightly, groups of individuals shared a meal to learn from each other. It was fun, educational and beneficial three days.

SynAudCon Digital Class Photo

Calling All Women in AV: Our Group is Here!

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 17:48:47 +0000

This blog post is reprinted with permission from rAVe [Publications].

When I walked into the San Francisco Library this past Saturday, I was ready-to-go and excited to pour through every periodical, microfiche, encyclopedia and card catalog available to learn about the history of women’s accomplishments and success in the AV industry.

There’s Adele de Berri, founder of Da-Lite and inventor of the “silver” projection screen; there have been three female presidents of what we know today as InfoComm International; and women have contributed to film and movies since the silent film era. As I explained to staff I was researching the history of Women in AV, everyone enthusiastically went out of his or her way to scour resources and point me in new directions where I may have found data. ‘Fantastic,’ I thought. ‘If anyone knows how to find facts, it’s librarians!’

One search of Google tells you all you need to know about how much information is available. Type in Adele de Berri and you receive links to the InfoComm Pioneer in AV award winners. The three female presidents of the National Audio-Visual Association (NAVA) -- Hazel Calhoun Sherrill (1950-51), Eloise Keefe (1965-66) and Ann Vath (1977-78) -- yield no recognition or hits. Things get better typing in the words “women in AV” and “women in audiovisual” where you’ll find 21st century Women in AV award winner and articles. I thought, ‘No problem -- the library has everything about anything.’

…Except Women in AV. That said, it wasn’t what you might think at first. There isn’t much background on our industry as a whole. Perhaps, more poignantly, our industry’s early years are a world away from where we are today. My search of the word Da-Lite brought up a 1955 American Library Association (ALA) bulletin that listed Da-Lite as a projector equipment supply company, as well as Bausch and Lomb (I thought they made eye-drops). The AV Communication Review from the 1920s had everything about projectors for visual communications in education. And, in 1941, President Roosevelt provided a huge step forward creating NAVA, with the intent of using film to communicate with the American people about World War II.

That’s why I left the library more optimistic and inspired about what the future holds for professional women in the audiovisual industry. We are standing on the doorway of a fresh journey and adventure to collectively celebrate, support and learn about the amazing successes and challenges we’ll all face and be proud of each other and ourselves for many years to come. I know the information is there, it just may be up to us to discover and bring it to the foreground.

What’s certain is what we may lack in numbers, we more than make up for in achievement and success across our industry. In less than four weeks, our LinkedIn group is 84 members strong and we ARE business owners and executives, consultants, editors, engineers, manufacturers, pioneers and award winners. We span the entire globe and touch every sector -- publishing, product development, sales and marketing, customer service, design, sustainable technologies, and more.
Our LinkedIn group has arrived, ladies! We just need you to share your passion and desire for everything AV. Our journey starts here: http://lnkd.in/gAzu3W

A special thank you to Gary Kayye, founder of rAVe Pubs, for publishing our first article. You wouldn’t be reading this were it not for Gary. We’re incredibly fortunate for the men in our industry who encourage and support our efforts.

Jennifer H. Willard, CTS is a supervising AV/Video systems technical analyst for the California Administrative Office of the Courts. Recognized as InfoComm’s Young AV Professional of the Year, she seeks to assist the courts in delivering access to justice utilizing audiovisual technology solutions.

When Good Presentations Go Bad

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:41:36 +0000

It’s one of the most important presentations of the year. The one that gets the sales team motivated and all the employees revved up. The VP of Sales has prepared for weeks—practicing in front of anyone who will listen. He has this presentation down cold.

The slides are dynamic and well illustrated. There’s a video testimonial from a customer that will keep the energy high. And, he’s kicking off the meeting with one of his favorite motivational songs. This presentation can’t miss.

The IT team has the room prepared. The projector is ready and the three remote sales managers are connected via Skype™ on the VP’s laptop. The welcome slide is up as the 65 employees begin to file into the presentation room, which also doubles as the cafeteria.

The VP is ready to begin. He pulls out his iPod® and plugs it into what he thinks is the audio input jack. But it’s actually the speaker output. Thanks to IT, a few moments later the song is heard playing through the laptop speakers. Unfortunately, even at full volume, only the front row can make out the song.

The audience is restless from the delay so he jumps into the slide show. Five minutes in, he hears voices coming from his laptop. The Skype callers are yelling that they can’t hear him.

Frustrated, he motions to the IT staff, whose only option is to tell him to stand closer and talk into the laptop microphone.

Fifteen minutes in, he notices he’s completely lost the back of the room. They can’t hear him well enough and are tuning out. At that point, he doesn’t even try to play the video clip.

The VP is upset. The audience is bored. The presentation is a disaster. And everyone is looking at IT.

A Real Impact on Business

The executive did everything right to create an energetic, motivating sales presentation, but it still wasn’t effective. He practiced. He had his iPod, a projector, some video, a laptop with Skype—everything you need for a great meeting. Everything but sound.

Scenarios like the VP’s disappointing sales meeting occur more frequently than they should, particularly in small businesses that don’t have the luxury of expensive installed sound systems.

Instead, they experience:

• Difficulty connecting audio sources such as iPods, MP3 players, CDs, or DVDs

• Remote callers who can’t hear or be heard

• Inattentive, restless audiences

• Frustrated presenters

• Distracting hums from HVAC systems

• Delays that waste valuable time

• Embarrassing quality in critical customer meetings

It’s true that not all meetings rooms are so problematic. Many are deemed adequate. However, as presentations become more sophisticated and the number of remote participants increases, adequate may not be good enough anymore.

The good news is that there is a simple solution with ListenPoint®. A ListenPoint system provides the tools required to deliver crystal clear presentation audio to listeners, whether they are in the same room or on a call thousands of miles away. The presenter's voice is delivered to every corner of the room, so the audience can hear the message as it was intended to be heard. Audio from laptops, mobile devices, DVD players or just about any other audio device can easily be added and played back to listeners. With ListenPoint, you can focus on presentation, not whether or not you will be heard!

If you would like to learn more about this solution, please see our white paper entitled, "Audio Solutions for Multi-Purpose Meeting Rooms" at http://www.listentech.com/listenpoint-interactive-white-paper.

Team Listen Trek Will Be Rockin’ The Walk4Hearing™

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:04:33 +0000

On October 15 the Listen Trek Team will participate in the Salt Lake City Walk4Hearing™ to step up in support of the hearing loss community. Over the last nine months or so I’ve been involved with the local volunteer organizing committee planning the Walk. These are dedicated individuals that are working very hard so that walk day will be a lot of fun for people of all ages.

Each of them have their own personal reason for volunteering but the overarching reason is that they want to be a part of something bigger than themselves that moves society at large closer to eradicating the stigma around hearing loss.

We’ve got a good mix of activities planned for the day. In addition to walking, we’ll have food, entertainment, activities for the kids and contests with some fabulous prizes. There will also be several booths set up with information on hearing loss and hearing loss prevention.

I am especially excited about our Honorary Chairperson, session musician and Bon Jovi bassist Hugh McDonald. Each year, the committee recruits a local public figure to as Honorary Chairperson to lead walkers by personal example, recruit teams, fundraise and help build awareness about the walk to families, professionals, and organizations in Salt Lake City.

Craig Paller, Listen's Wireless Listening Product Group Leader is an industry veteran and long-time friend of Hugh's. When Craig heard the committee needed some help, he knew Hugh was just the right person to join us.

Hugh understands the realities of hearing loss for professional musicians and their fans. There are so many simple things that we can all do to prevent our own hearing loss. Hugh will be at the Walk on October 15 to help spread the word about how to protect our hearing; and he’s going to lead the Listen Trek team on our Walk.

If you’d like to donate or join our team simply go to the Listen Trek page on the Walk4Hearing™ website [click here].

InfoComm 100 Invaluable To AV Industry Leaders

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:03:35 +0000

Last week I had the privilege of spending a few days with a group of thought leaders in our industry at an event called InfoComm 100. This event brings together high level executives from our industry and a few from outside the industry just to stir up the conversation.

This year’s InfoComm 100 was held in Portland, Oregon and the Portland sun shined on us throughout the event with ideal weather. For me the most impactful part of this event was the ability to network and to spend time getting to know people that either you didn’t know or you didn’t know very well.

The insights that were shared by others through the networking discussions in between the planned presentations were simply “invaluable”. I know that I’ve established new relationships that I will carry with me for years to come. It was a privilege to be included in this event.

While the time I got to spend with Daniel Newman was a bit limited, I did observe how engaged he was in the event. I appreciated that he questioned, asked for further detail and examples about the many topics that were discussed.

On Monday he posted a recap of the event on Commercial Integrator that I think is worth sharing.

September 26, 2011 | by Daniel L. Newman, CEO of United Visual, Inc.

I had the honor of attending the InfoComm 100, an annual, invitation-only event that brings together 100 influential leaders across various disciplines of the AV industry, including integrators, distributors, manufacturers, consultants and independent programmers.

The event, run by the InfoComm Board of Directors and the Leadership Development Committee, discusses the most pressing issues the industry is facing.

The theme for this year’s event in Portland, Ore., revolved around the convergence of AV and IT, an old issue that keeps evolving. The conversations did cross into other areas, including relationship building, culture and business problem-solving and green initiatives.

Here are highlights from the InfoComm 100 keynotes:

Recapping the Keynotes
Daniel Burrus, author of Flash Foresight delivered the keynote on Day 1, and David Nour, author of Relationship Economics, delivered the keynote on Day 2. These two keynotes were the most compelling, motivating dialogues of the InfoComm 100. These global business leaders shared not only industry-specific rhetoric, but they put some real context to their content and how to apply it.

Burrus’ speech left me pondering two ideas I am going to put to use. First, the idea that the problem you think you need to solve today for your business isn’t really the problem at all. More or less an iteration of the idea that you are fixing symptoms of the problem but not addressing the real one.

The second idea was around trendspotting, the ability to see a hard trend that can be deemed emphatic, versus a soft trend that is really not a guarantee. An example of a hard trend would be that the phrase “video application” will become redundant because video is growing at such a fast rate that it will be embedded into nearly every application. A soft trend would be that margins for A/V hardware will come back after the recession ends. The changes in buyer behavior are such that higher margins on hardware will likely not come back.

Nour’s discussion focused on a back-to-basics approach of relationship building. While his content ended up going very wide into topics like social media and cloud computing, the overall content boiled down to one very compelling message.

“Why is it in every other culture in the world, we build relationships before we enter into business with a person/company, but in the US, if and only if we enter into business and it is successful do we decide to build a relationship,” he asked.

These powerful words resonated with me as I realize this flaw in our ways. It is not to say that we can change it immediately, but working on the relationships with our customers is an often underrated practice that needs to be expanded upon.

Networking Opportunities
After the keynote, the days were comprised of fantastic panels that discussed convergence. There were also a few additional speakers from the industry who took a look at topics such as managed service, software as a service, recurring revenue and shrinking margins. The discussions were always full of colorful comments and brilliant foresight.

The only thing that maybe trumped the keynotes and conversation was the networking. I can’t even begin to share how many wonderful new people I met and how many relationships were improved with people I already knew.

While we are working on bringing our video to the cloud and doing more and more events online, there is still something to be said for meeting in person. It will be a sad, sad day if the InfoComm 100 ever becomes a Web-based event.

I hear the InfoComm 100 will be in Miami in 2012. Here’s hoping I will be, too.

Can They Hear?

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:03:45 +0000

This blog post was originally posted in the Technologies for Worship Magazine audio e-newsletter.

The Bible speaks of the importance of hearing the Word, and also cautions "Yet even lifeless things, either flute or harp, in producing a sound, if they do not produce a distinction in the tones, how will it be known what is played on the flute or on the harp? For if the bugle produces an indistinct sound, who will prepare himself for battle? So also you, unless you utter by the tongue speech that is clear, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air." [1 Cor. 14:7 - 9 - New American Standard Bible]

To put this in modern terms, intelligibility is important. Just because your congregation can hear that someone is preaching does not mean that they can understand the words. While the scripture above was not written about the acoustics and sound systems used in our churches today, the same principles still apply.

There are lots of factors that go into determining if a given member of your congregation can understand what is said. First there is the issue of language. Unless the preacher or other person speaking is talking in a language, dialect, and accent the listener understands, very little communication will happen. Even if everyone shares a common language, the care with which the words are enunciated can make a difference. Slang and colloquial usage can either help or hinder communication depending on the talker and listener sharing a common cultural reference.

Background noise can detract from communication, as can echoes or excessive reverberation of the room. Sound systems can to some degree help overcome acoustic limitations by raising the voice level over background noise, and if the sound system is designed correctly, by increasing direct voice relative to the reflections from the room.

How the sound system is operated can have a big effect on communication clarity. Realize for example that those new to your house of worship may not know the words to your songs, and making sure the words can be heard clearly in the middle of the music can really help. When running sound do not only think of "does this sound good", but also "is this clear". Remember you know the music well, and if it is the second service with the same sermon, you also know what will be said. It is easy to overlook poor clarity when you already know what is being sung or said. You should realize this unconscious bias and work to overcome it so everyone can hear and understand.

Lastly you need to keep in mind that not everyone has perfect hearing. As people get older their hearing naturally gets worse. Some folk, even the young, have experienced hearing damage. This might be because of exposure to excessive sound levels, or it may result from medical conditions. No matter what the cause, we have to work extra hard to enable those with hearing loss to understand the service. Your church should consider adding an assistive listening system. Such systems let those with hearing loss hear the words and music without the effects of the room acoustics. This can greatly increase their ability to understand and enjoy the services.

In future issues of the newsletter we will look in more detail at some of the factors that impact intelligibility and what you can do to improve things. The first and most important part is just being aware of the issue, and running the sound system in a way to deliver the clearest sound you can.

Ray Rayburn, FAES
Ray@K2Audio.com
http://www.K2Audio.com/
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Ray has been an engineer in acoustics, audio systems, and telecommunications for over 30 years. He is the current chair of the AES Standards Subcommittee on Interconnections, is the author of Technologies for Worship Magazine’s bi-weekly audio newsletter and was one of the authors of the Handbook for Sound Engineers.

Ray has created some of the most advanced software-based project designs in use today, including the United States Senate Chamber, and taught the "advanced users" training seminars on the MediaMatrix configurable DSP product.

As a recording engineer for RCA, Ray recorded the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Frank Zappa. In 2009, Ray was made a Fellow in the Audio Engineering Society.

New ADA Calculator By Listen Technologies

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:41:13 +0000

My motivation for the first ADA Calculator was simple.

I simply knew there had to be a solution to repeatedly answering the question, "What do I need to do to meet the ADA's Assistive Listening requirements?"

Every day I was grabbing the 2010 chart and a calculator and running through the math for someone. It got to be a redundant task pretty quick. I knew there had to be a better way; I just had to define it.

I originally created a short spreadsheet that covered up to five hundred seats. When a call came in exceeding the chart, I would take a few minutes and extend it out a little farther. Then it struck me. What if I took it out to 100,000 seats, and gave it pop-up window functionality?

I enlisted Deb Weeks, Regional Sales Support, and Tim Schaeffer, VP of Strategic Business Development and we worked as a team to make it a reality. Now I answer the telephone and we get right into the legislation and the solutions. We don't waste the time on the mathematics. That's the way it should be.

The calculator allows you to enter the number of seats in a venue to calculate the minimum number of assistive listening devices and neck loops needed to meet new 2010 ADA requirements.

To download the calculator go to www.listentech.com/ada-solutions

O.C. Sound Reviews Listen Wireless Audio

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 21:44:42 +0000

O.C. Sound is the pro audio company started by Bob Johns and myself in 2000. Over the past few years we have found the need for some form of wireless transmitter/receiver system for a remote speaker system. These are either outdoor events that required a second set of speakers a couple of hundred feet away from the mains or in a hotel conference hall that would have been involved extensive cabling through congested areas.

We had tried using a wireless in-ear monitoring system but found that it was prone to dropouts and static interference, which was not an option for us as we pride ourselves in high quality sound.

After some research we contacted Listen Technologies. We all know what they say about first impressions and I can tell you that the people at Listen really impressed. Very easy to talk to, great communication both from sales people and the technical support. I had some questions on the specific system we needed such as frequency choices, antenna type, etc. and the Listen staff went above and beyond in helping.

We finally decided on the LT-800 Transmitter with the LR-100 Receiver. There are two frequency options with this system 72 MHz and 216 MHz each have 57 channels to choose from but the differences are in audio frequency response and range.

072 – Range is 1500 feet “line of site” from antenna to antenna. Audio Frequency range 50Hz to 15kHz

216 – Range is 3,000 feet “line of site” from antenna to antenna. Audio Frequency range 50Hz to 10kHz

For us the range and comfort of having a stronger signal was more important than the slight loss in the upper frequency range. Since most of the events we would be using this for would be predominantly speech with some music. Also from talking to the technical staff their opinion was that although the 216 MHz system was rated to 10Khz you would have a hard time hearing any difference between the two. There is no difference in price between the two.

Once we settled on a system and place the order, the units were shipped right away and arrived within a few days.

Eager to test them out we took them to our church, Orangeville Baptist, which is made up of a 6,000 sq. ft. gymnatorium and about 30,000 sq. ft. total building area. The transmitter was set up in the main sound booth in the gym and we took the receiver to several areas in the building. The signal had to go through concrete block walls, poured concrete walls and floors with re-bar, etc. and there was no loss of signal anywhere in the building. So we jumped in the car plugged into a power inverter and went for a drive. Just over a kilometer down the road we started to get some static and lose signal. Considering the transmitter was still inside the church we were very impressed how far we got.

Today, September 11 was our first real test at an event. This is a yearly memorial service put on by a local funeral home, Dods & McNair and is attended by about 1,500 people. Approximately 600 people are in the tent and others are spread out in the grassed area around the tent.

Main tent with antenna pole mounted in corner

About 200 feet away from the tent they have an area set up to serve food. This is where we set up the remote speakers.

During setup and testing we just used the standard helical antenna and it worked perfectly. However just to be sure of having a strong signal we did use the coaxial dipole antenna on the transmitter and hung it from a pole mounted to the side of the tent. The sound quality was excellent; there was no interference or drop-outs. We did run the signal through a time delay to align the audio. This gave us full even coverage from the tent all the way to the remote speaker location.

LT-800 Transmitter set up

View of main tent from remote speaker location

The LT-800 has lots of features and input options that make it an extremely flexible tool. Check out the details here.

Peter Bruce Orangeville, Ontario Canada is a Christ follower, married and has one son. A Land Development Project Manager in Orangeville Ontario, Picture taker, Audio Engineer, Guitar player, Play and watch soccer.

Read his blog or view his photos at http://picsandsoundbypeter.blogspot.com/

The Facts About Hearing Loss

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:45:32 +0000

On Saturday, October 15 the Listen Trek Team will participate in the Salt Lake Walk4Hearing. It's a great event that does so much to serve those with hearing loss. More importantly it's an important opportunity to be a part of eradicating the stigma associated with hearing loss and helping to raise public awareness about the need for prevention, treatment, and regular screenings throughout life.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) has compiled some facts about hearing loss and well, WOW! they are quite sobering. Any one of these would be reason enough to want to get involved - don't you think?

What strikes me is the ripple effect - not only is the individual affected - it's their family members, friends, colleagues, and the paths of those they cross day to day.

Approximately 17% (36 million) of American adults report some degree of hearing loss.

There is a strong relationship between age and reported hearing loss: 18% of American adults 45-64 years old, 30% of adults 65-74 years old, and 47% of adults 75 years old or older have a hearing impairment.

About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the US are born deaf or hard-of-hearing. 9 out of every 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who can hear.

Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women.

Of adults ages 65 and older in the US, 12.3% of men and nearly 14% of women are affected by tinnitus. Tinnitus is identified more frequently in white individuals and the prevalence of tinnitus is almost twice as frequent in the South as in the Northeast.

The NIDCD estimates that approximately 15% (26 million) of American between the ages of 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to loud sounds or noise at work or in leisure activities.

Only 1 out of 5 people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one.

3 out of 4 children experience ear infection (otitis media) by the time they are 3 years old.
Roughly 25 million Americans have experienced tinnitus.

Approximately 188,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. In the US, roughly 41,500 adults and 25,500 children have received them.

Approximately 4,000 new cases of sudden deafness occur each year in the US. Hearing loss affects only 1 ear in 9 out of 10 people who experience sudden deafness. Only 10% to 15% of patients with sudden deafness know what cause their hearing loss.

Approximately 615,000 individuals have been diagnosed with Mènière’s disease in the US. Another 45,500 are newly diagnosed each year.

Approximately 3% to 6% of all deaf children and perhaps another 3% to 6% of hard-of-hearing children have Usher syndrome. In developed countries such as the US, about 4 babies in every 100,000 births have Usher syndrome.

1 out of every 100,000 individuals per year develops an acoustic neurinoma (vestibular schwannoma).

If you're wondering how you can help visit www.Walk4Hearing.org or http://www.hearingloss.org/. Join the cause!

Defying Gravity: Women In Technology Converge In Salt Lake City

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 21:53:40 +0000

Salt Lake may be a small city, but it’s big on women in technology. At yesterday’s Women Tech Awards, more than 400 women engineers, inventors, entrepreneurs, and business leaders gathered to celebrate the best and brightest women in technology-related professions.

This event wasn’t so much a display of girl power as it was girl empowerment. From the pre-luncheon Q&A session to the final award presentation, the theme of the event, “Defy Gravity” was clear.

The keynote address was given by Sophia Chew, a 25 year veteran of Intel, and an amazingly accomplished woman. Her goals are powerful in their simplicity: “Do something big” and “Make a difference.” She urged the audience to be themselves, learn to tolerate ambiguity, and seek mentors.

There were so many great moments:

Susan Johnson, recipient of the Leadership Excellence award, recounted being the only woman in her engineering program and being asked by one of the male students, “Does your father know you are here.” She responded, “He’s the one who encouraged me to take the class.”
Sarah Hiza, recipient of the Technology Innovator award, talked about the unwavering support of her parents as she pursued her PhD in Polymer Science.
Courtney Doyle, recipient of the Academic Excellence award, recognized the four other PhD students in her category. They are strong, smart and so proud to represent women in the engineering department at the University of Utah.

The Women Technology Council did a fantastic job with this event. It was completely inspiring. Personally, I am so proud of my business partner Erin Bolton who honored as one of the 16 finalists.

This event made me think of other groups that are working hard to showcase women and create a forum for discussion—particularly in an industry like AV that is even more male dominated than information technology.

I’m seeing real energy around bringing more women into the industry and recognizing the women in it. When we band together in places like the Women in AV LinkedIn group, we can continue the theme from the Women Tech Awards and “Defy Gravity.”

New SynAudCon Web-Based Audio Training Available

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 16:32:18 +0000

Course 110: Transformer-Distributed Loudspeaker Systems web-based audio training is now available.

There are some types of audio systems that require a power distribution system to drive many loudspeakers from a single amplifier. You have heard terms like constant voltage and 70 V system used to refer to these systems.

This course demonstrates how these systems work, and how to design and troubleshoot them.

The course includes the Audio Click-Rule - a Windows calculator program that demonstrates the interaction of the variables in these systems. It is yours to keep after the course.

Not sure if this course is for you?

Watch the 3-minute video for a course overview
Try a free lesson or take a self-evaluation quiz.
Watch this video to view SynAudCon's approach to web-based audio training.

Price $199: At this price, you can train the entire staff. Our system will allow you to watch their progress.

For more information, call or email Brenda: 812-923-0174 bbrown@synaudcon.com

The Buckhead Theater Rides Again

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:22:41 +0000

Atlanta’s historic registry just got a boost with the renovation of The Buckhead Theater. At the height of the Jazz Age and the dawn of sound motion pictures, the theater opened its doors for the first time in June of 1930. After two years of renovation, The Buckhead is back in all its glory, playing once again to sold-out audiences.

Along with exotic and charming Spanish Baroque style architecture, The Buckhead Theatre now houses a new state-of-the-art suite of sound and lighting equipment. The revitalized interior plan increases flexibility for a variety of performances and events, including lectures, comedy, Broadway plays, rock-and-roll to jazz acts, and private and public events.

Early in the century, it’s doubtful that the original builders envisioned a venue that would be able accommodate a full range of hearing support. Enter Technical Services Audio-Visual (TSAV), a global professional audio-visual consulting, staffing, and systems integration company. Since its inception in 1991, TSAV delivers high quality AV solutions to their clients.

Working with Novare Events, the theater management company, TSAV identified several AV goals to increase intelligibility and minimize sound transference. Also identified was the need for an optimized Assistive Listening System (ALS).

The RF Assistive Listening supplied by Listen Technologies fit the bill and all parties involved couldn’t be more pleased. Commenting on how the Listen system meets the needs of the Buckhead Theater, Pete Dugas, CEO at TSAV said “It works well, sounds great, and requires little long term support and maintenance. It all went very well.”

Listen ALS systems help solve frustrating but common sound problems caused by distance, background noise, or poor room acoustics. Listen solutions include convenient, wireless equipment that helps you personalize the sound experience, so those who need extra assistance for any reason can hear effortlessly.

For a short term investment, the new and improved Buckhead Theater project promises to dazzle audiences for another eight or nine decade. We wish them all the best.

Attend AV Technology Today Chicago

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 19:03:35 +0000

If you are responsible for purchasing or overseeing the installation, integration or operations of technology for your business, agency or organization, you should attend the upcoming AV Technology Today!

Listen Technologies, Biamp System, CHIEF, Digital Projection, Da-Lite, Bosch, and mediasite invite you to attend AV Technology Today — a special event produced by InfoComm International® in Atlanta on Wednesday, September 21.

As event sponsors, we're excited to offer you an opportunity to learn how to improve your business communications by asking experts and other users about today’s technology, from unified communications, videoconferencing and 3D to digital signage and more.

Join us, InfoComm, and your peers for this one-day conference featuring these presentations and discussion:

Mark Valenti, CTS, President & CEO, The Sextant Group, Inc. — Space, Time, and Technology: The Future of AV
Lyle Bunn, Principal & Strategy Architect, BUNN Co. — Making Dynamic Signage and Effective Reality
Barry Luz, Bosch Security Systems North America – Emergency Communications Systems – New Requirements and Practices
Jeff Day, Enterprise TelePresence and Video Collaboration, Cisco, Mitch Hershkowitz, National Practice Manager for Consulting Services, Dimension Data, Robert Wise, Executive Vice President of Unified Communications Services, InterCall and West Corporation – Panel Discussion: Unified Communications – The Myths and Realities – moderated by David Danto, Director of Emerging Technology, IMCCA (Interactive Multimedia Collaborative Communications Alliance).
Tech Showcase - Exhibitors: Biamp, Bosch, Chief, DPI, Listen Technologies, Sonic Foundry will be available for you to speak directly to their subject matter experts. Visit Listen Technologies to understand the new 2010 ADA Standards as it relates to assistive listening devices.

Event Details
September 21, 2011
The Congress Plaza Hotel
520 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60606

$49 - InfoComm International Organizational Member
$69 - Non-Member
$99 - InfoComm International Commercial Member who attends with clients

To Register: http://www.infocomm.org/cps/rde/xchg/infocomm/hs.xsl/17225.htm

Who Should Attend?

AV technicians, this is your opportunity to share the exciting world of AV with your manager, purchasing officer, CIO and IT colleagues. Attend with them to learn about today’s AV technology and plan ahead.

If you are a commercial AV provider and InfoComm member, you can invite a client to join you and provide valuable AV insights as you demo new products and get inspired by the presenters. One client per commercial AV provider.

Come to learn and discover how integrating AV solutions into your network can improve your bottom line and enhance your organization's performance. For more details, go to www.infocomm.org/avtech

Why Does UC Matter To Tech Managers?

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:05:17 +0000

Originally posted on AVTechnology online http://avtechnologyonline.com/blog/63302.aspx

So what exactly is “Unified Communications, “what’s all the buzz about and how will this affect the audiovisual industry? All good questions – and hopefully I can provide you with some insight to the answers for each.

Unified Communications (UC) is the integration of various communication technologies, including but not limited to services such as audio conferencing, videoconferencing, web conferencing, data collaboration, interactive white boards, email, telephone, voice messaging, instant messaging (chat) and even text messaging.

UC is not about a single product or technology – but rather the integration of these technologies into some consistent, unified user interface which “follows” a user across various technology platforms and devices including desktop PC’s, laptops, net books, smart pads and smart phones (which includes all the tablets, iPad / iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices on the market today).

Basically, anything electronic that you sit in front of, touch or carry and that has an IP address is suspect to be included as part of the UC umbrella.

UCStrategies.com has defined UC as: Communications integrated to optimize business processes. UC’s goal is to minimize device and media dependencies by automating and unifying human and device communications. In plain English, UC wants to let you send a message in one format (email, text, etc.) and let you retrieve it; respond to it, in another. Seamlessly integrating and moving from one communication platform to another.

Unified Communications works to keep people “connected” wherever they are located- be that home, office or out on the road. UC systems hope to bridge the technology gaps between electronic devices and humans and thus reduce delays in getting, managing, relaying and responding to information that ultimately keeps our businesses moving. According to one article I read, one focus of UC is to reduce “human communication latency” —and by doing so, improve the speed at which decisions are made and acted upon. So the excuse that you didn’t see that email that you got on Friday night after the office closed, and that you didn’t bother responding to until Monday, will not work anymore…..hey, how bad do we really want this???

Unified Communications is still in its very early stages of development. Frankly, most of the companies working on UC don’t really know where it will take them. On one hand – they are trying to build end-to-end “unified” communication products – but on the other hand they are unwilling to open up their proprietary formats and protocols to allow other companies be “unified” with them.

If you look through the list of companies supporting UC, the only familiar names from the AV industry are:

Cisco
NEC (Telecommunications Division)

Polycom

Toshiba (Telecommunications Division)

Other familiar names include:

Avaya / Nortel

Genysys

IBM

Microsoft

To date, there are no real standards which specifically apply to UC systems that support interoperability between manufacturers or that adopt “open” protocols . However, the big VOIP players, Cisco and Avaya / Nortel, are trying to figure out how to both create and capture this market. Meanwhile, Microsoft, HP, IBM and others are working to develop desktop software solutions which will be part of the unified communications world (at this point, the still undiscovered planet).

So far, the companies responsible for our communication technologies certainly aren’t “unified,” just look at all of the “numbers” we typically have:

Home phone #
Cell phone #
Office phone #
Fax

Skype ID

Blackberry BIM

Goggle Phone #

Chat handles for MSN, Yahoo, AOL

Videoconference dial in

Videoconference IP

Various email addresses

Add to this list, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and all of your social media IDs as well and it looks like, we’re not so “unified” after all.

So, this brings us to AV – where will AV be in UC? I don’t think anybody really knows. Sure, Cisco and Polycom are going to try to “hook” in videoconferencing endpoints into UC – but that will be only a small facet of UC. With the exception of maybe audio and video conferencing, I don’t see anything on the UC roadmap tying in Touch Screen Control Panels, Video Projectors, Digital Signage or anything else in the AV world.

In fact, I recently polled my esteemed colleagues at Wainhouse Research, “a leading independent market research firm that focuses on critical issues of Unified Communications”, and when I asked them if they had any research on this topic their reply was “We have absolutely no UC coverage that relates in any way to AV. “When UC is ready for AV integration – and when it is clearly defined - I’m sure it will be only the matter of days before firms such as AMX, Crestron and Extron build interfaces to it. Our industry is very good at adapting to standards and providing interfaces for AV equipment.

We can keep our eyes and ears open on the subject – but please realize there is presently NOTHING in the unified communications or AV world that you can touch, purchase, test, hook up or break. There are no spec sheets on any UC product and at best, UC is a concept

We still have time before UC goes mainstream. Right now, there is a lot more strategy required to identify how we are going to integrate and automate our various communications to “optimize our business processes.” In the future, speed and access with regard to communication will be our metrics for UC’s, but in the end, human response will ultimately drive the success of UC. It will be up to us as individuals, and as companies (who create communication policies) to decide, just how accessible we want to be, and what is expected and acceptable as far as response time.

This much is certain. UC is still truly evolving and not some big bad monster we need to worry about (just yet) and there is certainly nothing we need to budget to purchase next month. So for now, let’s all just go back to doing what we do best, AV.

PS Despite the limited amount of material on the subject of UC, I was able to find one pretty comprehensive piece.

Check out this white paper for more info as you navigate the world of Unified Communications.

http://viewer.media.bitpipe.com/1206484657_637/1206511483_362/SearchUC-v5.pdf

Christopher Maione, CTS-D, is president of Christopher Maione Associates, a firm specializing in all aspects of AV business, technologies, emerging trends and marketing strategy. He is also an adjunct faculty member of InfoComm. Reach him at cmaione @chrismaione.com

Background For Writing Fundraising Proposals

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 18:21:42 +0000

This blog post is the second in a series on how organizations might secure funding for small projects such as an assistive listening system.

Read “Raising Money 101 – Funding An Assistive Listening System”.

While the focus of this series is on funding for assistive listening systems, this post expands its scope to Assistive Technology.

Assistive Technology is a service or tool that helps seniors or individuals with disabilities do the activities they have always done but must now do differently. These tools are also sometimes called “adaptive devices.” Some examples are switches to adjust an air conditioner, mobility aids, and transportation assistance.

If you’ve never written a fundraising proposal for Assistive Technology, you may find the following background resources very helpful.

Disability.gov - https://www.disability.gov/technology/assistive_technology

Assistive Technology & Augmentative Communication - http://www.lburkhart.com/links.htm

Describes the general philosophical basis for using augmentative communication and assistive technology with young children who have disabilities.

Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Technology & Telecommunications Task Force -
http://www.c-c-d.org/task_forces/tech_telecom/tf-technology.htm

Task force deals with issues related to access to telecommunications and assistive technology in education, employment and independent living.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Disability Issues Links - http://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/links.html

A list of links from the FCC Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau related to disability issues, including closed captioning, 911-TTY compatibility, telecommunication relay services and various sections of the Rehabilitation Act.

Technology for People with Intellectual Disabilities

https://www.disability.gov/clickTrack/confirm/5450940?external=true&parentFolderId=7294&linkId=13631

Fact sheet from the Arc addresses the types of technology that can help people with intellectual and other disabilities like Down syndrome and cerebral palsy with communication, mobility and daily living. Document is in Word format.

Office of Disability Employment Policy, US Department of Labor- www.dol.gov/odep

The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), a sub-cabinet level agency in the Department of Labor, provides national leadership on disability employment policy by building collaborative partnerships and delivering authoritative and credible data to ensure that people with disabilities are fully integrated into the 21st Century workforce.

Searchable Online Accommodation Resource

SOAR is a search engine where you can find information on specific topics whether you’re looking for information or funding ideas.

HEARING LOSS ADVOCATES

Here are some examples of organizations supporting hearing issues.

Office of Disability Employment Policy - http://www.dol.gov/odep/
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Labor. ODEP provides national leadership to increase employment opportunities for adults and youth with disabilities while striving to eliminate barriers to employment.

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing - http://www.agbell.org
Emphasizes the use of technology, speech, speech reading, residual hearing, and written and spoken language. Focuses specifically on children with hearing loss, providing ongoing support and advocacy for parents, professionals, and other interested parties. Email: info@agbell.org

American Academy of Audiology - http://www.audiology.org
The American Academy of Audiology promotes quality hearing and balances care by advancing the profession of audiology through leadership, advocacy, education, public awareness, and support of research.
Email: info@audiology.org

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association - actioncenter@asha.org
Promotes the interests of, and provide the highest quality services for, professions in audiology, speech-language pathology, and speech and hearing science; and an advocate for people with communication disabilities. Email: http://www.asha.org

The next blog post will focus on funding resources like sponsorships, corporate funding and grants. Be sure to check back soon.

Go The Distance

Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:41:12 +0000

This blog post originally appeared on AVTechnology online in June 2011.

Are your distance learning systems designed with your instructors in mind?

Consider the typical video conferencing classroom. There is one camera trained on the students, usually set on a wide-angle view; lighting of student areas is less than ideal for video; there may be only one microphone to pick up their questions or comments.

Students can generally see the instructor and his or her visuals clearly, but the instructor sees a blur of faces at the far end. It’s almost impossible to tell if individual students are even watching the presentation, let alone if they are interested and engaged. The room may work if it is used strictly for traditional lectures, but it’s problematic if the instructor takes a more interactive approach.

Trends In the Higher Ed Classroom
Two societal trends are affecting teaching today.

1. Information is more and more available. Students can Google almost any fact or formula and find it fast.

2. Attentions spans are lower. Raised on TV, video games, YouTube and other media websites, students today expect a fast-moving presentation, and when they don't get it they have trouble staying engaged.

In response, many instructors are lecturing less. They ask more questions, devote more time to discussion and are more likely to ask their students to work together in class and to present to each other.

When they do present information, instead of just speaking or writing on a board, these instructors prepare materials in advance, starting with PowerPoint but often adding video clips or simulations.

In some universities, instructors record themselves in advance for a faster, more polished presentation–and some even ask students to watch these recordings as homework so they can use even more class time for discussion and enrichment. The trend everywhere is toward more succinct presentations with richer video and audio content.

The result can be a class that focuses less on information and more on knowledge, less on facts and formulas and more on thinking and problem solving skills. If the distance learning classroom does not support these trends, instructors who use it will be increasingly frustrated.

Six Strategies
Our belief at Conference Technologies is that the distance learning system should maximize the quality of audio and video while creating a natural connection between instructors and students in different locations. Six strategies can help with these goals:

1. Distance learning classrooms need better video, not just so students can see instructors better, but so instructors can see students.

High-definition video can help make student faces sharper and expressions more readable.

Good lighting is crucial whether you’re using an HD?or SD system. Ceiling lights should be bright and angled to provide good detail in faces and avoid dark shadows, especially under the eyes.

The size of the displays can make a difference, especially the instructor’s display.

2. These classrooms need great sound. Students and instructors must hear each other clearly for good communications to take place.

3. Ancillary equipment must be digital, high resolution and input into the codec in its native format. For example, if you use whiteboards in your classrooms don’t just aim a camera at the board; use a product like the Vaddio Squiggle Board, which sends the written image directly through the conferencing codec in high definition. Make sure you can accept digital video from computers, document cameras and DVD or Blu-ray players.

4. If you can afford it, consider installing individual microphones for students or pairs of students tied into the camera’s controls. With this kind of setup, when a student makes a comment or asks a question, the camera will zoom in automatically and everyone will be able to see his or her facial expressions clearly.

5. A few classroom designers have installed an extra codec and an extra screen in each classroom, dedicated to images of the students. It’s a relatively expensive addition but can do a great deal to promote student-to-student interaction.

6. The integration of a PC client (Cisco Movi, LifeSize Passport/Skype or Polycom CMA Desktop) can facilitate the use of guest speakers and allow students who may be absent due to travel to attend class from a distance.

A very few instructors have begun to use these clients installed on student laptops to allow students at different locations to interact with one another in small groups.

As technology providers, IT or facility managers, we want to support our instructors with the best possible classroom systems.

Today’s technology will support trends toward more interactive teaching and richer, more succinct presentations, but it must be applied thoughtfully for the best results.

A good AV integrator can help implement these ideas and get the most from your technology budget. If you'd to learn more about video conferencing in the classroom, visit www.conferencetech.com/distancelearning.

John Laughlin, CTS, is president and CEO of Conference Technologies, Inc., a provider of audio-visual design, integration, video conferencing, rental solutions, and technical service support, with nine offices throughout the United States. Please contact CTI to learn more about distance learning systems.

How To Church Sound Workshop Training Tour

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:53:59 +0000

Fits & Starts Productions, LLC, the nation’s leading provider of audio technology seminars and workshops, announces dates for one of its major HOW-TO Church Sound Workshop tour segments — the West Coast-Southwest tour. This tour is a major component of its annual 36-city audio education training tour geared for houses of worship and universities.

The 8-hour, hands-on workshops feature equipment from a number of the audio industry’s top manufacturers, and well-known audio engineer Mike Sokol as the lead instructor.

Now in its 9^th year of touring the HOW-TO Workshops train 1,500-2,000 worship techs and volunteers each year, while raising the visibility of tour sponsors over the 45,000-mile annual tour.

Our annual West Coast-Southwest HOW-TO tour segment is a huge challenge that we are always happy to take on as it present us with the opportunity to train house of worship sound teams in a number of states, from Washington through California, Arizona and Texas. And we are always met with great enthusiasm from the church teams.

Plus, we really get to show off the great equipment our sponsors provide for our front of house and monitoring systems. Church teams love the fact they really learn from our hands-on approach.

Click www.howtosound.com for tour schedule, registration and present sponsor information, or contact hector@fitsandstarts.com.

Raising Money 101- Funding an Assistive Listening System

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:37:06 +0000

With more than 30 million Americans suffering from some degree of hearing loss the need for non-profit organizations to provide assistive listening devices to their patrons is greater than ever.

Additionally, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) signed into law in 1990 requires public facilities to provide assistive listening devices for hard of hearing people. This includes many non-profits.

While many organizations provide an assistive listening solution to be in compliance with the law, it is important to note that providing assistive listening is not just about the hearing impaired. Assistive Listening products help solve frustrating but common sound problems caused by distance, background noise, or poor room acoustics. Everyone deserves the chance to fully experience an event whether they are hard of hearing or not.

Your organization may have a need for an Assistive Listening System but you’re not quite sure how to finance it. There are an infinite number of ways to raise the $500-$2,000 you might need for this project. If you are seeking ways to fund such a system, read on.

Getting Started

There are many ways for non-profits to raise money but most organizations rely on grants and individual donations to fund their projects and programs. Though the best long term solution for ensuring ongoing funding is cultivating an individual donor base, it is the most time consuming method of fundraising.

For that reason, many non-profits find approaching foundations for grants and more recently, corporations for sponsorship, the best use of their limited staff resources. The following is a short primer on how organizations might find funding for small projects such as an assistive listening system.

Approaching Potential Funders

Regardless of the type of funding source you approach, first ask your board, staff and key volunteers if they have a personal connection with the funder before contacting them.

Banks
Talk to your bank. The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) requires banks to make services and loans available to their local communities. In this spirit many banks also form a special department to respond to this requirement. The CRA Officer of the bank often handles the community giving program whether you ask for sponsorship or a grant.

Professional Associations
Regardless of your mission, there is almost always a national and/or local professional association affiliated with what you do. If your goals are similar, those associations have a vested interest in the success of your organization. As an example, if your organization is a nonprofit spay and neuter clinic, Google: spay and neuter + professional association and you will find, the American Humane Association, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) or your local or national Humane Society.

Many professional associations give small grants to their constituent organizations; others only fundraise for themselves and use the funds for their own programs. If you have similar missions, it’s still worth looking over their website to see who they are partnering with to identify potential funders for you.

Limited Staff Resources?

Consider the many ways to get yourself some help to write grants. Even if they do not have a specific grant writing background, student interns and volunteers of all ages can help with research and initial writing of the proposal. Pulling together the pieces of a grant is the most time-consuming part of the project. Get to know your local college Internship Program Coordinator and the professors who teach the areas where you need help.

Your community will have specific resources but here are a few you will find in most areas of the country:

HandsOn Network - www.handsonnetwork.org

BEAN - www.beanonline.org

DO Something - www.dosomething.org/grants

United Way - www.liveunited.org/content/splash

Relationships Rule
Regardless of how you choose to fund your project, the strength of your relationship with a business or funder is directly proportional to your chances of receiving financial assistance. If your resources are limited, building relationships is the place to focus them like a laser.

Talking Points for Funders

Whatever method you employ to raise funds for your ALS system, you will want to have some key points handy when you make your ask. Try some of these:

36 million Americans suffer from hearing loss.
17 in 1,000 children under 18 have a hearing loss
1 in 5 teens is showing a degree of hearing loss – up 30%
Room acoustics and noise compromises participants’ ability to understand.
Using microphones and an ALS system ensures that all participants fully experience the acoustics.
Investing in high quality technology such as a sound system and assistive listening products ensure that your guests won’t suffer every time the system is used and the effectiveness of presentations will be maximized.
It’s the law-- the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990.
Assistive listening systems can also be used for other applications like language interpretation, audio description, and tour groups. Having a system like this allows venues to accommodate people with broader needs.

Follow-up
In the spirit of cultivating long-time donors, be sure to send a handwritten note of thanks to any funder who helps you get your ALS system. Let them know how your new system will help your organization and invite them over for a site visit to ‘experience it.’ While they’re onsite, they will have a chance to better understand your mission. A little thanks and special attention to donors goes a long way!

The next blog post in this series will focus on background information for grant writing.

Read "Background For Writing Fundraising Proposals"

Communicate Clearly With Your Community

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 20:50:22 +0000

The City of Wylie chose a Listen Technologies Digital Conferencing System as a part of the new city council chamber. The Digital Conferencing system was chosen to provide clear communications between council members and the attending public.

Individual microphone/speaker stations at each council members seat provide the ability to hear and to be heard, and to participate in live voting on all city proposals and motions.

A podium with a flush mount conferencing microphone/speaker unit provides the opportunity for public interaction and input with the city. Additionally all the meetings are digitally recorded and archived through the conferencing system to allow easy reference should any questions arise on specific talking points and communications.

Live voting from the Digital Conferencing system provides immediate feedback to the attending public on the pass or failure of a vote and how each member of the council voted. This is a key feature that clearly communicates the status of proposed ordinances and actions that are legally binding to council and community.

Display and recording of these conversations and votes prevents miscommunication or misrepresentation as all information is captured and easily accessible for review.

These features also help to prevent frivolous law suits brought against the city by public and private business with regard to the validity of ordinances and actions discussed and voted upon by the council. Quick review of the digitized information reveals all that actually took place in discussion, comments, motions and voting of these actions and ordinances. Either the correct procedure and wording was followed or it was not. If not it is brought before the council again.

Why Should Your City Use A Listen Conferencing System?

Protocol & Procedure

Listen Conferencing Systems are a tool used to easily manage and facilitate effective meetings.

Clear Communication

Everyone deserves to hear and be heard. Listen Conferencing Systems provide the platform for clear and audible communication for everyone attending these meetings.

Council Voting

Listen Conferencing Systems provide clear and easy management, display, processing and documentation of voting procedures and results.

Protection

The protocol management, open and clear communication, meeting recording and archiving provide an excellent defense against legal actions taken against a City based on improper procedure or “that’s not what was said” allegations.

Multi-Use of the System

Zoning and Planning Commission, Public Safety, Parks and Recreation, Public Works Department, Arts Councils, Public Library etc.

Public Broadcast or Web Streaming

Listen Conferencing system can provide the automation and control of cameras for broadcast of meetings. Capture meeting proceedings via auto-record and archive for web retrieval.

Affordable

Listen has a variety of conferencing systems designed to meet your requirements and budget - from a growing rural city to an urban metropolis.

Take a Test Drive

Learning more about these systems and how they can assist your challenges is a simple, experience the system! Listen will schedule a demonstration of the system at your convenience. A qualified representative will bring in and set up a system for you to test drive.

References:

Pueblo City Council, CO

Randolph County, NC

City of Dallas, TX

Melissa City, TX

Strathcona County, Alberta

City of Spruce Grove, Alberta

Wylie City, TX

City of Fontana, CA

Santa Clara City, CA

Kansas City, KS

Springfield City, MA

Fluvanna County, VA

San Joaquin County, CA

Foster City, CA

Las Cruces City, NM

City of Niagara Falls, NY

Dawsonville City, GA

Palm Desert Civic Center, CA

Connecting Assistive Listening Systems in Houses of Worship

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:02:05 +0000

This blog post was originally published in the August 2^nd Technologies for Worship Magazine audio e-newsletter.

The last two issues we have looked at what houses of worship can do to help those with hearing losses and examined some of the assistive listening systems on the market. If your church has purchased such a system – what is the best way to connect it to the church sound system?

The simplest way is to just feed audio from the main sound system output to the assistive listening system. While this can work, and can be an improvement over no assistive listening system, the needs of the congregation as a whole and those with hearing loss are not identical. Therefore the mix should ideally be different.

When mixing for the congregation you balance the sound from the sound system with that generated acoustically by ear to deliver the best possible blend of live and reinforced sound. Those using an assistive listening system will hear much less of the live sound in the room, and mostly will hear the sound you send them. This means they would be best served by an independent mix created with their needs in mind, which will not be exactly the same as the normal sound system mix. Typically this is done via an AUX mix on the console.

Because they will hear very little of the live sound in the room, they may need things in their mix which are either not in the sound system mix or there at a very low level. Conversely, since those with hearing loss tend to have greater difficulty distinguishing voices from music and room sounds, they may well benefit from a mix where the voices stand out relative to the music.

Since intelligibility of words is more difficult for those with a hearing loss, you will probably not want to send any reverb or ambient microphones to the assistive listening system, since reverb while pleasing tends to reduce intelligibility.

During spoken word portions of the service, you will want to make sure that only the microphones actually being used are feeding the assistive listening system. That way the assistive system is being sent the clearest possible sound with no added background noise or sound from microphones not actively being used.

If you have the ability to filter or equalize the sound sent to the assistive listening system, you might consider filtering out sound lower than around 100 to 200 Hz. This will reduce the bass portion of the music, but also will help intelligibility. A very broad (1 to 2 octaves wide) but slight EQ boost centered at around 2 to 3 kHz of just a few dB will also help since that frequency range carries much of the speech intelligibility information. Too much boost can make the sound harsh so do not over do this.

Those with significant hearing loss will sometimes turn their level up to the point where members of the congregation around them can hear the sound. To make this less noticeable it can help to delay the sound to the assistive listening system so it arrives at around the same time or slightly after the sound from the sound system. The sound from the loudspeakers has to travel through the air to reach the congregation. The distance between the loudspeakers and the congregation adds approximately 1 ms of delay from every foot of distance. Obviously the delay varies depending on how far from the loudspeakers someone sits.

The assistive listening system on the other had gets the sound with essentially zero delay. Since the ear tends to pick the first arrival of a sound as the “source”, the slight audible leakage from a user of an assistive listening system will be identified by the ear as the “source” of the sound thus calling attention to itself. Adding a small amount of delay on the sound sent to the assistive listening system can allow the sound from the loudspeakers to arrive first. Obviously too much delay is not good either.

Assistive listening systems can be a big help to many in the congregation. The above should help you make the most of this important technology.

Ray Rayburn, FAES

?Ray has been an engineer in acoustics, audio systems, and telecommunications for over 30 years. He is the current chair of the AES Standards Subcommittee on Interconnections, is the author of Technologies for Worship Magazine’s bi-weekly audio newsletter and was one of the authors of the Handbook for Sound Engineers.

Ray has created some of the most advanced software-based project designs in use today, including the United States Senate Chamber, and taught the "advanced users" training seminars on the MediaMatrix configurable DSP product.

As a recording engineer for RCA, Ray recorded the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Frank Zappa. In 2009, Ray was made a Fellow in the Audio Engineering Society.

Six Classroom Technologies To Seriously Consider

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:14:32 +0000

A study published in May by Nobel Prize winning physics professor Carl Wieman suggests that teaching methods using interactive technology can be far more effective than traditional lectures.

Wieman found that students who were taught physics using interactive methods at the University of British Columbia scored about twice as high when tested as those attending traditional lectures on the same material. That was true even if the lectures were delivered by far more experienced teachers.

The interactive method he used involved short, small-group discussions, demonstrations, question-answer sessions and electronic quizzes that gave instructors real-time graphic feedback on what students had and had not learned successfully.

The study confirms what many teachers know intuitively – but the question remains, what kinds of interactive technology are most effective in the classroom?

The experience of Conference Technologies customers suggests that there are six key technologies that you should be using in your school or training program.

1. Student Response Systems

An important advantage for Weiman's instructors was the student response system he used. There are quite a number of these systems on the market, but in essence each gives an instructor the ability to ask a multiple choice or true/false question during class and get immediate feedback on student comprehension. If the percentage who answers correctly is high, it’s time to move on to new material. If it’s low, the instructor can spend more time on the topic. It’s a simple idea, but as the Weiman research shows, it can be extremely powerful.

2. Collaborative Learning

Weiman also put an emphasis on small-group discussion during class time. One trend we’re seeing is the use of collaborative learning systems to enhance group activities.

For example, we recently installed a system at Middle Tennessee State University using Tidebreak ClassSpot software. With Tidebreak, students working on laptops plugged into the network can each take over a shared machine with a large-screen display, collaborating on documents, opening websites, sharing files or making presentations to the full class.

Some of our corporate customers use Microsoft LiveMeeting to share files among group members in training sessions. The nice thing about this setup is that students can work together from different locations in a distance learning environment.

Our elementary and high school customers most often choose SMART’s Bridgit software to provide similar capabilities. Bridgit allows students to share screens, voice and video and work on shared documents, whether together in a classroom or across a distance learning connection.

The great power of collaborative systems is engagement. Used thoughtfully, they can help students pay more attention in class and take ownership of the material they are asked to learn.

3. Voice Lift

University professors have been using wireless mic systems in lecture halls for many years, but research indicates that voice reinforcement can be very valuable in standard classrooms as well. Special Ed teachers began the trend, finding that students with learning disabilities did a lot better in class when teachers used sound systems to moderately increase their voice levels. Further research suggests that almost anyone can benefit, whether children or adults, gifted or learning disabled, when the instructor’s voice is reinforced.

Listen, Extron and other manufacturers now offer low-cost classroom solutions based on a pendant microphone with an infrared transmitter and a ceiling speaker with a receiver built in.

4. Recording & Streaming

More and more educators are adding cameras, microphones and servers to classrooms to stream video to students live or on demand. Several of our corporate clients use the technology to train staff in distant locations. Universities are recording classes for students who can’t be present or who attend but wish to review difficult material. Elementary and high schools webcast classroom sound and video to home-schooled children.

Among the more interesting new streaming products is the LifeSize Video Center, which can reduce HD recording and streaming to single-button simplicity; 323link’s Educast, which simplifies audio, video and multimedia webcasts, and the NewTek TriCaster, which is aimed at more production-savvy users, including audio/video production classes.

5. E-books & Tablet PCs

With the price of e-book readers and some tablets now roughly equal to that of many textbooks, it only makes sense to move written classroom materials to an electronic format.

As schools begin to do so, students will use e-readers to access webcasts, input answers into response systems, and collaborate in many ways. At CTI, we’re expecting to begin integrating tablets and e-readers into classroom AV systems within the next two years, and we’re encouraging our customers to begin planning for their use now.

6. Unified Classroom Communications

The influx of tablets highlights a trend toward unified technologies that combine collaboration, streaming and other educational applications into single or closely-related systems.

For example, the Promethean ActivClassroom, which is very popular in Europe, ties learner response systems and voice reinforcement to interactive whiteboards and an open source library of educational software and activities.

AMX has introduced an extremely interesting product in SchoolView, which streamlines and controls multiple technologies including two-way paging, video-on-demand, AV controls, security and surveillance, emergency notification, even school bells in a single system. Because it uses an integrated platform, the cost of design, installation and maintenance can be much lower than with separate systems. Because it’s IP-based, flexibility and scalability are high.

Are traditional teaching methods dead?

No, I don’t believe they are or should be. But interactive technology is enhancing what teachers can do and how effective they can be. There’s much to gain from thoughtful use of these six core technologies.

John Laughlin, CTS, is president and CEO of Conference Technologies, Inc., a provider of audio-visual design, integration, video conferencing, rental solutions, and technical service support, with nine offices throughout the United States. Please contact CTI to learn more about distance learning systems. Visit www.conferencetech.com for more information.

FM Wireless Solutions for Sport Technique Training

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:39:27 +0000

Listen portable FM products have been used for tour groups, assistive listening and interpretation for many years. An often overlooked need is in the area of coaching and sport technique.

Technique training requires clear and effective communication from a coach to athlete. Ambient environments and physical movement make it difficult for coaches to convey messages, slowing learning and requiring multiple passes of "trial and error" for athletes to properly incorporate new ideas. Real-time feedback significantly improves effectiveness in most if not all situations.

Imagine how disadvantaged an auto racer would be if the driver had no feedback until passing the pit crew.

A good example of this wireless application is an equestrian jockey. The coach can stand outside the arena with an LT-700 transmitter, and provide choreography and technique instruction without trying to overcome the changing distance and disruptive outside sound sources.

The jockey receives the instruction directly in their ear via either and LR-400 or LR-500 listening device. The compact bodypack device can be easily clipped on to the jockey allowing them to focus on their training and listening to their coach’s instruction.

Another great example is alpine (downhill) ski instruction or mountain guide outings. In this particular situation, distances change rapidly, outside sound sources are problematic and weather plays a big factor. Athletes, students or guests get feedback at breaks or changes in landscape where an instructor or guide will collect participants. Technique instruction comes after "a run" and can't be applied until a later time. One of the biggest factors in communication delays is that the delays make it very difficult to compare what really happened, to your recollection of what happened.

Safety is an area of concern whenever hardware or cables are a factor. Always consider bodypack placement, cable location and earphone selection wisely. Make sure a bodypack isn't in a location where it can hurt the user, and be sure that cables are located where entanglement is reduced or eliminated. Coaches should work with athletes and trainers to be sure systems are safe and in no way obstruct their movements.

These are just a few examples of how real time communication can improve technique training for both coaches and athletes. Let us know if you are aware of any other applications where real time communication in a dynamic setting could be applied.

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:08:24 +0000

Why have you been so successful in reaching some of your goals, but not others? If you aren't sure, you are far from alone in your confusion. It turns out that even brilliant, highly accomplished people are pretty lousy when it comes to understanding why they succeed or fail.

The intuitive answer — that you are born predisposed to certain talents and lacking in others — is really just one small piece of the puzzle. In fact, decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

1. Get specific. When you set yourself a goal, try to be as specific as possible. "Lose 5 pounds" is a better goal than "lose some weight," because it gives you a clear idea of what success looks like. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Also, think about the specific actions that need to be taken to reach your goal. Just promising you'll "eat less" or "sleep more" is too vague — be clear and precise. "I'll be in bed by 10pm on weeknights" leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you have actually done it.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. Given how busy most of us are, and how many goals we are juggling at once, it's not surprising that we routinely miss opportunities to act on a goal because we simply fail to notice them. Did you really have no time to work out today? No chance at any point to return that phone call? Achieving your goal means grabbing hold of these opportunities before they slip through your fingers.

To seize the moment, decide when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g., "If it's Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I'll work out for 30 minutes before work.") Studies show that this kind of planning will help your brain to detect and seize the opportunity when it arises, increasing your chances of success by roughly 300%.

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go. Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress — if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don't know how well you are doing, you can't adjust your behavior or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently — weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.

4. Be a realistic optimist. When you are setting a goal, by all means engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve it. Believing in your ability to succeed is enormously helpful for creating and sustaining your motivation. But whatever you do, don't underestimate how difficult it will be to reach your goal. Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence. Studies show that thinking things will come to you easily and effortlessly leaves you ill-prepared for the journey ahead, and significantly increases the odds of failure.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good. Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed — that no matter what we do, we won't improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills.

Fortunately, decades of research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong — abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

6. Have grit. Grit is a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty. Studies show that gritty people obtain more education in their lifetime, and earn higher college GPAs. Grit predicts which cadets will stick out their first grueling year at West Point. In fact, grit even predicts which round contestants will make it to at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

The good news is, if you aren't particularly gritty now, there is something you can do about it. People who lack grit more often than not believe that they just don't have the innate abilities successful people have. If that describes your own thinking .... well, there's no way to put this nicely: you are wrong. As I mentioned earlier, effort, planning, persistence, and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will not only help you see yourself and your goals more accurately, but also do wonders for your grit.

7. Build your willpower muscle. Your self-control "muscle" is just like the other muscles in your body — when it doesn't get much exercise, it becomes weaker over time. But when you give it regular workouts by putting it to good use, it will grow stronger and stronger, and better able to help you successfully reach your goals.

To build willpower, take on a challenge that requires you to do something you'd honestly rather not do. Give up high-fat snacks, do 100 sit-ups a day, stand up straight when you catch yourself slouching, try to learn a new skill. When you find yourself wanting to give in, give up, or just not bother — don't. Start with just one activity, and make a plan for how you will deal with troubles when they occur ("If I have a craving for a snack, I will eat one piece of fresh or three pieces of dried fruit.") It will be hard in the beginning, but it will get easier, and that's the whole point. As your strength grows, you can take on more challenges and step-up your self-control workout.

8. Don't tempt fate. No matter how strong your willpower muscle becomes, it's important to always respect the fact that it is limited, and if you overtax it you will temporarily run out of steam. Don't try to take on two challenging tasks at once, if you can help it (like quitting smoking and dieting at the same time). And don't put yourself in harm's way — many people are overly-confident in their ability to resist temptation, and as a result they put themselves in situations where temptations abound. Successful people know not to make reaching a goal harder than it already is.

9. Focus on what you will do, not what you won't do. Do you want to successfully lose weight, quit smoking, or put a lid on your bad temper? Then plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves. Research on thought suppression (e.g., "Don't think about white bears!") has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior — by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken.
If you want change your ways, ask yourself, What will I do instead? For example, if you are trying to gain control of your temper and stop flying off the handle, you might make a plan like "If I am starting to feel angry, then I will take three deep breaths to calm down." By using deep breathing as a replacement for giving in to your anger, your bad habit will get worn away over time until it disappears completely.

It is my hope that, after reading about the nine things successful people do differently, you have gained some insight into all the things you have been doing right all along. Even more important, I hope are able to identify the mistakes that have derailed you, and use that knowledge to your advantage from now on.

Remember, you don't need to become a different person to become a more successful one. It's never what you are, but what you do.

Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. is a motivational psychologist, and author of the Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals (Hudson Street Press, 2011). She is also an expert blogger on motivation and leadership for Fast Company and Psychology Today. Her personal blog, The Science of Success, can be found at www.heidigranthalvorson.com Follow her on Twitter @hghalvorson.

Virtual Town Hall Meeting On Disability Policy

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:28:33 +0000

On Thursday, July 14th from 1:00PM - 2:00 PM Eastern, Disability.gov will air a live "Virtual" Town Hall meeting to introduce the White House's top advisors on disability policy.

Do you have a question for President Obama's top disability policy advisors? Disability.gov is offering the chance to have it answered!

Participants during the virtual town hall who will be able to answer your questions include Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy and Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; Jeffrey Crowley, M.P.H., Senior Advisor on Disability Policy and Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy at the White House; and Rebecca Cokley, Director of Priority Placement for Public Engagement, White House Presidential Personnel Office.

If you have a question that you would like to have answered during the Town Hall meeting, complete the form by Wednesday, July 13th at 6:00 PM Eastern. Please understand that due to time constraints, not all questions that are submitted can be answered during the event.

To sign up to submit questions, visit https://www.disability.gov/WHQuestion

Disneyland Unveils Enhanced Technology For Guests With Visual Disabilities

Thu, 07 Jul 2011 19:20:18 +0000

Beginning July 6, guests with visual disabilities will be able to explore Disneyland Park in a whole new way through an enhanced Disney-designed device that provides detailed audio description of outdoor areas. This feature compliments the audio description inside Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks’ attractions and theaters that was launched over a year ago.

“Disney Parks have long been at the forefront of providing accessibility for guests with disabilities,” said Greg Hale, chief safety officer and vice president of Worldwide Standards and Auditing for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts. “We are pleased to build on this legacy with new technology that enables us to do something that has never been done before – provide rich audio description in moving attractions and outdoor environments.”

The enhanced audio description service adds more options to the existing device including:

Descriptions of outdoor locations throughout Disneyland Park.
An interactive audio menu that allows guests to choose the type of information they would like to receive about outdoor areas – from a description of their surroundings to information about nearby attractions, restaurants, and entertainment.

The 7.2-ounce handheld device continues to offer Disneyland Resort guests:

Detailed audio description of key visual elements, including action and scenery, for more than 20 attractions at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks.
Assistive listening for guests with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Handheld captioning that enables guests to read captions while enjoying specific attractions.
Activation of closed captioning on pre-show video monitors.

“I know of no other public space in this country, or anywhere else for that matter, that is as welcoming and accessible to people with disabilities as Disney’s theme parks,” said Larry Goldberg, director of the WGBH National Center for Accessible Media in Boston, which is considered a pioneer in developing multimedia and new technologies that make media accessible for the disabled. “With their captioning systems for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing and now outdoor environmental description for guests who are blind or visually impaired, Disneyland Park is now more inclusive than ever. WGBH is proud of our role in helping make this happen.”

WGBH teamed up with Disney to deliver outdoor audio description, marking the latest collaboration between the two organizations that began with the installation of WGBH's Rear Window® Captioning system in Disney's theater-based attractions in 1996.

Disney has patented and licensed the assistive technology that could serve a wide variety of retail, commercial and industrial applications. The technology is already being used at the World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, The Hall at Patriot Place in Boston and the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas and was awarded the National Society of Professional Engineers 2010 “New Product Award.”

“We are particularly excited to make this technology available beyond Disney Parks and extend accessibility where it was previously impractical,” added Hale.

Other examples of Disney Parks’ services for guests with disabilities include:

Accessible experiences – Disney Parks’ focus is on providing guests with accessible experiences, from vehicles at The Little Mermaid-Ariel’s Undersea Adventure that enable guests to remain in their wheelchair during the ride to American Sign Language interpretation at live shows.
Pamphlets for guests with disabilities – Disability-specific pamphlets, including one for guests with visual disabilities, provide an overview of services and facilities available for guests with disabilities. Braille guidebooks also are available to assist guests with visual disabilities during their visit.
Resort access – Disneyland Resort hotels offer special equipment and facilities for guests with disabilities such as phone text, visual indicator door knocks and sloped-entry pools.

The handheld assistive device is offered at no cost with a refundable deposit at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. For further information about services for guests with disabilities, guests should visit www.disneyland.com or call 714-781-7290.

*U.S. Patents 6,785,539 and 7,224,967 may apply.

Considerations for ListenPoint® Speaker Placement

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:57:55 +0000

Placement of speakers within a room is crucial to providing good audio coverage. It is important that all listening areas of the room have sufficient and equal audio coverage. This blog post will cover key points that need to be considered before installing your ListenPoint® Speakers.

Key Considerations:

Type of speaker

Location/Coverage

Type of Speaker

Two types of speakers are available with the ListenPoint product:

Ceiling Speaker – Ceiling speakers are designed to be installed in rooms when space above in the ceiling is available (approximately 12-14 inches, 30.5 cm - 35.6 cm ). The speakers direct audio downwards onto the needed coverage areas. If the required ceiling space isn’t available, then a wall mounted speaker is the best option (see below). Listen offers either a 6 in.,15.2 cm or 6 in., 15.2 cm plenum ceiling speakers.

Wall Mount Speaker – Wall (or surface) mount speakers are designed to be installed in rooms where there is little space above the ceiling or ceiling structure doesn’t permit for installation. The speakers direct audio outward from the walls towards the needed coverage areas.

Location/Coverage

Location/Coverage of speakers is based on the type of speaker. Follow the type of speaker that you have determined to best fit your room.

Ceiling Speaker – Ceiling speakers have a conical dispersion angle. This information is important during room design for proper speaker placement.

Because speakers may be different, here is a general rule of thumb to follow during your speaker placement survey:

Ceiling Height = Distance between Speakers

This rule generally will give a room equal audio dispersion. Placing the speakers closer together may make some areas louder that others while placing the speakers further apart will cause “dead” areas.

As an example, if you have an 8 ft., 2.43 m ceiling, generally the space between ceiling speakers should be no more than 8 ft., 2.43 m apart. This allows for proper room coverage and assurance that all seating areas will have similar audio levels.

The greatest challenges with any calculated formula of speaker placement are obstructions. There could be potential barriers that hinder putting the speaker in the ceiling at an optimal coverage placement point or obstructed the cable run between the speaker and the Room Module. Either of these scenarios will force a speaker placement change. Keep in mind that goal of overhead speaker distribution is to have equal coverage throughout the room. If there are barriers, place the speakers in a nearest option.

Below are some diagrams showing the placement of ceiling speakers:

Wall Mount Speaker – Much like a ceiling speaker, a wall mount speaker has a horizontal and vertical dispersion rating. These should be followed when preparing the room for speaker placement. Wall speakers can be installed at the head of room and/or sides or back. In large applications, the delay between a front and back of room speaker could be an issue, but in small rooms, such as a classroom, there should be little delay in the room. As a best practice, the speakers should be aimed at the ear of the room participants and spaced approximately 8-10 ft., 2.43 m - 2.04 m apart.

Below are some diagrams showing the positions of wall speakers:

Once you have finalized the placement of your speaker, please refer back to the Installation Guide to finish the install.

The considerations in this blog post are points Listen Technologies believes will make your ListenPoint system a quick, easy, and professional installation. Please note that these are just suggestions that cover a basic room install and might not be useful for your room. For more information about your specific installation please contact me at +1.801.233.8992 or 1.800.330.0891.

Billy Graham Crusade Selects Listen For Language Interpretation

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 19:11:50 +0000

Billy Graham Ministries in Europe had a need for a two channel language interpretation system for the upcoming crusade in Riga, Latvia (formerly part of the Soviet Union). Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia, one of the major industrial, commercial, cultural, and financial centers of the Baltics. Riga’s historical center has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so they reached out to their counterparts at the Billy Graham Ministries headquartered in North Carolina to inquire about possible equipment to meet this important need.

This led the office in North Carolina to consult their trusted local audio provider who recommended the Listen Technologies language interpretation solutions for sound quality, ease of use and flexible frequencies for this part of Europe. The local dealer contacted Listen to work out the design details and a nice solution was formed.

The crusades will begin in November and is part of the Ceribas Festivals featuring Franklin Graham as the keynote speaker.

The goal is in this eastern European country of Latvia is to build up values and let them know that there is hope! The Listen language interpretation system will be used to ensure their message of hope is heard “loud & clear.”

Listen Tour Group Makes A Splash At Sea World

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:26:49 +0000

Sea World – Orlando - AV Technology Tour, InfoComm 2011

“I provide Listen FM receivers all the time for assistive listening. I didn’t know you have these portable transmitters for tours. This is great,” said one participant on our AV Technology Tour of Sea World Orlando.

Fifty InfoComm 2011 attendees visited Sea World’s behind-the-scenes Audio Visual and stage production specialists and as a bonus, we enjoyed the Shamu and dolphin shows. As a co-founder of Listen Technologies, I was fortunate to be the Listen representative tagging along to distribute our products for the tour and to manage the lightweight belt-clip transmitter and microphone for each Sea World expert; people such as stage managers, engineers and audio/video control room specialists.

These Sea World representatives were delighted to show off their facilities to A/V industry peers, but were initially hesitant when we got off the bus with Listen’s FM transmitter and receivers, expressing concern that our system may interfere with their microphones. No worries.

I assured Sea World personnel that the system is on the 72 MHz bandwidth for assistive listening only. Several audio experts in our group relayed the same. It took only two minutes once the first stage manager began using the transmitter and microphone for him to realize how valuable, and in this case, how essential, the devices were for communicating with a group of fifty people. We were dealing with an amusement park’s high ambient noise level, mobility, and, as a side, sweltering summer heat!

Walking across the park from attraction to attraction, our guide was able to instruct the entire group information such messages as: We will wait in the shade while those that need to can take bathroom breaks.

Both the Sea World employees and our tour group grasped the benefits of a listening system quickly and embraced the enhanced experience of the Listen Tour Group System. It had become a necessity for all to hear the specialists speak.

One feature we didn’t use because we stayed on Channel “D,” was Listen’s channel flexibility. If a Listen Tour Group System has an interference problem on the pre-selected channel in a new location, or in an impromptu tour, both the guide with the transmitter and the guests with receivers can easily tune to another channel to eliminate any interference problem. This type of flexibility is just one of several nice features of Listen products.

Sea World tour participants, including myself, had the great opportunity to ask questions of the people behind the scenes, visit the control booth at the Shamu show, ask technicians questions, and in between, be entertained by the actual performances.

I’m not sure who enjoyed the tour more: the tour participants or the Sea World experts. I came away, as always after 13 years of experience participating internally with Listen as a co-founder and a member of the board, once again impressed with Listen’s product quality and more importantly, the quality of the tour presentation when all can clearly hear what the guide is saying. I am very proud of these products and of Listen’s culture and customer service.

M1 Flexible Connectivity

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 17:01:47 +0000

Today’s technology is advancing rapidly. Most people have a personal device that can provide content on demand.

Expanding web services such as Skype, YouTube, WebEx and GoToMeeting keep us connected and are now accepted in many industries and vertical markets.

The challenge is how to easily and affordably connect these devices and services so that all the participants are heard in the room or from remote locations.

ListenPoint solves that problem with the M1 wireless media interface.

The M1 allows direct connection to almost any personal device via the standard 1/8” mini jack normally used for headphones or popular ear buds.

I created this short video to provide an overview of the ease of bringing the audio from personal devices, Skype, WebEx etc. into presentations and meetings.

Listen ADA Standards Update - Assistive Listening

Mon, 23 May 2011 21:52:53 +0000

Are you aware of the recent changes to the ADA Standards as it relates to assistive listening devices? I can appreciate how that the guidelines can be complex to navigate and understand.

I am hoping this short video helps you understand the main changes around assistive listening requirements.

In addition to this video, Listen Technologies has several resources to help you understand the requirements of the new standards.This table is taken from Section 706 Assistive Listening Systems of the 2010 ADA Standards and provides an overview of the number of receivers required based on the seating capacity. It also shows how many receivers must be hearing-aid compatible.

Table 219.3 Receivers for Assistive Listening Systems

Capacity of Seating in Assembly Area	Minimum Number of Required Receivers Contact Listen for customized quote to accommodate area sales@listentech.com www.listentech.com	Minimum Number of Required Receivers Required to be Hearing-aid Compatible (using Listen LA-166)
50 or less	2	2
51 to 200	2, plus 1 per 25 seats over 50 seats*	2
201 to 500	2, plus 1 per 25 seats over 50 seats*	1 per 4 receivers*
501 to 1000	20, plus 1 per 33 seats over 500 seats*	1 per 4 receivers*
1001 to 2000	35, plus 1 per 50 seats over 1000 seats*	1 per 4 receivers*
2001 and over	55 plus 1 per 100 seats over 2000 seats*	1 per 4 receivers*

*Or fraction thereof

Here are links to other valuable resources:

http://www.listentech.com/support-research#ada-tax

http://www.ada.gov/2010ADAstandards_index.htm

2010 Changes to Assistive Listening Systems

Let us know if we can be of further assistance on this topic. We're here to help in anyway we can.

Delivering Your Presentation Despite Noise On The Trade Show Floor

Thu, 19 May 2011 12:01:38 +0000

Exhibiting at InfoComm is a key sales and marketing initiative for us at Listen Technologies. We know we are not alone in the investment of time and resources we make to prepare for the show. We also know that many exhibitors will invest in sound system for formal presentations and to attract passers-by. We’re in audio, right?

If you are considering such an approach are you prepared with what you are going to say, and more importantly, will they really hear it?

A trade show floor is not a place of calm and quiet but a place of crowds, noise and hustle and bustle. Noise levels on a trade show floor can push to 80 – 90 decibels – equal to the sound of heavy machinery or street traffic.

It’s a wonder that we manage giving an effective and engaging presentation over that kind of noise.

There are many reasons why I love what I do at Listen, but one of the main reasons is that we have a solution that is absolutely perfect for this environment. Our tour group solution is a great way to deliver a personal enriched listening experience in an otherwise hectic, noisy environment.

This solution can accommodate groups of any size and its mobility allows you to walk your sales reps, distributors, and clients through your booth and deliver your message at the same time – directly into their ear. No more shouting or repeating messages.

Here’s a short video that gives a great overview of how it works.

Over the years this solution has been embraced – InfoComm uses it for its First Timer’s Tour, and AV Technology Tours. We’ve loaned systems on the fly to other manufacturers for press conferences and customer presentations.

Here’s what some have had to say about their experiences:

“As an editor I’m often invited to an exhibitor’s booth for a press conference,” said Kirsten Nelson, editor at Systems Contractor News. “I attended one in 2009, where they used a personal audio system to talk to the editors and I couldn’t believe the impact it had. I thought, why doesn’t everyone do this? If the topic is important enough to hold a press conference it’s important enough to make sure the message is heard. Until I had the experience I didn’t know what a difference a listening system could make.”

“You know all too well the challenge of being the presenter in an InfoComm booth and speaking to 12-15 people at the same time,” commented Tom Peters, VP Integrated Media Systems. “We used your system and instantly, each person in the group could hear, understand and appreciate what the host was trying to communicate. The system worked flawlessly.”

It’s not too late to implement this solution into your plans. If I can help you in anyway please let me know – jodi.reese@listentech.com or +1.801.233.8992.

I would also like to hear your comments on any other planning challenges you have overcome in preparation of trade shows.

Overcoming Language Barriers At The Hospital

Wed, 11 May 2011 22:02:21 +0000

Hearing that you have a terrible disease is hard enough. Now imagine getting the bad news in a language you don't speak.

Capital Region hospitals overcome language barriers by using special telephones to connect patients and their medical providers with an off-site language interpreter. In 2009, local hospitals called on telephone interpreters more than 5,500 times.

Soon, there will be a new option in town.

A nonprofit group that trains interpreters opened an office in Albany last month and hopes to build a cadre of medical interpreters who will be available for on-site and in-person language interpretation. Professional on-site interpreters are the gold standard, said Dina Refki, executive director of the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society at the University at Albany.

"When you don't have effective communication between the patient and provider, you have all sorts of problems," said Refki. "You have errors in the diagnosis, you have costly and unnecessary use of diagnostic tests, patient dissatisfaction and medical liability when errors are made."

More than 22,000 people with limited English skills live in the four counties in the Capital Region, according to census data. The most common foreign language is Spanish, but there are many requests for Burmese, Russian and Arabic.

Hospitals and large medical providers have done an excellent job in providing interpretation services since a 2006 state law went into effect, Refki said. Some hospitals, like Albany Medical Center, also have video services to communicate through sign language with hearing-impaired patients.

New York hospitals are not reimbursed for language services at this time, but Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, chairman of the Assembly's health committee, has submitted a bill that would provide Medicaid reimbursement for interpretation.

Telephone interpretation is the primary method used by the hospitals because it's cost effective and offers professional interpretation in 150 different languages. The phones have two headsets allowing the patient and provider talk with the interpreter. The service costs anywhere from $1 to $7 a minute or more, depending on subscription level.

Angela Keller, executive director of Catholic Charities AIDS Services, said some patients don't like it.

"They were really uncomfortable with this stranger on the other end of the phone translating for them," Keller said.

Catholic Charities recently won a grant to pay for in-person interpretation during medical appointments for its clients. But the group couldn't find interpreters to hire. So Keller helped convince MAMI Interpreters, formerly known as the Multicultural Association of Medical Interpreters, to open an office in the area.

MAMI, based in Utica, has trained more than 400 medical interpreters since it was founded in 1998. MAMI opened an office is Syracuse six years ago at the request of several hospitals. Central New York hospitals now have 15 interpreters on staff and more than 100 other interpreters available to accompany patients to scheduled medical appointments, or respond to emergency calls for language services.

Charles Clute, director of patient relations and language assistant coordinator at Albany Medical Center, said in-person interpretation is helpful in some situations, particularly when communicating with family members. The hospital already calls on bilingual medical students who have volunteered to interpret, but Clute didn't rule out using MAMI interpreters.

"We are open to whatever it takes to get our patients good communication," he said.

Cornelia Brown, founder of MAMI, said she believes that the medical institutions in the Capital Region will see the value of on-site interpretation, and demand for interpreters will grow. The training program is 80 hours and classes are held on weekends at their 33 Central Ave. office. "We anticipate, with time, there will be work for people," Brown said.

Reach Crowley at 454-5348 or ccrowley@timesunion.com. Visit her blog at http://blogs.timesunion.com/healthcare

Interpreter requests at hospitals

Hospitals are required by law to offer language interpretation to patients who don't understand English. Here's a look at the number of language requests in the Capital Region. The information was supplied by the hospitals.

Albany Medical Center 3,270 Spanish, Burmese, Arabic, French, Vietnamese

Albany Memorial Hospital 336 Spanish, Burmese

Ellis Medicine 1400 Spanish, American Sign Language, Arabic

Glens Falls Hospital 21 Spanish

Samaritan Hospital 169 Spanish, Russian

Saratoga Hospital 219 Spanish, Mandarin

Seton Health/St. Mary's 88 Spanish, Arabic, Urdu, Haitian Creole

St. Peter's Hospital 550 Spanish, Burmese, Russian and Arabic

Delivering A Royal Listening Experience

Fri, 06 May 2011 02:22:16 +0000

I knew that Global Equipment Network, Inc. had the perfect solution when producers of the “Say Yes To The Dress” show on the TLC network approached me about providing an audio solution for a viewing party of The Royal Wedding in Times Square.

Producers were at a loss as to how they were going to overcome the New York City noise ordinance of no public address systems before 9:00 am. Not a good situation with the wedding festivities happening at 5:00 am.

I knew that I could provide an individual listening experience to guests of the TLC event without breaching the noise ordinance. The producers were a little skeptical, especially with the need to provide a solution to 2,000 guests. But I was confident. I knew that not only could I deliver the solution for 2,000 people but that they would have a full enriching listening experience.

TLC delivered the live Royal Wedding broadcast from London onto all the large LED panels in Times Square. No matter where you looked in Times Square, you could see the broadcast of the wedding. During commercials “Say Yes To The Dress” host Randy Fenoli provided commentary about the event. This too was broadcast onto the large LED panels.

I took the broadcast feed and connected it to a Listen Technologies LT-800 Stationary FM Transmitter. Using an LA-126 Antenna Kit the audio signal was transmitted to a mix of Listen LR-400 and LR-500 Portable Receivers being used by the viewing party guests to listen to the event. The production company provided 2,000 inexpensive double ear buds that the guests could either keep or dispose.

Everyone involved, including TLC was just ecstatic with the quality of the audio and our ability to provide a solution for 2,000 guests. It was an incredible event to witness. There was something surreal about a fully captivated crowd gazing up at the giant screens in Times Square but not hearing any sound. And then, when the crowd went wild when the vows were exchanged, I knew they were hearing everything that was broadcast.

Emotions ran high during the viewing party prompting a spontaneous proposal by one guest and following the event three couples got married.

I admit that I was both exhausted and exhilarated after the event; but it was a privilege to be a part of creating such a special experience for those 2,000 guests.

This is a short slide show video of the event. Enjoy.

FREE InfoComm Pass Courtesy of Listen

Tue, 03 May 2011 19:09:26 +0000

A free pass for InfoComm 2011 this June in Orlando is available courtesy of InfoComm and Listen Technologies. Register today and experience for yourself why InfoComm 2011 is at CENTER OF IT ALL.

Download your FREE pass by clicking here.

Your FREE pass includes:

Admission to the show floor for all three days of InfoComm 2011
Access to special exhibits including:
- 3D Technology Showcase
- Audio Demo Rooms
- Digital Signage Application Showcase
- HD Conferencing & Telepresence Showcase
- Production Camera Showcase
- Sustainable AV Experience
- System Programming and GUI Design Gallery
- Technologies for Worship Pavilion
Endless opportunities to network with your peers and top-performing AV professionals in exciting special events
Free Show Guide and Show Dailies

Download FREE Pass with instructions on how to register.

Schedule of Events - Free Activities

Tuesday, June 14
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.        Opening Keynote
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.        InfoComm Opening Reception
7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.        NSCA's ExpoJam!

Wednesday, June 15
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.        Exhibition
1:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.        Rental & Staging Forum & Reception
5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.        International Reception

Thursday, June 16
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.        Exhibition
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.      InfoComm Non-Member Reception

Friday, June 17
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.        Exhibition

Everyone Has Challenges – How They Are Taken On Is The Key To Success!

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:11:09 +0000

Recently I had the opportunity to take on a challenge and turn it in to an opportunity. This happened in conjunction with an onsite customer service visit with the City of Wylie, Texas. The City of Wylie has been busy with the construction of a beautiful new city complex that includes the city offices, library, and recreational facility. Construction for this project has been underway for about two years and they are just getting settled into this new complex.

Listen Technologies Digital Conferencing systems was included as a part of the new city council chamber. The Digital Conferencing system was chosen to provide clear communications between council members and the attending public. Individual microphone/speaker stations at each council members seat provide the ability to hear and to be heard, and to participate in live voting on all city proposals and motions.

Live voting from the Digital Conferencing system provides immediate feedback to the attending public on the pass or failure of a vote and how each member of the council voted. This is a key feature that clearly communicates the status of proposed ordinances and actions that are legally binding to council and community. Display and recording of these conversations and votes prevents miscommunication or misrepresentation as all information is captured and easily accessible for review.

The benefits and impact of Digital Conferencing system are without question worth the investment. The system can pay for itself in the savings from the avoidance of a single lawsuit brought against the city.

So with all these wonderful benefits you might be wondering – what was the challenge? Well, the City of Wylie had installed and was using the Digital Conferencing system and in the first City Council meeting they experienced a very unusual software glitch in the Digital Conferencing system……OUCH! With this issue we had a choice of either viewing this as a challenge or an opportunity.

I am very proud to say that Listen Technologies has an attitude of delivering exceptional service and support. This attitude changes our internal view from challenge to opportunity. We now had an opportunity to improve our Conferencing solution, serve the City of Wylie, and gain an understanding to better serve all future Conferencing customers.

Jeff Pead Listen’s Conferencing Product Specialist along with Jake Tolbert the site engineer with Digital Resources, our dealer who sold and installed the system, quickly went to work seeking to find the cause of this seemingly random issue. Their efforts over several days eliminated hardware issues and led them to narrow their troubleshooting to how the system specifically was being used by the City of Wylie.

They discovered a potential flaw that would occur only if a very unique sequence of events occurred. It just so happened that these events occurred at Wylie’s first and second City Council meetings.

The anxiety and frustration that resulted from these two events created an opportunity for Listen to rise to the occasion and for me to fly out to Wylie, Texas for the third city council meeting and support them. It also gave me the opportunity to meet with the city information officer along with all other concerned parties.

Prior to the meeting we were able to instruct the council members on the use of the system. I was also able to communicate that we had identified the problem in the software and that we were in the process of upgrading this with the fix and that it would be completed within two weeks.

Wylie’s city council meeting went very smoothly that evening and I was able to develop a great business relationship with the city information officer, and with our dealer partner Jake Tolbert of Digital Resources. I express my thanks to our Partner Digital Resources and to Jake for their professional and personal commitments to resolving this issue and maintaining an excellent communication process with all the parties involved with this project.

Through this experience I have learned that facing a challenge and viewing it as an opportunity for success is a measure of greatness in both organizations and individuals. What experiences have you had in turning a challenge into an opportunity?

Getting Access To Online Programming

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:11:39 +0000

WGBH Announces Captioning Collaboration with Netflix

From The Media Access Group at WGBH:

We’re proud to be able to announce that we have been--and are right this minute--working with Netflix to caption and subtitle movies and TV shows to watch instantly via their service. Here's a link to Netflix's blog posting on the topic:

This is Neil Hunt, Chief Product Officer for Netflix, with an update on subtitles on content available to watch instantly from Netflix. In the US, more than 3,500 TV episodes and movies have subtitles available, representing about 30% of viewing. (This is in addition to the subtitles already available “burned in” to the picture for all non-English content.) More subtitles are being added every week, and we expect to get to 80% viewing coverage by the end of 2011. We've added this page on the Netflix Website that lists all of the TV shows and movies that are available with subtitles. It is accessible via a link in the Netflix Website footer, via search (for “subtitle” or “caption”), or linked from the detail page of any title that has subtitles.
http://blog.netflix.com/2011/02/30-of-netflix-streaming-content-has.html

About The Media Access Group at WGBH
Media Access Group at WGBH has been pioneering and delivering accessible media to disabled adults, students, and their families, teachers, and friends for over 30 years. For more information, visit http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag

About Netflix
Netflix currently has over 20 million members in the United States and Canada. For $7.99 a month, members can watch an unlimited number of movies and TV episodes using either their computer or one of more than 200 other devices (including iPhones and iPads) capable of streaming movies via Netflix. Netflix ships some 2 million discs daily in the US.
The company has over 2,000 employees between its headquarters and distribution centers. Netflix has experienced quite a bit of growth over the last year, having increased its membership by 63 percent.

Finding captioned and subtitled programming on Netflix

The following is from a press release issued by Phlixie.com (our thanks to Nanci Link Ellis for alerting us to this resource)

When Captionfish was created, it simplified the task of finding accessible entertainment at public venues everywhere. Now we have a different kind of challenge: finding accessible titles online from different content providers and being able to sort out where and how it will work.

To provide a solution, Phlixie was created by people associated with Captionfish. http://www.Phlixie.com Phlixie allows you to find accessible titles on Netflix. Over time, Phlixie plans/hopes to expand this to include Hulu, iTunes, captioned Web Series, etc. If you'd like specifics of how: http://www.phlixie.com/about

Statistics
Based on data collected by PhlixieI, Netflix now has:

38,456 individual instant titles (includes movies and episodes in TV series)
6,031 individual instant titles with captions or burned in English subtitles
11,158 top-level instant titles (includes movie titles and individual seasons in a TV series, e.g. Greek: Season One)
1,408 top-level instant titles with captions or burned in English subtitles
909 instant titles with captions

http://www.phlixie.com/about

And now, Zediva: a new online video service

Netflix now has a competitor. There is a new online video service that provides greater access to videos at a lower cost than Netflix. According to their web site, Zediva.com, the services they provide include captioned and subtitled films:

At this time, we have enabled 2 special DVD features - Subtitles and Languages. The Language feature will contain the Director's Commentary as well, if one is included on the DVD. Closed captioning, if available on the DVD, is also automatically supported.
Zediva has already created more demand that it can handle: a note on their home page indicates that registration is closed while they build capacity. However, people can put their name on the wait list while Zediva grows to fit the need.

With more streamed videos on Netflix captioned, easier ways to find those videos and new choices of service providers, people with hearing loss may finally get access to the videos we want to see.

Import Listen Data Easily

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:48:46 +0000

Listen Technologies Corporation offers our reseller pricing in many formats; PDF, Excel and the InfoComm EZip format. If you’re not familiar with what EZip is, it’s a format that was created by the manufactures and dealer volunteers of InfoComm.

InfoComm led the charge of creating an industry driven standard format for product data after hearing from the resellers how frustrating it is to import a manufacture’s price list into their automated systems. Each manufacture was formatting their pricing and other data all a little bit differently.

EZip is simply an Excel pricing format and the volunteers of InfoComm determined the most effective common language to capture pricing and data information. Most companies do offer pricing in Excel format, however manufactures have no standard with regard to the Excel pricing columns making an automatic import of data into a resellers system a major challenge.

A consensus between the InfoComm committee volunteers for the manufactures and integrators was outlined. This included which items in an excel price book were “must haves” and which information on a price book were “nice to have.” Then it was decided how to format the columns in an excel price book; i.e. in what order to list the items, so that a template could be created. This template is available and has been available for several years, yet many are still not aware that it exists. This template is offered via the InfoComm website and is not mandatory or “required.” It’s simply a tool should a manufacture and reseller decide to use it.

The intention was to create consistency from manufactures who wanted to offer a price list to integrators for easy automation with their internal systems.

InfoComm has created a new data integrity utility for manufactures. All you need to do is simply extract the files to the location of your choice, select the EZip file you'd like to check for errors and in seconds you will find out if your file complies with the guidelines of the EZip format.

You can now send your populated EZip file to the dealers you work with knowing that they can seamlessly and effortlessly integrate your pricing into their systems.

To download the InfoComm EZip Data Integrity Utility or more details on the InfoComm EZip format visit:

http://www.infocomm.org/cps/rde/xchg/infocomm/hs.xsl/7100.htm

Webinar Recording - Your Resource For House of Worship Sound Solutions

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:15:57 +0000

March and April have been busy for us at Listen around the topic of sound solutions for houses of worship. Greg Dieckhaus, Principal Consultant at Principal AV Solutions did a blog post on assistive listening options for houses of worship. Jeremy Timothy also did a blog post and his focus was how to use wireless FM audio to meet a variety of congregant’s needs.

It’s so refreshing to see that those that have AV responsibilities in houses of worship want to make sure that they are providing all options to make sure that their congregants can have a full enriching experience.

In addition to the aforementioned blog posts we also delivered a webinar on Sound Solutions for Houses of Worship.

This 30 minute webinar was originally presented by Jeremy Timothy, Jodi Reese and Naida Memic on March 30, 2011. The webinar provides an overview of the range of Listen sound solutions for houses of worship.

Viewers will understand how to leverage an assistive listening system for language interpretation, tour group and wireless audio distribution for cry rooms and overflow areas. The webinar also provides an overview of the basic FM technology for these various applications.

We hope that you’ll find the webinar helpful and informative.

Hearing Well

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:47:09 +0000

First, a disclaimer: this posting is NOT meant to encourage discrimination against hearing impaired individuals also known as the hard-of-hearing (HOH). This article IS meant to provide a more even-handed view of the application of assistive listening systems (ALS or ALD) to help hearing impaired persons in venues such as houses of worship (churches, temples, etc.). Specifically, this commentary will address the aggressive and sometimes offensive marketing associated with one particular type of ALS system, induction loop systems.

So what is an assistive listening system (ALS)? An assistive listening system as defined by the United States Access Board is a device that is designed to “help people with hearing loss improve their their auditory access in difficult and large-area listening situations.” By definition, a public address sound system in a meeting place (church, theater, etc.) could be considered as an assistive listening system. However, individuals with hearing loss can be acutely affected by the acoustics (echo; reverb) of a venue. A true ALS system intervenes by eliminating or minimizing the effect of the room acoustics on the hearing of a person with a hearing impairment. This result is achieved by providing the person with a private earpiece or by integrating a sound system feed to the person’s compatible hearing aid.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) from the 1990’s mandates several appropriate modifications that make facilities more accessible to those with physical handicaps. One such mandate includes the availability of an assistive listening system for certain types of building venues. To view information about the specific ADA guidelines pertaining to assistive listening systems, please see the web links at the bottom of this article. It should be noted that entities that are operated by religious organizations are NOT governed by the ADA ALS guidelines. However, if a house of worship can afford to comply with the ALS recommendations, the investment in such a system would encourage worship participation by a segment of the population that might otherwise be excluded (because of a hearing impairment).

With the aging of the population in the USA and the general noise we all experience in modern life, the number of hearing impaired individuals is growing (17% of all Americans; according to a recent study). As noted above, ALS systems attempt to eliminate the the acoustic interactions of a large venue by providing a more direct auditory experience for those with hearing issues. This result is typically achieved via the deployment (at the venue’s expense) of one or more of the three common ALS technologies: induction loop, FM wireless, and infrared. Let’s quickly compare the three technologies:

Infrared which is a line-of-site technology (with the stethoscope-looking earpieces that individuals borrow) is best deployed in darker, indoor environments such as movie theaters, broadway theaters, museums, and boardrooms. The big advantage with this technology is privacy or isolation. Infrared ALS transmitted in one movie theater wthin a multiplex doesn’t bleed into an adjoining theater. Additionally, infrared devices can be stereo and high-fidelity. Typically, this ALS solution is regarded to be a premium, performing arts alternative.

The most common of the ALS technologies (in the USA) would be FM wireless. This technology involves the creation of a lowered-powered, private FM radio station (72MHz or 216MHz) at a given venue location. At this venue, hearing impaired individuals request the use of an portable FM receiver or “beltpack”. This borrowed, portable receiving device typically includes an earpiece or headphone that can be used with or without a hearing aid. Note: for telecoil compatible hearing aids (see below), a neckloop accessory can be used with the FM receiver. An FM wireless system is advantageous because of a low installation cost and it’s ability to cover a large area such as a big church or temple or a stadium. The main disadvantage of this technology is the fact that every user of this system will need an FM receiver (“beltpack”) and an earpiece or neckloop.

A third ALS technology is the induction loop. This type of ALS system requires the sometimes costly installation of a loop of wiring throughout the seating area of a given venue. These wires (typically placed in the venue flooring) radiate a magnetic field that is compatible with telecoil-equipped hearing aids. Several year ago, hearing aids with the telecoil option were introduced to work with compatible telephones. This type of hearing aid includes a switch that allows a person to select between microphone operation (M) or telecoil operation (T). The telecoil mode provides a direct coupling of the earpiece to the audio feed from a compatible telephone or from the induction loop system described above. An advantage of the induction loop system is this compatibility with telecoil hearing aids. However, this decades-old technology includes several disadvantages that should be considered.

Within the past year or two, proponents of the induction loop technology have aggressively and in some instances offensively marketed the solution to houses of worship. Because the technology involves hearing aids, much of the marketing is influenced by audiologists who have a monetary stake in its widespread deployment. I am personally aware of churches that have received phone calls and other communications from induction loop advocates. These individuals contact religious facilities and their membership to verify the existence of loop technology at that venue. If the house of worship doesn’t have the technology, they are chastised for discriminating against hearing aid wearers and are told that they should comply with the ADA mandate. In some cases, this negative communication is provided to the house of worship even if the religious facility has an FM wireless ALS solution that satisfies the ADA guidelines.

Although it is good practice for religious facilities to provide ALS technology, the deployment is not required (like it is for other public venues). Additionally, it should be noted that FM wireless is perfectly compatible to hearing aid wearers. The portable FM receivers can be used with hearing aid friendly transducers such as earspeakers and neckloops. It should also be noted that not every hearing impaired person has a hearing aid. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, only 25% or 1-in-4 of hearing impaired persons use a hearing aid.

Let’s do the math. For this example, we will consider a typical church congregation with 500 members. Using the 17% figure quoted above, approximately 85 persons (on average) in the church congregation might be hard of hearing. Again, on average, only 25% or 21 people from the 85 might have hearing aids. Another recent study by Hearing Review magazine in 2009 stated that 58% of deployed hearing aids have the telecoil feature. Remember that the telecoil feature is required for the induction loop ALS system. Therefore, only 12 of the 21 hearing aid wearers from our church example would typically have the right equipment for an induction loop system. 12 persons out of a 500-member congregation could use an ALS solution that typically requires a much higher installation cost compared to FM wireless.

Proponents of the induction loop system will note that compatible “beltpacks” are available to allow non hearing aid wearers to use the induction loop ALS system. But these “beltpacks” typically require a similar cost and upkeep and the same earpiece hygiene issues as the FM “beltpacks”.

Other negative aspects of the induction loop technology include: limited venue coverage, the potential to create interference into other building systems, and susceptibility of interference from building systems and the environment. Let’s briefly examine each negative:

Using our church congregation example again, let’s assume that a parent or grandparent with hearing loss and a hearing aid is attending a worship service with a young child. The fussing child causes the guardian to retreat with the child to the building vestibule. Since the person is now away from the worship space, the induction loop system may no longer provide coverage and audio to the child’s guardian. Typically, the induction loop is not installed into common areas of a building. Alternatively, an FM wireless ALS solution (with a proper design) can broadcast throughout a building into common areas such as foyers, restrooms, offices, classrooms, and a nursery.

Because the induction loop ALS technology requires the deployment of a locally-strong magnetic field, the system can negatively affect other systems such as audio equipment, video presentation equipment, and voice/data systems. Additionally, the magnetic field propagated by the induction loop can experience interference from building electrical systems such as lighting dimmers, light ballasts, machinery, and environmental interference from electrical storms and solar flares. Admittedly, some of these forms of interference can affect FM wireless systems as well. However, solving an FM wireless interference problem can be as simple as moving or redirecting an antenna or changing a broadcast channel. Fixing induction loop interference can require expensive electrical isolation techniques, relocating light ballasts, the relocation of the induction loop wiring, or other drastic solutions.

Induction loop ALS technology is widely deployed in public buildings in many areas of Europe. It is an ideal technology for transportation centers such as airports, train stations, and bus terminals where the systems users are transient (coming and going). In those venues, communication is vital for all persons including the hearing impaired. Similar facilities in the USA should consider such deployments.

But for a typical house of worship, FM wireless technology has several advantages and fewer disadvantages.

Ultimately, if any facility, including religious does not have an ALS technology and is using a public address sound system in a larger venue, they should carefully consider all three ALS technology options. They should poll their membership for hearing aid usage trends. And they should make an informed system selection without the sometimes offensive influence of one particular technology advocacy.

For additional information about assistive listening systems, please visit the following impartial web pages maintained by the United States Access Board, a federal agency:

http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/about/bulletins/als-a.htm

http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/about/bulletins/als-b.htm

Beyond The Sanctuary with Listen Audio Solutions

Fri, 01 Apr 2011 17:59:58 +0000

Have you ever had need for audio in an area of your church, but have no solutions on how to get it there? Do your patrons complain that the current audio system is unintelligible or too quiet? How have you maximized the experience of your congregants who do not speak the language of the sermon? Our worship houses are growing larger and becoming more complex. Many have audio needs in preexisting buildings where wiring cannot be run. Here are some great ideas about how to use wireless FM audio to meet your congregation’s needs.

Assistive Listening

Houses of worship regularly use FM wireless auditory assistance systems for the hearing impaired. What is an assistive listening system? Any method to get sound system or voice audio directly to the ear of a hearing impaired individual. An FM system will broadcast the signal much like a radio station with electromagnetic waves. As with a radio station, any FM receiver that is tuned into the nearby frequency will receive the message.

Advantages of an FM system include:

Low installation and maintenance costs
Excellent sound quality
Wide broadcast area (no line of site issues)
Will work indoors and out
Allow for multiple channels to be used simultaneously and can be used in fixed and portable applications
As many receivers as needed

Typically in a house of worship a stationary base transmitter is used to broadcast the audio from the main sound system to hearing impaired individuals wearing body-pack receivers.

The advantages of FM Systems offer many other benefits for houses of worship using the same RF Systems. The goal of this article is to inform you of these expanded applications with hope they may help your house of worship to be a more compelling establishment for the public to attend.

Language Interpretation

As the communities become more culturally diverse, so does the need for simultaneous language interpretation in houses of worship. This saves time by integrating the church services and the congregation in cases which they have been previously separated.

One example is Shadow Mountain Community Church in El Cajon, CA. The church has a congregation of 6,000 and used to have three separate services. Now interpreters provide real time simultaneous language interpretation in Arabic, Spanish and other languages, with one channel dedicated to assistive listening. Worship services are now more fully integrated, as is their church, which is deeply satisfying to them all.

Remote Monitoring/Wireless Audio Distribution

A self-powered speaker with a built-in receiver picks up the broadcast and the service can be heard in the remote room. There is also a stationary receiver/power amplifier available.

Here are a few applications using wireless audio distribution:

Nursery / Cry-room
Foyers, front of church or parking lot
Office
Restrooms
Choir, ministry or theatrical dressing room cueing
Overflow area (for special events)
Remote/detached buildings and other rooms

Tour Group

Touring the facility has become very popular for many houses of worship. Often, visitors from the same faith or other faiths want to see the beautiful architecture of the building. Many buildings are so large and vast that the group has a very difficult time hearing the guide. Using a tour group system, the group can now hear the leader. What a great way to show off architecture of your beautiful building!

Here are a few ideas that can incorporate the use of a portable FM system:

Tours of the facility
Location tours
Mission tours
Youth group tours
Tours requiring language interpretation
Wireless audio feed for videotaping of tour

Summary of Applications

So, I have given you many situations where wireless FM can be a great solution. Please take a look around your facility and look for opportunities where audio structure may be needed.

New Video: ListenPoint Basic System Functions

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 20:52:49 +0000

A few months ago we created a short video to help users understand how to use the ListenPoint M1 Microphone/Media Interface. Since then we’ve had a couple changes and we thought it would be helpful to update the video.

This four minute video will show you the basics on how to use your ListenPoint system. The video is intended for the person that will use ListenPoint day to day. We know that you know might have questions come up while using the ListenPoint system and we thought this would be a helpful quick reference for you. The video covers the following information:

1. Intro

2. Turning the M1 On/Off

3. Charging the M1

4. Button Control

a. Volume

b. Mute

c. Soft button

5. External Inputs

6. Adjusting the M1 from the Control Unit

7. Adjusting other audio sources (ex. DVD, Laptop, etc.)

a. From the LCD

b. From the M1

8. Check the status of the M1 from your Control Unit

a. Battery Level

b. Muted/Un-muted

9. Thank you / Contact Information

HLAA Joins AARP Hearing Education Advisory Group

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:38:22 +0000

The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) is proud to announce it has joined forces with AARP in a new hearing education and awareness effort for those over 50 at risk of hearing loss.

HLAA, America’s leading consumer organization for people with hearing loss, works to make hearing loss recognized as public health issue. There is a strong relationship between age and reported hearing loss: 18 percent of American adults 45–64 years old, 30 percent of adults 65-74 years old, and 47 percent of adults 75 years old or older, have some degree of hearing loss.

AARP’s educational initiative will offer new research and resources on hearing loss and hearing health, and bring increased attention to the health, social, economic, and emotional impact of hearing loss.

“We are so pleased that AARP is leading this effort to educate the public about the impact of hearing loss,” said Brenda Battat, executive director of HLAA. Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent health conditions in the United States, affecting 36 million Americans - many of whom are AARP members.

HLAA is honored to work with other nationally recognized organizations advising AARP on this awareness effort including the American Academy of Audiology and their Foundation, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Deafness Research Foundation, and the International Hearing Society. By pooling our extensive experience and history in the hearing loss field we can change the way hearing loss is perceived, and make prevention and treatment routine.

HLAA is delighted that AARP has chosen to kick off its education and outreach efforts as a Presenting Sponsor of the HLAA National Walk4Hearing™. The Walk4Hearing is the largest of its kind in the country and raises awareness to help eradicate the stigma associated with hearing loss. The HLAA National Walk4Hearing is held in multiple cities across the country. Since 2006, more than 18,000 walkers have stepped up and helped raise money for programs and services for people with hearing loss and their families. For more information about HLAA and the National Walk4Hearing please visit our website, www.hearingloss.org

. For more information about hearing loss in the over-50 population, visit www.aarp.org/hearingguide.

Classroom / Distance Learning Mash-Up Aids Student Performance

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:35:10 +0000

In many circles Distance Learning is seen as an alternative to Classroom Instruction. Distance learning certainly addresses some of the limitations of classroom instruction, in particular the barriers of “at this time and in this place.” Distance learning can eliminate one or both, but not without its own costs.

In this blog post we will look at an ongoing effort at the University of Michigan-Flint to use distance learning to augment classroom instruction, and vice versa, in a room they call the Cyber Classroom. Using video, audio and lecture capture technology, presentations given in that room are automatically turned into recorded distance learning programs available to all the students on a multi-media website.

We’ll see that students’ situations and learning styles vary widely and that having both classroom instruction and distance learning resources available to all students enrolled in a course improves student understanding of the course material as demonstrated by final grades.

The Cyber Classroom Technology

The Computer Science, Engineering and Physics department of the University of Michigan-Flint started making video recordings of lectures in 2007. They use Foveal Systems’ AutoAuditorium System1 as a front-end to Sonic Foundry’s Mediasite2, to capture class sessions for their students.

Each recording is automatically composed of shots of any projected material combined with a Tracking Camera shot of the professor walking around the front of the room, and an occasional shot from the back of the room. The AutoAuditorium System does the shot selection and composition while operating the Tracking Camera, changing pan, tilt and zoom settings as appropriate. If there is more than one person moving “on stage” the Tracking Camera zooms out to look at all of them. If there is only one person walking and gesturing, it zooms in enough to keep the person in frame. Someone calmly standing in one place results in a head-and-shoulders shot.

The audio of the class session comes from the wireless microphone the professor wears plus ceiling mounted microphones over the presentation area at the front of the room and over the student seating area. These are automatically mixed together so those watching the recordings can hear almost everything said in the room. The ceiling microphones over the stage are also a backup against a dead battery in the wireless microphone because audio from them is still good enough to provide continuous coverage. The room is small enough that everyone can hear without using the audio mix for in-room sound reinforcement.

The Mediasite Recorder captures, encodes and synchronizes the video, audio and projector feeds into a recorded presentation. Simple controls allow the professor to label, start, pause and end the recording of each class. The recording is available on the Mediasite Server’s Cyber Classroom catalog ten minutes after class ends.

Since each set of recordings is addressed to a particular section of a particular course offering, the recordings are removed from the catalog after final exams.

The Cyber Classroom Student Experience

All the students signed up for a course given in the Cyber Classroom have access to all of the lectures as both inperson classroom instruction and distance learning recordings. Students don’t have to choose in advance between one or the other. Instead they are free to use both in any way that works for them. For a school with a large proportion of adult learners who live off-campus, are employed or have families, this arrangement provides those students with a great deal of flexibility.

Their stories reflect the diversity in learning styles and instruction preference, from purely classroom to purely distant.

One student swore he never, ever watched the videos, “except this one time I didn’t understand something. I don’t know how many times I replayed that one section of that one recording, but I finally understood the concept.”

Others would watch portions of almost every recording, ranging from a couple of short segments where they didn’t quite understand something to much longer sections to review before exams.

A few students both came to class and watched the recordings in their entirety. One instructor tells of a student whose English was not very strong. “He came to every class, and then watched the recording with a friend who would translate and explain. In the end his English was much improved and he did well in the course.”

Another, handicapped student who could not take notes while attending class also watched the recordings in the dorm.

Then there was the student that thought he could sleep late and just watch the video “but then discovered that he really wanted to ask questions and so started attending in person.”

Another, who found that sometimes the material was going by too fast, watched the recordings and made liberal use of the Pause button.

Of course there is the case where a business trip, weather or other event keeps a student from attending class. “I see the class I missed, with the same professor with the same body language and emphasis I’m used to, and the same students asking the same sorts of questions they always ask.”

And there were a few who did not attend class at all because of work conflicts. For them the Cyber Classroom was Distance Learning.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Cyber Classroom Instruction

In 2008 Stephen Turner and Michael Farmer, both Cyber Classroom instructors, realized that they had a rare opportunity to make direct comparisons of student outcomes both without and with the Cyber Classroom recordings.

Three professors who had taught the same courses for a number of years were now in the Cyber Classroom. Turner and Farmer compared 176 past students who attended 448 lectures against 173 students attending and/or watching 308 Cyber Classroom lectures. In their paper “Assessment of Student Performance in an Internet-Based Multimedia Classroom”3 they reported these comparisons of the final grades:

the average of all grades went up nearly half a grade point, approximately C+ to B-
the standard deviation of the grades improved by going down by about 10%
36% more students received honor grades, B+ and above, and
56% fewer students failed

“The significant drop in failing grades can directly be attributed to the integrated blending of on-line and inclass formats through the Cyber Classroom, since most failures in our students can be attributed to the students ‘vanishing’ for extended periods of the semester due to external problems and commitments. The Cyber Classroom allows these students to remain connected and participating in the class despite their sudden inability to come to class thus validating the concept of integrating on-line and distance learning for maximum flexibility in student participation.”

The Administrative Viewpoint on the Cyber Classroom

Chris Pearson is the department chair of the Computer Science, Engineering and Physics (CSEP) department.

“All our graduate courses and many undergraduate courses are given in our Cyber Classroom. It is booked from 8 am until 9 pm on the four days a week we offer instruction. We make 22 recordings each week.”

“Since our removing the distinction between on-line and in-class instruction is primarily student-centered, we concluded that we needed a second room. Our decision was to just clone the first. We did not see the need to consider alternatives.” Their second Cyber Classroom was installed in the fall of 2010.

Conclusions

The Cyber Classroom is now an established fact of the CSEP Master Degrees. All of those courses are taught in the Cyber Classrooms and all the current masters students have had all their classes in those rooms. It is no longer possible to do a before-and-after comparison in this program.

We can say that the blending of traditional classroom instruction with distance learning technology can have a wide range of benefits for a variety of students.

We can also expect that, in the future, the attributes currently thought of as Cyber in a Classroom setting will simply become “the classroom.”

1. http://www.AutoAuditorium.com

2. http://www.SonicFoundry.com/mediasite/

3. http://www.AutoAuditorium.com/PressRelease/FECS08_StudentPerformance.pdf

Hearing The Listen Difference With Demos

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 16:50:41 +0000

This is the second time we have used the Listen Technologies demo program.

This time around it’s really made a difference to someone who has been struggling to find the right solution for his situation.

Listen has a great service with the demo program. This is not a small investment and your company is so sure of the quality of the products you manufacture that you will loan them out, even without a deposit. There are not many companies in this day and age that are as sure of their product as yours is.

This recent demo is working great. I told our preacher Don Allen to try the Listen Tech LS-03-072 assistive listening system at church when we watched a movie several months ago. Don could not believe how well he could hear the entire movie and told me that he has tried systems from Radio Shack and multiple units he has seen on TV ads.

Don has tried hearing aids which companies guaranteed would work for him and because of his hearing condition nothing has helped him. Don has been able to return most things he has purchased when they would not work for him.

Don can hear in the lower ranges but not the higher ones. He told me that he had just given up finding anything that would help him hear and wished he could find something that worked as good as our church system for his home TV.

I told him we would be able to connect the same system we use at church in his home but I would contact you to see if there was something less costly, and if so Listen Technologies had a demo program so he could try it before buying one.

You should have seen him when he could watch TV at home without it being turned up so load that his wife Pat could hardly stand it. Don is going to purchase the same model unit you sent us for demo. He will need to buy the power supply for the transmitter though because he is going through batteries like crazy.

Thank you for your help. I know Don & Pat Allen thank you also.

HLAA Perspectives on Jury Duty

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 19:44:18 +0000

As people with hearing loss we can be excused from jury duty. But is that what we want to do or should be doing? We have fought long and hard for our rights to access in all aspects of society. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II that covers courts requires that accommodations be made for us to serve. Why fight for these rights if we don’t have the confidence to use them? Not to mention our civic duty.

Interestingly not all people with hearing loss react in the same way or in ways that I would have expected. A spirited discussion on this topic ensued on the HLAA Chapter leaders’ listserv. Opinions varied from not feeling confident to serve because of not being able to follow the proceedings and that we should be concerned about what is right for the victim, not for us, to as long as we are provided with the right accommodations we should fulfill our civic responsibilities.

One HLAA leader said, “I have never been called to jury duty, but have always felt that I would say ‘yes,’ if I was asked. My brain is just as good as anyone else’s if I have the accommodations I need to hear in any environment.” Another leader added, “To my amazement, a very proactive judge asked me directly during preliminary jury selections, “just what accommodations do you need in order to be a successful juror?”

And yet another, “I simply requested ADA/CART accommodations...only to get a postcard in the mail that I was deferred and off the hook. Just like that. They just didn’t want to deal with me, nor did they want the expense...I’m sure.”

And from a leader who was less supportive of serving, “My point is that there are times those of us with hearing loss can prove we are a vital part of society...but even though it is our right to do so...this is not the time to prove anything.”

While it is true we have a civic right to serve as jurors, it is also correct that we must be armed with the knowledge of how to approach it correctly. We should begin by understanding how the court system works, what are the qualifications of a juror, what is expected of a juror, and what takes place in the courtroom during the different types of trials.

As soon as we are called we should contact the court administrator of our court system to request the accommodations that we need in order to serve. We should know what technology and services we need and ask for them up front so that there is plenty of time to advocate and have everything in place, if not for this time, for next. There is no point showing up and expecting that accommodations be made at the last minute. Nor should we assume that the court administrator will know what we need.

More Comments

“The key would be to request exactly what I need, and proceed to get it as a right rather than as a favor. I would want to hear and read the proceedings to the best of my ability, and expect that I would be no better or no worse than other jurors with perfect hearing. I would request both captioning and an audio system of some kind. It would be a chance to educate many people and I would accept that challenge. That’s how I feel. I have never been called to jury duty, so cannot speak from experience.”

“I do agree that we should not get ourselves excused because of our hearing loss. I feel it is our right as citizens to serve. I will attempt to speak to the person in charge of ADA accommodations in my local court. I am not sure of how to ask for the correct accommodations and welcome any advice. In the past I told them when I arrived and brought my own FM system. But this is not having the court provide the accommodations as required by law.”

Leaving the education about accessibility accommodations to when you go to the court is a prescription for failure. You must notify the court administrator immediately when you get the summons to serve as it may take time to set everything up and have it in place in time.

If serving on a jury is the first time you have been in a courtroom you might want to attend a trial to see what it is like. Civil cases may be easier to understand as it is almost one-on-one. But more serious cases affect a person’s life by declaring someone to be guilty or not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. These trials are more complex and could be confusing.

A verdict of guilty or not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt is a huge responsibility. We certainly want to have all the information to make that decision. Juries have freed guilty parties and innocent people have been convicted. As one HLAA leader noted, “The recent results in Texas where DNA is being actively pursued to free many wrongly convicted people is a shocking validation that basing justice on a jury by 12 peers (even hearing ones) isn’t perfect.”

Given that 36 million Americans have hearing loss and given that 75 percent of people who could benefit from a hearing aid do not get one, it is highly likely that there are people on a jury who have a hearing loss but have not yet admitted it or done anything about it. That could be more problematic than someone serving who knows and admits to a hearing loss and has taken action to accommodate it.

Please Tell Us What You Would Do

What are you going to do if you are called to serve on a jury? Are you going to request accommodations and take the time to educate the court administrator and/or judge about what you need so that you can serve, or are you going to ask to be excused?

Please go to http://bit.ly/jurysurvey and respond to these our jury survey by April 30, 2011. We will publish the results on our website and in a future issue of Hearing Loss Magazine.

Brenda Battat is executive director of HLAA. She can be reached at battat@hearingloss.org. Read her blog at http://brendabattat.blogspot.com.

How To Connect ListenPoint To PC Skype

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:27:52 +0000

This blog post describes how to connect a ListenPoint system to Skype via a PC so that the Skype audio fills a room and allows all to hear via the ListenPoint speakers in the room instead of the laptop speakers.

The steps outlined in this blog to connect a ListenPoint® system to Skype™ via a PC focus on using the ListenPoint LPT-C6 Control Unit, the LPT A107 Audio Cable Kit, and a PC with Skype.The procedures listed here are to be used as a starting point with minor level adjustments to be made as necessary in both ListenPoint and Skype.

Connecting the Line Inputs/Outputs

1. Conference cable connectors and labels.

2. Connect the input output connection labeled “A” of the conferencing cable (Euro Connector) to the Teleconference in/out labeled “A” (Euro Connector) of the ListenPoint Control Unit.

3. Connect the Teleconferencing Out connection labeled “B” of the conferencing cable (Stereo 3.5 mm) to the microphone input labeled “B” of the PC (3.5 mm).

4. Connect the Teleconferencing In connection labeled “C” of the conference cable (Mono 3.5 mm) to the headphone output labeled “C” of the PC (3.5 mm).

Configuring the PC

1. Once the connection is made to the microphone input, the PC will give a prompt asking if the connection is a Line In or Microphone.

a. Select Line In, this will allow audio from the ListenPoint CU to pass through into the PC.

2. On the headphone output, adjust the output to a nominal level using the volume control.

Configuring Skype

1. Open Skype

2. Select Tools Tab

3. Select Options

4. Select Audio Settings

5. Select your analog audio connections on both Microphone and Speakers

Configuring the ListenPoint Control Unit Using the Front Display

1. Press the power button to turn the CU on.

2. On the status window, scroll to and push to select “Aux Select”.

3. On the aux select window, scroll to and push to select “Teleconference”.

4. The Teleconference input is set to 0 dB which is a nominal listening level. Adjust the input if needed to increase or decrease the level coming from the PC.

Configuring a Skype Test Call

1. Select Tools tab

2. Select Options

3. Select Audio Settings

4. Select Make a free test call

5. A new window will pop open that will allow you to hear and record audio using the ListenPoint system.

a. Once the window is open, a test call has been started and you will hear a female voice from Skype coming through the speakers describing what this feature is for and whatto do.

b. Adjust headphone level as needed to increase or decrease the audio. If you don’t hear the female voice, go back to the top to verify connections are made correctly and/or adjust levels as needed.

c. You will then be prompted to record your audio for playback. This verifies that audio from the ListenPoint microphones is going into the PC for the Skype caller to hear.

d. Speak into the ListenPoint microphone once you have been prompted. After the recording time you will hear your audio recording.

e. Adjust levels as needed to increase or decrease your audio. If you don’t hear the voice, go back to the top to verify connections are made correctly and/or adjust levels as needed.

Adjustments may need to be made to any of the input or output gains, based on your environment and application, but this will give you a starting point for making the connection successfully.

Attend AV Technology Today

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:20:42 +0000

Listen Technologies, Biamp System, CHIEF, Digital Projection, Da-Lite, and mediasite invite you to attend AV Technology Today — a special event produced by InfoComm International® in Atlanta on Thursday, March 24.

March 24, 2011
Atlanta Marriott Marquis
265 Peachtree Center Avenue
Atlanta, Georgia 30303

$49 - InfoComm International Organizational Member
$69 - Non-Member
$99 - InfoComm International Commercial Member who attends with clients

To Register: www.infocomm.org/avtech

Who Should Attend?
If you are responsible for purchasing or overseeing the installation, integration or operations of technology for your business, agency or organization, you should attend.

AV technicians, this is your opportunity to share the exciting world of AV with your manager, purchasing officer, CIO and IT colleagues. Attend with them to learn about today’s AV technology and plan ahead.

Join us, InfoComm, and your peers for this one-day conference featuring these presentations:

Mark Valenti, CTS, President & CEO, The Sextant Group, Inc. — Space, Time, and Technology: The Future of AV
Lyle Bunn, Principal & Strategy Architect, BUNN Co. — Digital Signage Trends & Best Practices
Mike Guillory, Manager, WW Marketing Communications, Texas Instruments — 3D Technology in the Classroom
David Danto, Director of Emerging Technology, IMCCA (Interactive Multimedia Collaborative Communications Alliance) — State of Unified Communications
Networking and Tech Showcase – Ask-the-Experts and Hands-On Technology

Come to learn and discover how integrating AV solutions into your network can improve your bottom line and enhance your organization's performance. For more details, go to www.infocomm.org/avtech.

Hearing Loss…after “A Soundman’s Biggest Nightmare.”

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:16:10 +0000

There has been a sort of intriguing dichotomous relationship between our hearing “test gear” and our other “test gear”…you know, the stuff that says TEF and HP and Tek on it. There is perhaps a greater dichotomy between those two, together, and the modeling software that’s supposed to make it possible for our hearing apparatus to do its job most proficiently in a way that relates to the outer world.

It’s sort of interesting that this gets into that adage about the guy with two watches not being able to tell the time with any sort of accuracy. We have two sets of test gear…our ears and brain, and the TEF, HP and Tek boxes. Can we tell anything useful from all of this together?

For generations sound teachers, like Don and Carolyn, Pat and Brenda, and numerous others…I mention these only to suck-up…who insist that you use the necessary science to design systems and specify “fixes” for rooms in addition to the very important bit about “listening” to the room, too. (Oh, yeah. sorry about the “generations” thing, guys.)

They all meant that if the room still sounded bad when you finished you had either made a mistake with the test gear and the prescribed fix or you had a hearing problem. By the way, kudos on a statement that highly clarifies the problem…since the problem is to allow for human hearing to take place efficiently. It’s not to build a sound system, that’s one cure but it’s not an end goal.

Anyway, the dichotomy comes in when you realize that your on-board test gear is modifying the data before you’re even aware that you have the data. Here’s how to see what I’m talking about: Take a pocket recorder that’s got good bandwidth and a quality loudspeaker and record conversations in a room. At the same time, make notes of what was said and what you heard. Note what you heard as “anomalies” in the room…things like reverb and echo.

Now play the recorded audio back and do the same thing with what you’re listening to. Even if you took the recorded into an anechoic room for playback, you’d still hear all kinds of things in the recorded audio that you don’t recall in the live tests. Obviously this has to do with time and it’s your brain processing the audio in real-time that essentially ignores all the “chaff” in the live audio so you can understand it better. The recorder doesn’t do that and once you break the time synchronization you can easily detect the presence of the “extra” audio.

Think of it this way, ancient man needed to use his ears to detect things “that go bump in the night” and in the woods around him so his ear-brain link learned to focus on the important stuff and ignore the extraneous noises. He’d hear the soft “snurfling” of a tiger and not the constant din of the crickets and frogs.

In a sort of existential way this example tells us that we really can’t trust our ears…they’ve been “jiggered with”…but we can learn to work with that jiggering. It’s like any form of pre-distortion…if you know it’s there and can describe it you can make a “filter” that will undo it. It’s done all the time in technology. One grand example is the addition of capacitor banks to high power transmission lines to swamp out some of the inductive reactance that you’ll find on really long wires. These get the current and voltage lined up properly again reducing the “distortion” and lowering losses. Same in phone lines, if they’re still analog.

A more familiar example for us older duffers is the RIAA curve on records. This reduction of the LF and boosting of the HF was done on the recorder end partially to reduce noise and partially to get the little signal squiggles to fit in a realistic “width” on the record surface…a width that the stylus could track in without banging into other squiggles or running out of mechanical room. The opposite filter in the phono-pre-amp restores (sort of) the energy balance by boosting the LF and attenuating the HF hoping that the sum of the two filters would be “null” to allow for playing back a record so it sounds right. I once owned a pre-amp that had a selection that let me shut off the RIAA filters and my records all sounded…”bright.” Yes. That’s the word…”bright.”

Is the “data” on the record correct? No. It’s been jiggered but it’s been jiggered in a way that’s calibrated and understood so it can be put back together correctly when it’s needed.

Relating to our ears, we can see that if we understand that what “we hear” as individuals is strictly ours and no one else’s we can see how we can relate our personal hearing ability to good sound…if we have a benchmark. A personal note: If I think that the PA system is a little bright, it’s probably not but I know that and expect a well adjusted system to be…what did Mackie call it? “airy?”

This is about setting a “personal” standard…like a personal best in some athletic event…not about correcting your ears to be “perfect.” (I don’t know what that means.) Anyway, here’s about where the stuff with the boxes marked TEF and HP and Tek comes in.

If we set up a room to meet the “standards” of “perfect” sound and measure it and listen to the room and then go to a different room and set it up so the test gear reads the same and, to us as individuals, the room “sounds” the same, then we can say with some assurance that we have closely replicated not the room but the “sound” of Room A in Room B which was our job.

It’s important to remember that the standard is based upon a couple of things. First is the measured capability of most humans…approximately 20 Hz through 20 kHz…to detect moving air in a way that relates to “sound.” Thus, the two become conjugates and we can use the term “moving air” interchangeably with “sound.” Not very practical, but you could do if you wanted people to look at you funny. It’s also based on the idea that the mechanical test gear (HP, Tek, TEF, etc.) can correctly relate that measured capability to the laws of science in matters like air pressure and charge.

In testing a room we look at the test gear and measure to see if we meet the “specifications” derived from what we think that the room should do, if you will, the theoretical or predicted model. If we predicted that the room would have an RT60 of 0.5, to use only one parameter, and the test gear agrees that it does, then we can listen to the room and say, again with reasonable certainty (within the confines of that single parameter,) that what we’re hearing should sound exactly like that if we placed the same transducer in an identical place in an identical room which measured the same way.

If we train our ears to “know” these comparisons, then they are useful to us as tools and this is part of where our ears are like VU meters. The VU meter is a Volume Indicator (VI…remember the other article?) that reads in dB and ostensibly measures audio power. It doesn’t really because there’s no convenient way to directly measure power so it really displays the resultant of a ”variable” against a “known” which resultant we can call “power” if we want to. The same with our ears. They really only react to air pressure and it’s that vibrating air pressure that we call “sound” and it’s what our brain has been trained to report as “sound” when our ears react to air pressure changes.

In this case, there is no problem with having a hearing aid, it’s (hardly simply) a matter of re-training your ears to “know” what a room with certain characteristics should sound like AND being able to recognize when your own hearing has changed to distort the “data” your ears collect so other corrective measures can be taken. You could take the position that something like ear-plugs were sort of an anti-hearing aid. If you put in ear plugs and go to the concert you will still hear things but differently. In a little while, your ear-brain link will “fill in the blanks” on what the plugs stop and you can enjoy the music. The same with hearing aids…in a while you will “fill in the blanks” and even if you never again hear specific frequencies you’ll be able to use your ear-brain link not only for pleasure but for work.

In large measure, most of us need to work on thinking in terms of, and accepting, “identity.” Another example: Can you use a screwdriver to open a paint can? Sure you can but is it the correct use for a screwdriver? No it’s not, but you can do it and justify it by setting as a condition that “opening the paint can” is the goal, not “correctly using a screwdriver.” If you took a course in “paint can opening” you’d get an A, if you took a course in “correctly using a screwdriver,” you’d get an F. Both for the same action.

When that logic is applied to hearing and hearing aids you can see that the goal is not to hear perfectly but to hear usefully.

Perhaps by considering that our ear-brain link is an important piece of test gear in our tool box and by recognizing that ALL test gear must be calibrated and “re-calibrated” from time to time we can see that even though we don’t hear the way we did and perhaps as well as we did, we still can use the ear-brain link in that all-important “tool” capacity.

A final note: Most of the “standards” which we use are derived if not still firmly nails to artibrary things literally like the length of the King’s finger. Why then do we bother with test gear calibrated down to a fraction of a dB in most cases and why do we try to tune systems to a precision of a dB? Our ears might be able to discern a dB, most likely 3 dB and the audience perhaps 10 dB if they can get through the noise of their own existence.

It’s even sillier in RF work. The FCC has a “standard” for instrument accuracy of 2%. Now, I happen to own two field intensity meters…these measure the voltage level of a radio signal “in space” which are calibrated by the factory from time to time to be in the 1% range of comparison to the factory standard which is another field intensity meter which has been compared to the little “standard” antenna and signal in Boulder, CO. (Send yours to Ray, he’ll be glad to run it by!!)

The joke is that the best accuracy you can expect in the field using all this well calibrated stuff is on the order of 10%. Even if you use a different method than the FIM (Field Intensity Meter..clever, huh?) like a calibrated antenna, a well know distance and all kinds of things about the terrain and ground conductivity and stuff like that you will get the same approximate level of precision. It’s nature.

I guess the over-whelming question has to be whether we should just give up and give in and let standards slacken or if we should stick to our scientific guns and try for the best. I lean to the latter but am willing to submit the former if that’s the best I can get! Being a good Christian child I was brought up to honor the dictate of the “House upon the rock,” as opposed to the sand. There was also that bit about “Forbidden Fruit” but…let it pass.

My father-in-law, Dr. Bob Hahn, said it best when I discussed this with him…he’s 84…he said that his hearing wasn’t as good as it used to be but then, it never was.

That requires coffee.

Keep it out of the RED!

Net-Centric AV Hopes and Fears

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:18:13 +0000

A few months ago I wrote about the need for our industry to embrace and get serious about the role of IT and AV. The long promised convergence of AV and IT has taken place — as far as technology is concerned. The still-promised or some would say threatened, convergence of AV and IT business models is well under way.

Since writing about net-centric AV, I have made some presentations at meetings, given some interviews and seen the term net-centric being picked up in the industry. While most everyone agrees it is going to happen, different people react to it according to their hopes and fears.

The biggest fear is that product margins will erode as the IT business model would lead you to think. Even more concern is expressed when you see the entry of big IT companies like HP, Intel and CISCO come into our market, bringing with them their traditional distribution channel.

The second most expressed concern is "the race to the bottom rung" for projects as more IT and telecommunications companies bid on AV jobs, and especially on the less complex jobs. Anyone in our business that is focused only on these lower-end jobs that require little design work or sophisticated solutions has a need to worry. Enough products are being sold as a commodity and are available to everyone that many companies can make smaller projects work, even at a reduced margin level.

The biggest hope is that the market is going to experience double-digit growth as new customers come to the market to take advantage of the AV/IT merger. The AV industry is already a sound producer of growth, both in developed markets where the demand is for more sophisticated and ubiquitous systems, and at the same time in China, India, Brazil and other markets you see both global companies and local buyers purchasing the same AV technology. The IT focus will probably bring even more customers to AV both in the developed and developing markets.

The second biggest hope is that net-centric AV will be able to take advantage of this demand for products and services and begin to create new streams of revenue. The hope is that the blended margin for product and services will equal the old margins of a few years ago. Managed services contracts and other new streams of revenue can be added to revenue generated by design and engineering. Companies that can serve the customer's high demand for quality communications — solving problems that very few can do — will be rewarded. Even in the IT world, the people working at the top of the pyramid of complexity are also at the top for profitability.

InfoComm is working on its strategic plan to help make the hopes come true, and mitigate the fears. It is doing so by following its strategic plan adopted in December of 2009. At that time it revised its mission and vision which are:

InfoComm Mission: To advance audiovisual communications globally.
As an industry association made up of all the various elements of our industry from all over the globe, InfoComm has this straight forward mission to help move the industry forward. It is not just here to help our members fight a rear guard action to keep other industries out of our industry. It is to help our members advance and prosper in the growing industry. The InfoComm Board is taking a leadership role — it wants to help the industry transform itself to be ready for the future and to help create it.

InfoComm Vision: Audiovisual is recognized at the center of the integrated communications environment.
The future that InfoComm wants to help create is born of our situation today and our ideas where we can go. How many times have you heard that AV is the last one in and last one out of a project? Nobody likes this position, as it confines what we can do to meet customer needs and leaves us vulnerable to "value engineering." The InfoComm vision is to move us to the beginning of a project so we can be an equal partner of the construction and technology team. We make no claim that we should own the center; lead all technologies, or anything other than wanting to be an equal player.

To help lead our industry to the center, InfoComm is working on several fronts that are based in two acts: (1) dig in and find out what is happening so that the Association works from reality, not from rumor, (2) share with our members and the industry what we know and think about the future.

Tasks Forces
InfoComm's volunteers are the best way for us to find out about the future of net-centric AV, about sustainability, and about the evolving design and construction industry. The Green AV Task Force has generated the information needed for the Board to establish STEP™. And, it is now writing all the documentation to implement it. The BIM and the Integrated Buildings Technology Task Forces are taking us ever closer to the built environment, which is complemented by AIA and InfoComm's joint efforts at defining IPD and its future affect on the industry. Our partner CompTIA is a source of information and collaboration on AV/IT. Our members are getting active in CompTIA's Unified Communication Community, and through it are finding out what IT members are thinking of video on the network and where they are headed in their businesses. Finally, through our public relations efforts we have commissioned articles and white papers to inform the industry on a variety of topics that are of use to the industry.

Dissemination
The next step to share this information is taking multiple forms. White papers and reports by task forces are being published. Summaries of AIA and other associations' activities are pointed to in electronic and printed publications and webinars are being presented. At InfoComm 2011 in June and in member roundtables around the world we are listening to our members and letting them know what we know. I want to mention Consultative Selling Equals More Wins and Higher Margins in particular because it is being presented by Pam Avila of the Sierra Summit Group, who is a business consultant in the IT and telecommunications segments. In a webinar and a session at InfoComm 2011, she is going to talk about the challenges and opportunities to the distribution channel that net-centric AV will produce. Her background is based on working with IT VARs as they changed their business models to drive more service revenue, and how a consultative sales approach is key to a relationship that moves beyond the sales and installation of boxes.

Another activity planned for this year is to ask groups of system integrators to join in a peer leadership group where they can learn from an outside expert and from each other. It will be an extended opportunity for frequent meetings where topics are discussed and integrators discuss with each other how they might make this work for them. These peer leadership groups will be announced and companies that form their own groups will be able to apply to participate.

Our Trump Card
As InfoComm looks to help the industry move to the center of the integrated communications environment; it sees the strengths its members bring to the table. In my opinion, it focuses on being a master of the space where our systems are employed and being expert at how people communicate using technology. Our connections to architects, facility managers, and other gatekeepers of the building space will be our advantage. We know how to make technologies work in rooms, and, while IT will be the master of the network, we are at the end point in rooms where people communicate. As to our knowledge of visual and aural group communication, we are already ahead of most, but we need to know even more than we do now about visual and aural perception, how our images and sound are processed, and how groups interact and collaborate with information.

In the end we are selling technologies and solutions that are used by people to communicate within a room and with other rooms wherever they may be in the world. Our focus on making those rooms work so people can communicate will put us in the center of the integrated communications environment.

Thinking Outside The Box With Digital infrared

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:22:10 +0000

Listen offers many solutions for applications that require audio, but where running cables may not be an option. Some of these applications typically include assistive listening or language interpretation. But, because of its versatility, Digital Infrared can be used for so much more. This blog will focus on the use of this technology in unique, out of the box projects.

Before I share these interesting applications I just want to give a little education on the technology of Digital Infrared. I think this will help open your mind to the capabilities of Digital Infrared.

Digital Infrared Technology Differs From Analog

Even the though the frequency carriers are similar, the signal differs from analog to digital. The Digital Infrared system uses high frequency carrier signals (typically 2-8 MHz) to prevent interference problems with modern light sources. It also converts the incoming analog system to a digital signal which is compressed to increase the amount of information that can be distributed on each carrier. The compression factor is also related to the required audio quality. When the signal is received, it is demodulated and converted back to an analog audio signal. The Digital Infrared system can transmit audio in four different quality modes:

Mono, conference quality, maximum 32 channels (standard quality)
Mono, Hi FI quality, maximum 16 channels (premium quality)
Stereo, conference quality, maximum 16 channels (standard quality)
Stereo, Hi FI quality, maximum 8 channels (premium quality)

Okay, it’s time to think outside the box. Here are a couple of applications that are not a typical way of using Digital Infrared but that are providing a great solution for distributing audio.

The NASCAR Museum

The Belk High Octane Theater at the NASCAR is used for watching races on the giant panoramic screen. Here fans of the sport can purchase a ticket to the museum to watch the race, and tune into their favorite driver and listen to the radio transmissions with his/her team. The system can have up to 32 different drivers and team participate in the broadcast. The system a can appease the ADA regulations of assistance for those in need. For many fans, this is a dream come true to be part of the action. A lot goes on in the course of the race, and now you are in the pit crew with the team.

For information on this project, please visit this article in Sound and Communications.

The Riverside Community College

The Riverside Community College (RCC) Early Childhood Education Program provides an educational and practical foundation for students interested in working with children from infancy through third grade. In addition to theoretical principles, the curriculum offers practical skills and on-site training that will prepare students for employment in the field of Early Childhood Education.

The center has two large rooms where the children can interact, play, and learn. Each of the two rooms has a glass wall between them forming two smaller rooms for a total of four rooms. The glass walls allow for observation by teachers, parents, students and doctors. There are two alcoves that allow a view of two rooms.

The Digital IR Radiator is placed in the alcove.Four microphones have been placed in each room to provide audio to the observers. The microphones are hanging shotgun style microphones and each microphone has a dedicated channel on the Digital Infrared system. It’s designed so that students, faculty, and parents can observe children without the kids knowing they are being monitored.

Observers are using Listen/DIS DR 6032 Digital IR 32-Channel Receivers to scroll thru and pick up the audio from each microphone. Observers check out pack and headphone then follow instructions on the wall.

This solution allows observers to easily monitor each child in different developmental stages. Listen products are giving these students and professionals the ability to assist and guide children as they grow.

For information on this project, please visit our blog post.

There are so many others applications. So, start thinking outside the box. Digital IR can provide up to 32 channels of crystal clear wireless audio anywhere you may need.

Onyx Graphics, Inc. Improves Productivity with ListenPoint

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:18:29 +0000

Onyx Graphics, Inc. has a mission to help companies improve their bottom line results by reducing printing costs and increasing productivity. This focus on increasing productivity led them to recognize that they could improve the way they use their multi-purpose meeting room.

The (25’ x 30’) multi-purpose room is used for meetings and presentations. They have employees in remote offices that join their meetings using WebEx and they were frustrated by the audio quality of those calls. Also, the participants on the far end of the call had trouble hearing what the presenter was saying.

Initially they weren’t sure of what kind of solution they needed. Ultimately, Onyx Graphics, Inc. came to Listen Technologies looking for some kind of audio structure for the audio devices being used in the multi-purpose room.

Onyx Graphics, Inc. is now using a ListenPoint system in their multi-purpose room to accomplish several things. The first is that WebEx is interfaced with the ListenPoint system and the presenter uses the M1 Microphone/Media Interface which allows the participants on the far end of the meeting to be able to hear what is being said, even if the presenter gets up and moves around the room. This also allows the participants in the multi-purpose room to hear the presenter clearly during their meetings.

Onyx Graphics, Inc. is pleased with the quality of the system, the price point, and the simplicity.

“ListenPoint has changed the dynamics of our company meetings. We have salesmen all

over the world; we can now collaborate as one team.” Scott Roney - Onyx Graphics, Inc.

The ListenPoint line includes a complete system under $1,500 MSRP - Control Unit, Room Module, Speakers and the wireless M1 Microphone/Media Interface. ListenPoint combines the power amplifier, mixing, routing, equalization and control of a complex sound system but delivers all this sophistication via a simple and easy to use interface.

They are currently reviewing other small rooms in their facility that could benefit from a ListenPoint system. This video slideshow shows some of the steps of the installation.

For more details on ListenPoint visit http://www.listentech.com/listenpoint-corporate-solutions

How Loud Is Loud Enough?

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 20:13:38 +0000

The battle is almost as old as the church sound system. It has always baffled me that the pipe organ can be played at 100dB, but that when the band plays at 100dB, it's often "too loud." We're not here today to define how loud is "loud enough" or "too loud" for the acoustic volume of your worship service, but to help figure out how much difference there should be between what your congregation hears from the main sound system and what the congregation hears from the monitor speakers, instruments, and amplifiers on the platform, in order to hear the sound system with acceptable clarity.

To allow optimal clarity of sound in the seating area, the main sound system needs to be about 25dB SPL louder than the volume from the monitors, instrument amplifiers, and acoustic instruments. That may not sound like a big deal, but it is.

If the platform participants require monitor volume that spills over into the main seating area at 90dB SPL, your main speaker system must be about 115dB SPL to compensate.

An average sound pressure level of 115dB is much too loud for long periods and impossible to attain in most settings, so it makes sense that the monitor volume (as it relates to the room) must be reduced in order to improve the overall clarity of the system.

Managing the acoustic sound from live drums, live instrument amplifiers, and associated monitor volumes can be a nightmare. Guitar amps sound best when they’re wide open (loud) and a guitar player’s sound is his or her signature. Same with the bass player and the drummer.

Have you noticed how much more tone a drum set has when it’s played hard than when it’s played lightly? Therein lies the problem.

Everything sounds better when they’re loud enough. Unfortunately “loud enough” on stage often forces the sound technician to balance the “it’s too loud” snarls from the audience with making the mix feel good out front.

Make sure to see the companion article entitled "How can I reduce stage volume?" in the Resources section of our site. http://www.geartechs.com/resources/

Talking To Architects About Windows & Cables

Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:31:05 +0000

The new Korean Central Presbyterian Church in Centreville, VA has a lot of windows and a lot of cable. The windows are by design, “to channel the blessings of the church to the outside community,” according to KCPC’s pastor.

Thirty-five miles of cable support an astounding amount of high-end presentation technologies to attract an even larger audience. Three dozen architects got the chance to see it all today during an InfoComm Lunch & Tour.

They also saw line arrays in the main sanctuary which accommodates 5,000 people every Sunday. The sound is excellent. I heard it first-hand. It ought to be, with 408 speakers spread throughout the entire campus that includes a multi-purpose room (gym), a second chapel for English services and weddings, classrooms, a café and a bookstore.

Each one of these Lunch & Tours is unique and tells the story of AV’s impact on audiences ranging from baseball fans and theater-goers to students and executives. It’s an effective way to showcase the best of the best in terms of AV. Architects get a new perspective on the technology they often like to hide, and AV consultants and integrators get the chance to explain why they need to be at the design table to determine the right-size screen for the room or allow more space to provide sound isolation between adjacent spaces.

InfoComm is grateful to its member sponsors for making these education events possible: Biamp, Chief, Kramer, Listen Technologies and MediaSite by SonicFoundry. If only more consultants and integrators would share their stories, we might convert even more architects to work with an AV professional and enjoy great sound.

Lecture Capture Hosting Webinar

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:53:58 +0000

Why Did New York Law School Outsource Campus-Wide Lecture Capture Hosting?

Why would one of the nation's oldest independent law schools decide to host all their content - now more than 5,700 class recordings - outside their network? Because it was more cost-efficient, they say.

But they didn't start out thinking that way. In fall 2009, New York Law School opened a state-of-the-art academic building in Manhattan's TriBeCa district. When it came online, the building was fully equipped for webcasting in every single classroom, from every day lectures to conferences to special events.

Originally, the school planned to support up to 15,000 hours of captured presentations on an internal server. But after the positive response from students, faculty, executive and academic officers soon realized it could avoid major headaches by hosting with Sonic Foundry. After a thorough analysis, they found placing the Mediasite server back end in the cloud would save them time and money, let them scale faster without losing any features and avoid burdening their own network infrastructure.

Join Sonic Foundry for a live webinar and Q&A with Mike DeMeo, Director of Academic Media Services at New York Law School.

Webinar: Lecture Capture Systems in the Cloud

Tuesday, February 22, 2011, from 11:00-11:45 a.m. Central

http://www.sonicfoundry.com/webcasts/

He believes it's a no-brainer to handle lecture capture more efficiently through outsourcing, and his presentation will include:

How to weigh the pros and cons of building an on-premises lecture capture infrastructure vs. hosting, particularly in terms of time, budget, hardware, staffing and scalability
Why it's important to look at not only how the lecture capture system records audio, video and presentation content, but also how it handles indexing and archiving
Tips for using reports to set policy and prove the advantages of lecture capture to provosts, deans, CTOs and other academic affairs executives
Factors to consider when deciding how long lecture capture content should be hosted
Ways to leverage features like automation in a hosted environment, from scheduling to aggregating content within Blackboard or other course management systems

Mike DeMeo is the Director of Academic Media Services at New York Law School. A graduate of the University at Albany with a BA in Sound Design for Theatre, Mike has since worked and lived in NYC. Mike's early focus featured collaborations with many modern dance companies, most notably Torque Dance and later the American Dance Guild. Since, he has concentrated his professional efforts on digital media, working in the media and news departments at The Feedroom. Mike's continued work in sound design for film has been featured in the Tribeca Film Festival.

Moderator: Sonic Foundry's Vice President of Education

Frustration in the Listen Flex Room

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 16:47:30 +0000

We have an area here at Listen that we call the Flex Room. We call it that because sometimes we use if for a kitchen, sometimes for a lunch room, sometimes for meetings and sometimes for training.

When we use the Flex Room for meetings and trainings it was frustrating because it was hard to hear the presenter and it was close to impossible to hear audio off the those little speakers on a lap top. We tried a portable sound system that we would set up when we used for meetings and training sessions. Well… more frustration was felt because of the hassle to set this up and half the time it didn’t work or wasn’t available.

Thus, we set out to come up with a solution that could solve three problems:

It had to be a permanently installed audio system.
It needed to amplify the presenter’s voice (and had to be easy to use for the presenter) and
It needed to amplify the sound coming from a lap top computer.

The solution we came up with is ListenPoint (just so happens Listen is the manufacturer of this product…). Take a look at this video that explains how we ended the frustration.

For more information on ListenPoint visit http://www.listentech.com/listenpoint-corporate-solutions.

Listen Perspectives on ISE 2011

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:59:29 +0000

Last week I attended the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) show in Amsterdam. I’ve been attending the ISE Show for several years; however this year proved to be “the show” for Europe. The show boasted a 34,870 record attendance and was busy throughout all three days.

The European economy seems to be showing signs of recovery as there were many discussions about several large projects in the government, tour group, and courtroom markets. I also had good discussions about success that our customers are having with providing FM and Infrared systems in lieu of induction loop system. Induction loop systems have been quite popular in the European market for assistive listening. However, our customers are seeing that by offering an FM or IR solution it broadens the solution beyond those that wear hearing aids and can also be used for language interpretation. I was pleased to see so many embracing the understanding that assistive listening is not just about accommodating the hearing impaired but about ensuring that people can fully experience an event because they can hear what is going on around them.

For me personally it was the best ISE show yet. I really enjoy the opportunity to continue building my relationships with people I have spent time with in previous years. Many consultants, distributors and system integrators came to see Listen and they came prepared to discuss business. Once again I confirmed it is universal that people like to do business with people they know. The AV industry in particular seems to be built upon this premise. Listen has begun to build strong relationships with the European AV industry and this is very rewarding to me.

The Listen Tour Group product was used daily by Invidis Consulting GmbH Digital Signage Tour. The tour led participants all over the show floor to learn more about how to plan, create, rollout, and operate a full-scale Digital Signage network, from content to measurement. This was the second ISE Show that the Digital Signage Tour used the Listen Tour Group product. After last year’s success the organizers wanted to ensure that the tour participants could clearly hear the message as they walked through the noisy exhibit halls to see as the Digital Signage experts. ISEurope used the Listen Tour Group products for the Hosted Buyer’s Tour. Trade shows are a challenging environment to hear and focus on someone’s message making the Listen products an ideal solution for this application.

It was also great to be located across the aisle from our conferencing partners at DIS. The close proximity allowed us to share in the exciting news announced on Wednesday. Shure, Inc. of Niles, IL has acquired DIS. The Shure booth was also located across the aisle from DIS, so all three of us were able to celebrate this great news as the announcement was released. This acquisition will strengthen both Shure and DIS. DIS will now operate as one of Shure’s Business Units.

I look forward to attending this show again in 2012 as clearly it has proven to be well worth the investment.

Collaboration Is Key for SMBs Entering Emerging Markets

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:02:17 +0000

Every day, the world seems to get smaller. Technology is connecting even the most remote corners of the globe, providing access to markets that were previously inaccessible and creating new business opportunities. At first, participation in the global marketplace was limited to large, Fortune 500 companies. But, that is quickly changing.

Countries in emerging markets, like those in China, India, and South America, are welcoming the small and medium business (SMB). They appreciate the ability of SMBs to drive competition through innovation and entrepreneurship with their agile business models. However, SMBs have been slow to seriously explore and expand into emerging markets due to their limited financial resources and lack of readiness to do business globally. But that too is changing.

Through a joint initiative of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), SMBs with revenues less than $250 million can get loans that generally cover up to 60 percent of total project costs for new ventures, and up to 75 percent for expansions, including project development and up-front financing costs, capital expenditure requirements and working capital. Also, at the recent G20 summit, the leaders announced a G-20 SME Finance Challenge to award financial support and recognition to top SMBs, knowing they are the driver of jobs and economic growth from the bottom up.

What this all points to is that IT managers in SMBs need to be prepared to start connecting and supporting remote sites around the world. One of the most efficient means of connecting people and ideas is through conferencing—both audio and video. Allowing team members to communicate and collaborate in real-time is one of the keys to successfully operating in disparate markets around the world.

IT managers will need to understand what creates a quality conferencing experience, especially with differing native languages and accents. They will need to make good choices in designing a system that accounts for specific needs, like dealing with room noise, multiple participants in multiple locations, or optimizing the type of available connection—analog or digital. These IT managers need not go it alone. There are many AV professionals with years of experience who can help design a system that will accommodate the different conditions found in emerging markets.

Not only are SMBs welcome in emerging markets, but they’re being encouraged to participate. It’s important that they take advantage of the help available, whether financial or expertise. The global marketplace is open for business.

Access to Airlines – Are We There Yet?

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:55:25 +0000

Hearing Loss Association participated in the US Department of Transportations’ (DOT) forum on the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), “Working Together to Improve Air Travel for Passengers with Disabilities” January 11, 2011. We joined members of the disability community, the domestic and foreign airline representatives, and staff from DOT, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the US Department of Justice. In short, the room was filled with people interested in access to air travel for people with disabilities taking time out of their busy schedules for the two-day forum.

HLAA had been asked by DOT to join in a panel discussion of access issues for people with different disabilities. In addition to HLAA, representatives from the Association of Blind Citizens, the Coalition of Assistance Dog Organizations, Paralyzed Veterans of America and the Albert Einstein Medical Center provided information on air access issues.

It’s true that people with hearing loss have seen some improvements over the last few years. Some airlines are providing more visual display of information at the gate. In newer planes, we are beginning to see visual display showing not only seat belt use, but when to shut down your electronics. That’s great – it takes the guesswork out of figuring out when to shut off that cell phone. Not only that, we are beginning to see on some International flights seat-back access to movies with a choice of captioning for some airlines (yea, British Airways!) And of course when emergency information is provided on a video, that video is required to be captioned. So, yes, there is some improved access for people with hearing loss.

But we still have a long way to go. HLAA strongly objects to rules that require self-identification of individuals with hearing loss at every point in the process. We object to self identification not only because it puts the onus on the individual to declare their hearing loss (will that businessman who’s been hiding his hearing loss for years really self-identify?), but because it doesn’t work. I have identified myself on numerous flights and at the gates (I have yet to find anyone to self-identify to at the baggage carrousel). Not once has staff come to me to ensure I understood announcements at the gate. Not once on the flight has each and every announcement been made accessible to me. And once, when I boarded and requested that announcements be made accessible to me, a very nice and very concerned flight attendant returned with a copy of the flight emergency information – in Braille.

OK, so what do we want? HLAA's position is that all audible announcements should be accessible via text – and not just canned announcements, but live announcements - at the gate, on the aircraft, and at the baggage area. In areas that can be looped, looping should be provided. In addition, when an airline provides videos, there should be an option to caption those videos. We know it can be done. The technology is there. It’s time for the air carriers to step up to the plate.

We also believe that better and more on-point training should be provided to airline staff. We have received reports that current training does a good job of informing staff about the law, but does less well letting them know how to interact with people with different disabilities. We can see that. Air carriers need to do better to ensure that everyone gets the training they need to provide better access to people with disabilities.

At DOT’s forum, it was emphasized that consumers need to send complaints in – or things won’t change. DOT says they receive very few complaints from people with hearing loss. You and I may talk about it, but we aren’t sending our complaints to the people who need to hear about it. We must take responsibility ourselves and file those complaints. To let DOT and the airlines how they can do better, you need to let them know what happened. But you need to be very clear about your complaint.

Air travel complaints: Be specific!

Include:

Your name

Your contact information, including either email address or phone

Airline

Flight date

Flight Itinerary (destination cities and flight number)

Description of the problem

For example:

Don’t say: Your lousy airline made my trip miserable. I’ll never fly Amanda Airlines again!

Do say: On January 11, 2011, I told Amanda Airlines personnel at the gate that I would not be able to hear any announcements. They told me they didn’t have time to worry about me and I should ask another passenger to alert me when it was time to board. I did not feel comfortable asking a stranger to help me. What I did do was stand next to the boarding area podium for 20 minutes, watching the gate personnel and the passengers to be sure I did not miss my flight. When I thought I understood it was time to board and got in line, one of the gate staff yelled at me for boarding early, humiliating me in front of the other passengers. Also, when was finally on board comfortably settled into my seat with my hearing dog tucked under the seat in front of me, a flight attendant told me I must move to the bulkhead. Now, I thought it was OK for me to sit anywhere in the airplane with my service animal, except right next to the emergency exit. When I said that to the flight attendant she insisted that I must move now or I would be escorted off the plane. Because I simply wanted to get to my destination without any further problems, I did move to the bulkhead, but it was not comfortable for me or my service dog. Please let me know what Amanda Airlines will do in response to this complaint.

Send in complaints in right away

If you put it off, you could forget the details – and so could they. Make notes on the flight, and put a letter together and send it in as soon as possible. You can contact the airline directly, or fill out the form on the DOT website: http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/escomplaint/es.cfm

You can expect to receive a reply from the Airline. The reply should respond to all your concerns, not just one, and let you know whether they agree or disagree that their staff was at fault, and direct you to the DOT if you wish to pursue it further. If you received a form letter, the airline did not do the right thing. Complain again.

DOT investigates and keeps track of complaints. All, DOT and the airline industry, take these complaints very seriously. So, our advice to you: send in your written complaints. Your complaints could help improve access to airlines.

For more information about filing complaints with the DOT, visit http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/ACAAcomplaint.htm

SynAudCon's 2010 Wrap Up

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 23:04:04 +0000

I think for most individuals and companies, 2010 was a year that forced many of us to re-evaluate our situation. Times are changing and changing quickly. Increased efficiency is at the top of everyone list.

We too, started asking those questions in 2009. We spent most of 2010 creating a new business model. As with any change, we had our share of challenges and made a few mistakes along the way.

When we first announced our plans to create web-based training, we had more negative comments than positive. This was disturbing to us but it challenged us to do our homework. We reviewed existing online training and worked hard to find ways to make our training engaging and interesting. After much research we believe we have produced Web-based training that will serve the audio industry well during these challenging economical times.

It is common knowledge that there are fewer prospective projects and that those that exist are much more competitive. Customers have become ultra value-conscious, wanting more for less. Because of this, training is needed more than ever.

It is important to understand the principles of audio. These will enable you to choose products based on physics and not marketing jargon, do calculations based on meaningful numbers, and understand concepts so you will have several options to present to the customer. Training has also proven to reduce site time and call-backs.

Audio must compete for the technology budget. We frequently hear comments like, “Audio is the last thing in the budget.” A good question to ask is, “Would you rather look at close-captioned TV or listen to the radio?” None the less, audio seems to be getting a smaller piece of the technology pie.

Let’s look at SynAudCon Web-based training proportionally. At one time with the cost of an in-person 2-day seminar with travel and time off from work would cost the company about $1500 per employee. With the web-based training, a similar amount of information is presented at about one-fifth the price. It can be viewed several times and provides self-evaluation quizzes and a final exam. For business owners, there is a tracking feature that allows you to monitor your employees scores and progress.

In short, there has never been a better time to invest in training. The companies who take training seriously will be the winners.

Recently, I have been spending a good deal of time exposing our web-based training to folks who are familiar with and currently use online training. Everyone has commented that SynAudCon’s training is the best they have seen. Most are making our training a mandatory part of the training path for their employees.

Here is a list of our current and short-term future list of Web-based training.

Level 100: Principles of Audio – It’s available!

Level 200: Audio Applications 1 – It’s available!

New Course Coming – Release date – Winter 2011. The course is geared toward those new to audio, which include many of your customers. We want them to better understand why they need you.

Level 300: Sound Reinforcement for Designers – Release date Summer 2011.

Some topics are better taught with in-person. We will continue with In-person seminars and workshops, but will not be held as frequently as in the past.

I would like to end this letter by thanking our devoted sponsors and members who continued to believe in us and supported us during 2010. We needed it! It gave us the strength and desire to keep pushing forward. Words cannot begin to express our gratitude to you.

It is our hope that our training will serve you both now and in the future.

Brenda Brown
SynAudCon
bbrown@synaudcon.com
+1.812.923.0174

Provide Assistive Listening Systems

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 21:23:19 +0000

Provide Assistive Listening Systems (ALS) for your congregation and let people know that they’re available.

Many churches have Assistive Listening Systems (ALS) on premises, but very few let people know that they’re available. I’ll admit that ALS may well be the most boring category of product that we offer, but let me tell you about my own experience. A few years ago, my own church decided to install an ALS system. The church leadership debated its merits and whether it “was worth it to spend $800 on something that people may not use.” I’ll bet that sounds familiar to some of you.

The first day of use, we passed out just one of the four receivers to Mr. Borton, a 92-year-old man in the congregation who already wore hearing aids in both ears, but still couldn’t hear well. Our pastor had prepared well, our worship team was well-rehearsed, and the audio mix was, of course, spectacular with Yours Truly at the helm. None of that mattered.

For at least a couple years, Mr. Borton had been so deaf that he never picked up more than an occasional word, despite hearing aids, a good sound system, and sitting on the third row. A person had to almost yell at him in order for him to hear anything at all.

This day was different, and Mr. Borton’s first reaction is known only to the members of our choir who witnessed it. Before the choir’s featured song, the pastor called the children up to the platform to share a story. Only the choir members could see Mr. Borton’s face light up and his eyes dart back and forth as he followed what was taking place on the platform. After the service, he gave me a huge smile, a thumbs up, and each week after that, I looked forward to his stopping by to pick up his receiver and earphones. We got our “$800 worth” during the first service.

Have you ever listened to a hearing aid? I tried one once, and it was enough to make me realize that amplifying all of the noise in the room just makes the clutter louder.

How does an ALS work differently? An ALS is a simple one-way radio transmitter/receiver combination that allows the wearer to hear only what you want the person to hear.

Imagine giving your members the ability to hear only the overall message itself without having to amplify the HVAC fans, the ambience of the room, paper rattling and pages turning, or even the people talking nearby. That’s exactly what an ALS offers. Any signal that you can select from your mixer (same as the speakers, a special mix, or the pastor’s voice only) can be routed into the ALS with a simple cable.

Without a doubt, our ALS was the best $800 our church has ever spent on technology. If it had made a difference for Mr. Borton for only one service, it would have still been worth every penny.

ALS can also be utilized for language translation, by your ushers, and for room-to-room distributed audio for nursery and overflow space – wirelessly. Call for more information today.

New Rules for IT Mean New Opportunities for AV Integrators

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:57:37 +0000

It’s a really exciting time to be in technology. So much change is happening so quickly, creating new opportunities for everyone involved, particularly those in IT. For IT, these changes are creating a new expectation that they become not only an enabler, but a strategic driver for the business. This is a radical shift from the days spent mostly on system maintenance and troubleshooting, and creates new rules for how IT should operate. These new rules were artfully described in the keynote speech at last October’s Gartner CIO Symposium.

One of the rules described is IT Dynamism. It’s the ability to quickly respond to drivers of change, including changes in the market and changes in technology. It began with the term “plug and play” and is now extended through technologies like service-oriented architecture (SOA) and the cloud. These newer technologies will help free IT from the legacy ties that bind them. The AV industry’s move from analog to digital is an example of IT adopting technology that will help them react more quickly to changes in the business.

Another rule I found interesting is the need to move from outputs to outcomes—to go from back-office support to creating innovative and valuable business solutions. This is a shift that is long overdue. Because just about anything a company does today has a technology component, IT is in the best position to offer leading-edge solutions that can make the business more competitive and more efficient. The shift of AV solutions to IT means IT managers are now in charge of the AV outcome—a quality user experience.

Meeting these new rules means IT will have to cede its long-held control over its processes and systems to those who do it best. For many, cloud technologies will be the answer because they allow for on-demand capacity and services. IT will also need to rely on third-party experts to help them deliver not only creative but quality solutions.

This shift in processes, services, and technology to cloud providers and third-party experts may initially be difficult for some. Whether the fear is loss of control or even loss of employment, this level of change is not easy. Those that dare to be progressive and play by these new rules will be greatly rewarded. Those that don’t may be left behind.

How To Create Great AV Learning Spaces

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:00:33 +0000

Designing and implementing successful AV facilities requires the collaborative effort of a number of participants with varied interests, backgrounds, skills, and agendas. For the purposes of this discussion, assume that an institution desires to build a new classroom building comprising a variety of learning space types.

Basic Design Team

Typically, a team of participants is assembled to represent the institution's interests. Most often a project manager is assigned from the facilities and construction department or other administrative support group to organize and lead the process. Next, one or more user group representatives are identified to ensure that the needs and goals of the users are appropriately met. Finally, an architectural firm is hired to undertake the process of designing the building and to prepare the necessary construction documents.

At this point, a number of sub consultants are hired to help the architect design the building appropriately. The most important of these include engineers to design the mechanical HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems(MEP). Proper planning for these disciplines is essential to designing a building which can accommodate all of these technical sub systems.

Broadly speaking, educational technology for learning spaces requires a similar type of planning process. This is true in particular for audiovisual multimedia technology. These systems can profoundly impact architectural design parameters.

So what is it exactly that needs to be coordinated, and how should this coordination be orchestrated?

Briefly, presentation technology encompasses the integration of specialized equipment that should be seamlessly and aesthetically integrated within the interior architecture of a building. In order to achieve this, a number of steps must follow, and a planning process must be completed.

Statement of Requirements
Role: Facilitation and Needs Analysis

The first order of business is to develop a statement of requirements. This information is usually codified in the form of a Program or Concept Design Document. It results from a process of collecting user requirements and refining them until such time as a consensus and formal approval have been arrived at.

This is usually the most difficult and time-consuming part of the process, as rationalizing the varied and often conflicting needs of different users can be an arduous task. It is helpful to engage an experienced facilitator/analyst to help ferret out, organize, and prioritize user requirements. This expertise can be hired by the architect or the institution.

A statement of requirements typical has three elements:

The identification of the range of capabilities and technologies the facility should accommodate, in each space or space type, over the foreseeable life of the building;
The identification of equipment that should be installed initially, for use on Day 1; and
An estimated cost of initial equipment installation. Often this budget is conceived as a scenario analysis, outlining several alternatives, in terms of high, medium, and low cost options.

Basebuilding Infrastructure Design
Role: Basebuilding Architectural Designer
Once the AV program has been completed, the architect must develop a detailed, buildable design that is hospitable to the equipment that will be installed. A variety of architectural design priorities must evolve, some of which include:

Physical space to accommodate the necessary racks of support equipment;
Appropriate electrical power and telecommunications connectivity;
Coordination of ceiling elements, including projector(s), audio speakers, and video cameras (as well as lighting, HVAC elements, sprinkler heads, etc.);
Coordination of wall and floor elements, such as patch panels, wall and floor boxes, projection screens, etc.;
Conduit runs to accommodate low voltage wiring needed to support AV systems;
Millwork, such as casework to house equipment and power or network outlets; and
Structural Support to accommodate wall- or ceiling-mounted flat-panel displays and projectors.

Few if any architects have this kind of design expertise in house and often hire an AV consultant to guide them in the architectural accommodation of technology.

Technical Systems Design
Role: Systems Designer
Once the building is well under construction, detailed technical systems design and specification must be completed.

This involves completing the following tasks:

Developing a systems design that achieves the utility needed to meet Day 1 requirements and also stay with budget targets established in the needs analysis phase;
Identifying equipment items needed, by make and model number (or, in some cases, functional performance);
Identifying signal flows, which define technically how the equipment will be integrated; and
Installation procedures and technical performance requirements.

Again, not many architects can provide this service directly, and they typically either ask the institution to contract a consultant or hire one themselves.

Systems Integration
Role: Systems Integrator
After the systems has been designed; the equipment must be procured, installed and tested. In a project of any complexity and scope, it is wise to hire a systems integrator to take responsibility for this work. This contract is often held by the client.

The most common approach to integrating audiovisual technology into a building project, as described above, is for either the architect or institution to follow one of two paths:

To hire an audiovisual consultant to conceive, architect, and design AV systems with the goal of preparing a specification for competitive bid, followed by the participation of a systems integrator; or
To bypass the audiovisual consultant and hire only a systems integrator to conceive, design and install of the systems equipment.

Experience shows that both methods can work wonderfully well, and both can fail miserably.

About the Author
Michael David Leiboff is founder of EdTech Planning Group. He has more than 30 years of experience and has been involved in the planning and implementation of hundreds of advanced technology learning spaces.
+1.914.401.4172
mleiboff@edtechpg.com

AVL Systems Design A Winner With Listen Wireless Audio Distribution

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 15:13:24 +0000

When Mustang Public Schools of Oklahoma called us here at AVL Systems Design to bid on their audio systems for the renovation of the football stadium, I knew I had a competitive advantage over all the other companies bidding.

We had installed a new speaker system in the stadium 3 years ago and I knew the speakers were still in very good shape. All of the other companies where planning on new speakers for the whole stadium and I was counting on only about half of what they were planning.

The remodel called for a new press box on the other side of the stadium. The problem arose when they didn’t provide a path for cabling from one side of the stadium to the other. That is where Listen Technologies came in and provided the solution for us.

We are using a wireless feed from the new press box over to the old one to provide the signal. We used Listen’s LT-800 Stationary FM Transmitter with the LR-100 Stationary FM Receiver/Power Amplifier. This was the perfect solution. Not only did we win the bid, but saved the school system several thousands of dollars while we still made a good margin on the project.

For the opening game, there were over 30,000 fans in the stands with great sound on both sides for everyone to enjoy.

Thanks to Listen’s wireless audio distribution solution AVL Systems Design is a WINNER in the customer’s eyes!

HLAA Working For You: Movie Captioning

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:24:14 +0000

After the Golden Globe nominations were announced, I was intrigued by one of the films nominated: “The King’s Speech.” I thought I’d treat my family to a captioned showing of a first run film during the holidays. So, I visited the website http://www.captionfish.com/ to see if a theater nearby had a captioned showing. Well, much to my dismay not only did I fail to find either an open or closed captioned showing, I found that the movie has not been captioned at all for theatrical release. So much for my holiday treat for the family.

Movie captioning has come a long way from the time we could only see open captioned movies at special screenings set up by deaf groups. Now there are regular open captioned showings in some theaters in the country. And in 333 first-run theaters in the US and Canada and 55 specialty theaters (IMAX, Disney attractions, national parks, etc.), you can see closed captioned movies using Rear Window Technology.

Several companies have been busy developing new ways to provide closed captions to moviegoers. Recently, HLAA was invited to attend an Emerging Technology Symposium where a group of deaf and hard of hearing advocates were able to try out four different captioning technologies. I found all the devices provided easy access to the captions: they were readable, usable, and didn’t take me long to forget they were even there. To learn more, visit the blog of Catherine McNally, who also attended that event: http://blog.keenguides.com/2010/11/17/theater-captioning-back-to-the-future

Still with the exception of Rear Window, these devices have yet to be deployed to movie theaters. With 6,039 theaters in the country with 39,028 indoor screens, there are a lot of movies we are missing out on.

Recently, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) determined it’s time to look again at the rules for captioning in movie theaters. DOJ has released Advanced Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) and is holding a series of public hearings on the movie access, as well as three other issues. http://www.ada.gov/anprm2010/anprm2010.htm

It was a cold and snowy day in December when HLAA testified before the DOJ in Washington DC regarding their ANPRM on movie captioning. Thomas E. Perez, the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, Samuel R. Bagenstos Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Mazen M. Basrawi, Counsel in the Office of the Assistant Attorney General, and John L. Wodatch, Chief of the Disability Rights Section were at the dais at the opening of the hearing. Many other DOJ staff attended the hearing as well, along with a room full of spectators. We were among the first to provide comments that day. To see HLAA’s comments, visit http://www.hearingloss.org/advocacy/regulatory.asp#moviecap

We were pleased to see other advocates provide comments as well, including TDI (Telecommunications for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing), NAD (National Association of the Deaf), AAPD (American Association of People with Disabilities), Gallaudet University, AFB (American Federation of the Blind) and approximately 40 other commenters. DOJ held a hearing early in Chicago and will hold the last hearing on January 10, 2011 in San Francisco. Visit www.ada.gov for more information about the upcoming hearing and for a transcript of hearings already held.

To provide the DOJ more input on this issue, HLAA posted an Action Alert, asking HLAA constituents to send in their comments to the DOJ on movie captioning. Many people are already busy sending in their comments to the DOJ. If you have not, and you are interested, visit our website for our sample letter and instructions on how to send your comments either via US mail or electronically. http://www.hearingloss.org/doj_moviecaptions.asp

We do see that a number of people are simply cutting and pasting our sample letter onto the comments file. We urge you to tell the DOJ your own experience in your own words instead of using our version word for word. We think it’s important for them to hear about the issue from many different perspectives.

HLAA is in the process of drafting formal comments and we plan to send those in to the DOJ before the January 24, 2011 deadline. We will post those comments to our website for you to see too.

Here's hoping the next time I want to treat my family to a movie, there will be many captioned movies showing whenever we want to see them.

The Fun & Excitement of Paragliding

Tue, 28 Dec 2010 21:06:31 +0000

Listen Technologies is headquartered in Bluffdale, Utah and our main conference room has excellent views of the mountains. It was from this room that roughly three years ago, I noticed all these beautiful “wings” in the air. After work I decided to check them out and see what they were all about.

It was paragliding and it was so incredible to watch as they launched from the flight park on the mountain and landed back at the very spot they launched from. As I watched with wonder, I knew it was something I wanted to try. To understand what paragliding was like I first signed up for a “tandem flight” as this would be the best way to understand it. This flight was all it took to convince me that this was something I wanted to do. I began taking lessons from Super Fly one of the local schools in Utah. When you begin your lessons you are immediately going solo.

There are several key components to a paragliding pilot certification instruction program. Initial training for beginning pilots usually begins with some amount of ground school to discuss the basics, including elementary theories of flight as well as basic structure and operation of the paraglider.

Students then learn how to control the glider on the ground, practicing take-offs and controlling the wing 'overhead'. Low, gentle hills are next where students get their first short flights, flying at very low altitudes, to get used to the handling of the wing and learning take offs and landings.

The first time my feet left the ground even though it was only a few feet, I was thrilled! My instructor talked me though my flight with a small FRS radio strapped to my helmet. Our instructors at Super Fly were excellent and allowed us to continue instruction until we were officially “signed off” as P2 pilots. This is the first level of rating to be able to fly without instruction.

Paragliding is a free-flying, foot-launched aircraft sport. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing it feels like you’re sitting in a chair or swing. The harness is suspended with lines and air enters vents on the front of the wing creating pressure and inflation of the wing.

Myth:

You just jump of the mountain and hope all goes well.

Truth

You inflate your “wing” first and get the front cells to inflate with air. You take a good look prior to launching. The goal is to ensure that you have a safe flight so prior to launching you have a wing full of air and it’s ready to become airborne.

Myth:

You jump off the mountain and just float down.

Truth:

The goal is to enjoy your flight and to stay in the air as long as you desire. So you don’t just float down unless there is no wind to keep you up. In Utah, paragliders do mostly what’s called “ridge soaring” and this technique allows paragliders to say up in the air as they are getting “lift” from the wind that is hitting the ridge and pushing up. We also look for thermals as thermals are pockets of air that are going up and these allow paragliders to increase in altitude and often can stay up for hours. Utah offers excellent paragliding opportunities as there are sites that are excellent for morning flying and then when the wind shifts there are other sites that are great for evening paragliding.

Paragliding is a fun and exciting sport. It’s important to continue to work on your paragliding skills and make sure your equipment remains in good shape. It’s advised to have your gear checked out by a certified shop at least once per year. They’ll advise of any issues going on with your gear and they will be able to advise you on how many hours you may have left on it.

The paragliding community is a close knit group all with the same objective. This is to keep the sport a safe sport by offering help and advice to any fellow paraglider. I’ve seen paragliders that are young to old and it’s my goal to be around many years to enjoy this amazing sport.

See you in the friendly skies!

If Movie Captions Are Important To You, Tell The DOJ

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 19:25:12 +0000

Twenty years ago, HLAA members came out in force when it was time to comment on rules under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Our comments helped shape the way the rules were written. We need you to do that again to push for captioned movies.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published a notice that it is considering changes to its regulations to require movie theater owners and operators to show captioned movies. DOJ is inviting written comments from members of the public.

If movie captions are important to you, tell the DOJ!

The DOJ proposes to require movie theater owners and operators to show films with closed captioning. DOJ proposes to limit this requirement to no more than 50 percent of the films shown, and DOJ is willing to give owners and operators up to 5 years to get to the 50 percent mark.

HLAA believes that "full and equal enjoyment" of services under the Americans with Disabilities Act means that people with hearing loss must be provided the kind of accommodations that would allow us to attend any movie anytime. For people with significant hearing loss, that means 100% captioning. We believe that an across the board industry cap of 50% is arbitrary and inconsistent with the law.

HLAA's position on movie captioning is:

All movies should be made accessible to movie goers with hearing loss though captioning.
People with hearing loss should be able to see any movie at any time on any day.
There are many ways to caption movies today. HLAA does not specify the method used to caption the movie so long as it provides effective communication.

DOJ is seeking comments in response to 26 questions. The entire document with all the questions can be accessed at http://www.regulations.gov. You can reply to some or all of the questions. We suggest at a minimum, that you respond to DOJ Question #1:

1. DOJ is proposing that the percentage of movie screens offering closed captioning be set at 10 percent after one year and increased 10 percent a year until 50 percent is reached. Does this approach provide a proper balance between providing accessibility to consumers, on one hand, and giving owners and operators time to acquire the necessary equipment, on the other hand?

Send your comments to the DOJ today!

Comments sent by U.S. mail must be postmarked and electronic comments must be transmitted on or before January 24, 2011.

State the question(s) you are responding to. You can focus all your comments on question #1 or add more.
State why you are interested in responding. For example, that you have a hearing loss and cannot attend movies without effective closed captioning.
State what you want to see: 100% captions, 5 years or less, no later than January 2016.
State how lack of captions has impacted you. State why you think 100% captioning is needed.
Thank the DOJ
Sign your name .

See our Sample Letter.

We did it for the ADA. Let’s do it again for movie captioning. Send your comments to the DOJ!

Thank you!

The Joys Of A Carefully Planned Sound System

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 15:50:37 +0000

A good sound system does not just happen! It requires careful consideration, professional evaluation, proper planning and an ongoing relationship with a trusted sound system professional.

We realize that most churches have a significant amount of monies and time already invested in their sound systems, and a lot of preparation goes into making sure you are ready for your Holiday services and Christmas programs.

Your congregation’s hearing of the spoken word is R&M Consulting’s highest priority and reward! We have developed a Holiday checklist for AV system efficiency we hope you will find helpful as you prepare for the next few weeks.

Holiday Checklist for A/V System Efficiency

Have all microphones been checked for FCC compliance?
Are all speakers working and can the talker be heard from every seat in the church?
Is all sound system equipment in proper working condition?
Do all microphones work properly and have windscreens, reliable stands and batteries where needed?
Is your video equipment functioning properly?
Do you have all necessary Assisted Listening Devices and equipment?
Will you need to purchase or rent any special equipment for concerts, plays or special guests?
Do your sound system operators know how to properly use all equipment and find system documentation in case of emergency?

Also, if you are in Northern Illinois, Indiana, or Southern Wisconsin we offer a complimentary evaluation at no charge to your church. During this site visit, we are able to check over all equipment, meet sound system personnel and gain an overall vision of the churches present needs and future plans.

This visit is valued at over $500. Sometimes, minor repairs and adjustments can be made on the spot, again at no charge to you!

By spending an hour of your time with R&M Consulting; we can make sure you are getting the most out of your investment and help your plan for areas of future need. Not only will you receive our complimentary evaluation, but also a written report with our recommendations, all at no charge to your church.

We are here to help!

Barber Motorsports Park Revs It Up With Listen Wireless Audio

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 20:12:48 +0000

When the Indy Racing League (IRL) scheduled a circuit race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham AL for the first time in April of 2010, audio was the last subject on the to-do list. After the race was completed, it was very clear that audio would now become mission number 1 before securing the next race date in 2011. Broadcast audio and integration was problematic and the complaints on the public address system's quality and volume were to be addressed immediately. It was decided to renovate the audio system entirely.

The challenge at hand was to get audio from the track's paddock to the far reaches of the track's seating areas. The original installation utilized fiber transmitters and receivers that cost nearly $2,000 each end. Some of these were in place and being used for track communications. It was decided that there had to be a less expensive way.

A number of solutions were presented; Fiber Transmission, CAT5 Networking, Copper Cable Runs, and Wireless Audio Transmission were all considered. When the cost totals were submitted to the track's management, it was abundantly clear that wireless audio transmission from Listen Technologies would be the economical way to go. The question was asked about audio quality. "No FM audio can sound as good as a copper or fiber run" and "That's too far to send wireless audio and it still perform" were some of the challenges.

Lee Brock, an audio engineer for Music Alley in Birmingham AL suggested we demonstrate Listen's product to prove the audio quality and transmission can be up to par with the rest of the new audio system. The demo was very easy and quickly put minds to rest on the audio quality.

The system containing Rane's RPM88 for signal processing and switching simply fed Listen transmitters for sending audio to the remote zones located around the track. In each zone, a receiver and amplifier were installed to feed the 70 volt runs totaling over 120 speakers along the crash fence and covering the various seating areas.

The Listen solution came in at a fraction of the cost for other networked audio systems that were proposed and the track happily boasts about it's new addition to the technology of this unique race track.

Hearing Loss Is Happening To Teens Too

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 23:16:53 +0000

The American Medical Association reported in August of this year that hearing loss in teens is on the rise. One in five teens is showing some degree of hearing loss according to a new study. This is about 30% from previous reports. With all the education and all the resources available, this is disheartening news.

Most people associate hearing loss as part of the aging process and it’s often true that with age and exposure to noise over a long period of time; often noise induced hearing loss is an affect. It doesn’t have to be this way. Sometimes a single exposure to loud noise is all that is needed, a single hunting trip without ear plugs. Loud noise damages the hair cells in the inner ear and can cause hearing loss, ear ringing and distortion of sounds.

Did you know?

Nothing can restore lost hearing. Once it’s gone, it’s gone!
Hearing loss caused by noise is preventable and you can choose to prevent it.

What Noises are Dangerous?

Physical measurements of the sound can be made to determine whether it exceeds dangerous levels. Sound is measured in decibels or often referred to as “dB”. Levels over 80 dB over a period of time can cause damage to hearing. Both the amount of noise and the length of time of exposure determine the amount of damage. There is even an application for your iPhone to measure sound levels. It’s an “SPL” meter; Sound Pressure Level and I’ve found them to be quite accurate.

So what sound is 80 dB or greater?

150 dB = rock music peak

140 dB = firearms, air raid siren, jet engine

130 dB = jackhammer

120 dB = jet plane take-off, amplified rock music at 4-6 ft., car stereo, band practice

110 dB = rock music, model airplane

106 dB = timpani and bass drum rolls

100 dB = snowmobile, chain saw, pneumatic drill

90 dB = lawnmower, shop tools, truck traffic, subway

80 dB = busy street, hair dryer

60 dB = conversation, dishwasher

Warning Signs of Hazardous Noise

You must raise your voice to be heard
You can't hear someone two feet away from you
Speech around you sounds muffled or dull after leaving a noise area
You have pain or ringing on your ears (tinnitus) after exposure to noise.

Examples of noise levels considered dangerous by experts are a lawnmower, a rock concert, firearms, firecrackers, headset music listening systems, motorcycles, tractors, household appliances (garbage disposals, blenders, food processors/choppers, etc.) and noisy toys. All can deliver sound over 90 decibels and some up to 140 decibels.

Can't my ears "adjust" and "get used" to regular noise?

If you think you have "gotten used to" the noise you are routinely exposed to, then most likely you have already suffered damage and have acquired a permanent hearing loss. Don't be fooled by thinking your ears are "tough" or that you have the ability to "tune it out"! Noise induced hearing loss is usually gradual and painless, but, unfortunately, permanent. Once destroyed, the hearing nerve and its sensory nerve cells do not regenerate!

Noise not only affects hearing. It affects other parts of the body and body systems. It is now known that noise:

Increases blood pressure
Has negative cardiovascular effects such as changing the way the heart beats
Increases breathing rate
Disturbs digestion
Can cause an upset stomach or ulcer
Can negatively impact a developing fetus, perhaps contributing to premature birth
Makes it difficult to sleep, even after the noise stops
Intensifies the effects of factors like drugs, alcohol, aging and carbon monoxide

Other Changes

Noise can also hamper performance of daily tasks, increase fatigue, and cause irritability.

Noise can reduce efficiency in performing daily tasks by reducing attention to tasks . This is a concern of employers when it comes to assuring workers' safety. It is also a concern to a growing number of educators interested in human learning.

Because of noise, we often find ourselves fatigued and irritable. We don't even realize the effect until the noisy hubbub stops and we feel relief.

From another perspective, your own inability to hear and understand others clearly can cause you to feel angry and frustrated. Instead of accepting the problem is yours, you misdirect your feelings to others and blow up at them.

Noise also makes speech communication harder. More concentration and energy is needed not only to listen and hear over the noise but also to speak louder above the noise. As a result, voices can be strained and vocal cord abuses, such as laryngitis, develop. It is a physical strain to carry on even an enjoyable conversation in the presence of noise.

Protect Yourself from Noise

The key word in dealing with noise is prevention! We want to eliminate unwanted noise when we can. When noise cannot be eliminated, we want to keep it as low as possible. Here are some things to do:

Wear hearing protectors when exposed to any loud or potentially damaging noise at work, in the community (heavy traffic, rock concerts, hunting, etc.) or at home (mowing the lawn, snow blowing the driveway, etc.). Have hearing protection in many locations and places that will make it easy and convenient for you to use. Your car, your purse, your desk, your briefcase – make sure you have it accessible and in multiple locations. This protection can be purchased at drug stores, sporting goods stores or can be custom-made.

Limit periods of exposure to noise. Don't sit next to the speakers at concerts, discos, or auditoriums. If you are at a rock concert, walk out for awhile give your ears a break ! If you are a musician, wear ear protection--it is a necessity! Take personal responsibility for your hearing.

Pump down the volume! When using stereo headsets or listening to amplified music in a confined place like a car, turn down the volume. Remember: if a friend can hear the music from your headset when standing three feet away, the volume is definitely too high. Don't be afraid to ask others to turn down the volume.

Educate yourself about the damaging effects of noise and what you can do to prevent your exposure to noise.

Educate others and take action! Educate your children through discussion and by example. Wear your ear protection and encourage your children to follow your example. Provide them with ear protection. Remind them to turn down stereo headsets. A rule of thumb is that, if sound from a head set can be heard by others 3 feet away, it is too loud.

Be a responsible consumer. Look for a noise rating when buying recreational equipment, children's toys, household appliances, and power tools. Choose quieter models, especially for equipment that you use often or close to your ears like a hair dryer. If there is no noise rating, contact the manufacturer and ask for one!

Inspect your child's toys for noise danger just as you do for small parts that can cause choking. Remember, too, that children tend to hold toys close to their ear which can pose additional threat for hearing damage.

Have your hearing tested by an audiologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), especially if you are concerned about possible hearing loss. Remember the warning signs of over exposure to noise.

Be aware of the noise in your environment and take control of it when you can. Be an advocate for reducing noise pollution. Your county may have a local noise ordinance. Find out what you can do in your community to advocate for quiet. For example, some schools have set a decibel limit for the music played at school dances in order to protect the students' hearing.

Be an advocate! Remember there are no regulations governing how loud sound can be in public places such as discos, movie theaters, dance clubs, exercise centers. Work with owners, managers, and community leaders to create a healthier less noxious listening environment.

I'm Inspired How About You?

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 22:38:21 +0000

I’m going to start this post by stating that I am a sap and proud of it. While it can make for some embarrassing moments – I mean, who wants to get caught sniffling at their desk? I so enjoy experiencing things that make me feel deeply and leave me with feelings of love, joy, inspiration, pride, nostalgia, excitement, motivation, awe, determination, gratitude, or new insights.

It’s probably the holidays or the approach of the New Year but I’ve found myself particularly susceptible to my sappiness. And, it’s not just me. This week I spent an evening with some girlfriends from the AV industry and we found ourselves all chocked up watching the “Opera Company of Philadelphia’s Random Act of Culture” video on YouTube.

Then yesterday my BNET e-newsletter’s top story was “The Best Motivational Videos of 2010” by Geoffrey James. While the point of his story was about using videos to stay motivated in ones sales efforts, I found that the videos he picked evoke many of the emotions noted above. I found myself feeling compelled to share it. So, here is a re-post of a portion of Mr. James’ story. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

The Best Motivational Videos of 2010 by Geoffrey James

One of the great challenges in selling is keeping motivated. Many top salespeople use motivational books and tapes to keep themselves in the right attitude for success. However, I believe that motivational videos are more effective because they communicate through both your eyes and your ears.

Here are the six best motivational videos that were posted on the Internet over the past year. Watch all six and I guarantee that you’ll be massively more motivated to succeed than you were before you started watching.

Video #1: Be Thankful For You DO Have

I’ve posted Nick Vujicic videos in previous years, but this new video is, I think, much better than his earlier ones. It’s particularly touching that he’s speaking to a girl’s school and addresses some of the difficult issues that they’ll face in life. I put this one first, because it’s really about being thankful. I think that before you can be outwardly motivated, you must become aware that your “problems” aren’t really that important.

Video #2 Ignite Your Soul

This video is somewhat more professional that many of the motivation videos that get posted. I particularly like the way it uses “heroic” works of art and statuary of help drive home the point that what you’re doing actually matters.

Video #3 We Are Powerful Beyond Measure

Many movies have an inspirational theme, since drama involves the highs and lows of the human character. This video shows scenes from various movies, combined with speeches from other movies, creating a montage that I find surprisingly effective.

Video #4 Never Stop Believing

Sports are, of course, a constant source of motivation and inspiration, and thus appear frequently on this type of video. This particular example simply takes clips of sports stars who have overcome odds to become great and mixed them into a pattern that’s set by some spirit raising music. It’s hard to watch this and not want to get up and run a marathon!

Video #5 Overcoming Adversity

My first impression of this video was that it was just a video version of a motivational poster. But as I watched it, I saw that the quotes had been selected to tell a sort of story about the rising of the human spirit and consciousness. In other words, it’s more profound than it seems at first glance.

Video #6 You Are A Champion

This is another sport-oriented video but the use of background music from the film Last of the Mohicans and a completely visceral speech sets it apart from all the rest. I like the way that it ends with a call to action, based upon your own new perception of what you can achieve. Enjoy!

Take Your Streaming & Archiving To Another Level

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:50:14 +0000

Traditionally, a standard Streaming and Archiving product would allow you to create one single recording per meeting (possibly three hours long). Now, you can enhance your web streaming, recording and archiving experience when it is used in conjunction with a DCS 6000 Digital Conferencing System.

With the SW 7010 software module, you can easily utilize all that valuable information captured within the SQL database and combine it with the meeting recordings (audio and video) or live streaming. The same three hour recording can then be sectionalized and searched under a variety of data points:

Date
Time
Meeting Name
Participants Name
Agenda item, etc.

You can now filter to find the exact section of the meeting that is important to you!

Also, if you are viewing the proceedings live, you have additional meeting information available to you that would not be included in standard streaming such as:

View of the meeting agenda
Which item is currently being discussed
Name of the person currently speaking to that item
Who is in line to speak next
Voting results, etc.

If there are documents being discussed in the meeting, these documents can be:

Captured and viewed live over the stream
Provided electronically as attachments to be viewed by the streaming participants
Archived and attached to be recalled at a later date

As you can imagine, the applications for a powerful system like this are virtually endless, but a few that come to mind immediately are:

Local/city/state/federal legislative council chambers
Corporate board, training, and share holder meetings
University on-line courses and lecture halls
School board meetings

New applications are being discovered every day.

HLAA Turns 31!

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:04:29 +0000

Every year at this time, we commemorate the anniversary of our organization. In 1979, Founder Howard E. “Rocky” Stone founded the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) as Self Help for Hard of Hearing People.

Rocky established the organization 31 years ago after seeking information and support for his own hearing loss and found none. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan appointed Rocky to the Access Board which drafted the guidelines for the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Rocky passed away in 2004, having lived life centered on people, doing what he could to encourage them and make their lives better.

In November 1989, on the occasion of the 10-year anniversary of our organization, Rocky wrote: "… As we celebrate Founder’s Day … this is an occasion to rededicate our energy and talent to helping others learn and share our experience and to make a commitment to make hearing loss an issue of national concern."

Hearing loss is a public health issue. Join us today as we dedicate our energy and talents to continue the work Rocky Stone began 31 years ago.

Happy Birthday HLAA!

The Battle For Better Hearing

Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:19:44 +0000

It is a common misnomer that adding audio to a room will make others in the room hear “better”. While the sound pressure level (SPL) is increased, it does not necessarily make the audio more intelligible especially the human voice and a live microphone. In the past few years, companies have invested heavily in research and development to make the learning environment audibly better. Often times, the nemesis of an intelligible environment are feedback and reverberation. I want to touch on a few items of focus that will make the audio learning experience more enjoyable and give you a few challenges/techniques for improving intelligibility within your room.

Facts About Human Speech

First, here are a few important facts about human speech that are important to know when putting live sound in a room.
Frequency range of an adult is between 512 Mhz to 2.48 kHz. Obviously, the frequency range will change depending on gender.
Human speech is a modulated signal with a fundamental frequency in the range of 100 to 400 Hz.
Intelligibility is imparted by consonants, which average from 10 to 100 ms in duration, and may be as much as 27 dB lower in amplitude than vowels
The loudness of an adult human voice is about 70 dB SPL at 3 feet.

Feedback

As any sound engineer will attest, feedback is one of the greatest deterrents to intelligible audio. Feedback is when an audio loop exists between the microphone and loudspeaker. When the loop occurs, you will hear a screeching noise through the amplified speaker system. The noise could occur at almost any frequency, but with a human voice it will most likely occur in the frequency range of the human voice (see above). There are many ways to eliminate feedback, but the most common would be to “notch out” the bad frequency by using and equalizer. When a frequency is notched out its level is decreased so that the feedback will not happen. When using an amplified sound system in a room, fighting feedback without out an equalizer, will force the user to decrease the audio level of the room.

Reverberation

The term "reverberation" refers to sound that is continuously reflected within a large space for an extended period of time. Reverberation time greater than 0.60 seconds is typically too long for a learning environment and will lead to muddled syllables and unclear speech. This problem is common in large rooms with tall ceiling heights (greater than 10ft), and many hard surfaces on walls, floor, and ceiling. Another negative effect of excess reverberation is that it amplifies unwanted noise from intrusive sources. This is why underground concrete subway stations are so much louder than elevated outdoor stops for light rails systems.

Eric Wolfram is the Lead Acoustical Engineer and noise control consultant for Riedel & Associates, an acoustical consulting firm based in Milwaukee Wisconsin. In a 2009 article he shares some excellent points regarding reverberation and why the classroom acoustical environment is critical to student learning and academic performance. Here is a link to the article.

http://www.riedelassociates.com/classroomacousticalenvironment.htm

A Solution

Though it may be difficult to solve all feedback and reverberation issues, there are ways to improve a room’s intelligibility. If you application is having complaints about poor intelligibility, refer to this table for a possible solution (ProAV Magazine, August 2005)

Primary Causes	What you can do about it
Poor Coverage	Check equipment. Use the right loudspeakers for the job
Direct-to-reverberant ratio	Point the loudspeakers at the people. Use directional speakers in reverberant spaces. Keep sound off the walls and ceiling. Minimize the loudspeaker-listener distance.
Limited sound-system frequency response	Check equipment. Use a good mic and loudspeakers with good bandwidth. Check that they are not covered or obstructed.
Low signal-to-noise ratio	Minimize the loudspeaker-listener distance.
Excessive loudness	Reduce audio level.

Secondary Causes	What you can do about it
System distortion	Check equipment, components, and/or gain structure.
System Equalization	Be sure the system is capable of reasonably flat response from 200 Hz to 4 kHz
Presence of very early reflections	Point the loudspeakers at the people. Use absorbing (or diffusing) materials. Use directional speakers and microphones.
Sound focusing or presence of late (or isolated higher-level) reflections	Beware of any curved surface. Treat with absorption/diffusion and use directional speakers. Late sound focusing can also be caused by room corners. Point the loudspeakers at the people.
Direction of sound arriving at listener	Ideally, sound should arrive "face on" to the listener. If that's not feasible, it should arrive from overhead and forward overhead. Avoid aiming sound at the listener from behind.
Talker microphone technique	Basic instruction on mic usage. Get the mic as close to the talker's mouth as possible. Point the mic at the talker (and get him or her to talk into the microphone).

Thanksgiving 365

Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:55:10 +0000

It’s that time of year that we take time to be thankful for the many blessings we enjoy. It seems to me that we should count our blessings every single day – 365 days a year (add one for leap year).

Here in America we celebrate the holiday by eating lots of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables and way too much food. Maybe we should be thankful the Thanksgiving holiday only occurs once a year!

We do have much to be thankful about here at Listen. We’ve weathered this financial crisis pretty well and we’re excited about the future. We are thankful for the growth we continue to enjoy. In fact, we have several job openings. Now that ListenPoint is shipping, we’re excited to tackle this brand new product category. We think there are a lot of organizations out there that can benefit from small room audio technology.

We are grateful to our customers and the loyalty they’ve shown to us through the years. We work hard to earn that business each and every day. I’m personally thankful for efforts of each Listen associate.

Let’s make the holiday of Thanksgiving an extra special day to give thanks and use it as inspiration to be thankful 365 days of the year.

Thanks to you.

Interpreter Ruling: Georgia State Supreme Court Ruling

Tue, 23 Nov 2010 21:16:16 +0000

On Monday, November 22 the Georgia Supreme Court ruling granted a new trial to a Malaysian woman because she was denied the right to a court interpreter.

I think this is important information for the AV industry to be aware of. At EDI Ltd. we often use the Listen Technologies systems as interpreter systems in courts. However, I have had more than one judge tell me that they don’t need or use interpreters in their courts, that if someone doesn’t speak English it isn’t the court’s problem.

This ruling now makes it the court’s problem. I will be mentioning this ruling to judges when I talk to them about assistive listening and interpretation systems.

Bill Rankin wrote a story on the ruling for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Here is the story as it appeared today.

Court says interpreter necessary, overturns conviction

Legal rights groups are applauding a Georgia Supreme Court ruling Monday that granted a new trial to a Malaysian woman because she was denied the right to a court interpreter.

In a 4-3 ruling, the court overturned the child-cruelty conviction against Annie Ling, a Mandarin Chinese-speaking defendant who was sentenced in 2007 in Spalding County to 10 years in prison. The majority said that “one who cannot communicate effectively in English may be effectively incompetent to proceed in a criminal matter and rendered effectively absent at trial if no interpreter is provided."

Ling's appeal was supported by the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Georgia and the Legal Aid Society, which filed a brief saying the denial of interpreters to those who need them violates the U.S. Constitution and civil rights laws. The Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, represented by the Atlanta firm King & Spalding, also filed a brief in support of Ling's appeal.

"The court acknowledged that we don't have two systems of justice in this country – one for English-speakers and another for everyone else," said Azadeh Shahshahani of the ACLU of Georgia. "The constitutional guarantee of due process applies to everyone in this country, not just fluent English-speakers."

Audio Opportunities for Houses of Worship

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 18:32:04 +0000

The economy has been the topic of news media for the past few years and I for one am tired of hearing about it. Many areas of the country might even be faced with economic problems for years to come; so some of us will need to get used to it. My firm does a fair amount of work with my friends at churches and I thought I might put to paper some of the things that have been going on.

When budgets get shaved, it seems like everything can come to a halt. But should it? There are many things we have been doing that have helped keep people busy and some of them may even save you money in the end.

As far as audio goes, the folks installing wireless microphones have been busy. We started having issues with 700 MHz equipment well before the FCC mandated for us to get out of that frequency band. I live near one of the largest Catholic Cathedrals in North America (St. Cecilia’s, Omaha, NE) and we received calls to service the wireless equipment there as early as a year before the 700 MHz band was off limits. We had a few churches that rented space in their bell towers to the cell phone companies as they have looked for new sources of revenue. That has worked out well for the churches that were prepared. Just keep in mind, the proximity of the cellular systems to the worship service requires special attention to your RF requirements in a House of Worship.

We have recommended and obtained meetings prior to system installation with the cellular companies on behalf of the church congregation. The meetings allow us to coordinate the sound reinforcement RF systems design with the cellular provider to ensure success when the entire installation is completed. The value of a higher quality wireless microphone system becomes obvious in this situation. Many Shure UHF-R and Lectrosonics Venue systems have been installed with directional antennas in these instances. This has caused us to be more concerned about our use of RF in the future.

I have heard many churches talk about combining services with other congregations. One hit home when my father’s church began having additional services for newcomers to our shores for families from Sudan and elsewhere. In discussing it, there were several issues that came up. The traditional services are smaller than they used to be, and the newcomers group is not a particularly large one. Why not put all of these together and enjoy the diversity? Isn’t that the way it should be?

Elsewhere on the ListenTech blog, our work at the Omaha Playhouse has been mentioned. In that facility, several IR based Listen Technologies LT-82 stationary IR transmitters are installed with LA-140 stationary IR radiator/emitter units in the theatre. Patrons can use one of many LR-42 Stethoscope 4-channel receivers to enjoy audio from the show. There is another use of that system that is just now coming to light; language interpretation. The United Nations building in New York City is one place where people from all nations and backgrounds may meet and participate in a common event. What better place than a church?

An obvious advantage to infra-red transmission is that there is no need to be concerned with RF interference with the wireless systems used for sound reinforcement (or those cellular systems either). The IR systems offer the additional benefit of containing the signal within the room. This means that multiple IR transmitters may be used in other areas such as Sunday school classrooms. All of these rooms may have systems in use without using any more than a single

channel of the system.

An LR-42 Stethoscope receiver has 4-channels. The standard systems are supplied with a single channel transmitter but all you need to do is add another Listen Technologies LT-82 stationary IR transmitter to take advantage of another channel in any given room.

We have spaces where assistive listening is being performed while simultaneously a person describes a dramatic event for the blind and/or there is language interpretation for Spanish and/or Chinese.

There’s nothing more exciting than a crowd of people gathered to participate in the spirit of worship. If services are combined with the cultural diversity our communities are capable of, there is a Listen Technologies IR based system that can become an important tool. Who knows, when you combine services, you might even be able to turn the lights off early and save a few dollars on energy in the process.

Take That Line Up To Support Hear The World Campaign

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:19:49 +0000

Ambassador for Hear the World: Take That, photographed by Bryan Adams holding the Hear the World pose - with one hand cupped behind their ear to convey conscious hearing.

British super-group Take That is lending its support to Hear the World, alongside more than forty high –profile celebrities, helping to raise awareness about the importance of hearing and the consequences of hearing loss.

With the original line-up recently reunited, following the return of Robbie Williams, the hugely successful pop group are the latest names to support Hear the World, a global initiative launched by hearing system manufacturer Phonak, and will join stars like Jude Law, Elle Macpherson, Annie Lennox, Sting and Peter Gabriel.

As part of their support, each celebrity has been photographed by musician and campaign photographer Bryan Adams holding the Hear the World pose - with one hand cupped behind their ear to convey conscious hearing.

“Hearing is something that we rely on every day, even more so being musicians. To lend our support to this campaign is something we are really proud of and are grateful for a chance to play a part in raising awareness of the issue of hearing loss”, Robbie Williams says on behalf of the band.

Hear the World is now one of the world’s largest celebrity supported health campaign currently more than forty high-profile musicians, actors and models from across the globe helping raise awareness for a problem which affects over 800 million people worldwide.

More than 16 percent of the world's population have hearing loss with experts predicting this will to increase to 1.1 billion by 2015. In the UK an estimated 8.5 million people are affected by the condition and struggle for up to 15 years before seeking advice. Studies have shown that this has a significantly negative effect on a person's social, emotional and physical wellbeing.

Launched in 2006, Hear the World calls attention to the importance of taking care of your hearing, while highlighting the social and emotional impact of hearing loss and the solutions available for those who suffer. In the context of Hear the World, Phonak set up the Hear the World foundation, a non-profit organisation that is committed to improve the quality of life and promote equal opportunities for people with hearing loss globally. To achieve this, the Hear the World foundation provides financial funds, hearing aids and assistive listening technology.

For more information about Hear the World, the celebrity ambassadors and advice about protecting your hearing visit www.hear-the-world.com.

Reduce IT Management Time with Standardized, Networked AV Systems

Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:55:39 +0000

Today, audio visual (AV) and IT systems are inextricably linked through the IP network. The acceleration of innovation and invention has pushed us into what Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D. of InfoComm calls the Net-Centric AV era. This is a strange world for both IT managers and AV system integrators and one that is changing at lightning speed. What was groundbreaking 20 years ago—even 5 years ago—is now obsolete. The evolution from analog to digital and standard definition (SD) to high definition (HD) pales in significance to what is on the horizon.

As the possibilities grow, so do the expectations. This is reflected in a shift we’re seeing in IT budgets. Traditionally 70% of the IT budget was allocated for “keep the lights on” activities such as maintenance and administration. That left 30% for innovation. But a recent Forrester study shows a marked change for IT. In 2010, Forrester expects that 50% of the IT budget will go for maintenance, 30% for innovation, and 20% for business growth.ⁱ

For IT managers required to reduce their maintenance budget, AV systems pose a significant challenge. AV systems enable corporations to collaborate with partners, employees, and customers located in different parts of the world. However, as more technology is added to meeting rooms to facilitate presentation sharing, transmit and record digital media, and connect multiple sites, the complexity of these systems increases significantly.

The sheer number of devices and physical connections in a room makes it difficult to understand the system, let alone troubleshoot it—particularly if you are new to AV technologies. When you consider the number of rooms using AV systems within an enterprise, the impact on resources and budget can be substantial.

IT managers can better manage their resources by seeking AV solutions built on a standard platform that supports recognized IT standards and best practices. This will help mitigate maintenance and management demands. For example:

Using SIP as the communications protocol in VoIP compatible solutions allows seamless integration with the majority of VoIP systems
Standardizing the equipment used in conferencing, multi-media, and training rooms will significantly reduce support and training costs
Creating networked rooms that share AV resources and enable centralized control will help IT managers streamline administration

As we continue in the Net-Centric AV era, success for both IT managers and AV providers is found in delivering sophisticated collaboration and communication tools without unwarranted complexity.

i Forrsights Budgets and Priorities Tracker Survey, Q2 2010. Forrester Research. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/it-infrastructure-spending-to-cut-back-on-mundane-maintenance-says-forrester/36870

SynAudCon New Web-Based Training Now Available

Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:43:49 +0000

The Learning Management System (LMS):

Allows companies to create learning paths for their employees. This includes assigning courses and tracking the participant's progress.
Incorporates quizzes, testing, certificate of completion and CEUs into all web-based training.

Level 200: Audio Applications 1

This course addresses the issues that are the weak links in almost every sound system. It will change the way you "do audio." Topics include: gain structure, equalization, setting amplifier levels, amplifier and loudspeaker power ratings, sound fields and wire gauge selection. Some great features include:

Self evaluation quiz after each lesson
Window-based calculators for solving design problems
Common scenarios for problem solving, along with their solutions
With a passing exam score, you will receive 14 Renewal Units

I think you will enjoy the flash animations, demos and the interactive calculators with scenarios. We have gone to great lengths to make this web-based training interesting and engaging all the way up to the interactive final exam. Please check it out!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Brenda Brown
SynAudCon
bbrown@synaudcon.com
+1.812.923.0174

Associated Sound Distributes Audio Without Wires

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 18:09:54 +0000

Associated Sound’s rental department saw the benefit of Listen transmitters and stationary receivers as far back as 2000. Our rental department started using the LT-800 Stationary Transmitters at the USA Olympic Track & Field Trials to get sound from the main track to the adjacent practice track. To run wire we would have had to use over 200 ft. of yellow jackets “cable covers” in the pedestrian areas; it simply wasn’t practical and wireless was much easier. The total throw from the main PA location to the remote locations was about 600’ as the crow flies. It worked great and we knew these would become invaluable in our rental inventory as you simply don’t know what you have to work with until you are “on site”.

(Concorso Italiano - crowds and cars on one of the two fairways)

This year Associated Sound’s rental team Josh Bender, Ross James and Will Updegraph did the Concorso Italiano at Laguna Seca Golf Course. Each year, Concorso Italiano attracts over 40,000 automotive enthusiasts to celebrate their passion for vintage, classic and exotic automobiles and their iconic designers. The show covered over two fairways and is the largest show dedicated to Italian cars in the world. This year's event had around 1,000 cars on display. Event organizers aim to create a festive Italian atmoshpere and audio is certainly a part of the atmosphere. By using the Listen wireless audio products we eliminated hundreds of feet of cable and covers and provided a better result for our clients.

(Car display at Shriners Concours)

The Shriners Hospital Concours in Sacramento moved to a new location on the Capitol Mall in Sacramento and once again Associated Sound was called upon to deliver great sound. We needed to get sound from 5th Street to 10th Street and we had two light rail crossings to deal with. Wireless was the only solution and we had positive experience with the Listen LT-800 Stationary Transmitters which worked flawlessly sending signal to remote amplifier locations. A secondary benefit of using the Listen product is that we are able to bring our clients into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at the same time.

What Are The Benefits of Language Interpretation?

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 15:39:47 +0000

The benefits of language interpretation are manifold. Many people confuse language interpretation and language translation. Language interpretation describes the vocal conversion from the source text (the original language to be interpreted) to the target language (the product of interpretation). Language translation is more literary, where books and published works are rendered from one language to a next. Interpretation is not confined to verbal language; sign language is also considered a brand of language interpretation.

Two main branches of interpretation exist: simultaneous interpretation (speaker and interpreter speaks at the same time) and consecutive interpretation (speaker communicates first and interpreter responds with interpretation).

Understanding

Understanding is the primary benefit of language interpretation. If a person is not able to speak more than one language, having an interpreter to make sense out of the unknown can be uplifting. Bridging linguistic gaps typically is the ultimate goal of language interpretation. Conveying messages through interpretation is critical in that the message must be verbalized and articulated in such a way that the other party can comprehend it.

Wider Social Network

A broader social and business network is another asset in language interpretation. Whether for a conference, summit or social gathering, the network automatically becomes larger with an interpreter to facilitate crossing the boundaries of language. Professional interpreters are most times found at international organizations such as the United Nations (U.N.) or in more informal interpretation situations, such as when working as a tour guide.

Travel Opportunity

Language interpretation can provide exponential potential for traveling the world. With language interpretation abilities, geographic restrictions fade for travelers when communication with a people who speak a different language is made possible. Whether for leisure or pleasure, educational or career reasons, language interpretation can help the interpreter to see new places and people.

Helpful Hints On Leading A Guided Tour

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 15:09:56 +0000

Guided tours are an important method of communication. Whether it is a tour of a museum, factory, campus, or an outside tour of an historical site, zoo, or outdoor experience; giving the background and story is an important skill for anyone wishing to deliver the best tour possible.

There are some basic principles which apply wherever you are. The following guidelines are based the experience of guides leading guided walks through a venue or other experience.

Guided Tours are often one of the occasions to impress guests and to really ensure that they get what they came for and that you leave them with the best impression of you and your organization. It is important that all guided tours work as well as possible, and are a good first experience to leave a positive and lasting impression. This includes both public guided tours and those done for particular groups.

Rehearse your tour message and try it out with people you trust and with those that will provide you with honest feedback on how to improve. Consider not just the message you will deliver, but also what you will say as you walk from one area to another.
Consider using a tour group system that will ensure that your audience can hear your message. These systems provide your guests to have individual volume control and will allow the guides to experience less voice strain and fatigue. With a tour group system, your guests will feel like they can walk around and not have to be confined to the group. Consider how to manage a tour group system –
Handing out the system to guests. Consider having a volunteer assist in helping with this as you’ll want to instruct the guests on how to use the devices.
How will you ensure that your guests return the system? Consider a system such as an ID card is held until the system is returned.
Test the system’s clarity with your guests prior to leaving on the tour to ensure the system is turned on and all units are working properly.
Publicity is crucial. Press release, Posters, announcements, a sign at the meeting point, and other means are all useful. By far the best method, however, is to link up with (or start) a regular series of tours. This can give you a ready-made audience. It's useful, if you can, to organize the events regularly, e.g. every second Wednesday or something, so people get in the habit of coming. If you have a series of tours you can produce a brochure, and distribute it via Tourist Information Centers etc. This tends to be more successful than a number of individually organized tours. Be sure that your publicity, whatever it is, includes at least the following:
- What the event is
- Where it is?
- When (date, time and day of week)?
- How long it lasts.
- How to get there.
- Contact number for the guide.
- Any special requirements, e.g. identification required, walking shoes, no loose clothing, etc.
- Arrive at the meeting point at least 10 minutes beforehand, and leave the meeting point between five and ten minutes after the advertised time.

Starting a Guide Tour

To start off with there are a number of things which should be said, even if many of the group have been out with you before.
Introduce yourself, giving your name and job title if you have one. Introduce any other members of staff present if they want to be introduced.
Welcome the visitors to the place/project, on behalf of your employer and/or the site owner if you are doing it for them. If the project is sponsored or supported by any organization they will probably appreciate a mention too.
Explain what the tour is and how long it will last. Be sure to keep to this time!
Give a warning if there is likely to be any noise or area where you need to exhibit a behavior , e.g. keeping noise down in an area as to not disturb.
Before you set off, give a brief description of the route you will take and inform the visitors where they will end up.
Address at this time if you will accommodate questions and the plan for doing so. If using a tour group system, you may ask the visitors to inform you when they have a question so that the guide can address their question with the microphone so that all visitors can hear the question and the answer. You may also decide to stop at certain points in the tour to address any questions that may have come up.
If using a tour group system on the tour, you’ll want to be prepared to offer filler conversation as you move from one area to another. Using a system and not speaking at all times, may cause your guests to wonder if their system is working.

Finishing a Guided Tour

If you used a tour group system, you’ll want to have an area where the guests can return the devices and pick up their ID if that was left.
Thank the visitors for coming, and encourage them to come again.

Things Not to Say

Make no political statements.
Tailor your tone to your audience - usually it is a 'family show' and should be kept at that level.
Do not be anything other than polite about other people, such as surrounding employees, or other official bodies - they may be amongst your audience too.

Viral Is One Way To Go

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:21:29 +0000

The evolution of social media is truly amazing. I have found it to be so exciting to be involved with as a part of my responsibilities at Listen. You can share information about solutions, products, applications in ways that you couldn’t before. Listen has been so involved with creating content for social media that it has challenged us in ways we never would have thought.

This week we released the Listen Extreme Makeover Office Edition video on YouTube. The video was created to be a fun, light-hearted shareable video to show off our ListenPoint solution in the corporate/government setting. Our hope was that through social media the video would go viral. The concept wasn’t so much for the viewer to understand all the features and benefits of ListenPoint; but more so to be interested to learn more about the difference that ListenPoint could make.

After releasing the video Listen received an amazing amount of feedback, some good and some bad.

“Very Clever!! Great Marketing and very effective. I LOVED it. Kudos to everyone involved.” – Brenda, SynAudCon

“The marketing videos are hard to watch and contain little useful information, however the product is quite interesting. May be worth getting a sample to our rep, to forward to us. “ – Sean, Pippin Technical Service, Ltd.

“That video is great. I will use it.” – Rick, Berway

“Love the video! Kudos!” – Jim, Messenger Media Systems

“I love the idea of the comical spoof on extreme makeover, but it really misses “showing” the benefit of the system. It would have been better to have one of the employees use the system and share an “oh wow!” moment. It’s a really big build up to a less than impactful message. I like the system, but I don’t think I will be showing this to customers. I think a much better impression would be made by setting up the system, letting them use it and draw their own conclusions. It actually does sell itself.” – Wayne, Communication Systems (PA)

I think even the ones that might seem negative have positive details – it’s opening up dialogue with our customers about ListenPoint and helping us to understand what tools we might need to consider creating.

Here’s the video. Take a look and tell us what you think.

What You're Asking About Antennas

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 20:18:19 +0000

Antennas are a vital part of an FM system. Listen offers many antennas to choose from that should cover just about any application. But, we often field more inquisitive calls about our antennas that may be of interest to others. This blog will focus on many of those questions.

Many of the antenna scenarios are covered in the manuals of the LT-800 Stationary FM Transmitter and antenna manual. After speaking with our technical team, here are a few frequently asked questions with a corresponding answer. Keep in mind, the physics of electromagnetic waves is very complicated. The purpose of this blog post it simplify the scientific response so that all readers can understand.

The LA-122 Universal Antenna Kit is great for remoting an antenna in another room, but the antenna is too long. How can I remote my antenna in a more discrete manner?

There are a couple different ways to discretely position an antenna in a room. Keep in mind, if you choose to remotely mount a dipole antenna, it should be mounted with the ground radial pointed down. This rule of thumb also eliminates placing the antenna in the ceiling. One way that we recommend is to remotely mount the 90° Helical Antenna (available in 72 MHz, 216 MHz, or 150 MHz). To do this, you must use the LA-130 Remote Antenna Kit. The kit contains 25’ of RG-58 cable that is attached to the mount and the back of the transmitter. This kit was originally designed for our 863 MHz products, but can be used with 72, 216 or 150 MHz products.

Another way to discretely mount a dipole antenna is to use a flexible coaxial antenna. With our 72 and 216 MHz products, we have two different antennas that can be used – LA-116 Coaxial Dipole Remote Antenna (72MHz) and LA-117 Coaxial Dipole Remote Antenna (216 MHz). These antennas can be remotely placed in an isolated place in the room.

I do not have enough room to vertically mount our LA-122 Universal Antenna Kit, can I mount the antenna horizontally?

An antenna is either vertically or horizontally polarized. Polarization is determined by the position of the radiating element or wire with respect to the earth. Therefore, an antenna that is parallel to the earth radiates horizontally and an antenna at a right angle to the earth (vertical) radiates with vertical waves. Listen’s dipole antennas have been designed to radiate vertically. We recommend that the antenna is kept perpendicular to the earth.

Can we put the antenna behind the transmitter in a metal rack?

No. Metal acts as a reflector for electromagnetic waves. The reaction of an electromagnetic wave when it hits metal is to bend around the metal and escape. In the case of an enclosed metal rack, the wave would be “trapped” by four walls of a metal encasement. It will incur a considerable amount of power degradation. It is not recommended to put the antenna in back of the rack.

What type of materials in the wall (or ceiling) can reduce the transmission range?

Radio frequencies pass though any non-conductive material, regardless of thickness. So, if you do not have conductive reinforced walls or ceilings (such as sheet rock) you should have relatively little resistance from these surfaces.

Walls or ceilings that are metal reinforced are challenging to transmit from. The conductive surfaces within the wall or ceiling will reflect or bend the frequency. The results will be signal degradation at longer ranges and multipath. A steel rebar reinforced concrete room is very difficult to transmit or receive a signal.

Should I use RG-58 or RG-8?

It depends upon the length of the cable run and the frequency being used. The chart below is a tool to calculate the amount of attenuation that will take place with a cable run. We have studied four different transmitter samples for the 72 and 216 MHz frequencies.

Cable Loss - 72 MHz
Transmitter Sample	RG-58		RG-8
Transmitter Sample	50 Feet	100 feet	50 Feet	100 feet
17.0 dbm	14.9 dbm	12.8 dbm	16.1 dbm	15.2 dbm
16.9 dbm	14.7 dbm	13.0 dbm	16.0 dbm	15.4 dbm
16.5 dbm	14.7 dbm	12.9 dbm	16.0 dbm	15.4 dbm
16.6 dbm	14.2 dbm	12.9 dbm	15.8 dbm	15.4 dbm
Loss:	2 dbm	4 dbm	1 dbm	2 dbm

Cable Loss- 216 MHz
Transmitter Sample	RG-58		RG-8
Transmitter Sample	50 Feet	100 feet	50 Feet	100 feet
19.0 dbm	16.5 dbm	12.0 dbm	17.7 dbm	16.2 dbm
19.7 dbm	15.0 dbm	12.2 dbm	18.5 dbm	16.5 dbm
20.5 dbm	16.3 dbm	12.5 dbm	19.3 dbm	16.6 dbm
19.7 dbm	15.9 dbm	12.2 dbm	18.6 dbm	17.2 dbm
Loss:	3-4 dbm	7-8 dbm	1-2 dbm	3-4 dbm

Keep in mind that a 3 dB loss is half of the transmitter power. A 6 dB loss is half of the effective range of the system. Our LT-800-072 stationary transmitter is rated up to 1,500 linear feet of broadcasting. The LT-800-216 stationary transmitter is up to 3,000 ft.

Does the antenna need to be fully extended?

For the best range of the system, the answer is yes. An antenna that is not fully extended effectively de-tunes the system. Listen uses four different frequencies to broadcast on: 72 MHz (North America), 216 MHz (North America), 150 MHz (Australia), and 863 MHz (Europe). Each will have a different length of antenna to properly tune the transmitter.

Here is a bit of trivia for determining antenna lengths: Electromagnetic wavelengths can be calculated by dividing the speed of light in centimeters per second by the frequency in cycles per second.

Determine what the speed of light is in meters per second. The speed of light is 299,792,458 m/s.
Determine what the frequency of the wavelength is in cycles per second. For example, the frequency one of our transmitting frequencies is 72 MHz or 72,000,000 Hertz.
Divide the speed of light by the frequency to get the wavelength in meters.

Example: 299,792,458/72,000,000 = 4.16 meters or 13.12 feet.

Instead of putting a 13 foot antenna on our transmitter, which is highly impractical, Listen transmits on a ¼ wavelength. Thus, to determine the length of our fully extended 72 MHz ¼ wavelength antenna, we would divide 13.12 feet by four which is 3’4” or 40”. If you measure the length of the LA-106 Telescoping Top Mounted Antenna (72 MHz), you would see that it is 40”.

Can I use the remote antenna kit in a monopole situation?

Yes. A monopole antenna is less efficient than a dipole. The range will be similar to using a top mount antenna with the added signal attenuation of the coaxial cable (refer to the post above). Please see the chart below for the approximate transmission ranges of our antennas. Keep in mind, the measurements are all linear and direct line of sight from transmitter with no obstructions.

Can I add another antenna to the system for better range?

No. Adding another antenna in a close proximity would greatly diminish the reception range instead of increasing it. The two antennas effectively cancel each other out. Listen uses what is called a non-diversity system. A diversity system eliminates what is called multipath (when a signal bounces and is received by the receiver at different times). It can do this by using two separate receive antennas. The Listen receivers have only one receive antenna which is the headphone cable, thus diversity is not an option.

We would love to hear your feedback and any additional questions you might have about antennas.

Great Presentation. Too Bad The Audience Only Got 85% Of It.

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:36:26 +0000

Last Wednesday I went to what is called “Enrichment Night” at Entrada, a club I belong to. As the presentation began, the wireless microphone that was used to project the presenter’s voice stopped working. The presenter continued without the microphone. A few minutes later, a new working microphone appeared. The presenter not wanting to be bothered with the wireless microphone asked the participants if they could hear her okay. Obviously, the answer was “yes”. She continued the hour long presentation.

I then noticed the body language of the participants as well as my own. People were sitting forward and straining to hear what was being said. I noticed that I was able to hear only about 85% of what was being said. The female voice is somewhat more difficult to hear than that of the human male species.

The presenter did an excellent job of preparing for the presentation and delivering the presentation. The on screen presentation was particularly effective and material was relevant to the audience. But, because of the simple choice of not using the wireless microphone, the audience lost part of presentation.

There is a lesson here: We all need to be aware of when our audience cannot fully understand or hear our presentations. Sometimes it’s just simply using the technology that’s available (like a wireless microphone or an assistive listening device). Beyond technology here are some simple things that can be done minimize this issue:

Individually:

Be aware! If your audience can’t fully hear you, you message (no matter how well presented) will not full resonate).
Turn off or move away from noise sources. If there’s a noisy air conditioner, turn it off or move away from it.
Change the seating so people can get closer (this has other benefits as well).
Talk louder, enunciate your words, talk slower.

Organizationally:

Invest in high quality technology such as a sound system and assistive listening products. Don’t skimp on quality. With substandard system, you guests will suffer every time the system is used and the effectiveness of presentations will forever be minimized.
Develop a system to maintain the technology to make sure it is available when needed. In the example above, the wireless microphone did not work but club had a back up microphone ready to go.
Pay attention to room acoustics and noise compromises participants ability to understand.
Strategically place participants in rooms to maximize their ability to hear the presentation.
Build a culture in your organization to use the technology and to follow the individual recommendations above. Strongly encourage presenters to use a wireless microphone by explaining the benefits.

Thanks for listening

Four and a Half Reasons to Take an InfoComm Class

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 19:49:27 +0000

If Ferris Bueller had enrolled at InfoComm Academy, maybe he wouldn’t have wanted a day off.

Forget the old school days of chalkboards and tablets. AV education is much cooler.

When you think of AV education, think InfoComm Academy. From proven training to rev up your skills, to courses that explore emerging trends, you’ll find what you need to stay competitive in the quickly evolving AV industry.

1. Rock Your World with Ohm’s Law
But don’t let Ohm’s law rock your world to pieces. AV math isn’t always easy. That’s why InfoComm’s AV math courses are some of the most popular. Tune in for the latest AV math webinar series.

2. AV Design Bootcamp
Only the few, the brave make it though InfoComm’s rigorous nine days of Design Bootcamp. The next recruits will report to class Feb. 7-15, 2011. Check the InfoComm Education Calendar for details.

3. Training Anytime, Anywhere
Learn best at 2:00 a.m. on your couch? Check out some of the most popular online courses like:
Essentials of AV Technology Online

Design Online

AV Math Online

4. Virtually Raise Your Hand
Think classroom … without the four walks. InfoComm Academy’s virtual classroom is an interactive, online course combining real time and self-paced study—a class you can attend from any location. If you want instructor-led content, peer collaboration and schedule flexibility, you might like the virtual classroom.

4 ½. Make New Friends But Keep the Old
InfoComm Academy is more than content, it’s camaraderie. People, just like you, are the heart of the industry.

See you in class!

Utah Opera - Embrace the Romance - AV Week - Embrace the Power of AV

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:12:26 +0000

We had a great day Monday kicking off InfoComm AV week with a behind-the-scenes tour of Utah Opera’s production of La Bohème. Capitol Theatre in beautiful Salt Lake City Utah was our setting for the tour.

We had Listen peeps and some local InfoComm members join in on the fun. Several members of the Utah Opera staff guided us through the intricacies of producing a main-stage opera like La Bohème and some of the AV elements that are incorporated in an opera production.

Michelle Peterson, Utah Opera Company Director shared with us that opera as it is produced has not changed much technologically in the last 400 years of opera’s history. Opera is rich with old traditions and there is not a lot of technology used. This is due in part to the uncertainty of live performances and needing the ability to adjust to the flow of the conductor, orchestra and singers performance by performance. Opera singers do not use microphones to amplify their voices – they rely on their talent and the acoustics of their theaters to project their voices. Microphones are used to provide audio to the backstage areas.

Michelle also shared with us what is involved with planning for an opera production. Utah Opera plans its repertoire five years in advance. This allows for flexibility for casting the right talent and for fiscal responsibility with budgets.

One piece of AV technology which I found to be most helpful was the super titles that allow patrons to read what the artists are singing on stage, which in most cases is performed in a foreign language. The supertitles are displayed above the stage so that all patrons can see them.

We were fortunate enough to hear from Paula Fowler, Utah Opera Education Outreach Director about the awesome educational programs they have for the local school children. She also shared with us the services they offer for the visually impaired and hard of hearing. They collaborate with the Moran Eye Center to deliver a special program to the blind and sight impaired. They provide the libretto in Braille, deliver a presentation where they pass around props and costumes so they can touch and get a sense of what is on stage. They also have a person describing the opera so that the visually impaired can get a real sense of the set, costumes, and what the artists are doing on stage.

Communication is key backstage at La Bohème and AV equipment has ensured that an opera production can run smoothly.

Watch this short video to see and hear firsthand how Utah Opera embraces the power of AV.

Typically taking place in the 1830s, Utah Opera’s production of La Bohème has been updated to 1939 pre-war in Paris – giving it a more modern feel. If you have not been to see an opera, musical or theater performance at Capitol Theatre I strongly recommend it. Watch this short video to see and hear from various staff members at Utah Opera what their favorite scenes are from La Bohème.

Using ListenPoint for Teleconferencing

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:28:59 +0000

One of the most important and beneficial features of ListenPoint is its ability to do teleconferencing. When we discuss this feature, sometimes people get confused. The purpose of this blog post is to shed some light on just exactly how ListenPoint does teleconferencing.

Example 1: Telephone Teleconferencing

It’s a daily occurrence in many organizations to connect two or more rooms together to have a meeting or a “conference call”. These calls allow people to meet and communicate. The most common way to do this is to use a Polycom SoundStation 2 (SS2).

The SoundStation 2 has speakers to hear the people on the other end of the call and three built in microphones so they can hear you. ListenPoint is designed to work with the SS2 to enhance the sound of the call.

So, how does ListenPoint work with the Polycom SoundStation?

Answer: The wireless M1 Microphone/Media Interfaces of ListenPoint become additional microphones on the SS2. Thus, when you talk into a ListenPoint M1, the people on the other end of call can better hear you. And, since the M1s are wireless, the can roam anywhere in the room.

Do the people on the other end of the call come through the ListenPoint speakers?

Answer: No. They are heard only through the speaker on the SS2.

Example 2: Computer/VOIP Teleconferencing

With the advancement of computer and VOIP calls (such as Skype, GoToMeeting, etc.), now organizations can use these almost free services for conference calls. ListenPoint is designed to work directly through a computer to conduct these types of calls.

How does ListenPoint work with Computer/VOIP teleconferencing?

ListenPoint works just like a headset that is connected to a computer. The wireless M1s used on

ListenPoint are just like the microphone on a headset and the ListenPoint speakers are like the earphones on your headset.

Example 3: Advanced teleconferencing and videoconferencing

In those rooms where there is an integrated AV system used for telephone and videoconferencing ListenPoint is right at home. ListenPoint can be easily integrated so that the ListenPoint M1s and other audio sources can be heard at the other end of teleconference and the audio from the far end of the teleconference can be heard through the ListenPoint speakers. This is all done by interfacing through an integrated acoustic echo canceller (that’s part of the AV system) that eliminates the echo when far end audio is picked up on the near end and returned to the far end.

If you’re wondering how to actually hook up ListenPoint to do this, read on. Otherwise, thanks for Listening!

Installation Steps

Steps to hookup Polycom SoundStation 2 to ListenPoint for telephone teleconferencing:

Acquire a single phono to phone cable.
Connect this cable from the output of ListenPoint to the phono connector on the SS2 power supply.
Go to the menu of the SS2 and set up the Aux connector for “wireless mic”.
Done.

Steps to hookup a computer to ListenPoint for VOIP teleconferencing:

Purchase a Listen cable kit (part number LPT-A107) or build a cable.
This is a Euroblock to 3.5MM cable.
Connect the cable to the teleconferencing input/output of ListenPoint.
Connect the cable to the earphone and microphone connectors on the computer.
Done.

Celebrate AV Week

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 22:48:29 +0000

October 17 officially kicks off InfoComm AV Week 2010. InfoComm members in Utah got a little excited and began celebrating AV Week a bit early this year.

AV Week proclamations were secured from Governor Herbert, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, and Bluffdale City Mayor Derk Timothy.

Listen Technologies picked the Hearing Loss Association of America and its Walk4Hearing as a charity to support as part of AV Week. The Listen Trek Team raised just over $2,700 through combined efforts of reaching out to family and friends asking for donations and hosting a Carnival fundraiser. These efforts helped the Salt Lake City Walk4Hearing exceed its $25K goal by raising over $31K.

The Women Tech Council’s October Tech Talk featured a discussion on “New Audio Technologies – from Hearing Aids to Headphones. Kathy Landon, Sonic Innovations and Kristin Rector, Listen Technologies discussed up-to-date audio devices, from hearing aids for the disabled to audio systems that bridge multiple sources for collaborative communication.

Here is a quick look at photos from those events.

There is a lot more to come next week. Here are just a handful of samples of what members of InfoComm will be doing to celebrate AV Week.

Emerson College in Massachusetts is hosting Emerson AV Week Celebration in conjunction with the School of Theatre Design. There will be a Live Mix Workshop focusing on microphone selection and placement in theatres demonstration.

Crestron has invited local technical high school and college classes to tour their Rockleigh, New Jersey campus to see, hear and touch, firsthand, the latest technology in a fully functional home theater, teleconferencing room and interactive design lab inside their amazing 9,000 sq ft experience center. In addition, the Crestron Human Resources Department will be on hand to discuss career opportunities and accept resumes.

In New York, Population Council will be hosting an AV Expo in their offices showcasing all of the AV services they provide. The expo will be set up in a convention atmosphere with four booths. Visitors will rotate between each of the booths with content focusing on audio, presentations, videoconferencing and video recording/editing.

Columbus State Community College in Ohio will be covering the evolution of video games and the gaming industry. Students will get hands on experience with popular games from all periods, while learning fun facts and trivia about development and video game history.

A range of activities are planned for Westminster College’s AV Week. The AV department will be extending their services and knowledge to the surrounding school districts through a Document Camera Showcase. The Titan Terror Project, a mini-movie showcase, invites students and faculty to submit suspenseful, non gruesome, short films made with consumer-level cameras. An E-Recycling Drive is also planned to heighten awareness of AV environmentalism.

Virginia will experience events put on by InfoComm, Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and Audio Video Systems.

We hope that wherever you might be October 17 – 23 you’ll find a way to celebrate the AV industry.

Passion & A Pioneering Spirit

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:01:10 +0000

Pioneering a market is not easy, however in my opinion it’s a lot of fun if one is willing to put in the hard work and willing to stick with it.

I remember early in my AV career at Gentner Communications (now ClearOne) we pioneered a new technology for teleconferencing. We introduced a complete installed audio teleconferencing system with an “echo canceller” before anyone knew they had a need for one. No one was asking for one, in fact the market seemed to be satisfied with the solutions that were offered. It wasn’t until they “heard” the system and truly understood what this system could do for them did they embrace this new solution. The system demo spoke for itself and the client could easily understand the increased productivity the technology would offer them.

Today I find myself facing a similar situation with our new product line ListenPoint. This is an amazing system that provides audio structure for small rooms, yet no one is asking for it. So, it will require a pioneering spirit and different sales approach… passion and a lot of hard work. The great thing about ListenPoint is that it’s extremely affordable and can do so much in a small room setting. I’m motivated and challenged and ready to “pioneer” a new market. Not many are given such an awesome opportunity more than once! It is my personal belief that pioneering requires passion. The magic about working with passion is that the work seems easier if you’re working with passion, you simply don’t give up. Pioneering will require persistence and passion as it’s the passion that makes things happen. People can see it, feel it and are motivated by it. When you’re passionate the people around you get caught up in it.

Pioneering also requires a vision. Our vision at Listen Technologies is that ListenPoint will change the interactions in small room settings worldwide making smaller groups more collaborative, and creating effective dynamic meetings.

This has been my personal experience and perspective; however I’d welcome learning from others. What has been your experience that you or others you’ve known have had pioneering new products, solutions or markets?

An Audio Guy Gets A Hearing Aid

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 18:53:47 +0000

I admit it, I never had my hearing checked until a few weeks ago. That's kinda ironic for a guy who provides assistive listening solutions! It wasn't a surprise to me that I have significant hearing loss in my left ear and some age related hearing loss on my right side. Like most people, I wasn't that interested in using hearing aids. My "perception" was that they are for "old" people. Of course, now that I'm 55 years old, my definition of "old" keeps changing.... None the less, it's just not that exciting to think about wearing hearing aids.

Or, so I thought....

A hearing aid is just a sound system in your ear

However, it occurred to me that if I was a true audio guy, I would want to actually HEAR as much of the audio spectrum as possible AND a hearing aid is really just a little sound system in my ear - it has a mic (actually two), an equalizer (DSP) and a speaker. So, I focused on losing my alignment of hearing aids and old people and focused on improving my hearing with some really cool technology.

Hearing aids are like glasses

The results have been amazing. I now can hear things I didn't realize I couldn't hear before. It's just like getting glasses, contacts or Lasik. I can see just fine without visual correction, but with visual correction the fine details pop out. Hearing aids have done the same thing for me - they allowed the fine details to pop out. Music is clear and crisp. It's easier for me to hear people talking. It's NOT like putting on a headset where everything gets louder. It's much more subtle than that. You just hear frequencies and parts of sounds that you didn't hear before. The turn signal in my car sounds different. I can now hear the crickets.

But here's the real kicker. The hearing aids I purchased (Phonak), have a Bluetooth interface (called "iCom") I wear around my neck and inside my shirt. No one can see it. Now I can talk on my phone, listen/talk on my computer and I can listen to audio off of my iPhone wirelessly. I no longer need a headset because I have one built in to my hearing aid system. The only problem with this is that people look at me talking on my phone and they think I'm talking to myself...

Consider getting your hearing checked

Have you had your hearing checked? I've talked to a lot of people about this and I find that most have not. It turns out that the sooner you get a hearing aid, the less articulation loss you'll have over time. With less audio spectrum to deal with, your brain actually forgets words it can no longer hear and guesses at the word. A hearing aid allows the brain to once again hear the word and relearn the word. The longer you go without stimulating your brain, the less likely you'll have the ability to retrain your brain.

There are some informative videos at the Hearing Loss Association of America.

Thanks for listening...

Russ

InfoComm Regional Roundtable: Vancouver Convention Centre

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 20:53:17 +0000

InfoComm’s latest Regional Roundtable made its way up to Canada September 28 and was held at the world’s first LEED Platinum convention center in Vancouver BC. The two day event included ; a presentation and tour on digital signage, industry round table discussions, and on the following day, a seminar on Integrated Building Technology (IBT) and its role in the Green building movement.

Day one was kicked off by digital signage guru Lyle Bunn, principle Strategy Architect of the Bunn Co. Lyle’s timely presentation covered market drivers & directions, critical success factors, project life cycle, content and the opportunities and new revenue stream’s presenting themselves for our industry.

The numbers are staggering, digital signage was a $68 billion dollar industry in 2009 with a projected growth to 91Billion by 2012 45% of that in North America alone. Those numbers break down into 48% product and 52% service with content being a key component. At this point the AV industry is still struggling with the content providing equation. Progressive installers are beginning to understanding that partnerships with content firms are a key component to setting themselves apart from the pack.

Lyle’s presentation was followed by a brief tour of new $883 million dollar Vancouver Convention Centre and the use of digital signage for event scheduling and event sponsor marketing. We used a Listen Technologies Portable FM system for the tour that worked flawlessly and solicited a lot of positive comments from the crowd.

The round table discussions on day one were lively and insightful. Some of the conclusions of the 50 or so attendees were that the professional AV industry is in need of standards. Two key areas needing solidification of standards were identified. The first was around sonic content delivery standards. The other was the need to associate a monetary value to the design of AV projects, in particular those designed by accredited system designers. Marc Bialek of InfoComm addressed these points by saying that they are currently in the process of putting together a set of industry standards.

Day two of the event was attended by Architects, Interior Designers and Facilities Managers and was focused on how AV and control technologies are playing an increasingly important role in the Integrated Building Technology (IBT) environment.

The 40 or so attendees took in an information session presented by David Wilts of Crestron. David discussed the need for the AV industry to champion the creation of an Integrated Project Technology (IBT) manager. This position would leverage their skills in systems integration to create synergy between all technology systems in the construction process in an effort to produce greener buildings. David pointed to coordinating AV, IT and Electrical and HVAC controls through one manager. Drawing from his extensive global experience he’s concluded that “once somebody owns the ball everyone stops being so defensive.”

The second part of the day was a demonstration and tour, by Byron Tarry of AVW Telav, showing how those green initiatives came together at the Vancouver Convention Center (VCC). AV, IT, lighting and HVAC were all coordinated through the AV control systems in hopes to help the VCC reach its goals to becoming carbon neutral by 2020.

A big thank you to all the sponsors; Biamp, Crestron, Chief, Kramer, Listen Technologies and Sonic Foundry, for an informative and thought provoking event.

It was great to have InfoComm in Vancouver!

Get Your ListenPoint® M1 Up & Running

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 20:44:25 +0000

September has been an exciting month at Listen. ListenPoint® has been shipping to customers and is being installed and used in meeting rooms, classrooms and training facilities all across the country.

With this exciting milestone comes the realization of how internally focused the knowledge base around ListenPoint has been.

The next several months will be invaluable to understanding the questions and issues that will come up for the end user. We are poised to respond and address those needs as quickly as we can.

There are many at Listen that will be reaching out to follow up and understand what kind of experience customers are having with ListenPoint and what can be done to improve the experience as we continue moving forward.

One immediate need that we found to be addressed is educating the end user on the options for getting the M1 ListenPoint Microphone/Media Interface up and running with a ListenPoint system. We hope that this blog post will help to that end. Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments.

The ListenPoint system offers two options to operate the M1 with the system -Instant On™ (default setting) and Auto-Registration.

Instant On™ - The M1 is set to a specific frequency/channel. The default factory setting is set to channel 1. If there are more than one M1s in the same room, additional units must be set on another channel to avoid interference.

To change channel, follow these instructions:

Power down the M1 by pressing and holding the mute button (button C) until LED goes out.
Press and hold buttons A & C for three seconds.
After holding down these buttons for three seconds, the LED will illuminate RED. Upon releasing the buttons, the LED will blink RED rapidly indicating you are in programming mode.
While the LED is blinking, press button B to change the M1 to channel 2. To put the unit back on channel 1, press button A.
The M1 will then be active on the chosen channel and the GREEN LED will be illuminated.

NOTE: To determine which channel the M1 is programmed to, turn the unit off/on. When the unit is initializing, the LED will blink RED – once for channel 1, twice for channel 2 etc. All units are shipped default on channel 1. If there are two M1s in the same room, be sure one has been programmed to another channel.

Auto Registration - As the M1 enters a room, the system will automatically determine the frequency for use.

To enable Auto-Registration, follow these instructions:

Power down the M1 by pressing and holding the mute button (button C).
Press and hold buttons A & C for three seconds.
Let the M1 sit idle for 18 seconds. The LED will blink rapidly during this time.
After 18 seconds, the M1 will turn off. Upon the next initialization, the M1 will automatically auto-register to the system.

NOTE: It may take a few seconds for registration. For best results, move the M1 close to the Room Module on the ceiling.

Once the M1 is linked with the system, it will not need to register again.

Again, please feel free to share your thoughts and comments with us.

Tool Kit For Corporate Philanthropy

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 20:23:05 +0000

How many of us would like to give back to our communities but often use the phrase, “I just don’t have the time or resources”? Well, this is where I am hoping I can help. Corporations can give back or get involved in their communities easier than you may have thought. I would like to share some ideas and suggestions that Listen has come up with over the years.

Here are five simple steps to follow as you make your way through getting involved in corporate philanthropy.

Choose an organization or cause to support.
Find out what their needs are.
Brainstorm and decide the best way you can meet their needs.
Execute your plan of action.
If you can’t hold an event, support those who do.

Choose an organization or cause to support: There are so many groups out there who are in need of your help. What kinds of organizations or causes does your company care about? This can be a great way to engage your employees in giving suggestions for organizations that need help. Consider asking your employees if they have one they recommend supporting. If there is a personal connection to the organization or cause you are supporting, the employees will have more passion and drive to participate.

At Listen, we have supported Kiva, the Utah Food Bank, The Road Home – temporary housing for those in need, the Speech and Hearing Department of a local school district, a local Boys and Girls club, and currently the local chapter of the Hearing Loss Association of America.

Find out what their needs are: Many organizations are in need of specific items whether it is food, money, clothing, volunteers, etc. Visit their website or call to see what they need. Many times they will have a list you can download of what they need during certain times of the year.

Brainstorm and decide the best way you can meet their needs: This is my favorite part in the process. Fundraising and collecting items doesn’t have to be boring or time consuming. Below are some ideas that I have come up with to make philanthropy fun!

Trick or Treat for the local food bank – have employees or departments compete to see who can collect the most food throughout the month of October. Most food banks are willing to provide flyers, bins and pick up of the food.
Winter Kits for the Local Shelters – have employees or departments compete to see who can collect items to put together kits of gloves, hats, hygiene products, etc. for a local shelter. Whether you can collect enough items for 2 people or for 50, the shelter will be appreciative for the items.
Bake Sale or Lunch – have employees donate baked goods or food items to provide a lunch for your company, neighbors, family and friends. Ask for a $5 donation per plate. This is great way to raise funds and doesn’t take a lot of time or preparation.
Host a Blood Drive – Many organizations that do blood drives will let you host a blood drive for free. Most will provide you with flyers and other resources to help the drive be a success. This is something you can do for little or no cost to your organization as well as takes very little time to plan and execute.
Participate in a Walk – find an organization that will be holding a walk in the area. These may include Multiple Sclerosis, Breast Cancer, The Walk4Hearing, and many more. Encourage employees to walk and raise funds. One way Listen is raising funds for their walk team is by holding a silent auction and carnival. This not only gives us a way to be involved, but we have involved many companies around the valley by having them donate their items or services for the auction.

Execute your plan of action: After choosing the event or method decide on the time frame for your plan. Then you need to get the word out! These days it is so easy through using Social Media sites. Publicize your event or fundraiser through Facebook, Twitter and Linked In and your own website. So many people out there are willing to donate, you just have to ask.

If you can’t hold an event, support those who do: I would like to personally invite you to step up and support those with hearing loss by attending our Walk4Hearing Open House on Thursday, September 30 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. It includes free food, fun carnival games and a silent auction. All the proceeds will be going to The Hearing Loss Association of America.

You might also consider supporting a Walk4Hearing – these are held across the US. Or consider supporting the ListenTrek Team that is participating in the Walk4Hearing on October 9, 2010 in Salt Lake City.

It doesn’t matter how small or large your event is, or even how much you raise. What really matters is that your efforts and generosity will make a difference and improve the quality of life for someone in need.

KSL TV Segment Staying Safe: Preventing Teen Hearing Loss

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 22:54:34 +0000

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

A distressing number of young people in the United States already have some evidence of hearing loss, a new study found.

KSL put that research to the test at a Salt Lake City high school, by accident. The findings could help your teen Stay Safe.

In 2005-2006 19.5 percent of children ages 12 to 19 (approx. 6.5 million teens) had some hearing loss, compared with 14.9 percent in an earlier study (1988-1994). -Journal of the American Medical Assoc.

Salt Lake City School District's audiologist was teaching a class at East High School when several students jumped, apparently in reaction to a shrill noise.

Some students have learned if they set their phones at extremely high pitches, they can hear an incoming text message -- but their older teachers can't.

When the sound went off in that classroom, a total of three students didn't hear it.

"What that shows is the ones of you who didn't hear it, you probably have some early damage from noise exposure," said the audiologist, Dr. Mary Lou Reitz.Her unplanned experiment reinforces new research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The study found about 20 percent of young people show evidence of hearing loss, and the prevalence of hearing loss has gone up 30 percent in recent years.

Staying Safe: Tips for Teens to Prevent Hearing Loss

Wear ear protection in loud places like concerts
Reduce use of ear buds
Turn up the sound for just your favorite songs instead of all music
Simply turn down the sound

"I suppose we will be selling a lot of hearing aids in 20 years unless we can educate them," Dr. Reitz said.

Not surprisingly, a contributing factor these days is a large number of teens using earbud headphones to play loud music in their ears for hours.

"(Earbuds) are pushing 90 to 110 decibels," said audiologist Dr. Shane Hunsaker. "A little less than a jet engine, to put it in simpler terms."

Audiologists suggest the best way to prevent hearing loss is to wear ear protection.

"We just need to turn things down," Dr. Hunsaker said. "We live in a very, very noisy world."

An even better way to stay safe: simply turn down the sound.

"If their child's wearing the earphones and they talk to them and they don't answer, it's too loud," Dr. Hunsaker said.

Though not being able to be interrupted may be intentional. One practical suggestion for teens is to turn up the sound for your favorites songs, but then back it down the rest of the time.

Grants for Assistive Listening Devices

Mon, 13 Sep 2010 19:46:33 +0000

More than 30 million Americans suffer from hearing loss, according to the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Hearing aids and other assistive listening technology such as FM assistive listening systems, audio looping in public venues and churches, closed-caption devices and TTY-devices for telephones, allow individuals with hearing disabilities to lead independent lives. A number of private and nonprofit organizations offer grants for a variety of assistive listening devices and outreach services for those with hearing loss.

Hear Now

The Hear Now Program, funded by the Starkey Hearing Foundation, offer nationwide assistance for individuals needing hearing aids and other assistive listening devices. The Foundation's mission is to educate and advocate for those suffering from hearing loss.

Funding guidelines and application information are on the Foundation website, www.starkeyhearingfoundation.org.

Mardy Walker Assistive Listening System Grants

To increase outreach to the hearing impaired, the United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries offers the Mardy Walker Assistive Listening System Grants, which provide assistive technology for individuals and for the installation of assistive listening systems in churches and meeting halls. Download application information from the committee's website, www.umcd.org.

The HIKE Fund

HIKE (Hearing Impaired Kids Endowment), supported by the International Order of Job's Daughters, offers aid for assistive listening devices for hearing-impaired youths up to age 20. HIKE requires documentation of the disability and the need. Find information at www.thehikefund.org or by telephone: 352-688-2579.

The Bahmann Foundation

The University of Cincinnati's Bahmann Foundation supports research and innovation in assistive listening technology and assists organizations offering support to the hearing impaired. The foundation offers scholarship funding to students working with assistive listening technology and supports organizations assisting individuals with hearing loss. Find the Bahmann Foundation's grant criteria and other information at www.bahmann.org.

AV Week - Embrace The Power of AV

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 20:39:31 +0000

Each year AV professionals celebrate the AV industry during a week in October known as AV Week. Audio Visual is a fun and exciting industry and AV products enhance the experience in many venues.

Recently I was in Thousand Oaks California and had the pleasure of seeing Mikhail Gorbachev speak. My husband and I had seats that were a bit off to the side of the stage and Mr. Gorbachev spoke for over an hour in Russian. We focused on the interpretation through the theater sound system and watched him close up over the large projection system. I was impressed with his compassion and his willingness to share his regrets with all of us in an effort to help us learn from his experiences. With the close up view of him and the carefully selected “words” as he spoke I was so inspired by him. I could feel and see his passion. None of this would have been possible without the power of Audio Visual products. AV allowed me to experience this speech in my own language and it allowed me to really see his expressions as he spoke so that I could feel his emotion. I was seeing and feeling his emotion this made the night an experience that I will never forget.

Each of us has had an experience enhanced by the power of AV; a night at the theater, attending a game, a graduation or wedding. Often we don’t notice the experience until we attend an event where there is no AV.

This year, AV Week will be celebrated around the world October 17-23. Led by the industry association InfoComm International members organize a variety of activities to:

Call attention to the AV industry
Raise awareness for the breadth of AV applications at home, in business, government, education, healthcare and more
Be recognized as a high technology industry with exciting growth prospects
Address the issues we face such as hiring qualified workers, maintaining our own high standards through on-going training and certification, and competing in today’s environment with tighter profit margins

One of the great things about having this focused week at Listen Technologies is that it is a reminder that we have many employees that work day in and day out without ever seeing their final product in use. The products that they work on end up in some incredible venues and are used by millions. As a part of AV Week Listen always works to arrange to tour a local venue that uses Listen products as well as other AV equipment. This gives many within Listen the gratification of a final product that they don’t often see. It’s so rewarding and it reinforces how fun it is to work in this industry. These products change and enhance the experience of many who visit these venues and its fun to see them this up close and personal.

Visit www.avweek.org for more information about AV Week and our industry.

Stay tuned for more information on what Listen Technologies has planned to celebrate this important week. If you have ideas for us please comment to this post! We welcome your input.

Charging Tips For Portable FM Devices

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:43:02 +0000

Our support team fields many kinds of calls on a daily basis. Many of the calls are customers who need additional information or support for their particular application. Others deal with troubleshooting issues with some of our products. For me personally, the most discouraging calls are ones where neglect of the product has put the product out of the warranty.

One of the consistent issues we address is the improper charging of our portable FM microphone devices (transmitter) and portable FM listening devices (receiver) that are used for tour group, language interpretation and assistive listening applications. It kind of makes sense that we might handle regular calls on this since these are the most frequently used devices and we have been selling them for over 12 years. It’s important to point out that not all charging issues will damage the device, but they may improperly charge it; leaving the user with a unit with batteries that are too low for use at a moment when they may need it the most. This blog focuses on a few tips that will ensure the devices are charged correctly and are ready for use when needed.

There are two main methods for charging a portable FM transmitter or receiver - in a charging case or using a wall charger. Conceivably, both will fully charge the batteries of the unit. A full charge cycle for a unit is 13 hours. After 13 hours, the unit will stop charging so that the batteries are not over-charged, preserving the life of the batteries.

Nothing can be more frustrating than having low batteries when it is time to use the receiver/transmitter. I hope that by reviewing this blog post and the video below you can optimize your charging options and help keep from harming the units and taking them out of warranty.

Waste Education Centre at Donarbon Offers Tours

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:30:18 +0000

The Waste Education Centre at Donarbon Waste Management Park in Waterbeach, is open to anybody from the Cambridgeshire’s community who is interested in finding out more about what happens to their waste. Working in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council, they welcome visits from schools and colleges, special interest groups, local businesses and the general public. The centrepiece of the 400-acre park is a £41.5 million, state of the art Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) plant with attached education centre.

Apple Sound Ltd has supplied Donarbon Waste with a Listen Technologies tour guide system to help with their education programme. This enables up to 30 people on a tour to hear clearly what the tour guide has to say. Karen Brenchley at Donarbon explained,

“I have been really impressed with the service I’ve received from Apple Sound. It has been friendly, efficient and every effort has been made to find the correct equipment for our needs. The listening equipment we are now using with groups of children has transformed our site visits. The children love using the headsets and can now hear everything that is said, even in very noisy situations.”

Schools can book visits with activities linked to themes such as waste minimization, recycling and composting or linked to National Curriculum subjects such as Citizenship, Geography, Science and Design and Technology.

The education centre has just been awarded the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge (Friday 7th May). The Quality Badge is the first national accreditation system for venues that provide learning outside the normal classroom setting and is accredited as offering good quality teaching and learning experiences and are safe for the children. The Badge then gives the schools confidence that pupils visiting the centre will have a worthwhile educational experience within a facility which manages risk effectively.

Step Up For People With Hearing Loss

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 23:05:23 +0000

On Saturday I attended the Kickoff Event for the Salt Lake City Walk4Hearing™ and I am so glad I did. The Walk4Hearing is the Hearing Loss Association of America’s largest awareness and fundraising event held in cities across the United States.

The Hearing Loss Association of America is dedicated to providing information, education, advocacy and support to enable people with hearing loss to lead rich and productive lives.

This will be Salt Lake City’s first Walk4Hearing event and it was clear by the enthusiasm at the Kickoff that the walk on October 9, 2010 will be a success. Over 150 people attended the Kickoff – three times the participants for the Kickoff events in Chicago and Wappinger Falls, NY. I left the event feeling upbeat and excited for what is to come.

But what really resonated with me was hearing the personal stories of those involved and affected and it helped me to realize why it’s important to be a part of the Walk4Hearing.

I heard Ronnie Adler’s story of how she learned to lip read and just be a follower as to not call attention to her hearing loss because she didn’t want to go to a deaf school. There was no technology and little awareness. Even today her experience would be much different than it was then.

I heard Hot Rod Hundley’s story about how after years of exposure to loud noises while playing basketball and then calling basketball games he developed a significant hearing loss. It took him many years not to feel embarrassed about wearing hearing aids.

I heard John Pope’s story of what he has witnessed over the last twenty-five years due to the HLAA’s advocacy efforts. He talked about being able to walk into any hotel room in the country and have the ability to make a phone call. Or, being able to hear any theatrical performance or museum audio tour with an assistive device.

Most of us give little thought to our ears until we have a problem hearing. I might even suggest that hearing can be pretty effortless. But for someone with a hearing loss, it’s simply not that easy to participate and be fully engaged. A simple dinner conversation at a noisy restaurant becomes a struggle. Meetings at work become stressful. Alarm clocks and smoke alarms go unheeded. Often when someone finds themselves in this situation they may not know where to find the information and support they need to overcome the communication obstacles that hearing loss creates.

I believe that with about one in ten people in the US having a hearing loss that we all know someone close to us that is affected. Both my husband and my sister-in-law have a hearing loss and while we have had some funny moments about it, I’ve also witnessed their frustration and withdrawal from situations – all because they can’t fully hear.

I feel like with my professional life I have the privilege of being part of a company that offers solutions for those who need auditory assistance. It is so rewarding to hear from our customers what a difference it can make to them when they can fully participate and experience an event because they can hear.

So, why walk? I think it’s pretty simple, because your individual effort can make a difference for 36 million people who have hearing loss who might just also be yourself, your neighbor, a loved one, your co-worker, or your friend.

SynAudCon Digital Class Toured Utah State Capitol

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:20:02 +0000

Last week, we held the SynAudCon Digital Class in Salt Lake City. It was a great class with 40 attendees. The class was taught by Pat Brown, Steve Macatee, and Brad Benn.

We often compliment the Digital seminar with a tour. This time, we had the privilege of touring the Utah State Capitol building. The consultant for the project was Gerald Nelson and Kurt Kallinga of Spectrum Engineers and the contractor was Poll Sound.

The tour was led by Steve Jay and Deward Timothy of Poll Sound and Gerald Nelson from Spectrum Engineers. With the long halls and this large group, the tour would not have been possible without the use of Listen Technologies Tour System (LT-700 Portable Transmitter and LR-400 Body Pack Receivers). It allowed the entire group to hear every word, even while milling around and peering into racks and recesses.

What an interesting tour! The architecture drove much of the project and understandably, considering the ornate and elaborate design of the 1900’s venue. Salt Lake City is sitting on a seismic earthquake fault, which was the major reason for the huge renovation project. The Capitol makeover is an engineering achievement, with millions of pounds of concrete carefully shifted to new foundations and resting on devices called base isolators – thus protecting the building and its occupants from severe earthquake damage.

The building can sway up to 3 feet in any direction, and is surrounded by a moat to allow room. In addition, artwork, fixtures and furnishings were acquired, conserved and created; and new service buildings were added to allow the work of the legislators to continue uninterrupted during the project.

This was a 7-year project for the consultant and it took one year for the installation. The venues toured included Legislative Committee and Caucus Rooms, Legislative Chambers, presentation rooms, board rooms, and the master control room. Systems include audio, video, control systems, recording, broadcast origination, transport, control, RF distribution, audio and video streaming, and voting systems. Systems can be combined at will for larger functions. Audio signals are transported throughout the building via CobraNet and AES3 which made it a nice compliment to the SynAudCon Digital Seminar. The media type is distance-dependent, with copper used for short runs and fiber for long ones.

With any 100-year-old building, most walls and spaces were no longer square. This required a continual on-the-fly redesign and much ingenuity to make the system work while preserving the architecture.

The question in every room was “Where are the loudspeakers?” – all of which were cleverly concealed. Accomplishing this without sacrificing coverage was one of the hallmarks of the project. In one case a slightly-too-large Intellivox array was disassembled and the components loaded into a custom built cabinet that fit the concrete cavity.

Our deepest gratitude goes out to Poll Sound, Spectrum Engineers and Listen Technologies for making another learning opportunity possible for our group.

Home Run At Target Field

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:55:26 +0000

Fifty-eight architects and one lucky teen toured Target Field in Minneapolis today. InfoComm International and its members put together an informative presentation for the architects then led them on a behind-the-scenes AV technology tour of the 4-month-old stadium. It was our most successful Lunch & Tour ever. Minnesota architects are awesome, and boy do they love their stadium!

They learned about the planning that went into installing 600 displays in and around the stadium - weatherized and mounted by Chief. They learned about the IPTV system which enables "targeted" advertising throughout - a huge money maker for the stadium.

They got a better understanding of the value of the video control room installed by Alpha Video. They also got to see the Champion's Club where tickets go for $275. Some even got on the field.

Thanks to our sponsors who made it possible: Chief, Crestron, Kramer and Sonic Foundry. And of course, Listen Technologies. The architects were able to hear the tour thanks to the Listen tour gear. Listen's reps at Excellence Marketing were extremely helpful and even offered to ship the gear back for InfoComm. Thanks!

We're already getting positive feedback on the tour along with a few suggestions for how it could be improve, "serve beer." What is it about a baseball field that makes you want to eat peanuts and drink some beer?

And the lucky teen and huge Twins fan who snuck into the tour with his father (an architect) made it all worthwhile when he shared with his dad that, "It was the best day of his life."

On to Vancouver at the end of September for a tour of the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Thank you Kyle Larson for providing photos for this slideshow.

Shutter Tours - A Unique Approach

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:58:28 +0000

I am always intrigued by unique approaches to conducting tours. Truth be told, a big part of what peaks my interest is that we offer mobile audio devices for tours for both the tour guide and the tour participants. I firmly believe that tour participants deserve to fully experience not only what they are seeing but also what they are hearing. And, the tour guide just needs to be able to move around and focus on giving the participants an interesting experience and not be concerned about wrangling everyone and whether or not they can hear what it is being said.

But I digress, back to unique approaches to conducting tours. A recent approach that I found to be quite clever is an outfit in Seattle called Shutter Tours. The tour guides double as photo instructors – so not only does one learn about Seattle but participants pick up some practical tips on photography.

Shutter Tours offers walking tours of Seattle’s Pike Place Market area. The guides provide history and commentary along the way, along with their photography tips. The tips include advice to avoid random picture taking and focus on three things: observation, composition and purpose. Tour participants are encouraged to use photography to tell a story.

Toward the end of the tour, groups are taken back to the market where they put their newfound photography skills to work. Many of the tour participants download their best photos on the Shutter Tours Flickr website.

In May Shutter Tours and founder/photographer Terry Divyak were featured in Seattle Evening Magazine’s series “Ways To Rediscover the City of Seattle.” The 3:45 minute piece gives a nice overview of their offering. Note, that there is a short intro about Microsoft just before the segment.

AV for Safety & Savings

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:56:59 +0000

We’ve all seen on television and in movies those high-tech board rooms and control rooms with people who, despite being located worlds apart, appear to be in the same room. We’ve seen lights dimmed and videos start with the touch of a single button, large presentation boards that reveal information when lecturers drag their index fingers across, and we’ve seen people passing files, and even videos, back and forth between computers and to and from cell phones.

While these audiovisual systems may appear futuristic, they are used today by businesses, schools, retailers, arenas – everywhere people communicate. On the surface, such systems appear very expensive. Yet the number of organizations using them is huge and growing every year. Those who are integrating audiovisual systems into their businesses know something that many don’t – the best-designed audiovisual systems actually save money.

Reducing travel means huge savings. Consider that the estimated cost of a domestic business trip is $1,100. A company purchasing a videoconferencing system can recoup its investment in about 2 dozen trips, while also reducing its carbon footprint. Videoconferencing is one of a host of green technologies that saves green.

Office supplies are also reduced using digital presentations. Whereas the low-tech meeting required stacks of photocopies, the high-tech meeting uses projectors and screens. The presenter can email the presentation (and associated annotations) to participants or post it to the Internet to share with anyone, anywhere. It’s quicker than physically distributing paper, it reduces the use of copiers and ink, and it’s another way of staying green.

Some AV products protect other equipment. Control systems are flat-panel touch screens on a wall, desk, or lectern that control all equipment in a room as well as the lights, drapes and audio. These may seem like extra luxuries until you realize that one benefit alone is they serve the functions of remote controls – remotes that can be lost or damaged and need to be replaced. Regarding loss, certain AV systems alert managers if a projector, flat-panel monitor – any expensive equipment – is moved from its designated location. These days, audiovisual systems play a vital role in theft prevention. Control systems also add to a building’s sustainability. By automatically controlling drapes, HVAC and lights, these AV systems can promote energy efficiency.

One relatively new development is using AV for safety, especially for organizations spread out among different buildings. The same type of large flat-panel screens you see giving arrival and departure times at airports or advertising new designs in a clothing store window are now used for instantaneous large-scale communications. These digital signage systems can broadcast information within one building or to any number of buildings, anywhere in the world. If there is a danger, be it fire, hurricane, tornado warnings, or emergency of any kind, management can use the signs to not only alert people at the affected facilities, they can explain how those people should proceed, including appropriate exits to take. State-of-the-art audiovisual systems will also allow these same messages to be sent simultaneously to select cell phones.

The way to realize savings using audiovisual systems is to make sure the systems are designed by professional audiovisual companies. The system designers know how to make sure a system isn’t too sophisticated (and more expensive than it needs to be), or not sophisticated enough (reducing potential productivity). They know how to consolidate equipment functions to get the maximum use out of each investment. The professional audiovisual company will select equipment that works together, they’ll train people how to use it, and they’ll keep it up and running. In times like these, when saving is crucial, investing in technology is a vital key to a profitable future.

To learn more about the audiovisual industry, careers in AV and more, please visit www.powerofav.com.

Giving Blood Is Easy - And It Saves Lives

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:43:17 +0000

Giving blood is a great way to serve your community and it helps save lives. Plus, it doesn’t cost you anything but your time. And, it really is a simple process.

So, how much blood is needed? Close to forty thousand units is needed every day in the just the US alone. That calculates to someone in this country - a cancer patient, a trauma patient - needing blood every two seconds. Since blood cannot be stored forever - it has a shelf life, of sorts - (anywhere from 5 days to 42 days, depending on the nature of the red blood cells, platelets, etc), there is a constant demand for blood.

When you donate blood, your single unit is separated and transfused as components: red cells, platelets and plasma, so by donating one unit of blood, you may save up to three lives.

There are four steps each donor must go through when giving blood: registration, health history and mini physical, blood donation and refreshments. Blood donors must be 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health the day of the donation.

I hope that by understanding how important blood is to patients, and how simple it is to do might help someone overcome any fear that prevents one from donating. The actual process of donating blood only takes about fifteen minutes and is almost painless.

This video will walk you through my recent experience with donating blood. You’ll see some of my colleagues at Listen that participated and hear their reasons for being a part of this simple but impactful experience. Be sure to check with your local area blood services organizations to find out when and where you can make your donation.

Kiva - Loans That Change Lives

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 19:11:21 +0000

Today at Listen the inside sales department held a bake sale so that we could raise money for our KIVA account. If you are not familiar with KIVA you are missing out on an awesome life changing opportunity.

KIVA is a non-profit organization that connects conscientious internet users with low income entrepreneurs in developing countries. KIVA acts as a person to person micro-loan lender for those who have the desire to run their own business and make a better life for themselves. The affordable capital helps these entrepreneurs start or expand their businesses creating a journey towards economic self sufficiency.

We have had a KIVA account now since 2007 and have supported many entrepreneurs all over the world. Once the loan is paid off they are able to receive another loan which enables them to grow their business. This is our way of helping others around the world to make their dreams come true.

If everyone would donate just a little time, money or energy we could make huge things happen!

SynAudCon Digital: Fine-Tune Your Digital Audio Expertise

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 20:12:29 +0000

Synergetic Audio Concepts (SynAudCon) was originally founded by Don Davis to meet the audio industry’s requirements of the early 70’s for training on the fundamentals of sound reinforcement. From its inception the approach of “making the whole greater that it’s individual parts” was applied to realizing SynAudCon’s mission of establishing a baseline of audio and acoustic understanding for audio practitioners.

Today, SynAudCon’s mission is led by Pat and Brenda Brown and is being accomplished in several ways.

Online & In-Person Training
Information Sharing Via Forums & Blogs
Technical Articles & Archives
Special One Time Events

SynAudCon’s goal with its in-person training is to teach audio principles in an understandable way and to shorten the learning curve on complex topics. They combine both theory and practice to deliver a better understanding of the “why” of audio principles.

On August 18 – 20, 2010 the SynAudCon Digital course will be delivered at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This three day course is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to digital audio, digital signal processing and digital audio networks.

A revolution is taking place in the audio world.

Sound systems of all sizes are now likely to contain one or more digital audio components. An increasing number of systems are digital from input to output. While digital audio is not new, it has been slow to replace tried-and-true analog methods. But, the revolution is gaining momentum. The modern sound system practitioner must add digital audio to their repertoire of understanding and skills.

Digital audio has long promised to clear the confusion that has always surrounded audio. It has not made good on this promise. A myriad of methods and topologies have emerged to create a confusing landscape for the audio practitioner. Participation in this course will dramatically shorten the learning curve for understanding everything from data formats to networked audio systems.

Here is an overview of what you will learn.

The Digital Audio Signal
Digital Audio Formats
Data Compression
Digital Signal Processing
Instrumentation and Troubleshooting
Digital Audio Networks
Ethernet
Proprietary Networks

The cost of this course is $895. Online registration is available – click here. If you have questions regarding the SynAudCon or the Digital Course contact SynAudCon at +1.812.923.0174, 1.800.796.2831 or visit www.synaudcon.com

You Get What You Pay For: The Value The Pro Audio Dealer Delivers

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 15:21:28 +0000

The internet is a great tool for finding the absolute lowest price for products. And as a result we’re becoming engrained with the notion that we always have to get the lowest absolute cost for products. Would you ever pay the lowest price for heart surgery? I know that’s a silly analogy, but in many cases getting the lowest price isn’t necessarily the best deal for us in the long term.

Listen is a product manufacturer. We sell products only to value added professional audio dealers. Without those dealers, it would be almost impossible for Listen to do business. Our job as a manufacturer is to deliver high quality products to our dealers; help our dealers in the specification, installation and support of product installations; and to provide long term support for our dealer and their customers.

As such, the dealer adds value to the end user by determining the specific needs of the customer, specifying a collection of products that meets each customer’s individual needs, installation of those products and the long term support of those products. Thus, the value proposition between the end user, the dealer and the manufacturer is critical to meeting customer’s needs now in the long term. Thus, when an end user makes a purchase of product, the dealer must build into that pricing the cost of design, installation and support.

Professional Audio Dealers are there to support audio-visual needs through the life cycle of your system.

Unfortunately, what seems to be happening these days is that dealer product profit margins are eroding. This is probably a result of the “great recession” and customers using their bargaining power to competitively drive down prices. But the underlying problem is that if dealer profitability declines, the dealer will be forced into either reducing services or charging for services that were once free or both. In the end, the customer will end up “paying” anyway.

This article outlines this growing concern in the audio-visual/system contracting industry.

http://www.inavateonthenet.net/article.aspx?ArticleID=34971

The old saying “you get what you pay for” has never been truer. When considering using a professional audio dealer for the installation and long term support of your audio-visual needs, consider your long term value needs. The lowest acquisition cost may not be the lowest cost in the long term.

Love....Love....Love....

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:34:38 +0000

InfoComm 2010 has now passed with so many great successes. We met with so many wonderful dealers, reps, consultants and end users, we showed existing and new solutions and we sponsored some really great events.

One of those sponsorships was the 2010 InfoComm AV Technology Tours. Our sponsorship allowed many of our colleagues to see behind the scenes at world class venues like The Recording Studio at the Palms and Cirque Du Soleil’s “The Beatles Love”, “Ka” and “O”.

As a sponsor we had the opportunity to provide our Tour Group solution for the tours as well as attend the tours ourselves. I helped facilitate the tour to see the Cirque Du Soleil show “Love”

The Show:

For those of you who are fans of the Beatles, Cirque shows or just AV in general, I highly recommend checking out this show. Prior to seeing the behind the scenes tour, I went with a colleague to the actual show. The show itself incorporates the classic sounds of the Beatles with audio coming from every direction in the theatre; including the seat-back itself. The music is a culmination of master tapes recorded at Abbey Road studios and put together to create a unique Beatles experience by Sir George Martin and Giles Martin that is truly a work of art.

For those of you more into the visual aspect of our AV world, the show offers visual stimulation throughout the venue including large displays on either side of this theatre-in-the-round and the constant costume and acrobatic changes continually taking place right in front of you. One of the visual highlights includes a VW Beatle that that suddenly breaks into 20 plus pieces and disappears amongst the performers. Each song is paired with a cast of characters, sets and props that is both entertaining and nostalgic. While I do not want to give away too much of the show, I personally enjoyed the trampoline acrobatics (which are very typical of a Cirque show) and the skateboarding parts of the show.

Behind the Scenes:

The behind the scenes tour gave us insight into how a show like this comes together. We experienced the very impressive Love theater sound system.

Our tour also included a stop in the studio where the master recordings were brought together and where they talked about the vault where the recordings were kept. They shared with us that the voices of the Beatles themselves that are periodically heard throughout the show were actual recordings of the four before and after takes at the Abbey Road studios.

We also saw the space above the stage where the performers are constantly flown into and out of the performing area and the orchestral like moves that are required to accomplish this while keeping safety always at the front of what they are doing.

We toured the space where the costumes and props were stored as well as the area where the performers trained and continually fine tuned their skills. We had the opportunity to hear firsthand how the production is called and the active cues (hundreds of them) that gave the producer both visual and audible control over the performance.

It is remarkable to me how much we (even those of us in the AV industry) take for granted the impact audio and visual stimulus impact us every day and how much they add to our lives. If I got nothing else out of this tour, I certainly got an appreciation for the work and effort that brings a show like this to us and how great the sum of all of those wonderful visual and audible stimulations can have on any person at any time. As I looked around the audience who were just soaking in the imagery and self reflecting to the music I remember asking myself how great an impact our industry has on something as simple as a little entertainment. If you have the opportunity to see this, or other Cirque du Soleil shows, I hope you do and I also hope you think of the work behind the scenes that makes these kinds of shows such a huge success.

Guard Against Preventable Hearing Loss

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:08:58 +0000

Hearing loss should be screened regularly just like blood pressure or diabetes. You can guard against preventable hearing loss by following these simple guidelines.

Protect Your Ears From Noise

More than 250 million worldwide have noise-induced hearing loss. And the number is growing every day. You can damage your hearing at a loud concert. But did you know you can also damage your hearing in the following ways?

Riding a power mower
Using a power saw
Riding a motorcycle
Attending a World Cup soccer game
Riding a snowmobile
Taking an aerobics class where the music is loud
Shooting a gun
Turning up the volume on you iPod

If you have to raise your voice over any kind of noise to be heard by someone three feet away, that noise is doing damage. So, what can you do? For starters, turn down your audio equipment, buy quieter products (compare decibel ratings, the smaller the better), limit your exposure to noisy activities, and wear ear protection such as ear plugs or ear muffs. One-third of hearing loss is preventable with proper hearing protection.

Lead A Healthy Life

Research has found that life style can affect your hearing over time, either by reducing the circulation to the ear or by causing metabolic imbalance. By eating healthy, exercising regularly, not smoking, consuming moderate amounts of caffeine and alcohol, and learning to manage stress all contribute on the whole to a healthy lifestyle.

Check Your Medication

Drugs known as “ototoxic” can contribute to hearing loss. Make sure to ask your doctor or pharmacist whether any medication you are taking can cause hearing loss. Even aspirin in high doses can have a temporary effect on your hearing.

Treat Ear Problems Promptly

See your physician if you have an earache, a blocked ear, or any discharge that may indicate infection. Untreated ear infections can cause permanent hearing loss.

Prevent Ear Problems

Blow your nose gently and through both nostrils. During air travel, swallow, yawn or chew gum when the plane is landing. Do not ever stick a cotton swab, or other object into your inner ear to remove wax or scratch your ear. You may force the wax further in, rupture your eardrum or cause damage that can lead to infection.