Search results for: Simon Byrne
Universal Serial Bus
Simon Byrne takes a long look at the history, specs, and pitfalls of USB
Read MoreCloud Computing in Your Production Business
Simon Byrne outlines the advantages of cloud computing for productions where maximum bandwidth and connection quality can be crucial.
Read MoreGet Unreal
The use of LED screens for backgrounds rather than green screens is certainly news at the moment, but what is big news is using video gaming technology to feed interactive, real time content to the LED screens, writes Simon Byrne.
Read MoreNetwork Switches
Simon Byrne steps through the key features of network switches and what is important for event professionals to know when used in show-tech environments.
Read MoreVideo on SDI – Moving the Bits
A refresher on SDI and HDMI connections and cables from regular CX Magazine ‘Tech Talk’ contributor Simon Byrne.
Read MoreSomething for nothing… Almost – Antennas
Simon Byrne discusses how to make radio frequency links more reliable for critical show environments where even a minor RF failure is unacceptable.
Read MoreGatherings Are On Hold… Get Streaming
At the moment streaming and virtual meeting technologies are a glimmer of light for the event and AV industries. Simon Byrne delves into some of the issues in using the technology effectively.
Read MoreWinter Has Come
Simon Byrne offers some practical advice for small production businesses about getting through the Coronavirus crisis and emerging stronger from it.
Read MoreIP Ratings – What do they mean?
In this Tech Talk Simon Byrne explains how to interpret Ingress Protection codes.
Read MoreOSC – Open Sound Control
Open Sound Control is a handy protocol that can pull together show networks and remotely control media and other digital processes.
Read MoreSecure Reliable Transport
Tech Talk discusses Secure Reliable Transport, an open source video protocol that optimises video streaming performance across unpredictable networks.
Read MoreWhile We’re Powered Down
Show Technology offers a few tips for keeping battery-operated LED fixtures healthy during hibernation so they’re ready to go when events and gigs start up again.
Read MoreStream Deck’s Companion
Things are moving quickly in control – an open source movement has developed around Bitfocus Companion which allows further control options when using Stream Deck.
Read MoreGet Control… Centrally
Central Control software links hardware controllers with other devices on the same machine and local network allowing better control of fast and complex show cues.
Read MoreWhy LED screens are replacing green screens
Nathan Wright from ULA Group talks about the increasing use of LED screens in TV and film production, including aspects such as scan and refresh rates.
Read MoreIP man, it’s the future
John O’Brien provides a refresher about what makes Internet Protocol work and subsequently all digital life that depends upon on it.
Read MoreCOVID-19: Nine Tips For Business Survival
Co-founder of Scene Change Ian Whitworth offers up a business survival guide for current times.
Read MoreENDTECH! Chaos On The Roadshow
Before the remaining ENTECH 2020 shows were cancelled it was averaging 15% more visitors in each city. Then IT happened, as Julius Grafton reports.
Read MoreCX156 March 2020
The ENTECH Issue Your full 12 page guide to ENTECH Roadshow inside! Women in AV: Kat Harding, Freelance Video Tech On Tour – Muse, Björk, Hugh Jackman, and Pendulum REGULARS Listen Here: Andy Stewart Jenny Barrett covers NZ John O’Brien – Industry Insider Tech Talk with Simon Byrne Dunc’s World by Duncan Fry NEWS CMG’s…
Read MoreCX154 December 2019
NEWS Hills AV business to Amber Technology The Hills were alive…with the sound of trainwreck CrewCare launches: Important new charity helping crew NEW at ENTECH: AV Hour of Power and Education All Day Vale Anne Kerr Barbizon Lighting Australia ceases trading CX Supports Vale Garry Chamberlain NEW GEAR FEATURES LDI 2019: All the hot releases…
Read MoreWi-Fi and Data Security on Events
COMMUNICATIONS Wi-Fi and Data Security on Events by Simon Byrne Wi-Fi is real handy at gigs. It means less cables need to be run, and it gives you the ability to easily transport media, control devices remotely such as mixing desks, lighting control and so on. However, it is a long way from perfect and…
Read MoreThe NBN – Not to Blame, Necessarily
COMMUNICATIONS The NBN – Not to Blame, Necessarily by Simon Byrne. We constantly hear of poor internet delivered over the NBN, however the blame does not automatically sit with the NBN Co. There is a lot going on. NBN Co are in an invidious position. Under significant financial pressure from the government, they are the…
Read MoreCX153 November 2019
News NSW Festival Legislation – LPA calls for industry consultation CMI Music & Audio JBL Training and Showcase Days Real-Time Employment Platform Crew Pond First Public Beta d&b auditoechnik launch A-Series in APAC Meyer Sound Asia established Robe gets Cultured Allen & Heath turns 50 New Gear Hair’s 50th Anniversary: 2019 and 1969 compared!;…
Read MoreProjection in CX Magazine
FEATURE In case you missed – here are individual story links from our October feature on Projection, plus a selection of further reading on the topic from CX Magazine … THE PROJECTION ISSUE – October 2019: The Electric Canvas – White Night Reimagined by Jason AllenColour Quality in Projection by Simon ByrneRiver of Light by…
Read MoreColour Quality in Projection
PROJECTION by Simon Byrne. As you are no doubt aware, all the colours we perceive are a mixture of three primary colours – red, green, and blue. The human eye has three types of colour receptors called cones that are conveniently sensitive to the redder, greener, and bluer wavelengths. Talking of wavelengths, different colours of…
Read MoreThe Electric Canvas – White Night Reimagined
PROJECTION by Jason Allen. Visit Victoria’s popular festival White Night Melbourne was ‘Reimagined’ in August 2019 from a one-night, all-night event in summer to a three-night festival in late winter. Peter Milne, Managing and Technical Director of creative projection company The Electric Canvas spoke to CX about what it takes to get 10 major projection…
Read MoreOmega Tech Stage Boxes
ROAD TEST Omega Tech Stage Boxes – Stopping the Show Stoppers by Simon Byrne. Omega Tech is a small West Australian manufacturer specialising primarily in power distribution products for the live event production industry. Their Stage Box series power products have been designed as a robust distribution system for stage power and getting power into…
Read MoreCX152 October 2019
News Support Act Wellbeing Hotline – free counselling for crew Spin Off Festival 2019 – Novatech Brings It All for Splendour Offshoot Easey As: TAG Opens in Melbourne Labour Hire Licenses– AV firms may breach new laws Robe globally launches new ESPRITE LED in Melbourne Safer Trucking – Driver Monitoring Proves Itself at ATS MotoGP…
Read MoreMaximise Your Meeting Room Flexibility with Sennheiser
INSTALLATION Save time and costs with flexible beamforming technology The trend towards beamforming technology is now revolutionising the microphone market. What makes this technology particularly attractive for meetings is that it localises and evaluates sound sources and suppresses interference. For both installation and use, beamforming products perform better than conventional microphones. The benefits range from…
Read MoreDo you understand? Intelligibility
INSTALLATION by Simon Byrne. Obviously an audience needs to be able to understand what is spoken or sung. That is, the performance must be intelligible. Therefore well implemented PA systems combined with acceptable acoustics are crucial for this to be achieved. This becomes a major safety issue for evacuation PA systems in buildings such as…
Read MoreCX151 September 2019
News Astera is a match for the Titans QSC ‘Aligns’ Distribution as QSC Pro Returns to TAG Soundcorp ends retail sales Amber Technology launches Learning Glass Riedel Further Expands APAC Inaugural Australian Festival Industry Conference Eventing The Future Sets the Scene in Wellington Sydney venue rout continues – RHI closes to events Dave Coxon joins…
Read MoreVideo File Formats, Containers and Codecs
VIDEO Video File Formats, Containers and Codecs. Yes… it’s complicated by Simon Byrne. Video is a huge part of events, so reliable playback of video files is essential. Enter Formats, Containers and Codecs. High definition, high quality uncompressed video file sizes are massive, about 650 gigabytes per hour. That is more than 10 gigabytes a…
Read MoreMind Health – How Tech is Consuming our Crew Brains
OPINION Mind Health – How Tech is Consuming our Crew Brains by Julius Grafton. I love smart. I hire smart – witness Jason Allen (editor of this publication), Jimmy Den Ouden (our former tech editor), and Simon Byrne who writes here, and works with me in and outside on various ventures. Plenty more of these…
Read MoreCX150 August 2019
NEWS 2000 seat theatre will transform Sydney The Helpmann Awards New phase for dB Technologies The Empire Strips Back In America Scene Change invests in VuePix Elite Event Technology Gears Up EAW in SA with AALT Biamp Acquires Community, Apart Audio Amber Technology takes on Avonic Comms Plus ‘Silent’ And Live PA For 6,000 Sennheiser…
Read MoreIntegration Control – Don’t Make Me Think
CX JULY THEME: CONTROL Integration Control – Don’t Make Me Think by Simon Byrne. Some of you would have read my piece about the incomprehensible state of house light controls in last month’s edition of CX. I see a lot of the same problems in the installed control systems as part of installations. That…
Read MorePower Over Ethernet
TECH TALK Power Over Ethernet by Simon Byrne. Show control systems are merging and moving onto data networks. Loosely speaking, audio, lighting and certainly video rely on TCP/IP networks of some sort. This means the devices on both ends of a link require power. This is delivered by an external power source, usually a…
Read MoreCX149 July 2019
NEWS 2000 seat theatre launched in Sydney Eventec distribute PR Lighting in Australia Adamson for MCEC, Hillsong Conference L-Acoustics for Crown Theatre Perth #Ampervan – Darwin and Beyond STC switches to CORE by DPA New Chapter for Schoeps in Australia FEATURES Lazarus – Bowie does Brecht; by Jason Allen Hindley Street Country Club – Adelaide…
Read MoreCan I Have Full House Lights Please?
TECH TALK Can I Have Full House Lights Please? Simon Byrne. This should be an easily answered question but as I travel from venue to venue, I’m constantly amazed how good house event IT infrastructure is thwarted by terrible design and implementation. Let me give you a few examples: Example One I’m…
Read MoreThe Freelance Tech – The Right Structure
BUSINESS The Freelance Tech – The Right Structure by Simon Byrne. I’ve been in this industry for a while and I’ve noticed those who are still in the business from the time when I started fit into two categories – The Haves, and the Have Nots! The Have Nots are the ones I…
Read MoreCX June 2019
NEWS Vale Greg Weaver Diversified acquires Rutledge AV The Rutledge Dynasty Continues Sydney Turns Off the Lights – No Votes in Venues Spectrum Support Charity Ride NEW GEAR ACETA Convention 2019 – Here’s what ACETA can do for you The Business Issue Sound Masking 101, Presented by Cambridge Sound Management Network Asset Management. By Jands’…
Read MoreSignal out of the Noise
WIRELESS Signal out of the Noise by Simon Byrne. I’ve done a few radio courses in my time. I hold an electronic trades certificate, Marine Long Range Operator Certificate of Proficiency, Aeronautical Radio Operator Certificate (AROC) and I even got a foundation level ham radio licence (VK1FBDA). If there is one thing I…
Read MoreWireless Recordings
LISTEN HERE Wireless Recordings by Andy Stewart. The use of wireless microphones in a studio setting seems downright pointless to many of us – never even occurs to others. It’s the realm of live performance, theatre, movies, documentary making, and outdoor sports, is it not? Why would you use a wireless mic in the…
Read MoreClear-Com FreeSpeak II – Full Duplex Wireless Comms that Just Work
WIRELESS Clear-Com FreeSpeak II – Full Duplex Wireless Comms that Just Work by Chris Dodds. For years, simple and reliable full-duplex wireless communications has been somewhat of a holy grail for Intercom manufacturers. So, what is ‘full duplex’ I hear you ask? Full-duplex intercom refers to an intercom system that has the capability to…
Read MoreThe Politics of Wireless
WIRELESS The Politics of Wireless by Simon Byrne. Recently I was intrigued to see a post on the Live Sound Engineers Facebook page complaining that a major venue would not free up some wireless frequencies, so as to permit a freelance audio recordist to record a gig in that venue for a podcast. The…
Read MoreWireless Voodoo – Not a Dark Art
WIRELESS Wireless Voodoo – Not a Dark Art by Fraser Walker. Wireless in the world of audio is often referred to in dubious terms. It fails by way of voodoo, or works flawlessly as if by magic. All of this uncertainty is caused by the fact that we as humans have no…
Read MoreAntennas
Antennas are arguably the most critical component in a wireless microphone system however they are largely misunderstood.
Read MoreIs that a wireless intercom in your pocket?
WIRELESS Is that a wireless intercom in your pocket? by Jand’s Jeff MacKenzie. Need to quickly deploy secure wireless production intercom to a wide area? The latest offering from Clear-Com may be the answer. Clear-Com have added Agent-IC, a BYO wireless intercom solution designed to run on portable devices such as smart phones, tablets and…
Read MoreIn-Ear Monitoring
WIRELESS In-Ear Monitoring by Sennheiser’s Adam Karolewski. Put simply, the purpose of monitoring is to assist band members or performers by allowing them to hear themselves and others. Back in the day when I was still playing drums, I would have edited this to read, “allowing them to hear themselves”. End of story. Nothing…
Read MoreCX148 May 2019
NEWS Elation DARTZ for KISS “End of the Road” World Tour JBL A Series at New Zealand’s Summer Music Festivals Phase 3 Appoints Asia-Pacific Distributor 37 million reasons Theatre Royal will stay dark Robe at Transmission Australia NEW GEAR The Wireless Issue: Shure Reveal Twinplex. Mission: Take on DPA. By Julius Grafton Wireless Voodoo –…
Read MoreThe World Before Digital Pixels
PIXELS The World Before Digital Pixels by Simon Byrne. Before DVI, HDMI, SDI and Video over IP, we operated strictly in an analogue world. All video signals and displays were analogue. We didn’t talk pixels. We were more interested in “horizontal scan rate”, cable, distribution and amplifier bandwidth, as well as voltage loss…
Read MoreSight and Sound – Keep It Out Of Sync
TECH TALK Sight and Sound – Keep It Out Of Sync by Simon Byrne. That’s right, out of sync. At least from an audience perspective. There has been a lot of research done by the hearing aid industry to improve intelligibility for hearing aids. Some of that research can be applied to live events…
Read MoreShure reveal Twinplex. Mission: take on DPA
WIRELESS Shure reveal Twinplex. Mission: take on DPA by Julius Grafton. Shure revealed their new ultra-compact microphone line called TwinPlex at a media event in Chicago. It was a well-kept secret, despite its seven year gestation and a very, very large beta test campaign. The testers included Hillsong Church and Sydney Opera…
Read MoreCX147 April 2019
NEWS JBL A8 Launch Is NEP eyeing Australia and NZ production firms? Apogee joins Amber Technology Harry the Hirer goes to the Show VuePix for Domain Chandon and AudioPlus AVD give it a Big Bash with EAW’s Radius. By Fraser Walker Lounge Bites. By Julius Grafton ACETA – Industry hits half a Billion $AUD The…
Read MoreNetworking – the Cables
NETWORKING Networking – the Cables by Simon Byrne. In this piece we’ll discuss the cabling for a robust IP network in a show environment. If you want to get geeky with IP addresses, subnets, DHCP servers and the like, check out my previous article “Mission Critical Show Networks” in CX118 (Sept 2016). It is…
Read MoreMission Critical Show Networking
TECH TOOLS Mission Critical Show Networking by Simon Byrne. The live production and presentation industry relies on extremely reliable data networks to deliver our sound, lighting and vision content. The days of large analogue (and heavy) multicores are gone. This can be scary for those of us who have been around for a while. The concept…
Read MoreEntech 2019 – Show News and Announcements
ENTECH ROADSHOW 2019! Here are some news and announcements for each capital city exhibition… Entech Roadshow – March 5 – 19 in most capital cities Website | Facebook Check-out some feature products on show at Entech here And you could win one of these prizes just by attending … ENTECH PERTH – Tuesday March…
Read MoreNetwork LAN Scanning: See What’s Going On
NETWORKING Network LAN Scanning: See What’s Going On by Simon Byrne. When diagnosing problems with your show local area network, a LAN scanner is an indispensable tool. LAN scanners are programmes that pings all the IP addresses on a LAN. A ping is a basic network command that allows a user to verify that…
Read MoreTech Talk – The Poor Old Omnidirectional Microphone
TECH TALK The Poor Old Omnidirectional Microphone by Simon Byrne. The poor old omnidirectional (or omni) microphone has fallen out of favour, which is a shame because it has a lot of great characteristics. The primary reasons we don’t see many of them in live sound is gain before feedback, and spill between…
Read MoreCX145 March 2019
NEWS NSW Festival Crisis L-Acoustics at Tour Down Under Harman University schedule Robe T1 launch Tour ULA Group take on Astera Key Digital for JPRO NEW GEAR ENTECH Showguide: Your complete guide to ENTECH Roadshow FEATURES ISE 2019: Choose Your Own Adventure The Networking Issue Networking – the Cables. By Simon Byrne Network LAN Scanning…
Read MoreTour Smartly – Get Out There
TOURING Tour Smartly – Get Out There by Simon Byrne. Touring is different to one-off gigs in that when you are on a tour, you roll out the same production repeatedly. Therefore it pays to do it an efficient way. Efficiency gives you the gift of time which gives you the opportunity to refine your…
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