STEP 1: Size & Application     What kind of system do you need?  This is the most important step. Without a clear idea of what your needs and expectations are, you are not going to be succesful.
a) Are you just amplifying voice,  voice and lite background music or a live band with drums and electronic instruments? Make a list of what you need to amplify including mics for vocalists and direct boxes(DI) for instruments. Is there any need for wireless mics? Do you need monitors?    b) Do you have someone to operate your system or will it be hands off?    c) How big is the space? Be specific and measure the space including height and shape. Are there any other spaces that need sound like “cry rooms”, bathrooms, or a foyer.    d) What are the overall acoustics?  Is the room very dry sounding or does it have a lot of echo?What are the materials in your room? Is it glass, brick, drywall.
STEP 2: The Future…..  examples: Recording, Broadcasting and/or Duplication     Many times it is much cheaper to install the wiring and infrastructure for future requirements when you are installing a sound or lighting system. Even if the other systems are not budgeted yet..  In some cases these broadcast and duplication systems can be an important added income stream and can even pay for your equipment and needs to be considered during the design phase.
STEP 3:  The Budget!!     I know what your thinking, this should have been first.  I  believe doing the job right is much cheaper in the long run.  If you can’t find a way to fund the job and do it right the 1st time then when are you going to find the money to do it again.  You need to purchase and build a system based on your requirements.  Buy the correct equipment even if you purchase it a portion at a time.
STEP4:   The Equipment.      Obviously Carvin is in the business of selling you gear.  We have some great prepackaged systems as well as full Design and Installation.  Even if all you need is a final tuning or training we can help you.
So onward and upward we look forward to helping you with your adio and lighting needs.

I seem to be getting a lot of calls these days from churches with a need for some kind of hearing impaired system.  I’ve no doubt this is caused by a number of issues.  Those of us of a certain, baby boomer,  age listened to to much loud music and are now paying the price.  We are all inundated with music and noise from everywhere all of the time.  A good example of this is Disney theme parks.   The next time you are there notice the music is just a little bit to loud and all of it is in the Key of “C”.  Shopping malls, Restaurants cel phones there is no where to hide and once you lose it….. it’s gone forever.

Last Sunday I was visiting a client I had installed a Sound and Lighting system for a few years ago.  They had called me for a demo of Carvin’s EM900 in-ear monitor system as a solution for their hearing impaired.  The price is about the same so it made sense to me.  The comments were mostly centered around how “clear” the sound was.  Clear being the operative word I realized what they were really talking about was the higher quality signal you would get with an in-ear system designed for musicians.  The EM900 also comes stereo or “dual mono”.  They could have a translation track for spanish or…   There is the issue of the FCC designated frequencies for hearing impaired(72-76Mhz 216-217Mhz) because the EM900 uses 638-662Mhz(wireless mic ranges)   but most manufacturers have already quit using 72-76Mhz because a number of municipal police/fire/emergency  are broadcasting very close to those frequencies.  So the frequency agile EM900 can offer a lot more channel selection.

As part of our commercial services we now offer design and installation of Leviton/NSI lighting products.   We are determined to be your one stop for Audio,  Back Line and now Lighting products.

*On a warm southern California morning I enter Carvin’s world headquarters in San Diego. Up the stairs and all the way to the end of the corridor is a door to what I call…. The “Toy Room” A large space all in black and open to the roof filled with all manner of audio equipment. Speakers rigged and hanging from the ceiling above a stage. Amps and processing in roll around racks. Mixers, speaker cabinets and guitar amps. There are prototypes of things that just weren’t good enough as well as some of the best and most successful products in the catalog.
Today we are doing a blind test of the new HD1500(class D) against the DCM2000(class A/B) and the DCM3000(class A/B) Power amps. After Installing and rigging a functioning commercial system in the Santa Ana store using some of the TRx and TM series cabinets I had used these three amps and a XD88(EQ and routing) set up so they could be demonstrated in various configurations. I had mentioned that I could hear a difference between the HD1500 and the other 2 amps. The next thing you know I’m standing in the Toy Room with an A-B switch in my hand doing a blind test. Did I mention how passionate and serious the folks at Carvin are about their products?! I was able to pick out the HD1500, just barely! Traditionally digital power amps tend to produce less low end. The HD1500 had a subtle difference in the low end but sounded clearer and better imaged from low mids on up.   The DCM2000 had a little more in the low end but wasn’t as smooth in the high mids. The DCM3000 had the best response top to bottom but has a lot more power than the other 2 and wasn’t being driven very hard. I’ve used a number of the HD1500 in church installations and they have worked great.
You can do this test for yourself in the Carvin Santa Ana store. Come on in and hear what a properly tuned set up would sound like in your commercial space.

This is a video from the Carvin Channel. Some fun shots from the NAMM Show last January.

Carvin, Inc. is proud to anounce the expansion of our commercial department with the addition of TM and TCS audio lines of products.  We also offer full design, installation, service and consulting.  Give us a call for your next project.