CobraNet revolutionized the distribution of audio in large-scale venues. However, if you’ve used CobraNet, you’ve run into a couple of “gotcha’s”. Since CobraNet is based on multiple virtual bundles of 8 audio channels, it is generally too expensive to use in transporting small numbers of audio channels. Rane’s new Mongoose and RAD remotes solve these problems (along with a few others) by converting audio to or from digital at the wall plate and transporting it over CAT 5 cables. It allows you to route these remotes to or from CobraNet and aggregate audio channels for full bundle utilization. Mongoose provides significant reductions in cost, labor and set up:

• CAT 5 cable instead of more expensive mic cables.
• Automatic self-testing of cables and remotes.
• Eliminates EMI and ground loops.
• Allows hot-swapping of RAD remote wall plates.
• Crimp-on RJ-45 connectors rather than soldering XLRs.

Mongoose’s 32-by-32 matrix router receives 16 audio channels from eight RADs via eight 8P8C (RJ-45) RAD ports. The second group of 16 input channels comes from two eight-channel CobraNet receive Bundles via CobraNet Primary and Secondary/backup ports. The 32 matrix router outputs 16 channels to eight RADs and 16 more channels to two CobraNet transmit Bundles.

RADs convert analog audio to and from 24-bit, 48 kHz digital audio and mount in standard US electrical gang boxes. CAT 5 cable transport four channels – two in each direction – along with power, ground and a communications channel via Rane’s proprietary RAD Network.

The Ethernet port provides direct or network connection to a computer running the included Mongoose Tracker setup software. It supports Auto MDI/MDIX, which detects and permits either an Ethernet crossover cable (included) or a standard Ethernet cable when directly connecting to a computer for setup.

Mongoose and RAD remotes are scheduled to ship May 2008.

LAS VEGAS, NV, April 14, 2008—This year’s NAB will mark the industry debut of the new Shure UR1M Micro-Bodypack in booth #N2830. Offering superior wireless audio in an ultra-compact package — about half the size of most standard bodypacks and weighing just three ounces with two AAA batteries — the UR1M is designed to be easily concealed and worn comfortably by actors, performers, musicians, and public speakers.

Operating with the premium Shure UHF-R® wireless microphone system platform using the latest version of the Shure Wireless Workbench software, the subminiature device uses the patented Shure Audio Reference Companding technology to deliver crystal-clear audio and a 60-75 MHz tuning range (region dependent)—twice that of any other bodypack on the market.

Tunable in 25 kHz increments and providing a sum total of up to 3,000 selectable frequencies, the UR1M also offers:

• selectable 10mW or 50mW RF power
• up to nine hours of battery life
• audio level metering
• a backlit LCD display

During the manufacture of each UR1M, the circuit board is specially treated to greatly enhance the sweat resistance and durability of the device, allowing it to be worn close to the skin. As easy to use and setup as any other UHF-R Series product, the miniature bodypack complements its list of functional features with a choice of TQG or Lemo-3 connectors and selectable alkaline, lithium primary, or NIMH battery curves for accurate power metering.

The UR1M was the only bodypack used during the broadcast of the 2008 Academy Awards, worn by host Jon Stewart with a Shure WL51 cardioid subminiature lavalier microphone. It also was used at the 2008 Miss America Pageant and is currently on tour with Maroon 5.  The UR1M has a suggested retail price of $3,198 (UR1M/LEMO3 is $3,298) and will be available globally from authorized Shure dealers in summer 2008.

“There are certainly other miniature bodypacks out there, but the new UR1M is the first that I consider to be part of a superb sounding wireless microphone system,” notes audio engineer Don Worsham, one of the first to put the device to work in the field. “In-back-to-back comparisons we made on the set at this year’s Miss America pageant with a full-size pack, we found that we couldn’t distinguish the difference. The miniature pack offers the same improved frequency response and dynamic range, and performs with identical signal-to-noise and low distortion characteristics.  I’m still wondering how Shure managed to cram all of that into such a small space.”

Engineers and executives from CBC Technical recently attended Bosch’s Music Retail Academy in Burnsville, Minnesota. The academy covered the dynamic range of products offered by Electrovoice, Midas, Klark Teknik and Dynacord including speakers, microphones, amplifiers, system processors and mixing consoles.

“The information gathered in the academy will help us better serve our customers by choosing the correct piece of equipment for their situation,” says Scott Chester, President & CEO of CBC Technical who was in attendance for the three day academy. “With so many products from manufacturers it is important that our staff knows the difference between the products to give our customers the best sounding system that will meet their requirements – budgetary or otherwise. It is important that even our staff members with years of experience continue to spend time in training to keep on top of changing product lines and emerging technologies.”

Attendees were given a sneak peak at some new products that will be released soon to fill some existing gaps between product lines and increase performance. Electrovoice does not believe in bringing a product to market simply to copy another line; rather, they prefer to create products suited for the application for which they are needed. “Electrovice and their family of brands provide a good range of products to fit the needs of the versatile situations we encounter and their business philosophy seems to be much in line with our vision here at CBC,” Chester says. “They don’t make a product just to hit a price point and while price is a compelling factor we don’t compete directly on price; instead we rely on our superior customer service and offerings while considering the total cost of ownership.”

If you have questions about the services that CBC Technical can provide for you or need help in choosing the correct product for your situation, please give CBC Technical a call at 877-4-CBC-TECH.

The new Merit-x series provides convenient, rackmountable power conditioning solutions to the value-conscious consumer. Upgrades from the previous Merit models include increased protection with a higher joule rating, increased AC noise filtration for a lower noise floor, and a more robust chassis, with wall-wart outlet spacing on the rear panel to accommodate bulky power transformers.

The series offers three new products. The M-8x provides eight filtered and protected rear-panel outlets with a front-panel convenience outlet and “Protection OK” indicator light. The M-8Lx adds pull-out light tubes (with dimmer knob) for discreet rack illumination, while the M-8Dx provides light tubes as well as a laboratory-grade front-panel digital voltmeter to monitor incoming voltage.

“We are very excited to introduce the new Merit-x series to our discriminating customers,” said Dave Keller, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Furman and Panamax. “For users who have come to rely on the technologies of our Merit series, the new products offer even greater levels of protection and filtration for sensitive components.”

The new Merit-x series will be available in March at an SRP of $70 for the M-8x, $110 for the M-8Lx, and $150 for the M-8Dx.

CBC Technical recently designed and installed a small television studio for a major golf equipment manufacturer. The project was a complete success. Utilizing a combination of products from all of the American DJ group of companies, CBC was able to provide a quality product well within the established budget. Project manager Nathaniel Pitcher thought the project was a great success saying: “It was great being able to get everything from one source. The support from the companies has been outstanding.”

Truss was provided from Global Truss. Installation was very easy, even within the compact space of this small office building. In addition, Global’s unique line of truss furniture was a perfect match to complete the look of the set. The client was thrilled beyond their expectations, saying: “It actually looks like a real studio.”

The Par 36 LED from American DJ allows great flexibility in changing the mood of the set. LED truss warmers were placed at every junction to really make the set shine. Their compact size and beam angle provided excellent coverage of the truss without spilling onto the rest of the set.

One of the challenges of turning a small office space into a television studio is the huge amount of power usually required for professional studio lighting. Along with the problem of  finding sufficient power was the amount of heat that typical studio fixtures give off. They simply would not work in a small space such as this. CBC overcame this challenge with Elation’s Design LED 36WA. The high output LEDs ran cool using hardly any power. They also gave the advantage of having remotely adjustable color temperature and intensity.

Bringing everything together was a Scene Setter controller from Elation and dmx cable from Accu-Cable. The Scene Setter’s flexibility and ease of use was unmatched by any controller in its price range.

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The ideal complement to the Countryman E6 and E6i EarSet microphones, the EarClip provides comfortable, adjustable, extremely low-profile two-ear support.

Built of the same lightweight, incredibly durable materials used in our EarSets, the EarClip tolerates sweat, weather, and makeup, while virtually disappearing on stage. Much lighter than other headsets, it fits easily and holds securely without distracting performers.

Purchase online or contact a CBC Technical representative at 877-4-CBC-TECH.

CBC Technical deployed Electro-Voice sound reinforcement to help a leading fast food brand “Make it Personal” to their employees: EV XLD281 super-compact line arrays were ground-stacked along with EV Xsub subwoofers under the stage, providing warm, high-resolution sound for video rolls and corporate executives alike.

Having carefully planned their deployment using EV’s LAPS (Line Array Prediction Software) back at their shop, CBC’s system design delivered even coverage throughout the soundstage, as well as reducing the impact on sightlines: “XLD was chosen for its amazing size and weight to performance ratio, which helped our staff minimize the time required to setup this show,” says Chris Batchelor, Production Manager. “That was exceptionally important at this event, due to timing restrictions and the amount of time the crew was allocated for load-in.”

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Aviom announces the remote-controllable 6416m Mic Input Module provides 16 state-of-the-art mic- level analog inputs to a Pro64 system. Each channel features continuous gain control, +48V phantom power, low cut filter, phase invert, mute, and a network activation button. With a switchable pad per channel, the 6416m also accepts balanced line-level inputs.

The RCI Remote Control Interface and MCS Mic Control Surface provide flexible and intuitive monitoring and remote control of 6416m Mic Input Modules.

A single RCI and MCS can be used to control up to 64 channels of 6416m inputs, regardless of their location in the network. Alternatively, any number of RCI Remote Control Interfaces can be installed throughout a Pro64® network, providing multiple control points. The Control Group function on the 6416m and RCI allows control of network channels to be divided among up to four different simultaneous users and control points.

CBC Technical is now accepting pre-orders for these new items.  Product will begin shipping in June 2008.

For information on any of Aviom’s fine products, visit: www.aviom.com

BSS Audio®, a Harman International Company (NYSE-HAR), introduces four new members to its acclaimed Soundweb™ London family of digital signal processors. The new BLU-800, BLU-320, BLU-160 and BLU-120 join the BLU-80, BLU-32 and BLU-16 devices in the series, reflecting BSS Audio’s commitment to continually offer increased flexibility and system enhancements. A new version of HiQnet London Architect, v2.00, provides support for the four new devices and several significant feature additions. A dedicated and comprehensively featured Room Combine Processing Object abstracts the complexity of room combining applications and greatly reduces programming time for such applications. The addition of Dynamic Metering allows efficient troubleshooting of Soundweb London systems through the use of simple signal presence monitoring. The incredible flexibility and capability of the Soundweb London platform has resulted in global adoption and installation within a diverse range of applications, and these four new models represent the latest technological innovations as they take the power and performance of Soundweb to unprecedented levels.

The new devices feature a low latency, fault tolerant digital audio bus of 256 channels. In addition to providing a backbone for the transportation of multiple channels, this bus also facilitates the creation of large, fault-tolerant, centralized matrices containing multiple devices. The digital audio bus uses standard, inexpensive Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable, which enables a distance of 100 meters between devices; fiber media converters and fiber can be utilized to increase this distance in excess of 40km.

A ring topology ensures that if a single connection fails, all bus channels are retained with negligible interruption to audio. Comprehensive error reporting notifies users of a cable fault or termination issue so that necessary steps can be taken to restore the integrity of the system. Further processing fault tolerance can be achieved by spanning matrices over multiple devices.

The BLU-800 and BLU-160 models feature configurable DSP, boasting four times the processing capability of exiting Soundweb London DSP devices. The combination of the digital audio bus and increased DSP capability allow 128 x 128 matrices within individual devices and 128 x n matrices within a system.

Since its advent, the BSS Audio Soundweb London series has drawn acclaim for its flexibility and intuitive operation. All seven models offer pristine audio quality, advanced A/D and D/A conversion, 96kHz capability, drag-and-drop system design with CobraNet™ bundle assignment, Ethernet based control, an extensive range of control options from simple to sophisticated, easy expansion or reconfiguration of system hardware in the field and an upgrade path for future enhancements.

Each of the seven different processors maintains device level I/O flexibility and offers a different mix of signal processing, CobraNet and digital audio bus functionality, making a Soundweb London system the perfect match for any application.

For more information visit our online showroom HERE.

CBC has added Checkers Industrial Safety Products to it’s long list of manufacturers that we have available for you.

Checkers has been manufacturing and providing superior quality safety products since 1987. Our service professionals are trained to understand the safety issues in many industries so we can quickly help you find the right safety products to meet your needs and bring your business into compliance.

Ideal for public, commercial, and industrial areas.

Protect valuable electrical cables, cords and hose lines from damage and abuse while ensuring a method of safe passage for vehicles and pedestrian traffic. Ideal for industrial environments where heavy duty cable protection is required. We also offer ADA compliant cable covers and cable bridges to fit these cable protectors.

Product can be found online HERE