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From the Blog

29

Dec '21

Navigating inventory struggles in 2022

2020 and 2021 have provided all sorts of new challenges that everyone, across every industry, has had to learn to navigate. Some of them were obvious from the start of the pandemic. Others have popped up in unexpected places along the way.

If you haven’t noticed, the entire supply chain has a few kinks in it. Chip shortages, labor shortages, material prices, plant shutdowns and import/export cycles have all compounded to make our lives more difficult. While we at Techrep can’t jump in to build gear or drive a boat, (though if we could we definitely would) there are some things that we can do to help you manage your supply chain and better your chances of closing your jobs on time.

Get in the Queue Early
In the past, when you were getting ready to order for a project you would probably call your rep to check stock. If it wasn’t available, you’d have to decide if you need to wait or if there is another acceptable option. These days, by the time you chase down all those options only to find out that nobody has product, you’ve lost valuable spots in the order queue.
What we would suggest instead is that you place the order and THEN check your other options. It’s not usually difficult to cancel an order, but inventory situations are changing so quickly that waiting a day could be the difference between getting product this month or 3 months from now.
Some options that are often available to help mitigate the risk of ordering early is to request a scheduled ship or a hold before ship. This way if you forget that you have placed this order and no longer need the product, it doesn’t show up on your doorstep one day and you get hit with a restocking fee.

Stock your Staples
If you’re a retailer, this is probably your standard operating procedure already. If you’re an integrator, this may or may not be something that you have had to worry about in the past. It may be time to take a look at your purchasing history. Are there things that you order on a more frequent basis than the ETAs that you are getting for those products? If so, order more than you need and stick the extras on a shelf. Of course, this requires an additional investment that you will need to account for, however when the next job comes along starting and finishing that sale faster will give you an advantage over your competitors.
If you aren’t sure what your staples are, ask us! We have that sort of data at our fingertips and would be more than happy to help you make an inventory plan.

Plan Ahead
When you are spending your day to day scrambling to find product, finish projects, close sales, etc, it can be difficult to keep an eye on the bigger picture. However, planning what your inventory needs might be for the year can save you a LOT of headache down the road.
Planning your inventory ahead can have a few benefits. It helps us help our vendors plan their inventory. Ultimately this could mean that the product is in stock when you need it or the lead time is at least more manageable. It can also give us the ability to prioritize fulfillment on projects that we knew about ahead of time. This isn’t always the case, but it often is.
Many people, including myself, get caught in the trap of thinking that planning too far ahead isn’t helpful because they don’t know enough about the future to make an accurate prediction. I have learned from many years of experience that the accuracy of this prediction doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think it does. Don’t get hung up on having the perfect plan. Just make the plan and adjust along the way.

Communication is Key
At Techrep, we are communicating with our vendors about inventory and order fulfillment every single day. We have experience that helps us navigate our vendors’ systems and procedures to make sales happen. The more we know about what your needs are, the more valuable we can be to you and your business.

Let’s start with a call. We can talk trends and what each of us is expecting to happen in the new year that we can plan for.

21

Feb '19

AES67 Setup in Q-SYS

Ingesting audio into a Q-SYS Core via AES67 allows quick and easy integration of network audio devices like the Shure MXA-910, Sennheiser Team Connect Ceiling Mic, Atterotech wall plates and other compatible Dante and AES67 devices.

Here are 3 easy steps and a setup guide…

  1. Setup your switch with an IGMP Snooping querier
  2. Activate your AES67 streams on your device
  3. set up a Media Stream Receiver block in your Q-SYS design

Click for a Step by Step guide: https://bit.ly/2T6XD1T

12

Jul '18

Multi-Channel setup with Sennheiser EW100 wireless G4

Sennheiser’s Wireless System Manager software allows you to control, monitor and setup large systems across mics and IEMs with ease and it works on EW300 series on up the line to Digital 9000 series. BUT… what if you have a few channels of 100 series G4 systems?  Are you being punished for buying the less expensive system by having to do 4 times the work?  Of course you’re not!  The evolution 100 G4 series allows you to coordinate up to 12 channels by networking the systems together using the RJ10 port on the back of the receiver and the corresponding cable that is included in the box. It’s really simple. You just create a small network by connecting each receiver together in a daisy chain configuration. Run a scan on the first receiver in the chain and set the frequency. The other devices in the chain will then prompt you to assign their frequency as well. You confirm the change on each receiver and BAM!!! You have a frequency coordinated multi channel setup that will be free of intermodulation problems.

For detailed directions on how to run the scan and setup your systems, follow THIS LINK to the proper section of the online manual.

11

Jul '18

6 ways to get BlueTooth into your Commercial AV System

Bluetooth connectivity is a staple of daily personal communication and entertainment these days. The commercial A/V business was slower to adopt, and for good reason.  Poor connectivity, a lack of consistent user experience and garbage audio quality plagued Bluetooth devices early on.  Those issues have largely been addressed (with a few exceptions) and the users of commercial AV systems have come to expect Bluetooth connectivity to their conference rooms, entertainment systems, business music systems, etc.

Techrep has no fewer than 6 different ways from 3 manufacturers, so get a high quality Bluetooth link to your commercial A/V system. Keep these in mind while you are working through your next design!

 Switchcraft

Every salesperson at Techrep carries a Switchcraft 318BT in their bag. It might possibly be the most convenient way to get connected via Bluetooth, especially when it’s “spur of the moment.” The 318BT uses Switchcraft’s AudioStix form factor which is compact and extremely rugged. One end of the 318BT has a male XLR connector that plugs into any XLR input. The other end is a Bluetooth antenna. The 318BT can be powered using your console’s phantom power OR via a 5v micro USB input on the side. The Bluetooth connection to your device is a Bluetooth 4.0 stereo headset device link, but inside the 318BT, the left and right channels are summed together to make a single mono output. This makes it convenient to plug into a single input channel on your console or powered loudspeaker.

 

PreSonus

PreSonus AR and StudioLive Series III consoles both have Bluetooth inputs that are easily setup from the master section of the mixer and can be used like an aux input to your mix.  on the AR mixer, pairing your device could not be easier. Hit the bluetooth button to turn the feature on and hit the pair button to enter pairing mode. On the StudioLive Series III, the Tape In can be fed from the SD Card, USB, the AVB network or the Bluetooth link.

 

Atterotech

unBT2A – The unBT2A is a high quality decora mount Bluetooth receiver that connects to an audio/control breakout box via a cat5/6 cable. That connection is NOT a network connection, however the Bluetooth front end of this device is the front end for the network endpoints mentioned below.

The unBT2A is an elegant solution for a permanent install, commercial or residential. It give the use easy interface access without going into a rack or cabinet and it’s a familiar interface to most people.

unA6IO-BT & unD6IOBT– These models are actual network endpoints that will send multi channel audio ingested at the wall plate to your DSP or mixer via either AES67 (unA6IOBT) or Dante(unD6IOBT) protocols.  To expand even further on the capabilities that being a network endpoint afford, there are native plugins available to control these devices from QSC and Symetrix DSP processors.  Having that sort of native control, allows you to give the user the necessary control via the same interface that they are using for the rest of their system.

If you aren’t convinced already and you would like a demo or a chance to test any of these product, please call or email us and we will be happy to help make that possible. Email sales@techrep.com or call us at 440-327-1624.

12

Oct '17

West Virginia State Fair leans on QSC and Worx.

Deep in southeastern West Virginia is a little place called Lewisburg, which is home to the magnificent West Virginia State Fair. When the Fairground Event Center began looking for a way to deliver exceptional audio content across the expansive fairgrounds, it met many challenges. To cover the areas between buildings they needed high output, high fidelity devices that could endure sustained inclement weather ranging from rain to snow and extreme cold to direct summer sun. Not only that, but the distances between buildings on the grounds presented an additional challenge concerning the needed distribution of audio and control, in order to deliver the required features.

To tackle these issues the Fair, with the help of Charles Hatcher at Alpha Music in Lewisburg, decided on QSC’s Q-SYS platform paired with Acoustic Design Series AD-S12s and PreSonus’ Worx Audio Stadium Series weatherized arrays.
 
To address the geographic challenges, switches were placed around the fairground at the amplifier locations. Fiberoptic links connected each location because copper data networks could not traverse the required distances.

A single Q-SYS Core110f is doing all the audio routing, as well as control and monitoring of the system, while the Q-LAN network feeds CXD4.5Q amplifiers around the fairground. This is a testament to the power of the small, but mighty Core110f. The processor is mixing and routing sources to all the outputs, as well as handling array processing and all the user control interfaces for the entire fairground!
 
Users access zone controls, source selection and monitoring via a Q-SYS User Control Interface. Those controls are accessible from anywhere on the grounds via an iPad.

 

When it came to moving the air around the fairground, PreSonus Commercial came out of the gate swinging with their Stadium Series weatherized X2 and X5 arrays. The X2 and X5 are high performance, all-in-one line array systems. These systems take the design principles of a flexible array and build them into a single optimized system. The Worx arrays deliver full bandwidth, dynamic playback of music at impressive distances.
 
With the arrays in place, Tony Flammia of PreSonus Commercial took measurements at the convergent points of the many sources. Q-SYS processing aligns those sources so that regardless of the listeners’ location, they only appear to be listening to one source.

The team that made this project possible included people from Techrep Marketing, Alpha Music, PreSonus and The West Virginia State Fair. This is a perfect example of how a system can be very lean, with minimal hardware, minimal points of failure and still deliver a premium user experience.

www.qsc.com
www.commercial.presonus.com
www.statefairofwv.com
Alpha Music on Facebook

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