If you’re new to working with portable PA gear or simply not used to it, some of the buttons, plugs, or switches may at first seem confusing or even a little daunting.

This series of non-sequential articles introduces many of them and explains how they work so you can sound your best. (more…)

Everybody uses headphones. They’re easy to use – just put them on and listen right? Using them should be and usually is that simple, but not always. While their use is probably more common than any other piece of audio equipment, there are subtleties behind the design of many features found on headphones and headsets which can help determine what’s “best” for your expected needs. While some features may not be readily apparent, they can have an effect on day-to-day classroom uses, so make sure the most appropriate model is selected for the job at hand. Think of it as choosing the most right tool for the job. You wouldn’t normally choose to use a high-performance race car to go off roading or wear sandals to go hiking in the snow just as you wouldn’t select expensive active noise-canceling headphones for story time in a pre-k listening center.

(more…)

6th in a series of articles about headphones and headsets.

The use of headphones in computer labs, in classroom or library-based listening centers is perhaps the most common of all school-based audio applications. But even in this simplest of uses, there can still be occasional questions. For instance, have you ever plugged in a headphone and not heard anything even though you know the media player or computer works? Or what if audio is coming out from only one of the earcups? How or why do these things happen? Don’t toss out any headphones just yet; the solution could be simply hidden in the nature of stereo and mono audio. (more…)