I got an email the other day from a woman called Jean Miller, who identified herself as an editor at JenReviews, which covers a lot of different areas. She cited a press release from Harman Professional that had been posted in our Live Design Online Briefing Room, and she suggested that we link an article her company recently did, titled “The Best Audio Mixer,” on their sister site, Beginner Guitar HQ. They refer to it as “an updated, comprehensive guide on how to choose the best audio mixer.” Why didn’t I simply hit delete?
I had actually clicked on the article to see what it was about, and my first thought was it was kind of 101 territory. But as I reminded myself, a lot of people who visit our website or attend our Live Design International (LDI) trade show and conference are 101 kind of folks. Not all 15,000+ of them are seasoned professionals. And this kind of information could be very useful to a sector of our audience.
So I started wondering how many other such items, if you will, might be out there as I am sure the web is full of them. Not all appropriate to our market, such as when you look for information on choosing a fog machine, many of the entries are about your Halloween party! But hey, good info for a mobile DJ perhaps for a Halloween Party, Bar Mitzvah, Aunt Betty’s 90th birthday party…you never know when you might need good fog!
So if you are looking for info, there is a lot on various manufacturers’ sites, as well as websites such as Control Booth, and if you know what you are looking for, you might save money on sites like Used Lighting, Sound Broker, and others.
For choosing a lighting console, there are a few basic guides, including the Used Lighting/Lighting Lounge “The Definitive Guide To Lighting Consoles,” and “How To Choose Your First (or next) Lighting Console” by David Henry, founder of Learn Stage Lighting.
As for using LED fixtures, I was amused to find a website called Theatrecrafts.com (Pat MacKay, do you have a secret hobby?). They published a guide to Lighting With LEDs. Once again basic, but informative.
And in the UK, we find On Stage Lighting, with an online resource, featuring stage lighting tutorials, information, and "how to." Lots and lots of entries here, including a video channel.
Of course, the best way to choose gear, and learn to use it, is to see it up close and personal at LDI, where many leading manufacturers launch hot new products and do hands-on training. So happy web browsing for now, and see you in Las Vegas in October!