A Round Peg In A Square Hole

Posted on by Jeff Posted in audio visual, good business ideas, mic cables, microphones & mic stands, Pro lighting, Pro Sound, speaker cables — No Comments ↓

mike2Recent responses to an older blog posting about using XLR connectors on speaker cables caught me by surprise. It  got me  thinking about how ongoing evolution in this connector system has allowed it to stay relevant through generation after generation of audio development.

The XLR connector was first developed by James Cannon at ITT and was introduced to the audio market in 1958.  Amazingly, through all the changes in connector standards and component wiring, the XLR is still the audio standard for microphone and patch cables.

One reason for its long life is that the basics of the design, much like good computer software design, have moved into the public domain.  Anyone who has a better idea can bring their own version of the XLR connector to market.

A simple innovation developed by the Switchcraft company is an example of this design concept.

Cannon’s design for the XLR was for a round connector-a good idea since it fit well to a round cable and allowed the cable to be dragged along the floor without catching and tangling.  Cannon’s concept called for both round body connectors on the cable and a round body “chassis mount” connector-the mating female connector found on the equipment or multicable box that the cable connector mated with.

A simple innovation by Switchcraft-changing the body shape of the panel mount connector from round to rectangular-meant that more connectors could be mounted side-by-side in a confined space since they could now fit edge to edge.  You can see the value of that design change today by comparing a contemporary audio mixer to one built in the 1960’s or ’70’s.

XLR_SQUARE

XLR_ROUND

Many minds contributing to the evolution of the XLR connector means that it will remain the audio industry standard for many years to come.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Our Hosa & MI cables use industry standard XLR connectors.

Just Call Us At 1-800-We’ve-Got-No-Phone

Posted on by Jeff Posted in customer service, good business ideas, web development — No Comments ↓

spokesguyI doubt if I’m the only one that finds irony in Google’s latest customer service problem.  They’re selling phones, but apparently they don’t have any of their own.

The new Nexus One cell phone was released earlier this month, but buyers, some whom have paid over $500.00 for the smartphones, find they are on their own if they have problems.

Not only does Google not provide a customer service phone number, they have announced that buyers should not expect to have emails answered for at least 48 hours.

This has the potential to give Google a real black eye before they even get started with their new hardware sales initiative.  A company with the profits and excess cash flow of Google would have had no problem in financing and developing a customer service operation to support the launch of the Nexus.

It’s hard to know if they were being arrogant, or just naive, but they would have had no difficulty in understanding what sort of customer support would be required to support a new cell phone.  Just visit a Verizon store.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

No Wonder Google Wants To Sell Hardware

Posted on by Jeff Posted in Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

ted_headThe ongoing battle between the Google mobile operating system for cell phones and Apple’s IPhone was accelerated last week with the release of the Nexus One, a smart phone that is actually branded as a Google device.

There has been lots of speculation as to why Google was interested in getting into the hardware business, as they are primarily a search engine driven advertising company.

This article in Forbes makes it clear why Google has such a keen interest in this market.  The profit potential is amazing.

The Nexus One is sold directly from Google (web sales only) and can be purchased in one of two ways.  You can purchase a subsidized phone along with a two year contract for service from T-Mobile.  The price of the phone is $179.00.

Or, you can purchase the phone outright-unlocked (no service contract) for $529.00 and make a deal with your own choice of service providers.

Forbes estimates that the actual cost of manufacturing the phone is $174.15.  That means that Google’s gross profit on every phone is  $354.85, a whopping $204% markup.

If Google is successful in getting a phone to market that people will buy without a contract, then it might force cell carriers to open up their market and be more competitive when it comes to pricing.

Google’s decision to price the Nexus One at such a ridiculously high price means that this probably won’t happen any time soon.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

This Thing Is Too Smart To Be Called A Phone

Posted on by Jeff Posted in audio visual, microphones & mic stands, Pro Sound — No Comments ↓

JEFF_SIGNATURE_SMALLLast Saturday I attended a women’s basketball game at UNC Chapel Hill, my alma mater.  A major multi-million dollar renovation of Carmichael Auditorium was being unveiled and I was anxious to see the upgrades to the building where I worked my first concert, 40 years ago.

Carmichael has always been an acoustical nightmare, and I was skeptical as to whether ceiling treatment and a new sound system might actually improve the building.

I was really impressed!

The building looks great, and I was able to understand every word the announcer said.  Congratulations, UNC.

One of our former employees, Wes Hardison, is serving as the sound person for women’s basketball this season, and that’s where my phone story begins.

I have written before about the Motorola Droid, my new cell phone, and on Saturday I learned some great new tricks.

I was able to download a couple of applications (free, no less) for the phone while sitting in the stands watching the game and listening to the new sound system.

One was a SPL meter (sound level meter).  The other was a frequency spectrum analyzer.

I was able to roam all around the arena, take acoustical readings directly on the phone, and then text message Wes quantitative information regarding what I was hearing.   He could then make adjustments from his position beside the playing floor, based on what I was hearing in the stands.  All as simple as a phone call!

Have you got an interesing smart phone story?  Share it with our readers.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. 

How We Treat Our Best Customers

Posted on by Jeff Posted in customer service, good business ideas, Other News — No Comments ↓

spokesguyI rarely go to the grocery store during the week, but I was out of the office this morning and stopped by to pick up something for lunch.

I grabbed a couple of items and jumped in the express line.  To my right, each of the next three lanes had at least two young mothers with one or more children in tow.  My items cost less than six dollars, but their overflowing carts suggested that they would spend a hundred dollars or more by the time they left the store.

What sort of thinking would lead the store management to allow me to jump in a quick serve line, but force these loyal high dollar customers to line up one behind the other and wait to be served while they attempted to keep their kids entertained?

Seems backwards to me.

Why not have a “moms only” line, one where the store would provide a little extra service while assuring that these valued customers were able to get in and out with as little complication as possible?

Parents purchasing for the family will be back to the store over and over again, yet grocery stores continue to serve the lowest dollar customers with the highest level of service while they buy items that they may not purchase again for weeks.

Just something to think about.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Share your insights on customer service with our readers.

Think Twitter Doesn’t Matter? Dell Knows Better!

Posted on by Jeff Posted in customer service, good business ideas, Other News, web development — No Comments ↓

spokesguyDell’s recent failure to deliver Christmas computers before the big day has proven the power of Twitter in a big way.  Tweets about products and delivery times have caught the attention of no less than the New York Times.

Every desk in our office holds a Dell computer, but recent Twitter posts will certainly make me reconsider their computers the next time we need a new one.

The Times reports that thousands have posted to Twitter about their Dell experience and the conversation has even migrated to Dell’s own blog.  Complaints of delivery times delayed by as much as two months have forced Dell to go on the defensive, but they seem unable to counter the volume of complaints that continue to flow to Twitter.

Fair or not, the ability of a customer to post to Twitter about a consumer experience and immediately join a community of like minded buyers means its a new day for big players like Dell.

Do you have an insight into using Twitter or other social networks to take on a Goliath?  Share it with us.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Join our social networking community by subscribing to our newsletter.

2010-Ready or Not, Here We Come

Posted on by Jeff Posted in audio visual, good business ideas, web development — No Comments ↓

ted_headI’ve spent most of the morning reading blogs with predictions about what to expect from internet development in 2010.

The most consistent prediction, by far (shows up on every list), is that we should expect a true explosion in internet video.  The combination of an expansion in bandwidth, the ease in which new content can be developed and the ability to search online for videos based on their content all mean that the value of internet video has increased greatly.

Last year we rolled out our video “how to” animation series, designed as simple teaching tools for those who work in audio visual and entertainment production.  They have been well received and we look forward to producing more in the new year.

The use of the web as a teaching medium can quickly expand, due to the ability of cell phones to now stream video.

Need to know how the pros tape down a cable?  Our “how to” animation is as close as your smart phone.

Do you have a good idea for a “how to” animation for the audio visual production community.  Let us know.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

When Is A Holiday Not A Holiday

Posted on by Jeff Posted in customer service, good business ideas, Other News — No Comments ↓

ted_headLately, it seems that the day before a holiday has become a de-facto holiday.  That’s not  exactly the way I would recommend digging out of the worst recession in 75 years.

Our UPS pickup driver just dropped by to let us know that UPS had decided to make no deliveries on Dec. 31 and that he had been ordered to take the day off.  We have been shipping UPS this fall for the first time in several years, and, all  in all, it has been a good experience.

Discovering that they would not be serving their customers (namely, us) on a day when we will be open and serving our customers (you) really caught us off guard.

It is difficult to see how a company whose third quarter 2009 revenues were down almost $2 billion can really afford to take off a holiday that no one else takes off.  When your average daily package volume, your operating profit and your earnings per share are all down significantly from 2008 levels, the logic of this decision escapes me and will probably escape the logic of the stock market as well.

We spend much of our time making sure that we partner with businesses who have our customers’ best interests in mind.  UPS’s unwillingness to deliver to our customers, many of whom will be involved in producing New Year’s Eve events, on what should be a regular work day makes our job a lot more difficult.

I’m glad we kept our FedEx account open.  We’ll be happy to ship your order for  Dec. 31 delivery even if UPS isn’t.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  Meeting customer needs will always be job 1!

A Big Loss For Pro Sound

Posted on by Jeff Posted in audio visual, good business ideas, Other News, Pro Sound — No Comments ↓

good-idea-jeff_small_biggerI was saddened to learn today of the death of Ross Ritto, one of the pioneers in the modern sound reinforcement industry.  Ross had a direct impact on my entry into pro sound and it was always good to come across his name in trade journals and discussions about pro sound touring.

I have written a number of times about the “graying” of the pro sound industry, but losing Ross at the age of 60 really brings this home for me.

While best known as the founder and CEO of Sound Image, a major west coast touring company, I first encountered Ross back in the 1970’s. His company, Silverfish Audio, a sound company from Buffalo, NY  provided a touring audio system for Jimmy Buffett.

Ross brought a football stadium sized sound system to my alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill, and by the end of the day I had a totally new concept of what major league sound reinforcement was about.

Although I was only one of many stagehands on the call, Ross took as much time as need to answer all my questions, no matter how ridiculous, and that Jimmy Buffet show as one of the most memorable of my career.

This was in the days of multi-component horn loaded sound systems, and with the information I learned from Ross, I built a “mini” system much like the one he brought to Kenan Stadium.  In fact, there are probably a couple of pieces of this package still lurking in the back of our warehouse.

My decision to pursue a pro sound career was met at every step by patient professionals like Ross, and I consider knowing him one of the highlights of my 30 hears in a great industry.

He will be missed.

(link to the original Silverfish Audio brochure with pics of the sound system I am talking about)

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.  We appreciate those pioneers that built the pro sound business.

A Copper Top For My Rag Top

Posted on by Jeff Posted in Uncategorized — No Comments ↓

good-idea-jeff_small_bigger
The saddest days of the year for me is the day in the late fall that I decide to put the removable hard top on my car in place of the convertible top.  One of my guiltiest pleasures is long fall drives with the top down and it’s always depressing to see that come to an end.

All that is an intro to a new product announcement by Duracell. They are rolling out a new line of  automotive batteries.

Duracell is positioning this product line as a battery intended to meet the needs of today’s automobiles that have so many electrical accessories.  We gone from batteries that start your car and let you listen to the radio to needing a power source that will handle a two bedroom apartment.

There is no end to the electrical accessories that cars can have these days. Cars have become workplaces and auto batteries need to be able to power all sorts of devices when the engine is not running.  That’s a prescription for a dead battery.

Oddly, this line of auto batteries does not yet appear on Durcell’s web site, so detail are hard to come by.  They are currently available in limited areas and there has been no announcement about a national roll out.

We’ve been a distributor of Duracell Procell batteries for many years and are always surprised at how poorly this company uses the web to support product information.  It is amazing to me that the day after you announce a new product line that there is no mention of it on your corporate web page.

Duracell may not understand how to use the web, but they sure understand the value of their brand. Auto batteries by Duracell is a logical extension of how brands are leveraged and if this is a good product, they should be able to grab a big percentage of the market.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords andOnStage Stand mic stands. You might enjoy our “How Not To Test A Battery” animation

Top