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Audio Systems/Questions Answered by Expert Steven L Smith
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Small to Mid Size Church | 7/20/2008 |
| Q: My question is regarding a starting point for sound systems. We are a small 125 year old church ... A: Sounds like you actually have a fairly decent system. The mixer you have is common in churches, but ... | |
| High School PA speakers | 7/17/2008 |
| Q: This is my situation. I volunteer in the high school concession stands a lot and recently at our ... A: Sorry it took so long to get a response... I've just switched email providers, and the notification ... | |
| Small to Mid Size Church | 7/12/2008 |
| Q: My question is regarding a starting point for sound systems. We are a small 125 year old church ... A: Please forgive the lateness of my reply; I've just switched email providers, and the email ... | |
| Cleaning old components | 7/10/2008 |
| Q: I have a very old turntable that uses vacuum tubes. It has not been used for I don't know how long, ... A: Yes, use good, clean Isopropyl alcohol (96-99% pure if possible; DON'T use rubbing alcohol - it ... | |
| Cleaning old components | 7/9/2008 |
| Q: I have a very old turntable that uses vacuum tubes. It has not been used for I don't know how long, ... A: The method I would suggest for cleaning these components is: - Using compressed air (you can buy it ... | |
| Wireless audio solution | 6/29/2008 |
| Q: I am just about to open a new shop. During construction the electrician has wired speaker cables in ... A: Probably the two cheapest things I can think of would be either: 1.) A conventional stereo, which ... | |
| powered mixers | 6/23/2008 |
| Q: Although I have seen your other response in which you say you don't favor powered mixers, could you ... A: Something like the Nady PMX-600 should work well for you: ... | |
| MP3's too weak - can we use preamps? | 6/21/2008 |
| Q: I have a component system from the late 80's that I use in my studio; running into a 600W amplifier. ... A: Yes, you definitely can... I have done this several times myself. You will need the appropriate ... | |
| Television shows on DVD audio | 6/14/2008 |
| Q: Mr. Smith, and thank you for your recent help. I had asked you a question about analyzing sound of ... A: When I said that the ear is more tolerant of audio alterations, I was basically taking an educated ... | |
| guitar amp | 2/29/2008 |
| Q: I have been running sound for about four years and i was wondering if there is a way to put the ... A: Charlie- The standard way of doing this is actually as simple as putting a microphone in front of ... | |
| Safe wattage | 2/25/2008 |
| Q: I have 2 speaker cabinets (JBL JRX115's) with a 250W (continuous) and 1000W (peak) rating. Can I ... A: You can safely drive these speakers with that amp, as long as you keep the volume WAY down. Your ... | |
| wireless speaker | 2/20/2008 |
| Q: I have an advent outdoor wireless speaker and the transmitter has a headphone plug on it however ... A: Looks like I can solve your problem for under $10. What you need is a 3-way stereo Y adapter. Go to ... | |
| Sound for Small to Medium Venues | 2/13/2008 |
| Q: We in the process of purchasing a sound system for a new artist and want to purchase a system that ... A: Most mixers and sound systems are designed for multiples of 2, but a few fill in those gaps. For ... | |
| Cassette recorder | 2/3/2008 |
| Q: As the capstan on the recorder turns and unwinds the tape on the feed reel, the circumference of ... A: Felix- All tape I've worked with is pulled at a steady rate. Variable speed motors would be very ... | |
| home audio? | 2/1/2008 |
| Q: . My name is aaron. I have purchased 4 in wall speakers. for surround sound.. i have the 2 rear ... A: You would definitely get the best quality if the speakers were mounted on brackets, facing towards ... | |
| Mixing Desk Aux Output | 1/17/2008 |
| Q: I have a 12 channel 4 bus mixing desk (Soundcraft Spirit M12) which i'm using to do small studio ... A: Luke- I had this same problem a few years back, and I managed to solve it for about $1.49! All you ... | |
| Bodypacks and mics | 1/16/2008 |
| Q: Smith thank you for making yourself available for questions. I have a friend that is an aerobics ... A: Shure is widely regarded as the industry standard brand when it comes to wireless microphones, and ... | |
| Turntable cartridge lead color | 12/24/2007 |
| Q: I have a Sherwood turntable that has been idle for several years with the stylus cartridge off. I ... A: The last time I replaced a cartridge, it was 2.5 grams. I think it's one of those things that varies ... | |
| Turntable cartridge lead color | 12/21/2007 |
| Q: I have a Sherwood turntable that has been idle for several years with the stylus cartridge off. I ... A: In audio, Red usually means "Right." Whoever developed the system thought it would be easier if they ... | |
| Is there such a thing as an SED? | 12/20/2007 |
| Q: Is there such a thing as a Sound-Emitting Diode [SED]? I googled "sound-emitting diode". Nothing ... A: Green- I've never heard of anything like a SED... sounds like someone is trying to be funny. ... | |
| Pioneer car stereo volume malfunction | 12/17/2007 |
| Q: My Pioneer stereo suddenly started playing at maximum volume. I tried pushing each button on the ... A: If I had to take an educated guess, I'd say it's one of two things: 1.) Something is temporarily ... | |
| Peavey Fader Knobs | 7/14/2007 |
| Q: Do you know of any web sites other than Ebay where I might find a selection of various Fader Knobs ... A: I'd recommend http://glenwoodsales.com/ first. The guy there has pretty much any electronic parts in ... | |
| type 4 metal cassette tapes | 7/10/2007 |
| Q: I collect type 4 metal cassette tapes. The prices they are selling for on ebay are way out of line. ... A: Type IV metal cassette tapes, as I'm sure you know, bring the highest possible sound quality out of ... | |
| hooking an amp to a Pioneer DEH-P6700MP | 7/4/2007 |
| Q: hey, i was trying to hook up my amp to my Pioneer stereo with RCA cables but in the back of the ... A: Red is the right channel/side, white is the left channel/side. Beyond that, it's trial and error to ... | |
| Kenwood Tape Deck | 7/2/2007 |
| Q: Last year, I purchased a new "old stock" Kenwood Stereo Cassette Tape Deck KX-630. It sounds great ... A: Ahhh.... that may be a problem. Where was the unit stored for 20+ years? Was it in a ... | |
| Kenwood Tape Deck | 7/1/2007 |
| Q: Last year, I purchased a new "old stock" Kenwood Stereo Cassette Tape Deck KX-630. It sounds great ... A: Ed, Sounds to me like you may have purchased a defective unit. Especially considering that you ... | |
| Subwoofer | 6/6/2007 |
| Q: I would like to know the best place to set a subwoofer. Our TV and receiver are right next to each ... A: Well, the simple answer to this question is "wherever it sounds good!" You'll want to play music or ... | |
| Speaker issue | 6/6/2007 |
| Q: I am working on fixing an in-ceiling speaker system for a country club. The problem that they have ... A: It very well could be... try unplugging it and see if the noise goes away. In this case, noise ... | |
| Speaker issue | 6/5/2007 |
| Q: I am working on fixing an in-ceiling speaker system for a country club. The problem that they have ... A: Noise can be especially difficult to troubleshoot because virtually EVERYTHING produces some noise. ... | |
| Trying to get microphone sound to come through speakers | 6/1/2007 |
| Q: We purchased a home theater system and can't get our voices to project through our speakers using a ... A: Sounds like you have a nice system! What you're describing is referred to as "microphone ... | |
| Multimedia Projector | 5/31/2007 |
| Q: I am an ex-electronic technician with some audio visual experience trying to help out my church. ... A: Sorry, no, I can't really recommend any particular manual. Most of what I know about electronics has ... | |
| Multimedia Projector | 5/30/2007 |
| Q: I am an ex-electronic technician with some audio visual experience trying to help out my church. ... A: Well, it looks like that projector retails for around $2900, so if repairs cost less than that, it's ... | |
| Multimedia Projector | 5/30/2007 |
| Q: I am an ex-electronic technician with some audio visual experience trying to help out my church. ... A: It sounds like the LCD panel inside the projector has been damaged. Usually this damage is ... | |
| Where to buy fuses?? | 5/29/2007 |
| Q: I believe I've blown a fuse in my home subwoofer, but I'm having the hardest time finding a store ... A: Whimpering crackles are obviously not good.... Before trying anything more expensive and ... | |
| Decibels or watss range in closed and open areas | 5/28/2007 |
| Q: Is the a value or a guide to choose the watts a speaker must have to be listened in open areas?' I ... A: Unfortunately, there is no mutually-agreed-upon standard for these measurements. I have heard of ... | |
| Church speaker system | 5/28/2007 |
| Q: My priest asked me to repair a broken speaker wire,ie, connect the existing wire to a different ... A: Well, whatever you do, make sure you turn the system off before attempting repairs! You should ... | |
| Speaker Cables | 5/25/2007 |
| Q: I'm a newbie in audio tech and I'd like to ask 2 questions: (1) Is it worthwhile to change my ... A: Whoah! The price tag on those B&W's is really steep! I checked out the technical specifications, ... | |
| NAKAMICHI SS5 ERROR | 5/22/2007 |
| Q: My name is Patti and my friend, Susan, stuck a 4th CD in a 3 CD changer Nakamichi SS5 Stereo. I ... A: This error sounds like a mechanical error. Is the fourth CD still in the player? If so, you need to ... | |
| Kenwood kdc-135 | 5/22/2007 |
| Q: I just installed the model above in my 1995 ford windstar. The problem is when I turn the radio on, ... A: As my profile states, I'm not really an expert in car audio (I focus on pro audio and broadcast ... | |
| 2004 Dodge Stratus radio | 5/12/2007 |
| Q: I want to hook up a cable to my stereo so I can plug/play my Sirius or my IPod directly though the ... A: There are three options available to you. 1.) Purchase an FM transmitter, such as the Belkin ... | |
| 2002 Honda Odyssey | 5/12/2007 |
| Q: I bought a used Honda Odyssey with a factory radio and cd player in it. It was fine until the ... A: These security codes can be really annoying. My guess is that the radio currently installed in your ... | |
Audio Systems
Answers by Expert:
Steven L Smith
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
Comprehensive knowledge of technology specific to radio and television broadcast, professional audio equipment used in theaters, churches, and concert venues, as well as that used in small recording studios (both analogue and digital). Limited knowledge in home audio and consumer audio. General questions about the science and physics of sound are also fine.
Experience
Technical manager for radio and television stations in college, work in an audio production house for radio, television, and telephone audio programs, countless hours dabbling with electronics and other gadgets.
Education/Credentials
B.A. Music from Nazareth College of Rochester (2008)
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