GearCast - Super-Useful Audio, Video, and Lighting Accessories

Accessories may not have the allure of a shiny new video camera, amplifierDefinition:
1. A device that increases the voltage or power of a signal. 2. In music performance, a device such as a guitar amplifier that includes speakers and controls to increase the sound level of acoustic or electric instruments., or DAW—but they can make or break your workflow. So, let’s look at some accessories that can help foster a more stress-free life. And who doesn’t want that?

Prioritize Your Power

Power is the common element that feeds all your gear.

Just like a junk food diet doesn’t do your health any favors, junk power can lead to problems that range from annoying to major. Because you can’t control what the power company provides, it’s on you to condition the power that’s feeding your gear.

Spikes and surges can shorten the life of components, but what’s worse is the failure isn’t necessarily immediate—instead, the components’ integrity becomes degraded, which makes them more vulnerable to eventual failure. Also, power problems can corrupt solid-state drives more easily than mechanical hard drives, due to the SSD’s complex internal dataDefinition:
Information used by a computer in order to arrive at a decision. Although this is a plural term, it's often treated in the singular. management.

Start your quest for better power with a line filter, like the Furman M-8LX or Middle Atlantic Products PD-915R. Both have 8 switched, rear-panel outlets, and a front-panel convenience outlet. Coupled with a 1U form factorDefinition:
A device's general physical configuration or size, often taking into account the ratios of various measurements., they’re ideal companions for rack-mount systems. The Furman also has dimmable pull-out lights—great for dealing with setup during low-light conditions. But what raises these above simply a way to distribute power are the onboard ACDefinition:
AC (Alternating Current): Current whose electrical flow alternates between positive and negative quadrants, and whose magnitude varies periodically. Alternating current is used in most commercial power transmission, and is also the basis of audio or video signals. noise filter, protection against spikes and surges, and circuit breaker.

Furman’s M-8S goes one step further, by including six sequenced rear panel outlets (in three groups), along with three unswitched outlets. Sequencing how power turns on prevents excessive inrush currents, but also allows (for example) turning on devices that make pops before turning on devices that would reproduce those pops. The M-8S also has surge and spike protection.

And while we’re talking about power, sometimes you want to control power without having to access the associated equipment directly. This isn’t just useful for remoteDefinition:
A broadcast from the field, not from the studio. A Remote Control. control, but can help prevent unauthorized activation. Lowell’s RPC-20-CDDefinition:
CD (Compact Disc): An optical-based, disc-shaped digital recording and playback medium. is ideal: it has two outlets, and is compatibleDefinition:
Capable of operating with a particular selection of hardware or software. with switches or control systems that provide either a dry contact closure or 5-24V, AC/DC, control signal.

Take a Stand

Have what you need when you need it

It seems you always have more mics than stands. Or if you have a straight, round base stand, you need a boomDefinition:
A vertical stand or tree on which horizontal boom arm is attached, also handheld microphone (fishpole) arm for overhead recording. stand for acoustic guitar. Or if you have a boom stand, you need a round base stand to save space, or to make a vocalist more comfortable.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take much of an investment to expand your repertoire of stands. You can shave off dollars from a boom stand if you don’t need an adjustable length boom—for example, the Gator RI-MICTP-FBM is a heavy-duty tripod stand with a fixed boom length, and sells for under $26. If you need an adjustable, telescoping boom, K&M’s 210/9 does the job for under $100. The boom length adjusts from 18 to 30 inches—shorten it save space, or lengthen it to reach over and mic those hard-to-mic instruments. But also consider that a round base stand takes up very little floor space—this is optimal when two singers are singing close together, and need their own mics. Check out the Atlas IED MS12CE, which is stable, solid, and rugged.

Mics aren’t the only items that need to stand and deliver. For keyboards, K&M’s 18820.019.91 Omega Pro keyboard stand (available in red or black) is about as good as it gets. It isn’t just stable, but uses a spring-loaded clamping knob for height adjustment (from 23.6” to 40”), and folds down into a road-friendly 37.4” x 22.6” x 7”. It’s even compatible with optional fixtures, to create a two- or three-level keyboard stand.

Aid Your Audio

Dealing with hum and interference

Unless your audio works out at the gym, sometimes it has a hard time making it through the twists and turns of cables, while avoiding its natural predators, like humDefinition:
An undesired continuous signal caused by AC electrical power, typically 60/50 Hz and its harmonics. and interference. But we can help.

Say goodbye to costly, obtrusive wire snakes with Radial’s CATapult-Mini-TX—its four female XLR connectors accept up to four analogDefinition:
A signal that is continuous in nature, as opposed to being defined as a series of discrete numbers (or elements) as found in digital signals; electrically "analogous" to an acoustical signal in the air. audio channels, and sends them over a CATDefinition:
CAT (Category): A standard prefix abbreviation used with cables, e.g., CAT-5. 5 or CAT 6 cable. Even better, a lot of buildings already have a CAT 5/6 cable-friendly infrastructure, so you won’t need to lay in a bunch of new wiring. At the other end of the cable run, a complementary CATapult-Mini-RXDefinition:
(Receive) Abbreviation for a receiver or to receive. turns the CAT 5/6 audio back into audio, as male XLR connectors.

Next, let’s tell hum to buzz off. The Rolls HE18 uses transformerDefinition:
A passive electromagnetic device that uses one or more coils of wire to isolate or split signals. Also may convert impedance and voltage levels. May be used to eliminate ground loops, reduce Rf interference or crosstalk. isolation to eliminate ground loops, which is the main reason for nasty hums and buzzes. It works with line-level signals, and RCADefinition:
(Radio Corporation of America) Known for the (RCA) phono plug and jack, among many other inventions. See Phone Plug. See Phono Jack. phonoDefinition:
Short for phonograph. or 1/4” jacks (TRSDefinition:
(Tip Ring Sleeve) Phone style connector. 3 conductor (Stereo) originally 1/4" diameter, also 1/8" and smaller and the TT style for patchbays. Used for headphones and patching. or TS). It also converts an unbalanced signal into a balanced one, and vice-versa—which improves performance even more. Really…you need to stop using ground lifters to solve hum problems, which often don’t really solve the problem anyway. This is a better option.

Oh, you’re using XLRs instead? We have you covered there, too. The Whirlwind ISO1 is a single-channelDefinition:
1. In radio, television, citizen's band radio, and other wireless communications modes, a specific frequency for communication. 2. In mixers and video, an input or output signal path with controls. 3. In MIDI, one of 16 data paths., transformer-based line isolator for XLR or 1/4” TRS jacks. It can also convert between the two, so you can convert unbalanced signals into balanced ones for long cable runs. It even has a ground lift switchDefinition:
A switch that disconnects a circuit from ground, often to eliminate a ground loop that causes unwanted hum or other sonic artifacts. to disconnect the input ground that goes to the output.

Then again, sometimes you just need to send your audio to lots of places. Meet the Whirlwind SPLIT6: plugDefinition:
A connector, normally male and attached to a cable. a channel of line-level audio into its female XLR input, and send it to six XLR male outputs—ideal for sending audio to multiple powered speakers, splitting intercomDefinition:
A device that provides voice communications between two or more points. In entertainment, allows communications among stage/studio personnel, and for video, handles director to camera communications. lines, adding extra amplifiers to a system, and more. You can even split mic-level signals into two outs.

And if you’ve cut the cable in favor of wireless, and are a fan of Shure’s excellent BLX/GLX/PG/PGX receivers, you’ll want the Shure URT2 rackDefinition:
A frame for holding gear that meets an industry standard for enclosures. This specifies a 19 inch width, and a height that is some multiple of 1.75 inches. A rack frame can be open or enclosed, and has rails drilled with standardized screw holes for attaching rack equipment... Wait... won’t any rack tray work? Well, sort of. But not only is this sturdy tray up to Shure’s quality standards, it has precision holes drilled, in just the right places, for mounting units semi-permanently in your rack—no way your receivers are going to slide out of this baby.

See the Light (and Video)

Accessories for video and lighting

Accessories for video and lighting abound, so let’s start with a DMX terminatorDefinition:
A 3 or 5 pin XLR connector used at the end of a DMX cable run to stop reflections in the cable. See DMX.. “Terminator” is actually an appropriate name, because it keeps reflected waves from saying “I’ll be back.” The longer the cable run, the more you need termination—but really, DMXDefinition:
DMX (Digital MultipleX): A method for controlling multiple channels of lighting or effects via a single data cable. DMX512 stands for controlling 512 channels digitally via a single cable. lines should always be terminated. For $10.99, the Accu-Cable DMX T-Pack gives you both 3-pin and 5-pin terminators. Sure, you can make your own terminators. But at this price, buying beats building.

And of course, there’s always the problem of having one HDMIDefinition:
HDMI (High-Definition Media Interface): A standard for connecting video, audio, security, and control signals. output, that wants to talk to several HDMI inputs. Tripp Lite’s B118-004-UHD is up to the task: Plug in its power supplyDefinition:
A device (internal or external to another device) that provides power for active circuitry. Can be AC, DC or battery-powered., plug your HDMI out into its HDMI input, and you’re free to route four HDMI outputs anywhere you want.

There are even accessories for projectors. When you’ve had enough of projectors that sit on tables and trip people up with various cables, it’s time for a ceiling mount. The Peerless PRG-UNV-W is a great choice. This universal, precision gear projector mount offers exact tilt and roll image positioning with the turn of a knob, but even more importantly, the projector stays where you leave it—even if the bulb needs to be replaced. You can route cables through the mount, and if the projector needs servicing, there’s a quick release (but it’s not too easy to remove; there’s also security hardware for theft prevention).

And finally, let’s plant a tree. No, not that kind: a lighting tree, using the Ultimate Support LTB-48B 48" T-Style Light Crossbar. Attach it to the top of any current Ultimate Support TS tripod speaker stand, throwDefinition:
The distance between a lighting or sound source and its object. some lights on top, and you have a fast, simple, efficient lighting setup. It can hold up to 60 pounds of lights distributed across the crossbar, and is suitable for any kind of gig.

Wait... did we say “accessories may not have the allure of a shiny new video camera, amplifier, or DAW”? Sorry. We stand corrected.