Tag / audio visual

by GNSadmin

Short Notice? No Problem

The typical timeline for an event at Oncore AV, from the conception to the execution, can be anywhere from several weeks to a year in advance. We begin with a request for a quote, then move to finalization of a contract. After dates and venue are locked in for the event, OAV begins allocating our technology and designing the set up. Next we staff technicians and coordinate our arrival and set up, as well as anticipate tear down times. While we appreciate having more than enough time to prepare for our events, we are always ready to take on new challenges at a moments notice. 

 

Recently OAV was contacted to create a large scale sound set up for a concert at the Delta Plex arena for Christine D’Clario, a worship leader/singer songwriter. The initial request was made Wednesday, with the performance scheduled for the following Saturday. You can imagine the difficulty in fitting all of the necessary steps into such a short timeline. Regardless, OAV decided to take on the task and immediately began preparations.

 

When receiving an event on short notice we first have to ensure that we have equipment available to service our client. The Delta Plex arena seats roughly 6,200 spectators in various configurations. OAV assessed the venue and planned accordingly, ultimately deciding on our JBL VTX systems, and Crown Amplifiers to provide the best possible sound. 

 

After creating a set up based on the venue and needs of the client, our technology was prepped and set aside. Lastly the event needed to be staffed and coordinated. Load times, plus set-up and tear-down were all taken into consideration, and with large equipment we often need to find one to two technicians willing to work on short notice. 

 

Eventually everything was rented, loaded, and set up for Christine D’Clario’s performance at the Deltaplex arena, and went as smoothly as if we had weeks to prepare. Oncore AV is always ready to service your events whether they’re large scale concerts on short notice, or an intimate party planned a year in advance. Check out our Instagram story for photos from this concert as well as updates from other events!

by GNSadmin

Fall Follow-Up

Oncore AV has been busy this fall, so we’d like to bring you up to date on some of our recent events. From large retreats hosted at the Grand Hotel, to High School football games in the Whitecaps stadium, OAV was on top of things! 

October 4th we headed to the Fifth Third Ballpark for the South Christian V.S. East Grand Rapids High School football game. OAV’s partnership with West Michigan Whitecaps allows us the opportunity to provide support for specialty events like these! OAV prepared announcements, graphics on the big screen, and a full audio visual crew for the game. The baseball diamond was converted to a football field to allow the two high school teams to play for a cheering stadium crowd, which gave the players the full all-star experience! Additionally, it allowed OAV a variation from our regular baseball-heavy schedule.

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The next day our crew turned around and headed to the Grand Hotel for the Celebrate Your Marriage Retreat, hosted by Jay and Laura Laffoon. This is the 22nd year OAV has provided AV support for the retreat, making it one of our longest running events. We are able to provide lights, sound, and video for Celebrate Your Marriage, and occasionally some dance moves! Even with our expertise, Mackinac Island’s car ban always poses some difficulty. The event has grown each year requiring a lot of new technology, and moving it on horse drawn carts is not always a breeze. However, with each trip to the island our staff improves their strategy and efficiency!  After arriving at the hotel, the set up went smoothly and the event went on for 2 days complete with conferences, couples activities, and even a break for the Hokey Pokey!

Stop three was Hops ‘N Highlands at Boyne Highlands resort. OAV’s partnership with Boyne Highlands allows us to provide AV for all in-house meetings and gatherings, and sometimes that means large festivities such as Hops ‘N Highlands. OAV was able to provide a stage, sound, and lights to elevate this already lively event! Although the outdoor venue was a big change for our staff, they faced the rain and wind and successfully put together the audio visuals for this event. Saturday’s festival included booths from local breweries, as well as stein hoisting competitions, and performances by Huckleberry Groove.IMG_0129.jpg

Be sure to follow us on both Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all of the moving pieces that put Oncore AV ahead of the game!

by GNSadmin

AV Planning Guide

When planning for an event or presentation it is a good idea to consider an Audio Visual service. It can be difficult to know exactly where to start, below we’ll outline a starting point to help your AV team get the information they need to execute your event or presentation flawlessly. Start by asking yourself a few questions about your event.

How big is this event?

Knowing the number of attendees will be a major factor in the equipment and staff needed for the event. The venue size is also important to note, as sound carries differently in larger rooms than in smaller rooms, and indoors versus outdoors. The size of your event can also influence the visual components. Bigger events may need large screens to broadcast visuals to the entire audience without obstruction. 

What kind of event is this?

Knowing the line up of your event is crucial. If the event is showcasing speakers or presentations you may want to consider wireless microphones. If your event is showcasing musical performances of any kind you may need larger speakers or microphone stands.  Perhaps you want to magnify the speaker onto screens so their face can be seen by everyone, or you could stream the performance to be seen world-wide!  

When is your event taking place, and in what conditions?

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If your venue has windows and your event is during the day there would be no need for additional lighting, however there are plenty of situations where you would want to light your subject. If your event is taking place outdoors at night, or even indoors in dim lighting you may need stage lights in order to showcase your speaker and set them apart from the audience. Perhaps you are interested in colorful lighting to convey mood or enhance your performance.

 

Do you want a recording of your event?

This is a factor that is often overlooked but can be very valuable. Maybe you would like to keep the video to use for training purposes later on, or potentially hand out a recording of the event as a keepsake for the guests. Having one or more cameras documenting the event is an investment you may want to consider. 

 

All of these things are important to contemplate when planning for an event. Although it can seem overwhelming at first Oncore AV is here to assist you, and specializes in designing a setup to fit your specific needs. Reach out to our sales team today to get the assistance you need to make your event perfect! 

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by GNSadmin

AV Tips for Presenters

Whether you are watching or presenting, it’s likely you’ve experienced the uncomfortable moment of a presentation having ‘technical difficulties.’ A video won’t play, the projector won’t turn on, the audience can’t hear the presenter, etc. The list of potential problems is a long one, and although sometimes these events are unavoidable, there are several things you can do as a presenter to help the audio-visual components run smoothly. 

Number one: Practice makes perfect! Running through your presentation before you are in front of an audience is crucial. Run-throughs not only help to calm your nerves, but also gives the AV Technicians a feel for your pace and a chance to test the equipment and work out any potential issues beforehand. 

Number two: Back it up! Having two copies of your presentation eliminates any possibility of losing your information. The ideal places to store your presentation are online, and on a “hard copy.” For example, saving on both google drive and a flash drive.

Number three: Dress to impress! Surprisingly, what you wear can have an effect on the AV aspects of your presentation. Patterned shirts, such as pinstripes or small polka dots can appear blurry or grainy on video. Also, keep in mind you may have to attach a microphone to your clothing. Articles like turtlenecks and bulky sweaters can be difficult to mic, and clothing without pockets or belts will be nearly impossible to attach a battery pack to. 

Number four: Speak up! There is only so much a microphone can do to enhance your sound. Whispering closely into a mic can create feedback and make it even more difficult for the audience to hear you. A good rule of thumb for handheld microphones is to hold the mic approximately two to three inches diagonally from your face, tipped up so the audience can see your face! This will send your sound directly into the mic and give you a crisp, clear voice. 

Having an Audio Visual company, like Oncore AV,  assist with your presentations can help insure that everything runs smoothly. Taking some of the set up and preparations off of your plate can free you up to focus more on your content. Having a technician can boost your confidence that everything will run smoothly, and gives you peace of mind knowing that we have your back! Keep these tips in mind to help your AV technicians insure you have a great presentation.

by GNSadmin

Audio Visual Support for Traverse City Pit Spitters

May 28th was a special day in Traverse City. The field was freshly painted and you could smell the hot dogs being grilled. It was opening day for the new baseball team the Traverse City Pit Spitters. The Pit Spitters joined the Northwoods League, a college summer wood bat league this year; and had a great start to their season winning their first game 2-1 against the Green Bay Booyah.

Oncore AV is happy to have the opportunity to work with the Pit Spitters this season. Similar to the services we provide their new owners, the West Michigan Whitecaps, we support and staff the Pit Spitters audio visual needs. Oncore has installed a new video production system and infrastructure for the ballpark. Our team works alongside the Northwoods League to send out a live stream of all of the Pit Spitters home games. These streams can be found on the Northwoods League website.

It has been great to be a part of this seasons start at Pit Spitters Ballpark and we are looking forward to supporting them with AV services for the rest of the season.

Click the following link for the Pitt Spitters schedule. Pit Spitters

 

 

by GNSadmin

Installation Spotlight: Ensley Baptist Church Pt. 2

Oncore AV strives to match each client with the ideal equipment that will compliment their space, function in accordance to their needs and work within their budget. For our recent installation at the Ensley campus of Blythefield Hills Baptist Church, we wanted to equip them with a video projector that would provide a higher level of clarity and brightness that the sanctuary deserved. The Epson Pro L1300UNL Laser Projector was chosen because of it’s 4K Enhancement Technology, which delivers astonishing picture quality — every subtle intricacy is captured.

The clear picture provides the congregation with beautifully crisp images, videos and presentations.

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For more information on how Oncore AV can help you get the most out of your place of worship, contact us at 616-259-9193 or visit us at our home on the web!

by GNSadmin

Installation Spotlight: Ensley Baptist Church

One of Oncore AV’s core beliefs is to help organizations and small businesses be seen and heard. Most recently, we had the opportunity to work with the local Blythefield Hills Baptist Church on their latest expansion to the new Ensley campus in Sand Lake.  For this renovation, Oncore AV was challenged to design and install an entirely new A/V system that would work with the budget of the project as well as meet the needs of the church.

At Ensley, Oncore AV used JBL products like the CBT 1000 line array speaker, a great choice for a place of worship, as they offer tapered horizontal wave-guide which delivers superior coverage in both the front and rear corners of a room and to provide consistent front-to-back sound levels and clarity.  The speakers also blend in with the space’s decor aesthetic.  The sleek design and low profile allowed the speakers to virtually “disappear” into the design of the back wall of the sanctuary.

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The sleek design of the CBT 1000 speakers camouflages them against the background design of the sanctuary. Can you see them hanging just beneath the first row of lights?

Oncore AV strives to match each client with the ideal set of equipment that will compliment their space, function in accordance to their needs and work within their budget.

For more information on how Oncore AV can help you get the most out of your place of worship, contact us at 616-259-9193 or visit us at our home on the web!

 

 

 

 

 

 

by GNSadmin

Live Events in Challenging Locations: Mackinac Island

America’s Summer Place is full of excitement this time of year and Oncore AV is gearing up for a busy season of live event production.  Several of those events take place annually at the Grand Hotel, one of Oncore AV’s most outstanding customers. The Grand Hotel, plays host to dozens of conferences, seminars and other events each year.  Located on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, it is a beautiful place to spend a summer vacation as a guest, but it can also present as a bit of a logistical challenge in terms of transportation and equipment delivery for a live event.

Oncore AV’s first goal is to make sure that we pack light enough to fit all of our equipment, supplies and personnel onto the ferry from the lower peninsula to the island itself.   Secondly, we need to coordinate transport from the mainland to the island through one of the ferry’s from Shepler’s Ferry Line which depart every thirty minutes. Once on the island, everything is transported by horse drawn dray as there are no motor vehicles permitted. So, we must ensure that everything we bring along can be fit onto the dray and be light enough to be pulled by the horses. Secondly, we pack all of our equipment in airtight and waterproof cases to protect from the elements.  Because of our long relationship with the Grand Hotel, and as a general desire to provide excellent service, Oncore AV is willing to go the extra mile (or 240 miles) to satisfy our customers, regardless of the challenge.

No matter the challenge, Oncore AV is up to the task of ensuring that your live event is successful.  To see if your event could benefit from Oncore AV’s expertise, contact us directly at 616-259-9193 or on the web!

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Oncore AV equipment being transported on a horse-drawn dray. Photo courtesy of Oncore AV.

by GNSadmin

Step Up to Bat with the West Michigan Whitecaps this Summer

Oncore AV has been supporting the Whitecaps AV and production needs for several years.  Last year, we outfitted the event control booth with a new Carbonite Black Switcher. This year, we have added content creation to the services we provide to this outstanding client.  In fact, you can see our graphic skills in action at all of the West Michigan Whitecaps home games this summer!

We work very closely with each of our clients, like the Whitecaps Creative Team, to make sure that the products, events, or graphics we are producing reflect their needs and their brand exactly.  We strive to knock every project out of the park!

Be sure to check out some Whitecaps baseball this summer and see our work in person at Fifth Third Field. Their 2018 season opens on April 5th! You can find a schedule of the rest of their season here.

As always, be sure to visit our home on the web or on Facebook to see what Oncore AV can do for you!

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Courtesy of the West Michigan Whitecaps TM

 

by GNSadmin

Is Your Current Church Sound System Breaking the Law?

Problem

Your church service is in jeopardy of being interrupted over your very own sound system!

You read that correctly.

You may have purchased wireless equipment and it works well as it currently broadcasts/receives 600 Mhz-800 Mhz signals. Unfortunately, those radio frequencies are now corporately owned and now illegal for public use. And by illegal I mean it will bring a $10,000 fine from the FCC. In addition to that, your service can be over taken. Only the new owner of these frequencies can broadcast on them, that means your church service is set to be interrupted by a higher power (not an angelic one).

Solution

YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO COMPLY. You will have to bow to fate and buy a new wireless system. Don’t worry, Oncore AV can help.  We can help to coordinate the rebate that will give you back up to $500 per channel from Shure. But you need to act fast as these rebates are only offered through April 2018!

We Can Help!

We will walk you through the process regardless of the manufacturer of your current equipment and can help you get the trade-in rebate of up to $500/channel on comparable new Shure equipment. We can also consult on what options you have for upgraded equipment with this new found money!

Find us on the web or contact us directly at 616-259-9193 for more information!