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I re-wired a community theater yesterday...


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they had paid a local sound provider (experts in the area) for repeated visits to fix dead speakers, blown amps etc. $200 minimum per visit. they were sold gear they didnt need. A non-profit  small theater. So, i opened my big mouth and said I'd fix it on my "day off"

list of interesting things I fixed:

-they had installed patch bays, 48 channels worth mind you, to make patching the 4 sources into the 4 power amps then out to the theater. They had wired the OUTPUTS of the power amps into the normaled patch bay with 4 conductor shielded foil mic cable. So, the volunteers plugged various speaker outputs into various inputs of course. 

-no solder in sight

-they sold them an RMX2450 for some radio shack 4" monitors to listen in on the performers

- 2 speakers were "blown" needing replacement. they had simply become unplugged

-they had same 4 pairs with foil shield wire going 75' or more out into the venue to speakers.

-a monitor send was set up for a piano player across the theater in a loft. that wire of course was lamp cord

-they wired a 70v power amp out to the green room's VCR inputs to record the shows...that was off a multitap that also went to a handicapped hearing assisted setup. It was a bit clipped sounding. lol

-the handheld mic was adapted to 1/4" and into the line input on the mixer. that may have been the theater's doing.  gain maxed out, low level. 

- the patch bay was so mislabeled that I looked at it for a half hour and still didnt make any sense of it.

Anyhow, I totally dismantled the whole thing and re-wired it

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Perhaps a combo of errors...but, even if some errors were made by the theater techs, the expert should/could have pointed out the mistakes. Some of the bad choices were grandfathered in, yes. I'm still of the opinion that education is just as important.

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