Audio System Spring Cleaning at Bear Creek Elementary
It was March 29, 2015 and Bear Creek Elementary School needed a Spring Cleaning of their audio system. When we arrived, everything was coated with dust and was barely functional. We serviced and cleaned the existing equipment, replaced the non-functioning pieces, added sound coverage in the gym, realigned older speakers and did extensive cable management. It’s not always about installing new gear. It’s important to invest time to clean up what you have and I guarantee your AV equipment will last many more years.
On to our story. When I was asked to do a project for the school district, it felt like I was in one of those Home Make-Over shows. I discovered that Bear Creek Elementary is the oldest school in the community as well. The Audio Visual Bend team went to work and disassembled everything, vacuumed up all the dust-bunnies and took out the trash. Yes, there were some unusable cables and equipment that some parents brought in to try to be helpful; but, those actually caused more frustration for the teachers. If you really want to exasperate an AV guy, do this: wrap your microphone cables with electrical tape to hold up choir mics onto a lighting bar. Yes, I was that AV guy and yes, the tape was gooey and partially falling off too. Oh, and also use zip ties or Velcro-straps please! (Sarcastic tone.)
Moving on… the audio mixer and EQ had a generation of dust-bunnies trying to colonize. I did not hesitate to get it right into the local service center to be thoroughly cleaned and then tested. Look at the difference in the before/after pictures below. We reinstalled the equipment, along with a few new components, amplifier, power sequencer and a pair of new rear speakers to cover the rear of the gym. These worked in unison with the existing speakers once we aligned all of the elements for perfect coverage where they need it.
With the existing choir mics neatly hung properly in a row and at the right height, now parents can pack into the gym and have the best seat anywhere in the house to watch and hear little their child perform. Doesn’t the photo above of their gym look inviting?
Overall, this was a great job! What a good feeling for the teachers to come in the next day to find a clean and functioning audio system, which enables them to do what they do best…teach.
Interested in learning more about proper care of your AV equipment? Check out the video on how to clean your audio mixer.
Serving in our community,
