Inner Workings – Sound Ideas
October 19th, 2009Randall (Randy) Schostag has been doing magic and mentalism since he was nine years old. He recently started a series of columns about the “Inner Workings” of performing mentalism for the Psychic Entertainers Association (P.E.A.). In his first article he talks about members of this national organization benefiting from the use of the AN-130 speaker monitor during their acts. I’ve posted Randy’s entire article below.
Magicians mostly think of performing as a visual experience. Since many mentalists have their roots in magic, it’s not surprising that some have brought those tendencies along. For the better part of two years I struggled with how to make the platform more appealing. For now, I’m leaning towards sound. Fortunately, Bill VanGorder gave us one piece of that answer at the wonderful Meeting Of The Minds 2009 in Halifax.
Mentalists don’t have tigers or beautifully clad assistants. When a mentalist blatantly uses visual enhancements, it may threaten the core premise of using only the mind. The notable exception in the P.E.A. genre is the bizarrist. For the remaining P.E.A. colleagues, the conventional wisdom is that “… every time you pick up a prop, your fee goes down.”
Sound, then, whether for mentalists, bizarrists, or other performers, is an essential component to which entertainers too often give inadequate thought.
A sound system must amplify the performer so that a large gathering can hear him. But a sound system must also be subtle; it should not draw attention to the technology. A good sound system should capture the speaker and pleasantly amplify in high fidelity, but it must not restrict the performer. In fact some like to use handheld microphones for billet switches. The entertainer must ascertain the target venues where he or she will most commonly perform. Playing outside to county fairs is a very different environment than that of community service clubs, which in turn are different than the environment for school assemblies.
For the traveling performer, the system constraints and considerations are greater. Whether motoring or flying, the performer must evaluate the physical size and weight of equipment. And when searching a dazzling array of product offerings, budget is often the most significant determinant.
Bill VanGorder, who with his wife Esther, hosted the 2009 MOTM, showcased his sound system in Halifax, and it caught the attention of P.E.A. outgoing president Ken Weber. In a posting on the Raven’s Nest following the convention, Weber wrote, “For me, one of the best discoveries of the Halifax MOTM was Bill and Esther’s tiny sound system. I literally didn’t believe it when Bill said all the room-filling sound was coming out of this little box. I was certain it had to be hooked into something else, because every corner of the room had clear, quality sound.”
In reviewing the VanGorder system, many of our members agreed with Weber; the system seems reasonably priced and may be considered as one alternative.
Weber said, “Prior to my lecture, I took the wireless handheld mic and walked around the room, which I would guess could easily accommodate a reasonably sized wedding (meaning, it was not a small, classroom size space). And yes, that little box sent sound everywhere.”
VanGorder said, “The system that Esther and I use for our Mind Miracles act is made by Anchor Audio, Inc. of Torrance, California. It fits in a hard shell case with the stand carried separately. We have found it more than suitable for groups of up to 250.”
VanGorder said their system takes two wireless and one wired microphone for a total of three, plus a music/auxiliary source. “One of the great advantages is that it works very well from anywhere in any room I have tried,” VanGorder said. “Certainly it’s no problem from 100 feet.”
The VanGorders use both a hand held and a lapel microphone. Both can be used at the same time, channeled through a dual wireless UHF transmitter. There is also a remote volume and mute control, according to VanGorder, which came with the unit.
We should point out that that price is for the Anchor AN-1000 that was quoted on the Raven’s next for -$400 US is without the wireless capability. The one you saw in Halifax was the AN-130 with wireless capability.
“The base unit retails for $835 (United States),” VanGorder said. “But to allow both Esther and I to be on separate mics, we also use a dual Wireless UHF Transmitter. That costs another $400.” VanGorder admitted that there are cheaper models, but contended that “…they do not have the flexibility of this model.”
As Ken and others have posted, it is an excellent system with plenty of volume that never has a feedback problem. Both of our mics are wireless and go into a unit with two volume controls. They are balanced there and then the single volume on the speaker handles both. You cannot use both a wireless and a wired mic at the same time. For that we use a separate mixer.
The speaker system the VanGorders use is the AN-130U1 which sends out 30 watts. Anchor has another similarly sized unit, the AN-1000X, that pumps out 50 watts.
Thanks Randy for sharing your article with us!
