Setlist 7.19.12

Office setlist:

Salvation is Here
Shine
Mighty to Save
Lead me to the Cross
You Never Let Go
Majesty
From the Inside Out
Jesus Paid it all.

Love you guys! Have a great night and thanks for stopping by,
-Cameron

"Talking About Henderson"

Our latest video for Henderson is ONLINE!

Big thanks to Laura and Matt on camera, and my friend Michael Curtis on the custom soundtrack he special-wrote just for this project. Thank you so much friends!

If you haven't spotted it yet Alamo has a little tab of it's own at the top of the site! :)

Simple Lavalier for Video

One of the strongest ways to gather audio for video is with a lavalier microphone.

There are a couple of different ways to approach this. The first way that most people see is by using a wireless system. This consists of the lav mic itself, plugged into a wireless beltpack transmitter. From there the signal is received by a receiver, beltpack-sized or not. The signal flow does not end there however. All this $600 system has done so far is push that microphone's signal over the air to the other side of the room. From there you would then plug that receiver's output into some form of recorder.

LAV -- Transmitter -- Receiver -- Recorder

We use two wireless lav systems, that then feed into our beloved Zoom H4n, which runs about $300. We then have a second H4n for hiding in places, as well as being our third recording channel, which is usually used by the shotgun (boom) mic.

This is how we do it, and this is typically the perceived standard of just how it has to be done. However, I would like to share a less-expensive, more simple alternative.

Think about the necessity to push the lavalier's signal across the room. It's not necessarily necessary. My alternative looks like this:

LAV -- Recorder

Look at the first equation and simply remove the middle two components. Those are $600 of your expense. You need to get your hands on just a lavalier mic, (not in the wireless system packaged together, but just the mic) and a recorder.

As I have said before, we love our H4n, don't get me wrong. We love it for a lot of things but this is not an agape love we're in it for it's 2 XLR inputs. In this second setup you don't NEED 2 XLR inputs, you just need to get that 1/8" connector from your standalone LAV that we haven't found yet. Because you don't need XLR inputs, lets look at the H4n's little brother, the Zoom H1.

I love sharing information like this for free on the internet, and another group has done the same before me on the search for inexpensive LAVs. StillMotion mentioned in a blog post way way back that they have had great luck with their microphones from GIANT SQUID. I would take their word for it and look at the omni model they have, or depending on your application, the cardiod.

$100 - Zoom H1
$040 - Giant Squid Omni LAV
$015 - Rycote Undercovers

We like to hide ours, to keep things from looking like too much of a production. Last but not least on our short inexpensive list of a totally different way of approaching lavalier audio is the under-appreciated Rycote Undercovers. A package of these little wonders will run you $15 and should RUN you for quite a lot of shoots. These small sticky pads allow you to hide the lav slightly out of site for the concealed look that we strive for.

That's a $155 lav alternative.

When you're ready to go, hide the mic on your talent, run the cable down their clothing and into the H1. Fire it up, press record, lock it's buttons, and have them put it in the same pocket they were going to put that Sennheiser RF transmitter in. It's a beautiful thing.

The Zoom H1 runs on a single AA battery. It also comes with a 2GB memory card which will get you pretty far right out of the box. Don't' skip the Rycote Undercovers. Other than that, I can't think of any holes I'm missing! Feel free to let me know if you spot any and we'll re-visit this. :)

thanks for stopping by!
-Cameron

Westone Love

I've said it before, I'll say it again.

This post won't be anything close to a full review, but let me just say, I love my Westone UM3x in-ears.

Even just working around the house today listening to my iPod, I absolutely love the fit and feel of these monitors, not to mention the sound. They isolate me from any noises, the wires tucks away tightly behind my ears and neck, and the cable is the perfect length to reach to my front pocket.

I wont even touch on their performance in live situations in this post, just wanted to say, I'm working around the house, and it barely feels like work with these Westones putting me in my own little world. :)

Love em.

Old Enough

Old enough to be different, and make an example for my King.

I've always looked like I'm about 2/3 my age. So, at 22, to most people I look like I'm just now turning 15, and hitting puberty. :)

When Laura and I got married it was definitely a personal little jump in manhood for me, but I still look very young of course.

When I take her to nice dinners, which sadly I have to admit is not as often as I would like, the places we go are typically very nice places, where typically a couple would order wine or something like it with their meal.

Now that we both look 15, but are wearing wedding rings, people do a sympathy assumption and push our ages to 21. And, at 21, we get offered alcoholic beverages when we are seated.

Finally.

But, finally, for different reasons. Christ has called us to a higher purpose for our time here. We are called to be different, truly aliens in a place that is not our home. We are called to be so separate from the affairs of the world that the people around us would notice those differences, and ask us what in the world we are doing.

What in the world, why would you not order a drink, you're old enough? Before it was just, "oh we'll you're just a 20 year old kid you can't yet." Now, we are proud card-carrying legal adults with drivers license mugshots to prove it. So, "what in the world, why would you not __________?" It is in these opportunities where doors are open to conversations about being a part of something bigger than ourselves and lives only lived once here on earth.

These conversations are such rare beasts in 2012 that it is critical to realize and capitalize on them when they arise. If we were bombarded by friendly folks asking us all the time, "hey partner, why don't you talk me into something? I want to stop serving myself and fulfilling the natural desires of my sinful flesh and start disciplining myself daily to live for others, and to serve a man I've never seen," that would be one thing. However, it's 2012, I'm sitting in a restaurant full of lonely people eating alone and every one of us is on our phone, trying not to make eye contact. The truth is that the world we live in is so connected to the people we like who aren't around us that there's no need to speak with a total stranger just to be kind and have conversation. I'm not talking to anyone I'm having a text message conversation with my wife the woman I love why would I talk to some person in the booth across from me?

This of course is just one small way to serve, I don't mean "whew I'm 22, better START serving my king now that I have this one thing I can do." It has been a long journey. :D

In a world full of people all doing the same things, the things that are broadcast to be normal, when you do something different you are a rebel, and people ask questions. God give me opportunity after opportunity, that I may be used by you to spread your gospel of living for something greater. I love you Lord, hold me like a fetter and bind my wandering heart to thee that I may be used as a vessel carrying the saving cure for this world I sail amongst.