What's In Your Tech Kit?

Your tech kit is your lifeline.  When you’re on show site, running to Guitar Center or Radio Shack is not always an option, so having a well-stocked tech kit can be the difference between failure and success. In this article I will present quite a few items to have in your tech kit, ranging from absolutely-necessary, to this-is-a-really-good-idea.  Glean what you can from this, and even perhaps chime in with your own comment.

When putting together a tech kit I start by looking at the equipment booked on the show, and how many days it will be out.  Using this as a starting point lets me get an accurate count on batteries, DI's, LSP's (Laptop Sound Ports) and cables.  Knowing the gear being used, (PA, console, com, wireless etc.) dictates the extras that go into the tech kit. For example, a show with a digital console needs fewer patch cables than one with an analog console.  A show with powered speakers needs to have power stingers and more iso's then a non-powered system.  Having the right number of adaptors/turnarounds is almost as important as the PA itself.  After all if you can’t get signal into your speakers they turn into really heavy, really expensive paperweights really fast. So lets talk about what should be in the ideal tech kit!

Some of these are obvious.  I am going to list them nonetheless.

Tools

                           

-    A flashlight is a lot better than trying to use your phone to light up the back of a rack.  It’s also a lot cheaper if it gets dropped.

-    Little Lights are a must to light up A2 world back stage, and to be able to hand off a couple for client usage

-    Multiple screwdrivers.  Little ones for tweaking those small hard to get to screws, and normal size ones for getting into racks and cabinets.

-    A multi-meter, Qbox and cable tester are quick ways to help you figure out if something is not working properly, so instead of labeling everything NFG you can give an educated assessment of what is actually wrong.

-    When you find a problematic cable, it can be mission critical to it gets fixed immediately.  A nice assortment of allen wrenches, pliers, crimpers, box knives, wire strippers and a soldering kit are all things that at times you can’t do without.

-    When flying speakers, ratchet straps and tie line can help get your hangs exactly where you want them to stay.

-    Even in this ever-growing digital age sharpies and board tape are still necessary tools to an audio engineer, so do not forget them.

-    (Speaking of tape), during the course of the show you will most likely want some gaff and/or electrical tape as well. They’re like multi tools: cleaning up cable runs, fixing speakers, taping connectors together, fixing set, stage markers (this list could be very long).

-    Clear medical tape is great to have when using lavs or head worn mics that are a little loose and do not want to stay in the desired position.

-    Until everything goes rechargeable, batteries will always have to be restocked. Wireless mic's, DI's and client equipment is what we are concerned with, so have a healthy stocking of AA, AAA and 9volts. Remember to take into account rehearsal and show days, and multiple shows in one day.  Keeping a stash of used batteries in your kit is a good idea (ones that are not drained, but you don’t feel comfortable using them for show either).  I find them useful for mic tweaking and rehearsals, as well as the many miscellaneous items used during the course of a show.

Cables, Adaptors and Connectors

-    Turnarounds are problem solvers and time savers! (Ever have a stagehand run a 100' cable up and thru some truss just to find out he did it the wrong way?)

-    XLR, 1/4", NL4 and RCA are an absolute necessity to all audio tech kits. Without getting into numbers XLR turnarounds are the most important, typically a couple handfuls of both genders will be adequate, followed by a handful of 1/4", NL4 and RCA turnarounds.

-    The most common adaptors are: XLR-1/4", XLR-RCA, XLR-mini, XLR-Y's, RCA-1/4", RCA-Y's, 1/4"-Y's, ISO's and pads.  (When it comes to adaptors, you will need to know how your gear is terminated both in and out.)

-    With digital consoles taking over the world, patch cables are used less often.  With that said, they can still be very important!  A variety of signal cables are necessary for patching in bands, DJs, playback sources, audio/video recorders, and any external effects/processors you might desire.  Here are the ones we most commonly use: XLR-1/4" (TRS & TS), RCA stereo, 1/4" (mono and TRS), RCA-3.5mm, RCA-1/4" and stereo XLR pairs.

-    When a cable fails it is usually at the connector, so it’s good have a variety of spare connectors in your tech kit.  The Hubble power connectors that we typically stock in our tech kits are for our 10/5, 12/3, 208 cables.  Depending on how well your signal cables are stocked you may want to have extra XLR and 1/4" connectors as well.

Transducers

-    Direct boxes are used for level matching, to minimize noise, distortion, and grounding issues. There are three types of direct boxes that we concern ourselves about, and you will find them all in our tech kits,  Active, Passive, and PC.  They all pretty much perform the same function, they just go about it in different  fashions.  

-    Active DI's require phantom power; they usually have better attenuation pads, and are great for noise filtering. 

-    Passive DI's simply convert from line to mic signal without all the fancy filtration.

-    PCDI's can be active or passive but have more input options (e.g. RCA, ¼”, 3.5mm). Keeping several on hand is always useful.

-    Laptop Sound Ports are a very nice tool to have, because they convert 3.5mm to XLR, have a ground lift and attenuation knob which allows for easy volume control of your PC/iPod or anything with mini jack. Their limitation is that you will only be able to get a mono signal from the source that you are plugging them into.

-    A nice analog to digital converter is a good addition to any tech kit for those impromptu recording sessions.  Whether you’re trying to capture voice-overs, or a stereo program record, something with a couple pre-amps can be clutch.

-    A push to mute stomp box is a handy device to give to a sick yet savvy presenter, who can use it to kill the mic with his foot while coughing and/or sneezing.

-    Sanitizer.  When that sick presenter is done and your mic is throughly infected, you can quickly and easily make it safe for other presenters to use.

-    Have an assortment of microphones as back ups just-in-case the client decides they want more audience mics, or throw a few more people onto the panel discussion etc.  Having extra dynamic and condenser mic's in your tech kit can be a lifesaver.

-    Microphone wind screens are a nice tool to have for those blustery outdoor shows, and may be helpful for the voice over talent who is an extreme P-Popper.

        -  Throw in one or two VOG (voice of god) mic's with a quiet on/off switch (we stock the Sennheiser e815s with a magnetic switch), or an inline push to talk box, and the transducer section in your tech kit will be nicely stocked.

Recap

Tech kit necessities:

-  Batteries

-  VOG mic's

-  Push to talk for VOG mic.

-  SM-58's

-  SM-81, or RTA mic of preference

-  Microphone wind screens

-  Sanitizer

-  Volt meter

-  Cable tester

-  Q-box

-  Ratchet straps

-  Tie line

-  Tools

        - Wire Cutters

        - Crimpers

        - Box Cutter

        - Screwdrivers

        - Strippers

        - Soldering kit

-  Tape (board, electrical, gaff and clear medical)

-  Sharpie’s

-  Turnarounds - XLR, 1/4", NL4)

-  Adaptors XLR - 1/4", XLR-RCA, RCA-1/4", XLR Y's (both genders), RCA Y's, ISO's, pads)

-  Patch cables - XLR-1/4", TRS, RCA stereo, 1/4" signal, stereo XLR pair.

-  Hubble connectors - 10/5 (HBL 2913 Female, 2511 Male), 12/3 (HBL 2313 Female, 2311 Male), 208 (HBL 2623 Female, 2621 Male), and standard Edison, both male and female.

-  DI's (active and passive)

-  2 Channel USB A to D Converter

-  Push to mute box

-  Laptop Sound Ports

-  Table top mic stands

Tech kits come in all shapes and sizes, it is up to you how extravagant you want to get.  I have covered my “must haves”, but everybody’s needs/wants are a little different.  So, what's in your tech kit?  Feel free to add a comment onto this posting with anything you find indispensable in your tech kit.

Article By:

Brett Speer

Audio Technician

J&S Audio Visual

Show Services

Started down the audio path going to work for Crossroads Audio, a Dallas based sound company in 1995. He spent 9 years with them learning system design, troubleshooting, engineering, installation, repairs and mixing. While at Crossroads, Brett moonlighted with most of the area nightclubs, offering solutions to their audio problems.  In 2006 Brett went to work for Dallas Stage Right gaining experience in the lighting, video, staging, installation and warehouse management fields.  Brett joined the J&S Audio Visual Show Services audio team in 2010 as the gear coordinator where he currently puts his broad skill-set to good use.