How-To’s & Resources

From rolling up a cable correctly, to getting the right mix of microphones for your school production, here is our “How-To” guide. Some of these articles will have video included, to make things even easier to understand.

Looking for something not here? Let us know, and we’ll do our best to pop it through the Factory Sound Explanator asap.

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Live Sound
6th Sep

Choosing a talkback mic for FOH mixing

There’s an important piece of equipment that every FOH (front of house) engineer should take to a gig. Your talkback mic: Of course, there are a heap of different options out there, but really, we’ve done the ‘hard’ work for you and chosen one. Far-and-away the most requested engineer’s talkback mic (as asked for by […]

Choosing a talkback mic for FOH mixing

There’s an important piece of equipment that every FOH (front of house) engineer should take to a gig. Your talkback mic: Of course, there are a heap of different options out there, but really, we’ve done the ‘hard’ work for you and chosen one. Far-and-away the most requested engineer’s talkback mic (as asked for by […]

13th Apr

Earplugs for music

Earplugs for music and potentially loud environments. When it comes to hearing, let’s not do too little, too late. Ahead of the most recent World Hearing Day (3rd March 2022), WHO released this news article, with the ‘slightly’ concerning opening sentence: Over 1 billion people aged 12 to 35 years risk losing their hearing due […]

Earplugs for music

Earplugs for music and potentially loud environments. When it comes to hearing, let’s not do too little, too late. Ahead of the most recent World Hearing Day (3rd March 2022), WHO released this news article, with the ‘slightly’ concerning opening sentence: Over 1 billion people aged 12 to 35 years risk losing their hearing due […]

Live Sound
29th Nov

The best mic stand isn’t the most expensive: Studio and Stage choices

Which microphone stand is the best? The answer to that question is always going to depend on what you’re intending to use it for – but when it comes to stands, we’ve got a massive chunk of real-world experience, so let’s dig in and have a look at the best options for stage, studio and […]

The best mic stand isn’t the most expensive: Studio and Stage choices

Which microphone stand is the best? The answer to that question is always going to depend on what you’re intending to use it for – but when it comes to stands, we’ve got a massive chunk of real-world experience, so let’s dig in and have a look at the best options for stage, studio and […]

Live Sound
13th Aug

Guide to choosing headphones (part 2)

Following on from our Guide to choosing headphones (Part 1): Studio and Live Sound article, we explore some nice choices for a bunch of other pro audio applications, including field recording, filming, podcasting plus DJ. But first…sometimes it feels like all the headphone adaptors run off together for a secret meeting – just at the […]

Guide to choosing headphones (part 2)

Following on from our Guide to choosing headphones (Part 1): Studio and Live Sound article, we explore some nice choices for a bunch of other pro audio applications, including field recording, filming, podcasting plus DJ. But first…sometimes it feels like all the headphone adaptors run off together for a secret meeting – just at the […]

Live Sound
30th Jul

Guide to choosing headphones

Need some headphones? You’ve come to the right place. We’re going to try and simplify headphone choices – by focusing mainly on the BIG 3 (Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic & Sennheiser), to work out which models fit best for a whole bunch of pro audio tasks. One size fits all No it doesn’t.. well, at least […]

Guide to choosing headphones

Need some headphones? You’ve come to the right place. We’re going to try and simplify headphone choices – by focusing mainly on the BIG 3 (Audio Technica, Beyerdynamic & Sennheiser), to work out which models fit best for a whole bunch of pro audio tasks. One size fits all No it doesn’t.. well, at least […]

Live Sound
27th Jul

Do expensive microphone leads make a difference?

The humble microphone lead is far from the most glamorous part of your kit, but it’s nevertheless essential. Before we dive into anything too technical, let’s just answer the oft-asked question – “do expensive microphones leads make a difference?” In a word: No. You won’t hear the difference. Unless the cheap one is broken. Microphone […]

Do expensive microphone leads make a difference?

The humble microphone lead is far from the most glamorous part of your kit, but it’s nevertheless essential. Before we dive into anything too technical, let’s just answer the oft-asked question – “do expensive microphones leads make a difference?” In a word: No. You won’t hear the difference. Unless the cheap one is broken. Microphone […]

Recording
7th Jul

First Steps for Recording Vocals at Home

Choosing the right microphone There’s way more to recording vocals than ‘just’ choosing the right microphone for the job. That being said, let’s pick two for now, right up the top of this check-list. This is a First Step article, so we’re not shovelling all the money into a great microphone just yet. Rather, we’ll […]

First Steps for Recording Vocals at Home

Choosing the right microphone There’s way more to recording vocals than ‘just’ choosing the right microphone for the job. That being said, let’s pick two for now, right up the top of this check-list. This is a First Step article, so we’re not shovelling all the money into a great microphone just yet. Rather, we’ll […]

Wireless
12th Jan

Batteries for Wireless – Rechargeable vs Single Use

Batteries, Maths & Landfill When it comes to the best way to power your wireless systems – alkaline battery or rechargeable – there are many factors to consider. Let’s dive into a few in an attempt to un-muddy the waters. Less is more Much as we want to cut straight to the heart of it […]

Batteries for Wireless – Rechargeable vs Single Use

Batteries, Maths & Landfill When it comes to the best way to power your wireless systems – alkaline battery or rechargeable – there are many factors to consider. Let’s dive into a few in an attempt to un-muddy the waters. Less is more Much as we want to cut straight to the heart of it […]

Theatre
7th Jul

Keeping Microphones Hidden

Like our first two theatre & wireless help articles – Simple Wireless Tips and Advanced Wireless Tips: Antennas – this one is aimed at either school musical productions or amateur theatre groups. We’ll focus on what to consider when you’re trying to keep microphones hidden for theatre performance. An incredible amount of research, design and […]

Keeping Microphones Hidden

Like our first two theatre & wireless help articles – Simple Wireless Tips and Advanced Wireless Tips: Antennas – this one is aimed at either school musical productions or amateur theatre groups. We’ll focus on what to consider when you’re trying to keep microphones hidden for theatre performance. An incredible amount of research, design and […]