We've all had it happen. A guest speaker or pastor from another area of ministry shows up in our main auditorium, sanctuary, kids theater or community room with a laptop and wants to play some music or run a video during their talk. Most of the time, we have video options in place, but the problem is the audio—what do you do with that 1/8-inch headphone jack? You might have an 1/8-inch to dual 1/4-inch cable lying around, or maybe even one with XLR ends on it. But we've all had those solutions buzz, hum, crackle and pop. And that's assuming you can find a cable.
The better solution is to use a DI, also know as a direct box or a direct input. Several companies make solutions with 1/8-inch inputs that work well. The folks up in Vancouver, BC who run Radial came up with another idea: Create a Radial-rugged DI that has an attached five-foot, 1/8-inch cable.
The result is the Radial StageBug SB-5. The unit has transformer-isolated and balanced stereo outputs on 1/4-inch TRS (tip, ring, sleeve) jacks that will also work with unbalanced TS (tip, sleeve) cables. To make sure the cable doesn't get lost or damaged, it's permanently attached and stores wrapped around the unit on an integrated cord cleat.
Other solutions tend to buzz, hum, crackle and pop.
Because you never know what you're going to be dealing with in these situations, the SB-5 includes a -15 dB input pad to guard against input distortion, a ground lift switch, and a summed mono XLR for those times when you only have one more input available and stereo isn't necessary. Like many Radial DIs, the bottom is fitted with a no-slip pad for mechanical and electrical isolation. And it won't scuff up your pristine desk at FOH.
The StageBug SB-5 is not shipping yet, so we haven't seen one in person, but they appear to be quite small, and should easily fit in a backpack, stage bag or a drawer in your sound booth. I can see having a couple of these floating around the average church. They would be great in multi-purpose rooms that end up with a wide variety of inputs (it appears the SB-5 would be a great iPhone interface as well…).
I also want to try one in my portable sound kit. It always seems it's the time when you're out at the retreat center a hundred miles from anywhere when the Jr. High leader wants to play something from his laptop at the last minute. How do you interface the audio? Having one of these in the bag could save a lot of grief.
So far, we're just reading from the press release, and we'll have to wait until we get our hands on one to give it a full going over. We're on the list to receive one of the first units from the factory, so look for a full product review in an upcoming issue of Church Production Magazine, and online shortly thereafter. But given that it's from Radial, I have every reason to think it will work wonderfully.
Revision 6/5/13 - The fine folks at Radial Engineering tell us the StageBug SB-5 starting shipping in mid-May. Look for a full product review in the September issue of Church Production Magazine, and online early that month.
