Tony Sprando

Tony Sprando

Tony Sprando has worked in the AV industry since 1994. For the past 20 years, he has designed commercial AVL solutions, managed a design process team, on-site installations, and is well-known for his blogs and customer satisfaction reviews on Google and Reviewability. Connect with him on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonysprando and Instgram https://www.instagram.com/tonytheavguy/

Landscape Music Systems and Sound – Outdoors vs. Indoors

By Guest Writer: Isaac Imig, Owner of Integrated Audio/Video There is a beautiful new memory care facility in Bend, Oregon called Mt. Bachelor Memory Care.  On their website, they state: The mission of Mt. Bachelor Memory Care is to serve the special needs of individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other forms of memory […]

Landscape Music Systems and Sound – Outdoors vs. Indoors

Best Uses for AV Equipment During a Trial if on a Shoestring Budget

By Guest Writer:  Tim Williams of Dwyer, Williams, Potter Attorneys, LLP Edited by:  Lauren Breslin, AV Bend Social Media Coordinator This past week, Tony had the pleasure of connecting with Tim Williams who shared some of his writings regarding the use of technology in the courtroom. The following highlights areas he addressed that specifically refer […]

Best Uses for AV Equipment During a Trial if on a Shoestring Budget

The Similarities of Sound and Light

Written by Audio Visual Bend Guest Blogger: Isaac Imig, Owner of Integrated Audio/Video Light and sound are both waves. The propagation, or distribution of sound, is actually very similar to light, just a whole lot slower. The waves of sound or light both reflect, refract, and attenuate depending on their environment. For example, you may […]

The Similarities of Sound and Light

Sell and Stay Within Your Scope of Expertise

An article by guest blogger for Audio Visual Bend, Erik Beyer – regional VP of sales – CLAIR Solutions How do we, as professionals in the AV industry, help small businesses recognize the opportunities that are better serving of their needs? Systems that will better serve them in the long run and, in some cases, […]

Sell and Stay Within Your Scope of Expertise

Holding 10,000 Lumens in Your Hands

A Mix-up for Movie Night This past Friday, the PTO of Lava Ridge Elementary in Bend, Oregon decided to host an End-of-Summer Movie Night in the playground.  What a good idea to bring parents together with the kids to enjoy one more good community event before the cold sets in. Everyone loves a movie night […]

Holding 10,000 Lumens in Your Hands

Breaking Down Sightlines in Worship Centers

In a recent article in Church Designer Magazine, author and design leader Chuck Hultstrand, provides an excellent overview of the key elements required to create visual experiences through the use of integrated sightlines.  As a review… Just what are sightlines again? Sightlines are hypothetical lines from someone’s eye to what is seen (used especially with […]

Breaking Down Sightlines in Worship Centers

Creating Visual Experiences Through Sightlines — Part 1: The Need for Collaboration

In a recent article in Church Designer Magazine, author and design leader Chuck Hultstrand provides an excellent overview of the key elements required to create visual experiences through the use of integrated sightlines. With this article as our inspiration, we will use his writings as a launch pad for a series of upcoming blogs. The […]

Creating Visual Experiences Through Sightlines — Part 1: The Need for Collaboration

Project Highlight – Worthy Brewing’s Hopservatory

Look up there!   In the air! Do you see it?  It looks like a brewery.  No, wait.  It looks like an observatory? What is it?!?!  It’s a Hopservatory! Our local paper, the Bend Bulletin,  featured an article on it. Check it out. Worthy Brewing to erect a “hopservatory” as part of their two-story expansion. Owner: […]

Project Highlight – Worthy Brewing’s Hopservatory

Image Colors Matter — Choose an Inorganic LCD Projector

In a side by side comparison of color display, the Inorganic LCD Projector was far superior to a single chip DLP projector.  This is most noticeable for customers who are creating marketing materials for display use.  Just imagine spending hours on creating a new brand with a variety of colors, handpicked by you and your […]

Image Colors Matter — Choose an Inorganic LCD Projector

Vertical Portrait Displays versus Horizontal Landscape Displays – Which is Better?

In the Audio Visual industry, choosing and mounting display screens is a large segment of our business and services.  And upon conducting research for this blog post, other industries including marketing, psychology, and photography, have a lot to say about which type of display, vertical or horizontal, is better.  And the winner seems to be… […]

Vertical Portrait Displays versus Horizontal Landscape Displays – Which is Better?

TV Placement for a Fitness Room in a Hotel Chain

This week, I am working with a hotel chain and the placement of a TV in a Multi-Purpose Room/Fitness Room. The typical math behind TV placement is to place the center of the TV screen approximately 10-15 degrees above eye level.  Of course, we have to consider the distance of the TV from the viewer. […]

TV Placement for a Fitness Room in a Hotel Chain

Choir Mic Placement and Evaluation for St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

A cheerful summer season to you from Central Oregon! While many industries seem to slow down during the summer months, the AV Bend team is as busy as ever.  So far this month, we have been active in our community and I would like to share a project review of choir mic placement and evaluation […]

Choir Mic Placement and Evaluation for St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

Selecting a Microphone for the Right Application

The History and Uses of Microphones The microphone was first invented in the 1870s and has advanced over the last 140 years as technology has allowed. The type of materials, circuitry and tools these days have made precision microphones of all types and for all uses imaginable. Microphone options for live environments are so numbered […]

Selecting a Microphone for the Right Application

Less is More – Using Apple as an Example to Apply Minimalism in the AV Industry

This week, I would like to explore the crossroads we often come to when we want to add technology to a space.  It is so easy to get all “wound up” on all the AV technology possibilities we could do with a space. However, when all is said and done, that space could easily end […]

Less is More – Using Apple as an Example to Apply Minimalism in the AV Industry

Array or Not to Array?

An article by guest blogger, Erik Beyer – Regional VP of Sales – CLAIR Solutions The industry of live sound installations continues to advance with new and refined technologies.  One area that has expanded is loudspeaker choices.  The use of line arrays goes back quite a ways and is also known as column arrays.  Of […]

Array or Not to Array?

Saltwater Kills!

Saltwater kills. These are two words that should never be in the same sentence when you are trying to get your wireless microphones to work. What do Saltwater and Radio Frequencies (RF) have in common? Answer: Nothing, really. But, I have a scenario for you that may help you make a connection. Imagine you are […]

Saltwater Kills!

I will not fail.

“I will not fail.” This thought just came to me recently and it flows from my recent post about building and maintaining “Forever Customers.” Then, I found this meme which says it all.  The point is, you have to go into every opportunity and be able to say to your customer, in one way or […]

I will not fail.

Building and Maintaining “Forever Customer” Relationships

The truth is, “You will always be remembered.” But, the question is, “How will you be remembered?”  As a business owner and service/product provider, I recommend the following principles to establish good customers because of your good reputations: Focus on being relevant, but realistic, in your offerings. Just because your customer does not want to […]

Building and Maintaining “Forever Customer” Relationships

Tony’s Rants: Tone Down the Tech!

The stack of publications was piling up on the corner of my desk. I thought it was about time to read them.  There were so many articles about using tech in our schools; tech to collaborate, tech to teach, tech to produce content, on and on. I had to stop and ask myself, “What did […]

Tony’s Rants: Tone Down the Tech!

Light ’em Up… with Front of House Lighting!

In all my years of doing audio visual rentals and designing installed systems, Stage Lighting seemed to be one of those requests that were few and far between. Like projection, it is a controlled beam of light, so I used to think this was pretty straight forward.  Well, I was wrong; it actually takes a […]

Light ’em Up… with Front of House Lighting!

You’ve Got the Power… Now Respect it!

Every seasoned audio visual technician can relate to this. There are three things that cause a good working audio visual system to fail: #1 is a user cord, #2 is the power source (which is what I am covering today), and #3 is user error and I may cover that on a future post…maybe :). […]

You’ve Got the Power… Now Respect it!

Is More Speaker Really Better?

Pretty much the coolest thing you can do with audio is make a huge wall of speakers (or single huge speaker like Marty McFly in Back to the Future) by tying them all together and then, BLAST THE MUSIC! Well, at least that is what I thought years ago. Hey, it makes sense, right? Most […]

Is More Speaker Really Better?

Microphone Placement Is Everything!

Today I’d like share about best practices for where to place a fixed microphone when using one for speaking. These best practices apply to everyone including sports announcers for the Big Ten Conference, presidential candidates from a lectern and also general handheld applications. The speaking voice is a source, and like your radio or music […]

Microphone Placement Is Everything!