Hi everyone,
With everything going on, you might find some gaps in the day planner. Going for a walk (dogs optional), checking in with friends and family (via phone, video chat or through glass) and reading positive news stories are all great ways to keep your spirits up. A neighbourhood near me had a street BBQ, where everyone stayed in their own yards, but they were all cooking at the same time. The videos of Italians performing together from separate balconies were fantastic too. And if you practice the bagpipes, trust me, you’ll have no problems self-isolating!
In a more work-related approach, you might want to upskill and expand your knowledge, so that when things change, you’re ready to hit the ground running.
Some of the industry training organisations are opening up their programs for free, so I’ve listed a few of these below, along with some of my favourites. Please shoot me an email (benm@radioparts.com.au) with your own favourites.
The Radio Parts YouTube page!
https://www.youtube.com/user/radiopartsgroup
Obviously, this is the best place to find all of our product videos, info sessions and more. I’m open for suggestions on additional content too, so send me your ideas and requests anytime.
AVIXA:
https://www.avixa.org/avixa-stands-with-the-av-industry
Essentially, this organisation is behind trade shows (like ISE and InfoComm) and official AV industry certifications – specifically the Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) credentials (more on that here). Getting CTS credentials costs money, as does their more general training, normally. However, at the moment, they’re offering a lot of their general courses for free. Go to the link above, register for a “Free BASIC Member” account, and have fun! And if you’ve got the cash, having a professional credential like a CTS is great.
To give you an idea of what’s in their general training:
- Audio troubleshooting
- AV Math (oh yeah, that’s the stuff)
- Rack building
- AV Design
- Networking Technology
- And a lot more
CEDIA:
Focussed more on the consumer AV industry (as compared with AVIXA above), CEDIA is the source of training and certification for the domestic installers. They haven’t announced any free training (so far), but again, if you have the cash and work in domestic AV, a CEDIA certification or membership is well worth checking out.
I’ve recommended their blog, as it’s full of good industry news, technology overviews, and customer-specific terminology.
SoundUnited University:
https://www.university.soundunited.com/
This is the Denon, HEOS, Marantz, Polk, Definitive Technology and Classe training group. Create an account, log in, and you’ve got free courses.
- General industry technologies – i.e. Networking, Audio formats, Audyssey, etc.
- Brand-specific training – like Denon’s Alpha processing, how Apple’s Airplay2 and HEOS integrate, and so on.
Yamaha’s Pro Audio “Audioversity”:
https://au.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/proaudio/training_support/index.html
There are training courses to register for, or you can hit up the self-training area here.
You can learn about:
- PA Beginners guide: https://au.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/proaudio/musicianspa/beginer_guide.html
- Application guide (ie. common setups): https://au.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/proaudio/musicianspa/ypas.html
- Better sound for commercial applications: https://au.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/proaudio/docs/better_sound/index.html
- Dante: https://au.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/proaudio/whats_dante/index.html and https://au.yamaha.com/en/products/contents/proaudio/docs/dante_network_design_guide/index.html
- And a heap of product or product-range specific tutorials
Blustream’s AV-over-IP system:
https://www.blustream.co.uk/learn-about-video-over-ip
This is just one of Blustream’s products, but it’s the source of a lot of questions, and could be the heart of so many great AV distribution systems. Well worth your time to learn about it.
AVPro Edge
https://www.avproedge.com/training-schedule.html
These guys are an American distributor, in a similar space to Blustream. They offer a range of free online training courses, and you just have to register for the ones you want. Mind you, all the training happens in US time zones, so you’ll need to be prepared to wake up EARLY!!!
In the next week or two, they’re covering:
- Classroom/Conference room systems
- 4K & HDR distribution
- 8K & beyond 4K
- Fiber optics (they’re a Cleerline fiber distributor, like us)
- And a lot more
Security Electronics Networks
https://securityelectronicsandnetworks.com/news/
Australia-based, they produce magazines and newsletters, but they’re one of the best places to find out about new products and security-industry concepts. Plenty of articles on their website, and here’s a quick selection of useful ones:
- Hikivision’s wireless alarm (that we can sell): https://securityelectronicsandnetworks.com/articles/2019/06/14/hikvision-axiom-alarm-panel-review/
- Edge analytics (i.e. doing the work in the camera or sensor, and sending filtered data back to the hub): https://securityelectronicsandnetworks.com/articles/2020/03/12/edge-analytics-security-electronics/
- New directions in security (i.e. all about networking as it relates to security): https://securityelectronicsandnetworks.com/articles/2020/01/30/new-directions-of-security-electronics-networked-future/
- And so, so, so many more
Ubiquiti’s YouTube page:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ubnt/featured
Simply put – it’s got webinars, setup guides, and everything you’re likely to need to know about Unifi, AirMax, Edge-devices and everything else they sell.
My favourite playlist:
- Introduction to Unifi – it’s a complete setup from design to installation, run by an Aussie, in his mate’s Italian restaurant on the Gold Coast
And there are so many more references and training courses out there. Send me your favourites at benm@radioparts.com.au and I’ll check them out.
I’ve never found improving my knowledge was a waste of time, and I hope you feel the same.
All my best, and I hope you, your friends, co-workers and family stay safe and healthy.
Cheers, Ben Marshall.