What did they just say? Dictionary of AV Terms v1

If you have ever worked with a technology partner or audio/video engineers at your meeting or event you may have heard them say things that may as well have been in a different language. While you really don’t need to know these things, we thought it would be fun to share a list of terms or acronyms with a short description or definition. Since there are so many items, this will have to be a multi-volume blog. Here you go!

Cheeseborough – cheeseboroughs tend to make me hungry for cheeseburgers. You definitely don’t want to eat them though. These coupling clamps are used in rigging pipes and truss.

Cookie – I wish these were the chocolate chip variety but these are handy little square pieces of wood that help level stages.

Gobo – This is one you have probably heard of before. A gobo is a partial screen used in front of a light to project a shape. You commonly see logos for events or companies as gobos as well as personalized monograms at a wedding reception.

Edison Cable – Is a fancy way of saying a power cable. They have connectors that are your standard household plugs.

Light Trees – This term is used when using ground supported lighting on stands. You can place several lights on a pole that is attached to a stand.

Barn Door – is used on a light fixture to narrow the beam spread of a light fixture, kind of like little doors that open and close. They help create a 3-dimensional look by concentrating light in a particular area.

Kabuki Drop – [kah-boo-kee] now this may be one of my favorite words to say. Try it out, it is really fun. Not only is it fun to say, it is an amazing thing to do for an event. It is a special effect in which a lightweight fabric is dropped swiftly from above to conceal or reveal your product, space or performers. Watch the first minute of this video to see an example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmI6g_N6rKo&t=62s

DAC-70 – pronounced dack and the number 70. Saying it kind of gives me the same feeling as when I say flux capacitor. Especially when it seems to solve some pretty magical things on an event. It is designed to convert video signals from VGA, HDMI, SDI with audio input to 3G/HD/SD SDI outputs. Or more simply put, it converts signals.

Spider Pod – This is a nifty device that gives your video camera tripod a little lift and has a step stool for the camera operator. Then when the camera operator moves a little, shifts positions it doesn’t affect steadiness of the camera.

Gaffer Tape – also known as gaff tape is a heavy cotton cloth with strong adhesive properties. The adhesive is rubber-based and allows for easy removal without damaging surfaces. We use a LOT of this tape. It comes in a variety of colors and widths. We primarily use the black variety for taping down cables for safety and aesthetic purposes. This tape has many other uses from securing signs to podiums and labeling audio consoles, to mending a rip in your pants or doubling as a band-aid.

Next time you have an event, make sure you casually toss out some of these terms to your AV team. You will totally impress them with your knowledge.

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