# Practical radio prop (wireless speaker?)



## alderthought (Jun 18, 2014)

Greetings! I am trying to figure out how to pump remotely cue-able sound through a portable radio prop. The prop will enter, exit, and be moved around a great deal by actors, therefore wires would be a hassle as well as a danger. I'm trying to look into wireless speaker options as well as ways to wirelessly power said setup. The sound will be controlled from QLab on a mac laptop, fed into a PA system (the sound design ideally calls for sound cues to transition from the PA to the radio and back again). Any ideas/insight/wisdom to share? I've been looking into bluetooth and FM transmitting...any preference or arguments for/against either? If it matters, the transmitting distance would be no more than 30' in a wide open room. Ideally the whole wireless setup could be hidden inside the body of the radio. Thanks!


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## Footer (Jun 18, 2014)

Any Bluetooth speaker and one of the numerous Bluetooth transmitters out there. Motorola just released a solid one for 50 bucks. 

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## BobHealey (Jun 18, 2014)

Do you have any in ear rigs? Might (and I'm more at home over in lighting, so take this with a very large grain of sodium chloride) be able to use a channel of IEM with some battery powered speakers to get the audio from point A to point B.


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## themuzicman (Jun 18, 2014)

Build an iPod Touch into the radio and use Stage Caller via QLab. www.StageCaller.com. I have used it on several major off-broadway productions with little to no issues, and the issues we had were all resolved fairly quickly by the app's tech support team.


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## dbaxter (Jun 19, 2014)

This bluetooth transmitter should give you the range. I'm pretty sure Qlab will let you cross-fade between the output to it and the output to your PA. We did a similar thing recently for HOT L Baltimore using different cueing software, but the same principle.


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## alderthought (Jun 19, 2014)

Thanks so much! I will look into all these options. That StageCaller app is awesome! I wish I'd had that when I did Dead Man's Cell Phone.  But it sounds like I wouldn't be able to sync that up with QLab very well. Good backup, though, in case these other options don't work.


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## howlingwolf487 (Jun 19, 2014)

I know budgets can be tight, but having the ability to plant a speaker can be great. Remote Audio sells a battery-powered speaker that might fit your bill, and it's useful for various other things that pop up - backstage monitoring, etc. I'd get one myself if I was PM'ing shows more frequently or had a steady SM or tech gig that warranted it. Patch in your desired wireless RX and go with it.

You could also use a Qbox with a wireless receiver hooked up to it - it's just for a radio prop, right? How loud does this have to be from the audience?


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## alderthought (Jun 19, 2014)

howlingwolf487 said:


> I know budgets can be tight, but having the ability to plant a speaker can be great. Remote Audio sells a battery-powered speaker that might fit your bill, and it's useful for various other things that pop up - backstage monitoring, etc. I'd get one myself if I was PM'ing shows more frequently or had a steady SM or tech gig that warranted it. Patch in your desired wireless RX and go with it.
> 
> You could also use a Qbox with a wireless receiver hooked up to it - it's just for a radio prop, right? How loud does this have to be from the audience?



The radio does not have to be louder than normal radio listening volume. Also it's an old one, so the quality doesn't have to be stellar. I am a bit tight on money...Ideally I'd love to spend no less than $60. In which case bluetooth speakers may be the way to go.


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## jely (Jun 20, 2014)

Logitech makes a battery operated wireless speaker that receives Bluetooth or 2.4 gigahertz signal. It ships with a 2.4 transmitter dongle you plug into USB port. For our production, Bluetooth had a delay that made cue timing unpredictable and would loose connection to the computer. The Logitech Wireless Speaker Z515 when paired via the dongle stayed connected, played back without any drag or delay, and worked up to 75 feet away. We ran 2 of the Z515's to imitate a baby crying in a stroller and a cell phone ringing in a purse all over the set in our black box. Q Lab on a 2008 era Mac Mini played the recorded cues. The speakers didn't cross-talk, never dropped a cue, recharged quickly, and sound pretty good.
They are small enough to hide and can get loud. At a very high volume, there is some distortion. 
The downside is they are $135 from Amazon. You might find cheaper from Monoprice or Meritline.



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## alderthought (Jun 20, 2014)

jely said:


> Logitech makes a battery operated wireless speaker that receives Bluetooth or 2.4 gigahertz signal. It ships with a 2.4 transmitter dongle you plug into USB port. For our production, Bluetooth had a delay that made cue timing unpredictable and would loose connection to the computer. The Logitech Wireless Speaker Z515 when paired via the dongle stayed connected, played back without any drag or delay, and worked up to 75 feet away. We ran 2 of the Z515's to imitate a baby crying in a stroller and a cell phone ringing in a purse all over the set in our black box. Q Lab on a 2008 era Mac Mini played the recorded cues. The speakers didn't cross-talk, never dropped a cue, recharged quickly, and sound pretty good.
> They are small enough to hide and can get loud. At a very high volume, there is some distortion.
> The downside is they are $135 from Amazon. You might find cheaper from Monoprice or Meritline.
> 
> ...


 Hm, good insight about Bluetooth. I actually found the speaker you're talking about for $39 used on Amazon. I think I'll give it a try. Thanks so much!


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## Floobydust (Jun 20, 2014)

alderthought said:


> Greetings! I am trying to figure out how to pump remotely cue-able sound through a portable radio prop. The prop will enter, exit, and be moved around a great deal by actors, therefore wires would be a hassle as well as a danger. I'm trying to look into wireless speaker options as well as ways to wirelessly power said setup. The sound will be controlled from QLab on a mac laptop, fed into a PA system (the sound design ideally calls for sound cues to transition from the PA to the radio and back again). Any ideas/insight/wisdom to share? I've been looking into bluetooth and FM transmitting...any preference or arguments for/against either? If it matters, the transmitting distance would be no more than 30' in a wide open room. Ideally the whole wireless setup could be hidden inside the body of the radio. Thanks!



Look into the Alto Stealth Wireless units.
My DJ friend runs these 200 feet easily and has great quality.


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