Category: Services

Given the changes in the world, staffing has become a challenge.  Often there is too much to do and not enough time in which to do it. Advisist is ready to lend a hand when needed; whether for two hours or two months.  We can serve as a short-term labor enhancement, allowing you to accomplish more in less time.

We are here for you when there is too much to do and not enough time in which to do it. Advisist can serve as a short-term labor enhancement, allowing you to accomplish more in less time without the process of hiring new people for a brief time.  

There are often instances where deadlines are looming, and more people are needed to get a task done. These occasions could be caused by the illness of a team member, a change in design, or any number of unforeseen circumstances. A solution to this challenge is the use of staff extension or staff augmentation. Hiring Advisist as a temporary addition to your staff provides the ability to achieve your goals as well as contain operating costs. Your company does not need to go through the time-consuming hiring process or the accounting task of tracking costs of individual independent contractors. Advisist works under your company’s direction, and within your standards and practices by providing our labor and knowledge. 

Audio, Video, and Control systems are not completely independent, they need to interact with many things. No only do these systems need to work with the major systems in the building, such as telephone, building management, and Internet. The systems must interact and work within the facility itself. The impacts to the building can range from the basic of needing an outlet put in for a video display to needing additional footings to hold the weight of a large video wall.

The Advisist team offers review services to not only check the common items of AV systems but can expand into the Architectural and Engineering Program. Their experience with bringing concepts to life provides an invaluable level of reference when examining the facility, the needs of the AV System, and how the two interact. The evaluations are not simply will this device fit here, there are the other items to be considered such as how much cooling is needed or the amount of power required.

Making sure a project meets or exceeds the scope of work and performance specifications is a critical point in a project. Acceptance testing provides an empirical verification that a system is performing properly, typically it also includes the testing of communication and interaction with other systems. It is an important benchmark for all parties collaborating on the project including the integrator, consultants, end-user and occasionally manufacturers.

The process of an acceptance test applies to many project stages. The testing can be done as part of the fabrication stage to verify proper performance and functionality before the project is delivered to the site. Verifying that the products are connected, and function properly goes beyond just turning on a signal and seeing if it is output by the amplifier. The process needs to verify that the configuration of the system is as expected. If there is a paging portion of the system, the ability for the page to be properly routed and made is important. Checking that digital signal processing outputs are routed to the correct amplifier channels is important to prevent damaging loudspeakers. Doing this testing before the system equipment arrives on the job site often saves both cost and time.

When there are defined performance requirements such as achieving a specific sound pressure level or frequency range at a listener’s position, verification requires proper tools, instrumentation, and processes. Verification goes beyond just audio performance, it includes such things as verifying video output color, brightness, and cabling performance. The performance specifications may also contain specifications about how the system should interact and react with various controllers. These interactions can range from playing prerecorded messages to being properly synchronized with the video content in the space.

Acceptance testing also includes things beyond performance and operation, acceptance testing also needs to include functional and fabrication acceptance. This type of testing is different than performance verification. It typically happens at the end of fabrication or installation. We have found through our experience, that waiting until these milestones occur can be risky. If the same mistake has been made multiple times in a large system, it takes much longer to fix than a small mistake being made once in an evaluation system. This process often includes things like stress testing, and confirmation that the system is built and installed correctly, as well as verification that the control interfaces are functioning properly. It also includes physical items, such as are cables labeled properly, is the equipment installed correctly, and is the documentation correct.

Advisist provides a fresh set of eyes as an independent party for these types of services. For the integrator it allows a third party to review the system before the client does, providing time to make any necessary adjustments. For the end user it allows for someone with more experience in the AV field to impartially evaluate the system. For manufacturers, it allows for a party to verify that the equipment is being used properly as well as properly integrated into the system.

Products are designed to solve a particular challenge for customers. Quite often the product can do more than the original intent. A great example of this situation is Kutol Products’ most successful product – a wallpaper cleaner designed to safely remove soot. Its more successful use, and more well-known, is Play-Doh. (The Accidental Invention of Play-Doh – Smithsonian Magazine). Those unintended uses can be more successful than the original intent.

This evaluation process can begin with the manufacturer on the product side, or on the application side with the integrator, or anywhere in between. The evaluation is not just theoretical, it is based on real world experience. If needed the product in question will be tested by Advisist to verify the application objectives can be met successfully. Application objectives don’t just apply for the hardware involved, but also the software or user interface. The usability of the software is also evaluated. The proper software and interface can have huge implications as the iPod showed. The ability to store and play compressed audio files was not unique to Apple. The user experience, more importantly the ease of it, made the iPod a success. This same impact happens with equipment like digital signal processors and how the human machine interface (HMI) functions. A seamless software experience is as an important part of the experience for users, as is the technology used. The ability for the software interface to change the adoption process of equipment cannot be overstated. Advisist believes that some products can be considered for alternative uses. For example, people in corporate environments often think digital signage for uses outside of meeting rooms. Placing a digital signage player in a meeting space can allow for easily showing marketing content during a meeting. Triggering the content from a touch screen or control screen makes the process more reproducible.

These are just some examples of examining the use of products. Please reach out for more information.  

There is the expression that one can never be a prophet in their own land. Roughly translated that means one can tell coworkers how to do something it will be ignored, but if an outside person tells them, it will be retained. Staying up to date on the latest technologies is a challenge, and training staff is essential.  

Leave the training to our professional team at Advisist. We can help educate and share the knowledge through their experiences. Bradford’s experience as a trainer for Harman Professional, as well as his work with synergetic audio concepts or SynAudCon makes him an invaluable resource. A transfer of knowledge is a skill honed over many years. We offer custom trainings can be developed to meet specific needs and can cover any topic. 

These trainings can also be based on the systems that are being installed. One of the requirements that is often overlooked is training the final operator or end user of the system installed. As an independent party, we know how critical this step can be, and can review the project to determine what information needs to be conveyed for training purposes. Whether it’s your staff, or your clients, Advisist can tailor a training program to meet your needs.