Pulse Sound and Vision

22/09/2026

18/09/2026

🩺🎤 Mic Doctor: Can a £10 part ruin a class?

Absolutely.

Two studio visits today threw up a couple of problems we see far too often.

Studio one hadn’t had a reliable instructor mic for some time. New DX6 installed and working properly again.

But remember the setup rule:

🎤 MIC FIRST. MUSIC SECOND.

Get the instructor clear and loud enough, with sensible headroom before feedback. Then bring the music up to match.

Don’t set the music loud and then keep winding up the mic trying to compete with it.

Studio two was more interesting.

An instructor had repeatedly reported crackling from a brand new EMic.

I tested it. Perfect.

Then I spotted the Trantec S4.4 bodypack.

No aerial. 🤦‍♂️

It worked in an empty studio for me.

Now fill that room with human bodies and have an instructor moving vigorously around it. Very different conditions for an already compromised RF link.

Would I blame the new EMic?

Absolutely not. Fix the missing aerial first.

And this is something clubs need to get better at.

A replacement Trantec aerial is £10 from www.aeromic.uk.

It’s a consumable.

If you keep blue towel and surface cleaner in the studio, keep spare aerials too. In fact, they’re more important to actually delivering the class.

Poor studio sound WILL affect the class. It frustrates instructors, affects members and makes the studio a less attractive place to teach.

And most importantly, these problems often aren’t expensive to solve.

You just need somebody who knows what they’re looking for.

So, instructors…

👇 What’s the studio sound problem that drives YOU mad?

Feedback? Crackles? Dropouts? Not enough mic level? Equipment that works one day and not the next?

Tell us in the comments. I suspect we’ll recognise quite a few of them.

And operators, if any of those sound familiar, talk to us. You don’t need to diagnose it first.

That’s our job. 🩺🎤

www.aeromic.uk

16/09/2026

An EMic XL heading off to Newcastle.

And by complete coincidence, we were talking about exactly this at Saturday’s Les Mills launch.

One instructor mentioned that he knows he’s never quite as well heard when teaching at his club. They use standard EMics, and looking at the fit, there was a pretty obvious solution.

EMic XL.

It’s the same purpose-built EMic fitness headset, but with a slightly longer boom arm. For instructors where the standard EMic doesn’t quite bring the capsule close enough to the mouth, that extra length can make all the difference.

Not everyone needs an XL. For most people the standard EMic is spot on.

But heads aren't all the same shape, and microphone placement matters. If you find yourself turning the mic gain up or working your voice harder because the capsule sits too far away, the XL could be the answer.

And apparently somebody in Newcastle already knows about it. 😉🎤

05/09/2026

🚴 A quick look around the new spin studio at Garstang Leisure Centre.

This one's part of the centre's recent £235k refurbishment, where we've installed an awesome new immersive sound and lighting system in the new spin studio, an impressive new sound system in the main hall, and brought great sound to the newly created gym space too.

“Immersive” is a word you hear used quite a bit these days. Few studios ever really achieve it. We think this one does.

In the spin studio, the system includes DX6 wireless, EMic fitness headset microphone, Aerolink Bluetooth and Aeromix, with LD Systems subs and loudspeakers providing the sound around the room.

The PACE lighting system gives instructors simple touchscreen control of the studio lighting, with colours and effects that can respond to the music.

Everything the instructor needs is together in a custom rack at the teaching position, keeping the controls at the perfect height and exactly where they're needed.

Really pleased with how this one has come together.

Have a wander round... 👇

03/09/2026

Another box has just arrived to bring our Aeromic mic belt stock back up to a much healthier level, and there are a few new designs joining the collection too.

Some are bright, some are bold and others are a little more understated, so there should be something to suit just about every instructor.

Have a look through the designs in the store and tell us which one you’d choose. Are you going bold and colourful, or keeping things simple?

Take a look through the full collection and let us know which one you’d choose 👇
https://pulsesoundandvision.co.uk/product-category/fitness-instructor-mic-belt/

03/09/2026

Very excited and very happy with this one! 🎶💡

A couple of busy days at Parkwood Health & Fitness Salisbury installing a complete new sound and immersive lighting system.

The audio is a full LD Systems CURV 500 system, driven by the CURV 500 iAMP with DSP taking care of system control and loudspeaker protection.

I read the CURV’s WaveAhead technology described recently as “glasses for your ears” and rather liked that. It’s about getting the sound where you actually want it rather than simply making everything louder. Pretty important in a group exercise studio!

For the instructors there’s DX6 wireless with an EMic headset, Aerolink Bluetooth and Aeromix control.

And then there’s the LEDsnaps immersive lighting... which has completely changed the room. The photos probably say that better than I can. 😁

As always, an absolute pleasure working with Gary and the team at Parkwood Salisbury.

Love how this has turned out.

03/09/2026

🩺 MIC DOCTOR: Please stop turning all the k***s up!

Two completely different faults. Two fitness sound systems. And nothing actually broken.

I had a message recently from a fitness instructor. Let's call her Sarah, because she's specifically told me to make her name up. 😂

She'd been using the same Trantec S4 wireless system and Wharfedale Titan speaker since around 2019.

Her problem was simple enough to describe.

The microphone was loud. Plenty loud enough, in fact.

But people in her classes were telling her they couldn't understand what she was saying. She agreed. Her voice sounded muffled.

She'd already checked the gain and, given the age of the equipment, asked the perfectly reasonable question:

“Is it time to replace it?”

Maybe.

But before replacing a microphone, it's worth establishing that the microphone is actually the problem.

First suspect: the speaker

Because she was using a Wharfedale Titan 12, the first thing I suggested checking was the HF driver.

A speaker like this doesn't produce the whole frequency range from one driver. The larger driver handles the lower frequencies, while the HF driver behind the horn at the top produces the higher frequencies that give speech much of its clarity.

If the HF driver has failed, turning up the microphone isn't going to help.

You'll just get louder muffled speech.

So I suggested playing some music and listening specifically to the horn at the top of the speaker.

She did.

The HF driver was fine.

Good. One possibility eliminated and, importantly, we still hadn't bought anything.

She then started looking more closely at the controls on the back of the speaker.

And found the problem.

The LOW control was turned way up

The Titan has HI and LOW EQ controls on the back.

The LOW control had been wound right up.

So the speaker was adding a substantial amount of bass and low-mid content to her voice. The microphone wasn't necessarily becoming quieter, but the frequencies that help us understand speech were being overwhelmed by everything underneath them.

She reset it, experimented with the settings and tried it properly during a class.

Her message afterwards?

“Everything sounded much better, thank you!!!”

Seven-year-old wireless system.

No new microphone.

No new speaker.

No repair.

Just one k**b in the wrong place.

And then, almost on cue, it happened again.

Different studio. Different fault. Same basic problem.

I'd recently visited another fitness studio and replaced a faulty amplifier.

When I left, the system was loud, clear and working as it should.

I then heard that they had another problem.

When the instructor spoke into the microphone, the music was cutting out.

Now, I'd noticed something on previous visits to this particular system.

For whatever reason, somebody seems to have an irresistible urge to turn every control on the mixer fully, or almost fully, clockwise.

More must be better, presumably.

It isn't.

Having all your input controls wide open can introduce unnecessary hiss and noise, but one particular control on this mixer causes a much more obvious problem.

VOX Talkover/Damping.

It's actually a useful feature.

When the instructor speaks into the microphone, the mixer can automatically reduce the music slightly, making the voice easier to hear.

But the control determines how much the music is reduced.

A little bit of damping and the music gently drops underneath the instructor.

Turn it fully up and the music can be almost completely suppressed every time the instructor speaks.

Which was remarkably similar to the fault being reported.

I suggested checking it.

And, having corrected the controls, the problem disappeared.

So, two faults in a matter of days...

One system had a microphone that was loud but sounded so muffled people couldn't understand the instructor.

The other sounded perfectly good until someone spoke into the microphone, at which point the music disappeared.

You could quite reasonably have suspected a failing microphone in the first case.

You might have wondered what had gone wrong with the newly repaired sound system in the second.

But nothing had failed.

Someone had been turning k***s.

And that's why one of the simplest pieces of advice I can give anyone using a fitness studio sound system is:

Please stop turning all the k***s up! 😂

A k**b isn't necessarily another volume control.

An EQ control normally has a neutral position for a reason.

Gain needs to be set appropriately for what's connected to that input.

Bass and treble controls change the sound rather than simply giving you “more”.

And things such as VOX, talkover, compression and limiting can completely change how a system behaves.

So if your studio system suddenly starts sounding strange, don't immediately assume something needs replacing.

And don't start turning everything clockwise in the hope that one of the k***s fixes it.

If you're not sure, take a photograph of the controls before touching anything.

Then you can always get back to where you started.

Or send me the photograph.

The Mic Doctor might just be able to save you from buying something you didn't need.

20/08/2026

🩺 MIC DOCTOR
The class has finished. What happens to your mic now?

Nathan’s new EMic went out this week with a case and the Fitness Audio care guide.

It reminded me of something I see all the time.

Class finishes. Instructor is hot. Mic is sweaty. Everything goes straight into the case.

A case is great for protecting your kit while you’re carrying it around.

It’s not such a great place for a damp microphone to spend the next 24 hours.

And this applies to pretty much any head mic, not just an EMic.
After class, wipe it down with a dry paper towel and give it some time to air dry before putting it away.

No chemicals, ever.

Check the little places where sweat can hide too.

On the EMic there’s a movable rubber spacer where the cable leaves the headband. Sweat can collect underneath it. Slide it along, dry underneath and put it back.

Keep an eye on the connector too. If a nice bright plug starts looking dull or tarnished, moisture may be getting to it.

And don’t pull on the cable while cleaning it, particularly where it enters the headset or plug.

The EMic is built to take a lot of punishment, but there’s no point putting unnecessary strain on a cable. That goes for any head mic.

A few minutes of simple care after a class can make a big difference.

And hopefully keep your mic out of the Mic Doctor’s surgery for a bit longer. 🎤🩺

10/08/2026

People might ask why I recommend the mics I do.

It isn't because of the logo.

It's because I've spent years repairing them.

Every repair tells you something. You start to recognise the thinking behind a product.

Some were designed around the job they had to do. Others were adapted from somewhere else.

If I genuinely believed there was a better purpose-built headset mic for commercial fitness than the Aeromic or the EMic, I'd be selling it.

I don't.

I'm not into brands. I'm into good engineering.

Give us a quick follow for more. 🙏

07/08/2026

Some products start with a marketing department.

Aeromic didn't.

It started with a conversation.

An electronics engineer, Peter Paisley, was asked if he could build a headset mic that would survive the realities of group exercise.

John Penhallow saw something else.

Not just a microphone. A better way of doing things.

One focused on solving the engineering problem.
The other made sure fitness instructors around the world could benefit from it.

That's the kind of philosophy I relate to.

Give us a quick follow for more.🙏