We like to keep you in the loop about firms that bring exceptional value to a project.  With that in mind we want to give a shout out to Kirsten Kent Carangi and her team at BEAM, who provide the best of the best in lightning design. On our joint projects, Stone Glidden plans and executes Smart Lighting Control while BEAM handles all aspects of conceptual design, lighting layout, and fixture specification. They are easy to work with and tremendous at what they do, so we are big fans.

 If you are looking to up your sonic game, the relationship between Pre-Amp, Amp and Speakers is where it happens.  My firm has built and installed thousands of systems throughout the Mid-Atlantic.  I say this because when I founded Stone Gildden and first created music rooms in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, it was simply to deliver great sound and an all-encompassing experience. I love creating that jaw dropping moment when clients look like they have heard sound for the first time. There is really nothing like a moment of clarity, a moment when crystal clear music reigns supreme.  Technically, the heart of this moment is amplification, driving sound to each channel.  Amplification, however can be a cruel mistress.  Amplifiiers work best when the signals they are receiving are clearly and correctly processed.

  ‘I’ve listened to that song a thousand times and I’m hearing things I’ve never heard before.’ I suspect  you’ve uttered those words at one time or another, maybe at a local hi fi store, or better yet, after we installed a new system for you. The technology changes, but that “ah ha” moment you hear is likely a combination of a properly designed system, and the most important link in the chain … the room itself. Getting your speakers and your room to play nice together can make the all the difference.

This fall, at an industry event I came across a new music service that is spreading like wildfire. It was one of things that when you see it, you just kind of know its going to be big. Brands like Apple, Sonos, and Google are starting to embrace it. It’s a new streaming based music service from France called Deezer. Well,Deezer is new in the sense that it is only now becoming available in the US, having developed a base of over 16 million users in 50 other countries to date.