Mike Lanoue Facebook review

My name is Michael and I have been Production Managing corporate meetings in the United States since 2000. My background before that was in stage and film and I was very familiar with cueing systems. In film, we use a “bell and light system” that informs everyone when the camera is rolling, so people don’t open doors or converse during a take. When I started doing corporate work, most people were still using the infamous “pickle” remote which consisted of a long EBY cable going from the computer to the stage – it was inefficient and unreliable. That’s when I met Dave at Interspace Industries that had the answer to all or my concerns and questions. Since my first MasterCue V4, I have not seen a more reliable cueing system and the units keep getting better and better later my MasterCue V5 and I now own 2 MasterCue V6s, although my company has bought at least two dozen other units for my fellow road warriors. The products and product support from Interspace Industries is unparalleled in the industry and would not trust any other system. I recently obtained the Microcue3 dual-unit system, having already owned a Microcue2 and the technology has gone forward by leaps and bounds.

Just when I thought Interspace Industries couldn’t take it to the next level with the Microcue3, they have once again proved me wrong. I do meetings for corporate clients every week and I rely solely on my Microcue3s and my MasterCue V6s to do meetings from 10 people to 10,000. My units have never let me down and have always made my meetings a success.

Although I love my 2 Microcue3s for some of my some of my smaller meetings, I was limited to the customization and accessorizing I was so accustomed to with the Mastercue systems. Once again, Dave and his team have come through amazingly with two new accessories for the Microcue3 that once I had, I could not live without.

The first accessory that I was missing that I had with the Mastercue was a hardwire remote control. Many of my clients prefer to have this accessory for their meetings as a backup option to the wireless remotes, although the wireless remotes have never been an issue for me (other than battery life, but Dave fixed that, too, because now there is a battery meter built in). Interspace Industries has created a wired remote that connects directly to its proprietary i2 Network with the Microcue3 main units. No longer am I running two separate cables from front-of-house tech table to the stage (one for the Mastercue antenna and one for the hardwire remote control). The hardwire remote actually connects DIRECTLY to the Microcue3 with an XLR to RJ-14 cable. It can be extended to various distances and has a connection on both the top and the bottom, so other accessories can be connected to it as well (say a SECOND wired controller).

Let me back up a little and explain how I do my setup. On shows where I need to control 2-3 laptops at front-of-house, I place one of my Microcue3 units next to me at the tech table, so I can control the individual cueing of each laptop and then I connect the second unit directly in the podium on stage and the i2 network allows me to do this through a readily available XLR M-to-F cable (can go either direction). Now, the units can talk to each other. This means that you are not relying on the signal to come from the speaker on stage all the way back to the unit at the tech table – I have two units that communicate with each other setting up a diversity antenna whereby the transmission from stage only has to go a few meters at most to hit the closer unit. Then, the closer unit talks flawlessly with the other unit through the standard XLR cable back at the tech table. This makes for a system that works amazingly each and every time with each and every click of the remote.

Next, let me introduce you to my colleague Michelle. Michelle owns one of the most successful audience response companies in the United States and works with me on many of my projects. When I brought the Microcue3 to a meeting for the first time, we realized that she no longer had a CombiLamp to let her know when the client was wanting to advance to the next ARS question. With ARS, it’s best NOT to let the client take control and we just use the cueing system as a TRUE cueing system for her where she advances the question when the light blinks green. Uh oh, NO MORE COMBILAMP!! What I did for the first few meetings is set the second Microcue3 next to Michelle, which worked fine, but defeated the purpose of putting the second unit in the podium where it works best for me. I’ve been told that you connect four Microcue3s together, but my tech kit is very compact (as are the Microcue3s thankfully), so I only carry TWO. I recently took a trip to England and met with Dave and his team and to my delight, they had the perfect solution for me – the new i2 bi-directional CombiLamp!! Now, I can run a short XLR to RJ-14 cable over to Michelle and she can see every single client cue bright and clear! I LOVE this accessory and Michelle is now content with the Microcue3 system.

All in all, you can’t get any better on quality or any more competitive in price with all the great products from Interspace Industries. I swear by them on every single job and would not have it any other way. The products are both durable and dependable and work flawlessly for me EVERY SINGLE TIME. Thanks Dave and his crew at Interspace Industries for putting all your effort and love into every product you make – my clients and I appreciate it!!

Mike Lanoue