In Part I of this No~Shock~Zone Stage series you learned what voltage is and a bit on how it’s measured. In this article we’ll cover how to use a basic digital voltmeter to measure any power outlet or extension cord for proper voltage. The reason this procedure is so important is that sometimes venues do crazy things with power outlets.

Most musicians really don’t want to learn about electrical engineering, or even how basic electricity works. Everyone, however, should learn how to test for and avoid electric shocks on stage. With that in mind, there are some novel ways to think about and teach basic electricity to the musician and technician.

We’re running a survey on ProSoundWeb to find out just how many musicians have been shocked by a guitar or mic. Please help us find out how big a problem this is by responding to this 10-second survey.

We’ve just completed our first six NSZ clinics for musicians across the country. These 90-minute classes feature audio and electrical expert Mike Sokol as the instructor, and teach musicians and audio techs how to stop hums, buzzes and shocks on stage.

By now many of you have seen the CSI episode a few months ago titled “Unshockable”. This show featured the band Rascal Flatts, and had their bass player “electrocuted” onstage when he touched his mic. Now, I normally don’t watch CSI, but I emailed all my electrical engineering buddies to watch the show.