AVLifesavers
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AVLifesavers beginnings
photo of Lonnie Bedell of AVlifesavers.com My name is Lonnie Bedell, and I'm the guy behind AVLifesavers. Unlike big companies, I've been doing actual live sound work since 1995, and live recordings since 1985. [ View my Linked-In Profile ]
It's that kind of real world experience that I feel makes AVLifesavers stand out. It's one thing to examine problems theoretically, it's a whole different thing to deal with frantic last minute changes from an inexperienced client who wants it done yesterday.

Been there, done that...

All products are assembled right here in the USA. Living Wages to American workers is and will always be part of the fabric here, despite the temptations.

I can be reached at [email protected] or Text 617-433-7480 (no phone calls please). While I certainly value your opinion, I do NOT do custom builds.

In the beginning...

I built my first mixing board for my band when I was 15 years old with parts from Radio Shack & a local electronics store called "You do it" Electronics. In high school we got to tour a recording studio. I later searched for a recording course at a local studio when I was 16. The first one wouldn't take me because I was too young, but the second one (Baker Street Studios in Watertown) did & I was hooked.

My first year of college was at Middle Tennessee State University, which with 16 tracks had one of the largest recording programs in the country. Hard to believe by today's standards. While I was there Berklee College in Boston built 6 studios, so I transferred back to Berklee in my neck of the woods.

While attending Berklee College of Music I started Goin' Mobile, doing live recordings for other Berklee Student Projects. You try fitting a full rhythm section w/ 4 horns onto 4 tracks! Starting at the bottom really teaches you how to get the most from what you've got. (something that's probably gotten lost in a world with infinite tracks on a computer)

When I graduated I started doing projects all over. First a Fostex 1/4" 8 track, then Tascam MS16 1" 16 track, then 24 of adat, then 32 & finally 40 tracks. Here's a photo of the 1st mobile truck, the mighty brown van.

Eventually I wandered into the Gospel market. Mostly NYC, but I went all over the Eastern Seaboard, NH down to GA. This necessitated a switchover to Tascam DA88/DA38 as well a 14 foot box truck.

Gospel is an excellent training ground for problem solving ability, with lots of last minute "oh by the way" changes, and venues with poor equipment/power.

For the last 18 years I've done Corporate Audio work off and on for clients in the Boston area. Lots of Mackie 1202/1402s, speakers on sticks, graphic EQs & wireless lav mics. Occasional jobs doing Boom Sound work, audio in a video truck, FOH band work, etc.

For the last 8 years I've been selling used electronics purchased at auction on ebay as well, tapping into my audio signal flow skills & macgyver skills to repair lots of different things.

In a way this led me right back to circuit level work, which added to decades of real world experience was the start of AVLifesavers.

Our new shop acquired January 2020... (epic timing!)

As you can imagine this doesn't leave much free time, but I enjoy hiking in the NH White Mountains & skydiving when I get a chance.

May 2023 saw the whole operation move to Northern NH.