Balance AV Systems (BLNC AV) is a commercial audio, lighting and video integration company that understands the challenges and complexities of today’s live-event landscape. Our world-class event production services are uniquely tailored to meet the competing demands of budget, performance and value.
Our work goes beyond traditional venues and concert events. We are experts at conference-room technologies; music systems for bars and restaurants; audio systems for multi-use spaces, including gymnasiums, theaters and classrooms; and recording studios.
Backline rentals, audio and lighting retail, staging services, custom cables, video equipment and power products are among our ancillary services. All of these products and more can be discovered at our 1050 S. Academy Blvd. showroom.
MEET THE TEAM
Ryan May
Balance AV Systems Founder and Owner Ryan May brings a lifetime of sound-and-lighting experience to stages across the country.
During his career, he’s helped thousands of customers around the world by finding solutions to their audio, visual and lighting needs. He’s worked with artists Scotty McReery, Staind, Avatar and Insane Clown Posse, and he’s supported the Ernie Ball stages at Vans Warped Tour.
Venues that have benefited from his services include Denver’s Marquis Theater and Summit Music Hall, and The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs. He’s also provided products and services to places of worship like Red Rocks Church in Denver, Legacy Church in Green Mountain Falls and many others.
Ryan’s approach is simple, but unfortunately unique in the AV industry: He digs in with his customers to determine their true needs, understand their budget and provide true value-added solutions that solve real problems and save real money.
Simply put, Ryan helps his clients look and sound like pros, even if they don’t think they have the budget for it.
Ryan grew up in Colorado Springs, witnessing the birth of the region’s underground alternative and hip-hop scenes. Even as a teenager, he was playing shows with a local rock act and fine-tuning his AV skills.
He made a big move in 2004, relocating to Burnsville, Minnesota, where he served as Regional Sales Manager of the Live Sound division (Western U.S.) for audio manufacturer Electro-Voice. There, Ryan managed large national accounts at Guitar Center, training employees on the best way to present Electro-Voice products to consumers.
His experience working with those large national accounts — including Guitar Center, Musician’s Friend and Best Buy — provided Ryan with a unique inside look at the mechanations of the big-retail success model.
While at Electro-Voice, Ryan also worked with countless AV and concert-touring companies, learning their distinct needs and the most innovative, cutting-edge ways to meet them.
Ryan collaborated closely with Staind and Finger Eleven in supporting their national tours, ensuring that tens of thousands of fans enjoyed engaged, immersive experiences.
In 2016, Ryan partnered with Performance Audio to open Performance Audio Colorado, which quickly became the most notable pro-audio company in Southern Colorado. In 2020, as the reality of the Covid-19 pandemic and related government actions set in, Performance Audio decided to close its Colorado location.
But Ryan saw an opportunity to develop a new kind of AV company — one that’s more agile, more adaptable. Later that same year, he launched Balance AV Systems, named to reflect both his deep knowledge of AV system engineering and his budget-friendly approach. But it also signifies his commitment to finding solutions that work in a dynamic environment, where the right balance is more crucial than ever for an industry experiencing unprecedented disruption and technological advances.
During his limited free time, Ryan plays in the Colorado hip-hop band Audible and enjoys spending time with his family.
John Forman
John’s professional story begins in 1984 when he took up playing drums and became fascinated with the technical aspects of the shows he played and concerts he attended. Around the same time, he discovered a passion for woodworking. John soon was building loudspeakers for friends and bands throughout Colorado.
The next logical step? Designing and building his own sound system that became a staple on local stages.
In 2000, John joined legendary Colorado Springs-based concert production and touring company Audio Analysts in its fabrication shop, supporting Norah Jones, Ringo Starr, Linkin Park, No Doubt, Blue Man Group and more. His work soon expanded to cable building and repair, and then the re-coning and repairing of loudspeakers which led to official certification as a JBL Transducer Repair Technician.
He honed his craftsman skills building loudspeaker prototypes in Audio Analysts’ wood shop, where he designed and built a prototype floor monitor for Bruce Springsteen which would eventually be named the SLP-12. The Super Low Profile monitor was designed to meet stringent sightline requirements dictated by tour demands. These small monitors had unique design characteristics with a distinct aesthetic — in addition to a clear and impactful tone. Springsteen would proceed to use these monitors in future shows.
John joined Balance AV Systems in May 2018, leveraging the skills he’s developed over decades to provide the same best-in-class service enjoyed by premier performers to Balance AV’s clients.
In his free time, John enjoys spending time with his family, mountain biking and camping throughout Colorado.
Jonathan Loeser
Jonathan Loeser is an audio-visual designer for Balance AV Systems who brings more than a decade of live-sound, lighting and integration industry experience to his role.
Jonathan specializes in lighting design and operation. His rich knowledge of MA Lighting’s GrandMA lighting control system, which powered the NBA’s video systems during its innovative pandemic “bubble” season, and Vectorworks, which is used by top architecture firms around the world, has helped clients achieve their visual aspirations.
Jonathan is also an audio-design expert with certifications in Dante and Xilica networked audio systems.
He joined Balance AV Systems as a designer and tech in 2018.
Jonathan is a proud parent, and hopes to someday bring his child and nephews into the live-entertainment industry. When not teaching the kids the tricks of the trade, or designing lighting and audio for Balance AV Systems clients, he enjoys spectating at competitive Bridge tournaments and deciphering vanity license plates.
