AV issue 64 by Alchemedia Publishing

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Education Solutions. On Display.

Transform education venues into collaborative idea sharing environments with Samsung’s Fl!p and e-Board. Teachers and participants can enjoy meaningful productive and convenient learning through intuitive touchscreen interaction and single-source content sharing.

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PROFESSIONAL AUDIO VIDEO SOLUTIONS IN AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND Production Audio Video Technology (PAVT) is a proudly Australian-owned and operated company that has distributed professional audio, video, conferencing, and production products for over 30 years, establishing ourselves as a leading AV provider for corporations, smallto- medium business, institutions, public buildings, and live production houses. With a highly skilled technical

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ISSUE 64

46 REGULARS Advertising Office: +61 (0)416 230329 PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 Australia

Editorial Office: +61 (0)3 9998 1998 PO Box 295, Ballarat, VIC 3353 Australia

Editorial Director: Christopher Holder (chris@avapac.net) Contributing Editor: Derek Powell

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Additional Design: Dominic Carey (dominic@avapac.net)

alchemedia publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628) PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 Australia info@alchemedia.com.au All material in this magazine is copyright © 2019 Alchemedia Publishing Pty Ltd. The title AV is a registered Trademark. Apart from any fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. The publishers believe all information supplied in this magazine to be correct at the time of publication. They are not in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. After investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, prices, addresses and phone numbers were up to date at the time of publication. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements appearing in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974. The responsibility is on the person, company or advertising agency submitting or directing the advertisement for publication. The publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, although every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy. 10/10/2019

ASSOCIATION NEWS AVIXA update. Including Oceania Awards winners.

TERMINATION Festival Greetings.

58 FEATURES

AVIAs WRAP All the winners and finalists from 2019.

6 22

YAMAHA REAL WORLD IMMERSIVE FOR UNSW 24 A 40-channel Yamaha AFC3 Active Architecture system goes into the Io Myers Studio.

Graphic Designer: Daniel Howard (daniel@avapac.net)

Subscriptions: (subscriptions@avapac.net)

GRAND ENTRANCE Perth’s RAC Arena switches up its foyer signage.

Publisher: Philip Spencer (philip@avapac.net)

Accounts: Jaedd Asthana (jaedd@alchemedia.com.au)

NEWS Includes an update on ISE 2020.

FLIGHT OF FANCY Beefy BGM system goes into the Blue Marble Bar, Auckland Airport.

EXTREME INNOVATION Novatech wins an Innovation Award for its work on the Tour Down Under.

FRESH THINKING Freshwater Place embraces huge digital artwork.

MAPPED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD Projection Teknik takes up big Irish festival challenge.

BOUNDARY CHANGES Boundary Hotel installs AV that copes with change.

TIME TO DO SOME WORK NOW Get Ampd for Scooby Doo rollercoaster audio.

FORCE OF NATURE Te Papa Museum wins another AVIA for nature exhibit.

LAB WRAP USYD, the Superlab pioneer keeps innovating.

GAMING THE SYSTEM The Electric Canvas went to great lengths (and heights) to take care of Comm Games video.

REVIEWS

ELECTRO-VOICE RE3 Wireless Microphone System

FEATURE

AVIAs Reboot Kicks Off

hanks to everyone who was a part of the AVIAs 2019 reboot. For those who drank free beer and ate free food at the ceremony at the conclusion of Day 1 of Integrate… Thanks. There were more than 200 industry pros who attended to cheer on their colleagues and counterparts. The AVIAs colocated with the AVIXA Oceania awards and it was an appropriate marriage – AVIXA celebrating individual achievement and the AVIAs recognising excellent and innovative work done in the past calendar year. Congratulations to this year’s finalists – all were very worthy – and the line up of high quality submissions made for a great contest and showcase of world’s best practice. Now’s the time to already be considering what you might want to submit for next year’s AVIAs. Remember: winning submissions have proved over the years to be those that show next-level

ingenuity. In other words, ‘bigger’ doesn’t always have to be ‘better’. Finally, thanks to the members of our judging panel – Kait Hall, Scott Doyle, Jared Walley, Mike Comiskey, Rod Brown, Zane Hu and Richard

SPONSORED BY

Grenfell (along with non-voting chair, Andy Ciddor) – for their time and expert contributions. The AVIAs are only truly worth aspiring to because they’re independently adjudicated and hard to win.

BEST COMMERCIAL OR GOVERNMENT PROJECT The AVIA for Best application of AV for a Commercial or Government Project gives designers, consultants, installers and integrators an opportunity to showcase their wares. The judges weren’t necessarily looking for the most glamorous or highest-profile project going, but they are on the lookout for a project that had been executed to an exemplary standard and went beyond the client’s expectations. This year’s record field of entries met these criteria with room to spare.

MERCEDES LIFESTYLE PRECINCT — InDesign Technology

Every Mercedes-Benz dealership and showroom world-wide is required to comply to a mountain of detailed design and performance criteria set down by head office. InDesign Technology was engaged to design and consult on the audiovisual solution for the new five-storey lifestyle precinct

SYDNEY TRAINS’ RAIL OPERATIONS CENTRE — Critical Room Solutions Critical Room Solutions supplied a complete electrical and technology infrastructure, and a design and construct package to integrate large dedicated incident management room featuring a screen visual displays, video wall processors and further two LCD video walls, SMART boards and software, touchscreen control and KVM solutions videoconferencing facilities. together into a system capable of providing The judges recognised the scale and quality of flexible and intuitive overview and control of Critical Room Solutions work on the Sydney Trains Sydney Trains vast network of infrastructure. Rail Operations Centre – Operational Visual Display The system supplied includes the primary display System, by awarding them a High Commendation in system: a 32.5-metre wide by 3.65-metre high, 41 this category. megapixel, LED wall, three LCD-based video walls You can read our full feature story in AV for information to the operators who manage the AsiaPacific Issue 62 or on our website avapac.net

in Brisbane and eventually also to manage the project. As building costs began to rise beyond the allocated budget, the AV design team succeeded in reducing their budget by some 70 percent whilst still meeting all performance specifications. Check out our full feature story else where this issue.

FEATURE

PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA — PARITY TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING The Parliament of Victoria’s Office Accommodation project included rolling out the parliament’s sacred and historic communications system of chamber bells and flashing lights to a new building that accommodates members of the parliament. Each of the building’s 102 parliamentary members’ offices is fitted with its own PoE Dante loudspeaker which is in a separate audio zone. The 140 video monitors were selected to deal with potential reflection issues in each of the offices. All of this had to be installed and commissioned without disrupting the business of the State parliament. The judges have awarded this AVIA to Parity Technology Consulting for its excellent and innovative

work. Like most parliaments in Australia, members are called to vote in their respective chamber by a system of bells and flashing indicators advising them that a division is in progress and that they must attend to register their vote. This project required a seamless, low-friction migration to a networked-based digital system that interfaces to the existing legacy system and maintains these traditions. The new system provides redundancy for the audio DSPs and uses enterprise-grade Cisco network switches to provide confidence in the reliability of the division bells as a critical component of the democratic process. You can read our full feature story in the last issue of AV AsiaPacific or on our website avapac.net

AVIA2019: BEST USE OF AV IN EDUCATION Education continues to push at the boundaries of what’s possible with AV technologies. The AVIA for the Best Application of AV in Education is for the best conceived, best executed, and most innovative AV projects and installations in the education sector. As in previous years, 2019 saw a strong field of entries for this award.

3D AUDIO VISUAL – UWA TRADING ROOM

The Trading Room facility in the Business School at the University of Western Australia provides real-time access for an entire class of 45 students to the complete suite of financial information and trading tools found in trading rooms throughout the world. Shoe-horned into a limited existing teaching space, 3D Audio Visual’s design of the

total refit has created a multi-purpose facility that is in high demand as a teaching space, a real-time trading room and a research facility. Along the outer wall of the room, and visible to everyone in the business school foyer, is an 11m live stock exchange ticker. Check out the full story <here> https://www.avapac.net/trading-places/.

PROGRAMMED ELECTRICAL TECHNOLOGIES – UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY LEES1 BUILDING

The new Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences building Number 1 includes three biological safety-certified super wet labs: two at 144 seats and the third at 96 seats, each with three teaching positions and carefully-designed acoustic separation between learning groups. Also found

PRO AV SOLUTIONS – THE SPHERE KELVIN GROVE CAMPUS QUT

The Sphere is located in the atrium of the new Education Precinct building on its Kelvin Grove campus, in Brisbane. The primary element of this display is the world’s first spherical LED data display. The 5m-diameter, 3.5-tonne sphere built from over one thousand LED panels contains 12.7 million individual LEDs for a resolution just over 4K. Suspended from the atrium’s ceiling, the sphere is partnered by a 4.8-metre interactive video wall together with 12 ceiling-mounted loudspeakers to fill the space with multidimensional sound. The judges chose this project for its high impact and its innovative application of LEDs and video mapping into the field of data visualisation and public engagement. Like the now-internationally

famous Cube at QUT’s Gardens Point campus, the Sphere is designed to engage the next generation of students and inspire them to study at QUT, while also providing a unique spherical data visualisation tool suitable for displaying and modelling data on spherical objects, such as planets and stars. The judges made special mention of their admiration for the team of technicians from Pro AV Solutions and their suppliers, who spent hundreds of hours sequestered inside a spherical cage on a building site, as they fitted and commissioned the 1040 video panels that comprise this impressive display. Check out the full story <here> https://www.avapac.net/ global-leader/

in this building are a 3x3-screen videowall in the foyer, five six-person meeting rooms with Zoom collaboration connectivity, three 12-person VC-equipped meeting rooms, three flexible seminar rooms and a host of digital signage for information screens.

FEATURE

AVIA2019: EXCEPTIONAL INNOVATION AWARD Right from their inception, the AVIAs have been about recognising innovation and excellence in the AV industry. The judges look carefully each year among the projects entered for one that exemplifies that truly ground-breaking innovation that will change the way the industry will solve problems in the future.

NOVATECH CREATIVE EVENT TECHNOLOGY — TOUR DOWN UNDER Right from their inception, the AVIAs have been about recognising innovation and excellence in the AV industry. While every project submitted for an award exhibits innovation in its design and execution, the judges look carefully each year among the projects entered for one that exemplifies that truly ground-breaking innovation that will change the way the industry will solve problems in the future. Since the AVIAs began back in 2009, very few projects have attracted the judges’ attention sufficiently to warrant making an award for Exceptional Innovation in AV, and consequently only a few awards have ever been made. In 2019 one project stood head and shoulders above the pack in the simple, thoughtful, but radical way that it solved a long-standing problem for outdoor productions. If you’re delivering the street-side event PA for a cycling tour that appears at two new locations – over 120 kilometres apart – every day, for seven days, it’s a considerable logistical problem to quickly and safely set-up, strike and relocate your PA system between venues. In the past, the PA supplier for South Australia’s Tour Down Under had used access platforms to pre-rig

an overhead set of everybody’s favourite Low-Fidelity 100 Volt metal-horn speakers at each venue, and then hooked them up when the race came to town. The approach taken by Novatech Creative Event Technology which won them the 2019 Exceptional Innovation Award, was to use a ground-supported winched mounting system, based on tried-and true rigging hardware which was then safety-braced to South Australia’s famous steel and concrete Stobie power poles. The system allowed Novatech to set up its PA from scratch in 90 minutes at each new location, then bump it out in under an hour. The rigging system permitted the use of full-range low-impedance L-Acoustics Syva loudspeakers to deliver highquality, time-aligned audio across the hundreds of meters of streets covered at each stage. Not only does Novatech’s award-winning system simplify and expedite the rigging process, it completely removes an entire class of workplace health and safety risks for the crew and the public attending the event. This solution has become the standard for Events South Australia, and is already attracting wide attention in the event and PA worlds.

AVIA2019: BEST PRODUCTION OR EVENT The award for the Best Application of AV for a Production or Event is for the best that AV production has to offer, whether that be for product launches, corporate events, son et lumières, theatrical and concert productions, made-for-TV spectaculars, circus, or one-off events. The judges weren’t necessarily looking for the most lavish show – but they were seeking the most elegantly conceived and flawlessly executed productions of the year.

TOUR DOWN UNDER AUDIO — NOVATECH CREATIVE EVENT TECHNOLOGY Novatech took home an Exceptional Innovation Award for this PA system in the streets of South Australian towns along the route of the Tour Down

Under cycle event. The sound quality was so good the competitors were seen bopping along to the background music as they rode into town.

PROJECTION MAPPING CURRAGHMORE HOUSE — PROJECTION TEKNIK A sensitive and contemporary projection mapping treatment of the façade of Curraghmore house, in County Waterford, Ireland, as part of the ‘All Together Now’ festival. The project was made

more complex by the last-minute relocation of the projection towers, when it was discovered that festival organisers had accidentally placed the media marquee in the projection paths.

“ The dBbox2 stands out as not only being a quick and powerful field tester, but a quality calibration and measuring tool in the same package. All our key staff have one” — Chris Dodds, Managing Director The P.A. People

The CTP dBbox2 handheld audio test unit now released with V2 software, allowing monitoring, metering and generation of analogue, AES/EBU and SPDIF audio in the field.

“The dBbox2 now forms the backbone of our touring fault finding capability and with so much reliance now on digital systems this box handles everything superbly. So much so that there is at least one on every single show we put out through the door! ” — Mark ‘Magic’ Ellis-Cope Sound Dept Manager

• The dBbox2 is an invaluable tool for all temporary outside broadcast situations where identification, levels and audio quality tests are needed to ensure the show wiring grid is solid. • Offers monitoring of analogue mono and stereo, AES/EBU balanced or unbalanced digital audio as well as Midi receiver/ transmitter ID on a pass through. • The audio generator covers tone, tone sweep as well as glitz and EBU with tone level adjustments and with the inbuilt loudspeaker and microphone many detailed tests are possible.

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FEATURE

COMMONWEALTH GAMES CEREMONIES PROJECTION — THE ELECTRIC CANVAS The complete technical delivery of the video projection and media server systems for the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, including technical design, equipment provision, installation, programming, operation, maintenance and dismantling. The Electric Canvas broke new ground in event projection by covering the main field of play with projectors mounted on lighting towers, some 70 dizzying metres above the arena. The judges were impressed with the creative solution to the well-known

problem of covering the main field of play with minimal distortion and shadowing from the performers and participants. They also appreciated the clever re-tasking of those projectors for the different stage configuration of the closing ceremony. The panel recognises that the projection crew were probably less impressed with the idea behind these solutions when faced with the 70m ladder journeys for commissioning, alignment and maintenance of the projectors.

AVIA2019: BEST EXHIBITION OR DISPLAY The award for the Best Application of AV in an Exhibition or Display places the exhibition, trade show, museum, gallery and display specialists in the spotlight. Outstanding projects in this category will not only engage and amuse or inform their audiences, they will address the client’s needs for conservation, maintainability, sustainability and longevity.

SCOOBY DOO SPOOKY COASTER — AMPD ELECTRONICS The project entailed the design, installation, programming and commissioning of a new audio system Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster: Next Generation, at Warner Bros Movie World. The install coincided with the introduction of new projection,

TE TAIAO NATURE EXHIBITION — MUSEUM OF NEW ZEALAND TE PAPA TONGAREWA The Te Taiao Nature Exhibition is a three-year project and the most significant change to Te Papa’s exhibition spaces the museum has embarked on since opening in 1998. It is a modern, content rich, dynamic, immersive and bilingual exhibition in both English and Maori. It is a heavily interactive focussing on learning for all ages, ideas of extinction and identity and also has themes of Maori spirituality and connection. The exhibition interweaves the themes of interpretation of nature through both Maori knowledge systems and Western science. The panel were very impressed at

the seamless integration and the sheer invisibility of this substantial installation of AV technology, as it takes a distant back seat to the engagement and content of the exhibits. The judges found the consideration of sustainability, maintenance and monitoring in every aspect of the AV installation, to reflect an exhibition thoughtfully designed for smooth operation over the long haul. The success of the exhibition is reflected by visitor numbers increasing well beyond expectation and the shift in demographic distribution towards the target audiences of under-35s, families and Maoris.

visual and animatronic effects. By using networked amplifiers and loudspeakers, the control architecture provides complete end-point monitoring, which enables the system to report faults or issues with any devices within the ride envelope.

AV Stumpfl‘s brand new media server and software, built from the ground up, combines the ability to create projects both large and small, with a focus on speed and ease of use. Features like being able to load your Vectorworks and 3ds Max files straight into PIXERA and work on them in a 3D space as well as blind edit and live preview from the timeline make any project a dream. The PIXERA range is available in both a software only and turnkey hardware solution format. Contact your local team at Show Technology and for a demo and test drive.

The award winning PIXERA media server system combines a revolutionary GUI approach with powerful and reliable hardware, perfect for live events, projection mapping or multi-display applications. PIXERA servers are available with 2, 4 or 8 outputs and with optional automatic camera calibration.

Discover the latest AV Stumpfl products at www.showtech.com.au/avstumpfl

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NEWS

AVIA2019: BEST DIGITAL SIGNAGE To recognise the development of digital signage as a technology – and maybe even an art form – in its own right, a new category of AVIA for the Best Application of AV in Digital Signage has been introduced this year. Although no projects were directly entered for this award, the digital signage projects entered into other categories were separated out to give them a chance to shine in their own right instead of competing in a crowded field. As with other award categories, the judging panel were looking for both excellence and innovation in the design and execution of the projects in addition to responses from the end users and clients.

TWIN TOWNS FACADE — ULA GROUP Twin Towns Clubs & Resorts Digital Media Façade is on the Queensland/NSW border. As the first building you see when crossing into New South Wales, a combination of colour-changing architectural lighting, low-resolution video and a curved, high-

resolution LED main screen, the digital façade puts a bright new face on an older and well-established RSL club and resort. Read the full story on avapac.net or venue magazine Issue 67.

FRESHWATER PLACE — ENGIE SERVICES AV TECHNOLOGIES Situation in a newly refurbished foyer at Freshwater Place, Southbank Melbourne, this large live artwork with a wide 32:9 aspect ratio is based on a theme of water and islands, with the image varying live with

MELBOURNE AIRPORT LUGGAGE CAROUSEL — ENGIE SERVICES AV TECHNOLOGIES This 85m LED video display wall encompasses the baggage return carousel at Melbourne airport’s International new baggage claim Number 8. Its work on the project included a full design scope, design and construction of a custom LED mounting system including custombuilt mounting cabinets to cater for the tight radial curvature of the wall. Its work also encompassed the content management system, and an 11-channel sound system. The judges were impressed by the clean presentation of this useful project, in particular the implementation of smooth curves at the tight corners of the display. The layout capability of the media

server allows video and images be treated either as a single canvas, or as multiple moveable sub-screens repeated across the wall. The audio system is broken down into 12 zones allowing audio to be designed for multiple channels, or to enable audio images to track moving video images as they sweep around the display. The client is pleased that the digital wall has made this low ceiling height baggage collection area feel spacious and less enclosed. They have found that the screen is proving wonderful at entertaining passengers while they wait for bags, particularly children. Check out the full story on the avapac.net or in [[DigitalSignage]] Issue 25.

actual tide levels and wind changes in a small group of Australian islands. The video art is rounded out with an eight-channel, 25-speaker audio system, spread across three separate zones.

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NEWS

Integrated Systems Europe: Where to Next? ISE Managing Director, Mike Blackman

ike Blackman, Managing Director of Integrated Systems Events, talks about ISE 2020, and why the show has become the ‘must attend’ event for users of AV technology as well as for AV industry professionals. ISE has enjoyed year-on-year growth since it began. Will ISE 2020 be the biggest and best yet? Mike Blackman: Unquestionably. At the last ISE, we had over 81,000 visitors – and we expect more in 2020. In 2019, we had 56,100sqm of net exhibit space, and that will increase in 2020 by over 800sqm. Two important changes for this year are that the Hall 5 extension has been made larger and permanent, while Hall 14 will be the home of a new Innovation Zone – a specially designed area for companies that are new to ISE to showcase their technology. The ISE Main Stage theatre will relocate to Hall 14, and will offer a full program of free-to-attend thought leadership and best practice sessions from ISE, AVIXA, CEDIA and AV Magazine. Following the success of our spectacular projection mapping on the nhow Hotel during ISE 2019, there will be another exciting projection showcase on another part of the RAI complex. And we have a dynamic and thoughtprovoking Opening Address lined up; we will announce the speaker when registration opens at the start of October. What’s new in the way of conferences and professional development? MB: All the conferences held at ISE 2019 will be back in 2020 – covering smart buildings, XR, digital signage, digital cinema, hospitality, visitor attractions, stadiums and pro audio, plus AVIXA’s two What’s Next… conferences, focusing on enterprise and higher education. In addition, we have a couple of new ones – the Control Rooms Summit and the CEDIA Design & Build Conference. Like in 2019, many of the conferences will be held at the Hotel Okura, near the RAI, which proved very popular with our attendees. As well as its conferences, AVIXA is running 20-minute FlashTrack sessions on its stand. CEDIA has a four-day program of training sessions, beginning on the Monday with a workshop on cybersecurity, as well as hosting free

CEDIA Talks on its stand. What are the challenges presented by the event having become so large? MB: One of the biggest is ensuring visitors can easily locate what they’re looking for – and relevant exhibitors can easily be found. One of the ways we’ve addressed that is with the creation of six Technology Zones – for audio and live events, digital signage and DOOH, education, residential, smart buildings and unified communication. The Technology Zones mean that visitors can quickly locate the part of the show where they’ll find the technology and product trends that are most relevant to their interests. The ISE app has proved a big hit with visitors, and its wayfinding features are a key part of that. How has the average ISE visitor profile changed over the years? MB: Back when we first started, our audience almost exclusively comprised systems integrators and other AV channel professionals. Increasingly, though, the show has become a destination for end-users; our exhibitors want to engage directly with them, as well as meeting their existing and prospective channel partners. Today, ISE has become as much of a ‘must attend’ event for endusers as it is for the channel. How have you made ISE more attractive to end-users? MB: We’ve added substantially to our conference program over the years, because end-users have told us they get enormous value not just from the opportunity to talk directly to manufacturers and to find out about the products and technologies that will shape their companies’ AV strategy – but also to network and to learn from industry experts and their peers. Our Special Interest Group program is designed to bring attendees from specific key vertical market sectors to ISE, helping end-user technology buyers to meet technology vendors and solution partners. They’re the result of formal agreements between ISE and a variety of associations, media partners, companies and consultants, and they’re tailored to meet the information needs of the visiting executives with planned stand visits, presentations, networking events and dinners. You mentioned sessions by AVIXA and CEDIA. What is their role with ISE?

The move [to Barcelona in 2021] isn’t simply about growing the numbers: it’s about delivering a betterquality experience to our exhibitors and visitors MB: ISE is owned by AVIXA and CEDIA, two trade associations with a focus on professional development – so education and training have always been an important part of the show. Another priority for both associations is reaching out beyond the industry, to other stakeholders within AV projects. Establishing and awarding professional qualifications plays an important part in establishing the expertise of the industry as a whole, as well as demonstrating the competency of the individuals who work in it. AVIXA and CEDIA are hugely instrumental in helping deliver the outstanding visitor and exhibitor experience that ISE has become, setting the tone and themes for the event and helping us continue to develop and create evermore engaging content for our channel and various vertical market end-users alike. Between them, the two associations provide a wealth of market intelligence, guidance and education initiatives, as well as many entertaining and thought-provoking opportunities for development. What trends in technology should visitors to ISE 2020 look for? MB: I think we’ll start to see AI permeate a number of AV applications. It’s already being used in digital signage, but many see opportunities for it in other customer-centric applications, such as hospitality. AI is also being used to improve the quality of meetings and collaboration. ISE 2020 will, I think, provide evidence of the rise of LED-based screens. They have advantages over LCD – and prices are dropping rapidly. It will also be interesting to see the progress that OLED technology has made. Visitors should look out too for new generations of application-specific projectors. On audio: object-based sound will be heard everywhere. With the move to Barcelona in 2021, ISE 2020 will be the last one at the RAI. How do you feel about that? MB: The RAI has been a great venue for us for over a decade now, so, of course, there’s some sadness: I’ll leave with many fond memories of our time there. It’s served us very well, and has been part of our rapid growth to become the world’s largest professional audiovisual event. The downside is that we’ve become too big for a convention centre even of the RAI’s size and facilities. However, I’m also excited. The Fira is a fantastic facility and a much larger space, located in a very attractive destination. The move isn’t simply about growing the numbers: it’s about delivering a better-quality experience to our exhibitors and visitors. 

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NEWS

UPWARDLY MOBILE VC

OUT OF THE BOX LED

Huddle spaces are being rolled out across the world at a prodigious rate. Infocus observed the limitations inherent within many of the camera and microphone technologies relied upon in these smaller VC spaces — the cameras, especially, can often result in distorted or restricted vision of the participants. The ConX360 all-inone conferencing camera sits in the middle of the table, more or less at head height and more or less equidistant from all the participants in the conference. From there, the 360° camera can transmit remarkably natural vision of those involved — the sweet spot for the ConX360 seems to be less than four around the table. The smart device can dynamically highlight participants as they talk; automatically recognise and follow the active speaker with smooth panning; and provides 360° field of view to capture an entire room and high quality audio for clear speech intelligibility. Setting up the ConX360 is as easy as placing it in position and plugging the USB lead into your computer (it works with the popular soft codec VC flavours). What’s more, privacy is ensured as easily as pushing the 360° camera assembly back into the chassis of the device.

Fine pixel LED is starting to take over where big LCD maxes out, with the likes of LG, Siliconcore and Aurora offering (virtually) ready -to-roll HD products that require very little assembly and no additional video processing. Optoma joins the fray with the FHDQ130, a fully-optimised 130-inch all-in-one LED display. The display uses a proprietary 4-in-1 LED SMD layout for a smoother screen surface, wide viewing angle and a more robust design. The screen comes together in a matter of hours and is pre-calibrated out of the box. A range of connectivity and control options are available, including HDMI, USB, RS232 and HDBaseT. Optoma’s QuadShow option offers a complete indoor rental market package. The package includes a flight case, and motorised stand, which allows the display to mount in portrait as well as landscape mode.

THREE NEW RANGES OF SHARP INFORMATION DISPLAY PANELS The latest 4K information display panels from Sharp all offer Ultra HD resolution, rendering on-screen content with renewed detail, while the PN-HB series delivers 350 nits brightness, and the PN-HM 450 nits for brightly lit areas. LED backlighting ensures vivid colours and boosted contrast, making these screens ideal for where detail is necessary, such as in CAD or air traffic control. The PN-HW and PN-HB displays can operate 16/7, and PN-HM is designed for 24/7 runtime. The screens offer USB playback, media player functionality from USB and SD card, as well as 3 HDMI ins. PN-HB and PN-HM displays pack an SoC with Android 7.1, allowing real-time display of info and added flexibility. Mounting can be flat, stand-alone, wall-mounted, or even flown, creating floating displays above engagement areas.

Optoma: optoma.com Corsair Solutions: (03) 9005 9861 or www.corsairsolutions.com.au

Sharp: 1300 552 552 or visualsolutions@sharp.net.au

perfect timing,” said Giles Brading, TAG National Sales Manager and leader of the TAG Melbourne team. “Once we set the date there was some furious renovation needed to get the training facility ready but I’m delighted to say that after some round-the-clock project management from TAG Technical Director Anthony Russo we’ve got something pretty special here.” The new offices are not only a base for TAG’s Victorian team, but replicate and extend the training, demonstration and meeting facilities that TAG HQ in Sydney offers. As well as the new state-of-the-art training facility, the four-level building, in the inner city, hipster suburb of Collingwood, houses an office/admin level plus a rooftop meeting/demonstration level, making 46 Easey Street the

alongside TAG Directors Maxwell Twartz and Anthony Russo? In a brief address Joe mentioned the importance of relationships, QSC/ TAG’s successful 25-year history together and the exciting shared future ahead. Following the formalities, QSC’s dynamic training duo Patrick Heyn and Nathan Makaryk took the stage with an improv comedy set and were very warmly received by the 180 or so guests. Giles spoke for the whole TAG team when he added: “It’s a privilege for us to welcome so many friends here tonight. We’re looking forward to this place being our home in Melbourne but we also want you to feel at home so please make it as much about you, as it is about us.” TAG: www.tag.com.au

Infocus: infocus.com Westan: 1300 963 963 or westan.com.au

EASEY AS: TAG’S NEW MELBOURNE HQ

Seizing an opportunity to welcome friends, customers and colleagues to the company’s new Melbourne office, Technical Audio Group commandeered Integrate Expo Tuesday evening for a Grand Opening. “With so much of the audiovisual industry already in town it was

perfect hub, as well as a pretty good place for a plate of paella and a beer among friends. “The technical nature of our products, particularly QSC Q-SYS, necessitates plenty of training and we have been offering sessions on a frequent and regular basis in Sydney,” explained Anthony Russo. “Having a home for training in Melbourne is a really important step for us, it’s a promise we made to ourselves a while back and it’s something we’ve been very keen to deliver.’ Combining the Grand Opening with Integrate meant representatives from TAG suppliers Allen & Heath, Audio-Technica, Martin Audio and QSC were all in town, and that included QSC CEO and AVIXA Chairman Joe Pham. Who better, to cut the virtual ribbon onstage,

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018

NEWS

TRUE 4K LASER

STEM AUDIO’S VC ECOSYSTEM

ANNOTATION PRO

The Christie Eclipse is a 4K RGB pure laser projector. It’s capable of a degree of detail and depth of colour that has ‘never been possible with any Pro-AV projection system’. With true HDR, Christie Eclipse can process and reproduce HDR content on screen, in 4K resolution, at both high and low brightness levels. The result is a contrast ratio of up to 20,000,000:1, which ensures that the finest details are visible, even in extreme black and white ranges. With an expansive colour gamut approaching the full Rec.2020 and Rec.2100 colour space, Christie Eclipse produces highly saturated colours for immersive experiences. With RealLaser illumination, 4K resolution and high frame rate capability of up to 120fps, Christie Eclipse can deliver smooth, dynamic content without distracting blur, which is critical for planetariums, big screens and themed attractions such as dark rides and flying theatres.

Stem is an offshoot (sorry) of well established US conferencing products manufacturer, Phoenix Audio Technologies, and looks to provide “the complete full stack solution for audio conferencing,” according to CEO, Jacob Marash. It comes at conferencing equipment from a new angle, bringing consumer standards to the B2B world by concentrating on the approach to the problem rather than the problem itself. To better understand market needs, Stem’s research showed six problems common to almost every respondent: Room design – time consuming and requiring a lot of guesswork; Difficulty of install – time on site is profit lost; Testing the room – objective measurement complexity; Custom solution – no one size fits all; Managing the technology – need to monitor and control remotely in real time; and training users – the more difficult it is to use, the less it is used. The Stem approach to this challenge is to provide a whole ecosystem made from the building blocks of hardware but glued together with intelligent software. As Jacob Murash put it: “it’s the perfect marriage between hardware and software”.

Williams AV Annotation PRO brings true 4K video to system designers wanting to add annotation to their professional 4K video designs. With the enhanced broadcast graphics capabilities of the NVIDA processor, the Annotation PRO provides stunning graphical annotation overlays that provide brilliant detail, crisp colours and sharp images. The product is built on a NVIDA Pascal GPU system architecture with 256 NVIDIA CUDA cores. This processor can deliver real-time video processing with less than two frames of latency. The embedded software application runs on a Linux OS and offers upgrade possibilities that are unavailable in a hardware based FPGA or ASIC solutions. Designed for the AV integrator, it can be easily integrated into your system design and works with any HDMI switcher and third party control system. The Annotation Pro can work in a video in-line or loop through video design. Depending upon the project requirement the Annotation Pro can be ordered in either a Non-HDCP (Annotation PRO) or as a HDCP compliant (Annotation PRO Plus) device. Williams AV: www.williamssound.com  Hills: www.hills.com.au

Christie: www.christiedigital.com

Stem Audio: stemaudio.com Madison Technologies: 1800 00 77 80 or madisontech.com.au

TASCAM’S AV MOVE

Tascam is in the middle of a serious growth phase. Its product line is expanding rapidly to ensure it remains a serious contender in the hi-tech and recording market, as well as pushing into the install market with a (currently) small selection of Dante products, an eight-channel matrix mixer and a live streaming solution. CMI, the Tascam distributor in Australia, hosted two high-level delegates from Tascam’s Tokyo HQ to introduce its sales team and key buyers to the new products and Tascam’s product roadmap. Erisa Sato is Manager of the Product Planning Section, while Kai Saito is APAC Sales Manager. AV Asia Pacific sat with the two execs for a chat about the direction Tascam is taking: “Tascam name is built on sound

quality, regardless of the category. “We’re very excited about our expansion into installation products. “We are not only expanding the product line but the perspective of the business. “Our R&D is very flexible. We have a team of around 80 hardware and software engineers in our Tokyo headquarters. It’s a small enough team that we can be responsive to what our customers are asking for. “AVoIP is a new area for us, and a challenge. But we have the team to do it. Our product lines will support more flexibility and efficiency in any application. “The range is small now but we will develop the range into a whole end-to-end solution. That’s the plan.

“It’s an exciting time for Tascam. We’re changing as a company with a focus on new technology — not sticking with hardwareonly product. “We may be redefining who we are as Tascam but reliability and sound quality are the foundations for everything we do.” CMI: (03) 9315 2244 or cmi@cmi.com.au

020

NEWS

ROADWORX SOUND MASKING

CX-Q AMPS UP Q-SYS SYSTEMS

SYMETRIX BEEFS COMPOSER

Roadworx Sound Masking offers innovative, simple and intelligently-designed solutions to the problems of workplace privacy and acoustic distractions. Roadworx sound masking products include features such as: Real-Time Adaptive Adjustment, where the masking increases during very active periods and becomes more discreet when calm returns; Automatic Equalisation Process, which allows precise adjustment that adapts characteristics specific to each work environment; and Networked Masking System Technology, for simplified system control and reduced installation costs. Roadworx makes installation and administration of its sound masking systems easy thanks to its Administrator software, where project settings can be easily applied to masking zones on a visual representation of the office layout in the software. From a user perspective, a mobile app makes it easy to control masking, paging and background music volume from any Android or Apple smartphone; while the Roadworx touchscreen allows for simple, easy and secure masking volume adjustments via a sleek, centralised wall-mounted touchscreen panel.

QSC CX-Q Series network power amplifiers in four-channel models are now available worldwide. These amplifiers combine the QSC legacy of highperformance and reliable amplifier design with the native network transport, control and monitoring capabilities of the Q-SYS Ecosystem. As with all native Q-SYS amplifiers, CX-Q Series delivers dragand-drop design integration, advanced telemetry and monitoring through Q-SYS Reflect Enterprise Manager, and an elevated audio experience when used with QSC loudspeakers. The CX-Q Series network amplifiers utilise a highly efficient, Class-D hybrid powertrain design built upon the dependable PL380 PowerLight amplifier platform. They also feature two QSC amplifier innovations – FlexAmp and FAST (Flexible Summing Amplifier Technology) that combine to offer far more fluid power distribution options in a single amplifier. Two streams of the series are available, ‘Q’ models featuring mic/line inputs along with network, and ‘Qn’ sporting network inputs only. Eight channel variants will be released later this year.

Symetrix releases Composer 7.2 for Windows, the latest version of its programming software for Edge, Radius NX, Prism, and Solus NX DSPs. Composer enables integrators to program a complete end-toend DSP signal path using just one application. Version 7.2 adds several important features: the new Emailer Module enables sending email notification directly from the DSP hardware, triggered by any event in the DSP design. By using commonly available email-totext gateways, SMS text messages may also be sent. Amplifier monitoring and control has also been added for the Powersoft Duecanali, Quattrocanali, Ottocanali, X4, and X8 amplifiers, and for Panasonic WPDM9XX amps. This enables Powersoft amplifiers to communicate current, alarms, thermal, and impedance stats directly to the DSP for real-time display on portable and fixed devices. The number of simultaneous TCP/IP connections Control Server can host has been dramatically increased from 6 to 1,000, allowing far more simultaneous users and control interfaces.

Madison Technologies: 1800 00 77 80 or madisontech.com.au

TELSTRA DEMO’S REAL-TIME, LOW-LATENCY VR STREAMING OVER 5G

At this year’s Telstra Vantage showcase, Telstra, broadcast and telecoms specialists Magna Systems and their technology partner Summit Tech delivered an Australian first providing live, 8K VR streaming over Telstra’s 5G network with images captured by a Kandao Obsidan R 8K camera from the Gold Coast to viewers in Melbourne. Visitors experienced immersive real-time streaming with 5G Voice and Video Calling when stepping into a VR cylinder designed by Igloo Vision, where they were transported to a beach on the Gold Coast while sharing the experience via carrier-based video calling (IR.94). Using an outside broadcast

TAG: (02) 9519 0900 or www.tag.com.au

truck from scalable OB and fly away specialists Blue Garage TV situated on the Gold Coast, Summit Tech designed a capture and encoding system which can be setup in any location with 5G coverage and began transmitting to viewers equipped with the Summit Tech RCS VR Odience application. Magna Systems: www.magnasys.tv

Absen has appointed Audio Visual Distributors (AVD) its Australian partner. The agreement sees AVD promote Absen LED products across the Australasian region and provide training for local end users, as well as exhibiting Absen products at relevant trade fairs and roadshows. AVD: www.avdistributors.com.au

Symetrix: www.symetrix.co PAVT: (03) 9264 8000 or www.pavt.com.au

Jands expands its distribution partnership with Bosch Security and Safety Systems, taking on the portable ranges from ElectroVoice and Dynacord, and joining Jands offering of Commercial and Professional Sound from Bosch. This expanded distribution partnership continues our push to build a complete Jands offering to the market and we’re excited to have these leading retail ranges in our portfolio. Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or jands.com.au

QSC announces the acquisition of Attero Tech. This combines the rapidly growing portfolio of the Q-SYS audio, video and control (AV&C) Ecosystem with Attero Tech’s portfolio of networked AV endpoints and I/O peripherals, as well as boosting QSC’s development capabilities with Attero Tech’s Fort Wayne-based engineering staff joining the multinational QSC team. QSCL: www.qsc.com

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022

FEATURE

Grand Entrance Perth’s RAC Arena goes all-in with its foyer signage.

aking a grand entrance has always been a high priority for the RAC Arena in Perth. Many readers will recall that back in 2012 the arena launched with an extraordinary, multi-faceted digital signage feature in its foyer, comprising scores of LCD panels. But after that installation had reached its use-by date, management decided it would leverage the versatility and visual impact of large-scale LED to totally reboot its foyer signage. The replacement LED feature would be designed to hug the architecture of the foyer entrance arches. The RAC Arena team put the job out to tender, with Perth-based integrator, Focus AV, awarded the project. “We bid on the project after consulting with Aurora Signage about the right spec for the installation,” recalls Focus AV Director, Alan Bird. “Aurora really came to the party with its superior on-site warranty and keen pricing. I think that really got us over the line.”

HIGH OUTPUT

The remarkable new LED feature signage comprises some 312 (500mm x 500mm) Aurora Signage cabinets – a total of 78sqm of 4mm pixel pitch LED. Two VD Wall 4K processors drive the display, taking two 4K outputs from the Media PC of the Arena’s in-house marketing and content team. The 15,500-cap venue is a thoroughbred sports and concert arena attracting big acts such as Michael Bublé, Fleetwood Mac and more, while the Perth Wildcats basketball team and the Westcoast Fever netball club are also key tenants. The new LED feature is an instant smash hit. Perhaps not as experimental as the previous pendant signage feature, the LED wall is already proving to be more versatile and powerful in reinforcing the RAC Arena’s marketing messaging. The messaging includes upcoming events and supporting the venue’s sponsors. The position of the display ensures all patrons are exposed to the content. 

Focus AV: focusav.com.au Aurora Signage: aurorasignage.com.au

024

FEATURE

Yamaha Real-World Immersive Hits UNSW Theatre The Io Meyers Studio upgrades to a Yamaha AFC immersive audio system.

esigned to allow for creative works of every type, Io Myers Studio is a fully flexible performance space under the stewardship of UNSW’s School of the Arts & Media. It recently underwent a complete rebuild and relocation to a brand new home on UNSW’s Kensington campus, with a number of significant upgrades including a 40-channel Yamaha AFC3 Active Architecture system to control the studio’s sound field. Yamaha Active Field Control (AFC) is an acoustic conditioning system designed to adjust and enhance the architectural acoustic behaviour of a space while maintaining its natural sonic characteristics. Io Myers Studio’s AFC3 system endows the space with instantly variable acoustics so that any conceivable type of performance can enjoy the correct sonic environment for the audience and performers alike, ranging from theatre and spoken word right through to orchestral, solo instrumental or chamber music. This new level of adaptability has led to a much wider range of bookings than was possible in the studio’s old home next door; a typical example of how an investment in variable acoustics makes artistic and commercial sense for a truly multipurpose venue. TRULY MULTIPURPOSE

With increasing pressure for facilities to become more multipurpose and accommodate a wider range of applications, AFC provides a cost-

effective alternative to mechanical means of modifying room acoustics. It is a truly scalable solution which can be installed in a wide range of venues including (but certainly not limited to) performing arts venues, houses of worship, theatres, auditoriums, concert halls and opera houses. Even retail spaces have benefitted from AFC’s ability to enhance the natural acoustic environment as a way to elevate the customer’s experience. Yamaha AFC systems can be found in hundreds of venues worldwide, and are built on the same hardware platform as Yamaha’s sound reinforcement and installation product line-up, enabling highly cost-effective and flexible systems to be adapted to any sized venue. Working alongside Kim Jones and Tom Brickhill from ARUP’s Acoustics and AV team, Yamaha designed the Io Myers Studio AFC3 system to provide fine control of early reflections, diffuse reverberance and warmth as well as the ability to adapt to multiple seating and stage locations. This initial design required only the room’s drawings and estimated acoustic profile, and differed very little from the final configuration. The empty room has a reverb time (RT) of about 0.9s without the AFC3 system activated, ranging right up to 2.3s depending on the selected preset. System tuning was carried out by Hideo Miyazaki & Dai Hashimoto of Yamaha Corporation’s Spatial Audio Group and Simon Tait of Yamaha Music Australia.

“I don’t think it is an exaggeration to suggest that this space represents a new era for Sonic Arts and music in general at UNSW, and I’m truly excited to see (and hear) what will happen as this inviting venue grows into a home for culture, community and experimentation” – Dr. Adam Hulbert Sonic Arts Convener, School of the Arts and Media, UNSW  UNSW Creative Practice Lab: www.arts.unsw.edu.au/ sam/get-involved/venues-hire Yamaha Music Australia: au.yamaha.com/en/products/ proaudio/afc/index.html

026

FEATURE

Flight of Fancy Background music rarely looked so good.

lue Marble Lane is a new bar and eatery within the International Terminal of New Zealand’s Auckland Airport. The premium dining venue is comprised of three main sections: a restaurant, a rotisserie and a bar. With a wide food and beverage offering, travellers can enjoy meals from a world-inspired menu, relax in the sports bar, or watch the skilled chefs at work in the rotisserie kitchen. While the restaurant was yet in the design phase, Auckland-based audiovisual company Halogen Audio was commissioned to install a background music system throughout the Blue Marble Lane areas. Four zones of coverage were required, with the ability to control each area independently. Incoming sources into the system included two audio and two video streams. The loudspeakers needed to fit a couple of key criteria – Rick Senekal, Director of Halogen Audio, explains: “I was looking for a pendant speaker that was the right size, had the right amount of output, came in a black finish, and from a supplier that had it available.” Rick chose products from SoundTube and inDesign to deliver the background music solution for Blue Marble Lane. HANG TIME

Doing most of the work are 12 x inDesign EZ P-6020 BK two-way pendant loudspeakers

neatly hung in a grid pattern to cover all seating areas across the restaurant, rotisserie and bar. Complementing them are two SoundTube RS1001-i-II 10-inch pendant subwoofers to supply low end extension. All loudspeakers are in a black finish to perfectly match the fittings and detailing of the space. Controlling the audio distribution across the venue is just as important as the sound quality. To tackle this, Rick selected a multi-zone digital amplifier from Cloud Electronics. The Cloud CV4205 has four channels of amplification supplying 250W per channel. “We used the Cloud digital amplifier to be able to do the volume control in each different area,” explains Rick. “The CV4205 has a matrix mixer vibe to it so we could send different inputs to each output, and digitally select it.” Three wall-mounted Cloud RL1M-B remote control plates give the venue manager easy control over the volume level in each zone. “Installation was easy,” comments Rick. “The equipment did exactly what it said it’s supposed to do. Coverage was perfect. The owners are over the moon with the system and the main client has given me heaps of feedback saying they’re stoked with it as well.” “I’m very happy with the SoundTube product,” says Rick. “I’ve also since put inDesign in a lot more areas.” 

Halogen Audio: halogenaudio.co.nz NAS Solutions (Cloud, SoundTube, inDesign): nas.solutions

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028

FEATURE

Extreme Innovation Novatech turned the Tour Down Under's home straight into a party zone. Outdoor event production will never be the same.

EXCEPTIONAL INNOVATION IN AV AWARD The AVIA judging panel reported that one project stood head and shoulders above the pack this year, in the simple, thoughtful, but radical way that it solved a long-standing problem for outdoor productions. Not only does Novatech’s AVIA award-winning system simplify and expedite the rigging process, it completely removes an entire class of workplace health and safety risks for the crew and the public attending the event.

udio reinforcement for large trackside sporting events presents a unique challenge: courses over hundreds of metres can stretch to kilometres and that usually means hundreds of speaker boxes! Now in its 20th year, Australia's premiere cycling event, The Santos Tour Down Under (TDU) in South Australia has traditionally employed large numbers of 100V line horns to get coverage, using up to 100 bullhorns on some circuits. For 2019, TDU organisers changed suppliers and Novatech Creative Event Technology took a clever left-of-field approach and went with quality over quantity. Novatech deployed 24 x L-Acoustics Syva colinear line source loudspeakers for the main area and another 24 L-Acoustics Kara modular line source units for infill. Essentially, these upmarket indoor boxes were used for an application normally serviced by more meat 'n' potato technology. Although utilised beyond their intended design parameters, the L-Acoustics speakers and supporting backbone were a roaring success for all involved. CLEVER SPEAKER SOLUTION

Novatech worked with L-Acoustics and the supplier Jands to design a solution consisting of a Syva every 30 to 50 metres on the four main straights of the course. The wide 140° dispersion angle and excellent full range throw (from 50

up to 75 metres in places) of these units allowed total coverage for 200 metres either side of each starting position and a full 400 metres either side of the finish line. Full range Kara boxes filled in around the sharp corners of the criterium stage on a couple of days and were stacked either side of stage for a podium presentation PA when required. L-Acoustics LA-RAKs housed LA4X and LA12X amplifiers to power the Syva and Kara speakers. A full fibre backbone distributed all audio, vision, control and monitoring over the entire course, delivering audio via AVB-overEthernet and video using Riedel’s MediorNet. To make this easy, Novatech created custom cabling with links to multiple drop points and a single trunk back to central control and the amp racks. A cool feature of these L-Acoustics amps is built-in cable length compensation which will send optimal signal to each speaker. From here, each cabinet had a unique delay dialled in – a first for the TDU event. Delays were set to optimise sync and clarity all over the listening area, particularly when near the large LED screens. Much of this was pre-mapped with L-Acoustics Soundvision software but refined in real time on site. Novatech's PA configuration featured a traditional FOH setup for overall control but importantly gave their system tech the ability to roam with a wireless tablet and update individual

speakers on the fly. It meant they could isolate and mute one cabinet whenever a TV interview happened in front of it, leaving the rest of the array broadcasting to the remainder of the course, not to mention being able to move around the whole course and tweak system dynamics on the fly. EFFICIENT & SAFE SETUP

Custom speaker mounts were the other standout feature of this production design. With speaker dispersion and placement somewhat different to that of horns on lightpoles, a sympathetic mounting solution was required. Novatech designed a winchup stand that facilitated quick and efficient setup but ensured safety for racegoers and the general public. Engineered to SafeWork SA standards, the winches had many safety factors built in. Multiple failsafe height protections, removable handles and lockable straps kept meddling fingers from prying. These stands and speakers were securely attached to permanent structures, giving minimal intrusion into pedestrian access. The time and money saved in setup and pack down was another huge benefit of the production design. Previously, it had taken weeks to hang and cable numerous horns at 5-6 metres above ground, with all the attendant disruption and safety risks to passers-by. With Syva's attached to the custom winches, everything could be set from ground level on the day. All of stakeholders

Novatech now has one of the largest Syva inventories in the world.

benefitted from the more efficient approach and this particularly pleased the government client. FREE WHEELING

First awarded UCI WorldTour status in 2008, the TDU has gone from strength to strength. 2019's unique AV approach has taken that to another level. Audio quality and presence was so good that professional tour riders were air guitaring to AC/DC's Thunderstruck on the start line. Race officials, commentators and punters alike enjoyed the clear, even and present sound. Equally impressed were the folk at L-Acoustics. They've been spruiking the TDU solution worldwide and Novatech has since deployed the same approach on several other events, including Adelaide Fringe and Vivid Sydney. Full-range, high SPL music and speech with punch and intelligibility – not always associated with outdoor audio – but a big feature here. Novatech hit on a winner, as did cyclists Amanda Spratt and Daryl Impey, 2019 winners of the Tour Down Under.  – John O'Brien Novatech Creative Event Technology: (08) 8352 0300 or ncet.co Jands (L-Acoustics): (02) 9582 0909 or jands.com.au

030

FEATURE

Fresh Thinking A digital artwork display that responds to nature itself.

igital signage has come along way. Its role as a digital billboard remains important but increasingly digital signage is seen as a way to delight and inspire. The signage installation into this Melbourne commercial building is an amazing example of what’s capable with some imagination and, of course, technical prowess in taking care of a (sub) millimetre perfect installation. The foyer of Freshwater Place has been transformed into a contemporary and inspiring space and is one of the most striking in Melbourne. The use of colour and water in the signage content creates an energy and excitement that can’t help but draw visitors (new and old) into the building. The Digital Artwork Display provides a modern business lounge with state-of-the-art technology and an immersive art experience, where both occupants and visitors can meet and work BIG CANVAS

ENGIE were engaged by JLL property to create the digital artwork display using Siliconcore LED to showcase immersive content and create a high tech but nature-driven aesthetic. The artwork had to encompass functional requirements including, LED video wall display, a display interface unit for image processing, LED time module control and remote monitoring, a

digital artwork content playback server capable of the graphics’ intense digital content, and a control interface. The 11m x 3m display’s aspect ratio of 32:9 presented a challenging canvas for content creation.

system with a wireless touch panel that technicians can access from the foyer. All head-end equipment is powered by a 2kW uninterrupted power supply, allowing soft power downs in case of power outages, helping extend the life of the system.

NO SIGN IS AN ISLAND

ASSIGNED PURPOSE

The artwork itself is an interesting story. It’s produced in real time, responding to waves, tides and currents from an island cluster off the coast of Australia. The content PC reads the tidal information in real time and converts it into the artwork. As the wind blows, waves ripple across the screen and during high tide, the islands are covered with water. Naturally, the big screen can also play the Melbourne Cup (and the like) when called upon via a digital set-top box. The LED cabinets are mounted onto a custom aluminium-extruded mounting frame to ensure sub-millimetre accuracy required for an extremely flat image without visible cabinet lines. To support the video art, a sound system with 25 speakers across three separate zones and eight audio channels, allow for optimal tuning and configuration. The audio resides on a QSC DSP platform supporting network audio. Control of the video wall takes place via a Crestron control

The Display Interface Unit has image processing with one-to-one pixel mapping, multiple diagnostic test patterns and allows for remote management of display status. It is also the site for calibration adjustment of LED brightness, colour, white point and refresh rate. The custom content is delivered to the Digital Artwork Display via a multimedia playback solution that is PC based and has playlist and calendar scheduling abilities. Control of the system is via a web browser and mobile device interface. The control interface provides functionality for manually turning on/ off the system, Digital Artwork content, visual feedback of operational status for key system components and content playback.  ENGIE: engie.com

032

FEATURE

Mapped On The Other Side of the World BEST USE OF AV FOR A PRODUCTION OR EVENT

rojection Teknik, based out of Melbourne, was engaged to create the visual content for projection mapping the facade of the Waterford Estate. Nothing to see here, you might think, except for the fact the Waterford Estate is on the other side of the world in Ireland. Curraghmore house, near Portlaw in County Waterford, is the last of four castles built by the de la Poer family after their arrival in Ireland in 1167. It was home to the Marquess of Waterford which was held under English title and the estate had stables for 100 horses and employed 600 people in its prime. After the Irish war of Independence from the English the Waterford family lost its power in Ireland and they became what’s known as ‘stranded gentry’. Large parts of the estate became dilapidated and left unoccupied with only the central part of the house still maintained.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

In more recent times, the All Together Now Festival has sought a way for the community to become re-engaged with the ‘big house’. Blending medieval carnival with modern day music festival culture, people can come and enjoy the history of the place, having a lively and entertaining experience. Visual artists, Projection Teknik’s Nicholas Azidis and Rose Staff, were invited from Australia to produce a site specific work that re-imagined the Curraghmore House in a contemporary way with lively and colourful designs. WHO’S SIDE YOU ON ANYWAY

The artwork was created using a combination of After Effects and Cinema 4D. Rose Staff and Nicholas Azidis flew to Ireland to install the work and used Resolume to map the building along with 4 x 20K Barco projectors.

“When we arrived on site there were some technical difficulties to overcome,” recalls Rose Staff. “A very large media tent had been erected directly in front of one of the estate walls — entirely blocking the line of light for our projection mapping. “Of course, there had been no mention of the media tent’s placement in the lead up to the event, we just had to make the best of a tricky situation. “What’s more, the projection tower was moved three times until we found a spot that would allow adequate coverage of the side of the building. “We eventually had coverage but we had to overcome some very oblique distortion of the content to have it map the building properly.”  Projection Teknik: projectionteknik.com Barco: barco.com

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FEATURE

Boundary Changes Nothing stays the same very long in the hospitality sector. The Boundary Hotel’s AV has flex in the flux. Text:/ Derek Powell

ne of the keys to success in the hospitality business is to be responsive to your customers’ needs – even when that means making changes to brand new systems. Fortunately, at the Boundary Hotel, the foresight of the integrator and the flexibility of Yamaha commercial audio systems meant the new system could grow and adapt to suit changing client demands. Located in Brisbane’s trendy West End, the historic Boundary Hotel has undergone a complete transformation under its new owners. Now with five bars, a restaurant, pizzeria, gaming area and function rooms, the hotel is winning a brand new clientele. LEADING EDGE BOUNDARY

Brisbane integrator SDC Solutions was part of the journey from the moment the new owners took over – first sorting out the chaos that was the existing AV, security and network systems in the building. Then the real work started as the owners, along with KP Architects, planned an extensive rebuild and refit of the building – parts of which dated back to 1864. Having worked with the owners previously, SDC Director Gavin Sayers was keenly aware the AV design would need to be flexible, with the possibility of upgrades considered from the very start. Working closely with local Yamaha distributors AVA Distribution, Gavin pitched a full Yamaha sound system based around the MTX-5 matrix processor and paired this with a Kramer 32 x 32 video matrix, a Kramer control solution and TCL video display panels. The MTX5, together with the EXi8 i/o expander had plenty of horsepower to handle the 28 audio inputs and 14 different audio zones required in the property. The outputs from the MTX were routed over Yamaha’s proprietary YDIF network with all channels carried on a single Cat5 cable looping through the various Yamaha power amplifiers that power each zone.

TEAM DETAILS Integrator: Gavin Sayers, SDC Solutions Architect: Sian Farrell, KP Architects Programmer: David Bowdler, Smart Home Programming Network Design: Nicholas Wilson, YourIoT.com.au Equipment: Chris Harding, AVA Distribution Pty Ltd Client: Grant Morgan, Manager Boundary Hotel

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FEATURE

EQUIPMENT HIGHLIGHTS Background Music System DSP: Yamaha MTX 5-D, 34 x 16 Matrix Mixer Yamaha EXi8 8-Channel Mic / Line Input Expansion Speakers: Yamaha VXC4 In-Ceiling 4-inch Full-range Yamaha VXC6 In-Ceiling 6.5-inch 2-way, Yamaha VXC8 In-Ceiling 8-inch 2-way Yamaha VXS5 Surface Mount 5.25-inch 2-way Yamaha VXS10S Surface Mount 10-inch Passive Subwoofer Amplifiers: Yamaha XMV8140 & PA2120 Control System: Kramer SL-280 32-Port Master Room Controller Kramer KT-107 7-inch Multi-Touch Touch Panel Video Switcher: Kramer VS3232DN-EM Modular Multi–Format Managed Digital Matrix Switcher Input Plates: Kramer WP-211T HDMI Wall–Plate Auto Switcher

CHANNELLING GOOD CONDUIT

During the build, Gavin kept future expansion front of mind, running spare cabling and placing extra conduits in the slabs and behind walls while they were accessible. It wasn’t long before upgrade requests came along. As patronage built, areas that were initially conceived with low level ambient music systems now needed to convert into venues for live music. “That’s the beauty of the Yamaha system,” explained Chris Harding from AVA Distribution. “We started off running the amps in some channels as 100V with five or six speakers on a single channel. When the client wanted to really pump it up, we could make the move to low impedance just by flipping some DIP switches on the back of the amps and switching the speaker taps over to low impedance.” “We converted one area by simply adding a few subs and amps, switching the existing speakers and amps to low impedance, and making a few wiring changes,” Gavin recalled. “At just a small cost, we were able to increase SPL to what

the customer needed without having to redesign it all. We always had that in mind that we need to be flexible and the Yamaha system allowed for that.” OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS

Adaptability and cost effectiveness were also watchwords on the video side of the installation. Programmer David Bowdler from Smart Home Programming successfully developed an IP control solution using the Kramer SL-280 that resulted in a very cost effective control system, managing all of the TCL panels, the Kramer video matrix switcher and the complete audio system via the MTX-5. The few non-IP controllable sources, such as the Foxtel boxes, were managed via IR. The crucial user interface is via strategically located seveninch Kramer touch panels and a portable KT-107 tablet running across the wi-fi network. With a lot of forethought and careful planning, this iconic, 155-year-old hotel from colonial times now has the infrastructure to well and truly equip it for the 21st century. 

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FEATURE

Time To Do Some Work Now Ampd Electronics’ AVIA-shortlisted audio work on the Scooby Doo Coaster.

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hen Warner Bros Movie World’s Scooby Doo Coaster was closed to make way for the Next Generation transformation, anticipation from the ride’s fans was high. The ride is one of Warner Bros Movie World’s most popular attractions. The ride was closed in late 2018 for a complete theming transformation and upgraded special effects. With a proven understanding of themed entertainment, Ampd Electronics was engaged to design an audio system that would maximise the potential of the background music, complex visual features and focused sound effects that were planned to revamp the ride. During the early design and planning phase, Ampd worked closely with the creative staff of Village Roadshow Theme Parks to incorporate technical audio design into the conceptual, architectural and mechanical drawings. This included optimal speaker placement, recommendation of products, and plan for integration to the system’s many technical elements and overall park control and DSP system. With Q-SYS already in use throughout the park, QSC speakers and amplifiers were used across the ride to allow for a seamless deployment of the sound system. A mixture of QSC Acoustic Design eight-inch and 10-inch speakers were

installed for special effect sounds throughout the ride. A large quantity of QSC Acoustic Design six-inch speakers were used for background music throughout the ride and foyer area. Some 48 channels of amplification are provided by the Q-SYS CXD-Q range of amplifiers. A Q-SYS Core 510 stores all the sound effect and background music files for the coaster, with a Q-SYS 32 channel multi-track playback expansion added for additional storage. The entire audio system seamlessly integrates with the Medialon Showmaster show controller, as Q-SYS natively handles the required communication output. This allows real-time feedback and precision control of all audio triggers. Paging intercom and remote control panels were also integrated, enabling staff to use the entire sound system with ease and reliability. We worked closely with the theme park and building contractors to ensure that cabling installation and hardware was completed during the building works. The commissioning of the ride was completed in collaboration with the theme parks technical services department, providing handover, training and ongoing support.  Ampd Electronics: www.ampdelectronics.com.au

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FEATURE

Force Of Nature What does it take to create a series of interactive and immersive environments that will be experienced by over a million visitors a year? Text:/ Derek Powell Photos:/ Colin McLellan

he Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa (Te Papa for short) is a constantly evolving institution, charged with presenting and exploring the heritage of the nation’s cultures and knowledge of the natural environment. As part of its evolution, the museum has completed a total rebuild of the zone devoted to the natural environment. The new $12m permanent exhibition: Te Taiao | Nature, is the result of a three-year design and build project and is replete with more than three times the audiovisual technology of the old Nature zone. Te Papa’s in-house technology team designed and installed the innovative audiovisual systems that engage the visitors as they travel through the zone. Audiovisual Manager Andrew Bruce recalled the design process: “What we tend to do is have some real key pieces; or ‘king hit’ pieces, with a real wow factor,” he noted. There’s plenty of wow factor in the exhibits and artefacts themselves: from recreations of extinct birds to a real (pickled) colossal squid and even an immersive earthquake experience – but with a total of 18 high-powered laser projectors in the zone, projected images are a key element.” Setting the scene at the entry is a curved projection wall that introduces the animated character Māui who acts as a guide throughout the space, cropping up from time to time within

different interactive experiences. The custom resolution image is created using two edgeblended Panasonic laser projectors with geometric distortion correction. A multi-channel surround sound system completes the experience. CONVERTING THE CLIMATE

The premier piece from a technology perspective is the fully immersive ‘Climate Converter’ interactive display. As they enter the space, visitors are transported into a virtual space with an animated environment projected onto all four walls and the floor. By working together, visitors can alter the video and audio in their virtual environment using gesture control with the goal of ultimately creating a carbon neutral environment. They can also make environmental pledges at a kiosk. As they do, the interactive creates an animated origami bird which flies from the kiosk into the space – and also emails them with action that they can take related to their pledge. Te Papa retained Auckland based creative studio DOTDOT to program the multiplayer video game that was the basis for the interactive experience but creating the seamless video environment in a limited area was not easy. “Luckily one of our staff members is a projection expert – one of the best in New Zealand,” Andrew revealed. “He worked

very closely with Panasonic, who supported us on this exhibition, which gave us access to their engineers regarding lenses, correction technology and everything else.” The final design for the technology systems used seven HD projectors (with short throw and ultra-short throw lenses); eight computers; eight infrared gesture cameras; an HDBaseT video routing system; and a 6.0 surround sound system. Three of the eight computers are used to deliver the game content (programmed in Unity software), two PCs drive kiosks and the remaining three manage the data from the gesture cameras. The hardware design was actually finalised well before installation but there was a final sting in the tail as Andrew recalled. “What was designed on paper and what was actually built were slightly different. While it was designed to be a square room, what was actually built was a parallelogram.” Standard geometric and lens corrections simply could not cope with the trapezoidal wall shapes. Fortunately, Panasonic’s special Geometric Distortion software had the chops to deal with the twisted shapes and provide a seamless blend. “It means you can actually bend the corners into funny shapes,” Andrew continued. “So we had to buy licences for these projectors to create a clean edge blended area.”

FEATURE

EQUIPMENT HIGHLIGHTS 18 x Projectors, Panasonic PT-RZ660 & PT-RZ970 & various lenses 5 x Panasonic Geometric Distortion systems 12 x Custom Mounting Systems 27 x ELO Touch Monitors 25 x Panasonic Non-touch Monitors 84 x Brightsign Media Players 20 x Standard PCs, HP 10 x Gaming PCs, HP 8 x Surround Sound Systems 50 x Speakers (various, including JBL Control) Plus control systems, lighting systems, peripheral hardware, DSP and more.

Climate Converter: Immersive Interactive Display The seven projectors, eight IR cameras and six speakers are mounted on a custom designed and engineered mounting system.

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FEATURE

PROJECTING A LIFE FORCE

Just inside the entrance is another of the ‘king hit’ pieces, a four metre high, portrait-format curved screen invites guests to feed their life force or ‘Mauri’ into the exhibition. As visitors work together by placing their hands on the carved wooden touchstone, the on-screen content expands and becomes richer and fuller. As visitors touch the carving, a subwoofer hidden inside vibrates to provide tactile feedback and a backlight illuminates to help them learn how to operate the interactive. There are no buttons apparent on the centrepiece; instead the AV team placed sensors behind tiny holes in the carved surface. Each touch sends UDP commands from a BrightSign player into the computer to manipulate the content. Birds appear in the sky and blue whales are added to the ocean as people working together help rectify the climate. The massive 6m-high image is created by a single 10,000-lumen Panasonic projector hidden out of sight above a display cabinet opposite. Altogether, a further seven experiences use projection systems in the Te Taiao | Nature exhibit. All of these projection systems include bespoke and custom designed mounting solutions which include clever access considerations for maintenance of the projectors. I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE

Not everything happens on a screen of course. One of the most popular attractions is the Earthquake House (pictured below) – actually a redesigned and modernised version of a similar display which had been operating since Te Papa opened in 1998. As visitors enter the miniature house, they appear to look through a doorway into the kitchen. However the view beyond the doorway is actually the screen of a 4K, 84-inch monitor. As visitors enter, another of the ubiquitous BrightSign players runs a specially created four-minute video of the kitchen scene which exactly matches the view from the visitors’ perspective. Looking through the ‘door’ visitors see the owners ‘enter’ and offer you a cup of tea. While you’re there, an earthquake unexpectedly pays a visit. Visitors, especially children, instinctively follow their civil defence training and ‘drop, cover and hold’ beneath a real table in the visitor area while the actors go through the same routine in the kitchen with crockery falling about them. The educational message is about earthquake safety but the shaking comes from a heavy duty motor under the floor, triggered by the BrightSign. This exhibit is a completely new build – including the shaker motor which Andrew reckoned had earned its retirement. “We worked out the old motor had done around two million shakes in its 20 years in service,” he said. I’VE GOT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL

When asked which parts of the massive installation he’s happiest with, Andrew nominated his top two. The projection systems were one favourite.

Life Force: This interactive invites guests to work together to feed their life force into the exhibition, by touching the carved centrepiece the content expands and becomes richer and fuller. (Below) An 84-inch 4K Panasonic monitor provides an interactive element to the Earthquake House.

There are 18 projectors in the space with a huge amount of curved projection – and that’s the thing that’s very immersive, and impressive

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“There are 18 projectors in the space with a huge amount of curved projection – and that’s the thing that’s very immersive, and impressive,” he reflected. He also loves the reliability of laser powered projectors – he wouldn’t use anything else these days. But equal top billing for him was the control system. To ensure that the technology in the Te Taiao exhibition remains healthy the team has developed the most advanced custom control and monitoring system they have ever commissioned. “It’s a hybrid,” Andrew stated. “It’s based around CommandFusion, which sort of glues everything together. CommandFusion is designed for home automation but we use a lot for control systems. Along with that, we use EventGhost to control computers and BrightAuthor for the BrightSign players, which also control the projectors.” The control system automatically starts the exhibition in a managed manner every day, with the start-up sequenced to minimise any power surge. Equally important is the extensive monitoring system. All of the technology in the exhibition sends a heartbeat to the dashboard display. If a heartbeat is missed, an indicator changes colour to alert a technical staff member. “You can analyse everything from back of house,” Andrew elaborated. “You can dive right in and interrogate any display remotely or you can walk front of house with an iPad and restart interactives individually. That’s a really userfriendly support management system. Better than we’ve ever done before.” The plan is to expand this control system design and architecture across other exhibitions and areas of the museum including the conferencing venues and meeting rooms. THE LONG HAUL

For the Te Papa Technology Solutions team, winning the AVIA award is exciting as it represents peer recognition for their continuing efforts. But the real pay-off will come with the visitor reaction over the expected ten year lifespan of the exhibit. So far, the new zone has had a great start. Andrew is very happy with the visitor statistics. “We’re getting a tremendous conversion rate. That means that currently, about two-thirds of people that come to the museum will go to this exhibition. And when you have about one point five million visitors a year to Te Papa, you’re looking at one million visitors through the exhibition in the first year alone!” 

The control and monitoring system: The monitoring system has a coloured circle showing each interactive’s heartbeat, this changes to red if there is no heartbeat detected. Other monitoring show the network command traffic and snapshots of interactives.

FEATURE

TEAM DETAILS For Te Papa: Andy Allison Piet Asplet Mark Roxburgh Scott Abernethy Andrew Bruce

Lead AV Systems Engineer & Project Manager (AV) AV Systems Engineer AV Systems Engineer AV Systems Engineer Manager, Audiovisual Services

For DOTDOT: Chris White Jacques Foottit

Project Manager/Designer System Programmer/Designer

For Toulouse Marc Simpson Adam Walker Jonathan Boyd Taylor Joynes

Hardware supply & engineering design Assisting in programming (BrightSign) AV Systems Installer AV Systems Installer

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FEATURE

Lab Wrap We put the University of Sydney’s new Superlabs under the microscope. Text:/ Christopher Holder Photos:/ HDR Rice Daubney Architects

uperlabs are working, in spite of their inherent limitations. After all, no one is suggesting the best ‘mode’ of pedagogy is to address a vast, acousticallyhostile space filled with 100-plus bemused and labcoat-bedecked new students and expect the experience to somehow be 10 shades of awesome. It’s not. Superlabs make it tough to engage students, and tough for academics to feel connected. But the alternative – a bunch of smaller, disconnected labs across multiple campuses with considerably worse technology (and used far less frequently) – is an even less appealing prospect. So university tech managers are turning something potentially terrible (superlabs) into a positive learning experience for staff and students. Hats off to our university tech managers! The University of Sydney was an early Superlab adopter (its Charles Perkins Centre X-Lab, which picked up an AVIA award in 2014). The technology template has since been set, which the University has been steadily improving on without reinventing a wheel created using the expertise and experience of SMEs over many years, in particular Jason Wheatley and Paul Menon. JUICY ROI

Nathan Ashmore is the University’s AV Design Manager and design lead for the new LEES (Life, Earth & Environmental Science) spaces, as he is with all of the University’s greenfield builds (with solid support from his colleagues in the ICT Client Design & Standards team). The LEES Building brings together a number of disciplines together from the School of Life & Environmental Sciences. As mentioned earlier, the LEES Superlabs allow multiple classes to run simultaneously in dynamic sizes and provide a significant ROI on the tech investment. “Lab staff, space and equipment are all expensive, so consolidating these requirements into an efficient use of space is key. Overlay a dynamic and flexible audiovisual system into the built environment and you’ve got a suite of pedagogical tools for academics to communicate practical lab concepts to the scientists of tomorrow, simultaneously,” observes Ashmore. The LEES Building packs three biological

safety-certified super wet labs: two 144-seat PC1 spaces have three teaching stations each, and one 96-seat PC2 space which has two teaching stations. The reduction in teaching stations this time around was largely due to three factors: typically larger class cohorts in the PC1 spaces; the very real concern of cross contimination in the PC2 space; and observations from the practical number of classes run in the original X-Lab. Across all spaces, class sizes can be defined from eight people all the way up to the class capacity. VIDEO: MANY TO MANY

Ashmore used the X-Lab as the basis of the LEES Superlab design, which at its core is about allowing multiple video sources to be shown at once from multiple presenters. He explains the video setup: “Each teaching station has an Extron DXP88 8x8 matrix that feeds 3x AMX SVSI N3132 encoders. They stream out to the computers at student desks which are a 1 to 1 ratio – 144 in the PC1 labs and 96 in the PC2 lab.” The video sources include: a Wolfvision EYE14 visualiser/demo camera on a yellowtec arm, and a resident PC, as well as an HDMI laptop input at each teaching station. There is a Panasonic AWHE2 ‘face’ camera and a Mersive Solstice Pod2 for wireless and wired network sharing. A microscope input is also routed into the matrix, with an auxiliary feed directed into the Resident PC via a Magewell USB Capture 2, allowing the use of a mouse for highlighting particular aspects of a specimen, as well as control of the microscope’s camera settings. A further development on the streaming-only approach was the deployment of five 70-inch displays, dynamically selectable throughout the lab using SVSi N1000 codecs. Ashmore: “With the combination of lowlatency (sub 50ms) video transport and large screens we can display lip sync’ed content from a live camera, generally via the Panasonic face camera. Many presenters are a bit shy about the face camera, but it can be useful if you’re lecturing to a full room in the first few weeks of semester — students can become familiar with your face. Academics can broadcast their face on the big screens, and then send other pieces of content to

FEATURE

KEY PERSONNEL Project Designers: Nathan Ashmore (USYD) Tim Dogao (Programmed Electrical Technologies) Project Managers: Mark Connerton (PET) Lucy Child (USYD) Rizwan Muhammad (USYD) Sam Gibson (USYD) AV Integrators: Jim Kyrgias (PET) Anthony Vuong (PET) Keith Austin (AT Controls) Mark Newland (AT Controls)

KEY TECHNOLOGIES AMX SVSI video encoding Extron matrix switches Panphonics SoundShower speakers QSC DSP Panasonic fixed installation cameras Sharp interactive touchscreen displays Mersive Solstice collaboration systems Williams AV IR hearing augmentation Shure ULX-D wireless Countryman mic headsets Wolfvision document cameras

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It’s enormously satisfying to see staff who may have been initially hesitant … now embracing [the AV] and becoming power users

PROGRAMMED TO EXCEL As system integrator, Programmed Electrical Technologies (PET), supplied and installed the AV and network infrastructure into the LEES Building 1. Project Manager, Mark Connerton, describes what makes the project special from a PET perspective. “We’ve been very impressed with the Panphonics SoundShower directional speakers. Audio reinforcement through these speakers allows students to listen to an instructor with minimal spill into an adjoining class. “The fact we can send multiple SVSI streams to students concurrently, all viewed on single PC monitor or larger display… well, 10 years ago this would have been unheard of. Now, it’s a game changer. “The simple-to-operate user interface allows the directional audio and the video streaming to elegantly come together, making dynamically sized classes within the same facility a reality. “We at PET believe this project exemplifies how audiovisual technology can be used to support a shift in tertiary laboratory teaching and leverage technology as a basis for innovative teaching practices.” Programmed Electrical Technologies: programmed.com.au

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FEATURE

144 SEAT WET TEACHING LAB 2

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USING SOLSTICE

the student desktops via the H.264 streams. “Having the large screens gave us a relatively real-time visual syc reference, addressing a limitation inherent in strictly H.264 streaming designs. If you want to show content to the students – and because we could only stream content in the X-Lab – there was a 250ms delay (variable, depending on the processor load on each individual PC) which meant you either had to delay the program audio to try and be in line with the network streams or you had to stream the audio over the network to each person’s computer and have them use headphones.” Ashmore describes this hybrid approach of combining minimally compressed network video along with baseband video as one often favoured by the University of Sydney: “We could have achieved the same result entirely using baseband video with a giant matrix but that’s very costly and whenever we’re dealing with a dynamic switching requirement we will augment baseband video switching with network-based video. “Equally, we don’t generally do fully networkbased video as it often isn’t the right solution – we’re happy to take the hybrid approach where it makes sense. Using SVSI N1000 encoders means we don’t have discernible latency. And then with anything that’s less critical – a demonstration camera or showing slides, for example – we find that will be fine to put through the H.264 streams. That said, the system gives the users flexibility to use it as they see fit.”

Plan of a 144-seat Superlab showing its zoning, placement of the three teaching desks, displays and collaboration space.

Rounding out the video sources is the Mersive Solstice collaboration platform, which performs a number of pivotal content sharing roles, as Ashmore explains: “Perhaps our most conventional use of Solstice is as a network presentation gateway. We’ve imaged all the student PCs to include a link on the desktop to connect to the Solstice device for screen sharing. The system allows the academic to invite the student to share their work, as opposed to surreptitiously reviewing what they’re doing and then sharing it – a very significant cost saving and arguably the right thing to do by the students! “Each lab includes two 80-inch Sharp interactive touchscreen displays. They’re provide a focus of huddle zones for up to 18 people and they’re generally used with the Sharp Pen Tools app for whiteboarding. As far as Solstice is concerned, it’s just another student computer, but it provides the ability to share whiteboarding to the entire lab session – it can be routed like any other source at the teaching desk, and the user experience of connecting to the client device to the system is relatively consistent across use-cases. “The third potential use of Solstice is a little more advanced. We had a request to put a camera in the fume hood — after all, it’s impractical for 144 students to crowd around a fume hood. Our solution is to use Solstice to mirror the academic’s phone camera. It’s quite low latency, especially when you broadcast it to the large displays, and it allows you the sort of flexibility a fixed camera simply couldn’t provide. It’s also a very cost effective solution, in that we were already spec’ing Solstice in the room. The lower resolution of screen mirroring is a welcome compromise for the flexibility offered, and it is rock solid once connected, thanks to the excellent wi-fi coverage within the space.”

Central to the audio setup, both in the LEES Superlabs and the original X-Lab, is the Panphonics N20 (flat panel, narrow dispersion ‘Audio Elements’) loudspeaker. “We settled on the technology after a lot of testing in the pilot phase of the Charles Perkins Centre X-Lab,” reports Ashmore. “The original brief was for highly directional audio to specific seats without using headphones – the feeling was that headphones are an OH&S risk, and staff wanted the ability to get students’ attention regardless of whether they’re wearing headphones or not. “We needed an electro-acoustic solution, which was certainly challenging. We did some testing of the Panphonics solution and found what we could achieve in the voice frequencies was far superior to all the other proposed solutions. Due to our initial success we’ve not seen any reason to change our approach for these Superlabs. The only difference was to increase the density of speakers, something recommended to us by Programmed Audio Design Manager, Tim Dogao. “We also increased the number of Panphonics speakers to include one per teaching bench, which we didn’t have previously – for a bit of program fold back (the downside of having highly directional speakers is the presenter doesn’t get a clear idea of the program audio going through to the student zones). “At the front end we did inform the University that this isn’t a rock ’n’ roll PA, it’s primarily for voice lift, and the settings are optimised for regular speaking voices to ensure minimum interference to other cohorts sharing the room.” HONING THE ZONING

“Setting up the audio zones is simple thanks to the intuitive floorplan interface developed by AT Controls,” explains Ashmore. “At system startup,

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FEATURE

SHARP MAKES THE CUT

a setup page appears which allows the presenter to select the audio zones they wish to include in their session. We’ve further enhanced our previous designs by including selection of the large displays, further expanding upon the dynamic nature of our laboratory learning envirinonments. The zones are split into Banks, which are a row of eight student seats. So that’s a lot of granularity.” “Once the session is set up, the touch panel presents as identical to every other in the University. It has the exact same UI, providing familiarity and consistency, which is crucial to ensuring the technology is a seamless as possible, allowing academics to focus on their subject matter expertise, rather than learning multiple systems. We felt this was important even in the most complex designs. “There are two Shure ULX-D1 packs with Countryman EC2 headsets per teaching bench – not the cheapest mic but they provide excellent gain before feedback and very high speech transmission, which is the name of the game for the audio system.” Rounding out the audio system there’s a four-channel infrared distributed Williams AV

TX9 system – a student can simply tune into the channel their presenter is broadcasting on. In a central AV/Comms room a QSC Core 110f provides routing and DSP, with one Panphonics amp channel per Bank of Panphonics speakers. WINNING OVER THE SCEPTICS

A big part of Ashmore’s job in the delivering of the new spaces was to ensure the move was as smooth as possible for the staff. An extensive schedule of training helped considerably, and staff were strongly encouraged to attend the deep dives into the tech — which paid off. “Initially, there was a lot of apprehension about the technology,” reflects Ashmore. “Thankfully, some of the most vocal opponents are now some of our best power users.” 

Ashmore: "The Sharp 80-inch interactive touchscreen displays are probably one of the most heavily used pieces of tech. It’s enormously satisfying to see staff, who may have initially been hesitant regarding the appearance of AV technology their labs, now embracing it and becoming power users. "I didn’t really have to train any of the staff in how to use the Sharp pen tools software – it’s fairly straightforward and they’ve just taken to it. Staff will generally write the notes up during the class, or they might take surveys, gather data through the class, write it all up on the whiteboard and then use the Solstice link on the desktop to share that back to the presentation which they then broadcast to either the large displays or the streams to the student computers. We weren't entirely sure about how widespread the uptake would be but sharing the ‘whiteboard’ happens every day. Sometimes it’s hard to take off your engineer hat and assess whether something is user friendly enough. Walking past the spaces and catching a glimpse of the handwritten formulae and collected data, distributed visually through the space, is probably the aspect that gives me the most satsifaction and positive reinforcement that the project team delivered true educational value to our students. Being able to look directly into the labs reinforces the projects' ethos of putting 'science on display'. (Photo: Martin Thorpe)

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FEATURE

Gaming The System The Electric Canvas takes projection systems to new heights. Text:/ John O’Brien

unning a show can be nerve-wracking for technical production teams at the best of times but no more so than when you are going live to the whole world. The 2018 Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing ceremonies at Carrara Stadium on the Gold Coast was yet another moment to shine in front of the planet for Sydney’s highly experienced The Electric Canvas (TEC). Selected by event ceremony producers, Jack Morton Worldwide, to provide video projection services and media server systems, TEC found this gig a challenge from the word go. Unique venue limitations, ongoing budget constraints and inclement weather conditions all added to the complexity of the required projection solution. THE BRIEF: ELECTRIC MIGALOO

First off, the main brief for the opening ceremony called for projection over a 3200sqm circle on the stadium’s field of play. The secondary component of this opening was projecting onto the side of a 30m-long inflatable version of Migaloo, the unique white humpback whale of some fame. Eleven days later, the closing ceremony featured four individual stages requiring projection. The smart move here was re-using all the same projectors still in place from the opening, no easy feat given some extreme access issues.

VENUE CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS

TEC is well versed in large-scale stadium projection. Admittedly each is unique, but TEC found this instance a particular head scratcher. Two main obstacles needed overcoming. Firstly, the stadium topped out at only 12-14 metres above the field of play, providing very shallow angles towards the next problem – a 64m-diameter circle of sand serving as the main stage – great for a day at the beach but a painfully uneven surface for projection. The nap and undulations of the sand would only be amplified by the low angles and produce unacceptable shadows and smeared pixels. TEC’s managing director and ceremonies director of projection, Peter Milne, craned his neck to the top of Carrara’s lighting towers and saw a 70m-high position for the main projectors. More efficient coverage would also be enhanced by the lack of shadows cast on the projection by props and performers. Projecting from here would overcome the angle problem but take a higher degree of engineering and planning than just hanging off the stadium roof. FLYING HIGH

The biggest hurdle was getting 20 x Christie 2K30 Boxer projectors into these elevated

structures safely and securely. Without accurate CAD plans or engineering details available on the towers, TEC surveyed the entire site by hand with a tape measure and paper, determining the only access to the available decks of the tower heads was up with a 100-tonne crane and in through the side. They then got to work constructing custom weatherproof enclosures for the big Christie’s to fly into the two lower decks of the towers. Strict safety protocols were employed and adhered to by the team of 10 specialist projection technicians. Several times during setup, fierce wind and rain halted any crane movements and some of the team skipped to content review before the gear was all in place – a good example of agile scheduling. The rest of them kept their legs flexible by repeatedly climbing up and down the internal tower stairs. Peter Milne estimates that their troupe had “climbed to the top of Mt Fuji by the end of the project – it was hard on crew but a good decision for vision.” TEC also added four Christie Boxer 4K30 projectors to the underside of the seating balconies. These shone on the side of the great white whale, cleverly keeping the projected element within the sweet spot and using lighting to cover the edges. Careful coordination with the Stage Manager kept it all trim and well positioned.

FEATURE

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AVIA WINNER BEST AV FOR A PRODUCTION OR EVENT The AVIA judges were impressed with the creative solution to the wellknown problem of covering the main field of play with minimal distortion and shadowing from the performers and participants. They also appreciated the clever re-tasking of those projectors for the different stage configuration of the closing ceremony. The panel recognises that the projection crew were probably less impressed with the idea behind these solutions when faced with the 70m ladder journeys for commissioning, alignment and maintenance of the projectors.

BULLETPROOF

The one-go-only nature of such an event demands bulletproof system design and multiple redundancy plans. TEC used a Modulo Kinetic media system to manage and deliver content to the projectors, stadium screens and broadcast feeds. The system had 100% hot backup to the projectors and the whole distribution design incorporated redundant parallel links without a matrix in sight. Single points of failure in mission critical situations like this are best avoided, so every effort was made to eliminate the potential of any individual component bringing the whole show down. TEC also developed custom software to monitor and control every aspect of each individual projector, including previewing the input signal arriving live. To ensure output was correct, there were cameras next to each projector showing a live feed back to the control room – keeping all the bases covered. The very capable and flexible Modulo Kinetic system handled the blending of all those projectors to line up nicely and provide a seamless image on the circle and performers. TEC has a long and productive association with Modulo – both parties working together to improve the Modulo products from TEC feedback in the field.

Knowing and trusting that a crucial system is robust, certainly helps with TD peace of mind. THE REAL GRINCH

Less productive was the projection budget, which was on the decline during the event lead up. Initially, projection brightness was designed at 300 lux, a happy level for broadcast. With the dollar squeeze on from event organisers, the projection design was revised to a bare minimum of 200 lux. This provided its own challenge for the lighting and broadcast crews but everyone worked together to get the best possible outcome. Peter has worked with the TV and Lighting Directors before and they all know that “if one has a bad show, everyone does”. Good relationships with the content providers helped keep it smooth too. Unlike some of the Games events, production is a team sport and true professionals know this well. TEC had done a lot of investigation and prep work while tendering but still ended up contending with a compressed timeframe to get the projectors in and going. As Carrara was still a building site, more challenges came in the form of access and inductions, duly incorporated into the TEC plan. Faced with a now tight production budget, TEC reset some of the tower mounted projectors for the Closing ceremony. To shoot towards the four stage areas, some required a lens swap and re-

alignment. Still contending with cramped access within the tower heads, TEC crew crawled on their bellies underneath the projectors to change the carefully tethered lenses. A couple of original lenses were left in place to provide alignment marks and reference points on the field of play. This changeover occurred at strategic intervals during the 10 days of the Games – some pre-sport, some during sport and some after the last field event before the finale. READY FOR PRIME TIME

Over a billion viewers tuned in to these ceremonies. Regardless of any issues outside of their control, TEC delivered seamless projection systems and content management in a very complex environment. TEC planned well, designed astutely, stayed flexible and kept their heads in a pressure cooker environment. Innovative solutions for challenging briefs specialties for The Electric Canvas. 

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REVIEW

Electro-Voice RE3 Wireless Microphone System This new wireless microphone system from Electro-Voice offers a variety of handheld and bodypack solutions to suit a wide range of applications, along with unique designs, attention to detail and solid sound. Review:/ Mark Woods

If you’re only using a single mic you’d rarely need to change anything once set up

lectro-Voice has a long and illustrious history, but may not be the first name that comes to mind when thinking about wireless systems – most likely it will be one of the other big brands that dominate the professional end of the business. EV is one of several companies challenging that domination by offering products of comparable performance, but with their own unique designs and sonic characteristics. Its recently released RE3 system replaces their ageing RE2 range with all-new designs, improved performance and more contemporary looks. Operating analogue in the UHF frequency range between 560MHz to 596MHz, it’s capable of operating eight groups of 22 channels concurrently. The UHF frequency range has some international geographic restrictions and exists at the whim of government regulation, but offers increased multi-channel capability and zero latency compared to competing 2.4GHz systems. Designed for professional stages and beyond, the RE3 system can be purchased as pre-packaged sets or as separate components. Each set starts with a standard half-rack space RE3 receiver with either a handheld transmitter and a choice of five interchangeable capsules, or a bodypack with an even larger choice of hands-free input devices.

The mounting on the handheld transmitter is a standard 1.25 inch thread so capsules from other manufacturers will fit if you wanted to try them. For larger productions with multiple channels the optional accessories include antenna splitters, active or passive LP antennas and a two-slot battery charger/dock. RECEIVER: ORANGE THE NEW BLACK

The RE3 receiver is a black metal box with longer than usual black antennas attached to the rear panel, along with a balanced XLR and an unbalanced 6.35mm socket. The universal power supply probably reduces manufacturing costs slightly, but the Australian adaptor is significantly wider than the power supply itself so you can’t put anything directly next to it on a regular 240V power board. The front panel looks like a small part of a digital console when it’s on; the orange-backed LCD, candy-coloured strips of lights for RF and AF levels, and a green circle of light around the Sync button make for a somewhat uncoordinated but colourful display. The screen is not as sharp as the new OLED screens but the contrast is adjustable and everything is big and clear enough. The receiver is simple to navigate with just a small

learning curve to get fluent with the buttons and their options. If you’re only using a single mic you’d rarely need to change anything once set up. HANDHELD HEADS

The RE3 HHT handheld transmitter is aluminium with a smooth satin-black finish. The orangebacked LCD screen is towards the bottom of the mic inside a slightly raised frame. The plastic housing on the tail section has a neat sliding lid that exposes nudge buttons to manually change the operating frequency. The Power/Mute button is half hidden under the edge of the housing and takes a deliberate action to engage. Pressing it briefly mutes the mic, holding it just a little longer turns the power off. The fun starts with the selection of capsules and these are an interesting bunch. The ND76, ND86 and ND96 wired dynamic mics have only been around for a couple of years but their roots go back in time. The ND Series replaced the popular N/D Series that replaced the original N/DYM Series from the mid ‘80s. As well as pioneering the humbucking coil, EV were the first company to use neodymium magnets in their microphones; hence the names. They also use a large Mylar diaphragm that is light and fast. The size gives fullness to the

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REVIEW

lows and mids, the light weight delivers accurate transients and the result is a modern, clear sound with a high output. ND & RE HANDHELD OPTIONS

The ND76 is a general-purpose, fairly wide cardioid dynamic mic and the cheapest. The ND86 steps up in price and performance with a tighter pattern and more focussed sound. The ND96 is crazy – the head is nearly flat like it’s been sliced off but it gets you right on the diaphragm for maximum level. Made to be eaten, the sound is bright and aggressive; it copes with the most intense screaming without overloading, and it can be absolutely cranked in the monitors without feeding back. It’s a heavy metal special. The other capsules are from the new RE420/ RE520 condenser microphones. These upgrade the RE410/510 mics with better looks and performance. Designed for live shows, the wired versions are still kinda plain looking but practical and tough; they look more serious mounted on the handheld wireless transmitter. For live vocals condenser mics are accurate and detailed compared to dynamics, with a larger sweet-spot and greater working distance, but they can be unruly in the monitors if you’re looking for more than medium volume. The RE420 condenser is the cardioid version with maximum feedback rejection directly behind the mic. A perfect mic for strident female voices, the sound is warm and appealing with the well-controlled high-mids helping to avoid both harshness and feedback. This combined with a fairly tight pattern makes for excellent foldback levels, especially for a condenser. The slightly scooped frequency plot sees a wide boost centred around 100Hz and a bit of added sparkle around 6kHz, but then not so much from 8kHz to 10kHz, where some condensers are spiky and try to take off. Proximity effect is well controlled but for those who like to get right on the mic the gentle 150Hz HPF located under the grille keeps the low end tidy. The RE520 is the hyper-cardioid version with maximum rejection at 125 and 225 degrees offaxis. I like using a pair of wedges at about those angles rather than a single wedge right in front of the performer, partly to get the extra level from two speakers but also because I don’t like to block the view of the performer’s feet – they might have gone to a lot of trouble to choose their shoes. The RE520 is a tighter pattern and more focussed than the RE420 but they’re similar overall and they share low-handling noise and effective pop shields. MAMMOTHS ARE UNSTOPPABLE

Castlemaine’s funky all-girl band Stop That Mammoth were performing at the Theatre Royal while I had the mics. Young and enthusiastic and fairly noisy on stage, they’re the sort of band you’d usually give time-proven dynamic mics – partly for

familiarity, and partly to ensure easy level on stage and in the house if they don’t sing very loudly. But those regular dynamics, with their exaggerated proximity effect and added presence in the highmids, can sound harsh on bright voices and they do turn thin when the singer gets off the mic. The RE520 had neither of these concerns; singer Shanti had a ball and everyone was pleasantly surprised at the fidelity and stability. Add in the reasonable selling price and these are a good thing. BODYPACK

The wide range of transmitter devices that are not handheld contains eight varieties of headworn mics, five flavours of lavalier mics, two lapel mics, a clip-on instrument mic and a couple of leads with 6.35mm jacks. Some of those are for music but most cover theatrical, corporate or action sports applications. They all connect to the EV RE3-BPT bodypack transmitter. The smaller and lighter the better with bodypacks, but they still have to be strong in the ‘prima donna tantrum’ sense, and hold a couple of AA batteries. The batteries in the RE3-BPT bodypack take up nearly half the size of the unit and close to a third of its weight so it’s obviously an efficient design, and it looks techy in its magnesium shell. The rear panel is taken up with a large strong clip, while the front panel has a small screen. Under the screen a latch opens the front cover. Books have been written about whether to put the power switch dangerously but conveniently exposed or safely but inconveniently hidden under a cover. I know where EV stands; the only things under the cover here are the batteries. Sunken nudge buttons flank the screen, three for selecting frequencies on one side, on the other side the sunken power button, a low battery indicator and the sync port. It works for me. The power button is fiddly to engage and needs to be held for a good couple of seconds before the bodypack turns off, but thoughtfully turns on instantly if you accidentally turn it off, realise what you’ve done, and need it back on again ASAP. The potentially frequencychanging Set button also needs a deliberate action to engage, so no accidents there hopefully. The top of the RE3-BPT bodypack is the only place the performer needs to be. Right in the middle of the top is a chunky, raised and lit Mute switch. It’s super easy to feel with a positive click when activated, and lights up green for go or flashes in red for mute. You could use it confidently with thick gloves. Outside the switch a cute antenna is permanently fixed to the bodypack and a secure mini four-pin socket connects the chosen input device. The screen is more for convenience, displaying the current frequency and battery level. As with the receiver, it starts flashing when the battery is getting low.

NEED TO KNOW PRICE Systems from $1210 CONTACT 1300 026 724 boschcomms@au.bosch.com www.boschcommunications.com.au PROS Sound character Build quality Variety of input options CONS Dated screens SUMMARY A well designed and good-sounding competitor to the dominating brands, with a wide range of options for assembling handheld and bodypack solutions to suit most applications. LAV’ING A BALL

I tried just a sample of these hands-free input devices. It’s more about the mounting than the mic with these things. The RE3-CL3 (cardioid) and RE3-OL3 (omnidirectional) lavalier mics are tiny and intricately made. It seems a shame to hide their looks under the equally tiny foam pop shield but they definitely need the protection from plosives. The super-cardioid condenser HW3 headworn mic’s specialty is presentations or performances involving lots of movement. It’s a well-executed design for what is a potentially awkward object; the frame is comfortable, easy to adjust and works if you’re wearing glasses. The mic is on the end of a gooseneck/shockmount that allows for fine adjustment but holds firm if you jump around. If you take the unit off and put it down it will be in the same place when you put it back on. Attention to detail and an experienced focus on the task applies to all the devices across the RE range. SOLID PERFORMANCE

In use, the RE3 system seems solid with no glitches or drop-outs, but that’s the same with other brands I’ve used or reviewed; mine may be simple applications but they all seem stable. With handheld wireless mics the biggest difference between brands is the capsules/preamps and this is where the RE3 competes on even ground; both the ND range and the new RE420/520 mics/capsules have their own strengths and character and if they suit the user then that’s the right mic for them. The hands-free range of input devices is comprehensive and combines quality mics with clever design. The RE3 wireless system is a worthy competitor.

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NEWS

Industry Update AVIXA news

AV CALENDAR Integrated Systems Russia Moscow 23-25 October 2019 en.isrussia.ru ISE Amsterdam Feb 11-14, 2020 iseeurope.org AVIXA 2019 OCEANIA AWARD WINNERS

VIXA has announced the winners of its 2019 Oceania Awards. The recipients were honoured on the first day of Integrate Expo in Melbourne during a well attended awards ceremony that also hosted the project-oriented AV Industry Awards (AVIA) by AV Asia Pacific. The adjacent celebration was supported by Bose. Recognising AV professionals for their outstanding achievements in Oceania’s AV industry, a dedicated AVIXA regional awards committee selected the winners in the following categories: Oceania Young AV Professional of the Year, Oceania Women in AV, Oceania CTS Holder of the Year, Oceania Educator of the Year, and Oceania Distinguished Achievement Awards. The Volunteer of the Year Award was selected by AVIXA staff. “Now in its third year, earning the AVIXA Oceania Award represents an important milestone in the career of AV professionals who have shown outstanding contribution to help their peers, businesses or industry overall grow,” says Jonathan Seller, Senior Director of Development, Asia-Pacific, AVIXA. “All winners are nominated by a third party, hence being selected for the award is a true peer recognition.” THE WINNERS Oceania Volunteer of the Year Award Peter Swanson, CTS, Lendlease Oceania Young AV Professional Award Garth Cahill, CTS, Corporate Technology Services Oceania Young AV Professional Award Tyler Wood, CTS, Corporate Technology Services Oceania Young AV Professional Award John Thampi, CTS-D, CTS-I, Downer Group Oceania Women in AV Award Boey Song, tm stagetec systems Oceania CTS Holder of the Year Award Ryan Gomes, CTS-D, Corporate Technology Services Oceania Educator of the Year Award Paul Dabrowski, CTS, avt Oceania Distinguished Achievement Award Michael Rutledge

GLOBAL AV EXPERIENCE AWARDS

Meanwhile, news from the AVIXA head office in the US, sees the launch of the AV Experience Awards program, which will recognise the innovative integration of content, space, and audiovisual technology to enrich experiences. The AV Experience Awards program celebrates the ability of AV technology to expand human capabilities, or to excite, inspire, or enhance an experience across diverse markets and industries. The program’s different categories showcase how thoughtful design and execution achieve the projects’ distinct goals. In addition to the professional AV community, AVIXA is also soliciting submissions from the likes of artists, designers, engineers, and creative professionals for projects in the following categories: Best Dynamic Art Experience celebrates AV as art. Best In-Person Experience. Best Individualised Experience. Best Immersive Experience. Best Flexible Space Experience. Best Collaborative Experience. For more information about becoming an awards partner, contact avexperienceawards@avixa.org Entries open Sept. 16, 2019, and close Feb. 5, 2020. For more information, visit avxawards.avixa.org The winners will be recognised in an awards presentation at the InfoComm 2020 show in Las Vegas on June 17. Each category winner will receive travel and hotel accommodations for two individuals to the show.

InfoComm Brasil Sao Paulo 14-16 April 2020 brasil.infocomm.show InfoComm SE Asia Bangkok 27-29 May 2020 infocomm-sea.com Integrate Expo Sydney 19-21 August 2020 integrate-expo.com

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COMMENT

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Termination Festival Greetings Text:/ Graeme Hague

y the time you read this we’ll be well and truly into the new ‘Silly Season’. No, not Christmas – that starts about August, just before the supermarkets begin stuffing the aisles with Easter eggs. And nothing to do with cricket either. Cricket doesn’t have a ‘season’ anymore. Even The Ashes is played every three weeks now. I’m talking about the festival season. Music festivals, food festivals, theatre festivals… you name it, as the springtime sun pokes through the gloom it’s time to shake the spiders and frogs out of the musty marquee tents, rediscover the out-of-date tube of sunblock from the van glovebox, and once more venture into the great outdoors to provide AV, sound and lighting for the Great Unwashed (that’ll be the folk music festivals mostly). You’ll be building level stages in the middle of boggy paddocks, rigging video screens expected to work in bright sunlight, and working on those people skills to politely inform punters that, no, you can’t put your drinks on the mixing desk, and no, they can’t plug their phone charger in. So I figured it was worthwhile to revisit the things I’m looking forward to the most. Feel free to write into our esteemed editor with any further suggestions.

Door’, complete with warbling harmonies, borrowed tambourines and that bloke who sounded awesome on harmonica… well, at midnight. They only need an extra 12 microphones and eight DIs at short notice. No problem at all. 'BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR IT!'

power was provided by a very, very long extension cord coming from the back of the food caterer’s bain marie

OUT OF DATE STAGE SHEET

Always one of my favourites. You kick the previous band out of the way, shovelling aside guitar cases, set sheets soaked in beer, and adoring fans who really just want an excuse to stand on a real, proper stage, and you madly set up everything according to the hand-scribbled specs sheet you’ve been given – only for the next band to roll up and be confused and ultimately rollingon-the-floor laughing at the mudmap you’ve been given. They chortle things like, “We haven’t done this setup for years,” and “Where did you get this from?” It’s a complete mystery where this misinformation came from. The best I’ve had is one of the band members pointing to the diagram and saying, “This can’t be right. This bloke’s been dead for at least three years.” LAST MINUTE POWERPOINT FIX

The presenter who taps your shoulder and says, “I’m using the same PowerPoint presentation as last time, and I’ve just realised that I need to

change a few slides… can I use your laptop?” When’s he due on stage? Oh, in about three minutes, and his presentation is longer than the Old Testament and, of course, anything that appears on the screen as a glaring, typographical error is your fault, not the presenter’s. Possession is nine-tenths of the law and it’s your screen, and laptop. HIGH WITH A LITTLE HELP…

“It is okay if some of my friends come on stage for a jam?” Inspiration hit sometime around 2am the previous night – under the influence of various beers, spirits (the drinking sort, not your grandmother’s disappointed ghost) and a bit of turbo lettuce; it was decided that the next day’s performance would achieve Woodstock-like classic status if everybody was to pile on stage and fumble their way through an impromptu, 10-minute rendition of ‘Knocking On Heaven’s

Or at least, so says the organiser, which actually means no one’s bothered to provide overhead cover for either the stage or the mix position. Or to provide anything really. The stage, which is a bunch of plywood sheets gaff’ed onto a truly monumental number of milk crates, sits in the middle of a field with power provided by a very, very long extension cord coming from the back of the food caterer’s bain marie. There’s not a tarpaulin in sight, but maybe one of the bar umbrellas will do? The mix position is a wild guess determined by where the lawn can maybe not be wrecked too much. That’s another umbrella. And oh, you need power there too? Really? We thought everything was wireless these days... NO, YOU CAN’T DRIVE IN THERE

You’re in a truck, or maybe just a van, and it’s literally groaning under the weight of the impossible amount of AV gear you squeezed in – a legendary pack worthy of a selfie – plus you’ve got company logos all over the sides, the bonnet, and your clothing which all shout ‘Production’, but the over-officious security dude at the gate isn’t going to let you near the stage because you haven’t got the right-coloured piece of paper on the dashboard. Common sense comes a poor second place to breaking any rules about coloured bits of paper. AND FINALLY

You’ve built the stage, installed the screen, rigged the PA and hung the lights… the backline guys have been and gone, and the row of amplifiers, monitor wedges and a gleaming drum kit are ready to go. Everyone is sticking down the last strip of gaff, focusing the last light, checking the data feed one final time. And some punter wanders up and asks, “Is there a band on here tonight, mate?”  Graeme Hague loves nothing more than the roar of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd.

F R O M T H E N O 1 I N P R O J E C T O R S*

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