Pro AVL MEA May–June 2018

There has been a huge amount of change in the distribution landscape since the start of this year To serve as an example, in this issue alone we have the news of new Middle East representatives for Audix, Calrec and Clair Brothers in the form of VV & Sons, GSL Professional and Provision AVL, respectively In addition to this, Yamaha Music Gulf has become the re-exporter for Nexo for the Middle East, Africa and the CIS countries Manufacturers have always chopped and changed their distributors – we wouldn’t be able to dedicate a section of the magazine to it if they didn’t – and, while this volume of announcements is notable, it is not wholly unexpected There is no doubt that this kind of change can initially be painful for some However, it ultimately serves to create new opportunities for everyone Firstly for manufacturers, having a new partner can provide different ways to win increased business Secondly, as manufacturers move around, this can create a ripple effect as conflicting brands need to seek new relationships Finally, customers will also see benefits as the new representatives put an increased focus on the brand

Of course, these changes do not always provide the benefits that people are looking for But again, this can create more opportunities as the relationships change once more I’m certain our distribution news section will continue to be busy for a long time to come

Enjoy the magazine!

Contacts

Richard Lawn: General manager rlawn@proavl-mea.com

Simon Luckhurst: Senior reporter sluckhurst@proavl-mea.com

Caroline Moss: Contributing editor cmoss@proavl-mea.com

Raymond Boey: Singapore office T: +65 6457 2340 rboey@proavl-mea.com

Sue Su: Guangzhou manager T: +86(20)85633602 ssu@proavl-mea.com

Email: jling@proavl-mea com

Sue Gould: Advertising director sgould@proavl-mea.com

James Cooke: Reporter jcooke@proavl-mea.com

Adrian Baker: Production editor abaker@proavl-mea.com

Damian Calderbank: Dubai correspondent T: +971 (0) 52 230 2882 dcalderbank@proavl-mea.com

Marne Mittelmann: Circulation manager F: +65 6491 6588 circulation@proavl-mea.com

John Leonidou: Deputy editor jleonidou@proavl-mea.com @proAVLjohnl

Carolyn Valliere: Sales associate T: +1 562 597 1534 cvalliere@proavl-mea.com

Karen Wallace: Editorial coordinator kwallace@proavl-mea.com

Nick Smith: Digital media manager nsmith@proavl-mea.com

Jo Pugh-Jones: Production controller jpj@proavl-mea.com

17 Upper Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 2DU, UK Telephone: +44 1892 676280 Email: info@proavl-mea.com

Oasis installs ADNOC Guest House

UAE: Oasis Enterprises

Professional Projects Division (Oasis PPD) has completed the A/V installation at ADNOC’s Al Yash 5 Guest House The project saw the systems integrator equip the residential training facility with meeting room A/V and conferencing equipment as well as IPTV, digital signage and room booking systems

Located in the town of Al Ruwais in the western regions of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, the 200-room guest house has six meeting rooms, three training rooms and a pair of executive boardroom ‘ADNOC’s policy is to have the most modern amenities in their premises,’ stated Rajiv KC, senior sales engineer at Oasis PPD ‘In-line with this, the solution we provided needed to be the latest technology, easy to use and also comply with ADNOC’s strict IT policy ’

Starting with the meeting, board and training rooms, the integrator opted for column and ceiling speakers from FBT to deliver the audio in each space At the other

end of the signal chain, wireless microphones from Revolabs as well as ClearOne beam-forming microphone arrays and TOA wireless conferencing units serve as the inputs Audio DSP is again from ClearOne, while Crestron was called upon for the integrated control system and Extron supplied the table-top stations

The visual elements are based around Life Size video conferencing

systems with Da-Lite video conferencing carts Imaging is courtesy of Datavideo PTZ cameras,

while JVC Pro 500GB combo deck Blu-ray and HDD recorders as well as TV One multi-format matrix switchers have also been installed Completing the visual systems are a range of outputs with 7,000 ANSI lumens and 3,500 ANSI lumens projectors from Optoma on Da-Lite lifts firing onto Da-Lite boards for interactive projectors as well as 84inch interactive LCD display screens from C Touch

The systems for the rest of the project saw Oasis PPD deploy a Condeco meeting room management system as well as a JVC and TV-Tools digital signage solution with JVC 42-inch information kiosks In the guest rooms, an Exterity IPTV head end system combines with JVC 55-inch LED TVs for entertainment ‘The most important element was to have an infrastructure implemented,’ explained Rajiv KC ‘The installation needed to be operational in four months and a lot of manufacturers were involved during the implementation and commissioning of the systems To ensure this happened, we focused on our client and the end user That has made our client happy with the end result ’

‘We took into account the client’s vision to have modern amenities and delivered on this,’ said Oasis PPD general manager, Basel Al Aref ‘We have been delivering our A/V and ICT solutions for corporate, government, education, hospitality and theme parks projects in the GCC for 36 years and we have the principle that we are not happy until the client is happy This project once again highlights the great work our project teams do to ensure complete customer satisfaction

www.oasisppd.com

Yamaha Music Gulf becomes Nexo re-exporter

MIDDLE EAST: Nexo has named Yamaha Music Gulf as its new official re-exporter to the Middle East, Africa and the CIS countries The Dubai-based Yamaha Corporation subsidiary already acts as the re-exporter in this territory for Yamaha’s professional audio products as well as its musical instruments and consumer audio products

‘With this new partnership, Yamaha Music Gulf will help us effectively meet the growing demand for high-quality sound reinforcement solutions in those areas,’ said Jean Mullor, chairman and CEO of Nexo ‘Our two companies share the same philosophy and we aim to offer the professional audio market something over and above “black

boxes”, complementing technical solutions with a high degree of support, education and training ’

‘With our superior level of high-end PA systems knowledge and design skills, we have been distributing our system solutions to the markets for a long time using our experience as one of the leading distribution companies in the region,’ added Yasuaki Gyoten,

managing director of Yamaha Music Gulf ‘The synergy effect of two brands created between Yamaha and Nexo will help to further enhance the value of our integrated professional audio product solutions to customers in mid- and high-end segments ’ www.asia-latinamerica-mea.yamaha.com www.nexo-sa.com

AVC Sales and Marketing Consultancy for the MEA Region

Projects we’ve generated and managed for our prestigious clients: Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company (UAE), Abu Dhabi Investment Council (UAE), ARAMCO (KSA), Binzagr (KSA), Dubai Marina Yacht Club (UAE), Equate HQ (Kuwait), IPA (KSA), Kuwait University (Kuwait), Muscat Hospital (Oman), Pepsi HQ Middle East (UAE), Petroleum Institute (UAE) and many more…

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Yasuaki Gyoten, managing director of Yamaha Music Gulf

FBT speakers cover the meeting rooms

The guesthouse has a JVC and TVTools digital signage solution

An Exterity system provides in-room entertainment

Gearhouse supplies a festival with a difference

SOUTH AFRICA: Taking place in an active container yard in downtown Johannesburg, Vivo Nation Festival provided a unique challenge for its technical supplier, Gearhouse South Africa While the main focus of the event was the launch of the VW Polo Vivo, there was also a concert element with live performances from the likes of Cassper Nyovest, DJ Doowap, Black Motion and Kwesta

‘The venue was the biggest challenge,’ said Gearhouse project manager, Jaco Saaiman ‘It was the first time we had ever built a show and set up in an active container yard that runs 18 hours a day Our planning had to coincide with the venue’s operation Trucks coming in and out collecting and dropping

off containers at all hours of the day and night and container handler machines moving up and down in the area we were setting up were just some of the aspects we had to consider while working there

However, the venue and staff were extremely accommodating and our work areas were cordoned off, making it easier for us to work in

The area was also extremely dusty

which was something we had to get used to and prepare for as our equipment loaded in ’ Gearhouse supplied the stage structure itself as well as lighting, audio, A/V, LED, power and cameras for the main show stage This comprised L-Acoustics V-Dosc and SB28 speakers powered by LA8 amplified controllers, in addition to JBL PRX 515s and Clair Brothers 12AM stage monitors powered by CBA 4000AM monitor amp racks Control came from a pair of Yamaha PM5D consoles, while a Shure URD wireless mic system was also employed The DJ setup called on Pioneer products with CDJ 2000 Nexus 2 players and DJM 900 Nexus mixers

The lighting system comprised various elements from Pasef, SGM, Martin Professional, Robe, Molefay, Tri Tour and Niso controlled by a grandMA2 Full Size Additional effects came via fog and smoke machines from MDG and Reel EFX and Martin Professional Atomic strobes

LED formed an important component of the event with a large volume of screens used for playing out the bespoke content This included 40 Lighthouse R16s configured as two walls of four panels wide x three panels high, 96 Radiant MC7 panels, 360 RS1200

Turning Dubai Art Week InsideOut

UAE: First appearing at the Triennale der Photographie in Hamburg during Vienna Design Week, InsideOut is a travelling 360° multimedia art installation created by flora&faunavisions It was recently brought to the UAE as part of Dubai Art Week, where Neumann&Müller Event Technology (N&M) was approached to provide the technical solutions to bring the immersive artwork of Leigh Sachwitz to life through projection, light and sound effects

InsideOut was on show at Inked, one of Al Serkal Avenue’s creat i ve spaces i n Al Quoz, form i ng part of i ts La Casa Azul pop-up ‘cul i nary journey’ created by Mex i can art i st Fr i da Kahlo N&M suppl i ed s i x Panason i c HD projectors, a 4 1 surround sound aud i o system and a haze mach i ne to ensure the projector beams were v i s i ble

A pa i r of 21K projectors were hung from steel beams below the mezzan i ne level of the venue to project onto the roof,

panels, and 187 Radiant CB-8 LEDs divided as 38 panels for towers, 21 panels for the DJ surround and 129 panels forming the back wall of the main stage

Away from the main stage, the Vivo launch saw 60 cars on site in a range of activations ‘One of the activation areas was built as a drive in,’ furthered Mr Saaiman ‘Customers could get into the car and watch old Herbie movie clips while exploring the car One of the challenges was to get the audio into the car instead of putting up a PA system outside Due to the car having an auxiliary input, we were able to treat its audio system like an in-ear monitor and we were able to play the audio through the sound system ’

LED was also a large element of this section of the Mushroom Productions and One-eyed Jackorganised event To meet these needs, Gearhouse supplied 91 Radiant MC7 panels configured as a 13x7 videowall to form the drivein screen In addition to this, 68 Radiant MC7 panels were used on the main stage around a car It went very well,’ concluded Mr Saaiman ‘The main show was fantastic with great acts as well as superb lighting and visuals to complement the launch and the venue it was hosted in The activation areas were very interactive and informative at the same time ’

www.gearhouse.co.za

Chauvet puts spotlight on Nigerian show

wh i le four 13K projectors were mounted i ns i de the bu i ld i ng to prov i de back-project i on onto the oppos i te wall of the house Kl i ng & Fre i tag Pass i o loudspeakers were i nstalled i n the corners of the venue w i th d&b aud i otechn i k B6 subwoofers to offer the surround sound exper i ence for the sound des i gn created by award-w i nn i ng composer, mus i c i an and producer, And i Toma

www.neumannmueller.com

NIGERIA: Lagos-based stage rental and installation company Pro Broadcast Light & Sound (PBLS) turned to Chauvet Professional for the recent AY Live show Tasked with providing the lighting at the live comedy and music event, which attracted around 6,000 people, PBLS opted for 20 Rogue R1 Beam fixtures, 20 Rogue R1 Spots, 16 Colorado Batten 144 Tour LED batten-style wash fixtures, 16 Colorado 1-Quad Zoom

Tour wash fixtures as well as a Corebar 4 wash lighting solution and 20 Colorband PiX USB LED strip light from Chauvet DJ

Produced by popular comedian and showbiz promoter, Ayodele

Richard Makun, AY Live has been taking place on every Easter Sunday since 2010 and has been getting tougher by the year for PBLS at the Eko Hotels and Suites venue in the Nigerian capital ‘Time is always a factor when doing the lighting rig for this

show and this particular event continues to grow and get bigger all the time,’ commented Martins Ekueme, production manager at PBLS ‘We only had 48 hours to set everything up and this venue is always busy It is tough out here in Nigeria but we have to maintain our professionalism and uphold good customer relations ’ Mr Ekueme was part of a 25-member team from PBLS at the event Apart from the Chauvet fixtures, the rental company also used 260 500mm x 500mm Magic Stage Series P3 9 indoor LED displays for effects ‘Chauvet is very rich in colour and versatile,’ continued Mr Ekueme ‘We do other comedy shows but also permanent installations for houses of worship, clubs, lounges and event centres ’

www.ayliveonline.com

www.chauvetlighting.com

www.facebook.com/probroadcasts

Kwesta on stage (Courtesy Mushroom Productions and One-eyed Jack)

Load in at the busy container yard proved to be a challenge

The stage setup for Vivo Nation (Courtesy Mushroom Productions and One-eyed Jack)

SOUNDBITES

WILLIAMS SOUND CELEBRATES DISTRIBUTORS

MEA: NMK Electronics

Enterprises has won the Williams Sound International Distributor of the Year award for 2017 The Dubai-based distributor represents the manufacturer for the Middle East and was presented with the award during ISE in

Amsterdam

CCG lights up ChainSmokers

QATAR: Creative Communication Group (CCG) supplied the audio, lighting and LED screens as well as rigging, trussing and staging for the recent ChainSmokers concert at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center (DECC) The performance was organised by The Social Studio Agency under the patronage of the Qatar Tourism Authority as part of the Shop Qatar Festival

‘We were approached by The Social Studio Agency through its managing director, Hamzeh Zahr, as we were the only company qualified to execute this job,’ said CCG production director, Maria Bou

‘The entire NMK team did an outstanding job on several significant projects in 2017, covering most of the Middle East,’ noted Per Persson, director of international sales for Williams Sound ‘Not only have they dramatically increased sales numbers, they have also raised brand awareness in the region by hosting educational and networking efforts such as the NMK Academy ’

Williams Sound also presented its exclusive South African distributor, Audio Solutions, with its Outstanding Sales Award

www.audiosolutionsafrica.com

www.nmkelectronics.com

www.williamssound.com

WYRESTORM EXTENDS

WARRANTY

Abdallah ‘CCG was the most eligible company in Qatar to take this job since the requirements were of international standards and CCG carries a large inventory that could fulfil all the bands’ requirements The ChainSmokers production team were extremely happy to work with us ’

The aud i o s i de of the project saw CCG deploy i ts recently purchased Meyer Sound Leopard system for the ma i n PA w i th low-end re i nforcement v i a 900-LFC subs to cater to the 6,000-strong crowd Front- and s i de-fills were Meyer Sound UPA-1P cab i nets, wh i le on stage the manufacturer’s UM100P,

UM1P and MJF210 were used for mon i tors D i G i Co desks were used at both FOH and mon i tors w i th an SD10 and SD8, respect i vely, wh i le CCG suppl i ed an exclus i vely Shure m i c package for the performance A Clear-Com comms system and an Optocore solut i on for all data and s i gnal transport completed the system

The visual side of the concert called on 120 lighting fixtures from the likes of Varilight, Robe, SGM and Claypaky controlled via a grandMA2 Full Size over an MA NPU network CCG completed the setup with five LED screens of differing sizes

The main challenge for CCG at the 2-hour concert came from the venue itself ‘DECC has issues with rigging from the ceiling as it cannot hold the weight required for such events,’ explained Ms Abdallah ‘We overcame this obstacle by supplying a ground support trussing structure ’

The end result is one the CCG team is happy with ‘We were extremely proud to have such an event in Qatar especially, and to be involved in its success,’ concluded Ms Abdallah

www.ccg-events.com

One lounge gets Harman full kit

WORLD: WyreStorm has extended its warranty from three years to five This affects all of the manufacturer’s products from its Installer and Pro AV Solutions ranges worldwide purchased from 1 January 2018, with the exception of the WyreStorm Express line, which keeps its 1-year warranty

‘The warranty extension from three to five years clearly demonstrates our commitment to both our partners and end users,’ said Vincent Philippo, WyreStorm VP of international sales ‘It means our customers now have one of the highest possible levels of protection and ultimate peace of mind ’

www.wyrestorm.com

BAHRAIN: GSL Professional has unleashed a full range of Harman Professional solutions from its sub-brands for the audio system installation at a new club lounge in Manama

One Lounge, which has a capacity of 300 and is being described as the biggest American lounge in Bahrain, has been fitted with solutions from JBL, AKG, Crown, BSS and Soundcraft ‘They

were looking for top-of-the-range speakers from JBL and had very high standards as to what the club should sound like’, said Abboud Aljuneidi, regional sales manager, MI and retail – ME ‘The entire process of commissioning, designing and tuning of the system took around two days, but the result was well worth it ’ The installation has seen JBL’s VTX F series loudspeakers and subs cover the dance floor, while the SRX 800 passive series cover various spots around the venue The ASB7128 serves as the main subwoofer and AC195s have been placed in the VIP area The whole system is powered by ITech series amps by Crown, while the digital mixing console is an SI

Expression 1 Those components are all brought together by a BSS DSP

www.gslprofessional.com

Events Evolution brings The Fight

ZIMBABWE: Gospel artist Tembalami recently launched his new album, The Fight, during a dinner event held in the entrance foyer of the Celebration Centre Church in Harare Guests at the launch dinner were treated to live performances, for which Events

Evolution supplied the technical setup including TW Audio sound reinforcement and Chauvet lighting

‘The set and trussing around the stage were designed to look like a boxing ring, complementing the theme of the album, The Fight,’ explained Blessing Bero of Events Evolution ‘The lighting and set features were set up all round

the venue, adding a deep colour theme to the event This was accomplished with 18 SlimPAR

Tri 12 IRCs, four Rogue R2 Washes, eight Intimidator Hybrid 140SRs and a LeMaitre MVS haze

machine, all controlled via an Avolites Arena console ’ The Events Evolution team designed the audio setup to achieve surround sound within the space ‘This was made possible with four TW Audio C15s in each corner, a Samson RSX115A for centre-fill and four TW Audio B30 subs, which together provided wellbalanced and high-quality audio,’ said Mr Bero ‘An Allen & Heath dLive C2500 controlled the audio setup and handled multi-track recording All plug-ins were run via a Waves grid server and a Waves card on the console ’

One Lounge has an extensive Harman solution Crown, BSS and Soundcraft gear in the rack

Distributors Of :

Exclusive

Rental companies jointly purchase 400 Absen panels

SOUTH AFRICA: Stage Effects and Unl i m i ted Events have teamed up to purchase 400 Absen D2V 2 9mm panels from DWR D i str i but i on Both compan i es plan to target i ndoor corporate events w i th the new i nventory

‘Mar i us and I dec i ded on a jo i nt venture to br i ng i n many panels of the same batch bear i ng i n m i nd that quant i ty i s always a b i g i ssue for us,’ expla i ned Theo Papenfus from Stage Effects, who had been cons i der i ng an i nvestment i n Absen’s 3 9mm product for a couple of years

‘We wanted to go through a reputable company, and chose Absen to enable us to have the serv i ce DWR typ i cally prov i des,’

SF gets Populist in tune

chain A Martin ZR25 fog machine and Pro Smoke Super were purchased for stage effects

added Mar i us van Rooyen from Unl i m i ted Events ‘It’s a much better opt i on for us as we have support locally In add i t i on, we are able to tap i nto the base of ex i st i ng Absen users i n South Afr i ca ’ DWR’s Duncan R i ley expanded on the serv i ce h i s company prov i des : ‘The DWR workshop i s able to do repa i rs on the 2 9mm; Bruce R i ley i s really good at balanc i ng LED screens ’ ‘It was the r i ght t i m i ng and the r i ght product at the r i ght pr i ce,’ commented Schalk Botha, Absen

sales representat i ve at DWR

‘The market i s go i ng towards h i gh-res, cost-effect i ve and affordable solut i ons The Absen 2 9mm i s perfectly pr i ced for the perfect solut i on ’ W i th a large quant i ty of the D2V panels shared between the two compan i es, Mr Papenfus i s opt i m i st i c about the arrangement ‘I th i nk i t’s really go i ng to work for us,’ he concluded

www.dwrdistribution.co.za

www.stageeffects.co.za

www.unlimitedevents.co.za

DNS 2 cool in Moroccan shoot

TURKEY: A popular gastropub in Istanbul has revamped its entire acoustic system in an effort to block sound spillage for nearby residents Situated in a residential neighbourhood, The Populist Bebek’s live music prompted the owners to turn to SF Ses ve I ık Sistemleri to resolve the sound issues In the past, SF had worked on a similar installation at The Populist Bomonti, located at the century-old Bomonti’s Historic Brewery

‘We had to do a serious acoustic simulation and calculations when placing the speakers so that the sound does not bother the surrounding occupants,’ commented project manager, Firat Akın

For the indoor fixed installation speakers, Mr Akın turned to JBL for two AC16 2-way loudspeakers, 12 AC195 2-way full-range loudspeakers, two ASB6115 single 15-inch subwoofers, three ASB6112 single 12-inch

subwoofers and an ASB6125 dual 15-inch subwoofer When it came to the outdoor space, JBL 12 Control 25-1L 8 speakers as well as two Control SB-2210 dual 10-inch compact subwoofers provide the reinforcement In addition to this, Near IGS12 12-inch in-ground/ on-ground subwoofers, two IG6 6 5-inch 2-way weatherproof inground/on-ground omnidirectional loudspeakers and three IE1 direct burial junction boxes have also been installed

For the live music system, a Ui16 16-input remote-controlled digital mixer from Soundcraft was deployed along with three EON612 12-inch 2-way monitors from JBL AKG’s WMS470 professional analogue wireless microphone system along with two D5 professional dynamic vocal microphones, three D40 professional instrumental microphones and a C519 professional miniature condenser microphone complete the signal

For the automated acoustic system, Crestron’s CP3 enterpriseclass control system, CGDMX-512BI bidirectional interface, DIN Rail 2-channel Dali interface, CI-KNX IP interface and two DIN-2MC2 Rail Motor Controls were used Crestron also provided the TSW-552-B-S 5-inch touchscreen and PWE4803RU PoE injector With regards to the media system, Crestron was again called upon to provide a DMPS3-200-C presentation system, two DM-RMC-4K-100-C receiver and room controllers and three DM-TX-4K-100-C-1G-B-T wall plate transmitters A Screenline Slim 250 190 White Ice projector screen along with a CP-WU5500 projector from Hitachi and an InFocus IN128HDSTx short throw projector have also been installed Power is via Crown XTi 2002 and XTi 6002 amplifiers with further support from Crown XLS1502, XLS2502, XLS1002 and XLS1002 units For the signal processor, a 12x8 BSS BLU-100 was used along with a BLU-BOB1 output expander and BLU-BIB input expander

‘The owners are expanding as a group,’ added Seda Varon, marketing manager at SF ‘We had already done an installation at their first location which had pleased them and we were then asked to do the sound system at The Populist Bebek Many other restaurants and bars – including ones belonging to the same group – have since approached us ’

www.sf.com.tr www.thepopulist.com.tr

MOROCCO: CEDAR’s dialogue noise suppressor (DNS) 2 was recently put to the test during a shoot for a German television mini-series in Morocco

in his setup During the first test day, he attempted routing the boom mic through Channel 1 and the personal mics through Channel 2 before scrapping that

The technology, which was developed to eliminate unwanted noise, was deployed by Südwestrundfunk engineer Peter Tielker who had been shooting the 2-part ARD TV special Brüder in the North African country that moonlighted for war-torn Syria ‘I didn’t have to worry about refrigerators, air conditioners, blowers, exhaust ducts or any other noise sources,’ commented Mr Tielker ‘The sound recordist encounters these every day on set and, while there are of course limits to what the DNS 2 can do, I could easily determine these and adjust things accordingly ’ Upon arriving in Morocco, Mr Tielker had been initially unsure about how best to use the DNS 2

idea when he realised that other signals weren’t benefitting He then changed the setup to send his mix via an aux path through the DNS 2, which he then routed back into an input on his Sound Devices 688

‘Due to the near zero latency of the DNS 2, there was no loss of synchronisation between the sound and the picture, and my cleaned version was later available as an alternative to the original mix,’ added Mr Tielker ‘It’s not difficult to choose appropriate settings and, if the guys in post think that I’ve overprocessed something, they can always go back to the original audio ’

Marius van Rooyen from Unlimited Events with Schalk Botha, DWR

The DNS 2 in use

SF istalled JBL speakers to cover the venue

eclipse put through the ropes in desert show

UAE: eclipse’s resources were put on the mettle recently after being tasked with designing and giving the technical specifications for Amway’s gala celebration, from concept to completion

‘The event location made the technical production aspect challenging,’ said Nick Plain who is project manager for eclipse Staging Services ‘The site is mostly soft sand which meant all the equipment was moved around the site on 4-wheel drive buggies with trailers As a result, the warehouse had to be very careful in preparing all the equipment so it arrived in the right order and was delivered to the right place onsite All the cabling had to be buried in the sand which required us to come up with novel ways to protect the fragile fibre optic infrastructure and ensure site safety for event-goers ’

pract i cal and arch i tectural show l i ght i ng from only s i x structures wh i ch had to also be shared w i th the v i deo department This presented yet another challenge in terms of placement of the structures to light a 2,000m2 space while minimising the visibility of the structures and fixtures

Prior to the event, the site where the gala had taken place at Lisaili Fort had been 3D mapped using a drone to provide a virtual version of the multifaceted event in its initial planning stages The 3D modelling was also used for calculating the overall budget Some of the challenges faced in terms of the audio system was eclipse not being permitted by the client to deploy flying speakers That meant groundstacked d&b audiotechnik J-Series main speakers became integrated into the set and disguised without compromising on the overall audio performance or set design

‘The biggest challenge we faced with the audio design was to keep our PA more or less invisible and completely clear of the video projectors’ aperture,’ added eclipse Staging Services’ senior audio engineer, Wissam

Shaheen ‘We are no strangers to such challenges as we know that aesthetics are as important as the audio quality, especially in the corporate world ’

In terms of l i ght i ng, ecl i pse eng i neers had to del i ver both

With regards to video, the team had to contend with both projection mapping onto the surface of the fort structure and an LED wall that was built into the set The LED wall had to be installed in such a way that it was seamless with the surface of the set, given that the content made it appear as part of the set The projection mapping was faced with additional complications by several palm trees that were very much in the way and created the need to add extra projectors to get around them

www.dbaudio.com

www.eclipse.ae

eclipse supplied Amway’s gala celebration

d&b audiotechnik J-Series speakers were integrated into the set

Showtech delivers for Sonu Nigam

UAE: Dubai-based rental company, Showtech, delivered the audio, visual and lighting equipment for a 4-hour concert by Sonu Nigam at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium The performance was organised by OME-Oberoi (Middle East) Events

Showtech deployed its JBL VTX system to cover the stadium The

main PA consisted of 18 JBL VTX V25-II cabinets with 12 of the manufacturer’s VTX S28 subs providing low end A further 10 JBL VTX V25-II were used as out-fills, four VRX 915M as front-fills and a pair of VRX 932 LA as fills Power was via Crown 12000HD amplifiers, while on stage four VRX 915M wedges were used as monitors

Control for the solution was via a pair of Avid Profile consoles, one at FOH and the other for monitors

The lighting system for the concert called on a 36 PAR bar, 60 LED PAR cans, 18 ETC Source

FABT builds Imam Ali TV OB van

IRAQ: Imam Ali TV, the dedicated TV channel for the Imam Ali Holy Shrine in Najaf, has expanded its broadcast capabilities with a new outside broadcast vehicle The OB van was designed and built by the Iraq office of Future Art Broadcast Trading (FABT)

The broadcaster has been a long-standing client of FABT and approached the company with the requirement for an 8-camera OB vehicle with video mixing

capabilities To meet this brief, FABT designed a video solution

formed of a For-A HVS-110 video switcher, Digital Forecast Bridge RS 16X16 video router, Sony PMW1000 and HVR-1500A recorders and Datavideo TLM-702 dual 7-inch touchscreen monitors Signal is catered to by Ericsson with further equipment from Spacepath, SatLite and Rohde & Schwarz

The audio portion of the project saw FABT install a Soundcraft EFX12 12-input mixer, Wohler AMP2-VSDA multichannel audio

Exterity answers medical centre video calling

QATAR: The Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha has turned to Exterity to enrich its in-room entertainment to patients via its IPTV system

‘An increasing number of healthcare organisations are recognising the importance video is playing in facilitating patients’ recovery by reducing stress and keeping minds occupied during lengthy stays in hospital,’ said

Energy

monitor with meters and an Altair WBS-200HD wireless intercom base station The project was completed with additional Toshiba 32-inch monitors, a Magic Soft PC and UPS from APC

The shipment of heavy equipment such as the antenna formed the main challenge for the project But once everything had arrived in Iraq, it took the FABT team 30 days to complete the installation of the OB van

Profiles, 30 Claypaky Sharpys and 30 Robe Spiiders In addition, Showtech supplied four Antari HZ 500 hazers and six blinders Control for this portion of the system was via a pair of Avolites consoles

Finally, for the visual system the rental house deployed 70m2 of P3 LED screens and a pair of 13K projectors for the side screens Control was via an Analog Way Ascender 32 switcher, while Dataton Watchout software was also in use

www.showtechme.com

With the project delivered, FABT broadcast and communication senior engineer, Nabeel ALBosaeed, believes the OB van will more than meet the broadcaster’s needs ‘We think that it’s one of our best designs, but we always look for better,’ he stated ‘The client thinks that our OB van is competitive to a foreign design ’

www.fa-bt.com

patients to use remote controls to operate the televisions via Exterity Media Players as well as call for medical support

Exterity CEO, Colin Farquhar ‘We strongly believe that video is more than entertainment, and we are proud that our IPTV system is playing a role in making patients at HMC feel more comfortable Deployed throughout the hospital and in individual patient rooms at the specialist Tertiary Communicable Disease Center, the Exterity IPTV system entertains and supports the patients, guests and

visitors while they are being treated, waiting or visiting the hospital campus The Exterity IPTV and digital signage system facilitates the delivery of 120 live channels

and video-on-demand channels, while its interface supports Arabic, English and other languages The Exterity solution also integrates with the Nurse Call system, enabling

The IPTV system is accompanied by Exterity’s digital signage solution, ArtioSign, which enables the hospital to create, manage and display digital signage Integration with the IP video solutions enables live TV and video to be incorporated into signage screens that inform, communicate with and engage patients, guests and staff around the hospital

www.exterity.com

www.hamad.qa

improved with FBT Ektar goes theatrical in KSA

After reviewing the space and the requirements of the gym, Shidco recommended an FBT X series solution The company believed the X-Lite 10A powered speakers would be the best fit in terms of size and power The result saw 12 of the cabinets installed around the gym to deliver even coverage to its patrons

SAUDI ARABIA: Ektar

International has installed a professional theatrical solution at the Jeddah Cultural Club The installation was to support a new show running twice daily which required 16 live mics

from Shure with ULXD1 wireless bodypack transmitters and ULXD4 receivers combined with ULXD2/ SM58 handhelds and a UA844 antenna system

IRAN: Energy Plus Gym in Mashhad has moved from a Hi-Fi to a pro audio solution thanks to an installation by Shidco

The manager of the 1,000m2

facility was unhappy with the Hi-Fi solution so turned to the Shidco team to provide ‘a better sound and more cost-efficient sound system’

‘In the last few years there has been a growing market of small businesses such gyms and wellness centres,’ said Mehdi Darab, Shidco CEO ‘We are focusing in this segment ’

www.shidco.com

The 12-day project was a highprofile one, with Ektar director general Moammar AlHarbi providing oversight As such, Khaled Bouajaja, project director and technical director at Ektar, was responsible for the sound design and engineering The mic solution was based on products

The main PA comprises hangs of four per side JBL VRX932LA-1 with GLS EKF-28 double 18-inch subs providing low end Power is via GLS 30 2 and 28 2 amplifiers while a Soundcraft Si Expression 2 provides the FOH mix Completing the audio setup are JBL PRX415M stage monitors www.ektar-avl.com

The concert took place at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium

Pole position for L-Acoustics in Bahrain

BAHRAIN: An FOH system comprising 106 L-Acoustics cabinets has been deployed for the after-race concerts at the Formula 1 2018 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix The solution was specified, deployed, time aligned and tuned by Scott Mason, who serves as a consultant for the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC)

‘The system was designed according to the requirements from BIC,’ said Mr Mason ‘The spec was for an L-Acoustics line array, high SPL, coverage over a wide audience area and for it to be suitable for a high-level American touring crew to plug in and be happy, quickly ’

The solution itself includes 48 K2 line array elements for the

The sound of Pata Pata

SOUTH AFRICA: Pata Pata

Beer Garden in Johannesburg’s

Maboneng precinct has been equipped with a new sound system based on equipment from ElectroVoice and Rane The solution was designed and installed by Prosound

Maboneng precinct itself is currently undergoing a transformation into a new cultural hub for the city Situated in the old diamond district, the area is now home to a variety of arts centres, entertainment venues and retail stores As part of this process, Pata Pata has set itself out to be a multipurpose entertainment venue for live bands, DJs, sporting events and corporate functions

The venue approached Prosound to design a solution that would meet the various needs of these differing uses while keeping within a specified budget

The main challenge for the project came from the 500-capacity venue itself It is a large, hangar-style building with a raised mezzanine

level to the rear which combined to create a number of audio issues

To tackle these, Prosound pro audio sales specialist, Lucky Lande, provided a bespoke solution to fit within the client’s budget while also overcoming the acoustic challenges

The system comprises ElectroVoice EKX passive loudspeakers powered by the manufacturer’s Q-series amplifiers Processing is handled by a Rane HAL1 ‘The design provided great flexibility in allowing the client to plug into the system from various positions in the venue,’ said Mr Lande

The audio system installation ran alongside a general renovation at Pata Pata, which created its own set of challenges However, according to Mr Lande, ‘the installation was a great success, with the client very happy with the outcome and commenting that this is the best system he’s heard, and worked on, in a long time’

www.prosound.co.za

in hangs and side-fills, 16 flown K1 Subs, 30 SB28 ground-stacked subs and 12 Kara cabinets serving as front-fill Power for the system is via 12 amp racks featuring the manufacturer’s LA8 and LA12X amplified controllers LA Network manager provided system control, while the FOH mix was via a DiGiCo SD5 Soundvision design and system support was offered by L-Acoustics Asia’s Alvin Kho n made sure we optimised the system; he was incredibly helpful and professional,’ furthered Mr Mason ‘Real-time support from lled people with great attitudes nvaluable ’

Production on the ground at the circuit was provided by Showtech

Bahrain in combination with the touring production for headliner, Santana, from Sound Image California Mr Mason describes the results of the setup as exceptional ‘The audio quality and coverage were perfect; it sounds like a giant set of studio monitors at low to medium volumes,’ he explained ‘Testament to that was Santana FOH engineer Rob Mailman, who uses L-Acoustics almost exclusively across the States with an A-class systems team, listened to the system and made no adjustments to alignment or tuning and cracked on with a great sound-check ’

www.l-acoustics.com

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Pata Pata has been equipped with an EV solution

Scott Mason at FOH in Bahrain

Protec opens Soho Beach Club

to control the EQ and time alignment

The pool area at the rear of the venue was covered by an L-Acoustics Syva system to the left and right, and was supported by a pair of X8s hung from the bridge to fill in the front of the pool

UAE: Protec supplied the audio and lighting equipment as well as an SMD ground support for the opening event at the Soho Beach Club at Dubai’s Meydan The 50m x 30m club area is surrounded by raised VIP decks and a pool area

To cater to this space, Protec opted for an L-Acoustics solution ‘This was handled by 16 K2 speakers, flown in L-R hangs of eight on Protec’s ground support in an asymmetric 90° throw to contain the sound within the venue,’ said Dan Dignan, Protec’s senior audio engineer ‘It covered the entire area and was supported by a pair of Arcs Wide to fill the

front of the dance floor, hung high in the centre of the ground support Eight SB28 subwoofers took care of low end, delivering a strong sub to the house style music A raised bridge overlooking the dance floor was covered by eight 5xt loudspeakers ’ The system was controlled by a

DiGiCo SD11, with a D-rack at the stage end, while an Avalon SP747 tube compressor was inserted over the master to control the sound A total of 15 L-Acoustics

LA8s and three L-Acoustics LA4X amplified controllers were used to power the speakers, all via L-Acoustics Network Manager

Pan Acoustics introduces 10-year warranty

WORLD: Citing its ‘Made in Germany’ status as a ‘guarantee of quality’, Pan Acoustics has started offering a 10-year warranty on its ent series of passive speakers and on active speakers where the electronics are designed and developed in-house Customers are able to register for the extended warranty on the Pan Acoustics website

‘Since Pan Acoustics designs every part of its products, we are able to use only the highest-quality components and materials,’ explained Udo

It was the two large VIP decks left and right of the pool that linked to the adjacent clubs – Soho Garden and Drai’s – that provided the main challenge ‘We were asked to effectively cover the area but minimise spill into the other venues,’ recalled Mr Dignan ‘For this, Protec hung its L-Acoustics Kara Loudspeakers on 9m towers and trimmed them in such a way as to reduce sound at a chosen crossover point between the other venues This proved to be effective as all three clubs operated simultaneously with minimum disturbance between them ’ Communications were taken care of by a Clear-Com FreeSpeak II system, allowing the 10 crew on comms to wirelessly communicate over the entire venue Production also requested 42 radios and Protec supplied its range of Motorola DP2400s

The lighting equipment deployed included 36 Robe Pointes, 20 Spikies, six Claypaky Mythos, the same number of K10 B-Eyes, 12 Show Batten 100s, eight SGM Q7s

and two SGM P2s Control was via two grandMA2 Full Size desks, the same number of grandMA2 8Port Nodes and a pair of Luminex network switches Effects equipment included a Wysiwyg rack, two FQ100 smoke machines, a pair of ATMe haze generators and eight American DJ UV Cob canons In the DJ booth, Protec supplied four Source 4 Minis and six SGM P5s

‘The design worked rather well and the Robe Pointes had more than enough punch to produce a very visible and powerful beam with good colours,’ stated Daniel Ivanovski, who operated the system

‘The venue sounded great; all sound seemed to resonate

from the stage and propagate throughout the venue seamlessly,’ Mr Dignan reflected ‘A large amount of time was spent liaising with the venue and working on Soundvision, to develop an effective system for the new super club I was extremely happy with the results and look forward to working with the venue again in the future ’

This is a view shared by Protec project manager, Robert Handley ‘It was an incredibly fun show to do and everybody is already looking forward to the next instalment in Dubai,’ he concluded

www.productiontec.com

HEC Pro celebrates 1,000th Muse sale

Borgmann, founder and CEO of Pan Acoustics ‘Through our commitment to quality, we are producing marketng products and technologies that our customers can count on and believe in as much as we do This belief in quality and reliability is demonstrated by the fact that for over 10 years, our successful Pan Beam series has been installed in a huge number of installations around the world with outstanding reliability ’

www.pan-acoustics.de

TURKEY: Istanbul-based distributor, HEC Professional, has reached a significant milestone having sold 1,000 FBT Muse 210 dual 10-inch line array cabinets It has taken the distributor three years to achieve this figure ‘Due to our “single

brand for each product range” policy we had the chance to focus intensively on FBT,’ explained HEC Professional CEO, Aytug Ozan ‘Of course, the first rule of sales is believing in your product and the quality of FBT is obvious ’

Mr Ozan bel i eves the key to the success of the cab i net has been show i ng i ts capab i l i t i es to customers through more than 100 on-locat i on demonstrat i ons ‘I bel i eve we d i d very well i n promot i ng FBT i n Turkey i n a short per i od of t i me,’ he stated ‘We un i ted many of the best locat i ons w i th FBT and we are cont i nu i ng to do so R i ght now, the best rental compan i es have FBT l i ne arrays We can say almost all of the s i ngers i n Turkey use FBT i n the i r concerts and we are on r i ders We have never been a company who d i d sales by pr i ce We sold by qual i ty, serv i ce, strong att i tude and s i ncer i ty ’ Reflect i ng on the ach i evement, Mr Ozan also reserved spec i al thanks to FBT’s Roberto Matalon i for all h i s support as well as HEC’s partners i n rental compan i es as well as sales and project-based compan i es www.fbt.it

www.hecpro.net

Protec supplied the opening event

L-Acoustics speakers cover the club

Aytug Ozan, CEO, with Umit Balakçı, sales manager, and Berk Ozan, project manager

The world’s most powerful small-format digital mixer series

Big mixer. Small package. A TouchMix digital mixer is one of the most advanced and capable audio processing devices ever created. Its sound quality and capabilities rival many of the world's largest and most prestigious large-format consoles in a package that’s compact enough to be carry-on luggage. Its small channel count also makes it affordable, so you get all the mixer you really want with only the number of channels you really need.

And of course, TouchMix also goes Beyond Mixing by also offering Wizards, Presets and other beneficial tools that help both seasoned audio professionals and novices alike get great results quickly and easily. No other mixer even comes close in terms of features, ease-of-use, sound quality and reliability. After all, it’s a QSC.

SOUNDBITES

UDAYA ADDS TO STOCK

UAE: Dubai-based rental house, Udaya Sound, has made a further addition to its inventory with the purchase of a Yamaha CL5 mixing console supported by a pair of Rio racks The purchase was made through the manufacturer’s local distributor, Thomsun Trading

OSN opens ASLI studios

UAE: OSN has opened the studio facility for its latest digital offering, ASLI The new facility is home to the region’s first ‘free’ curated content publishing platform

The ASLI studio itself features a working space, shoot and test corner, brainstorming booths, a ready-to-shoot living room and equipment trolleys In addition to this are a majlis, a live music room and live streaming facilities, alongside production and editing booths

The studio comes with a complement of technical equipment supplied by UBMS (United

‘We already have 14 Yamaha consoles, including the LS9, M7CL and PM5D, so we know the quality of Yamaha’s products,’ explained Udaya Sound’s Rinu Basheer ‘We decided to add a CL5 to our inventory because it is a console that is preferred on the riders for many concerts ’ The rental company’s engineers are already familiar with the console having trialled it on a number of events in the past ‘We have tried this console before for concerts and it was amazing,’ said Mr Basheer ‘It will be going straight out onto events ’ www.thomsunmusiconline.com www.uscreation.net

MIPRO ADDS TO TROPHY CABINET

WORLD: The latest award adorning the trophy case at Mipro is a 2018 iF Design Award, presented for its TA-80 digital plug-on transmitter by the Hanover-based iF International Forum Design GmbH

Broadcast & Media services) On the audio side, all microphones are from Sennheiser and a mixture of the manufacturer’s DSLR mountable receivers including the MKH-416 and MKH-60 shotgun microphones with Rycote 086001 windshields and suspension units and K-Tek carbon fibre boom poles, as well as Sennheiser AVX-835 SET3UK handheld packs with hot shoe mounted receivers Complementing these are AVXME2 SET3UK lavaliers aimed at

ENG-type interviewing Monitoring and playback is via JBL Eon active speakers Streaming is an important element for ASLI As such, the live webcast room has three NewTek NDI-HX PTZ-1 webcasting cameras, one of which is mounted onto a Libtec JB30 Jib These are controlled via a Newtek TriCaster Mini Advanced with the added XYZ controller to allow one operator to set up shots, vision mix and handle Chroma key

In terms of cameras, the facility features a mixture of Sony DSLR options, such as the new Sony Alpha A7r Mk 3 and Canon lens connected via Metabone MB EF speed booster adapters In addition

to this are other Sony videocamera options, including the PXW-FS7M2 4K camcorder complete with the Sony 18-110 zoom lens

The editing booths at the facility are serviced via a mixture of Apple Macbooks and iMac Pros as well as an iPad Pro for onsite work Finally, the lighting comprises a mixture of Gekko LED studio lighting and lighting kits with C-stand accessories

The educational backbone of ASLI are workshops called the Creative Couch (also an area in the ASLI studio) where creators benefit from advice on licensing models, IP, content protection, colour grading, filming equipment, editing software and commercial skills that are relevant to the media industry ASLI producers and filmmakers will also travel around the region to creative hubs such as Riyadh, Amman, Beirut, Karachi and Kuwait to host Creative Couch workshops and grow the ASLI community with the first having already taken place in Cairo

www.osn.com

Shure supports The Song of Roland Bonobo opens D Beirut

LEBANON: The newly opened D Beirut has hosted its first warehouse party with a set from Bonobo and his 8-piece band The audio equipment and back line for the concert was supplied by Beirutbased rental company, Loud N Clear

the best cho i ce,’ sa i d Loud N Clear general manager, Roger Bou Farhat ‘Th i s was because you can change the hor i zontal d i rect i v i ty of the box between 70° and 110° wh i ch meant we could avo i d h i tt i ng the left and r i ght walls ’

‘We are honoured to receive the prestigious iF Design Award,’ said KC Chang, CEO of Mipro ‘The TA-80 digital plug-on transmitter turns any premium wired microphone into a digital wireless system producing a natural sound As a leader of digital wireless microphone technology, Mipro continues to improve its product design This award means a lot for us ’

www.mipro.com.tw

UAE: The Song of Roland: The Arabic Version (2017) made its Middle East debut as part of Sharjah Art Foundation’s March Meeting The production was supported by Shure and its local distributor, NMK Electronics Enterprises Wael Shawky’s production is a large-scale music and theatre performance based on the French epic poem La Chanson de Roland Translated into classical Arabic, the work was brought to life by 20 fidjeri singers and musicians from the UAE and Bahrain, who performed in the traditional style of Arabian Gulf pearl divers

Shure and NMK’s support came i n the form of equ i pment The product i on was suppl i ed w i th the manufacturer’s Ax i ent D i g i tal Ser i es, PSM 1000 and ULXD Ser i es

‘NMK takes pr i de i n promot i ng our local talent and i s always up for se i z i ng opportun i t i es to support cultural events w i th our prem i um brands of aud i o, v i deo, l i ght i ng and commun i cat i on,’ sa i d Maleeha R i az, market i ng manager at NMK

www.nmkelectonics.com

www.sharjahart.org www.shure.com

Loud N Clear used its L-Acoustics inventory to cover the 2,000-capacity venue The main PA comprised eight K2 cabinets per side, while low end was delivered by 16 SB28 subs Four of the manufacturer’s Arcs cabinets supplied the front-fill, while 12 Karas formed the delays The system was driven by LA8 racks ‘The venue is 60m long x 15m wide so we decided K2 was

Away from the main PA, the company supplied an Avid Venue Profile as the FOH console and a DiGiCo SD10 for monitors On stage, 10 channels of Shure PSM 1000 were used for IEMs In addition to this, four L-Acoustics 112P cabinets were deployed for the stage and a further 112P with a 115P sub covered the drums www.loudnclear.me

Shure equipment was used for the show

The view from FOH

OSN’s ASLI studio facility

WHAT YOU HEAR WHAT YOU SEE is

Vivaldianno hits its peak

UAE: Level Production deployed a TW Audio solution for a performance of Vivaldianno – City of Mirrors on Ras al-Khaimah’s Jebel Jais mountain The 3D-animated concert celebrates the life and work of Antonio Vivaldi through contemporary orchestral and rock music alongside explosive visuals

To cover the audience of 1,200 people, Level Production used an 18-box Vera36 system, supported on the ground by BSX dual 21-inch subwoofers together with S33 cardioid 15-inch/18-inch subwoofers

T24N 12-inch 2-way horn-loaded loudspeakers provided the front-fills, while Powersoft K3 and X4 amplifiers powered the system

The striking location provided one of the first challenges for

the production team, getting the equipment to the top of the UAE’s highest peak However, it was the climatic changes that presented the more important factor ‘At that time of year, in the daytime

Oscar enters the market with Adamson

on the top of the mountain the temperature can get up to 25°C, but at night it plummets to single digits and the wind picks up very strongly,’ explained Level Production’s Andrew Morris ‘These

huge climatic differences made it essential to perform the final sound system tuning during the same time of day as the actual event to be sure that the good coverage would be maintained ’

While the setting provided some unique challenges, it was the sub setup that required the most attention ‘The 10m distance from the first rows of seating to the stage allowed us to ground stack all the subwoofers,’ recalled Mr Morris ‘With the two BSX longthrow subs placed in the centre in an end-fire configuration, and the eight S33 cardioid subs evenly spaced either side of those, we were able to maintain very even low-frequency coverage to the whole audience ’ The subwoofer array was aligned using Smaart loudspeaker analysis and with interactive tuning on Powersoft’s Armonía software

www.level-production.com

www.twaudio.de

PTO turns to BXB for university challenge

IRAN: The University of Mohaghegh Ardabili (UMA) has turned to Pezhvak Taban Ofogh (PTO) to beef up its conference system following an increase in the number of meetings at the educational institute as well as the high volume of different conferences that are set to take place there

UAE: A new entrant to the UAE’s rental market has opened for business, powered by technology from Adamson and Yamaha

Dubai-based Oscar Productions purchased the equipment through the local distributor for both manufacturers, Thomsun Trading

The Adamson purchase includes 16 of the Canadian manufacturer’s S10 line array cabinets, eight S119 subwoofers and four M12 floor wedges The system is driven by two Adamson customised E-Racks equipped with Lab gruppen PLM+ series amplifiers, featuring Lake processing and Dante networking functionality

‘The Adamson gear is really impressive,’ said Oscar’s sound engineer, Sajji PA ‘It is also quite simple and efficient to set up and tune the system before a show I use their Blueprint software and plan the coverage It even helps with planning rigging at the venue ’

The Yamaha inventory includes a QL5 console and two Rio3224-D stage racks In addition to this, Oscar has also purchased eight cabinets each of the Yamaha

DSR115 and DSR112, as well as DXS118 subwoofers

‘We are very happy that Oscar chose to go with Adamson and Yamaha,’ noted Thomsun pro audio sales engineer, Tittoo Cherian Joseph ‘They seemed sure about the Yamaha equipment right from the start, but when they heard the Adamson S10 system at a demo, it was quite evident that they were very impressed ’

The equipment has already been put to the test at several key events such as at the Al Nasr Club Auditorium, Dubai Police Club grounds and at the Indian Holi festival at Jumeirah Lake Towers

Prior to this, the Oscar team underwent two days of training on the Adamson equipment ‘We always emphasise the importance of training,’ said Mr Joseph ‘This way, they make the most of their gear and we in turn receive fewer last-minute calls for support ’

www.adamsonsystems.com

www.oscarproductionsme.com

www.thomsunmusiconline.com

www.yamahaproaudio.com

The installation included BXB’s FCS-6300 conference system with UFO microphones The conference system will be put into operation around four to five times per week with the university set to host a number of meetings and conferences by organisations and groups from the Ardebili province and the Middle East in general

The installation took place at the UMA

The FCS-6350 control unit combines with a UFO-6311 table-top chairman mic and 79 UFO-6312 table-top delegate microphones With its TCP/IP communication interface, the university can

manage the conference system with web browser or mobile apps

www.bxbldn.com

www.pto-co.com

www.uma.ac.ir

Almoe joins disguise CSP

‘Our team called upon the disguise solution for feeding content to each of the screens We used the disguise technology as it allows the content to run efficiently with zero worries on reliability ’

UAE: Almoe AV Systems has become the latest company to join the disguise Certified Solution Providers (CSP) programme The Dubai-based systems integrator joined the programme having used disguise as part of its technical solution for the Rajmahal Theatre

in Bollywood Parks ‘The brief was to create a landmark structure that has all the grandeur and poise of ancient Indian cinema complete with new-age technology,’ recalled John Cassidy, divisional head at Almoe AV Systems, discussing the Rajmahal Theatre project

‘We’re delighted to have Almoe AV Systems on board as a solutions provider,’ added disguise technical solutions manager, Peter Kirkup ‘They’ve built a reputation of being one of the most established systems integrators within the UAE so we’re very excited that they’re now able to pass down their knowledge with disguise at the heart of their projects ’

www.almoeavsystems.com

www.disguise.one

Adamson EMEA sales director, Jasper Ravesteijn, with the Oscar and Thomsun teams

Bollywood debut

WITH HIS INTERNATIONAL REACH and huge back catalogue of hits, there could be no bigger name to headline the first major concert at Dubai’s Bollywood Parks than AR Rahman Understandably for a show of this magnitude, everything about the concert needed to be on the grandest scale right down to the technology used to deliver it ‘AR Rahman is known for his massive productions,’ begins Carol Olympus from CQ Innovation DWC, event manager for the concert

‘He puts on larger-than-life stage shows that incorporate state-ofthe-art technology encompassing the latest in display technology, lighting, pyro, special effects, automation, hydraulics – the very best amalgamation of available technology seamlessly integrated into his music, blending stunning visuals specially created and curated for every single song Audiences are always left spellbound after each one of his concerts ’

With this being the benchmark, getting the show right from the outset was a particular challenge ‘This show was custom-made for Dubai, with us working hand-inhand with his producers for over six months in designing the stage and sets,’ explains Mr Olympus ‘Every last detail was simulated on AutoCAD as well as 3D Max We eventually ended up with a set that spanned 98m in width, which made it one of the largest stage productions ever in the UAE ’

to take place at the Dubai venue. James Ling looks at the technology that powered the gig

The event called for a huge LED setup

Backing up this large performance space was an equally big technical rider ‘Media Pro was the chosen technical production rental company who supported us ably with their state-of-the-art equipment and outstanding crew,’ says Mr Olympus ‘The entire technical production was handled by them, including the roof truss, lighting, delay PA, backline and the massive LED video system For the visuals alone they supplied screens amounting to a total of approximately 980m2 of 3 8mm LED panels Al Laith Events

Services supplied the stage platform, scaffolding structures, cabins and toilets, while power generators and distribution were handled by Aggreko ’

The audio side of the project also provided its own unique set of challenges ‘There are very few venues in the UAE that can accommodate a 20,000-seat audience, and this particular venue has never been used for a concert

happen and it was a collaboration between all of us

‘It was a massive space to cover,’ he continues ‘I stacked a six per side Butterfly system to cover the VIP area at the front We had 48 GTO C12s for the main PA and a further 56 V-Doscs for the delays

It was a lot of boxes for the style of music, but what I was looking for was high definition in every spot ’

The result was one that impressed Mr Olympus ‘The Outline GTO performed beautifully, giving crisp, balanced coverage across the spectrum on the listening plane,’ he states ‘Outline is known for having remarkable “throw” across the frequency range, especially with a sweet sounding high-mid frequency range where most human vocals are They blended seamlessly with the V-Doscs used on the delay towers ’

Of course, it is not just the sound system that needed to be integrated for the performance, the crews from the different companies

different teams and two different PAs and the pressure, when you add it all together, it is not that easy But the result was very nice Everything was matching properly and I think people were impressed Everyone was happy with how it sounded It was a massive show and everybody heard everything It was not an easy gig, but in the end we achieved it, everything was good and everyone was happy

‘My happ i ness came from everybody say i ng how good i t was at the end of the g i g,’ cont i nues Mr Perreux ‘The product i on manager sent an ema i l to Outl i ne just to thank and congratulate everyone who had part i c i pated It was double the g i g that everybody had expected ’ Th i s i s someth i ng that Mr Olympus certa i nly agrees w i th ‘All i n all, i t was a fulfill i ng event to be i nvolved w i th and we are grateful to Rahul Tuljapurkar and N i nad Shah from the promoter, Brothers Incorporated, for trust i ng us w i th the ent i re project

W i th the success of th i s debut large-scale concert not i n doubt, the bar has been set h i gh for any future events at the venue

www.cqinnovates.com

www.mediaproav.com

www.outline.it

www.talentz.net

before,’ states Mr Olympus ‘Owing to its odd shape and also keeping in mind the huge expanse of the stage sets, it was a bit of a challenge to design the audio system ’

That task fell to Outline Audio’s Vinnie Perreux who served as crew chief and PA manager for the concert ‘Talentz Enterprises from Oman have the largest inventory of Outline equipment in the region and supplied the main PA system,’ explains Mr Perreux ‘They have a lot of Outline GTO C12s and wanted to use this for the gig, so we designed it for that with double 18-inch subs for low end ’

However, the size of the site meant that a larger solution would be required, so Media Pro supplied L-Acoustics V-Dosc cabinets to serve as the delay system ‘We tried to match the PA together,’ recalls Mr Perreux ‘To use Outline with another brand, in this case L-Acoustics, was not a challenge

It was complicated to use two different generations of system – the C12s are a new generation and the delays were V-Dosc which is older technology But we made it

equally had to work together well

‘My knowledge from 15 years at Clair Brothers was always to be the crew chief and include the team to work together, and, if you do it that way, the end result is always good,’ says Mr Perreux ‘If you get the team in the right way, you can get those guys to work so hard with you and the result is definitely good ’

‘All the various companies came together as one team and worked towards putting together this enormous production,’ adds Mr Olympus ‘Baltazar Fernandes, the owner of Talentz, is a long-standing partner of ours and has always extended outstanding support to us Equally, Media Pro provided us with excellent support and an amazing crew The result in terms of sheer scale and the experience our audience left with speaks for itself It was one amazing production put together by some of the very best crew in the region ’

Reflecting on the concert as a whole, Mr Perreux is more than satisfied with how it all went

‘When you go to a place like this where the culture is different, you have to put together two or three

Outline GTO C12s formed the main hangs

The DiGiCo SD5 at FOH

Vinnie Perreux and Carol Olympus

6 – 7 MAY

Portable System Deployment

Dubai, UAE

This Meyer Sound course provides a foundation for engineers and technicians to deploy portable live sound systems

www.meyersound.com

15 MAY

Crestron DigitalMedia Networking Certification

Dubai, UAE

This course covers networking components, designing a network, network topology, unicast and multicast, network applications and troubleshooting the network

www.crestron.eu

22 – 24 MAY

NMK Academy –

Smaart Training

Dubai, UAE

This course covers the fundamentals of setting up a Smaart measurement rig and using Smaart to make basic RTA, spectrograph, transfer function and impulse response measurements

www.nmkelectronics.com

12 – 13 JUNE

Extron Audio in Practice

Johannesburg, South Africa

This 2-day course presents a logical, intuitive and practical approach to sound system design and integration

www.extron.com

24 – 28 JUNE

Technical Training on Bosch Public Address Systems

Dubai, UAE

This workshop will give participants hands-on experience in configuring Bosch public address systems

ae.boschsecurity.com

VV hosts Nexo training

UAE: VV & Sons combined with Nexo to deliver a pair of training sessions and demonstrations in Dubai covering the French manufacturer’s latest equipment

The sessions took place on the same day with the first targeted at systems integrators followed by a separate version for live sound companies

Both sessions were led by Nexo’s Denis Baudier and Reinhard Steger The morning included demonstrations of the manufacturer’s ID 24 with the IDS 110 sub as well as the new Geo M10 and NS1 design software In addition to these demonstrations

being repeated, the afternoon also featured portions on the Geo M6 as well as the Nemo and Dory applications

‘Denis’ idea was to show only new products, so we had the ID 24 with the IDS 110 sub and Geo M10 with the MSUB15

powered by the new NXAMP4x2C MK 2,’ said VV & Sons product manager, Joseph Rebero ‘The compact ID 24 with IDS 110 sub sounded amazing and participants said that they couldn’t believe the sound came from this tiny cabinet

‘The afternoon session provided enough time for live engineers to physically test the system which was a real positive,’ he continued ‘With this in mind, we are now planning to host a detailed Nexo ETC later this year ’

www.nexo-sa.com

pro.vvsons.com

HDBaseT educates with Worlddidac

WORLD: The HDBaseT Alliance has become an affiliate of Worlddidac, the trade association dedicated to the development of education worldwide This will mean that from now on

the two companies will work together to promote the most suitable A/V infrastructure for use in classrooms The HDBaseT Alliance feels that as the technology it promotes is capable

SA Roadies support The UniverSoul Circus

SOUTH AFRICA: Continuing a relationship that dates back 16 years, a contingent of South African Roadies Association (SARA) members are flying out to the US for a 10-month tour with the UniverSoul Circus There are currently six members working on the tour who will be joined in the US by a further 11

The new additions to the tour are John Ledwaba, Tumelo Mavayela,

Mpumelelo Shivambu, Anthony Khambule, Sibusiso Mathebula, Mokete Mogagabe, Tebogo Maphiri, Rodney Mothibi, Blondie Sello, Romeo Mtshemla and Mpho Mopailo They will receive 10 months of on-the-job paid training and experience as part of the UniverSoul Circus technical and production crew www.saroadies.co.za

of transmitting audio, video, Ethernet, USB, control and power all over the same category cable, it is the solution that will enable future-proofed classrooms ‘HDBaseT is the obvious choice for the audiovisual needs of the classrooms of today and tomorrow,’ said Ariel Sobelman, president of the HDBaseT Alliance ‘It brings a clean, clutter-free solution, giving our educational professionals more opportunities without the usual technical challenges We are

excited to work with Worlddidac ’ ‘We are confident that this cooperation is highly beneficial for the members of our associations,’ added Danny Gauch, director general of Worlddidac ‘Together with our members and partners around the globe, we create one of the world’s leading business forums specifically for the promotion of trade and investment within the education market worldwide ’ www.hdbaset.org

Robe sheds light during SA workshops

SOUTH AFRICA: A series of workshops by Robe were recently hosted in the major cities in South Africa during which people in the industry were updated on the company’s latest software and also given training on some of the ranges Together with local distributor DWR Distribution, Robe held 3-day workshops at DWR’s offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban that were presented by international customer support at Robe, Steve Eastham Technicians were briefed on fixture calibrations, software updating and also recieved training on the range of LED and discharge fixtures when it comes to maintenance and

servicing ‘I was very happy to be amongst the 41 trainees who were very clued up and incredibly enthusiastic,’ commented Mr Eastham about the workshops ‘It’s always a good starting point when people at least know which end of the screwdriver to use

‘I think the course helped everyone who was on it,’ added Derek Kruger, workshop manager at DWR ‘Steve told us stories of jobs he had worked on which was interesting He taught many things which were helpful, little tricks we didn’t know It was worthwhile ’

www.dwrdistribution.co.za www.robe.cz

THEY HEARD, “BAD NEWS, THE BUSINESS IS IN TROUBLE.”

But you said, “Big news, our business has doubled!” With Devio, the message is always clear thanks to an 8-element, voice-tracking microphone for crystal clear sound in any conference or huddle space. Quickly transition ideas from your laptop to a collaborative work session, adding displays, speakers, a web camera, and microphones with a single USB connection. Communicate better with Deviothe conferencing tool that works the way you work.

biamp.com/devio

UAE: VV & Sons has become the exclusive UAE distributor of Audix microphones The American manufacturer joins the likes of Peavey, Nexo, RCF and Allen & Heath in the Dubai-based distributor’s portfolio

‘Looking at the UAE audio market trend and listening to our customers, we felt the need to introduce fresh technology,’ explained VV & Sons’ business development manager, Prajesh Dalal ‘We targeted Audix due to their superior product range Subsequently, thanks to the WMA team, we met at ISE to further evaluate Audix’ products, business philosophy and future plans This was a very favourable meeting as our current audio portfolio needed a microphone brand that wouldn’t conflict with any of our existing exclusive relationships The decision was easy as Audix fitted the bill ’ With the deal signed, Mr Dalal believes there are certain

applications where Audix products will be popular ‘There is a demand in the project business space for ceiling-based audio solutions which Audix are market leaders in with their tri-element hanging microphones on AVB,’ he stated ‘The wireless systems offer 64MHz

of tuneable bandwidth and an operating range of 135m at a price point unmatched in the market today Also, they have a proprietary internal shock mount for boundary microphones for boardroom spaces For personal use, there is one microphone for home recording

needs and musicians have a drum mic that perfectly balances tone to attack your entire kit ’ Just as importantly, Mr Dalal believes the American manufacturer’s products will fit well with the distributor’s existing brands to create complete

Bose moves to Trio

VV & Sons takes on Audix Lavoce strikes Turkish chord with Dinakord

TURKEY: Bose Professional has moved Trio Elektronik as its Turkish distributor The distributor already works with a number of brands in the home, professional and automation markets, including Bowers & Wilkins, Just Add Power and Crestron

Mustafa Kemal Culture Center, and as such it now has a large demonstration area as well as training rooms This is a factor that was particularly important to the manufacturer

‘It is such a key time for the Bose team; we’re going to be focusing on integrating our

TURKEY: Dinakord Elektronik has been selected by Lavoce Italiana to be its exclusive distributor for Turkey as the company seeks to expand its reach in Europe, the Middle East and Africa ‘Dinakord has the perfect experience and Lavoce has the perfect products for Turkey, so we are extremely pleased to have achieved this agreement with such a professional partner in one of our key markets in the EMEA region’, commented Lavoce sales and business development manager, Alex

Kroworz, who is also responsible for the company in EMEA ‘We look forward to developing this great market together ’

‘We cannot wait to introduce Lavoce to the market and demonstrate their fantastic products to show their high level of quality and performance with an Italian signature, that our customers will be proud to own,’ added Ari Çavuyan, physics engineer at Dinakord www.atlantik.com.tr www.lavocespeakers.com

solutions ‘Audix is seamlessly compatible with and complements our existing exclusive audio brands of Peavey, Nexo, RCF and Australian Monitor which would enable us to offer more value for our customers in a package Also the current technology trend is driving towards wireless and AVB, and Audix is well positioned in this regard With the microphones suitable for both retail and project sales, VV & Sons is set to target these different markets separately ‘We will be introducing Audix to consultants and partners as historically we have been doing it for decades from our experienced in-house design and retail teams and our existing strong established partner network,’ explained Mr Dalal ‘Audix will also have a dedicated space in our new state-of-the-art showroom on airport road ’

www.audixusa.com

pro.vvsons.com

Phase 3 at DWR

SOUTH AFRICA: Phase 3

Connectors has appointed DWR Distribution as its South African representative The British manufacturer produces high current connections up to 800A,

‘Working with Bose Professional has long been an aspiration of ours and we’re really happy it’s now coming to fruition,’ noted Trio’s managing director, Özgür Demirel ‘We’ve kept a close eye on the new products coming from Bose over recent years and are looking forward to now taking these to our customers It marks an important milestone in the history of Trio ’

The Istanbul-based distributor has recently relocated to the

latest products into the market which means a lot of focus on education and training, as well as rising to the challenges that come with entering into some new vertical markets,’ explained Bertrand Doutrepont, EU export sales manager for Bose Professional ‘Having a distributor such as Trio strengthens our already solid network as we continue to move forward ’

pro.bose.com

www.triohome.com.tr

including products for standard and special applications such as harsh environment connectors for power, signal, optical and data transmission, as well as complete interconnect system solutions ‘While we’ve been selling Phase 3 items for a number of years, we were recently appointed the authorised distributors in SA,’ said Robert Izzett, head of sales at DWR ‘The products are outstanding; designed, manufactured and assembled in the UK These products are the unsung heroes at events

www.dwrdistribution.co.za

www.p3connectors.com

Prajesh Dalal, Gene Houck and Vikesh Thamban

The teams from Bose and Trio

DWR’s Goodwin Gaidie, Robert Izzett and Phillie Maepa

Calrec moves to GSL Professional

MIDDLE EAST: Calrec has appointed GSL Professional as its new Middle East distributor The deal became effective from the start of April with the Dubaibased company representing the manufacturer’s entire range in the UAE, Oman, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia

‘We’re excited to be working with GSL for a number of reasons, the main one being that the company is more than just a distributor,’ added Anthony Harrison, international sales manager at Calrec ‘Along with its strong reputation in the Middle East, GSL has the market

UAE: Provision AVL has added Clair Brothers to its distribution portfolio to begin competing in the pro audio market The deal was signed during ISE 2018 ‘The idea to approach them about distribution was there since we met the Clair Brothers guys a while back, but it was at this year’s ISE show where we decided to take the leap,’ recalled Kevin Boujikian, general manager of Provision AVL ‘The decision was very easy, not only because of their strong reputation and superior sounding

audio systems, but because our interactions with their people are so perfectly comfortable They’re great and so is the support they give ’ While Clair Brothers is technically the first pro audio brand Provision AVL has represented as an exclusive distributor, the Dubai-based company is no stranger to pro audio, having been already involved in several pro audio installation projects

‘Clair Brothers line arrays are found on most major tech riders

in the US and have thrived in line array shootouts against others that some consider the best,’ Mr Boujikian added ‘In fact, many well-known artists require Clair Brothers line arrays on all their American tours Why that is, is quite clear: the sound quality is second to none The work has now begun to push the Clair Brothers brand to the top of the list in the Middle East market –where it belongs ’

www.clairbrothers.com

www.provisionavl.com

‘One of our missions here at GSL is to continually expand the breadth and depth of our offerings,’ said GSL MD, Adrian Curtis, who also highlighted the brand’s strong identity in the region ‘Working with Calrec is a perfect example of that, especially with the company’s dynamic new Type-R radio system and its compact-yet-powerful Brio console, which is gaining real traction within the industry We’re delighted to be working with them to help them continue to build their already impressive footprint in the Middle East region ’

experience, brand knowledge and technical knowhow necessary to assist its clients from the specifications of the project through to commissioning With the addition of our new Type-R radio console and the compact Brio12 to its product offerings, GSL is able to provide its customers and partners with greater range of broadcast audio equipment that’s necessary for today’s fast-moving media landscape ’

www.calrec.com

www.gslprofessional.com

QATAR: Al Isteklal TC-IACQatar (IACQatar) has been named the new Martin Audio distributor in the State of Qatar The Doha-based company, which recently added 148 Robe lighting fixtures to its A/V rental and production arm, had been seeking a well-established pro audio brand to complete its portfolio ‘During this search we came across Martin Audio, and we felt they would be the perfect partner to take advantage of this opportunity,’ said IACQatar’s projects and sales manager, Elie Salameh

‘We were aware of the versatility of their products, and their global reputation for providing world-class audio across the board ’

The IACQatar team will be targeting rental, staging and fixed install markets across sports stadium, hotel, club, school, theatre and university applications The company’s marketing team will also be working alongside its technical and engineering team to

promote the Martin Audio brand via open days and workshops in Qatar, as well as by participating in exhibitions and using social media channels IACQatar has received induction training from Martin Audio’s technical team in Qatar and its audio engineers will be undergoing further technical and sales marketing training in the UK

‘We are presently working on many contracts related to fixed installation projects, at the same time supplying many event and

rental companies specialising in sports, hotels, clubs and hospitality assignments,’ noted Mr Salameh ‘Adding Martin Audio to the family, and having it as part of our distribution portfolio, will complete the jigsaw, and enable us to deliver a world-class performance that will satisfy our clients way beyond their expectations ’

www.iacqatar.com

www.martin-audio.com

Akram Hamada, Martin Audio’s Bradley Watson and Elie Salameh

Adrian Curtis, GSL MD, Dave Letson, Calrec VP of sales, Oumar Ndiongue, GSL technical sales manager and Anthony Harrison, Calrec international sales manager

APPOINTMENTS

New MD for GSL Louis Hernandez Jr terminated as Avid CEO

WORLD: Avid’s board of directors has terminated the employment of CEO Louis Hernandez Jr due to what it describes as ‘violations of company policies related to workplace conduct’ Replacing

Mr Hernandez as chief executive officer, effective immediately, is Jeff Rosica, who was formerly the manufacturer’s SVP, chief sales and marketing officer

Mr Hernandez’ dismissal comes at a time when companies worldwide are increasingly coming under fire for employee-related misdemeanours; could it now be the turn of the A/V industry?

A press release issued by Avid states that ‘with the assistance of independent external legal counsel, a special committee comprising independent members of the board of directors conducted a thorough investigation into allegations of improper non-financially related workplace conduct by Mr Hernandez After reviewing the findings of the special committee’s investigation, the board of directors unanimously concluded that the

findings warranted immediate termination of Mr Hernandez’ employment ’

In addition, Mr Hernandez has resigned from his position on the board of directors, with Nancy Hawthorne taking over as the chairman of the board ‘The board is committed to the company’s core values and to upholding an environment of the utmost respect and integrity,’ said Ms Hawthorne

Paul Peace takes charge of engineering at Community

‘We remain confident in the strategy and the long-term business plan of the company ’ Rather than dwell on the past, the company is looking ahead to its future with Mr Rosica as CEO ‘Given his background and deep connection with the industry, we’re ecstatic about Jeff’s appointment,’ commented Jim Sheehan, vice president of corporate communications at Avid ‘He’s stepped into the CEO role after serving for over a year as president and running our global sales and marketing since 2013, in that time making major contributions to our company’s transformation ’ In addition to his five years of experience at Avid, Mr Rosica is an industry veteran of more than 30 years ‘Jeff’s deep experience as an industry expert coupled with his impressive knowledge of Avid’s business and strategy make him the natural choice to lead the company,’ added Ms Hawthorne ‘I am honoured and excited for this opportunity to lead Avid through this important moment

in the company’s history,’ said Mr Rosica ‘The outlook for Avid is strong, and I look forward to working with the leadership team, the board and our incredibly talented employees as we execute on our strategic priorities and continue our journey to be a bestin-class company and leader in our industry ’

www.avid.com

Crestron gives thumbs up to Rupert Denoon

UAE: Dubai-based distributor, GSL Professional, has appointed Adrian Curtis as its new managing director Mr Curtis has over 30 years of industry experience, most recently serving as VP of sales for Harman brand, Studer ‘I think the Gulf presents some significant opportunities for the future,’ noted Mr Curtis ‘People talk about Saudi being the new entertainment hub, maybe, but not next week We’ve got 2020 in Dubai which is clearly going to produce some uplift for businesses in this region These new

WORLD: Paul Peace has been named senior director of engineering for Community Professional Mr Peace joins the manufacturer from JBL and will oversee product development, production engineering, product management and vendor research, while also directing research in directivity control, equalisation techniques and loudspeaker specifications

‘We’re really happy to extend a warm welcome to Paul,’ commented Community CEO, Steve Johnson ‘In addition to his extensive research and development expertise, he

has the innovative approach to development that forms a core philosophy of Community Paul will be a key member of Community’s leadership team, providing valuable input for our future success ’

‘This is an exciting time to join Community, a well-respected company with an impressive product line-up that is celebrating its 50th anniversary,’ said Mr

Peace ‘I’m looking forward to leading the engineering efforts with one of the most dynamic teams in professional loudspeakers

www.communitypro.com

SOUTH AFRICA: Rupert Denoon has been promoted to the role of regional director in South Africa at Crestron, as the company seeks to continue its growth in the region Having previously held the position of regional manager of South Africa at Crestron, Mr Denoon’s move up the ranks has been described ‘a success story’ by company CEO, Robin van Meeuwen His new role will effectively see him head the sales operation ‘It is an honour to have my commitment recognised and it will be a privilege to serve Crestron customers in my new role as regional director,’ commented Mr Denoon ‘I look forward to all the exciting challenges that lie ahead ’

‘This promotion is well deserved and I am positive that it will benefit our business in South Africa,’ added Mr van Meeuwen ‘We are committed to nurturing internal talent within the company ’

www.crestron.com

opportunities are where we need to be, understanding what’s needed and how we can help our partners acquire these projects I genuinely believe that we as GSL Professional have a very strong future Of course, there will be challenges along the way but there are massive investments being made in the region and we want to be part of that ’

‘We are very happy to have Adrian join the company,’ added Faegh Fowzi, president of GSL Professional ‘His decades of experience, operational skills and business acumen will, I’m sure, help us, as we continue to transform for the future ’

www.gslprofessional.com

Middle Atlantic invests in training

WORLD: Having made education of its customers a top priority, Middle

Atlantic has announced Maxwell Kopsho as its new director of training He will develop new training and take responsibility for delivering best practices, application and technical product training to users Mr Kopsho will also lead application and technical training for Middle Atlantic’s own sales team ‘We continue to invest in training – for both our customers and our team members – because it is critical to helping customers

deliver the best systems possible,’ explained Mark Tracy, VP of marketing at Middle Atlantic ‘I look forward to the enhancements to our educational programmes and the benefits our customers will enjoy as Max applies his vision and extensive industry experience to our training initiatives ’ Mr Kopsho is a senior faculty member at Avixa and was its Educator of the Year in 2010

www.middleatlantic.com

Louis Hernandez JrJeff Rosica

Paul Peace

Rupert Denoon

Peerless-AV appoints Justin Joy

UAE: Peerless-AV has appointed Justin Joy to the role of senior sales manager for the Middle East and India He will be based at Peerless-AV’s new office in Dubai having joined from the company’s distributor, Almoe Digital Solutions

Sennheiser expands Middle East team

UAE: Arif PK has joined Sennheiser as area sales manager for the system solutions channel in the UAE and Qatar

Prior to joining Sennheiser, he was the country manager in Qatar for Mayflex/Excel Networking, a converged IP solutions provider He has equally held senior sales positions in CGC (Qatar) and Pixel Projects AV

In his new role, Arif PK will work closely with Venuetech in the UAE to continue to grow Sennheiser’s footprint, especially

PSA picks Sides

‘It’s been an easy transition from distributor to manufacturer,’ commented Mr Joy ‘Peerless-AV has a great team and I’m pleased to be part of a growing, forwardthinking company with a diverse product portfolio that opens doors to new and exciting markets We have already secured significant new business for indoor kiosks and anticipate strong sales for mounting solutions and outdoor displays throughout the year ’ India-born Mr Joy will now be focused on helping Peerless-AV’s growth in the region, managing strategic relationships and driving new and existing sales opportunities He has prior knowledge of Peerless-AV products from his time at Almoe and is also said by Peerless-AV to have A/V and IT technical expertise Prior to Almoe, he worked in the finance sector ‘Justin’s appointment is an important milestone in the expansion of our EMEA business,’ added Melinda Von Horvath, vice president of sales and marketing for EMEA at Peerless-AV ‘We have a reputable and experienced distribution partner in Almoe, we have a warehouse facility in Dubai offering efficient local customer support, and we now have a talented sales professional based in Dubai to further build our profile and take advantage of the considerable business leads we see emerging in the region ’

www.peerless-av.com

WORLD: Jim Sides has taken on the role of vice president of global partnerships at Point Source Audio (PSA), a position he will hold alongside running his recently founded company, Eklektric Mr Sides has been working with PSA

in the business communications, systems integration and broadcast segments He will also leverage his extensive experience in Qatar to deliver new business across all verticals and strengthen the

existing customer network

‘It is a privilege to be part of a brand like Sennheiser – with over 70 years of legacy in the audio industry,’ said Arif PK ‘My focus is to build relationships in the region

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- DASlink™ all-in-one app for Altea 700 powered systems.

- DAScontrol™ interface with 24 bit DSP and 3 band EQ.

- 5 presets: Live, Dance, Vocals, Bass Boost and Monitor.

based on our brand’s core values of innovation and excellence I will be working to strengthen ties with our existing customers and partners, while making headway into new avenues in the UAE and Qatar ’

‘We feel that the Middle East –with special focus on Qatar and the UAE, given the upcoming major events – continues to prove that it is a very crucial market with a demand for high-quality audio equipment and international expertise,’ added Mig Cardamone, director of sales and marketing at Sennheiser Middle East ‘With over a decade of experience in largescale A/V projects specifically in those key markets, we feel it is a great synergy to have Arif join our team and build momentum for Sennheiser ’

www.sennheiser.com

as a consultant since late 2017 and brings more than 40 years of industry experience to the table, having held senior management positions at Apogee Sound, Nexo USA/SA and Meyer Sound Labs, and co-founded Vue Audiotechnik ‘We have a number of US and international initiatives that are perfect for his proven skill set,’ said Yvonne Ho, VP of sales and marketing at PSA ‘After Jim came on board as a consultant, it quickly became clear that there was tremendous potential for a fit at a time when PSA is on a growth trajectory around the world ’ ‘I’m excited to be involved with PSA and to be a part of their continued success,’ added Mr Sides

www.point-sourceaudio.com

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Jim Sides

PM7 increases Rivage portability

By incorporating the DSP into the surface, Yamaha is hoping the new PM7 will make its Rivage family a more portable option

YAMAHA IS aiming to increase the portability of its Rivage family of mixers with the launch of the PM7 While sharing the same footprint and panel layout as the PM10’s CS-R10 control surface, the CSD-R7 surface for the PM7 has the DSP built-in in an attempt to make it more mobile

The system itself provides a slightly smaller mixing capacity than the PM10 with 120 input channels, 60 mix busses, 24 matrices and a selection of 48 plug-ins (compared to the PM10’s 144 input channels, 72 mix busses, 36 matrices and 50 plug-ins) It can also be connected to PM10 systems thanks to a Dual Console function This means a CS-R10-S could be used at FOH or in the wings for monitor mixing duty, or as a sidecar expansion console for the CSD-R7, depending on space and system scale requirements

In terms of networking technology, the PM7 uses Yamaha’s TWINLANe, Dante or both for connection to I/O rack units The TWINLANe network uses optical cable to handle up to 400 channels of audio Combinations of the RPio622 and/or RPio222 I/O racks and HY256TL or HY256-TL-SMF audio interface cards allow input via Hybrid Microphone Preamplifiers with analogue input

stages, as well as digital sections with VCM technology models from a Rupert Neve Designs transformer and SILK processing circuitry

The Dante networking is particularly important due to updates to a pair of the manufacturer’s I/O racks which have been created to support the flagship Rivage series, as well as the manufacturer’s CL, QL and TF consoles

The Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 are successors to the Rio3224-D and Rio1608-D, offering what the manufacturer describes as ‘significant advances in sound, reliability and visual status confirmation’, while the analogue circuitry has also been revised Both the Rio3224-D2 and Rio1608-D2 include dual power supply units and internal airflow has also been redesigned, reducing fan noise for quieter operation Another refinement is the inclusion of character/icon displays rather than the basic LED indicators of the firstgeneration models This allows for confirmation of Dante settings, as well as metering, gain, high-pass filters and phantom power It is also possible to edit gain, high-pass filters and phantom power settings directly from the I/O rack interface or from Yamaha’s R Remote software application The Rio racks can

also be combined with the HY144-D audio interface card

Alongside the launch of the PM7 and the associated Rio racks, the manufacturer has also updated its Rivage firmware The aforementioned Dual Console function is part of the update, as is DSP Mirroring This is a PM10-only facility that allows two DSP-R10 DSP engines to be used for failsafe redundancy If a problem occurs in the main DSP-R10 unit, the second DSP-R10 can take over Other updates include a Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5045 Primary Source Enhancer and 5 1 surround panning and monitoring This sees two surround busses available for international feed production A Mix Minus function is also provided, allowing a specified source to be removed from a specified remote feed with a shortcut The Version 2 firmware also allows the creation of two TWINLANe ring networks in one system, allowing the use of up to 16 RPio series I/O units, 800 audio channels at 96kHz and 3,000 input connections to the system There is also a Port-to-Port function that allows bridging between both the TWINLANe rings and additional Dante networks

www.yamahaproaudio.com

With XIRIUM PRO, a digital wireless audio system based on DiWA (Digital Wireless Audio) technology, Neutrik sets a new standard in professional wireless audio transmission. DiWA provides FCC license-free, compression-free, studio quality, full bandwidth audio with extremely low latency.

DiGiCo is for real

DIGICO HAS cited the ‘expanding performance requirements of large entertainment venues, houses of worship, theatres and shared stages at festivals and music venues’ as the driving purpose behind its new 4REA4 installed audio solution At the heart of the system is the 4REA4 processing engine and 4REA4 control software, which combine to offer routing, processing and mix control

The processing engine rack comprises four dedicated mix zones, each possessing a stereo master output, CGs and allocated effects With 128 input channels and 48 bus output processing strips, users can allocate processing to zones as required

The 4REA4 system includes a series of hardware control panels and external I/O units to handle the mixing and routing of each

individual zone These work in conjunction with the processing engine and control software to offer Ethernet connected control

Options include the wallmounted, single-rotary AControl1 with a TFT display for managing small performance areas, the AControl6, featuring six ‘Pushn-Turn’ rotary encoders and 18 soft touch panel keys, and the AControl8, designed for more complex mixing and control with eight 100mm motorised faders For managing local I/O boxes an extended distance away via Ethernet or Dante, options

Allen & Heath enters the Dante Domain

ALLEN & HEATH has added support for Dante Domain Manager (DDM) to its dLive and GLD digital mixing systems via the M-Dante audio networking card, which provides a 64x64 Dante interface This, the British manufacturer states, widens the consoles’ use in installed applications New M-Dante cards are DDM-ready, while users with existing cards can make them DDM-compatible by updating to the V4 firmware available on the Allen & Heath website

‘Dante Domain Manager is network management software that brings standard IT best practices to A/V,’ explained Joshua Rush from Audinate ‘It can help ensure audio networks are more secure, while making systems more scalable and controllable We’re thrilled that forward-thinking companies like Allen & Heath are embracing the system in their products ’

www.allen-heath.com

www.audinate.com

include the A168 Stage floor rack and the A164 Wall LCD box, both of which offer mic and linelevel connectivity to reportedly

ensure 96kHz audio is delivered across a venue The 4REA4 system is completed by the A88 GPIO, a general-purpose I/O

interface for integrated control of remote third-party hardware such as EVAC alarms and theatre automation systems, and the AStar interface, which extends the number of expander I/O units that can be connected across a local area running on a single cable, providing four 32x32 connections

‘4REA4 will allow our customers and new facilities to expand the function and reach of our live consoles today, whilst providing a new installation platform that delivers the highest quality audio and control across multiple performance areas,’ commented James Gordon, MD of DiGiCo

www.digico.biz

Ashly puts DigiMix in the rack

ASHLY AUDIO has made its DigiMix series of digital mixing consoles rack-mountable with the DigiMix 18 by including rack rails with the mixer as standard Joining the DigiMix 24, the DigiMix 18, which can also be used as a desktop mixer, features 18 inputs and 12 output busses It also offers optional Dante and USB digital I/O cards with up to 30 digital outputs and 18 digital inputs While these features are unique to the new member of the family, the DigiMix 18 shares a number of common features with its 24-input sibling These include 16 Class-A mic pres, eight auxiliary channels, an intelligent meter bridge that displays input level for channels 1 to 16 or the channel volume fader position,

The rack-mountable DigiMix 18

six DCA/Mute groups, a variety of equalisation and dynamics processing options, two effects engines and auto-mixing functionality Further shared features are the 7-inch LCD

Calrec targets remote and compact productions

CALREC IS targeting remote productions and smaller spaces with a pair of releases RP1 is a remote production unit designed to help engineers mix audio from main studios instead of on location Meanwhile, the 12-fader Brio12 is the company’s more compact version of its sibling, Brio36, specified for smaller production spaces

Starting with remote production, RP1 consists of a 2U core that contains integrated FPGA-based DSP, enabling a console surface at another facility to control all mixing functionality The RP1 core

manages all the processing for IFB routing and remote monitor mixes in an effort to help remote mix engineers eradicate delays for remote listeners or presenters

The RP1 core embeds audio into existing video-transport

mechanisms, while its modular I/O backbone accepts any of Calrec’s I/O cards allowing it to connect via analogue, AES, MADI and SDI as well as AoIP solutions such as AES67, Ravenna and Dante It also provides VCA master control from

the host console and pairing of transmission and remote faders so that any fader/cut changes are applied to both TX and IFB paths on to remote faders and remote auxes A new ‘blocking’ mode prevents the RP1 unit from affecting the paired transmission faders, while the ‘independent’ mode ensures the RP1 can operate independently of the host when required

At a size of 18 inches wide, Brio12 can be used in very tight spaces like small vans and compact control rooms It has the same feature set and mix

touchscreen interface and single intelligent fader that can be used for any channel Control is also possible via an iPad app

www.ashly.com

capabilities as Brio36 and can also be used for small-scale productions, or as a sub-mixer or backup mixer for larger productions

With 12 physical dual-layer faders for mixing live sources during broadcast, Brio12 provides extra virtual faders via its UI With 48 input channels, the console has capacity for sub-mixes and VCA slaves, making it suited for production environments requiring automated control over every fader

www.calrec.com

DiGiCo’s 4REA4 solution

M-Dante

BOSE PROFESSIONAL has released a new version of its ControlSpace Designer software for audio conferencing installations and expanded its ToneMatch audio engine series by unveiling a new 8-channel and 4-channel mixer

The new CSD version 5 0 1 –which can be downloaded from pro bose com – has a set of new features including tools and algorithms, allowing designers to configure both audio processing and network operation of Bose ControlSpace processors, endpoints and PowerMatch amplifiers

In terms of support for the ControlSpace EX-1280C conferencing processor – which includes new DSP blocks – the

new functionalities include Acoustic Echo Canceller, VoIP, PSTN/POTS, USB, Conference Room Router, Room Combine Group, Enhanced AGC, linkable gated and gain-sharing automixers, simplified logic control and AmpLink There is also support for ControlSpace EX-UH, EX-4ML and EX-8ML under-table

Dante endpoints

For the Panaray MSA12X modular steerable array loudspeaker, the new version includes a MSA12X device block, MSA12X control panel and basic steer/spread beam steering directly from within the software

Support for various Danteenabled products include

Shure MXA910 and MXA310

microphones, Audio-Technica

ATND971 and ATND8677

microphones, and AudioTechnica’s ATND8734

microphone power module with Dante output

Meanwhile, Bose Professional has also introduced the 8-channel T8S ToneMatch mixer and 4-channel T4S ToneMatch as the next generation of its ToneMatch audio engine line

Each T8S channel has dedicated ToneMatch, EQ, dynamics and effects which include compressor, limiter, de-esser, noise gate, chorus, flanger,

IT IS now possible to activate a bypass function for each individual aux VCA in all Aurus and Crescendo systems following Stage Tec’s version 4 5 software release The German manufacturer claims that this feature is exclusive to its consoles and was developed

the ITU-R 775-3-compliant automatic stereo downmix with level correction is now available to Aurus and Crescendo Meanwhile, the internal tone generator can be accessed in the centre section of each console, making it possible to configure the mixing console

in response to demand for rehearsals with live event and sound reinforcement feeds Other new features introduced in software release 4 5 include VCA group hierarchy, which allows channels to be assigned to multiple VCA groups and for setting additional groupings

Up to 30 VCA groups can be chosen from When routing 5 1 sources to stereo groups,

even if a Nexus audio network is not yet connected Finally, an M/S decoder is automatically available on input channels on all Stage Tec mixing consoles

An integrated upmix process enables decoded M/S signals or stereo signals to be mixed automatically to multichannel busses

www.stagetec.com

TASCAM racks up analogue mixing

TASCAM HAS created the MZSeries of rack-mount analogue mixers for install applications in small-to-mid-sized venues, such as hotels, restaurants and schools

The series launches with two models: the 2U MZ-223 and the 3U MZ-372

The MZ-223 provides five audio channels that each possess a dedicated gain potentiometer and two stereo sets of RCA line-level inputs, which can be mixed, segregated and routed to three independent zones There is a total of 10 RCA inputs Channels 1 and 2 can also accommodate phono-level signals for use with a turntable Meanwhile, a pair of front-panel, balanced XLR inputs handle microphone signals alongside a ¼-inch stereo headphone output with level control A trio of stereo output zones deliver balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA line-level outputs and a slider switches the RCA outputs between 0 75V and 1 5V Stereo unbalanced RCA master record outputs also feature on the MZ-223

Audio signals can be mixed, muted and routed to two

Tasker stays connected

AIMED AT providing shielding for high-frequency applications, Tasker’s latest range of connectors and panel adapters has been developed for different installations such as recording/broadcast studios, mixer consoles and control rooms

redundant outputs or destinations using the larger MZ-372 Its six audio channels have individual volume control and a pair of stereo sets of unbalanced RCA line-level inputs for a total of 12 RCA inputs, as well as six balanced, switchable XLR mic/ line inputs on the rear panel and a mic-level XLR input on the

front Channels 1, 2 and 3 can be switched to facilitate phonolevel signals A pair of unbalanced RCA Booth outputs offer an

additional feed with independent control for monitoring and can be switched between stereo and mono modes The MZ-372’s dual outputs all have balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA jacks

In other TASCAM news, the DR-

10L ultra-compact digital recorder and lavalier microphone is now available in white The DR-10LW is described by the Japanese manufacturer as ‘a perfect solution for location-recording applications such as wedding videography,

where its small size and unique white finish ensure that it won’t detract from the bride as she walks down the aisle’ In addition, the TM10LB (black) and TM-10LW ite) microphones have been released as spare microphones for use in emergencies They are equipped with Sennheisertype connectors, making them compatible with a wide range of third-party equipment www.tascam.com

TU-660/M

TP01

Produced with gold-plated contacts and a metallic flange with standard locking passages, the range includes USB A to USB B, designated TP01 and TP02, BNC female to BNC female, named TP10 and HDMI to HDMI which is called TP30 In addition to this is a BNC female (TP11) and RCA female (TP20) which are available in different colours www.tasker.it

... are not synonymous with TOA‘s horn speaker.

60W

Driver Unit for Horn Speakers

High quality sound

High SPL

High durability

Drastic acoustic enhancement made possible with the switch to ring diaphragm.

TOA‘s expertise and long-year research have brought a brand new driver unit to horn speaker market. Improvement of low frequency range as well as high range by applying ring-type diaphragm is an innovative progress in the horn speaker history. Furthermore, TU-660 has realized higher durability compared to conventional models.

Experience more clarity than ever.

We supply sound, not equipment.

www.toa.com.sg I TOAasiapacific

www.toa.co.in I TOAINDIA

www.toa.eu I TOAeurope www.toa.jp (TOA global)

TASCAM’s MZ-223

LD Systems goes on tour

LD SYSTEMS has increased the specifications of its Curv 500 series with the release of the Curv 500 TS Touring Array System Designed for applications that require a particularly high sound pressure and broad, wide-ranging dispersion, the Curv 500 TS offers the same scalability and compactness as its Curv 500 siblings However, the Curv 500 TS has a narrower vertical dispersion of 30° to ensure the sound has sufficient pressure and dynamics to be able to reach rear sections of the audience Unlike regular satellites with 10° coverage, the duplex satellite has a dispersion angle of 5° It is equipped with four interlocked

array satellites in a unibody design with two duplex satellites fitted with two speakers each (two 4-inch mid-range speakers and six 1-inch tweeters) The satellites are powered via the company’s SmartLink adapter, which can be used as a base unit for wireless operation of up to four satellites, and all the arrays are fitted with WaveAhead technology

The base of the Curv 500 TS is a 15-inch bass-reflex subwoofer with a peak output of 1,400W, including a Class-D amplifier and DSP unit The latter gives users a total of six DSP presets The subwoofer also features a multiband limiter as well as a range of functions that

Vita passes the Beta test

FOLLOWING IN the footsteps of last year’s successful Via launch, P Audio has created a new line array system with flexible integrated rigging designed for ease of set up Operating within a frequency range of 90Hz to 20kHz (–3dB), the Vita-6A combines dual 6-inch woofers with two HF drivers and two waveguides with 90° horizontal dispersion In addition, the 12 6kg cabinet is equipped with an asymmetrical power supply delivering 380W continuous power to the HF and LF sections together with built-in DSP including five factory presets Housed in 15mm tour grade plywood and finished in a durable polyuria coating, the rigging

RenkusHeinz moves up a gear

protect against short-circuiting, overheating and overvoltage XLR and Neutrik speakON compatible sockets are available, while a Neutrik powerCON socket reportedly ensures a stable mains power supply

www.ld-systems.com

EXPANDING ON its Iconyx steerable arrays line, RenkusHeinz’ IC8-HD offers the highest definition of all products in its range, while both the IC Live X and IC Live XL deliver even higher SPLs than their predecessor, IC Live All three models offer the company’s beam steering technology

features powder-coated structural steel The Vita-6A incorporates rear and lateral handles, while an optional pole mount can be added to provide further flexibility

A passive version is also available in the form of the Vita-6P, providing flat frequency response with a cross frequency of 2kHz, featuring a third-order high-pass

filter for high frequency

If more control and DSP are required, the tch may be used in biamp configuration, allowing the LF and HF sections to be driven from separate amplifiers, without passing the passive crossover Capable of extending the LFs down to 40Hz (–3dB), two specifically engineered subwoofers have been created

K&F bolsters speaker catalogue

KLING & FREITAG i s target i ng l i ve events w i th a pa i r of add i t i ons to i ts speaker catalogue

W i th the a i m of creat i ng the neutral reproduct i on of l i ve aud i o through i ts mon i tor speakers as well as low feedback tendency, K&F’s Scena 12 has been opt i m i sed for

operat i on as a stage mon i tor i n l i ve mode and for ass i gnments w i th i n telev i s i on stud i os

The system setup for the mon i tor’s compact d i mens i ons i s ach i eved us i ng the K&F SystemAmps Us i ng an i ntegrated sw i tch (allocat i on sw i tch i ng from 1+/1– to 2+/2–), two mon i tor paths can be set up with just one NL4 cable On a SystemAmp (PLM+, D-series), up to four monitor paths can be operated with three Scena

12 loudspeakers each The polyurea coating, external grille and rubber feet offer protection against mechanical impact, particularly during tours Flexible use is supported by the optional

speaker stand flange Elsewhere, Vida M is the latest addition to the German manufacturer’s Vida line array family The system has been designed for both fixed and mobile applications at theatres, auditoria and corporate events It features real-time beam steering that offers – apart from sidelobe free beam steering – individual control of each driver and has been optimised for speech The IP54-rated speaker also offers both horizontal and vertical dispersion thanks to its BEMoptimised Vida waveguide As with all other Vida systems, control is available via the Vida app Rang i ng i n four ava i lable

for use with both Vita-6 systems

A 15-inch P Audio GM15-100F transducer with a large format 4-inch voice coil has been integrated into both the Vita-15A and Vita-15-P Sub models An electronics section featuring a 500W RMS Class-D amplifier together with DSP including five presets marks the difference between the models Designed to be as simple as possible, the rigging features a separate pin at its rear to set its angle The 39 5kg plywood cabinet comes with two handles and an M20 threaded pole mount

www.paudiothailand.com

The IC8-HD performs beam steering by using 32 discrete amplifier/DSP channels to control its 24 high-frequency drivers and eight 4-inch low-mid woofers It is compatible with all Iconyx Gen5 modules and reportedly enhances the low-frequency response

s i zes between 1 1m and 4 4m, V i da M comes w i th spl i t beam capab i l i ty, three d i fferent i nputs by standard (Dante/ AES/analogue) and a GPIO i nterface Its mount i ng bracket i s descr i bed by the company as be i ng able to f i t all s i zes

www.kling-freitag.com

The IC Live X features two 8-inch woofers and six 1-inch highfrequency compression drivers that are individually controlled and amplified Its compact cabinet can be mounted on a tripod stand, pole-mounted above a subwoofer or installed in tall, continuous arrays Presets allow for pointsource use, with softwareadjustable vertical coverage angles

Going up in scale, the IC Live X can be combined with IC Live XL – which employs four 8-inch woofers – to maximise scalability and flexibility An unlimited number of arrays can be used for mobile or fixed installations

The LD Systems Curv 500 TS Touring Array System

Connections and controls on the integrated mixer

Vita-15 Sub

IC8-HD

The Vida M

Evolving with you.

With a sleek new user interface, a generously expanded switching bandwidth and higher RF output power for the 500 Series, and new multi-channel functionality for the 100 Series, G4 delivers high-quality, reliable audio for musical performances, houses of worship, and theaters.

www.sennheiser.com/g4

Low frequencies flying high

MARTIN AUDIO has designed the SXF115 passive subwoofer as a companion for its new Wavefront Precision Mini (WPM) line array

The new, 15-inch subwoofer reportedly extends frequency performance down to 42Hz, is capable of achieving 136dB at 1m and can be flown as part of an array or ground stacked separately

A 4-inch voice coil driver resides within the SXF115’s compact, multi-laminate birch ply enclosure, which is finished with a polyurethane coat and equipped with perforated steel grille, skids and twin bar handles

The system is built to minimise power compression and distortion, while four reflex ports reduce air noise at high output levels An M20 threaded fitting on the top of the enclosure facilitates the pole-mounting of up to four WPM or MLA Mini enclosures

In other news, the introduction of a scalable resolution together with a software update

means Martin Audio’s micro line array, O-Line, now offers additional coverage consistency and control When combined with an iKON iK81 8-channel amplifier with onboard DSP to

applications, O-Line can be driven using only one amplifier channel with a simple EQ

Additionally, the combination of both mechanical and DSP optimisation has been designed to assist in installations where height restrictions can be a factor Display, along with VU-NET control, is also said by Martin Audio to provide a level of coverage change when installations at venues need to be de-rigged and re-rigged by using its different presets

Modernised monitoring

independently control and power each individual enclosure, O-Line will also increase the ability to limit the influence of the room by accessing Martin Audio’s Display software functionality The ‘hard avoid’ capability and electronically adjustable coverage are designed for complex acoustic spaces In some

The O-Line array reportedly does not produce vertical sidelobes in the audio band while its ability to still reproduce high frequencies makes it possible for both full-range speech and music reproduction in reverberant spaces Martin Audio states that an array of 16 cabinets is capable of hitting a sound level of 134dB peak at a distance of up to 40m

www.martin-audio.com

PRO AUDIO monitors and subwoofers are the target for the newest line of isolation stands from IsoAcoustics The four new models that make up the ISO Series – ISO-130, ISO-155, ISO-200 and the ISO-200SUB – all feature a new design that the company describes as ‘contemporary’, in addition to the acoustic isolation performance that the company has become known for The manufacturer states that the ISO Series is a modernised line that builds on the success of its L8R

Series

The models offer 14 variations of height and tilt to aid speaker

placement The ISO-130 has been designed for small- and medium-sized monitors up to 9kg The ISO-155 stand for medium- to larger-sized speakers and studio monitors is designed to support up to 18kg For larger speakers and studio monitors, the ISO-200 supports up to 27 2kg, while the ISO-200SUB is rated to support subwoofers up to 34kg They all feature a low-profile design that reportedly enables speakers to have a low stance (atop a meter bridge, for example) while enhancing performance

www.isoacoustics.com

The SXF115

Muse inspiration for Verity Audio

DEVELOPED WITH smaller events in mind, Verity Audio has introduced the Muse P Series Ranging in size from 8-inch to 15inch versions, the multi-functional active 2-way full range speakers

– Muse 08P, Muse 10P, Muse 12P and Muse 15P – have a rotatable 90° x 50° horn, built-in crossover, microphone and line multi-function input modes and volume control The family are compatible with

Celestion heads back to neodymium for CDX

THE LATEST compression driver from Celestion utilises a singlepiece pure titanium diaphragm and surround together with a compact lightweight magnet assembly to deliver what the company describes as ‘superior highfrequency performance’ Switching to neodymium, it’s the third large format compression driver developed by the manufacturer to incorporate a 3-inch single-piece titanium diaphragm and surround, following the introduction of two ferrite magnet drivers, the 1 4-inch exit CDX14-3030 and 2-inch exit CDX20-3020

The CDX series CDX143040 model is a 1 4-inch exit, 3-inch voice coil neodymium magnet compression driver that features an edgewound coil copper clad aluminium

voice coil It delivers 75Wrms

power handling and a sensit of 106 5dB from 500Hz to 20kHz, with a recommended minimum crossover frequency of 1kHz (at 12 dB/octave) The driver offers a weight saving over the ferrite models thanks to the use of neodymium, weighing in at a modest 1 4kg

at a diameter of 135mm (5 3 inches)

www.celestion.com

V-Net networking solutions, Ethernet/TCP/IP as well as fixed IP or DHCP for remote monitoring and control with LCD screen displays and RJ-45 connectors The cabinet itself is constructed from 15mm birch multi-layer plywood from CNC routing with a black matte waterbased finish and can be adapted to horizontal and vertical installations www.verityaudio.com

Audiocenter builds on EA5 series

AUDIOCENTER HAS added the EA515 to its EA5 series of portable loudspeaker cabinets The EA515 boasts the ability to be installed either vertically or horizontally by steel wire or U Bracket, while sonically it boasts an SPL of 136dB from its customised Audiocenter LF ferrite and Beyma HF ferrite drivers Connectivity includes two combo inputs (2-way XLR and mono jack) CH A input can be switched between line input or microphone input Besides this, there is an RCA port for other sound sources such as MP3 players and CD players The three different audio sources can be output in parallel with 1-way

…. and always up to date in theatre and live events!

XRL after ng, and then distributed to different speakers

The cabinet itself measures 446mm x 700mm x 440mm and weighs 29 5kg It can be customised in any RAL code colour

www.audiocenter.com

With development of digital audio equipment moving at an ever faster pace, it has never been more important to keep up-to-date. Stage Tec has always paid close attention to the sustainability and value retention of its mixers. To this day every AURUS audio mixing console continues to benefit from practical up to the minute innovations.

The recent software release for AURUS platinum and AURUS, for example: The new 3.1 multi-channel mode extends options for sound reinforcement –especially in theatres. A bypass function for each Aux VCA facilitates rehearsals and workflow.

These and all the other functions packed into this new software release ensure that AURUS platinum and AURUS remain at the cutting edge.

Innovative. Sustainable. Stage Tec!

Muse 10P

The CDX14-3040

RCF adds J Series to Evox

be 120° x 30° (HxV), while the vertical array is progressively shaped to provide consistent sound coverage from the front to the back

The onboard 8-input mixer in the JMix8 makes use of Z Cord DSP also found in the manufacturer’s M Series digital mixers to provide a host of mix functions as well as instrument effects and amp simulations, and a companion iOS/Android app also allows users to manage the system remotely Connections include four combo mic/line inputs, four line inputs, including a Hi-Z input, and a switchable analogue stereo-in/Bluetooth digital audio receiver

Enter the Matrix

NEXT-PROAUDIO HAS unveiled the Matrix Series of passive column arrays aimed at installed and small, portable applications With a chassis of aluminium and wood, the cabinets are described as ‘stylish and yet sturdy’ and designed for architectural integration

RCF’S EVOX line of portable PA systems has been expanded with the Evox J Series, which adds an 8-channel digital mixer to the fray with the JMix8 and features a line source satellite module that comprises eight 2-inch full-range drivers paired with a 12-inch woofer in a bass-reflex enclosure The two models in the Evox J Series, the J8 and JMix8,

both feature a smaller footprint than the original Evox models and are in portable enclosures, with the only difference being the addition of the integrated mixer The manufacturer states that the systems are ideal for live entertainment, DJs, parties, club music and corporate events as the Evox design features constant directivity coverage stated to

IS-Series gets to the point

ADAMSON SYSTEMS

Engineering has added a pair of point source speakers to its IS-Series of install-focused loudspeakers The IS7p and IS10p in many ways replicate the series’ IS7 and IS10 line array cabinets However, both are 2-way point source cabinets with newly designed rotatable waveguides that are available with nominal dispersion patterns of 70° x 40° or 100° x 50° These have been designed to provide a smooth transition from on- to off-axis positions and a ‘natural sound’ without diffraction or lobing The fullrange capabilities of the IS7p and IS10p can negate the need for a subwoofer in certain applications

The IS7p features two 16 , ND7-LM16 7-inch Kevlar low-mid drivers and an NH3-8 1 4-inch, 8 exit compression driver The IS10p contains the same exit compression driver and a pair of ND10-LM 16 , 10-inch Kevlar low-mid drivers The drivers are housed within cabinets made from marine-grade birch plywood and aircraft-grade aluminium and steel SpeakON NL4 connectors are equipped as standard, while barrier strips are fitted on the alternative IS7pb and IS10pb models The plate-and-screw rigging system present on four faces of the enclosure adds flexibility for installation

www.adamsonsystems.com

The integrated DSP manages full loudspeaker processing, FiRPHASE filters, crossover and EQ, soft limiter and dynamic bass boost Power comes from an internal 1,400W Class-D amplifier, and the mechanical aluminium structure of the amplifier also works to strengthen the unit during transportation and provides fanless heat dissipation

www.rcf.it

The Matrix Series initially comprises two models: the Matrix M8 and the Matrix M3, which house eight and three 3-inch neodymium transducers, respectively Built to offer a ‘high intelligibility at high SPL’ and ‘wider frequency response while providing constant beam-width over a user selectable vertical coverage’, the Matrix columns provide beam control that reportedly extends up to 10kHz

In addition, the manufacturer has developed what it coins as ‘Tuned

Dipolar Technology’, which promises ‘consistent low-frequency pattern control’ This can be used to reduce the stimulation of resonant room modes at low-frequencies

Users are able to choose between Music and Vocal modes at the flick of a switch Music mode is intended to give a flat, balanced frequency response, while Vocal mode adds

a mid-range presence to enhance speech intelligibility Another choice presented to users is the ability to switch the vertical dispersion pattern between wide or narrow coverage

The internal processing board handles array optimisation, allowing users to adjust the system behaviour to meet application requirements Adding to the ease of set up is the 16mm cavity in the back of the cabinet, which conceals wiring, even when the speaker is mounted flat against a wall in architectural integrated installations, while a removable input screw connector simplifies the wiring process

www.next-proaudio.com

Outline gets clever with Newton

OUTLINE HAS designed its new multi-function centralised loudspeaker processing and control system to be revolutionary and, as such, has named it after one of history’s greatest minds Newton is described by the Italian manufacturer as an FPGA-based processing platform designed to be the management and control core for audio networks in touring, broadcast and fixed installation applications by providing loudspeaker system control, facilitating media conversion, sync and clock management and audio distribution Newton’s I/O configuration will provide 216 channels in both directions simultaneously using

a fully automatic clock source and audio signal switchover facilities The system and setup are controllable via Outline’s Dashboard software for macOS

There are three hardware versions – Newton 16, Newton 16+4 and Newton 16+8 – to suit the requirements of differing projects All processed signals and direct outputs can be routed out of Newton using Dante (AES67-compliant), AES3, MADI Optical and MADI Coaxial Internal processing is 96kHz, with an internal data depth up to 64 bits In each processing section users have control over Level, Delay, Polarity and Raised Cosine Filters (implemented

within WFIR Equalisers)

While Newton 16 is an alldigital device, Newton 16+4 and Newton 16+8 add local analogue inputs and outputs: Newton 16+4 adds four auxiliary analogue I/Os while Newton 16+8 adds eight auxiliary analogue I/Os Each analogue input is also provided with additional processing and matrix allowing inputs to be processed, routed and mixed into the main matrix All three versions of Newton share the same motherboard and it is possible to upgrade from Newton 16 to Newton 16+4 or Newton 16+8

www.outline.it

The IS10p and IS7p

The Matrix M8 and Matrix M3

The Evox JMix8 from RCF

Outline’s Newton 16+8

Alcons’ reference for immersive surround

THE CRMSC-SRHV reference surround from Alcons Audio is designed to ‘meet all requirements of current and future immersive surround sound formats for studios, screening rooms and high-end residential cinemas’ It is a 2-way, passive-filtered, fullrange loudspeaker featuring the manufacturer’s patented pro-ribbon driver technology and built to serve as a matching (height layer) surround system for CRMSs (Cinema Reference Monitor Systems) with identical MHF components

Vantec family grows

DAS AUDIO’S Vantec Series of portable loudspeaker solutions has expanded with the addition of the Vantec-20A active curved source line array and its companion, the Vantec-118A powered subwoofer

The Vantec-20A is designed for use in arrays of up to five cabinets and specifically for applications that don’t require the long-throw characteristics or power of large line arrays, such as corporate A/V, mid-sized sound reinforcement and permanent installations As well as being flown in an array or stacked on the Vantec-118A subwoofer via the included Click-Lock rigging hardware, the Vantec-20A can also be deployed as a standalone unit on a speaker stand or tripod with a variable angle pole mount that facilitates an up or down tilt of up to 13 5°

To further simplify set up in arrays or to align with Vantec-18A and Vantec-118A subwoofers, Vantec-20A includes the DasControl interface, negating the need for external processing Accessed by an LCD screen on the

rear of the enclosure, DasControl facilitates the selection of presets for array size and HF compensation for throw distances Alternatively, when the Vantec-20A is used by itself, the DasLink app can be used to stream music and remotely monitor and control the system

The Vantec-20A also features FIR filters for linear phase response and precise impulse response Power comes from a 1,500W-peak Class-D amplifier in a biamplified

configuration, which drives a DAS12F4C loudspeaker and twin M-60 compression drivers

Meyer puts IntelligentDC in the

MEYER SOUND’S Ashby family has become the first ceiling speakers to use the manufacturer’s IntelligentDC technology

IntelligentDC receives balanced audio and DC power from a single composite cable and connector

The 2-member Ashby family joins five full-range speakers and two subs in using the technology

metal dome tweeter and are housed in integral, quick-mount metal backcans with Phoenix connectors

The dual-driver concentric design provides a 100° dispersion pattern

The system is formed from an RBN202 pro-ribbon driver for HF reproduction and has a vented 6 5-inch mid-bass for LF The HF section has a peak power input of 500W, which the Dutch manufacturer states enables ‘a 1:16 dynamic range with up to 90% less distortion from 1kHz to beyond 20kHz’

The CRMSC-SRHV offers 90° horizontal and 60° vertical dispersion Alcons also promises that ‘the system has a linear response at any SPL’ due to the ‘compressionless’ principle of its pro-ribbon transducer

The RBN waveguide can revolve and, along with the trapezoidal enclosure, provides low-profile wall or ceiling mounting options An optional grill and ACO colour choices allow aesthetic customisation www.alconsaudio.com

The two flush-mount models are the Ashby-5C with a 5-inch low-mid cone driver and the Ashby8C with an 8-inch low-mid driver Both employ a concentric ¾-inch

As with other IntelligentDC models, Ashby loudspeakers connect to a remote MPS-488HP rack-mount unit that supplies both balanced audio signal and 48V DC power for the amplifier Connections are made using a single 5-conductor cable with termination on 5-pin Phoenix

As for the compan i on subwoofer, the Vantec-118A i s an act i ve front-loaded bass system that can be flown i n arrays or l i nked together ground stacked It also houses a 2,000W-peak Class-D ampl i fier as well as 24-b i t DSP A ‘Deep-Loud’ EQ sw i tch fac i l i tates the ta i lor i ng of the bass output to prov i de a low, subwoofer-type response v i a the ‘Deep’ sett i ng or to ach i eve a ‘louder performance’ when i n ‘Loud’ mode Controls are found on the rear panel for ga i n, polar i ty and a cont i nually var i able low-pass filter that ranges from 80Hz to 125Hz

www.dasaudio.com

ceiling

no more than 1dB loss using 18 AWG wire’, adding that longer runs are possible using heavier gauges

connectors The manufacturer states that ‘cable lengths of up to 127m are accommodated with

The speakers can be used with the manufacturer’s Constellation acoustic system, while remote monitoring of individual loudspeaker status on a Windows or Mac computer is available with the addition of the optional RMS module, RMServer and Compass software www.meyersound.com

Kubo blends in

109mm deep The 5 and 5T models measure 155mm x 164mm x 136mm and boast 80W of power

The Kubo3 and Kubo5 have an impedance of 8 , while their ‘T’ counterparts are 16 versions The T models also feature a rotatable 70/100V power-tapping selector

multiple units With a 140° vertical or horizontal installation angle, Kubo speakers can be hung close to walls and ceilings

Apart Audio has also added to its CM range of ceiling loudspeakers

APART AUDIO states that its new Kubo Series of loudspeakers is the result of the increasing market demand for ‘stylish and more subtle design audio products’

The series is formed from four models: the full-range Kubo3 and

Kubo3T, each with a 3-inch woofer, and the Kubo5 and Kubo5T 2-way cabinets, which house 5 25-inch woofers

The Kubo3 and Kubo3T both offer 40W of power and measure 125mm high x 131mm wide x

All four models have been designed for easy installation with ‘installer-friendly’ end caps held in place by 14 integrated neodymium magnets and an ‘in & link’ connection with euroblock connectors for daisy-chaining

The new models include a sealed back can and bass-reflex port to offer a ‘controlled sound performance in any kind of ceiling structure’ They have been tuned to optimise bass and midrange and maintain sonic consistency, as well as to be matched with other models in the series

www.apart-audio.com

Vantec-20A

The Vantec-118A companion subwoofer

The Kubo family

The CRMSC-SRHV

Amphion flies the flag at BaseTwo25

AMPHION LOUDSPEAKERS

is touting the BaseTwo25 as its new flagship low-frequency extension system The turnkey system is designed to transform the manufacturer’s 2-way studio monitors into a full-range, time and phase accurate, 3-way tower, extending down to 10Hz corner frequency (–3dB)

The BaseTwo25 towers feature 10-inch woofers and 10-inch passive radiators mounted on each side of the enclosure, which measures 1,020mm x 191mm x 355mm A pair of 900W outboard monoblock amplifiers power the system, while a filtering module with variable volume control manages the settings

In addition to adding low frequencies below a single fixed frequency point, BaseTwo25 reportedly increases the coupled monitor’s midrange power-handling capabilities by transferring low-end frequencies, as the system’s filter module transfers energy from the mains

to the Base towers at 400Hz (–36dB), utilising a third-order filter to increase the energy exchange until an equally shared transfer is achieved at 100Hz or below BaseTwo25 can also be used on its own by way of its bypass switch

Elsewhere, Amphion has redesigned the cabinets of

HK Audio adds certification

THE FIRST HK Audio EN 54-24-certified install speakers have arrived on the market

its Helium410, Helium510, Argon0 and Argon1 bookshelf loudspeakers The smallest Helium and Argon models include a repositioned reflex tube, now found behind the woofer, while the Helium410 and Helium510 employ a new tweeter www.amphion.fi

Developed in collaboration with Gräf & Meyer, a company specialising in evacuation systems, Vortis 2 from HK Audio can serve the dual purpose of sound reinforcement and EVAC The speakers reportedly deliver high sound pressure levels and provide the variable directivity needed to satisfy the statutory standards for speech intelligibility, even in challenging acoustic environments

‘Things soon get complicated in a lot of projects where the

requirements for harmonised safety standards, sound reinforcement technology and system integration converge,’ explained Fabian Reimann, HK Audio’s application support engineer and product manager, installation ‘Working with our electronics partner, Gräf & Meyer, we want to provide the support technical planners, building services engineers, architects and systems integrators need to successfully execute even very complex projects ’

www.hkaudio.com

Amphion’s BaseTwo25

Opera goes on the network

DBTECHNOLOGIES HAS put networking at the heart of the latest additions to its Opera family of powered 2-way speakers The Opera Unica series offers networkable capability via Aurora Net control software using the integrated RDNet ports This allows for a complete EQ, delay and processing customisation and real-time monitoring of the PA system in use

Away from the networking functionality, the 12-inch and 15inch members of the Opera Unica feature a Class-D Digipro G3 amp module capable of delivering up to 1,800W peak The cabinets also offer neodymium woofers, an asymmetrical acoustic design of the HF horn and linear-phase FIR filters The speakers also offer Powercon In/Link connectors and have a stated SPL value of up to 133dB Sharing the same Digipro G3 amp module, the Italian manufacturer has also expanded its ES family

with the ES1002 biamped active PA system Aimed at musicians and DJs, the ES1002 comes with a subwoofer and one column top, both powered by the Class-D amp The top satellite is equipped with eight 4-inch mid-hi woofers that have been aligned to deliver an asymmetrical vertical coverage pattern Each midrange woofer also features a newly designed phase-plug to widen the horizontal coverage The sub features two 12-inch woofers in bass-reflex configuration It is also home to the amp module and the control panel The I/O section allows users to connect up to two inputs (XLR mono and RCA stereo with independent volume controls) and provides a balanced link out to feed a second system or a stage monitor A rotary controller with eight EQ presets helps users to tune the system Finally, dBTechnologies has also expanded its low-frequency

Discretion key for K-array

K-ARRAY’S AZIMUT miniature audio solution and CaptureKMC20 microphone aim to offer discreet use in various places ranging from conference halls and houses of worship to restaurants and museums

The Azimut package is comprised of two 10cm-long Lyzard loudspeakers, a RumbleKU44-2 subwoofer, a KommanderKA02 amplifier, a covert remote control and was developed with the end user in mind The midhigh speakers feature four ½-inch neodymium transducers to form ultra-micro line arrays

The system’s two Lyzards are for horizontal coverage, while there is also an option to expand those loudspeakers up to six

should more coverage and power be needed At only 10cm deep, the Rumble-KU44-2 subwoofer can be integrated in its surroundings, including furniture and walls

The system is also equipped with a wired remote control that allows volume control, Bluetooth management and the option to manage playlists A LAN network can be installed to control multiple rooms equipped with Azimut The Kommander-KA02 features analogue inputs and fibre optic input as well as plug-andplay capabilities with Bluetooth connectivity, USB ports and mini-jack input Online streaming songs are available via the Azimut app which also has control for all

the amplifier functions According to the Italian manufacturer, the system can be deployed ‘in tough weather conditions’

beyerdynamic interacts on tour

BEYERDYNAMIC HAS focused on communications systems with a pair of releases: a tour guide system named Unite; and Phonum, an audio solution for meetings

One of the standout features for Unite is a special talkback function that will allow visitors on guided tours to speak into the system to ask questions and interact with tour guides or even other guests Up to three people can speak at any one time Other components of Unite include DSP

control for speech intelligibility, which the company claims cancels out unwanted noise and allows an optimised frequency curve courtesy of its Automatic

Level Control

Unite is also said to be suitable for both smaller setups as well as large systems (over 32 groups) and can be used almost anywhere as it is DECT-certified A bodypack transmitter together with a neckworn microphone or headset allows the speaker to operate hands-free

The Unite system can also connect to other audio sources such as music players or preproduced speech recordings via analogue sources, USB or even Bluetooth Phonum, meanwhile, has been described by the company as a mobile, cable-free communications system for teleconferences, huddlerooms and for smaller meeting requirements It uses a downfire loudspeaker for sound reproduction and beyerdynamic’s

offerings by completing the Sub 600 family Designed to work with the manufacturer’s smaller full-range systems, such as Opera 10 and B-H 8 and 10, Sub 612 weighs in at 19 8kg The unit features a 600W RMS Class-D amplifier with SMPS and can deliver sound pressure levels up to 129dB

Controls on the amp panel allow users to operate with a mono or stereo audio feed, activate polarity inversion and choose output link mode (True Bypass or X-Over) The wooden cabinet also offers Sub Boost Mode switch EQ setting to enhance low-end frequencies www.dbtechnologies.com

Meanwhile, the Capture-KMC20 is made up of eight 4mm cardioid capsules aligned in a line array configuration and is described by

K-array as being the smallest line array microphone on the market featuring Pure Array Technology With a thickness of 6mm, the microphone aims to offer discretion for a variety of applications in conference halls, board rooms, houses of worship and TV studios It is also said to have minimal variation of gain with distance and the capability to reduce noise behind the speaker when mounted both horizontally and vertically Its frame is shaped from a 6mm x 6mm solid square brass bar using a milling cutter with bits less than 2mm in radius

www.k-array.com

Voice Compass technology which reportedly captures all spoken words and eliminates echo sound or background noise

A compact, portable, batteryoperated speakerphone, Phonum allows any room to become a meeting room It can be connected to smartphones, tablets or computers via Bluetooth and can also connect using USB Its rechargeable battery offers up to 15 hours of speaking time

www.beyerdynamic.com

12-inch and 15-inch Opera Unica speakers

ES1002

The Capture-KMC20 microphone

The Unite tour guide system

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YOUR PLATFORM TO PERFORM

Better safe than sorry

BASED ON a security system already adopted by many firms and organisations, the Shure Network Audio Encryption aims to better protect Shure products against breaches

The latest encryption by Shure seeks to safeguard confidential content without compromising audio quality The technology is based on the AES-256 algorithm that has been widely adopted by leading financial institutions, government agencies and healthcare providers where data breaches are a risk The company claims that it is the first time that security has been designated to protect networked audio signals

The encryption uses a userconfigured pass phrase on

each Shure device, of which the audio will only be heard with the correct pass phrase When the encryption is enabled, Dante

audio is encrypted before being sent over the network When it is received by another Shure device that supports this feature, it

MXL tackles the boardroom

MXL IS taking the company in a slightly different direction with its latest raft of releases Traditionally focusing its dynamic and condenser microphones on the recording market, the company now has its sights set on live performance applications with the Pop LSM-9 microphone, as well as moving into the boardroom with its new AC-360-Z 12-capsule boundary microphone Building on the design of the MXL AC-404, the boundary microphone is capable of full 360° capture within a 7 5m radius, meaning that it can pick up all participants sat around a large conferencing table when placed at its centre The USB mic is compatible with both Mac and PC devices without having to download any additional

drivers It also integrates with web conferencing codecs such as Skype, Google Hangouts, BlueJeans and Zoom

Away from hardware, MXL has

recently partnered with Broadcast Supply Warehouse and HDV Mixer on the development of an all-in-one solution for podcasters looking to add video to their livestream broadcasts The VRS (Visual Radio Station) bundles come in three tiers and include a broadcast mic, POV camera, USB Hub, audio interface and HDV Mixer software

The VRS Solo bundle features an MXL BCD-1 broadcast microphone and Marshall USB-powered highdefinition CV502-U3 POV camera as well as an MXL Mic Mate Pro XLR-to-USB adapter, a BCD-1 mic stand, an MXL USB Hub and 6m SoundRunner mic cable The VRS Duo bundle increases this setup to two MXL BCD-1 mics with stands and two Marshall CV502-U3 cameras for interview-

is decrypted and forwarded for IntelliMix processing or analogue conversion

It can be combined with other network security measures like device access control and network partitioning to create a multi-layered security solution Shure Network Audio Encryption is available with Microflex

Advance ceiling and table array microphones, the P300 Audio Conferencing Processor and selected audio network interfaces

The feature can be added to these products already installed in the field through a firmware upgrade

www.shure.com

style broadcasting Designed for field recording, the VRS Trio Lite bundle includes four MXL MM160 lavalier mics plus the MXL MM-4000 portable audio mixer and interface, as well as three Marshall CV502-U3s

Finally, the new, brightly coloured Pop LSM-9 microphone caught many wandering eyes when it was launched at the NAMM Show in January Available in four fluorescent colours – blue, magenta, yellow and green – the dynamic handheld mics have a super cardioid polar pattern that aims to deliver strong vocal presence while negating feedback, in addition to boasting low handling noise and a durable all-metal construction www.mxlmics.com

THE INCLUSION of Bilingual and Relay Modes by Williams Sound to its Digi-Wave DLT 300 digital transceiver now enables interpreters to switch the transmission channels at a quicker pace when floor language shifts

The introduction of the Bilingual Mode means interpreters – that hear the floor language in their headsets while simultaneously transmitting the interpreted language on a separate channel – can now react quicker, effectively eliminating the need to change gear, rewire or instruct the audience to change channels With regards to the Relay Mode inclusion, interpreters can now act as the relay language, meaning there is no longer a need for a console or a base station to offer relay capability www.williamssound.com

Digi-Wave

DLT 300

TOA toes the line on simplicity

TOA CORPORATION has expanded its line of 16-channel UHF wireless microphone systems by introducing the Trantec S4 10 in an effort to make multichannel wireless as simple as possible The new plug-and-play system replaces the Trantec S4 16 With a 5-year warranty, the Trantec S4 10 has a metal frame, simple interface and is described by the company as being able work within a multitude of applications It can be used for a wide range of microphones, or musical instruments, as a solution for amateur and semi-professional musicians and theatre performers

The S4 10 series works in the 500MHz band frequency and is available with the RXA receiver and the choice of dynamic handheld mic or lapel microphone with

beltpacks, both of which contain the IR Sync function, numerical LED display and have adjustable sensitivity The receiver uses diversity technology and phase-locklook quartz tuning, allowing the user to manually select from any of the available 16 channels, or search for an available frequency The system can operate with up to 16 selectable frequencies and up to 16 simultaneous channels (dependent on region) This feature allows for multiple connections A frequency scan function can be used to find the right channel while the manufacturer describes its IR Sync auto channel set up function as establishing the best channel connection

www.toa.jp

Audix takes Micros to the install market

AUDIX HAS called on its Micros hypercardioid condenser capsule for a pair of microphones targeted at the install market More commonly found in musical applications, Micros technology i manufacturer’s SCX ser

free operation, as well as a tail out or tail down cable exit to accommodate a variety of installation or mounting requirements

The second addition is the M65 desktop mic Aimed at education, conference rooms

M62 boundary microphone This combines the Micros capsule with a patent-pending internal shock-mount suspension system and is aimed at distance learning student tables, conference and huddle room applications The mic has been tailored for vocal clarity and designed with logic remote or local programmable on–off switching and dual colour LED status indicators It also has an off-set button for interference-

rigid tube construction, swivel mount which allows it to be laid horizontally when not in use, attached foam windscreen and black nickel-plating The manufacturer describes its ‘precision machined design’ as providing ‘a much quieter and smoother motion than conventional gooseneck microphones’

www.audixusa.com

The swivel mount allows the M65 to be stored flat

A-T hits the beat

AUDIO-TECHNICA IS aiming to meet DJ’s differing personal tastes with a variety of headphones and moving magnet phono cartridges While the style of each product will suit different techniques, they have all been created with specialist DJ requirements in mind Starting with the cartridges, both the AT-XP5 and AT-XP7 have been designed to be robust and reliable, with a 0 3mm x 0 7mm elliptical bonded stylus and a 2g to 4g tracking force

range Both cartridges feature a polyphenylene sulfide (PPS)/ glass fibre body for minimised vibrations, and a luminous tip coating to give maximum visibility of the stylus tip for accurate cuing Where they differ is the output level, with the AT-XP5 giving 5 5mV and the AT-XP7 giving 6 0mV

Moving on to the headphones, the manufacturer has also created DJ-specific on-ear and over-ear options Available in black or white, the ATH-PRO5X over-ear

d:sign-ing the boardroom

headphones have been equipped with 40mm drivers and offer 1,500mW maximum input power The headphones also feature rotating earpieces for one-ear monitoring and detachable locking cables The on-ear ATH-PRO7X, meanwhile, offers 45mm drivers and 2,000mW maximum input power Detachable locking cables are again included alongside what the manufacturer describes as ‘premium, soft, durable earpads’ Staying with headphones but

moving to the manufacturer’s professional monitor range, Audio-Technica has made a colourful addition to its M-Series line

The ATH-M50xBB is a limitededition blue/black version of the ATH-M50x While all the technical specifications are the same, the limited-edition version features metallic blue earcups and black accents for the trim, earpads and headband www.audio-technica.com

Mipro focuses on the musician

JUST AS DPA Microphones did previously with its d:facto, d:vote, d:screet, d:mension and d:dicate line-ups, the Danish manufacturer has bundled several

ons that are suitable nstalled and conference use nto the new d:sign Installation ies Decreed by the manufacturer as ‘combining sleek design with high-quality audio’, the products reportedly make a good choice for companies looking to create a functional yet aesthetically pleasing conference space The series includes tabletop, ceiling and floor-standing microphones, as well as a boundary layer mount

www.dpamicrophones.com

Halo Upmix gets an immersive update

THE LATEST updates to Nugen Audio’s Halo Upmix 3D Immersive Extension enable second- and third-order ambisonic output and support for AmbiX and FuMa formats The update also includes both 7 1 4 and 5 1 4 channel configurations to facilitate production in Auro-3D formats

Away from the immersive enhancements, the latest software release also improves centre channel extraction, which includes neural network-based dialogue extraction In this release, the dialogue isolation algorithm has been enhanced and improvements have been made to low-frequency handling In other news, Nugen has unveiled the AMB Dolby E Module for its Audio

Management Batch processor modular software By using AMB Loudness, DynApt or Upmix modules with the AMB Dolby E Module, postproduction facilities

can natively batch process

Dolby E files The module also provides full support for Dolby

Metadata and Dolby E Program

configurations and converts Dolby formats to linear PCM wave files

www.nugenaudio.com

MIPRO HAS released the MR-24 digital wireless pedal receiver, a product that is compatible with its ACT-2400 Series and that the manufacturer claims is ideal for musicians wanting an easy and quick setup for live stage applications, such as those common in house of worship scenarios

Performances by musicians are sometimes hampered by traditional wireless systems that have struggled to completely replace wired systems The new pedal receiver seeks to give performers more freedom as well as convenience in playing and adjusting their sound effects

The MR-24 is contained in a metal case and has a large graphic LCD screen and a builtin antenna – with a specific structure designed to prevent accidental breakage – as well as an ergonomic footswitch The performer only needs to plug an

MT-24 digital transmitter to the output jack of the instrument to replace the cable

Mipro also claims that the new design aims to eliminate outside interference and distortion The Proprietary 3D diversity technology and 64 ID settings are installed with the aim of avoiding interference from Wi-Fi and

2 4GHz communication products The true digital wireless system also prevents distortion caused by an analogue system, while the balanced output jack with ground lift switch for PA system connection is said to eliminate electrical noise

www.mipro.com.tw

Sennheiser caters to all budgets

ranges within the UHF band

its XS Wireless 1 series for customers with smaller budgets by introducing the new EM-XSW

1 Dual receiver to its line The German audio company has also unveiled the latest version of its Control Cockpit software which reportedly enables easier handling, maintenance and control of all wireless microphone solutions via web browsers on smartphones, tablets and laptops Starting with the EM-XSW

1 Dual, the 2-channel receiver is

two XSW 1 Dual sets that combine with two wireless microphones using either the e 825 or e 835 capsule It features automatic frequency management with onetouch synchronisation, antenna switching diversity and icon-based controls

Each receiver has up to 10 compatible, preset channels in eight frequency banks, and provides balanced XLR and unbalanced jack outputs The sets are available in various frequency

The new version of the Control Cockpit, meanwhile, offers control of SpeechLine Digital Wireless along with further microphone systems, which now includes the Digital 6000, Evolution Wireless G3 and the Evolution Wireless G4 series The update is available from the manufacturer’s website Meanwhile, a free update is also available for the Digital 6000 wireless microphone system’s EM 6000 receivers The update enables a command function that lets users set up a talkback channel with suitable transmitters Finally, the EM 6000 Dante has also been upgraded to now feature a secondary Dante port www.sennheiser.com

The AT-XP5

The d:sign family

Halo Upmix 3D Immersive Extension

Mipro’s MR-24

XS Wireless 1 Dual receiver

TotalMix goes totally remote

Prism Sound’s Lyra II

Prism Sound banishes errors and dropouts

PRISM SOUND has incorporated a new technology into its line of USB audio interfaces that it claims will make audio errors and dropouts a thing of the past The Verifile technology works by ‘a fragile steganographic’ process that embeds derivative data within the dither of the ADC, containing a rolling hash code that allows the audio data to be continuously checked Any incorrect samples, missing or repeated audio segments or any other audio errors in the resulting files can be detected, in an attempt to make the recorded file errorfree The technology is being made available free-of-charge for owners of Lyra, Titan and Atlas interfaces via a software and firmware download

Verifile is suitable for any linear PCM audio at sample rates from 44 1kHz to 192kHz and wordlengths from 16- to 32-bits Since the metadata is included within the audio stream that it verifies, files may contain any number of audio channels

As well as verifying computer ingestion during production, Verifile can also reportedly be used to guarantee uncorrupted delivery of audio content over any bittransparent delivery media, such as networks or dedicated digital communication links Verifile can also embed limited additional metadata into the audio stream, such as source, copyright details and timestamps

Dual-slot Thrust

including API’s patented Thrust functionality as well as its discrete op-amps and transformer technology

The 529 compressor has been designed to suit a wide range of applications, handling subtle adjustments to heavy compression effects The Thrust circuitry reportedly delivers a punchy low end, while a switch labelled Old/New allows users to select between classic and modern compression characteristics Choosing

Once the original audio has been ingested, the integrity of the recorded files can be checked by an offline software app or monitored in real time by Prism Sound interface controller apps, or in the manufacturer’s SADiE software during playback

In addition to Verifile, the manufacturer has also recently introduced ASIO Direct Monitoring (ADM) for Titan, Atlas and Lyra interfaces, as well as SADiE ADM allows mixers in the interface device to be controlled automatically from DAW software, enabling performer foldback with ‘near zero latency’ www.prismsound.com

DESIGNED WITH FOH engineers and recording studios in mind, RME’s latest app and update to TotalMix and TotalMix FX allows control over its monitoring and routing software via a network, Wi-Fi or even remotely from anywhere in the world

the interface is situated The app can mirror the exact state of the host system, including the entire display of the interface, the current input and output routing and all settings including level meters It is TCP based and is compatible with RME’s

API 529

THE 529 stereo compressor is the first dual-slot module in API’s 500 series It draws on the success of the manufacturer’s 2500 stereo bus compressor by including many of the same features and controls,

‘Old’ provides a vintage-style feedback compression, whereas ‘New’ mode delivers feedforward compression For gain, the Make Up button facilitates ratio and threshold adjustments without affecting the output level

www.apiaudio.com

Audient grows iD family

AUDIENT HAS expanded its iD series of desktop audio interfaces by adding the 20-in/24-out

The new app, TotalMix Remote, offers full network remote control for all TotalMix and TotalMix FX software It is available for every RME interface as well as for Mac, PC and iOS Engineers can use TotalMix Remote to control RME interfaces via tablet or a remote computer, from routing to submixes, by entering the IP address of the computer where

ARC USB, a USB-based remote control with a rotary wheel and 15 programmable illuminated buttons In order to make TotalMix Remote operational, RME’s TotalMix FX 1 50 free software update must be installed, this is available for Windows, Mac OS and iOS (iPad)

www.rme-audio.com

Cello playing interface tune

WITH 125dB dynamic range and operation of up to 384k, Cello is JoeCo’s first desktop audio interface

Cello is a 22-in/4-out USB 2 0 interface for Mac and PC, with an analogue front-end It has a tactile control surface, a selection of effects for Cello’s new preamp design and is compatible with Adaptive Conversion technology, which offers ADC and DAC filtering options, enabling users to tailor the performance of their Cello depending on their choice of sample rate and the source they are recording

Other Cello features include JoeCo’s Top+ algorithm, a builtin talkback microphone and onboard monitor controls At the front end, the two microphone inputs include discrete analogue mic preamps with 80dB

gain, Hi-pass filter, Pad, Phase Reverse – with two dedicated preamp-only channels – and mastering grade monitor outputs Insert points are incorporated in both mic channels for outboard

grow the i r stud i o by add i ng up to 16 extra channels of m i c pres as requ i red Channels 1 and 2 also feature two fully balanced nsert po i nts for i ntegrated outboard analogue l i ne level sources The manufacturer i s

equipment S/PDIF and 16 channels of ADAT Lightpipe input are provided for use with external preamps

www.joeco.co.uk

also prom i s i ng an upcom i ng W i ndows dr i vers update that w i ll prov i de ‘s i gn i f i cant’ performance enhancements, allow i ng for reduced buffer s i zes and operat i on at lower latency

www.audient.com

The JoeCo Cello

J8 EVOX J8

ACTIVE TWO-WAY PORTABLE ARRAY

BE AMAZED!

The RCF J8 features a line source satellite module with eight 2” full-range drivers paired with a high-powered 12” woofer in a bass reflex enclosure. All powered by on-board 1400W Class-D amplification. The EVOX J Series maintains a similar footprint to the original EVOX systems, now in a portable composite enclosure. The system offers stunning sound performance with crystal-clear vocal reproduction and unparalleled musical response. Also available in white.

• 128 dB Max SPL

• 1400 Watt 2-way peak power

• DSP Processing with FiRPHASE

• 12” woofer, high power 2.5” voice coil

• 8 x 2” ultra compact fullrange 1.0” voice coil

Dynacord goes permanently big with IPX More options added to Armonía

FOLLOWING THE release of Dynacord’s C Series amplifiers, the German manufacturer is bringing the same technology to mid- and large-sized permanent installations with its new IPX series of multichannel amplifiers that incorporate Omneo IP networking architecture

Designed for fixed install use in venues from concert halls, art centres, theatres and houses of worship to distributed sound systems in stadia and entertainment centres, the series comprises three 4-channel models and one 8-channel model, offering a stated power density of 5kW, 10kW or 20kW from a single amplifier with all channels driven: IPX5:4 (4x1,250W at 4 ), IPX10:8 (8x1,250W @ 4 ), IPX10:4 (4x2,500W @ 4 ) and

IPX20:4 (4x5,000W @ 4 ) This is a result of several power drive options utilising Dynacord’s patented VLD (Variable Load

Drive) technology as well as newly developed parallel and bridged parallel operation modes VLD technology (IPX5:4 and IPX10:8) allows the available output power of 1,250W per channel to be used at either 4 or 8 , or via 70V or 100V lines in direct drive mode Additionally, the IPX series offers 96kHz digital signal processing for

internal analogueto-digital conversion with what the manufacturer describes as ‘ultra-low latency and a superior signal-to-noise The three DSP blocks nto user, array and speaker processing controls,

THE LATEST version of Powersoft’s Armonía Pro Audio Suite has added a raft of new features and support for its latest products to help set up and manage complex audio systems

new bridge mode support on X Series, Ottocanali DSP+D, Quattrocanali DSP+D and Duecanali DSP+D models and new phase representation on raised cosine EQs

each featuring a range of equalisation, delay, level options and asymmetric filters to adapt to different applications Complete remote control and supervision is available via the IRIS-Net software

The manufacturer also promises high energy savings thanks to the units’ Eco Rail mode, which helps to reduce power consumption by up to 50%

www.dynacord.com

These include: increasing the FIR length up to 2,048 taps in every EQ on X Series, Ottocanali DSP+D, Quattrocanali DSP+D and Duecanali DSP+D amps, improvements in interactive tuning and advanced groups,

Powersoft has also released version 1 4 of its Armonía ProManager software introducing support for its IpalMod seies and M-Drive

www.powersoft-audio.com

Work Pro adds Bluetooth control

A PAIR of Work Pro installation products have become the first from the manufacturer to offer app-based control via Bluetooth

The Spanish manufacturer’s PA 100 MX installation amplifier and MD 82 AX automixer have both been updated to include the technology

The PA 100 MX is a half-rack, 3-input 100W installation amplifier with two line inputs and one mic input, a built-in feedback destroyer and a switchable low-impedance (4/8 ) or 70/100V output As well as adding Bluetooth control, the new PA 200 MX doubles the power output of the PA 100 MX to 200W while offering all of the features of the original The MD 82 AX MkII also retains all the functions of the original auto-mixer (auto-mixing with a selectable target level and switchable phantom power for up to eight mic channels with full bass, mid and treble EQ, a 4-level automatic feedback destroyer funct

and high-pass filtering) but with all of these features now additionally accessible and controllable via Bluetooth

The Bluetooth control is via an app for iOS or Android devices and adds to the existing RJ-45-based network control

The user interface controls all the major features on the PA 200 MX including mic nput gain, the settings on the feedback destroyer, and output gain and those of the MD 82 AX MkII Presets for two complete system configurations on the amplifier and three for the auto-mixer can be stored via the app and recalled remotely when required www.workproaudio.com

Travelling long distances this Sommer

TARGETING LIVE entertainment and installation applications, Sommer Cable has launched new AOC cables for the longdistance transmission of A/V s via HDMI 2 0a and DisplayPort

1 4 Both are glass fibre lined, designed to be robust and feature the required electronics already built into the connector shell, negat need for a separate power supply

The HDMI 2 0a version, available in lengths of up to 100m, reportedly achieves 18Gbit/s of bandwidth and the DisplayPort 1 4 variant, which can reach 50m, is said to be capable of 25Gbit/s Supporting feeds of a 4K resolution at 60Hz with a 4:4:4 scan or HDR 10, the AOC cables also adhere to standards such as HDCP 2 2 copy protection

New VHD2.18J

Subwoofer

Housing two 18” high performance transducers the VHD2.18J is a direct radiating bass-reflex subwoofer. The VHD2.18J’s optimised, high efficiency, bass-reflex design produces considerably more output than other similar double 18” enclosures and features intuitive integrated flyware that allows for fast rigging of multiple cabinets.

1/4 PAGE UPRIGHT

Johannes Krämer works with many of the worlds leading artists, promoters and events. When he visited KV2 Audio he was looking for something special in a sub. After discussions with Chief Engineer, George Krampera the VHD2.18J was born.

1/2 PAGE vert

ts SysBoxx on

developed for use as both a dado duct and as a media connectivity column With its integrated connection setup, SysTrunk allows duct units to be joined lengthwise in a form-fit and friction-locked configuration

www.sommercable.com

1/4 PAGE UPRIGHT

George Krampera Chief Engineer, KV2 Audio Johannes Krämer Sound Engineer, Richie Hawtin

Audac expands WaveDynamics coverage

AUDAC HAS added the WaveDynamics technology it created for its SMA and SMQ amplifiers to a pair of new releases The technology itself allows users to set digital audio filters, limiters and time alignment delays as well as a range of other settings, straight from the amplifier

The first series to benefit from the technology is the PMQ line of 100V amps The PMQ family comprises three different 4-channel configurations that are available in output powers of 240W, 480W and 600W for each channel Settings can be altered via the front panel 2 5-inch display or loaded from a USB The Class-D amplifiers also feature an RS-232 connector as well as the ability for optional Dante expansion

WaveDynamics has also been added to the Belgian manufacturer’s System Manager software Through the WaveDynamics configurator, users can see a graphical visualisation of all the added digital audio filters and crossovers All audio configurations can now be made in the System Manager and exported to a USB drive for loading in a desired amplifier or speaker set

Away from WaveDynamics, the manufacturer has unveiled a string of new products across its catalogue Starting with amplification, the COM108 is a public address mixing amplifier aimed at small- and medium-sized audio systems in commercial installations The Class-D amplifier delivers an output power of 80W to constant voltage (100V and

stereo design with a total of 10 inputs reportedly allows connection for any type of audio source such as microphones, Bluetooth devices or line-level audio sources

Channels 1 up to 8 are balanced inputs, allowing the connection of microphones or line-level audio

launched the Cena, Cira and Cali lines of ceiling speakers Cena offers a single cone 4 5-inch and 6 5-inch model; Cira differentiates itself with the manufacturer’s TwistBlend patented lock system for installer convenience; while Cali features a metal protection

WaveDynamics configurator

70V) or low impedance (4 ) audio systems It offers the bare essential controls on the front panel, as well as a stereo mini-jack with a built-in automatic switch This provides an audio source swap between the RCA in the back and the jack in front, as soon as the jack receives input The use of high-quality condenser microphones for announcements is made possible through the 15V phantom power supply A priority switch can override the background music when enabled Targeting applications with a large number of microphones or where other mono-balanced audio inputs need to be mixed in two or four output zones is the PRE2xx series of preamps The multi-functional

sources with the ability of enabling 48V phantom power to each input They feature 3-band tone control and talk-over for priority announcements The other two inputs are unbalanced stereo line inputs An integrated Bluetooth receiver and a front panel 3 5mm jack offer wired and wireless connectivity The front panel includes a master volume control with 2-band tone control and LED VU bar for each output Each input section is accommodated with input mixing dials and output selection switches A priority mute for each zone output suppresses all (nonpriority) music sources At the other end of the signal chain, the manufacturer has

dome that Audac states will protect against possible debris and enhance the speakers’ sound quality Finally, the manufacturer has also introduced a professional 2 1 soundbar dubbed IMEO1 to target classrooms, presentation rooms or meeting rooms www.audac.eu

Ecler sets its priorities Adapting to Dante

PRIORITY MESSAGE

management is the theme with three additions to Ecler’s Essentials family The Spanish manufacturer has unveiled a pair of Dante interface amplifiers as well as a digital matrix that all have this functionality at their core

Starting with the Dante interface amplifiers, the eCA120DN is a dual 60W RMS at 4 Class-D stereo compact amplifier, while the eCA120HZDN is a 120W RMS at 100V Class-D mono compact amplifier for high impedance lines Much of the core feature set is the same for both products Both offer two analogue audio inputs and a pair of Dante audio inputs, both with selectable priority function (over the other input signal) as well as an auxiliary audio output, auto

stand-by function (selectable), front panel gain trimmers, a master volume control knob and fanless design Both also offer an RJ-45 remote control volume port that is compatible with Ecler’s WPm wall-panel control series

Meanwhile, the eMIMO1616 is a digital audio matrix with 16 input and 16 output analogue channels

The inputs are four for mic/mono line, four channels for ST line and

eight for mono line received on the unit’s remote ports

The 16 output channels can be set up individually for mono zones or in pairs for stereo zones The eight remote ports are for connecting and monitoring wall panels as well as sending aud from the zones There are also a pair of ports for connecting pager consoles and two audio signal priority levels for talkover/pager Programming can be done v the integrated web server usi standard web navigator, without the need to install additional software Remote control for the user can be achieved with the eMIMO pilot application for Android and iOS devices

www.ecler.com

AUDINATE HAS entered the hardware market with a family of endpoint adaptors to connect analogue equipment onto a Dante network The Dante AVIO series features six members including line-in and

a Dante audio network, while the analogue output adapters can drive amplifiers, powered speakers or recorders

device The analogue adapters are available as dedicated inputs or outputs with one or two channels of audio Analogue input adapters allow equipment such as mixers, mic preamps and stage DIs to connect to

Aimed at presentations and conference rooms, the USB adapter connects any computer audio application Meanwhile, the AES3 adapter provides stereo input and output for AES3-connected DSPs, mixers, compressors and preamps

www.audinate.com

The PMQ amplifiersThe PRE240

Cali, Cena and Cira

Ecler’s eCA120DN

The eCA120HZDN

The Dante AVIO 2-channel analogue input adapter

QSC Reflects on Q-Sys Sonifex talks back again

QSC HAS expanded the control capabilities for its Q-Sys Platform ecosystem by introducing Q-Sys Reflect, which offers new monitoring and management technology, software feature licensing, drag-and-drop visual programming and native touchscreen controllers

116w-G2 (203mm touchscreen with 1920x1080 resolution)

The TSC-G2 Series touchscreen controllers operate without dedicated control hardware and can be programmed to trigger actions on any native Q-Sys device or third-party devices connected to the Q-Sys system

SONIFEX HAS added to its AVN range of talkback intercoms with the AVN-TB6 6-station talkback intercom and the AVN-TB20AR 20-station rackmount intercom

The AVN series is designed for simple setup and configuration via a web browser by using AES67 AoIP natively to connect devices together over a standard Ethernet network

Possessing a smaller button count, the AVN-TB6 is built for use with smaller talkback systems or applications with reduced communications needs

It is available in two versions: the freestanding version, AVNTB6, which can be rackmounted with the optional AVN-TB6RK rack plates, and the AVN-TB6D,

Q-Sys Reflect will launch with two different versions and is seen by QSC as a ‘fundamental need’ for IT and A/V systems administrators to easily monitor and manage their systems

Q-Sys Reflect Core Manager runs natively on the Q-Sys Core processor and provides a more modern and secure interface for common, IT-related tasks on the Q-Sys hardware Q-Sys Reflect Enterprise Manager extends that web platform to the cloud and provides a hosted solution to monitor and manage multiple Q-Sys systems including Core processors and peripherals QSC will initially offer Q-Sys

Reflect Enterprise Manager as a hosted cloud-based solution before switching to an onpremises version as well as a robust API – which will allow users to connect and integrate Q-Sys

Reflect with other enterprise management applications and dashboards as desired – in future product details and feature updates

Meanwhile, QSC has introduced four new TSC-G2 Series touchscreen controllers: TSC47w-G1 (119mm touchscreen with 960x540 resolution), TSC55w-G2 (127mm touchscreen with 1280x720 resolution), TSC80w-G2 (203mm touchscreen with 1280x800 resolution) and TSC-

Elsewhere, QSC has also unveiled the ultra-compact KS112 powered subwoofer, the second model in the KS subwoofer series and newest K family member It is compatible with a variety of installation and entertainment applications where high-output, low-frequency extension is needed from an ultra-compact and portable package

The KS112 features a single

12-inch transducer in a sixth order bandpass premium birch cabinet

Onboard DSP provides variable crossover, delay and savable/ recallable scenes for commonly used applications, while advanced thermal and excursion processing further optimises system

performance

In other news, QSC has added Visionary Solutions to the QSC Strategic Partnership Program with native control and audio integration options for the Q-Sys

Platform The integration for Visionary Solutions PacketAV

Matrix Products includes a video control plug-in as well as options for audio integration via native AES67, Dante or Q-Sys Media Stream Receivers Q-Sys will also provide audio integration for Visionary Solutions’ AVN4XX

Series H 264 encoders via the Q-Sys Media Stream Receiver

www.qsc.com

a desktop version in a smaller form factor with a sloped front

Both the AVN-TB6 and AVN-TB6D feature mic and headset inputs, +48V phantom power for the mic input, headphone and speaker outputs with volume control and loudspeaker mute and mic mute buttons Communication is possible as a Talk action, a Listen

Redesigning DIO

TM STAGETEC systems has released an updated version of its DIO (Dante Input/Output) audio format converter with a new design and new features, including full compatibility with Dante Domain Manager

In addition, the redesigned DIO offers selectable channels per flow for low bandwidth links, additional DSP Mute, Dim and Vox parameters and priorities, and new serial tunnelling features along with an updated web design It includes a 2-port Ethernet switch

(one 1Gb copper and an SFP cage) and incorporates Dante audio Power can be delivered via PoE (power over Ethernet) or via an external PSU, and both sources provide redundancy

action or a duplex Talk/Listen action to or from each station Coloured LEDs within the buttons highlight which action is being performed

There are also two versions of the AVN-TB20AR: the AVN-TB20AR (rackmount) and AVN-TB20AD (desktop) Sharing the same feature set as the AVN-TB6, they have more station buttons allowing greater communication for larger facilities as well as a Phone button for remote dialling and control of external telephone hybrids and a GPIO button for triggering remote functions

www.sonifex.co.uk

As far as I/O goes, an AES input and output are included, as is a mic input, line input and line output A headphone output with external volume control is also ncluded, while an IP66 version of DIO is also available, allowing integration of analogue, AES and 100/70V systems outdoors A pair of general-purpose input/output (GPIO) pins are also present on the device

www.tm-systems.com.au

IC audio draws inspiration from LEDs

fixtures The new 6W DL-SE vo i ce alarm loudspeakers are EN54-24 cert i fied and ava i lable w i th e i ther a 130mm or 165mm full-range speaker Also jo i n i ng

GERMAN EN54 spec i al i st, IC Aud i o, has released a new frameless des i gn ce i l i ng speaker that i t descr i bes as be i ng i nsp i red by the look of contemporary LED l i ght i ng

the pa i r i s a square vers i on that i t says prov i des the same ‘clear and balanced’ sound as the 130mm round speaker All models offer a 100V transformer w i th three power tapp i ngs, wh i le a sturdy metal hous i ng i n RAL 9016 i s sa i d to prov i de res i stance and stab i l i ty Installat i on and fix i ng i s v i a WAGO221 connectors and strong spr i ng clamps w i th protect i ve caps for v i brat i on damp i ng The connect i ng cables can also be suppl i ed w i th rubber grommets i n the fire dome www.ic-audio.com

AVN-TB6

The 165mm DL-SE 06-165TEN54 The square DL-SQ 06-130T-EN54

Visionary Solutions’ plug-in for Q-Sys Designer

Biamp has the room covered

BIAMP HAS extended its Tesira platform with a series of beamtracking ceiling microphones and a power over Ethernet (PoE+) conferencing amplifier

The microphones include three 120° zones to provide 360° room coverage, and identify and lock to a signal source, even if the person speaking is moving around The Tesira TCM-1 is an AVB ceiling microphone comprised of a pendant microphone and a plenum box with an additional RJ-45 connector for daisy-chain connections The Tesira TCM-1A is an AVB ceiling microphone and PoE+ amplifier comprised of a pendant microphone

A FIRMWARE update for DirectOut Technologies’ Montone 42 format converter means it now offers support for the SMPTE standard ST 2022-7 (stream redundancy) The German manufacturer is reportedly one of the first manufacturers to implement ST 2022-7, which describes seamless protection switching between two RTP audio streams ‘With the growing proliferation of IP-based production systems in the broadcast industry, our customers’ demand for redundancy concepts is also increasing,’ said Claudio BeckerFoss, network audio specialist at DirectOut ‘We are pleased to be able to offer ST 2022-7 in Montone 42 at such an early stage The first projects planned to incorporate this standard are now being implemented and existing

installations benefit from this update as well ’ Montone 42 is an AES67-compliant converter that bridges MADI (AES10) and Ravenna audio over IP technology The manufacturer believes that supporting ST 2022-7 will provide an increase in transmission security for audio signals in IP networks Additionally, the two network interfaces – which are now independently configurable –offer the possibility of operating audio streaming and device control in separate networks

www.directout.eu

and a plenum box The 2-channel PoE+ amplifier includes an internal limiter, selectable power and a burst mode to handle peak signals

Tesira TCM-1EX is an expansion AVB ceiling microphone for use as a second or third microphone

in conjunction with the TCM-1 or TCM-1A; it cannot operate as a standalone device The Tesira AMP-450P is a 4-channel PoE+ conferencing amplifier that includes an internal limiter and is reportedly capable of providing 3W of continuous power to all four channels and operating in a burst mode to handle peak signals, providing up to 50W (4 ) or 30W (8 ) per channel The output channels are also software configurable The amp is suitable for use in air-handling spaces and is configurable via Tesira software www.biamp.com

Bosch in expanded IP drive

BOSCH HAS expanded its IP networks for Dicentis conference and PA/VA systems by introducing Dicentis Interpreter and Praesensa

The interpreter desk, which is part of the Dicentis Conference System, has been optimised for the real-life needs of interpreters and features tactile buttons and knobs that provide control and facilitates operation without even looking at the desk The interpreter can better observe non-verbal communication of the speakers and has also been specifically tested and optimised for visually impaired interpreters Interpreter also separates the incoming and outgoing languages

Dicentis Interpreter

to be added, so the interpreter can see the participant speaking or the participant’s presentation The desk complies with the ISO 20109 standard

in two vertically aligned columns supported by a screen Three assignable buttons provide the interpreter with short-key functions for quick access to supporting functions’ The HDMI output enables an external video screen

The Praesensa is the latest PA/VA system from Bosch and is networked with the aim of ensuring high flexibility and scalability from small centralised to large decentralised systems The Bosch Omneo IP architecture supports Dante audio networking, AES67 and AES70 protocols Bosch also states that Praesensa improves the effective utilisation of available power

www.bosch.com

Attero Tech climbs the wall

ATTERO TECH has unveiled a collection of AES67 networked audio wall plates Described as a cost-effective way of adding up to six channels of AES67 audio to an existing AES67-based networked audio system, the unA6IO is a 4-in/2-out interface that provides two XLR inputs with switchable mic/line gain, switchable phantom power on the inputs and a choice of unbalanced inputs (RCA or 3 5mm stereo jack) The interface incorporates one 3 5mm output and two balanced outputs

Chief makes an Impact

CHIEF HAS unveiled its Impact

On-Wall Kiosk The depth can be adjusted to allow for a variety of display sizes, while the reversible hinges reportedly help avoid installation and service obstructions When open, the display remains mounted to the frame to provide users access for service and maintenance

The unAX4I incorporates four balanced mic/line XLR inputs and two balanced line outputs on an in-wall Phoenix connector

Meanwhile, the unAX2IO+ is a 2-in/2-out interface that provides an additional two balanced line inputs on the side of the unit for use with a companion unAX2I passive expansion plate

Optimised for BYOD applications, the UNA6IO-BT is a 4x2 multi I/O with an integrated Bluetooth audio receiver The interface also includes one unbalanced line level

Chief is also continuing its focus on digital signage solutions with the TiLED Series, a modular LED mounting system designed to support creative videowall configurations The system can support one, two or three LED displays that connect together to form a seamless videowall Built for the Samsung IF Series, an integrated plumb adjustment reportedly keeps everything flat, while offset mounting slots are said to protect the LEDs from friction Lastly, Chief’s line of heightadjustable display mounts is expanding to include electric solutions The anti-collision technology can halt and then reverse motion

www.milestone.com/products/chief

output and one front-mounted 3 5mm TRS stereo unbalanced line level output Finally, the unAIO2x2+ is a 2-in/2-out interface with 3-pin depluggable audio inputs and outputs, switchable mic/line gain and switchable 48V phantom power on the inputs

www.atterotech.com

• Up to 10 beltpacks per antenna

• 100 antenna, 100 beltpack system capacity

• Best-in-class voice clarity

• “Touch&Go” beltpack registration

• 6-channel beltpack plus dedicated REPLY button

• Built-in microphone and speaker for Walkie-Talkie mode

• Smartphone integration via Bluetooth

• Ergonomic, robust beltpack design

• Sunlight-readable display with Gorilla Glass™

• Decentralized AES67 IP networked antennas

• Seamless integration into RIEDEL‘S ARTIST intercom matrix

unAX2IO+

Attero Tech’s AES67 wall plates

Chief’s Impact Kiosk

Blackmagic tops up live broadcast lines

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN has added products throughout the signal chain with a new switcher and control panel for its Atem series as well as a new high-end professional broadcast camera for its Ursa line Also introduced are new camera and studio fibre converters for live production events

Blackmagic Design’s latest switcher is the Atem 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K with 20 inputs, four M/Es and 16 next-

generation Advanced Chroma Keyers It also features two Ultra HD multiviewers, full 2D DVE, built-in SuperSource compositing engines with four picture-inpicture DVEs as well as full re-synchronisation on each input A free software upgrade that adds all of the same new features to the previous 2 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K model is also available

The Atem 1 M/E Advanced Panel includes amongst its features

the latest broadcast technology, buttons, knobs, T-Bar fader and joystick and a built-in LCD It has been designed to give Atem users control over their live production switcher when producing complex live television programmes with multiple cameras and sources The unit fits in a standard equipment rack, making it suitable for use in fly-away kits, outside broadcast trucks and at live events with limited space

Seamless switching from Analog Way

FOLLOWING THE acquisition of Picturall, Analog Way has introduced a range of media servers based on the Picturall Linux software engine With resolutions up to 8K, uncompressed playback and the ability to drive a large number of 4K@60 projectors or LED processors from a single server unit, the Picturall series has been designed for corporate events, live shows, high-end theatre productions or largescale digital signage projects

The models include the Picturall

Uncompressed, Pro LE, Pro, Twin and Quad

The manufacturer has also unveiled its Ascender 48 – 4K –PL, described as a high-end 4K seamless switcher designed for staging and systems integration Forming part of Analog Way’s LiveCore series, the switcher features 4K live processing, seamless switching on all layers and a web-based user interface

It has 12 inputs, four outputs and one multiviewer, 48 scalers and six

true-seamless scaled layers, plus a native background layer per output

Analog Way has also added HDBaseT support to its

QuickMatriX – H, Pulse2 – H, SmartMatriX2 – H and Saphyr – H switchers that form part of the manufacturer’s Midra series The models offer up to 10 seamless inputs, including two or four HDBaseT inputs supporting video, embedded audio and

Ethernet passthrough The first two HDBaseT inputs also support PoE+ The switchers also include two outputs with mirrored HDMI and HDBaseT connectors Other features include real-time, ultra-low latency image processing, true seamless switching, advanced audio management and a drag-anddrop GUI

www.analogway.com

Calibration and visualisation take centre stage

THE R15 software release from disguise has camerabased calibration and a new visualisation renderer as its key features OmniCal is the camera-based projector calibration engine Using a network of either iPod Touch or wired Ethernet machine vision

cameras, the engine captures a point cloud of the stage, calibrates projectors to what the manufacturer describes as ‘sub-pixel accuracy’ and conforms pre-existing surface meshes to match reality

The visualisation renderer, meanwhile, has been named

Lux The manufacturer states that this ‘offers a more accurate simulation of light levels, camera exposure and occlusion than ever before’ VR support for the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift platforms is also included as part of Lux

www.disguise.one

Blackmagic’s Ursa Broadcast is its latest high-end, professional broadcast camera designed for both studio programming and live production Ursa Broadcast works with existing B4 broadcast HD lenses, can be used for both HD and Ultra HD production, features a 4K sensor, extended video dynamic range, traditional external controls and buttons, built-in optical ND filters, dual CFast and dual SD card recorders

A new Apex

THE APEX 0 9mm LED videowall is the latest addition to Christie’s Velvet Apex Series, facilitating resolution scaling in a smaller square-metre area while reducing the optimum and minimum viewing distances This allows the intended audience to see content clearly at a closer distance

The Apex 0 9mm model is configured to a 16:9 aspect ratio and possesses a remote and redundant power supply It is front serviceable, allowing engineers to fix or maintain the videowall without having to take it down to access the rear Christie also states that the system offers advanced monitoring capability via SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol)

In addition, Christie has launched the Velvet CorePlus LED range of videowalls as a ‘value-priced’ solution Available in pixel pitches from 1 2mm to 4 0mm, the single

The company has also introduced the Camera Fiber Converter and Studio Fiber Converter to try and solve all issues connected with running multiple cables – within long and short distances – at live productions It can convert all essential connections for video, audio, power, talkback and tally into a single SMPTE hybrid electrical and fibre optic cable

www.blackmagicdesign.com

architecture scales to popular resolutions up to 4K and they are customisable with myriad remote and onboard options Velvet CorePlus LED systems can also be installed and serviced from either the front or back

In other news, Christie’s Boxer 3DLP projector has become the first projector to deliver a direct interface with a SDVoE system over a 10G Ethernet ‘Christie Boxer is the first projector that integrates directly to an Ethernet network to accept real-time, 4K/60 A/V content and control using SDVoE,’ said Curtis Lingard, senior product manager at Christie ‘The input board supports onboard processing and eliminates the need to purchase an external SDVoE receiver, and install, wire and power it locally to the projector ’ www.christiedigital.com

The Ascender 48

The Atem 4 M/E Broadcast Studio 4K

BMD’s Atem 1 M/E Advanced Panel

Blackmagic’s Ursa Broadcast

Round the bend

THE TG4 from Telemetrics is the latest member of the TeleGlide family of camera track systems that has been designed for applications that require a curved track The TG4 features a streamlined trolley and track said to minimise space

The OverDrive-Graphite Workflow Automation Production Solution Bundle

LOOKING TO offer more accessible workflow automations for productions, Ross Video has introduced the OverDrive-Graphite Workflow Automation Production Solution Bundle and Ultrix-Fr5

The solution bundle combines OverDrive Express with Ross’ Graphite integrated production vehicle and is described as being ideal for smaller productions looking to cost-effectively improve production values OverDrive is a broadcast industry production automation solution with the 2016 version, OverDrive Express, developed with smaller productions in mind Graphite combines a real Carbonite production switcher with XPression graphics, two channels

of clip server and a brand new 28-channel Rave audio engine The Carbonite switcher functions are built on a separate PCIe card and are directly powered by the system

‘The bundle offers more functionality for the price than any competing solution, and that helps to make customers’ lives easier on both a technical and a commercial level,’ commented Ross Video marketing product manager for control and automation, Mike

Paquin

Meanwhile, Ultrix-FR5 is a 5U 144x144 version of the A/V processing platform that, according to the manufacturer, can replace up to five full racks of traditional equipment It is software

upgradeable so customers can add additional features without having to purchase any additional hardware Ross Video claims that the first two versions of Ultrix were extremely disruptive products which, in turn, prompted it to respond with a larger product featuring a new 5U version The latest version has additional features such as 3,000x3,000 audio routing and processing fabric that includes audio embedding/ de-embedding, MADI support and clean/quiet switching on every output as standard Also available are 24 MultiViewers, 12G support and Input FrameSyncs as software licences

www.rossvideo.com

HDMI switching from Atlona

DESIGNED FOR HDBaseT A/V

installations, Atlona’s HDVS210H-TX-WP wall plate switcher features two HDMI inputs and combines 2x1 auto-switching, integrated display control and HDBaseT signal transmission The HDVS-210H-TX-WP supports video up to 4K/UHD at 60Hz with 4:2:0 chroma subsampling or 30Hz with 4:4:4 subsampling, and is HDCP 2 2 compliant for compatibility with protected content

Automatic input selection and display control provide switching between the unit’s two inputs as well as powering up compatible displays when a presentation device is connected

Input switching, audio volume and display power can also be controlled via RS-232 or TCP/ IP commands The switcher can transmit video, embedded audio, power and control signals up to 100m, with power supplied remotely by the receiver via PoE

The HDVS-210H-TX-WP pairs with the UHD-EX-100CE-RX-PSE receiver, HDVS series of receivers and scalers, and HDBaseTequipped switchers such as the CLSO Series

Meanwhile, the HDVS-SC-RX is the manufacturer’s first HDBaseT receiver to incorporate its

CrystalScale Technology (ACT)

The HDVS-SC-RX has many of the features from its 1080p-only predecessor, the HDVS-200RX, including image adjustment capability, audio de-embedding and the ability to match incoming signals to the display’s native resolution ACT is a core signal processing engine that reportedly optimises image quality and switching performance It supports mirror/flip and 90° image rotation, motion-adaptive video de-interlacing, 3:2 pulldown, aspect ratio control and internal test pattern generation The receiver also has a second HDMI input, allowing additional content from a local computer or wireless base

www.atlona.com

SONY’S SONIC Surf VR is described as a suite of audio technology combined with newly designed multichannel speakers and specially developed software that enables creators to simulate popping, moving and partitioning sounds in one space via a software application This results in an interactive space where sounds appear to move around by themselves, says Sony Sonic Surf VR is intended for applications such as theme

the system can be configured in straight, C-, S- or L-shaped tracks The TG4 is compatible with all Telemetrics pan/tilt heads, extendable camera mounts, telescoping camera mounts and control systems

Sonic Surf VR

parks, special events, exhibitions, museums, aquariums and corporate showrooms with digital signage The manufacturer states that ‘Sonic Surf VR is the industry’s first packaged solution offering a new type of VR from an audio perspective, enabling multiple numbers of people to enjoy simultaneously without headphones’ The solution is scalable, depending on the size of a project, and software licences will

be available in various durations to enable flexible operations

On the visual side, Sony has released the ZRCT-200 controller with HDMI and DisplayPort interfaces that support HDR signals This is complemented by the introduction of a new Colour Management solution that is able to reproduce the same colour among high-grade displays, reducing the time required to adjust colour settings across multiple display devices

Sony has also been busy with the launch of five new projectors: the VPL-FHZ120L, VPL-FHZ90L, VPLFHZ66, VPL-FHZ61 and VPL-FHZ58

At 12,000 lumens, the VPL-FHZ120L is Sony’s highest brightness installation projector and is intended for use in large venues The rest are aimed at mid-sized classroom applications

pro.sony.com

HDVS-210H-TX-WP HDVS-SC-RX

Customising the matrix

WYRESTORM IS describing its H2XC series as the ‘only multi-I/O audiovisual matrix device capable of delivering full-bandwidth 18Gbps HDMI content over both copper and optical transmission mediums whilst handling up to 48 discrete audio source devices to 16 DSPmanaged audio zones’

Based on the H2X, the H2XC is said to offer more options for the distribution of multi-source 4K UHD with HDR and legacy video formats, as well as multisource audio matrix switching to multiple zones The H2XC features a choice of a 10- or 16-way H2X chassis populated by a custom selection of six multi-format transmission cards

It includes the manufacturer’s SmartEDID technology to remove conflicts when combining 1080p and 4K screens within the same installation

In addition to this, it has an integrated audio matrix with DSP capable of routing up to three separate audio signals per transmission card (depending on card model), including ARC, HDMI de-embed from video and separate line-level, audio-only sources In

terms of the cards, the TX-H2XHDMI offers 4K HDR with multiple audio options to 70m or 1080p to 140m Connectivity includes HDMI in, HDBaseT Class-A and mirrored HDMI out, S/PDIF audio in, S/PDIF and analogue stereo audio out and IR to zone for source control

The TX-H2X-HDBT card offers the same connectivity, swapping the HDMI input for a Class-A HDBaseT input The TX-H2X-VDZ offers HDBaseT in, HDBaseT and mirrored HDMI out and IR to zone, while the TX-H2X-ADZ features HDMI in and out alongside S/PDIF audio in, S/PDIF and analogue stereo audio out The final two, TX-H2X-VLC and TX-H2X-OM3, support 18Gbps transmissions of 2160p 60Hz 4:4:4 and 2160p

60Hz 4:2:2 with 12-bit HDR The

TX-H2X-VLC features HDBaseT Class-A transmission to 70m while the TX-H2X-OM3 instead offers transmission over multi-mode fibre up to 300m Both cards also include HDMI in, mirrored HDMI out, S/PDIF audio in, S/PDIF and analogue stereo audio out and IR to zone

In related news, the manufacturer has also updated

Cool white light

its extender line The EX-35-H2 and EX-35-H2-ARC extender models support 18Gbps HDMI for 4K UHD 60Hz 4:4:4 or 4K

UHD 60Hz 4:2:2 with 12-bit

HDR over Class-B HDBaseT to 35m or 1080p to 70m The EX-35-H2-ARC also adds audio return functionality Version two of WyreStorm’s EX-70-H2X

HDBaseT 5Play extender adds

HDMI source loop out to cascade transmissions up to three times to compatible HDBaseT and NetworkHD A/V over IP devices

Finally, the EXF-300-H2 HDMI over fibre extender supports 18Gbps

HDMI

UHD

THEATRES, CHURCHES and other mid-sized venues are the target audience for Chauvet’s Ovation SP-300CW, a follow spot powered by a 260W, 5,500K cool white LED engine that offers a 10° to 20° zoom The light features a fully closeable iris to allow more ng control, onboard ng, manual sliders for zoom and a focus that optimises ght for throw distances of

The 6-slot manual boomerang ght source allows users to add gels for quick colour

The 2,300Hz PWM frequency reportedly results in on for video le the light nance rating from 7,330 to 17,296 lux at 5m ng on the zoom angle www.chauvetprofessional.com

H2XC series modular matrix switcher

ETC takes control

ETC HAS added three control systems to its stable of architectural lighting solutions

First, the company has upgraded its Unison Paradigm control system to version 4 0 Unison Paradigm fuses advances in architectural lighting control with entertainment lighting control technology Described as a green-minded energy management system, Unison Paradigm reportedly capitalises on daylight harvesting, occupancy sensing and time schedules for ‘maximum electricity and budget savings’ Version 4 0

A classic goes LED

features energy management monitoring and display, colour control support for conversion to RGBA and RGBW, and Paradigm Inspire support in LightDesigner

Second, Unison Echo is said

FIILEX HAS updated its P360 lighting fixture for the LED generation with the release of the P360 Classic The P360 Classic brings several new features and is compatible with a wide range of the manufacturer’s existing accessories Its design has been slightly modified from the original P360

The P360 Classic is reportedly capable of dimming to its lowest power settings without any flickering or colour shifts It is built to maintain ‘extremely accurate colour’ throughout its extended CCT range

The LED element is significantly brighter than previous P360 fixtures, yet draws on the same amount of power at 90W

An extended yoke and spigot enable users of the P360 Classic to manipulate the softbox and Fresnel attachments with greater ease than past P360 models, while a new accessory lock keeps them secure Existing Fiilex accessories that are compatible include diffusers and gel holders, larger softboxes and the 5-inch Zoom Fresnel attachment that is said to increase beam intensity by up to 800%

Making use of the manufacturer’s Dense Matrix LED array, combining multiple custom-manufactured LED chips within a single glass optic, the P360 Classic has a compact form factor, better facilitating portability along with various optional travel kits www.fiilex.com

- It does not need an external or an additional software.

- You can configure it from your PC/Tablet/Smartphone.

- Minimal, intuitive and elegant layout.

- You can manage it remotely from different locations.

to offer flexible, intelligent and scalable control The system allows users to turn lights on and off, and manage multiple presets, daylighting and occupancy controls for energy savings, the hue, saturation and intensity of colourchanging LED luminaires Finally, Unison Mosaic is a control solution that allows users to merge show control, LEDs, moving lights and media effects into a single work of art

www.etcconnect.com

The Paradigm family Echo stations

Elation steps outside

ELATION’S ARENA series of RGBW PAR lights is stepping outside with the addition of the IP65-rated Arena Zoom Q7 IP Designed as a key light, front light or as a general light on indoor or outdoor stages, the Arena Zoom Q7 IP is a full-colour mixing wash luminaire that can also fit into a standard 12-inch truss, making it suitable as a truss warmer/highlighter

The luminaire houses seven 30W Osram Quad-Color RGBW LEDs that give a selection of saturated colour options including a genuine white, while a choice of colour macros and variable speed macros reportedly enable fast programming The luminaire features a ‘bright and well-defined beam’, and the colour temperature is from 3,200K to 10,000K The fixture also includes RGB white balance calibration, allowing users to adjust the

maximum RGB values in order to set the white colour temperature default level

Further features include a 7° to 40° motorised zoom, over 3,000 lumens of output and a total

maximum power consumption of

250W The luminaire is controllable via six DMX channel modes (12 total channels) and is Remote Device Management ready An auto-sensing power supply covers worldwide voltages and frequencies Elation has also added three ghting control products 4Cast DMX Bridge is a compact 4-universe wireless device that bridges Wi-Fi, Art-Net, sACN and E-FLY (Elation’s wireless DMX solution) signals to wirelessly control compatible DMX devices The 4Cast DMX Bridge creates a private,

Anolis illuminates the outdoors

DESIGNED FOR highlighting or outlining buildings and other objects with video and media-style effects, ArcLine Outdoor Direct View Pixel from Anolis is available in a variety of lengths that are reportedly quick to daisy-chain The light incorporates an RGB multichip and the company’s colour mixing is said to produce a rich array of colours and streamlined transitions ArcPix, meanwhile, is a compact RGB LED multichip node reportedly offering versatility and scope to create kinetic and visual effects both outdoors and indoors The light incorporates

Compact control from Stadium Wing

THE NEW MagicQ Stadium

Wing from ChamSys has been developed to meet the expectations of lighting des in providing high-level show control from a compact package display capable of connect directly to the DVI output of any MagicQ MQ500 or MagicQ MQ80 consoles, any MagicQ Window can be transferred to the display on the Stad Wing, which also features 30 playbacks, four execute encoders and a full HD multi-touch display with adjustable viewing angle and gesture support Furthermore, the manufacturer states that the 30 playbacks are pageable as 15 fader playbacks

and 15

while the four execute encoders are multipurpose and can be assigned functions from the Execute and other MagicQ Windows The unit also houses four DMX outputs secure.chamsys.co.uk

standalone 2 4GHz DSSS (Direct

Sequence Spread Spectrum) Wi-Fi network, which coexists in busy RF environments alongside other wireless technologies

eNode2 POE is a compact 2-universe Ethernet-DMX node powered over Ethernet that

supports Art-Net compatible DMX control systems using a single

RJ-45 auto-switching 10/100Mbps Neutrik etherCON input and two multi-configuration 5-pin Neutrik DMX data outputs Features include DMX bilateral conversion support, a 4-button control panel, an OLED system menu display and three LED status indicators Finally, the IPC415 is a DMX power control centre featuring four powerCON outputs (15A maximum each), four 5-pin XLR DMX outputs, one 5-pin XLR DMX input and one 5-pin XLR DMX thruput The IPC415 can be mounted in a standard 19-inch rack space using the included rack ears, or truss mounted using a clamp (not included) attached to the M10 rigging point in the centre of the unit It includes a multi-voltage universal auto-switching power supply

nstallations’

The final product launch from s ArcDot, designed xel matrix ip LED ng are said ch array of hues ght has been developed or and exterior ts aluminium th a frosted, UV stable, polycarbonate dome and IP67

LynTec extends control beyond the rack

AN OUTBOUND relay (O/R) control option has been added to LynTec’s Networkable Power Automation Control (NPAC) rackmounted system which allows users to control external devices equipped with contact closures as part of their AVL control platform Available as a factory option for new NPAC systems – as a replacement for the DMX In and Out connections – the optional O/R feature adds two single-pole, double-throw, 2A, low-voltage relays for independent control of external devices The NPAC GUI can be used to configure the contacts for individual or merged functions with latched or momentary operation NPAC itself is a 2U power management solution that incorporates power control and audio sequencing and can manage up to 80A The NPAC series includes

An outbound relay option has been added to NPAC

four models – 120V or 240V – and features four 20A circuit inputs, with four or eight relays Circuits can fire in any order required, even from unit to unit, with no extra wiring required as long as each NPAC is connected to the network Outlets can be controlled individually or as a sequenced group with up to 12 zones across 10 units The unit offers pre-terminated cables and four NEMA 5-20 outlets (6-20

outlets for the 240V model) From the controller’s embedded web server, the user can select the appropriate over- and under-voltage protection and auto shutdown for each circuit The system also includes circuit-selectable loadshedding for emergency shutoff and an onboard astronomical timer for automated operation www.lyntec.com

4Cast DMX bridge

Anolis ArcLine DVP 1 without diffuser

Anolis ArcPix

THE 2018 EMIRATES AIRLINE DUBAI JAZZ FESTIVAL WAS a great mix of old, new and Latino with super group Duran Duran opening the festival with all of their classic hits, which were very well received by the huge British expat community in Dubai. The next evening’s headliner was the American superstar John Legend complete with large band and a very comprehensive backline, while the final evening was Latino star Ricky Martin who bowled over the audience with a non-stop dynamic show with all the bells and whistles you would expect from such an entertaining performer

The festival itself is not just the concerts It has food and beverage outlets, food trucks, an arts and craft village showcasing local artists and artisans plus activations from media sponsor Heart FM’s live broadcast stand to Thomsun and Yamaha showcasing musicians and their instruments My focus, however, was the main stage and its production team

The main production supplier for the festival was once again Artes, which has worked on 13 of the past 16 Jazz Festivals

‘When we first started working with Chillout Productions, I think it was the second or third Jazz Festival It was originally called the Phillips Jazz Festival then it was Skywards and now it has become the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival,’ recalls Artes managing partner, Ernest Godfrey ‘2004 was the first, with Billy Cobham, Kool and the Gang and the Electric Light Orchestra

It was a lot more jazz orientated in those days – it’s grown over the past few years with more sponsors on board and it is becoming a much bigger festival

‘I would say we have about 30% more crew on the festival now than we used to and technically the demand on suppliers is for the latest desks and boards to run the show,’ continues Mr Godfrey ‘We supply about 70% of what is on the technical rider, including most of the backline requirements But when you have a request for two Yamaha grand pianos on the same night, then it’s just too much to keep in stock with very little opportunity to get the US$50,000 expense on such a single item, so they were supplied by the local Yamaha dealer here in Dubai. Also we had a few endorsed artists for which an arrangement was made by the endorsee to have those specific items supplied by MEI Finally, Duran Duran flew their entire backline in for the festival

The view from the stage

Having worked as stage manager for the 2018 edition of the Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival, Damian Calderbank speaks to the technical team and provides his unique take on the event

Aside from a few backline items, there were also some other aspects of the rider that were brought in as cross hires from other companies ‘There are companies who specialise in the latest audio desks, so we went to, in our view, the best audio company, which is Delta Sound,’ explains Mr Godfrey ‘We cross hired the two Avid S6Ls and we also had two of their engineers, Robert Eatock and Mahesh Ramdin, in to run the changeovers and to mix the support artists Rob and Mahesh were great to work with from a stage manager’s point of view Everything I asked them for was done instantly without any issues, little things like ‘could we have microphones for presenters for an unscheduled announcement’ With an event like the Jazzfest, keeping in touch with the audience is very important for the promoter and the sponsors, who make up quite a large amount of the finances for the festival to actually happen So when the promoter requests for announcements to get the audience to move around and visit other parts of the festival, you make it

Artes managing partner, Ernest Godfrey

happen I understand that it can be a bit of a pain to suddenly get a request for a live mic in five minutes, but they did it every time with a smile on their faces, even though they were busy working on another part of a setup They also worked very well with the MEI team, turning around the backlines of the artists quickly and efficiently, and, from my point of view, well within time and ready to go

‘We also had Steve Shipman in as our production manager to look after mainly the lighting and rigging,’ notes Mr Godfrey ‘The stage was a mother grid that we flew everything off our James Thomas super truss Steve liaised with Lothar Strunk, the production director for Chillout Productions, and everything went very smoothly Steve also designed the lighting festival plot after looking at each headline artist’s requirements and it was all run through our grandMA2 Steve did an excellent job for us, he also took into account the fact that we have an excellent inventory of lighting instruments he could use The great thing about working with an industry professional with some decades under his belt is it’s not like he wants to play with the latest toys on the market He

does what is required and within budget and I have to say the shows looked fantastic and all of the artists were very happy with Steve’s plot ’

I’ve known Steve Shipman since we both worked at the old Gearhouse together in 2000, so it was a very pleasant surprise for me to walk on stage on day one and see that he was sorting the rigging out He’s one of those long-time industry professionals that you can rely on to do what is needed, on time and safely Of course we had several cups of tea and put the world to rights over the week In fact, Rob Eatock was also part of the old Gearhouse crew in 2000, so it was a bit of a reunion for me Steve also operated the lighting for the support acts, he took the brief from the artists and did a great job; they were very happy with his work

‘Included in Steve’s design were 44 Alpha Spot 1200s, 30 Super Sharpys, 22 B-Eye K10s, 25 ETC Source 4 PARs, 16 Claypaky Sharpys, eight 8 Molefays, four 2 5K follow spots and seven Atomic strobes, plus a mixture of smoke and haze machines,’ furthers Mr Godfrey ‘From the control side we had two grandMA2 full-size lighting boards and a pair of Whole Hog 4 Full Boar boards running through a High End DP 8000 DMX processor From the video side, out

front either side there was 4 06m x 2 88m of Absen 6mm LED screens and up centre stage we had a 9 98m x 5 76m screen again comprised of all Absen 6mm LED panels We also had requests for several servers for the different artists including Resolume, Hippotizer and Catalyst media servers

‘Audio was a mixture of Meyer Sound Milo, M3D, Mica and Melodie cabinets,’ continues Mr Godfrey ‘On stage we had side-fills flown which were four M3D and two M3D subs per side Monitor wise we had 10 MJFs Out front, the centre hangs were 16 Milos per side and eight M3Ds per side as the out-fills along with 20 HP700 subs For the in-fill we used a mixture of CQ2s and UPJs, so it was all Meyer which worked very well ’

From my point of view as stage manager, this was a brilliant gig to work on The hard work and skill of all of the production crew involved made my life a lot easier The fact that there were people from so many rival companies all working happily together stood out to me as a particular highlight and I can’t wait to work with them all again

www.artesme.com

An Avid S6L was used for monitors by Duran Duran

grandMA2 lighting desks were used on the show

Artes deployed Absen 6mm LED screens

In with the new

AFTER STRUGGLING WITH A RANGE OF ECONOMIC AND logistical challenges in the past, the market for performance venues in Iran has expanded sizably in recent years State policies introduced by the Ministry for Culture and Islamic Guidance from 2014 onwards have seen the allocation of additional funds and attention given for the development of drama, theatre and performance As a result of this, a multitude of performance spaces have sprung up around the country and most notably in Tehran over the last few years, bringing with them somewhat of a cultural resurgence in the capital city

Riding this wave is Tehran’s second biggest concert venue, the Irania Hall The venue has recently undergone a complete interior renovation to transform itself into a modern, 21st century arena able to host pop concerts, conferences, gatherings, comedy shows and cinema screenings This work has seen the venue virtually rebuilt from the ground up, and central to the renovation has been the replacement of the entire audio system Tanin Gostare Atiyeh (TGA), a professional audiovisual and lighting company based locally in the city, was tasked with the project

‘One of our rental customers that we have a very longstanding relationship with was working on the project and he was very keen for us to get involved He was our connection to the client,’ explains TGA managing director, Ali Payam Danaeian ‘We first became involved around

nine months ago, suggesting all of the system design, integration, specifying the speakers and numbers to our partner Mr Teymoori. He is an experienced professional with a rental company and we were both on the same page, so he accepted our proposal ’ Mr Teymoori has a long-term contract with the venue for recording and managing the sound system, and also consulted the owners on acoustics in the performance space

Having taken on distribution rights in the region for German manufacturer Nova in 2016, TGA chose to rely solely on the brand for the Irania Hall The first big project is a significant

moment for any company after taking on a new brand – if everything is done right, it can lead to many more sales as others look to what is being achieved, so there was a lot riding on this initial installation

‘This could be the biggest project that we have ever done,’ says the managing director ‘We’ve been in business for over 20 years so we have done a lot of concert halls in the past, but it is certainly the biggest project we have completed with Nova so far

‘Everything in the hall is Nova,’ he adds ‘We have installed a complete system for the auditorium that includes amplifiers, speakers, satellites, subwoofers – everything

The new system is comprised of main L-R clusters, each formed from two Nova EL15 15-inch and five EL10 10-inch horn-loaded coaxial line array modules Each cluster is then connected to three Nova XPS-3600 amplifiers Supplementing this, 10 Nova E218 subwoofers have been ground stacked on the floor area around the stage, while for the stage near-fill TGA used four Nova EL10s Two additional clusters of six EL10s – three per side – together with a pair of EL218 subs were poisoned further back in the hall for delays, while eight VS15m passive stage monitors provide the musicians with the necessary foldback on stage

Since fitting the new sound system, the Irania hall has already provided plenty of opportunities to put TGA’s work through its paces as a number of high-profile concerts have filled the 2,000-seat space ‘It started operating as a

Renovation work at one of Tehran’s biggest concert halls has seen Nova make its debut in Iran. Simon Luckhurst

Primary reinforcement is from the left/right hangs of Nova EL15 and EL10 line array elements

The hall enjoyed back-to-back nightly performances for 10 days straight during the Fajr Music Festival

The venue can now cater to both traditional and contemporary performances

Eight VS15m monitors on the stage lip provide foldback

concert hall after we finished installing the Nova system, and is becoming an increasingly popular venue,’ says TGA’s Mohammadreza Faridsadeghi. ‘There are many new attributes that make this hall remarkable: a brand new sound system and completely new seating, plus a great location within the city but still far from traffic and with great access for parking ’

The renovation work at the Irania Hall also meant that it was added to the bill this year for the prestigious Fajr Music Festival that took place in January Running annually since 1986, the festival is arguably one of the most prominent in the country, and hosts renowned national and international musicians spanning diverse genres at various locations through the city The 33rd edition held this year saw the Irania Hall host back-to-back nightly performances for 10 days running from 15 different artists With new amplifier models released by the German manufacturer at the end of last year but after the initial installation had already taken place, the decision was made by TGA to replace the XPS-3600 amplifiers with the newer TX20s ‘We wanted to use the new amps for the Fajr Music Festival as we wanted to be able to give them the best possible sound quality,’ explains Mr Faridsadeghi. ‘So we changed all of the amplifiers over to TX20s ’

Thankfully this exhausting schedule was not exacerbated by having to deal with the intricacies of operating a new sound system while making last-minute changes ‘As the staff managing the hall are all professionals, we have only needed to provide them with introductory and general training, but nothing more,’ explains Mr Danaeian This has given Mr Teymoori and the venue’s engineers the time to pay greater attention to the artists themselves ‘After so many years working in the pro audio profession, the new system has given us much satisfaction that has been echoed both by the audience and the singers performing, and it is allowing us to pay more attention to the performances, which is something that they all want us to promise,’ commented Mr Teymoori.

‘With TGA we found an ideal distribution partner for our professional sound products in Iran,’ said Markus Falter, Nova’s director of export sales and global marketing ‘We’d like to think that our distributors never feel alone when working on large projects such as this We are always stood

behind them with strong technical support ’ The end result is clearly one that TGA is proud of and serves as an ideal first reference project for the German manufacturer in Iran ‘We attended the festival as we were keen to observe the results of our work, but it was mainly to make note for future big projects,’ says Mr Danaeian ‘We think the end result is very good We have heard some brilliant comments from both the audience and singers about the quality of the sound That goes above and beyond what we were expecting It is really quite remarkable ’

If this level of praise is anything to go by, there could be more Iranian venues calling on TGA and Nova in the future

www.novacoustic.de

www.tanin-co.com

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‘We have heard some brilliant comments from both the audience and singers about the quality of the sound. That goes above and beyond what we were expecting’.

Only the Young

‘AS I DROVE UP TOWARDS THE SCHOOL ON THE UNMADE road amidst all the construction, I feared the worst,’ recalls IBMYP coordinator, Stephanie Duarte On that date, 12 August 2017, Ms Duarte was starting her new position at North London Collegiate School (NLCS) Dubai prior to the arrival of the first enrolment of 3- to 18-year-old students Although the finishing touches to decorating the newly built facility were still underway, Ms Duarte’s fears were unfounded as she entered the fully functioning, multipurpose theatre that lies at the heart of the complex NLCS schools combine an ambitious academic education with pastoral care that nurtures individual talent through a range of extra-curricular activities including sports, arts, theatre and music Under the guidance of Daniel Lewis, NLCS opened its first international school in Jeju, South Korea in 2011 Following its success, Mr Lewis was then called upon to set up another facility in Dubai where he serves as the head principal As a teacher and director of drama, his clear vision was instrumental in ensuring that the theatre would be completed to precise specifications clearly communicated during the early construction phase ‘Normally, as an ELV systems integrator working on a project such as this, we would have completed this late,’ confirms Triolight divisional manager, Shiji Devasia ‘But in Mr Lewis, we had a firm decision-maker who not only instructed us what was required well in advance, but didn’t deviate from the course set out ’ Established in 2005, Triolight now numbers 65 employees providing A/V, lighting, networking and security solutions encompassing residential homes to hotels The successful completion on site at NLCS marks another point of reference for its growing credentials The multipurpose venue is designed to host assemblies

while also being used as a dance studio or theatre, in which the 680 seats can be retracted or stored at the touch of a button Furthermore, a hydraulic orchestra pit can be called into action should the school host a production that requires one Digital control is provided by the Crestron CP3 processor ensuring basic audio, video and lighting functionality via TSW-1060 10 1-inch and TSW-760 7-inch touchscreens

Above the 10m deep stage, 10 lighting bars host an assortment of Altman LED wash luminaires and RGBW zoom profiles together with Martin Professional Quantum washes and profiles Mixing is conducted on an ETC Gio @5 lighting console in the rear control room ‘When the children first come on stage to perform, we immediately know which students want to head to the West End or Broadway and

which ones would prefer to take extra science lessons,’ explains Ms Duarte, highlighting the Mark WFS 1200 follow spot, theatre Zoom spotlights and LED projector illuminating the stage

The theatre is further equipped with a Barco BME HDX 15,000 ANSI-lumens projector presenting HD-quality videos onto the 271-inch, 16:9 motorised screen mounted from the ceiling above A Barco ClickShare wireless presentation device has been installed into the lectern – itself equipped with two beyerdynamic goosenecks – allowing the content to be shared from a laptop or tablet onto the big screen In addition to a PC and a Yamaha Aventage A-1040 Blu-

Getting the multipurpose theatre right from the outset has been a key factor for NLCS’ new Dubai campus. Richard Lawn treads the boards

A Barco BME HDX 15,000 ANSI-lumens projector in the control room is used for presentations

The theatre is served by a L-R Lynx Pro self-powered line array system

Lighting bars host an assortment of Altman LED wash luminaires and RGBW zoom profiles above the extensive stage

NLCS Dubai opened its doors in September 2017

Lighting control is conducted on an ETC Gio @5 console

ray player feeding into the Extron HDMI matrix switcher, Taiden HCS-3316HDB HD cameras fixed to the rear and lateral walls are fed into three of the eight inputs Normally associated with conferencing, a Sony RM-IP10 remote controller provides PTZ operation of the Taiden camera setup whenever the school requires HD performances to be recorded Taking its feed from a Roland Professional V1 SDI switcher, uncompressed or ProRes and DNxHD video formats in 10-bit resolution can be created using a Blackmagic Design Hyperdeck Studio disk recorder

A cinema surround system may not be evident, but the audio setup in the theatre has not been compromised

The L-R self-powered loudspeakers combine four per side Lynx Pro CXA-12 cabinets with a single CXA-18S 18-inch subwoofer Front-fill coverage of the VIP seats is courtesy of four Lynx Pro QB8 coaxial speakers fixed to the lip of the stage Three on-stage facility panels equipped with audio

Located i n the rear control room, a 33-fader Yamaha TF5 g i tal console l i es at the heart of aud i o operat i ons A Dante remote control network has been created courtesy of the NY64D expans i on card that has been i nserted allow i ng commun i cat i on w i th the T i o1608-D stagebox nto wh i ch 16 w i red and w i reless m i crophone i nputs are routed Wh i lst performance presets have been stored n a Yamaha MRX7-D DSP un i t, aud i o management and control has been greatly enhanced for i n-house eng i neers, Mr Akshay and Mr Daley, by v i rtue of the Stagem i x App downloaded to an i Pad The profess i onal touch has been completed w i th the add i t i on of four channels of ClearCom DX410 w i reless i ntercoms enabl i ng back of house commun i cat i ons

inputs and outputs allow two Yamaha DXR15 speakers to be connected to whenever the presenters or performers require monitoring

Eight channels of Sennheiser ew 100 wireless are available in the form of ew 135 handheld microphones and ew 122 lapel models The dimensions of the theatre dictated that a Mipro AD-707a UHF 4-channel antenna divider system be installed together with a pair of Mipro AT-90W UHF directional wideband active antennas Having stipulated the need for venue flexibility, Mr Lewis suggested that microphone points be suspended above the stage, particularly for theatre productions The addition of eight Sennheiser MZC 9m long electric wires now ensures that the performance space has been maximised

Conceptualised by Mr Lewis, the plug-and-play solution was designed by Thomsun Trading working closely with Triolight in the execution of the plans ‘The client was very specific and this ultimately ensured that the project finished on schedule,’ furthers Mr Devasia ‘In addition, his singleminded approach has enticed dance classes and artists to use the space for rehearsals and performances when vacant ’

Venue hire may not have been a criteria at the outset, but the bonus ROI will ensure further investments for upgrades are available

www.nlcsdubai.ae

www.thomsunmusiconline.com

www.triolight.ae

The VIP seats are served by four Lynx Pro QB8 coaxial front-fill speakers

Eight channels of Sennheiser ew 100 wireless mics are boosted by a Mipro antenna divider system

A 33-fader Yamaha TF5 digital console lies at the heart of the audio operations

The control room equipment rack hosts Crestron, Extron and Yamaha hardware

A technical debut

venue in Turkey to be equipped with a Meyer Sound Constellation variable room acoustic system. James Ling

TAKING ITS NAME FROM ONE OF THE PIONEERING composers of Turkish contemporary music, it is apt that the Cemal Resit Rey (CRR) Concert Hall in Istanbul can now claim a pioneer status of its own While the 915-seat venue has been open and hosting a variety of performances since 1989, a project spanning three years has completely revolutionised the acoustics of the concert hall It has become home to the first Meyer Sound Constellation system in Turkey CRR is managed by the Cultural Affairs Department in the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul and it was executives from this team, alongside those from the venue itself, that decided a variable acoustic solution would be appropriate for the concert hall With this decision made, it approached Asimetrik, Meyer Sound’s local distributor, to see if a Constellation solution could benefit the space ‘Constellation should be evaluated as an acoustic system as a whole, not a sound system or PA, so this is the way we presented it,’ explains Asimetrik’s Görkem Çelikbilek ‘It has elements such as microphones, loudspeakers and processors to enable variable room acoustics and it is the best technology in the world After the tender, we had to wait for officials to approve the result and allow us to move forward with the integration It was at first a little difficult to make people understand why Constellation is necessary for multipurpose venues but, when everybody understood what it is for and what it actually does, they were amazed with the results ’ Having explored the advantages that the variable active room acoustic system could offer, CRR decided to go ahead with the project Meyer Sound was enlisted to design the solution while Asimetrik was responsible for the integration and project management

‘The venue previously had some acoustic problems,’ recalls Mr Çelikbilek, who project managed the installation for Asimetrik ‘We had to start from scratch; we worked

with acoustic consultants and engineers to optimise the architectural acoustics and then applied Constellation ’

While this process sounds relatively straightforward, it was anything but ‘Timing was a serious issue here,’ furthers Mr Çelikbilek ‘CRR’s season runs from October until May, so the venue only had a certain amount of time for breaks between seasons We had to take advantage of that time and, if not, we had to wait for a year to do the installation

As such, the project needed to be split into three sections: installation of the preliminary acoustic treatment; fitting the cabling and racks; and then finally the microphones and speakers could be added

‘For a Constellation system to operate efficiently, the acoustics in the venue has to be proper, so that is where we started,’ recalls Mr Çelikbilek ‘The venue did not have drawings, did not have an acoustic report, nothing It had lost its drawings in a fire which was an issue We hired engineers and acousticians to work on the space, and create all the technical data for an efficient installation

‘It was a collective study between the Asimetrik and the Meyer Sound teams,’ he continues ‘We provided the data for the expert Constellation team and they designed an exceptional Constellation system for the venue Then we took over and managed the project phases ’

The first part of this was some minor acoustic treatment that was highlighted by the acoustic studies Following this, the Constellation installation could begin ‘The project was also a first for us, other than being a first for Turkey,’ notes Mr Çelikbilek ‘We did not know the procedures of a Constellation installation before, so the Meyer Sound experts helped us to learn and execute the fundamentals for the installation ‘The venue has 209 Meyer Sound loudspeakers and 54 Constellation microphones as well as the Constellation processors,’ he continues ‘The actual installation of the physical hardware was done in under 72 hours and we worked

CRR Concert Hall has the first Constellation system installed in Turkey

Asimetrik was responsible for the project

as two teams to achieve this Each team had an interval and we finished the installation without making any mistakes It was basically a mutual collaboration between our team and Meyer Sound to achieve perfection in both the installation and the calibration ’

The result has seen the space transformed into a multipurpose venue that can be tailored to the different needs of various artforms Thanks to the retrofit, applications now start from the spoken word and reach up to symphony orchestra performances This project also plays an important role in Turkey because CRR is now the first venue to host authentic Turkish instruments and music in a flawless acoustic environment with the right parameters for both the audience and the performers

The concert hall opened towards the end of 2017, and this marked the end of a long journey for Asimetrik ‘The time that it took between us introducing Constellation to the municipality and finishing the installation is three years,’ recalls Mr Çelikbilek ‘Most of that time was passed with introductions, demonstrations, project work and the tender The installation of the actual loudspeakers took only three days ’

While it may have taken a long time to come to fruition, the end result is something that has drawn a lot of praise

‘After the first concert, we received a thank you note from the conductor of the orchestra,’ reveals Mr Çelikbilek ‘Right then, we knew that we had achieved great success in the venue A conductor or a musician has an emotional relationship with a venue, and that experience is why we do what we do The notes kept coming in, thank you calls and memos This is the satisfaction we get out of our jobs

‘We can easily state that CRR has the best acoustic performance and is the best-sounding venue in Turkey,’ he continues ‘We can reach this level of success with the verifiable and scientific results of the Constellation system It is an emotional roller coaster for the audience and we feel proud to be the integrator to complete such a project and have our community experience the system here in Istanbul

Equally, having gone through this process, Mr Çelikbilek is now an advocate of the technology ‘We believe that the future of performing arts lies in the capability to understand the philosophy of variable acoustics to be optimised according to the type of performance This is something that can be applied to both newly designed and to-be built venues as well as existing ones ’

With CRR receiving positive reviews, this electroacoustic pioneer could set the standard for other performance venues in the country

www.asimetrik.com.tr

www.crrkonsersalonu.org

www.meyersound.com

The Meyer Sound system is more than just the main PA

Hanging mics are part of the Constellation installation

A sound solution

WHEN ERAMITA WAS TASKED WITH INSTALLING THE audio system at an indoor sports arena in Istanbul, it was met with some tricky challenges that needed to be quickly overcome One of those obstacles was the need to hit the right note in terms of sound without being able to attach speakers on the ceiling of a new arena

The arena, which is situated within the Municipality of Üsküdar’s recently constructed complex in Istanbul, is set to have a multipurpose role for the busy community living on the shore of the Bosphorus strait and will not be used solely for sport It will also offer residents of the community more outlets for social activities such as concerts The municipality was also keen to abandon its previous policy of renting sound equipment and instead decided that the time had come to install its own audio system at the new building Eramita had been happy to oblige but some quick thinking was required early on

‘The biggest challenge for us was the building itself,’ explains Eramita sales manager, Burçin Çakın ‘The ceiling’s load capacity didn’t allow us to hang any speakers That left us with just the left and right side of the back of the arena from which to install them So in order to decrease the reverberation time of the area, we suggested Renkus-Heinz speakers to direct the sound to the audience and to the actual [playing] court ’

Those speakers were essentially two Iconyx Gen 5 IC32s to cover the entire hall as well as two Iconyx Gen 5 IC8s for the entrance area under the balcony stand The Renkus-Heinz beam steering technology was deployed to adjust the sound and position to where it needed to be At the same time, the technology aims to steer the sound away from other surfaces that may cause echoes and reverberation

‘It was unique for us in that we only had two spots to hang the speakers and no other space within the arena to hang

them,’ continues Mr Çakın, who notes that the installation only took a couple of weeks ‘The limited budget was another challenge for us but we resolved these problems with only four Renkus-Heinz speakers because they can direct the sound but also drop it at will The wall reflections do not affect the sound and it cannot get lost, meaning we were able to avoid noise confusion

Apart from the Renkus-Heinz products, Eramita turned to Roland for an M300 V-Mixer, two S1608 16x8 FOH units and two 100m SCW 100S cables An Electro-Voice DX46 digital sound processor was also provided, while a Denon DN-SC2900 digital controller/media player has also been put to use CUE Audio provides the control with a ControlCUE-two centre control unit and a touchCUE-12 wired tabletop touch panel With regards to microphones, Eramita turned to Shure with two sets each of QLXD24/SM58 handheld wireless microphone transmitters, QLXD14/85 lavalier wireless microphone systems, a QLXD14/35 wireless system with SM35 headworn microphones, UA844SWB-E antenna distribution systems and UA221 antenna splitter/combiner kits

Eramita’s involvement with the project is part of a wider plan for the municipality which has also created multifunctional halls within the same complex that will require audio installations Work for those halls has already been pencilled in but, for the time being, the onus has been not only on making the arena ready to host sports tournaments and events such as basketball, but also festivals

‘The municipality often hosts these kinds of celebratory events and functions and so there will be a small stage situated at the side of the arena We also arranged to have some monitors delivered that would be used for live events such as dance festivals that are hugely popular in Turkey ’ Eramita’s team is hoping that the reverberations (or lack thereof) from the Üsküdar Municipality will strike a chord with other communities around the country ‘We hope this project will get the attention of other municipalities in Turkey and open some more doors,’ Mr Çakın concludes ‘The client was impressed with the sound results from this project ’

www.eramita.com

www.renkus-heinz.com

A company in Istanbul was given plenty of food for thought when it was tasked with making the acoustics work in a sports arena without hanging speakers from the ceiling. John Leonidou reports

Iconyx Gen 5 IC8s serve the entrance area under the balcony stand

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Pioneer status

Ling

WITH THE WAVES OF THE ARABIAN GULF GENTLY LAPPING against the pristine beach, it is easy to see why La Mer has quickly become a popular location for Dubai’s locals and tourists alike The open-air retail and entertainment hub stretches for 2 5km along the Jumeira 1 neighbourhood of the city and has succeeded in drawing in a variety of shopping and dining destinations to this previously undeveloped area

As the latest addition to the ever-growing list of eateries, Stars N Bars is trying to provide its customers with something a little different As with its other UAE location on Abu

Dhabi’s Yas Island, the Dubai venue has been set up to be a multipurpose entertainment space TV screens throughout the 2-level bar and restaurant show a variety of sporting events, while the small stage area has been equipped for both live bands and DJ sets

‘They broadcast sports matches, and host DJs from across different genres and live bands, which stressed the need for them to have a system that was capable of delivering high-quality audio regardless of their programme on the night,’ explains Hassan Alwan from Avant Garde, the company responsible for the venue’s sound and lighting systems ‘The system needed to deal with all of these formats of playback, as well as various occupancy settings, given the venue’s very long opening hours from 11am through to 3am They also needed remote and multi-level control of the system

While Avant Garde arrived late into the project, it believed it could meet all of Stars N Bars’ goals with an audio solution that no other venue in the UAE had As such it demonstrated Pioneer Pro Audio’s XY series of speakers ‘They quickly saw what we could offer them through the demo, and we agreed a deal in principle to design and supply the system for them,’ recalls Mr Alwan

The resulting main PA system is a collection of Pioneer

XY-81 and XY-101 cabinets with XY-115S and XY-215S subs installed across both storeys of the venue System processing is handled by Xilica A1616-N DSP units alongside

James

The solution needed to cover live performance and sporting events

Powersoft Quattrocanali 4804D+DSP and 2404D+DSP amplifiers, while control is from a Midas M32 digital console ‘We were fortunate that midway through the project the newly released Quattrocanali amplifiers became available,’ notes Mr Alwan ‘This allowed us to go towards the Dante route The system is fully networked for control with I/O being run over Dante between the Xilica, Powersoft and Midas products A dedicated music server running on Dante is also interfaced into the system ’

Completing the main system are Sonance PS-C43RT ceiling speakers for the rest rooms powered by a Monacor PA-2240 amplifier and Xilica Touch SM7 MkII 7-inch colour touchscreen controllers

On stage, monitoring is via Pioneer XPRS-12 and XPRS-15 powered speakers Shure SM58, SM57, Beta52 and SM81 microphones on K&M stands have been patched through six PanelCrafters stage floor boxes into a Canare 162U-X21 patch panel In turn, this is linked to the M32 via a Midas DL16 stagebox mounted in the A/V rack The console itself is located in a dedicated control booth on the first floor with an XY-101 10-inch monitor Completing the audio solution, the DJ gear combines Pioneer DJ CDJ2000 and DJM900 Nexus 2 equipment with a Pioneer Pro Audio monitoring setup of a 10-inch XY-101 top and XY-115S 15-inch sub ‘The system sound is simply so good that you can throw any music genre at it and the playback is faithful and true,’ says Mr Alwan ‘The XY series cabinets used in this build are so naturally flat out of the box, and the floating crossovers within really help produce great sound as the volume

increases Numerous levels of system processing were built into the system to allow finite control over its acoustic response Working with Powersoft amplification products makes this even better, with the highly functional onboard DSP managed by the Armonía software platform We also have the Xilica processors which added in signal routing, preset controls, level limiting and user control All of this combines to ensure that the system has the right sound, at the right levels, for the right content being played back ’ Meanwhile, the lighting system comprises IMG Stageline Twist 150 LED, Wash 50 LED and PARL-12RGBW lights as well as hazers These are controlled by a Nicolaudie Stick DE3 controller panel ‘We did find some limitations in how the lighting system is managed through the platform deployed and we are already looking at making some small upgrades on that to give better “live show” controls to the venue operator,’ furthers Mr Alwan

It took nine days spread throughout the construction period

to install the system and Mr Alwan reports that there were no challenges with this portion of the project ‘The design was on point when the interior construction really took shape However, as is usually the case, we have suffered from significant vibrations as a result of the distributed LF deployed on the first floor All interior construction is built upon metalwork, and sadly this isn’t friendly to low-frequency reproduction Hours of fine system tuning has been done, including detailed analysis on Smaart V8, to get the system near on flat for the whole space Again the numerous layers of system processing have allowed excellent control over the output quality

‘The venue is quite voluminous and in typical fashion has a large number of reflective surfaces with minimal absorbing pieces to assist,’ he continues ‘It also has high ceilings that are exposed on the first floor and these added to the acoustic challenges ’

Despite this, Mr Alwan believes the Pioneer system helped significantly in overcoming these challenges ‘We’re extremely happy with the results of this project, and we’ll be using it as a demo site for our clients,’ he reflects ‘The client is very picky when it comes to their A/V requirements They always stress that they want the best and do not cut corners Seeing their facial reactions when we were handing over the system was priceless They’re over the moon As the first venue in the UAE to carry a Pioneer Pro Audio system, we couldn’t have chosen a better venue ’

While La Mer provides plenty of options to those who choose to wander along the boardwalk, thanks to its unique sound system, Stars N Bars will certainly stand out from its rivals as offering something completely different

www.agav.me

Pioneer XY series cabinets cover the restaurant area

The reflective environment made the acoustics a challenge

Live music was a factor in the sound system selection

Afar-reaching sound

IN A CITY LIKE DUBAI WHERE TOO MUCH IS NEVER ENOUGH, the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown down by B Pro Production The multimedia production house has gone from strength to strength with CEO and founder Ahmed AlAli’s recent decision to invest in two Solid State Logic Duality elta SuperAnalogue consoles a testament to that fact

Founded in 2012, B Pro Production has four recording studios along with a mastering suite The recent purchase saw a 48-channel Duality elta Pro Station console in studio A’s control room, while studio B is now home to a 24-track Duality elta The company’s main line of business is music production for singers, producers, commercials, TV and radio, while sound design for movies and promotions – including music for documentaries – also takes place at the facility The complex was originally designed by Australian recording engineer, producer and studio designer, John L Sayers – who

had prolonged his stay in the UAE to oversee the construction and acoustics It turned out to be a valuable experience for Mr AlAli who has since been inspired to fulfil even bigger dreams in the shape of B Pro Gold, which he describes as ‘a very high-standard recording studio’ designed for orchestras of up to 200 musicians in a single sitting

B Pro Production currently has the capacity to host over 100 musicians at once through its different live rooms that are connected together It can also hold a capacity of more than 256 channels of microphones and lines The four independent studios are attached to multitracking rooms together with four different control rooms and eight different live rooms This allows large-scale projects to be completed in a comparatively short amount of time

Studio A, which has the 48-channel console in its control room, is regarded by Mr AlAli and his experienced team as

being the leading room within the production house The space can be adapted to suit multiple production needs

Studio B features the other 24-track console For big projects, the larger 48-channel console with a setup of 96 channels of analogue mixing is put into operation, while the 24-channel console is used for lower budget projects and aims to cater to the needs of younger singers, musicians and producers

‘The Duality consoles were a good choice on many levels,’ says Mr AlAli. ‘Duality is the latest technology and fits in with modern sounds and modern creative production requirements They are very powerful consoles yet straightforward and easy to use The combination of the SSL SuperAnalogue preamps with the VHD (Variable Harmonic Drive) circuit makes a positive difference to any sound you can dream up And having both G- and E-series EQ options

Dubai-based B Pro Production’s move to bring in two SSL Duality consoles is part of a bigger vision to expand beyond the Middle East and North Africa. John Leonidou reports

The control room for studio A

The 24-channel SSL Duality in studio BStudio C features monitors from ADAM Audio and Genelec

The mastering suite is described as the jewel in the crown

in one channel is a massive advantage, capable of bringing uniqueness to the sound

It is therefore hardly surprising that studios A and B are seen as the biggest ‘selling points’ for B Pro Production, while the mastering suite is highly regarded by the team as being ‘the jewel in the crown’ of the complex As the final stage in music production, the suite is an integral part of the operation at B Pro Production where the finished mix gets that final touch Apart from the consoles, the facility has also been bolstered by a number of new preamps, microphones and compressors from the likes of Neve, Focusrite, Universal Audio, Avalon, Manley, Apogee, Neumann, Sennheiser and Avid According to the founder, these will be crucial for what lies ahead

us Our door is open to everyone – from famous international singers to talented local singers and even amateur performers We have also recently started getting clients from the US, Europe and Asia ‘We offer complete privacy for clients Each studio has its own private room to relax in with facilities such as a kitchen, bar, flat-screen televisions, a billiard table and toilets,’ he continues ‘Essentially, we want our clients to feel like they’re right at home The quality of our music recording and customer service gives us a competitive edge over other local recording studios The atmosphere in our studio is warm and relaxing Those little things help build customer loyalty and it is the reason why our customers keep coming back B Pro Production’s growth as a business has been far from plain sailing However,

‘We are expanding in video production which is one of the major requirements for the business here,’ explains Mr AlAli, whose company is building a production house specifically for that purpose ‘Dubai is known for its luxurious life and rapid development so it is crucial to invest in high-end products to match the fast pace The main reason behind expanding the studio with the consoles was because it is the main preference for international singers and producers It is ergonomically friendly for the workflow, quite reliable, easy to use and we can revisit a project at any time ’

Given its prime location in the Middle East, it is unsurprising that B Pro Production’s clientele is primarily Arab singers but that is not to say that its reach cannot stretch further than the MENA region ‘Our ideal clientele is mainly singers that want to record albums,’ continues Mr AlAli. ‘We are established in the Arab region but our target market is everyone, and so people who wish to record a song for fun can do so with

Mr AlAli believes that his company’s initial formation for the music production side of the business is another reason why it grabbed the attention early on

‘We have grown our business in such challenging market conditions thanks to our facilities and connections and by providing excellent customer service The Middle East has a substantial amount of qualified crew in music and video production Music from the UAE stems from Eastern Arabia music traditions and so it should come as no surprise that the Middle East has a lot of talented artists and sound engineers that continuously adopt the latest technologies in sound equipment ’

If the growth of B Pro Production’s facilities are anything to go by, then the future of music production in the Middle East also looks to be in safe hands For now, Mr AlAli can continue to dream of bigger things

1/4 PAGE

All plugged in and ready to go in studio A’s live room

The live room in studio B

The outboard gear in studio A

Kenya’s new radio look

Byce Broadcast recently turned to Lawo technology for its visual radio installation at NRG Radio in Kenya. John Leonidou looks into this new broadcast trend that is being tipped to sweep across Africa

GIVEN HOW FACEBOOK IS THE MOST POPULAR SOCIAL network medium in Kenya, it was of little surprise that one radio station in Nairobi recently decided to break new ground by using the platform to expand its traditional radio experience In March 2018, NRG Radio – which is owned by Royal Media Services – unveiled visual radio to Kenya following a test run by its sister station Ramogi FM The move has so far paid dividends

Visual radio was originally conceived by Nokia in 2004 as a means of using visuals so audiences can have a real-time view of what they are listening to It was first broadcast by Helsinki’s Kiss FM but has since evolved, expanded and spread across the globe thanks largely to the popularity surge in social media and advances in digital telecommunications Radio stations across Africa look poised to tune in with NRG Radio first getting the ball properly rolling courtesy of technology from Lawo, recently installed at its premises by Byce Broadcast

‘Nobody has done a visual radio concept on a scale like this before in Africa,’ says Benson Nyaga, broadcast systems engineer at Byce Broadcast ‘NRG Radio is now able to leverage on video content distribution across the web and broaden its target audience Very soon, we will see other stations also embrace this concept A large number of listeners are today beginning to shift away from traditional FM and are instead looking to social media for things like alerts, latest news and gossip This has given visual radio a good opportunity to interact and engage with audiences

Lawo crystal and sapphire radio mixing consoles, as well as R3LAY virtual radio mixers, had been implemented throughout the premises, while its three IP-based studios with visual integration are today streaming live video from the studio to any Content Distribution Network (CDN) and social media platforms ‘Lawo had proposed the way in which to integrate the hardware by providing possibilities in radio console

configuration,’ continues Mr Nyaga ‘We were able to control and integrate all audio and video sources together with very minimal hardware components by using Lawo’s Vistool software All logic rules related to audio/video control were possible with a very friendly user interface The consoles again could handle analogue, AES, SD/HD-SDI, Ravenna Streams and MADI inputs, which gave us the opportunity to connect all sources available Studio acoustics and design are also crucial when it comes to giving radio a fresh new look ’ Tasked with equipping the three studios, production room and the Central Technical Area, Byce Broadcast planned the 2-month installation project in three phases The first phase began with the setup for Studio One, which included installing a 12-fader Lawo crystal mixing console with an integrated router, plus radio automation software with HD video playout capability (720p) A 6-channel video mixing solution from Avra with integral graphics generation was added for the station’s logo, news crawls, weather info and custom legends Neumann mics and HEDD monitors were also installed

The second phase focused on the transmission area, which involved the erection of a 24m mast at the site to facilitate a microwave point-to-point link to the Limuru broadcasting site where an 8-bay omnidirectional antenna provides a broadcast diameter of about 100km The second studio was equipped with a 12-fader Lawo sapphire console There are also provisions for the addition of more channel modules that allow a sapphire to be transformed into a production mixing console, placing a total of 60 faders at the operator’s disposal Features such as Autogain and Automix enable the console to take control of the entire studio

The third phase concerned the third studio – also named the ‘virtual studio’ – which is configured around Lawo’s R3LAY virtual console Due to its portability, the R3LAY virtual mixing console offers NRG Radio more leeway, both in terms of OB and studio operations

‘PTZOptics HD robotic cameras were installed to complement the visuals,’ notes Mr Nyaga ‘Digital MPX audio is being generated from the Orban 8700i audio processor and relayed via a linear STL for 30km to the transmitter There was no compression at all, which resulted in the best-quality audio being delivered to the listeners ’

If social media traffic numbers are anything to go by, then NRG Radio can safely say that its visual radio vision has hit the airwaves running Mr Nyaga says the traffic engagement figures from social media networks on day one were ‘remarkable’ but, far from resting on its laurels, visual radio technology is eyeing bigger things for Africa And Byce Broadcast is already said to be rustling up similar projects in other countries including Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Malawi. ‘Visual radio will soon open up to OTT and VOD platforms and testing on some of these platforms is currently underway,’ adds Mr Nyaga ‘We expect these platforms to open up a complete digital online experience that will monetise local content Mobile apps will integrate and deliver the content to the customers in a very efficient manner ’

African radio looks set for a new digital revolution and visual radio could very well lead the way

www.bycebroadcast.com

www.lawo.com

www.nrg.radio

Neumann microphones are in use throughout the station

HEDD Type 20 monitors provide the audio in the studio

The Lawo crystal desk has been installed in Studio One

is nothing else on the market that comes anywhere close Hugh Robjohns – Sound On Sound

HOW MANY COMPANIES CAN YOU THINK OF WHOSE products are backwards compatible all the way back to their founding? Now let’s whittle that list down a little further How many of them are half a century old?

You won’t be alone in struggling to think of many manufacturers that can answer ‘yes’ to both of these questions; it is a rare accomplishment in any field of business However, Clear-Com is one company from our industry to join this very exclusive club

‘Our traditional partyline wired beltpack-based solution, the current product family of which is named Encore, is in fact compatible to our very founding products,’ confirms Clear-Com president, Bob Boster ‘You can buy a beltpack today that you can plug into a 50-year-old system We don’t often hear about a 50-year-old system, but we definitely hear about 35-year-old-plus systems It happens all the time that somebody calls us up and we can give them the part number for what they need to order ’

This may seem extraordinary for a technology company, and indeed, with all of the various manufacturers that have come to reside under the Clear-Com umbrella over the years, not every product line can achieve this feat, but for Mr Boster this goes right to the heart of what Clear-Com is ‘As we have moved forward, we have looked very much at trying not to make people throw everything away every time they need to elaborate or iterate their solution,’ he explains ‘There may be budget in people’s planning for throwing out and putting in an entirely new audio system for playback to the audience They don’t necessarily have the budget for tearing down the entire intercom So where possible we have tried to design so that they can add on If they have one of our existing

Half a century of problem solving

wired solutions and they need six more beltpacks, they can get the current generation of beltpacks, which is backwards compatible, no problem Plus if they need to add on a wireless solution and they need to bring in our LQ solution to do an IP link to another theatre elsewhere, we can do all of that for them without them having to throw away their core system ’

For Mr Boster, this stems from one of the major principles of the company since it was incorporated in April 1968 by Charlie Butten and Bob Cohen ‘We have addressed the market with a consistent focus towards the customer, taking care of their requirements and making sure that their needs are addressed above everything else,’ he states ‘For all of our customers, whether they be in broadcast or live performance or any of our different markets, they are using us to do something that has a high degree of importance Our focus is on making sure our equipment does what they need it to do so that they can accomplish that task That’s been consistent for 50 years

Clear-Com was established 50 years ago by two engineers looking to solve a problem. That ethos is still going strong today

Clear-Com headquarters in Alameda, California

Clear-Com through the decades – some examples of the company’s technology

The ProGrid family of fibre transport devices

Clear-Com’s Bob Boster highlights 50 years of beltpack development

That consistency has earned us a place in people’s minds in terms of the brand being there for them

This approach has provided the HME-owned manufacturer with twin benefits While the customer focus has helped to create some strong relationships over the years, it has also helped the business with the way it develops new products ‘We get a lot of benefit from seeing how to glue things together or to build new systems, or interoperate different kinds of things so that people can reuse their resources,’ says Mr Boster ‘Almost every implementation involves more than one of our products, and sometimes it also involves our competitors’ products So there are many situations where we have to build a hybrid platform where we are using our IP products to link together to our competitors’ products across two different geographies And then there is wireless, partyline, matrix and IP, which all need to be glued together

We do a lot of work where we are working closely with the customer and that fits into how we develop new products, how we develop our service strategy, how we go to market, how we talk to people about the product and how we train on it ’

This has ensured that Clear-Com’s R&D team has been working at full pace Whether it has been making minor adjustments to make existing products more suitable for the requirements of military users, or ground-up rebuilds to ensure marine-grade devices comply with new standards, there has been a great deal of development taking place at the company’s San Francisco headquarters ‘We have been moving at an incredible rate as the marketplace’s requirements for a couple of different movements within our technology family have become more powerful,’ says Mr Boster ‘Last year we released 11 new products, the year before that we released 13 new products We’ve been averaging over 10 a year for the last five years This is an incredible rate of innovation And this growth has in turn led to the need for a new manufacturing facility ‘There is a new facility because we are doing more business,’ states the Clear-Com president ‘We are doing more business because we are creating more

kinds of different product areas and addressing more markets with solutions that are specific to them All of those things interchange and interlink to put us in the place we are today where we need to have a new factory and we need to continue to innovate at that speed because we’ve set that expectation with the customers

‘In fact, the 50th anniversary has been a great opportunity to slow down and take a breath and look backwards because we have been so focused on where we are going next for the last five or so years that it’s been a good opportunity for a little soul-searching,’ he continues ‘But that project is not changing We are going to release roughly the same number of products this year We are definitely moving at pace

This attitude means that looking to the future and continuing to serve its customers’ needs are the priority for Mr Boster ‘One thing that I think is really critical is continuing to democratise some of these higher-tech solutions like IP,’ he reasons ‘If you look at our product offering in recent years, the HelixNet digital partyline system is an example of that where we’re taking IP and moving it into a mainstream workflow that people can address Another is our LQ product where we’re

linking together existing systems over IP in a platform that really works for all kinds of people That idea of continuing to take the high-end, cutting-edge part of our technology family and make those available to a broader part of the market that might be more associated with our traditional products like partyline, that’s definitely something that will continue as we move forward The other is continuing to expand the platform of ways to move signal around Not just intercom but video, audio and control

‘Broadly, I think we will continue to move forward in trying to incorporate new technology developments into solutions that let people build systems so that they can accomplish what they are trying to do,’ says Mr Boster ‘Our DNA is about allowing that Which technology platform we use is less important than understanding the dynamics of making that possible ’ This has been the goal of the manufacturer for the last 50 years Clear-Com was founded to be a problem-solving company and that is what it is still doing today

www.clearcom.com

www.clearcom50.com

Assembling beltpacks in the San Diego factory

The company sees its LQ series as democratising IP solutions

A letter from America

Will net neutrality, and all its negative implications for musicians and producers, move to Europe and the UK? Dan Daley discusses

NET NEUTRALITY TO MANY OUTSIDE THE States is one of those ‘American things’, like NASCAR, pickup trucks and air conditioning everywhere But, like many inscrutably American phenomena, like wearing baseball caps backwards, or sideways, or at all, it may be coming your way, for better or for worse Simply put – and nothing is truly simple about this far-reaching and controversial decision by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make the internet vulnerable to the highest bidders – removing net neutrality regulations means that internet service goes from being classified as a regulatable public utility and becomes instead a market-based commodity Internet service providers (ISPs) would, in theory, be able to determine the bandwidth (speed) at which online presences can move through them Giant ISPs such as AT&T or Comcast could provide more bandwidth for content from subsidiaries they own, such as DirecTV or NBC, respectively, or provide less bandwidth by comparison to

competitors’ content, a process known as throttling Throttled content will get through, but more slowly and with all sorts of artefacts, such as buffering, which is anathema to video Consumers will go where the experience is better, even if it means watching some content they might have viewed as second best That’s not good news for content providers, particularly relatively small ones, like independent record labels, the artists on them and the producers and engineers who help create them So the loss of net neutrality, which was slated to happen in April, save a last-minute (and in a President Trump administration, almost certainly temporary) legislative reprieve, has highly negative implications for musicians, who use the internet to sell not only their most basic ware, their music, but also concert tickets and branded merchandise If mom-and-pop stores have to be wary of big-box stores such as Home Depot and Wal-Mart and their pricing power, indie musicians see the same kind of

A letter from Europe

bogeyman in corporations like Live Nation and AEG Live, which control performance venues from arenas and stadia down to hundreds of local pubs across the country

Proponents of eliminating net neutrality regulations assert that it will foster more innovation and competition As for the former, there’s certainly been no shortage of creative invention in the last couple of years; regarding the latter, we already know what happens when the largest corporations are allowed free rein over a ‘free’ market landscape Scale always wins

Can’t happen here

Europe and the UK are decently insulated from this kind of ideological warfare, at least when it comes to the internet Net neutrality is well protected in the UK under the EU’s Open Internet Access rules, a condition that may even survive Brexit But iterations of it could still take root on that side of the pond For

instance, EE might give consumers free Apple Music subscriptions and not count the data it uses streaming music through Apple Music But when that same broadband customer is streaming Spotify, the data counter starts ticking quickly

More to the point, professionals, artists and producers using the web to sell or promote their work are going to bump into similar slow lanes when compared to the major media corporations Ironically, the same digital music production technology that putatively makes an indie artist in Iowa the capitalist equal of Warner Music Group when it comes to making records helps not at all when it comes to selling those recordings The game goes to the most efficient marketer, not necessarily the best content The record took months to make; marketing moves in real-time, as does the internet

So keep an eye on this American oddity of net neutrality It may be coming to a virtual place near you soon

Converting heritage to hospitality – Phil Ward unlocks the reason behind the disappearance of Soho’s postproduction facilities

LONDON’S SOHO DISTRICT HAS ALWAYS been, shall we say, cosmopolitan After the war it was still a low-rent, shambolic ghetto flecked with spartan pubs but, because of its central location, it was a magnet for undiscovered artists and veteran rebels As the 1960s swung, the sleaze barons moved in and made it a red-lit shadowland that always prompted the more squeamish members of my family to advise that I wore a disguise when I had cause to visit Quite seriously I promised them I would

As far as the studio landscape was concerned, at first it was the natural habitat of the small, independent multitrack mezzanines that serviced the hard underbelly of British rock, laced through with drugs, tattoos and brutally iniquitous recording contracts Later, as the advertising industry rebuilt entire blocks out of Filofaxes and fossilised espresso, a network of postproduction houses sucked in the world’s supply of Soundtracs desks and Genelec

monitoring You couldn’t move for voiceover actors, dispatch riders and hyperbole

Soho became its own theme park, just as there are in the boozier enclaves of Paris, Rome or Berlin, and soon for every traffic bollard there was a tourist, of equally stubborn density And eventually that’s all there will be, as the latest proposals by the hotel and leisure industry indicate Hotels, cafés and restaurants are quite literally elbowing the residue of useful production out of the way and threatening to consign Soho’s long heritage of media livelihood to a skip dumped outside Pret A Manger

Developers are right now eyeing up Film House on Wardour Street, so called because of its association with the British Pathé movie organisation In fact, at one point Wardour Street alone had over 40 film companies operating along it, with every kind of ancillary facility located in the surrounding streets Film House is already riddled with luxury

apartments, and the 7-storey plan before the City of Westminster Council now is only the latest of many similar conversions of heritage into hospitality At some point, there won’t be anything to visit except the visitors’ accommodation, and then nobody will come Anyway, there are still a few working creatives on this site, such as Deluxe’s UK postproduction house Encore, sound studio Angell Sound and VFX/grading house Freefolk, and they would all have to go Naturally, as reported recently in Broadcast magazine, the City of Westminster Council has received depositions from the creative community that protest against the machinations, and petitions have been added to several others across the city where facilities – not least the famous Air Lyndhurst, built by Sir George Martin in Hampstead – have been threatened by the jackhammer They write: ‘Demolishing historic buildings to build an unnecessary hotel and restaurant will cause massive disruption and

pollution in an already disrupted area and strip even more of Soho’s character away The creative industries, the local community and its rich history are what bring people to Soho but, as these characteristics disappear, so will the attraction and the local economy ’

At least Redwood is still in Windmill Street, still owned by André Jacquemin and Monty Python’s Flying Circus alumnus Michael Palin, and a monument to Soho’s connection with the very best of UK entertainment And it’s not all one-way traffic for pro audio vehicles, either Bizarrely, the new platform for musical creativity may turn out to be catering after all Nando’s – yes, the chicken-flavoured fast food run – has installed a recording studio at the back of its Frith Street renovation, complete with KRK monitoring and a Neumann U87 mic ‘Some of the best ideas have started over PeriPeri,’ a Nando’s spokesperson has said They should try it on dead parrot That would bring the tourists flocking

It’s all in the Mix

What are the challenges and techniques used by broadcast audio engineers when it comes to mixing for soundbars?

AS A SOUND PROFESSIONAL, I THINK LISTENING (monitoring) is the most critical aspect of sound production Now consider this: the single greatest difference between mixing for live venues such as concerts, clubs, churches and theatre and mixing for live broadcast is that the broadcast mixer is not hearing the same sound reproduction that the audience is hearing Since no one is actually listening to the same thing heard by the consumer, there is a belief by many broadcasters that most of the problems with audio reside with the consumer While there is some validity in this somewhat prejudiced opinion, I also believe that the audio professional can create compelling, interesting sound for broadcasting if one knows how to navigate the minefield

I have always been concerned about how my live broadcast shows sound in the consumer space In my early days of television audio, I would have to send a mono voice channel and a mono show channel to master control where they would make 2-channel audio I can assure you that I was not always happy with the sound, in spite of the fact that this was not even true stereo To overcome my dissatisfaction, I started to record everything and QC’d my work on a variety of devices and settings Through this process, I found out that some of the experiments with stereo and surround sound did not work because the creative intent (sound design) could not be properly reproduced into the average home This is the situation that content producers find themselves in today Over-producing audio can have a negative outcome because of the large variety of nonstandard reproduction devices Those of us who mix and produce sound for broadcast and home entertainment should have recognised by now that there is a renewed

interest aud difficult and there of speaker

is looking (sounding) good for high-quality audio to be an entertainment driver and marketing differentiator But, as a sound professional, I am very concerned with conforming all types of content to all kinds of speaker systems

How do we produce sound for movies, drama, sports, music – really all forms of entertainment – for playback over a wide range of speakers and headphones?

Significantly, with a wide range of playback options comes the possibility of problems with speech intelligibility, content dynamics and even conveying the creative intent of the producer

For the audio professional, next-generation sound production for the personal market represents a tricky learning curve Speakers and transducers, especially for the home and studio, are experiencing a renaissance in design and application and will once again claim the centre of the home entertainment system

fine for basic television audio but, if the content providers were going to produce a premium experience, the sound reproduction had to be addressed

Movies, sports and entertainment quickly added 5 1 surround sound, but it was abruptly obvious that having six separate speakers in the home living space was not going to work It took over a decade for surround soundbars to be developed However, many of those soundbars were and are not true surround sound They were simply an improvement to the sound

Beyond surround, the future of home entertainment is immersive audio and video Immersive – 3D audio – is a paradigm shift and as audio professionals we must evaluate how to create and produce sound in this new frontier What is 3D sound for home entertainment? I believe immersive sound can be best defined in the context of what is the final creative effect or intent – dimensionality, localisation or maybe just spaciousness

Teufel Audio’s Cinebar Pro uses sidefiring speakers to create a virtual surround soundstage

For home reproduction, there will be a compromise in the accuracy of the sound in exchange for the entertainment effect of the sound Significantly, this is because of the reproduction inaccuracy of most sound systems making it difficult to have good localisation above the viewer For example, if you are mixing an aerial scene, the accuracy and localisation of sounds above the listener is critical But with sports, most of the sound above and around the listener is ambiance and atmosphere, making it not as critical

If we consider that immersive sound includes the recreation of sounds from above, completing a full 360° soundsphere around the listener, then the sound designer must optimise the use of the sounds reproduced from above As with our aerial example, critical height effects (aeroplanes) will require true reproduction with height speakers, but most sports and entertainment do not have critical height information and do not require true reproduction

Broadcast audio production for most sports and entertainment is about enhancing the sound and not as much about localisation Sport generally does not have a specific use for sound above the viewer and any definition of immersive sound would probably only include the use of atmosphere and ambiance above the viewer The commentators and sports-specific sounds are the most important aspects of the sound production and mixing a front orientation is typical with sound for picture, taking advantage of the localisation inherent in soundbars

Virtually all soundbars have digital signal processing (DSP) built in, which can control equalisation settings as well as room simulators to change the reproduction characteristics Since most DSP enhancements are user settings, I would caution about excessive use and encourage mixing on a fullrange, discrete reproduction speaker system

Most entertainment and sports productions can be adequately reproduced on soundbars because the soundfield’s critical sound foundation is left-centre-right and

the acoustic environment with reflected sound creating an immersive effect Clearly, speaker trajectory and DSP play a significant role in improving spatial reproduction Interestingly, there is little discussion about audio specifications for soundbars and sound peripherals As sound designers and producers, we need to remember that when the speaker reproduction becomes less discrete – meaning that there are no rear or height speakers like many soundbars – then the resolution of any localisation will diminish

productions typically cannot be mixed separately for stereo, surround and immersive, much less for speaker configurations of reproduction devices Advances in sound technology and soundbar compatibility will require an advanced method that renders the sound specific to the reproduction device

Rendering the audio is an active process where the sound is optimised for a specific output configuration – stereo, surround or immersive, for example Ambisonics is a process that is capable of rendering to any format, but can also adjust for electrical and mechanical parameters of the transducer as well A sound device may have a specific speaker firing trajectory (up-firing) or DSP, and ambisonics is a method that renders a sound mix to specific parameters An optimum soundfield can be produced for each environment by the reproduction equipment There is no way to mix it all!

For the sound designer, surround and immersive sound seem to be a catchphrase for all types of sound production and reproduction for the consumer Depending on the content, playback device and room acoustics, there are a lot of ways to contour the options for a listener But I will tell you this: regardless of the latest technologies and buzzwords, I recommend that you keep your mix simple and remember speech intelligibility is pretty much the golden rule Good sound? It’s all in the mix

JBL Professional’s Pro soundbar is an active soundbar designed for commercial applications

The wall-mountable NW700 Sound+ soundbar from Samsung

Prolight + Sound 2018

+ Sound

‘WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH HALL 4.1, YOU SEE THE death of Prolight + Sound,’ observed one exhibitor who was mercifully counting his blessings within the refined splendour of Hall 3 1 The community of audio exhibitors that now defines the ‘Sound’ part of Frankfurt Prolight + Sound (PL+S) is collectively willing the annual trade show to succeed However, Messe Frankfurt’s consistent changing of dates and tinkering of hall locations have seemingly combined to confound and draw attention to its ongoing problems

Born out of MusikMesse approximately 25 years ago, PL+S rapidly expanded by attracting everything required for the stage, from smoke machines to moving head lights, loudspeakers, audio consoles and wireless microphone systems The newly built expansive halls were opened in quick succession as a deluge of overseas manufacturers grouped themselves under the various roofs in order to seek out new distributors while meeting existing ones Hoteliers, taxi drivers, airlines and restaurants prospered, relying on the annual trade show as a main source of income For anyone solely doing business in professional sound and lighting, the show was a given year in year out

With its roots firmly tapped into the traditional MI and live sound production sectors, PL+S found itself being encouraged by both exhibitors and distributors alike to market itself as a default install show It became apparent that there was little overlap between the contractor and live sound markets, so PL+S and CAVIS failed to attract significant numbers of consultants or installers Since 2004, Messe’s widening aisles and emptying halls have coincided with ISE’s unchartered growth into new halls and car parks over in Amsterdam

The 2-month gap between the shows has effectively thrown open a big dilemma to those distributors based several time zones away Although the presence of Chinese New Year and Easter may also play some part in a decision being made, the A/V bandwagon’s continued growing pains are assured ISE has certainly played a significant role in diverting the trade show budgets of a host of brands from Meyer Sound to TOA away from Frankfurt

In addition, numerous other exhibitors have decreased booth sizes over the years, citing declining ROIs and visitor attendances in their decisions Prior to its acquisition by Bosch in 2006, Telex EVI commanded one of the largest and most eye-catching booths in Hall 4 1 This year EV and Dynacord merely promoted an X-Line Advance line array module and IPX amplifier on a vastly scaled back stand Two years ago, EAW provided the loudspeaker backdrop for the enormous Festhalle, while Loud Technologies stablemate Martin Audio unveiled 10 new products during the 2017 exhibition This year, both were absent

The decline in European MI has been evident for the past decade, and the downward spiral has created a knockon effect Not so long ago, Thomann, Marshall, Fender, Gibson, Zildjian and Orange were making their presence felt – and heard – but having left the stage, these star brands have created a gap that seemingly cannot be filled In order to better connect with musicians, microphone manufacturers traditionally exhibited at MusikMesse before alternating or diverting to the PL+S halls to interface with a wider audience Although the absence of AKG, Audix, beyerdynamic, Sennheiser and Shure may not be purely accredited to the show’s contraction, it is a significant correlation Perhaps, the artist riders always outweighed the production companies in making a

purchasing decision and Messe Frankfurt’s tactic to sell multiple booths ultimately backfired

The extraordinary exodus of oriental brands from Hall 8 0 to 9 1 in 2012 also had an adverse effect on the fortunes of the show The segregation of its primary Asian customers remains an irony, as the organiser has hosted PL+S in Guangzhou and Shanghai since 2004 The continued absence of many Asian manufacturers including Chiayo, DSPPA and Taiden originated from this decision

Prior to the advent of ISE, PL+S commanded the main stage for product launches as all R&D calendars synced into next year’s dates announced at the end of the current show Despite sharing this billing with both NAMM and ISE, PL+S still demands a revolving spotlight on the booths as the wraps come off

While the main audio Hall 3 1 recorded diminishing audiences, the lighting Hall 3 0 below was bustling with visitors excited to see the latest technology for this section of the industry As PL+S appears to have cemented its status as

While the volume of product launches suggested a continued importance for the show, there were still many concerned voices in the audio halls at Prolight

James Gordon announced DiGiCo’s collaboration with L-ISA source control together with Quantum 7 software technology and 4REA4

Espartaco Saez with Beyma’s latest 15- and 21-inch LEX woofers

Outline Audio’s Giorgio Biffi premieres Superfly Tiago Correia with the Nextproaudio LAs418A active subwoofer

RCF’s Lucio Boiardi Serri Roberto Mataloni, Mauro Tanoni and Bruno Tanoni from FBT

Francisco Carpia, Andrea Salvioli and Marco Cantalu presented the Vio L208 line array at the Agora outdoor stage

GLP’s Alexander Braun with the new S350 moving head

John Skjelstad of Stagetracker and Bjorn van Munster of Astro Spacial Audio presented regular demos

the main European event for this section of the entertainment industry, the organiser will be hoping its success here will be replicated in the more audio-centric halls

Premiered for the first time, MA Lighting’s grandMA3 lighting console allowed users to get to grips with its new system architecture incorporating new fixtures, features and effectshandling In addition to the 13 grandMA3 demo stations, MA’s booth also had a dedicated grandMA3 demonstration auditorium allowing up to 70 seated visitors to take in a live presentation of the new console in German and English In addition to presenting an array of innovative new products, Robe’s spectacular live shows set against a magnificent backdrop provided a huge enticement for visitors every hour

The Czechs have clearly been busy creating the MegaPointe all-in-one fixture, which seems destined to become an industry standard moving head In addition, the Tarrantula LED beam, wash and effects luminaire together with the RoboSpot range of remote follow spot solutions and IP65-rated ParFect products were also showcased for the first time Chauvet presented two IP65-rated LED fixtures in the form of the Maverick Storm 1 Wash, Strike P38 white LED blinder/ strobe and Colorado Solo Batten RGBAW LED batten

The Element 2 console incorporating Eos software captured the visitor’s eye on the ETC booth, with the ETCpad tablet accessory, ColorSource family and architectural Irideon WLZ wash light all in close attendance

M2GO HD, M2PC, M-Touch, M-Play, M-DMX, M-Sync and M-PC on its booth for the first time

A plethora of new lighting options from the likes of Altman, Avolites, Ayrton, Chroma-Q, GDS, GLP, LSC, MDG and Robert Juliat also beamed their attention on visitors

Ever present at MusikMesse following its inception in 1979, German manufacturer HK Audio opted not to exhibit in 2017 It will have come as some relief, therefore, that this

established brand decided to return in 2018 with a small exhibit in Hall 4 2 together with a much larger presence in Hall 3 1 ‘Following a little break we took last year, we are rolling out our largest product launch at this year’s Prolight + Sound,’ commented CEO, Nils Stamer While the Cosmo integrative line array system provided perhaps the main focus, the Contour X point source flagship, C SUB subwoofer series and EN 54-24:2008-certified Vortis 2 series all vied for attention ‘We had to exhibit for this reason and assess the show’s credentials We’ve met up with many old customers and received encouraging feedback on the new products ’ Hoisted above its eye-catching booth design, d&b audiotechnik unveiled its GSL large-format line array alongside the J-, Y- and V-series cabinets Other new line arrays including dBTechnologies’ Vio L212, Crest Audio’s Versarry Pro and Vue’s e-class demanded closer inspection RCF traditionally promotes all its new products at PL+S, and this year’s fair was no different with new active extensions to the HDL family of enclosures including sub bass models In terms of innovation, the TTL-4a and TTP-4a stood out as the flexible wooden cabinets may share the same footprint, but provide varying line- and point-source characteristics, respectively The manufacturer also showcased new additions

Three new models of QuickQ consoles were being demonstrated by ChamSys, with intuitive smart-phonelike interfaces and large 9 7-inch touchscreens that were clearly being appreciated Other user-friendly features including easy-to-understand buttons and faders, a simple colour selection menu, readily accessible intensity control tools and fingertip controlled zooming and scrolling earned significant praise

Familiar to the audio world for its Neo loudspeakers, BlueLine digital signal processors and Arion line arrays, Spanish brand Work had firmly located itself in the lighting hall for this year’s exhibition to highlight the LightShark cross-platform lighting control system Capable of creating a multiscreen control system Integrating LightShark engine software, both the LS-Core and the LS-1 consoles provide up to eight DMX universes from a web-based GUI that can connect up to three devices simultaneously

Following the recent acquisition of the M-Series range of lighting controllers, Elation was showing the M6, M1HD,

to its mixer series with the Pro DSP FX, F10XR, F12XR and F16XR formats providing presets and recording options Other notable loudspeaker launches at the show included Adamson’s IS7P and IS10P point source cabinets, FBT’s unique Horizon system and K-array’s Event line, while a variety of Adam Hall equipment from LD Systems, Cameo and Gravity made debuts at the show Meanwhile, Outline Audio’s Superfly compact line source system will ‘set new standards in performance’ for a speaker of its dimensions, according to the Brescia-based innovator

KV2 Audio reported significant interest in its large-format VHD 2 0 and 5 0 loudspeaker platforms as sales director Dave Croxton confirmed: ‘With demonstrations, production companies are coming to realise that there are many cost benefits associated with our point source technology in addition to improved audio coverage ’

In addition to promoting the ISE-launched Rivage PM7 digital console, Yamaha unveiled a series of networkable speakers The powered DZR and DXS-XLF together with the passive CZR and CXS-XLF models drew crowds to one corner of the booth, while the Nexo exhibit on the other demonstrated Geo S and Geo M cabinets alongside the latest NXAMP

4x2 and 4x1 Mk2 amplifiers

Juan Jose Vila from Workpro with the new LightShark

DJ Digger rocks Messe during DiGiCo’s Wednesday evening booth party

Dave Haydon and Robin Whittaker

Gaby van der Blom and Krishna Singh from TW Audio with the new Vera20

Grant Roomes and Peter Klotz in hall 4.1

HK Audio’s Nils Stamer and Stefan Fischer launch Cosmo

Markus Falter and Jürgen Eicker had a successful show with the newly launched Pariz system

Kling & Freitag’s Jurgen Freitag introducing the Spectra series

Elisabeth Kuenast and Mr Kuenast celebrating 90 years of Microtech Gefell

The Robe booth in hall 3.0

Adamson’s Marc Weber with the latest IS10P speaker system

Low-frequency extensions were catered for by FunktionOne with the new F124 bass enclosure making its European debut, Coda Audio’s U series of multipurpose subwoofers and Next-proaudio’s LAs418A active reflex sub bass Long-term advocates of future proofing technology with software and firmware updates, serial mixer DiGiCo was once again furthering its credentials This year the manufacturer reassured its legions of engineers and production companies by demonstrating the new Quantum 7 platform, which is capable of expanding an SD7 console to over 600 channels of processing in 96kHz operation In addition to a 32-bit DAC and the ISE-launched 4REA4 digital audio networking system, DiGiCo maintained its networking credentials with other manufacturers, including L-Acoustics with L-ISA Source Control and d&b audiotechnik with OSC protocol for the DS100 Soundscape

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Cadac launched its smallest and most affordable console to date in the CDC series with the CDC five together with v5 CDC Console Software The GUI includes a swipe-down feature on its 23 5-inch touchscreen, while the control surface features 16 faders, with dual banks of user-assignable buttons to offer a total of 40 In addition to a medium-format I/O stagebox, it was announced that the current CDC seven and CDC eight consoles are being replaced by the newly launched CDC seven-s

Meanwhile, a new software release from Stage Tec enhances the functionality of the Aurus and Crescendo consoles, while Avid showcased its newly expanded S6L desk Outside of the enclosure, new drivers from Florence were evidently on display for which Powersoft highlighted its M-Force appeal, while B&C extended its coaxial range with the 4CNX88 and added two further 4-inch LF drivers for compact 2-way cabinet designs with the 4NDF34 and 4NDS34 woofers Following the 2017 launch of an 18-inch LF transducer in the LEX series, Beyma added two new subwoofers in the form of the 21LEX1600Nd and 15LEX1600Nd models together with three new compression drivers and a new

family of transducers incorporating Maltcross technology While extending its 6-inch mid-range drivers with the 6RS140 and 6PR160, Faital Pro was eager to promote its 18XL2000 super woofer Celestion added the CDX14-3040 HF compression driver together with the 1230F and 1540HD woofers to its CF range

Following on from last year, Hall 4 1 focused on products and technologies serving the audio, DJ and recording segments Here, the latest networkable audio interfaces from Focusrite and Steinberg were on display, while RME heralded the birth of its Digiface Dante and AVB devices Set against higher SPLs under the low ceiling, the API Legacy AXS console looked strangely out of place amongst its neighbouring booths hosting karaoke, PC recording equipment and turntable mixers Pointing a way forward for future diversity and growth perhaps, PL+S can take heart from the success of the educational forums and demonstrations that it promotes beyond the show floor The programme of the Immersive Technology Forum presented lectures for potential 3D audio applications in theatres, the creative use of virtual and augmented reality and other technologies trending in the events sector Outdoors, several exhibitors were represented with their own presentation areas for immersive sound d&b audiotechnik demonstrated Soundscape, while Alcons Audio and Astro Spacial Audio presented the Pro Ribbon Immersive Experience Equipped with a DIY 3D sound system including 31 loudspeakers and a vibrating floor, the Klangdome (sound dome) offered a new dimension to the outdoor exhibition area In addition to showcasing the new L-ISA Island on its booth, L-Acoustics presented L-ISA Immersive Sound Art technology and lectures on the P1 networked digital audio processor platform Large-scale sound systems were demonstrated at the Live Sound Arena under real-life conditions such as the persistent

rainfall that marred the final day of the exhibition, as well as the Agora outdoor area and the outdoor F1 at Hall 1 The numerous manufacturers that participated were each given a 10-minute slot to promote the speaker system of their preference Adding another dimension to the show floor exhibits for the second year running, the Frankfurt Festhalle was the setting for the PRG LEA stage and its Highlight Show, utilising an Alcons Audio’s LR28 loudspeaker system Upon publication of the final attendance for the 2018 exhibition, Messe Frankfurt was keen to highlight the fact that public-transport strikes and flight cancellations may have played a role in these statistics However, its continued insistence for kick-starting PL+S one day ahead of MusikMesse was a mistake, ensuring the opening day visitor numbers were low ‘We enjoy coming to this show so that we can interact with our many German customers,’ explained Fohhn’s sales and marketing director, Uli Haug ‘Germany continues to be our single biggest market ’ Such an observation possibly confirms why the likes of similar producers including Community, Renkus-Heinz and Tannoy have all opted out over the years

While the volume of new launches across the show floor can be seen as a vote of confidence in the event, it also brings its own level of pressure The manufacturing community has backed PL+S through the timing of these launches; now the organiser has to deliver the high-level, international crowd that these products deserve ‘The positive echo from the exhibitors of the two fairs and the high visitor standard indicate that we are on the right track,’ commented a member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt, Detlef Braun Having also announced that the two fairs would no longer overlap, further seismic hall movement was also confirmed Whether consultation with PL+S’ exhibitors had been made cannot be confirmed but the announcement that the main audio hall was being relocated back to Hall 8 0 took many by surprise Although the professional audio and lighting sectors continue to experience dynamic changes as a result of disruptive technologies and aggressive pricing, the exhibitors seemingly desire consolidation and stability at this exhibition

Fohhn’s Uli Haug and Jochen Schwarz enjoy meeting their German customers and friends

On the JTS booth, Dowson Yu and Cherry Yu with distributor, Herman Crins of Monacor

Powersoft’s president Carlo Lastrucci and Deva director Karl Kahlau with the X-series amplifers

Celestion MD Nigel Wood with the Axi 2050 Axiperiodic driver

Dave Webster from Coda models the new U series of subwoofers

Waring Hayes and Richard Fleming from XTA enjoying the show

The scaled-back EV booth simply showcased an IPX amplifier and an X-LIne Advance line array module

CMI Music & Audio’s Graeme Mitchell with Peter Trojkovic

The Stage Tec team were kept busy

The Antelope Audio booth encouraged visitors to stay and chat

The view from the floor

feel somewhat nostalgic as this show has really helped our distribution business over the years Therefore, I am very sad to see this show winding down, especially on the MI side It is still an exciting show in some areas For example, I’m amazed with the amount of new audio products that still keep hitting the market at a time when you think you’ve seen it all I guess that ownership changes create new scenarios, but I am excited by the way that audio embraces new technology

Mathias von Heydekampf, RME: ‘I really had to come as this is my 29th consecutive Musikmesse and I always enjoy meeting familiar people In addition, we are launching two unbelievable new products with Digiface Dante that also comes with 120 channels of MADI and doubles as a mixer at an attractive price point Together with Digiface AVB, we are providing audio interfaces that allow networking When I used to exhibit here in the same hall 15 to 20 years ago with Telex EVI, the fair used to be open on a Sunday Many other exhibitors didn’t like this fifth day, but we used to attract end users and crowds with a variety of games and competitions When the organisers decided to stop the Sunday, I told them that they would regret it as many end users used to bus down from places like Hamburg on that day to interact with the instruments and technology They would get excited before rushing to stores the following week to buy the gear they’d liked, but that went away unfortunately ’

Karl Christmas, Yamaha Professional: ‘It’s been a very intense show for Yamaha showing the PM7 mixing console together with our ranges of powered and passive speakers in addition to the line array technology and amplifiers being shown by our sister company, Nexo We’ve met many people from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, so for us it is has been a very positive show ’

Andre Correia, Next-proaudio: ‘We’ve been focusing on promoting both our touring and installation products including the Matrix speakers and LAs418A active, networkable, double 18-inch sub bass PL+S remains a professional show, which is quite close to ISE and, in comparison with previous years, it is a little quieter However, it has been a fantastic four days for us as we have achieved the goals that we set out prior to coming here ’

Markus Jahnel, Adam Hall Group: ‘It has been a good show for us and we are satisfied with the general number of visitors as we are doing more business these days in pro audio and lighting It’s been particularly good for rental Unfortunately, I feel that the effects of a declining Musikmesse has made a significant impact on PL+S Traditionally, we have always been strong in retail, but this show is now missing retailers – especially the smaller ones Although we’ve met fewer customers from the UK, we have recorded strong numbers from Russia, Turkey, Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa The launch of our new Zenit offerings from Cameo such as the B60 and W600 were well accepted with a backing of healthy orders In addition, the Curv and Maui products from LD Systems attracted great interest, while Gravity stands and hardware continue to gain increasing acceptance I would like to criticise the new show concept for next year with the move to Hall 8 0 as our current location in Hall 3 1 lies above the busy lighting floor But we’ll definitely be here again next year ’

Graeme Mitchell, CMI Music & Audio (Australia): ‘I’ve been coming here since the early 1990s and have always found it to be a very good show for doing business I

Gianluca Turra, Faital Pro: ‘From my point of view the show has been successful Although we’ve met a smaller number of visitors, they have been of a higher quality Rather than meeting people for the first time, we now hold meetings with familiar faces and with professionals who seek us out as they are familiar with the brand now Ultimately, this is very good for us as we hold fewer but more meaningful meetings

Fabrizio Milan, Tasker: ‘The exhibition is strategically smaller than some years ago but for us it is important to concentrate on Frankfurt and ISE as we meet all our international customers In addition to presenting cables for outdoor applications, we are highlighting silicon cables for evacuation applications, as this is currently receiving the most interest of all our products ’

Eugene Chen, Mipro: ‘Since we started to exhibit here in 1996, we have witnessed plenty of changes over the past 22 years Like many others, we feel the attendance has dropped, but our most important customers and partners continue to come here so it’s a show we will continue to do in addition to ISE

Dave Haydon, Out Board: ‘TiMax is a long-established and evolved product and we’ve been demonstrating the new

500S series software which includes a new look that is more adaptable for daylight and lowlight conditions We’ve also introduced quite a significant upgrade to the automation of the calculations necessary to make the imaging work called StageSpace You import a dimension drawing of the stage or whole auditorium and you drop the loudspeakers onto there and then you drop the zones onto there that you want them to focus on in terms of imaging either for surround immersion or vocal spatial reinforcement and then it will auto calculate those for you What differentiates it from other offerings is the fact that we have adaptable zone objects, so you can manually edit the parameters ’

André Zeugner, ADAM Audio: ‘The first day in this hall (4 1) was actually good – we met a lot of visitors, dealers and distributors The new T5B and the T7B monitors have been well received but I thought overall there were probably fewer people here to be honest Compared to last year the noise level is okay, because two years ago we had a real problem with some of the DJ booths ’

Dan Page, DiGiGrid: ‘Although it’s quieter than usual, this year’s been surprisingly good Quality over quantity maybe Rune Slot, DPA: ‘This year we’re promoting Core Technology and as such we’ve been really busy We’re fortunate to be located on a corner with our own café and meeting area tucked behind the stage here as this has definitely contributed to our success But the hall in general though is super noisy Although you become accustomed to it throughout the day, it’s only when you get back to the hotel and try to go to sleep when you know you are suffering from tinnitus ’

Hans Stucken, AV Stumpfl: ‘There are lot of different voices regarding the development of this trade show but, from our point of view, it is perfect for meeting different kinds of customers who are vital to both our projection screen and media server developments We’ve had a lot of very good feedback with regards to the latest innovations like our T32 Shift projection screen leg, so we’re looking forward to next year

Jan Jares, KV2 Audio: ‘Unfortunately, it looks like the show is dying and you can see that some of the big manufacturers aren’t participating this year We also used to have four demo slots, but now we have three It seems like everything is shrinking year-on-year I would really like to see this show grow bigger again and I have no idea whether this reflects on our industry in general or the show itself ’

Liam Winter, Absen Europe: ‘There have been peak times but you cannot compare this to ISE in terms of footfall However, I would say that the quality of visitors has been great The visitors are specialists from professional companies who are coming here with an agenda I’ve met a lot more senior level people and decision makers than perhaps I would typically and they’re coming to me with specific buying needs ’

2018 Dates: 10 – 13 April

2019 Dates: 2 – 5 April

Venue: Frankfurt Messe

Total exhibitors: 1,803

Attendance: 90,000

Contact: pls.messefrankfurt.com

PMC’s right result

HOW DOES A COMPANY RENOWNED FOR PRODUCING high-quality speakers enter a new market with a less expensive product without watering down its legacy or compromising on key components? That was the challenge recently faced by PMC following the unveiling of its latest entry-level, 6-inch active studio monitor, result6 ‘We wanted a new design to enter new markets and to produce something that had the same PMC sound but would be accessible to more people by being more affordable,’ says R&D manager, Oliver Thomas, who headed the 2-year project to design an active speaker that would be half the price of a monitor from PMC’s twotwo series ‘That is really what we were targeting The tricky bit was figuring out how to do that without compromising ’

All PMC products are manufactured in the UK, with a new 25,000m2 factory planned for construction next to the PMC headquarters in Biggleswade in the next few years Company founder Peter Thomas and his team have always prided themselves on their ability to offer the proprietary bass-loading system technology – or Advanced Transmission Line (ATL) – in their speakers Adapting what is a very costly design approach to the cheaper result6 was one of the big hurdles that they had to overcome ‘What we essentially did was invest a lot of money in R&D and put together a much bigger team, a lot more software and add a lot more facilities,’ says Peter Thomas ‘You start looking at all the new techniques to keep the quality but at the same time seek to reduce costs We’ve opened up a whole new area of customers who like PMC but see it as being a bit out of their price range ’ Oliver Thomas and his team immediately went to work going through each stage of the design and soon concluded that they would need to make the electronics simple, essentially including just the bare minimum But that’s not to say that everything was compromised result6 features a 27mm soft-dome tweeter with dispersion grille and a mid/ bass unit composed of a gloss doped natural fibre, both of which are custom-designed Another feature is the finned HF driver surround on the result6 known as the D-Fin This

prevents boundary effect waves from disrupting the direct signal emanating from the tweeter

‘The tweeters are similar to the ones in the twotwo 6,’ comments Oliver Thomas, singling out the design of the tweeter plates as the toughest part of the R&D phase ‘There are a few changes that we had to make to the diaphragm assembly, such as the fabric that is used as well as the voice coil We can’t get it as light as we can on the twotwos because to get it lighter costs exponentially more ’ The quality of diaphragm material impacts on the off-axis performance, which has been compensated for with an elaborate plate design

The design team also wanted to avoid edge reflections on the cabinets that are detrimental to the on-axis frequency

response The downside to that was again the higher manufacturing cost, so the solution was to make the cabinet more uniform, and at the same time cheaper The D-Fins come into play here, eradicating the cabinet edge effects

‘If you imagine a soundwave coming out of the tweeter and travelling along the cabinet, as it reaches the edge of the cabinet, you get a reflection,’ explains Oliver Thomas ‘You’ve got this different acoustic impedance because the sound is travelling along a solid baffle It then suddenly sees free air, gets a slight reflection and is blocked by these edges The tricky part is doing lots of iterations and simulations to ensure that you’ve designed something that, although you’re blocking edge reflection, doesn’t change the rest of the characteristic of the tweeter ’ That meant going through a phase of simulations to try out different designs and prototyping, but all were worth the effort ‘The exciting thing is that you learn new things from such designs,’ adds Peter Thomas In terms of bringing something new to the design, the team drew on Oliver Thomas’ experience with F1 team Red Bull Racing, where he had worked on electrical hardware Measuring techniques like the ones used for non-contact displacement sensors – pointing a laser at something to

PMC has ventured into new marketing and R&D territory with the introduction of result6, its bold answer to an entry-level active speaker. John Leonidou reports

Peter Thomas and his son Oliver say result6 has taken PMC into uncharted territory

PMC is banking on its result6 monitors to break new ground in broadcast, radio and education

The production phase from Oliver Thomas and his team required some meticulous – and often laser-focused – technology

measure the distance – were put to good use in the design of result6

‘We can now point the laser at the drive units to know within microns how the drive is mechanically moving in relation to its acoustic outline,’ notes Oliver Thomas ‘But the best takeaway was looking at the type of engineering and design process for a company making products that will be used in a pretty harsh environment and going through the steps of validation and testing ’

It has been a long and rocky road for PMC and result6 but, for Peter Thomas and his team, it was worth the wait and struggle ‘In business, you allocate the R&D cost to each product by working out what the lifetime will be,’ explains Peter Thomas ‘With the twotwos, the numbers that are going to be put to market are much smaller than with a product of result6’s price Although the R&D cost is higher, the amount per speaker isn’t ’

Although the result6 will not have the exact same sound dynamics as its predecessors, it will share the one common trait that Peter Thomas – who started up the company back in 1991 with his partner Adrian Loader – always

demands from his team ‘We always strive for accuracy and neutrality,’ he says ‘That’s the goal with all of our products I suppose it is a little bit like high-resolution television The detail gets better with the more money that is spent If you listen to the result6 and put them against the twotwos, they will sound very similar in balance when you switch between

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them, which is important, but the difference will be that the twotwos will have more resolution, detail and be more analytical And they should, because they cost a lot more The result6 has broadened horizons for PMC with imminent and similar projects in the pipeline set to once again excite Peter Thomas and his team

www.pmc-speakers.com

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The R&D phase of result6 saw the monitor go through many different designs and prototyping

What’s next for Solid State Logic?

THE SUDDEN EMERGENCE OF AUDIOTONIX in the industry in early 2014 came as a surprise to many Three distinct console brands that each brought their own rich heritage and culture were combined under a single entity It had the potential to send all three along a trajectory that has sadly been witnessed many times in pro audio Four years later, and Pro AVL MEA is heartened to realise that it was never a fair assumption Now, the group has gone one step further by adding heavyweight Solid State Logic (SSL) into the fold and raising yet more questions about the future of such an iconic brand

But passionate SSL enthusiasts and owners need not worry, promises Audiotonix group CEO, James Gordon Part of why they should feel safe about the future is that the group has been established with the aim of nurturing and protecting each company’s heritage from the outset

‘It was designed initially from our perspective as a place where DiGiCo could be safe,’ Mr Gordon explains ‘In our industry

when a lot of companies reach a certain size, they get bought by a bigger company, and when that happens, generally, you tend to see the culture of the business change, or the people that started it leave In most cases that is not a particularly positive thing for the brand

‘We didn’t want that to happen to DiGiCo but you don’t really have many options You either blindly go on through life imagining it won’t, or you try and take control of the situation ’

The logic is sound Make yourself big enough that you can’t easily be swallowed by the competition – safety in numbers so to speak ‘Having done it, all three brands are in a stronger place than they were,’ he elaborates Having then also caught wind of a possible sale over at SSL in early 2017, the opportunity for Audiotonix to add another complementary brand to its portfolio was too good to miss ‘Frankly speaking, we like premium brands that have got history and are a key part of our industry With SSL you can’t get much bigger,’ says Mr Gordon

‘We went and met some of the team and they’re very passionate about their brand, their technology, what they’re doing and their customer base, which is very important for us But we could also definitely see how we could strengthen and help them ’

It’s more than just safety in numbers The sharing of engineering resources and know-how between the various companies presents numerous efficiencies that can help bring new ideas and technologies to light ‘The cost of entry into our industry is more money, R&D is not cheap anymore,’ says Mr Gordon ‘We’ve got to be innovative and drive forward, and that’s a major cost base for anyone So having the scale of a larger company behind SSL pays dividends They’ve also had a lot of product ideas but didn’t necessarily have the ability to build them at the right price or maybe the technology know-how of certain elements to be able to bring them to market But across the group we’ve got a huge amount of manufacturer expertise

Of course, the danger here is a risk that over time the brands will coalesce into a single homogenous entity This is particularly prevalent when each has products that in some way compete with the other group partners ‘There is an element of crossover with all of the brands,’ acknowledges Mr Gordon ‘Obviously with SSL there’s crossover with Calrec on the broadcast side And if you look at it from 10,000 feet that’s what you see, but if you go into a little bit more detail, actually the end customers are different, whether that’s geographically or what the market’s doing

‘In reality, rental companies tend to buy more than one make of mixing console anyway, many have got three or four different brands,’ he adds ‘Having A&H and DiGiCo together has meant that some of the strong DiGiCo partners have bought A&Hs for their smaller projects and I’m sure that some of our live sound customers will see value by having invested in both SSL and DiGiCo

The plan is not to stop them competing, and it’s important for them to keep their own identities Furthermore, both the workflows and buying experience is very different The culture of the brand is also a big part of why people buy it and love using it and we’re trying to preserve that ’

Audiotonix plans to avoid such confusion by ensuring the customer-facing elements of the business remain the same SSL will continue to operate as its own distinct brand Sales and distribution channels will remain separate but behind the scenes is where the magic will happen ‘All of this

was to protect the brands rather than put them under one umbrella and make them something different, which I don’t think is right for our industry,’ he explains ‘From a group perspective, the sales guys, the support guys, the marketing teams – they’re all very much brand specific We’ll stick with completely separate sales routes to each market and stay with the best distributors for that; we haven’t done any consolidation of our channels and don’t intend to But things in the background – manufacturing, purchasing and, to a certain extent, bits of R&D will be combined as we’re all having to deal with similar challenges Having the knowledge base to do that is great ’

As an example, Mr Gordon highlights SSL’s Dante expertise, having been one of the first companies to adopt high channel-count Dante ‘At the moment Allen & Heath is just starting to expand its Dante integration because of its install range So almost immediately SSL was able to add value back to the group by knowledge-sharing on that From a conversation that began a little over a year ago, the pace at which SSL has been brought into the mix has been impressive But this has only been made possible by a change of ownership taking place in the background The group parted ways with investment company Elektra Partners (now Epiris) at the beginning of 2017 and entered into a new phase with European company, Astorg ‘One of the reasons that we made the change from Epiris to Astorg was that as a team we’d reached a point where we were comfortable doing M&A,’ says Mr Gordon ‘It was a big risk when we carried out the merger and created Audiotonix We’d never taken on another brand and I think it took us a few years to feel comfortable that we hadn’t messed it up completely So we were looking at how we could make the group better and bring in more quality Timing-wise, SSL arrived just at the right moment ’

If you thought that four high-profile console brands makes you a big enough fish not to get swallowed, Mr Gordon is not so sure ‘Let’s see where everything goes in the next six to nine months; I think it’s going to be fun,’ he says with a smile ‘Part of the move from Epiris to Astorg was that we wanted to go and do further acquisitions, which meant that we needed new funding Each time we’ve had investment it’s been good for them and good for us and that’s because we’ve been clear from day one about what our aspirations are and what we want to see happen to the company You stick to the plan ’

www.audiotonix.com

www.solidstatelogic.com

Pro AVL MEA discusses the future of SSL with James Gordon following its recent acquisition by Audiotonix

James Gordon

We like premium brands that have got history and are a key part of our industry. With SSL you can’t get much bigger.

New from DiGiCo

SD12

SETTING A NEW STANDARD

Predictably Stunning

In 2015, DiGiCo launched its compact S-Series, which last year, the whole SD Range became much more powerful thanks to the introduction of Stealth Core 2 meet the new and predictably stunning SD12.

compact multi-application consoles, it simply rips it up and starts again.

Main Features

72 input channels with full processing

36 aux/grp busses with full processing

LR / LCR bus & 12 x 8 Matrix

12 FX processors & 16 Graphic EQs 119 Dynamic EQs, 119 Multiband Compressors, 119 DiGiTuBes

Advanced surface connectivity with optional DMI cards UB MADI & optional Optics