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It’s been a turbulent couple of months for the Middle East. From regional conflicts dominating the global headlines to Dubai getting buried under a year’s worth of rain in 24 hours, it serves to highlight both how unusual and beneficial the recent decade of stability has been for the region. Some of the shine also seems to be coming off Saudi’s grand 2030 ambitions. Back in early 2023, when the kingdom unveiled its incredible plans for The Line, there were many who said it would never happen. But just a few weeks later the diggers were already out in the desert and the government was adamant that it would become a reality. With reports of a rapidly dwindling sovereign wealth fund, some are beginning to doubt whether the
the desired results. It appears now that The Line has been scaled back from an initial 105 miles long to just 1.5. I’m writing this as I head out to Riyadh for this year’s SLS show, and it will be interesting to see how the tone has shifted in the past 12 months since my last visit. How these seemingly unrelated issues will impact us in AV is really anyone’s guess. It’s not that often that really interesting recording projects pop up in this part of the world, so it was a pleasure to head to Abu Dhabi and visit BarCoe Studios –the cover story for this issue – on a recent visit to the UAE. You can check out the feature on pp46–48 for a full look under the hood.
Email: sluckhurst@proavl-mea.com
Richard Lawn General manager rlawn@proavl-asia.com
Bea Meikle News editor bmeikle@proavl-mea.com
Sue Gould Advertising director sgould@proavl-mea.com
Nick Smith Digital media manager nsmith@proavl-mea.com
Carolyn Valliere Sales associate cvalliere@proavl-mea.com
Chris Yardley Video editor cyardley@proavl-mea.com
Caroline Moss Contributing editor cmoss@proavl-mea.com
Jack Stennulat Digital content creator jstennulat@proavl-mea.com
Karen Wallace Editorial coordinator kwallace@proavl-mea.com
Adrian Baker Production manager abaker@proavl-mea.com
Marne Mittelmann Circulation manager circulation@proavl-mea.com
Michelle Mooney Deputy editor mmooney@proavl-mea.com
Sue Su Guangzhou manager ssu@proavl-mea.com
Sennheiser has announced that together with other parties, it is investing €7m (nearly US$7.5m) in Norwegian scale-up business sensiBel. The company has developed optical MEMS microphones for application areas such as consumer electronics, automotive, conferencing solutions and medical devices.
“We want to grow sustainably as a company,” said Sennheiser co-CEO, Daniel Sennheiser. “In addition to investments in our existing business, this also includes investments in promising future fields outside of our company, providing these align well to our company and our vision.” Andreas Sennheiser added: “sensiBel’s innovative optical MEMS technology is clearly this type of promising emerging field. As investors, we look forward to actively driving forward this ground-breaking development.”
sensiBel CEO Sverre Dale Moen commented: “sensiBel shares the same vision as Sennheiser and we are proud to welcome Sennheiser as an investor. We believe an investment from such a highly recognised audio company speaks of the merits of the technology and the potential for optical MEMS technology to shape the future of miniature microphones.”
The distinctive feature of sensiBel’s technology is the use of light waves to measure the movement of the diaphragm. In sensiBel’s optical system, a laser generates light beams that are projected onto the microphone membrane and reflected on a photo detector. The reflected beams are captured and processed in an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) with a digital output data interface. This technology makes it possible to measure very small movements and therefore capture very low noise levels –even when there is a high level of loud background noise. Additionally, the optical MEMS microphone can withstand high sound pressure levels. As a result, the microphones generate sound with a specification of
Halwani Audio Visual (HAV) and Harman Professional Solutions have announced the grand opening of the inaugural HAV/ Harman Experience Centre in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The 1,800m2 facility will serve as a showcase for audio solutions tailored to both entertainment and enterprise markets. The Jeddah location joins a network of Harman Professional’s global experience centres situated in international hubs such as Los Angeles, London, Singapore and Shanghai. The dynamic space will showcase Harman products in immersive settings, from live touring to installed and recording audio. In addition, the experience centre will also host regular training sessions tailored for clients, consultants and integrators with the aim of enhancing technical proficiency and equipping participants with the knowledge needed to navigate the diverse requirements of audio solutions.
“The opening of the new HAV/Harman Experience Centre represents a significant investment in our Saudi operations and marks a pivotal shift in how we engage and support our valued customers,” commented Bassam Halwani, CEO of HAV.
“This immersive environment will offer a comprehensive showcase of Harman’s industry-leading applications, empowering visitors to explore diverse scenarios and gain invaluable insights into our audio solutions.”
Hamid Soufian, vice president and general manager, EMEA, Harman Professional Solutions, concluded: “HAV’s longstanding Harman partnership and expertise have been instrumental in our success and the launch of this experience centre signifies an exciting opportunity to deepen customer engagement and drive AV solution modernisation throughout the region.”
pro.harman.com
www.sennheiser.com www.sensibel.com
AtlasIED has announced a significant equity investment in AI-powered risk management developer, IntelliSee. As part of the investment, AtlasIED will integrate the IntelliSee platform with its IPX series and Singlewire InformaCast to create a comprehensive mass communications solution.
IntelliSee’s AI-powered risk mitigation platform was developed in 2020 to protect facilities and organisations such as schools, businesses and hospitals, against day-to-day risks including slipping hazards, fallen persons, trespassing and more. IntelliSee is also used for threat detection and notification when it comes to critical incidents like weapon detection and violent actions.
The AI platform overlays with existing video surveillance systems to continually monitor live camera feeds to detect threats in real time. Once a threat is detected, instant alerts provide pre-determined stakeholders with the necessary situational awareness and context. In situations where it’s warranted, certain more urgent threats can automatically trigger lockdowns and emergency communication distribution and inform first responders through integrations.
AtlasIED will offer IntelliSee as part of its comprehensive threat detection and mass communications ecosystem, which includes the company’s series of IP endpoints and InformaCast mass notification software.
AtlasIED’s IPX series features IP endpoints that offer audio and visual mass communication, public address and intercom capabilities integrated into a single device. InformaCast is a mass notification software that unifies onpremise and off-premise communications with the ability to send text messages and desktop notifications to faculty, students and parents’ devices and alert law enforcement as well as triggering IPX for a full building, campus or
responses onsite via the IPX endpoints and alerts to staff, stakeholders and law enforcement via text or desktop notifications.
“I firmly believe in the transformational power of deep learning AI and IntelliSee’s innovative technology is a shining example of how AI can solve real-world challenges,” said John Ivey, CEO of AtlasIED. “We’re excited to offer this technology as part of AtlasIED’s mass communications ecosystem.”
Scott Keplinger, IntelliSee CEO, remarked: “We founded IntelliSee to make the world a better, safer place through the ethical use of our advanced AI. By partnering with AtlasIED, we’re teaming up with a leading company that shares our values and mission to make a bigger impact.”
www.atlasied.com
www.intellisee.com
80dBA SNR (14dBA noise floor), 132dB dynamic range, 24-bit digital output and with low power consumption, in a compact form factor. Modular system for customized infrastructure solutions
Wide range of modules for fully networked media technology concepts
Classified cable-bulkware according to EU Construction Products regulation (EU CPR)
Ready made Network and Fiber Optic Systems for mobile and installation applications
SOMMER CABLE based in Straubenhardt/Germany was founded in 1999 and is now one of the leading suppliers of professional high-quality cable and connection technology with a focus on the audio, video, broadcast, studio and media technology sectors. The product range including the in-house brands HICON, CARDINAL DVM and SYSBOXX covers cable bulkware, connectors, connection cables, individually adaptable distribution systems and electronics. A B2B shop with over 25,000 products is available 24/7.
Selby’s Productions has invested in Christie M 4K15 RGB pure laser projectors. The sale was facilitated by technical support provider CineAV and marked the first investment of such projectors in the region. Selby’s Productions will utilise the M 4K15 RGBs for rental staging and conference applications.
The substantial purchase was the product of a meticulous process spanning 18 months of dedicated effort, including an open day where CineAV provided Selby’s Productions with firsthand experience of the projector.
“Through immersive demonstrations and in-depth discussions, we ensured the client had a comprehensive understanding of the product’s capabilities,” commented CineAV technical services manager, Clwyd Jones. “These engagements were pivotal in guiding their decision-making process, allowing them to confidently invest in our solution. This sale marks a significant milestone for our business, reflecting not only the culmination of an 18-month endeavour but also the tangible benefits it brings, while reinforcing our position as a trusted provider of cuttingedge AV solutions. Moving forward, we are poised for continued growth and success in the dynamic world of rental staging and conference
of Rec. 2020. It also features multiple I/O options including HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C, allowing connection to a variety of devices.
Selby’s Productions’ IT manager, Jean-Luke Buytendorp, noted: “My decision to purchase the M 4K15 RGB Christie projector has been met with nothing but satisfaction. Its stunning visual quality, versatility and reliability make it a worthwhile investment for anyone in search of a premium projector experience. Whether for entertainment or professional use, this projector delivers on all fronts, making every viewing experience a memorable one.”
Christie’s Miles Donovan, senior channel development manager, EMEA, added: “It’s the perfect choice for Selby’s and rental stagers due to its versatility, connectivity, reliability and lower power consumption, while also allowing them to reuse their existing suite of lenses for further cost savings and sustainability benefits. This projector continues the legacy of the Christie M Series as a rugged, fully omnidirectional industry workhorse built for demanding applications and now with RGB pure laser technology for vibrant visual performance and significant ROI benefits. We’re thrilled to see the M 4K15 RGB make
East African direct broadcast satellite service Azam Media is revolutionising its broadcast capabilities with a new outside broadcast (OB) truck, constructed in collaboration with systems integrator Broadcast Solutions and Lawo.
Designed to meet the evolving demands of modern sports production, the new OB truck is tailored to the company’s expanding portfolio of sporting events, particularly football matches, not only in Tanzania but also in neighbouring Kenya. As the broadcaster secures increasingly prominent TV rights, this investment underscores its dedication to delivering top-tier coverage to viewers.
The vehicle’s audio control room is centred around the Lawo mc²36 all-in-one console, with its built-in A__UHD Core functionality offering 256 processing channels, at both 48kHz and 96kHz, and native support for ST 2110, AES67, Ravenna and Ember+. It provides an I/O capacity of 864 channels.
The truck boasts a plethora of other cuttingedge equipment and technology to support its mission-critical operations. With a setup of 12 Sony cameras, two additional Dreamchip Mini cameras and a state-of-the-art Ross Video Vision Mixer, Azam Media’s production team is equipped with the tools needed to capture every angle of the action seamlessly. Additionally, the integration of two EVS XT-GO replay servers ensures swift replay capabilities.
Lawo’s VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) IP Broadcast Control and Workflow Solution serves as the backbone of the OB truck’s broadcast
control system. VSM integrates with a wide array of broadcast equipment, providing Azam Media with the flexibility to customise workflows to meet the demands of any production scenario.
“VSM gives us the right way to manage a complex workflow, with the large-scale use of tielines meaning we can obtain great flexibility on our resources,” commented Raghvendra Tiwari, head of the technical department at Azam Media. “Last but not least, it allowed us to save a lot of time onsite during the configuration, creating an additional cost reduction.”
The project scope extended beyond the OB truck, encompassing additional components essential for Azam Media’s comprehensive broadcasting operations. These include a support truck, three five-camera flightcase production kits, a VAR van and two C-Band flyaway uplink systems, ensuring versatility and adaptability across various broadcasting environments.
“While we have a range of standard designs for outside broadcast fleets, every production company is different,” said Wladislaw Grabowski, MD and COO at Broadcast Solutions. “They need specific functionality to meet their market; they have different workflows; they have different preferences over key equipment. We are able to take all our knowledge and experience, rapidly understand the specific requirements and build and deliver quickly.”
www.bakhresa.com/azam-media www.broadcast-solutions.de www.lawo.com
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the AVIXA Women’s Council in GCC hosted a gathering at the NMK Electronics Experience Center in Dubai, supported by Bose Professional, Shure and Q-SYS.
The event invited 60 dynamic women from across the tech industry for a day filled with activities designed to inspire, energise and connect. Attendees engaged in networking sessions, creating new professional connections and strengthening existing ones. The day also included a series of wellness activities, such as meditation and breathing exercises, culminating in a Zen Warrior
fostering a dialogue on the challenges and opportunities facing women in tech today.
Local volunteers, Minal Paapalkar and Maleeha Riaz, representing AVIXA Women’s Council, played pivotal roles in orchestrating the event by providing their expertise to create an environment that celebrated and empowered women in the tech industry.
TS Gopalakrishnan, regional director, India and GCC, AVIXA, noted the positive feedback received from participants. “We are thrilled with the response to our International Women’s Day event and are committed to organising more activities around this theme.
Moroccan nightlife hotspot Theatro Marrakech recently upgraded to an L-Acoustics K2 sound system, integrated by Potar Hurlant. The 2,000-capacity venue, which is ranked as one of the globe’s Top 50 nightclubs, was originally Africa’s first music hall and now regularly plays host to international artists, attracting visitors from around the world.
Inspired by a visit to Omnia Las Vegas and its L-Acoustics professional sound system, Theatro management worked with Paris-based nightclub consultant Timothée Renard of the Fox Agency and L-Acoustics integrator Potar Hurlant for the upgrade. “Our main objective
fill to a podium for performers and dancers.
The DJ booth is flanked with one KS21 per side, topped by two A15 Focus for monitoring. A tiered mini-VIP area behind the DJ booth has an L-C-R system of three A15 Wide for the upper tier, while the lower tier is served by five X8 coaxials. A single KS28 and L-R hangs of three A15 Wide cover the dancefloor from this area. The entire system is driven by 14 LA12X and three LA4X amplified controllers over Milan-AVB networking.
The ultra-VIP lounge below the balcony features a system of two hangs of one A15 Wide and one A15 Focus in front, with two additional hangs of one A15 Wide in the
was to integrate a rider-ready sound system to attract internationally acclaimed artists and provide a unique experience for all of our clubbers, from the main floor to the intimate VIP areas,” commented Renard.
The Potar team worked alongside Renard with the support of L-Acoustics application engineer, Pascal Charousset, to create a unique sound design for each section of the space, which includes the central dancefloor, a mezzanine, an ultra-VIP lounge facing the dancefloor and a mini-VIP zone just behind the DJ booth. The main dancefloor and an upper balcony are covered by an L-R system of six K2 per side with four KS28 in cardioid configuration flown behind each hang, while three flown A15 Wide per side provide in-fill to the main dancefloor and two A15 Focus per side are used for side-
Sonic Electronics recently announced it has inaugurated new offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as part of an expansion of its operations in the Middle East and Africa regions. Originally established in Qatar, the audiovisual distributor said that with the strategic move, the company aims to better serve its customers across diverse markets and strengthen its partnerships.
“We are overjoyed by the significant growth in our operations, which stands as a monumental achievement for us as an audiovisual distributor,” commented Santhosh Vasu, managing director of Sonic Electronics. “This expansion signifies not only our commitment
back corners and a ground-stacked KS28 topped by two KS21 subwoofers. “We wanted to offer an unparalleled experience in the VIP area, creating a profound impact in the low-frequency,” noted Julien Antinoff, communications manager at Theatro Marrakech. “Our most esteemed guests deserve nothing less than to feel the music as much as they hear it.”
Renard concluded: “The audio upgrade has received positive feedback from our patrons and artists. Experiencing the new L-Acoustics concert sound system is like stepping into a new dimension of clubbing. The VIP area, specifically, is a testament to this transformative journey.”
www.l-acoustics.com
to excellence but also the trust and support bestowed upon us by our valued partners and clients. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our partners and clients for their continued support and trust in Sonic. Together, we look forward to reaching new heights and achieving greater success in the future. Stay tuned as we embark on this exciting new chapter in our journey of MEA.”
www.sonicelec.com
Sennheiser Middle East recently hosted a series of workshops showcasing audio solutions for meeting rooms and educational spaces in partnership with its local distributor Venuetech. Held at the Venuetech experience centre in Dubai’s Al Qouz, the half-day sessions welcomed more than 25 local systems integrators, which enjoyed presentations and demos offering hands-on experience with the German manufacturer’s solutions.
Fadi Costantine, technical sales manager at Sennheiser Middle East, kicked off with an intro to the company and its DearReality, AMBEO, Neumann and Merging Technologies brands, before delving into Sennheiser’s business communications portfolio, beginning with the SpeechLine Digital
Wireless system, which promotes seamless setup through features such as multi-mode room, a fully digital workflow and is futureproofed by its use of the 1.9GHz licencefree spectrum. The platform is targeted at education and corporate applications. The highlight for attendees however was the TeamConnect Ceiling Solution. The TeamConnect Ceiling 2 (TCC2) can cover up to 80m2 for large meetings, with a variant called TeamConnect Ceiling Medium (TCCM) for smaller meeting rooms, lecture halls or collaboration rooms up to 40m2. Each comes in flush-mount or surface-mount options.
Costantine highlighted the platform’s security, ease of installation and setup, before diving deeper into the platform’s
the central software to simplify setup, control and maintenance of the entire portfolio, was also explored. Finally, attendees were given an insight into Sennheiser’s browserbased room configuration tool designed to help discover the best solution for a specific meeting space.
After the morning presentation, the team held a Q&A session and live demos of the Control Cockpit software and of the TCCM’s TruVoicelift
“A lot of people know our products, but when it comes to implementing them in a project they typically like to come and get hands-on with the solutions first,” said Costantine. “These workshops are the perfect platform for them to get familiarised with implementing the right product in the right environment.”
www.sennheiser.com
www.venuetech.com
The grand opening ceremony of the 15th Arab Games took place in the heart of Algeria’s Stade du 5 Juillet with a video mapping show produced by VLS featuring over 30 Christie Boxer 30K video projectors, accompanied by singers, dancers and musicians. VLS implemented Modulo Pi’s Modulo Kinetic media server and multi-projector auto-calibration solution for the technical production of the spectacle.
To ensure the best light output for the video mapping show, the Christie Boxer 30K video projectors were installed in a trial configuration to illuminate the different projection surfaces. The projectors were powered by Modulo Pi’s Modulo Kinetic media server and a Modulo Kinetic Designer workstation was connected to six V-Node servers.
The Arab Games was also the first time the VLS teams used Modulo Pi’s multiprojector auto-calibration solution, which can automatically handle warping and edge blending for flat, curved or dome projections. “For this project, we would have had a lot of warps to do
explained Cyril Toussaint, technical director at VLS. “With the auto-calibration module, it was done in an hour-and-a-half. This saved us three nights of setup with five operators.”
The French manufacturer’s media server supports auto-calibration in multi-server configurations, which was utilised for the opening ceremony with each Modulo Kinetic server being equipped with an auto-calibration dongle.
To create darkness and the best possible contrast, a PoE camera was installed at night and placed at the top of the stands to view the entire projection surface. Patterns were then projected, captured by the camera and analysed by the auto-calibration system. In a few minutes, the warping and edge blending of all projectors was automatically managed by Modulo Kinetic and Modulo Pi’s auto-calibration solution.
www.christiedigital.com
www.modulo-pi.com
In-Sync Event Services has added 24 units of RCF HDL 26-A arrays to its HDL 50-A 4K family, provided by Dubai-based distributor, Avenger Electronics. The new system will be mostly used for conferences, corporate events and gala dinners in the UAE and some additional events in Saudi Arabia.
Since its inception, In-Sync Event Services has been using RCF, with its rental inventory including products from the ART series, NX series, HDL 50-4K, 9007AS subs and NX subs, and the audiovisual rental company noted that it plans to expand its rental inventory further in the future.
Avenger’s general manager, Joseph Ninel Rebero, commented: “In-Sync Event Services is one of my oldest clients who started using RCF arrays like the NXL 23A from 2011 onwards. At the beginning of 2019, just
before pandemic hit, I supplied them with one of the first HDL 50-A 4K systems in the GCC.”
“We own multiple RCF line arrays and point source speakers in our rental kit,” said Vipin Das Velayudhan, director, In-Sync Event Services. “Over the years, our business relationship with Avenger Electronics has grown stronger alongside our use of RCF products. The flexibility, stock availability and ease of doing business with Avenger have been exceptional. Additionally, the audio quality produced by RCF is outstanding and unbeatable, providing excellent value for money. The RCF products have significantly supported our growth and contributed to our success.”
www.avengerproav.com www.insyncworld.com
Leisung Technologies LLC has completed upgrade works at the UAE’s Sharjah International Airport that has included the deployment of new OTO digital signage screens in the airport’s baggage claim area. The systems integrator worked closely with local distributor Vithran FZCO, which was enlisted by the client to provide a solution that would provide greater appeal for advertisers.
“The idea from the client was that Sharjah airport, which is the fastest-growing airport in the Middle East, should have new signage spread across its six baggage carousals to better appeal to advertisers,” explained Vithran CEO Sammit Nadkarni.
“The Sharjah International Airport was estimated to welcome 16m passengers by the end of 2023, and these new touchpoints are being introduced for advertisers to capitalise on the busy travel season.”
Searching for a company who could provide a customised solution for the project, the client reached out directly to Vithran, which in turn enlisted Leisung to assist with the installation.
“The customer had very specific requirement about the kiosk,” added Nadkarni. “They should be dual-sided with a 65-inch screen and tilted at a 17° angle in order to provide all the passengers with a better viewing experience.”
Vithran delivered six 65-inch double-sided kiosks, custommade under the OTO brand using Samsung 65-inch QM65B screens to meet the required specifications and colour approved by the airport. “While these high-quality screens are indeed a visual delight, they hold a unique offering for advertisers,” said Nadkarni. “A promise that their messages will not be lost in the crowd but will resonate with a diverse, multinational and multi-ethnic audience as they disembark at this vibrant hub. The screen will offer a potential viewer dwell time of 15–30 seconds for each advertisement, offering fruitful reach and impact.
“The main challenge we faced was the timeline to complete the project as it was a completely customised product and we had to deliver everything in a very short timeframe. The challenge faced by the integrator was that the airport is constantly in use and
finding a suitable time to physically install the kiosk was tricky. However, the client was very happy with the result, and we are in discussions with them about replicating something similar in other terminals in the future.”
www.leisung.com www.vithran.com
Bahrain TV has migrated its Pebble Neptune system to the latest generation of Pebble enterprise-level automation for multichannel delivery. Bahrain TV is the television arm of the Ministry of Information (MI) Kingdom of Bahrain, the nation’s sole public broadcaster based in Manama.
Working alongside Saudi Arabian systems integrator First Gulf Company (FGC), Pebble migrated the legacy systems at the broadcaster to its latest solution for ST 2110 technology, to position MI’s six TV channels for an IP-based future.
To celebrate Saudi Arabia’s 2024 Founding Day, bright! studios and ES:ME Entertainment Services collaborated on a lighting spectacle featuring over 250 Elation Proteus luminaires. An agal, a traditional cord worn by Arab men to secure their headcloth, served as the centrepiece of the illumination which could be seen across Riyadh.
Lighting designer and managing director of bright! studios, Thomas Giegerich, worked alongside ES:ME Entertainment Services’ CEO, Alex Wuerfel, to create a lighting design featuring Elation’s IP-rated Proteus fixtures, which were recommended by Wuerfel for their durability. “At this time of year in Saudi, it’s more about the possibility of heavy rain than a sandstorm so it was an easy choice for me to make,” noted Wuerfel. “I like to use Elation Proteus with their marine-grade specification because they work under all conditions.”
The solution is based around Pebble enterprise automation controlling both Pebble Integrated Playout Channel as well as third-party server, mixer and routing devices in a single integrated system. The playout component can play six channels at a time and controls six main and six protect server ports, six mixers and six CGs, while ingest can also manage six simultaneous feeds per server providing parallel ingest to main and backup servers. In addition, it provides playlist preparation tools and preview list with Junction preview capabilities. The solution also manages media movement providing automated file transfers between video servers, nearline storage and the LTO Archive.
To integrate the systems with components in the Bahrain TV channels workflow, the Pebble team took care to ensure there was no disruption to viewers during the delicate process of swapping the individual components.
“We are delighted to be installing the very latest generation of Pebble solutions at Bahrain TV, ensuring it remains one of the flagship installations for us in the region,” commented Eng Abdulla Ahmed Al Balooshi, assistant undersecretary of technical affairs, MI, Kingdom of Bahrain.
www.pebble.tv
Taking place across various cities in Saudi Arabia, the Founding Day celebrations in Riyadh occurred over multiple sites including King Fahad Library Park where the agal piece stood.
“The vision for the art installation was to create a regal ambience reminiscent of a crown, symbolising the Kingdom’s heritage,” explained Giegerich. “We encircled the agal with 120 Proteus Hybrids on the ground with 24 Proteus Excaliburs crowning the top, three circles of
lights that provided a striking contrast to the square shape of the agal piece. The beams were visible from across the city and the entire installation really left a lasting impression.”
Giegerich noted that the juxtaposition of the Proteus Excalibur beams against those of the
Proteus Hybrids added depth and contrast to the display. “We had decided on the Proteus Hybrid, but we wanted a really punchy beam that would look good in contrast to it and we chose the Excalibur,” he said. “We wanted to give people something special, something that was visible from afar and we accomplished that.”
The lighting design featured multiple effects including one that Giegerich calls “twisters”, where he tilted the three circles of fixtures while panning to create an intricate, overlapping spiral beam effect. To create a “twinkle” effect, 60 Proteus Rayzor 760 fixtures were placed between each agal rope to enhance the centrepiece, while an additional 30 Proteus Rayzor 760s adorned the King Fahad Library façade to further extend the effect.
A five-minute light show, synchronised to music, ran every half hour with sweeping beams, chases and intricate patterns of light filling the sky. “The combination of the Hybrids and Excaliburs was really extraordinary and the outcome was very well received,” concluded Wuerfel. “Thanks to a great team for making this happen.”
www.bright.de www.elationlighting.com www.es-me.net
Arte Museum, the digital art venue produced by Korean design company d’strict, has opened its doors in Dubai Mall. The 30,000m2 space, which has been installed with Barco projectors, uses sensory creativity blended with various media technologies such as projection mapping, multi-image control and sensor-based interaction systems to immerse viewers in the artworks. The Dubai installation, powered by 47 G62-W9 projectors and 29 UDM-4K22s,
includes accompanying scents crafted uniquely for each artwork and a soundscape created by globally renowned composer, Young-gyu. “It is with great pleasure that we unveil Arte Museum Dubai. Our paramount mission is to transport our audience into an aweinspiring digital realm, meticulously crafted to awaken all their senses,” commented Sean Lee, chief executive officer of d’strict.
In 2022, d’strict signed a deal worth over €15m (US$17m) which included a framework agreement designating Barco as the sole supplier of all the projectors for the company’s upcoming international digital art museum projects in the next four years. The deal also includes a hardware delivery of three-chip and single-chip DLP laser projectors, access to Barco’s Insights Management Suite for global fleet management and a tailored service offering which is streamlined for all geographies.
Ta Loong Gan, executive vice president immersive experiences at Barco, commented: “Through our partnership with d’strict, we’ve cultivated a robust alliance rooted in mutual trust and innovation. Our commitment to providing superior technology and reliable service, coupled with d’strict’s visionary approach, ensures that Arte Museum offers a consistently breathtaking experience worldwide.”
Jin Lee, vice president at d’strict and creative director of Arte Museum, concluded: “Arte Museum pushes the boundaries of innovation to the next level by blending art and technology into a unique digital canvas. Our objective is to trigger all the senses of our visitors to invite them into a uniquely immersive and lasting experience.”
www.barco.com www.dubai.artemuseum.com
Robe Lighting has announced it has acquired LSC Control Systems in Australia. The acquisition, which follows Robe’s purchase of Avolites last year, will see the lighting manufacturer attain LSC’s power distribution (PD) systems as a core element of the Robe business team, as well as give the company a manufacturing base in
LSC’s founder and managing director, Gary Pritchard, noted: “LSC will gain access to greater investment and resources and working through Robe’s renowned worldwide distribution network we can reach more global and diverse markets in turn stimulating greater opportunities for creativity, expertise, business and action for all of our team. An
“We’re delighted that this opportunity arose –it is hugely exciting and we look forward to a long and positive collaboration,” commented Robe’s CEO, Josef Valchar. “It will allow us to offer the best complete lighting and control
onboard is a sign of confidence that also tells the world that LSC will continue doing what we do best, both now and well into the future.”
DirectOut and 7Hertz recently held a training seminar at 7Hertz’s showroom in Dubai which was attended by 27 audio professionals from various companies across the UAE. The event was hosted by DirectOut’s chief solutions officer, Luca Giaroli, who laid out steps to explore the brand’s solutions and capabilities. Giaroli guided attendees through a fullday journey of knowledge transfer and thorough demonstrations, emphasising the company’s portfolio of solutions which span applications such as live events, broadcast, recording, installation and beyond. The attendees also had the chance to engage in an open discussion about the opportunities DirectOut provides and the future of network audio formats, cutting-edge technologies and more.
“The enthusiasm and commitment of the participants during the DirectOut training was inspiring,” commented Giaroli. “It was a pleasure to see their interest in advancing the audio industry in the region. Their technical expertise and pursuit of knowledge will undoubtedly contribute to setting new standards in the field.”
Echoing the sentiments of practically everyone in attendance, Marius Marais, audio project engineer at Creative Technology Middle East, commented: “This has been one of the most insightful training sessions I have had in my career. The Prodigy is a game-changer and definitely a must-have tool set.”
www.7hertz.net www.directout.eu
“An important factor as to why we chose
each on its own bus, which was noted as easy and flexible for the CLFB team to use. DHD’s Assist App also offers the technicians the potential to provide online support remotely via a browser-based mixer control licence and each narrator has access to a cough-mute button with a clear indication that this has been activated.
Marc Herrmann, managing director of DHD Audio, commented: “We are confident that the audible control identifiers will be of interest to other vision-impaired media production staff, not least among the many talking-book service providers around the world.”
www.dhd.audio
Meyer Sound has acquired the Audio Rhapsody startup founded by sound designer Jonathan Deans whose relationship with the US manufacturer goes back to 1978 while working on Evita. With the acquisition, Meyer Sound seeks to strengthen its theatre sound credentials by utilising Deans’ expertise to develop software solutions that will expand its portfolio of integrated digital systems. Deans, who has become renowned for his work in immersive sound, has contributed to hundreds of productions on Broadway, the West End and beyond and designed soundscapes for 15 Cirque du Soleil shows. Meyer Sound acquired Deans’ company Level Control Systems in 2005, leading to an expansion of the company’s digital solutions.
“Jonathan is a recognised leader in the world of theatre sound,” commented John McMahon, senior vice president of Meyer
Sound. “We’re excited to join forces with him and his team as we continue to build upon our successes and expand our investments in the sector. My relationship with Jonathan goes back decades, and I’m delighted to welcome a longtime friend into the fold.”
Deans will assume the role of Meyer Sound’s senior specialist, theatrical production systems. “Meyer Sound has been there throughout my career, always providing support and always with an aligned focus on the audience experience, first and foremost,” he said. “I founded Audio Rhapsody to build tools that remove the silos and barriers to creativity that are inherent in theatrical sound design systems and processes, and I’m so thrilled to complete that journey with a team of people who share the same passion.”
Alongside Dean, GRAMMY- and Thea Awardwinner Jason Rauhoff, a former Meyer Sound
employee, joins the company as product manager, theatrical production systems, while Rob Mele, also previously with Meyer Sound, assumes the role of application architect, theatrical production systems. Michael Kroll joins as visual designer, theatrical production systems, while Audio Rhapsody’s Mike Tracey will remain an independent advisor. The team will focus on developing the next generation of audio show control software for the NADIA platform.
“Helping people stay connected with platforms that are usable – not by the few, but by the many – is really important to me,” continued Deans. “This isn’t just about the generation of ‘now’, it’s the generation that’s coming; the sound people who will be doing things that we haven’t even thought about.”
“We’ve always admired Jonathan’s unique and exceptional vision, so this new chapter
Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) has announced new investment in an MA Lighting grandMA3 lighting control system that includes a full size, light, compact XT command wings and processing unit L, in addition to expanding its existing L-Acoustics and Panasonic inventories.
CTME has purchased the L2 system from L-Acoustics with the hope that it will elevate the auditory experience at mid-sized festivals. Additionally, the solutions provider has brought in imaging equipment from Panasonic, including AK-UC4000GSJ 4K studio cameras,
holds immense value for us,” added Meyer Sound cofounder, Helen Meyer. “We’re thrilled to welcome him into the Meyer Sound family and we are eager to embark on this journey together.”
www.meyersound.com
AK-HVF100GJ electronic viewfinders, AK-HRP1010GJ remote operation panels and AK-UCU600 camera control units. Speaking on the new lighting purchases, CTME’s Sam Connolly noted that “these new additions to our expanding inventory will give our clients more creative capability and control and allow us to scale from the smallest to largest of shows. With our full pre-production and visualisation suite based around Depence, we can seamlessly transition from an in-house show design to the live show with ease.”
www.ct-group.com
Johannesburg-based Solid Rock has expanded its lighting inventory with the acquisition of 24 units of Martin Aura PXL and ERA 150 Wash fixtures. The investment follows Solid Rock’s Keith Mac Intyre and Billy van der Merwe’s visit to the Martin Roadshow last year which marked the fixtures’ debut in South Africa.
Hosted by Martin’s entertainment lighting solutions team, the Martin Roadshow showcased the brand’s latest advancements in lighting and control solutions to industry professionals. Following Mac Intyre and van der Merwe’s visit, both parties elected to invest in the Aura PXL and ERA 150s which were sourced by Renier Smit, live event product sales manager, to add versatility to Solid Rock’s dry hire stock.
“We were absolutely blown away by the new Martin Aura PXL fixture,” said van der Merwe. “Its size, capabilities and integration with the P3 control family make it an invaluable addition to our rental inventory. Our clients will be delighted to have access to such cutting-edge technology for their events.”
Mac Intyre echoed those statements:
“The Martin Roadshow is always a fantastic opportunity for us to stay up to date with the latest developments in the industry. The Aura PXL fixture was a true highlight of the event and we can’t wait to see the impact it will make on the entertainment lighting scene.”
OnCue Productions implemented a Wharfedale Pro WLA line array system in a mobile truck that caters to crowds of up to 4,000 people in South Africa. The audiovisual supplier was approached by a long-time client to assist with the project which included housing LED screens and a sound system in the travelling trailer.
Jason Belling, sales manager for OnCue Productions, suggested the Wharfedale Pro WLA system for the installation. “You can’t break these subs,” he said. “In the 20 years I’ve been using Wharfedale Pro, I’ve never broken one. So as far as choices go, there has never been any other brands to consider for this install.”
www.martin.com
www.solidrock.co.za
The truck was fitted with eight Wharfedale Pro WLA-28Xs and four Delta X218B subs split into a four-a-side over-two configuration. Each WLA-28X element houses two custom 8-inch LF drivers with 2-inch voice coils which, when paired with the Delta-X218 dual 18-inch subwoofers, delivered the lowend bass required for the installation. The entire system is powered by three CPD4800 power amplifiers delivering 2x1,500W at 4Ω and the signal processing is managed by the SC-26 Versadrive speaker management system.
www.wharfedalepro.com
BCB Music Studios has installed PMC6-2 monitors, chosen by studio owner and founder, Burhan Bayar. Bayar is a Turkish musician, composer, lyricist and producer and elected to upgrade to the PMC6-2 monitors after being shown them by PMC’s distributor in the region, BL Müzik.
“I heard the monitors for the first time at BL Müzik’s offices and I liked them so much that I bought a pair,” Bayar noted. “These monitors allow us to hear acoustic instruments and digital samples naturally. The tones produced are excellent and we are very satisfied with their performance.”
As the founder and head of Bayar Music, he has had his own studio since 1984 but, in 2021, he opened a new commercial
facility, BCB Music Studios, which is where all Bayar Music projects are recorded.
Situated in Levent, BCB Music Studios has an SSL Origin 32-channel analogue console and a wide range of other equipment from manufacturers such as Manley, Bettermaker, Bricasti, Tegeler, Eventide, Avalon, Amphion and Apollo.
Bayar noted that he appreciated the unique sonic offerings of the PMC6-2 monitors and that he is delighted that BL Müzik recommended he tried them out, concluding:
“I would like to thank everyone involved, especially BL Müzik, for designing, producing and contributing to our studio’s success.”
www.pmc-speakers.com
Honouring the luminaries of music, arts and literature from the Mpumalanga province, the Art of Legends event, which actually took place in Mbombela, featured an FBT Muse PA system from StageOne to power audio. The celebration at the Emnotweni Arena was hosted by The Department of Arts and Culture with technical support by JVR Events for sound, stage, lighting and design. Spearheading the JVR Events team were system engineers Sakkie Coetzer and Anthony Jenkinson alongside audio engineer, Steven Capuli. Coetzer said that the choice of FBT equipment was strategic. “After listening to several brands, I heard FBT and I just knew that that’s my PA,” he remarked. “Both bands and customers who use our gear always praise the PA’s sound quality.”
The team elected to implement a main PA system of six FBT Muse 210 line array speakers and four 18-inch FBT Muse 218SA subwoofers, ground-stacked with three speakers on each side to provide optimal sound delivery. For stability and vibration control, rubber mats were used to secure the speakers on top of the subs, with Coetzer noting that “the results were amazing”.
Additionally, to ensure the performers could hear themselves clearly, FBT Vertus 12-inch monitors were utilised for onstage monitoring for the main band.
www.fbt.it
www.jvrevents.com
www.stage-one.co.za
Powersoft has announced plans for a new HQ, the Powersoft Human Audio Experience Center, located in Scandicci, Florence. The recent signing of a preliminary lease agreement with Bluesky Immobiliare, which will own the property, sets the stage for the plan aimed at bolstering Powersoft’s growth and innovation. Designed by internationally acclaimed architectural firm, Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia, the Powersoft Human Audio Experience Center covers more than 9,200m² across four floors
and is purpose built to accommodate a projected increase in the size of the company’s workforce. The headquarters will centralise all corporate functions with the aim to enhance departmental potential, improve cross-team collaboration and deliver significant operational cost savings while boosting energy efficiency.
“This plan marks a significant milestone in the company’s history and growth trajectory.
As Powersoft expands, there is a growing imperative to enlarge our space and fortify our
resources, enhancing our business’s efficiency and competitiveness in the market,” noted Luca Lastrucci, Powersoft CEO. “The Powersoft Human Audio Experience Center will serve as a hub of excellence in audio technologies worldwide, so it is crucial that innovation is reflected in the architectural design of the building.”
Powersoft noted that its new HQ will be based on three core values: human, audio and experience and will serve as a versatile, multifaceted hub, featuring spaces for events, demonstrations and educational purposes, alongside exhibition areas. It will
Created exclusively for the grand opening of the One&Only One Za’abeel tower and hotel, creative technology company
Bureau Beatrice orchestrated a seven-minute light show that lit up the Dubai skyline for three nights. Bureau Beatrice worked closely with Mediapro, its AV technical partner for the GCC area, on the project, which was led by Mediapro project lead, Shoaib Moideen. The resulting spectacle achieved three Guinness World Records.
Bureau Beatrice designed the 3D light projection which illuminated the dual towers and The Link, the world’s longest cantilever suspended 100m above the ground which connects the two sides of the building. During the planning process, a case study was created to gauge certain metrics for the project which, when reviewed, resulted in the design team contacting the Guinness World Records. With the projection reaching approximately 317m high, the team faced many challenges in the design and planning process. “At this elevation, even slight vibrations or strong winds could disrupt the projection, necessitating the need to realign everything,” commented Moideen. “Our main challenge was ensuring the stability and steadiness of both the scaffolding and the projectors. With diligence, attention to detail and persistence, we were able to achieve this successfully.”
As the projectors were stacked up high, the Mediapro team devised a custom setup. “Each rack was carefully mounted and
secured with pipes and clamps inside the scaffolding to ensure stability and safety,” added Moideen. “Despite encountering challenges such as rain and heavy winds during setup and the show, our highly capable team remained resilient and ensured smooth operation throughout.”
In spite of Mediapro’s efforts to provide adequate protection and cover, on the final day of the show heavy rainfall posed an issue to the project. “Water splashed inside the scaffolding, affecting the projectors. But with quick action and being prepared for this, we were able to readjust a few projectors.”
also include research laboratories, spaces for quality testing, measurement and product demonstration, as well as green areas, fitness areas, a fully equipped canteen, meeting rooms and coffee corners. With innovation and sustainability at the forefront of its design, the LEED-certified building features photovoltaic panels and energy-efficient technologies, underscoring the company’s commitment to minimising its environmental footprint.
Alfonso Femia, CEO and founder of Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia, commented: “Powersoft’s new HQ will serve as a respectful addition to the local environment, contributing significantly to the city of Scandicci. The design seamlessly integrates production and storage functions, office spaces and research laboratories, prioritising a harmonious balance that extends to the building’s interaction with the urban surroundings.”
Construction is anticipated to conclude in the latter part of 2026, after which production lines and all company departments will relocate from the existing premises to the new HQ.
www.powersoft.com
The company also noted that projecting onto a section just above The Link presented a unique dilemma: “Traditional methods from below were impractical due to existing projector placement,” furthered Moideen. “Following extensive deliberation, an innovative solution emerged: securing an adjacent tower apartment balcony. Here, we strategically positioned eight projectors and a disguise server to seamlessly cover the dead zone, ensuring continuous projection and ultimately achieving the prestigious Guinness record.”
The projection setup included 165 Panasonic PT-RZ34K projectors, 76 ET-D75LE40, eight ET-D3LEW50 and 81 ET-D75LE8 lenses, as well as seven disguise VX 4+ media servers, five Lightware MX2-48x48-HDMI20-A-R matrix routers and 150 batches of 200m Kramer fibre cabling. For audio, the event used two Bose Model II systems with a B2 bass two-in-one kit and two Bose L1 Model II 180° cylindrical radiator loudspeakers.
The three Guinness World Records achieved during the event include the longest projection mapping in the world, the largest architectural temporary projection mapping in the world and the largest mesh screen projection in the world.
www.bureaubeatrice.com www.disguise.one www.mediaproav.com pro-av.panasonic.net
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The Mokuti Etosha Lodge has undergone an extensive AV transformation for its new divisible conference space and surrounding pool and bar areas, designed and installed by Stage Audio Works (SAW) Namibia. Situated in the sprawling landscapes of the Etosha
campsites for safari lovers as well as luxury villas and five-star lodges.
SAW Namibia devised a conferencing solution featuring technology from Crestron, Sennheiser, Xilica and Audac, which was tailored to the lodge’s needs and enables
standalone experience centre providing wired and wireless presentation capabilities, bring your own meeting (BYOM) videoconferencing and basic room control that utilises a touchpanel to control lights and the display power. The conference experience centre features Crestron’s wall-mount touchscreen, a Poly Studio videoconferencing solution and a Samsung QB 75-inch Class HDR 4K UHD professional display smart LED screen. The multipurpose divisible conference room also required BYOM videoconferencing and local Bluetooth audio playback, all controlled from a
Solidifying its presence in the region, ES:ME has acquired the official licence for a new branch in the country. While the company has been engaged in the Saudi events landscape for a significant duration, it noted that it believes ES:ME’s division in Saudi Arabia underscores its steadfast commitment to advancing the region’s events industry.
Located in Riyadh, the division is headed by director of operations, Matthew Clarke, who brings a wealth of experience and
expertise to the position, having founded Amadeus Holdings AG. He has also spearheaded strategic initiatives for prominent events including multiple Olympic Games, Formula One races and FIFA World Cup tournaments.
The ES:ME facility spans over 18,000m2 and the company noted that it serves as a hub for creativity and innovation, reflecting the company’s dedication to pushing boundaries and setting new standards within the industry.
Ceiling 2 microphones, which are controlled via a wall-mounted touchscreen.
The pool bar features multiple Audac 6-inch ALTI surface-mount loudspeakers and Crestron’s SAROS 8-inch in-ceiling loudspeakers, which are powered by an Audac CAP424 amplifier. The sound is controlled by a Xilica Lucia 2 wall controller. Additionally, the Xilica Solaro QR1 DSP was incorporated into the system.
For the restaurant, SAW Namibia supplied a Crestron DALI interface, managed by the VC4 Crestron Virtual control system with
Our active monitors and subs take monitoring to the next level. They deliver forensic detail that allows you to work faster, without fatigue and with complete confidence, knowing that your finished mix will translate technically and emotionally anywhere.
Every element has been created for the highest possible resolution with the lowest possible colouration, so they are packed with innovation such as sophisticated DSP & Class-D amps, and our latest ATL™ bass-loading and Laminair™ air flow technologies. With digital connectivity and configuration via PMC’s Soundalign™ interface, these scalable solutions have the option of active subs to create one of PMC’s XBD systems for extended bass and dynamics.
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One of the biggest esports tournaments of the year, Gamers8, featured media playback and virtual production by visual design technology studio, bright! studios, incorporating Stage Precision’s SP platform. The gaming tournament brings together enthusiasts from all over the world to compete in intense gaming tournaments, with 2023’s prize pool reaching US$45m. Taking place in Riyadh last year, the production reached 429,000 peak viewers and, collectively, over 2.5 million hours of the tournament were watched on the
bright! worked alongside other production companies and freelance technicians to take care of the onsite virtual production, as well as augmented reality, lighting design and show control. “Gamers8 is an incredibly big project,” said Leon Herche, creative producer at bright! studios. “Stage Precision’s SP platform was imperative to the work we were doing, as it was able to handle and control many different hardware and software platforms. We had around 30 Unreal Engine machines, 28 tracked cameras and 36 disguise servers that were all controlled using SP.”
Stage Precision’s SP software was utilised to bring several high-profile Gamers8 tournaments to life which included Dota 2, Fortnite, Rocket League, Rainbow and more. “We used 14 different SP PCs across the whole event,” commented Herche. “Every stage has two studios, one in Arabic and one in English and the platform took care of show control, including all the AR elements, as well as controlling and manipulating tracking data, lens calibration and alignment across the event, too. It also allowed us to get data from the games and APIs [Application Programming Interface] and send it to shield and media servers at the same time.”
The Shield virtual production optimised plugin for Unreal Engine 5 was utilised for the 2023 Gamers8 spectacle, which required control over its virtual elements, particularly when compositing AR graphics in real time. “We handled three different APIs per game,” added Herche. “One would show the winning team, and we’d then use disguise media servers to display their name or photo. Shield displayed 3D scans of the players and another API gave us statistics from a database, which we displayed using Unreal Engine as well.”
The SP platform also handled the extravagant opening ceremonies that took place to mark the start of the weekly tournaments. bright! used
Unreal Engine with Shield plugin and SP to play AR and video content at the same time, while creating a timeline and rendering multiple systems at once.
“We were able to calibrate the lens before the whole build was even finished, which massively reduced the setup time,” concluded Herche. “Additionally, using SP gave us unlimited flexibility.”
www.stageprecision.com
www.datapath.co.uk
Challenging environments demand greater control. Pushing the limits of reliable performance, our complete video wall control solutions manage control room applications at any size, whether monitoring traffic, process control or security surveillance.
We make life easier for system integrators whilst enabling control room operators to focus on their core objectives.
MediaCast has entered into new distribution partnerships with SKAARHOJ and Eventide Audio. The Dubai-based distributor will represent SKAARHOJ’s range of broadcast control solutions in the Middle East and Turkey and Eventide’s audio, broadcast and communications solutions throughout the Middle East.
MediaCast will distribute SKAARHOJ products across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey.
SKAARHOJ, commented: “We are excited to expand our presence in the Middle East and Turkey with MediaCast as our trusted partner. Their dedication to customer satisfaction and deep understanding of the market makes them the ideal distributor for our products in these regions.”
“We are thrilled to appoint MediaCast as our distributor for the Middle East,” added Bohan Xie, sales manager for EMEA and APAC at Eventide. “Their extensive network, coupled with their dedication to providing top-notch solutions and services, aligns perfectly with Eventide’s commitment to excellence.”
with the brand’s full portfolio, including its Soundscape immersive audio solution.
“Strong and long-lasting partnerships are built on honesty and open communication and this is exactly what we have felt and seen in the Martin Audio family. We are greatly looking
Brad Watson, international sales director at Martin Audio, added: “Atempo are a wellestablished, family-run organisation, serving a broad range of vertical markets. The business has close to 40 years’ experience in the pro and commercial audio markets in Turkey and roadshows and social streams. At the same
“MediaCast is honoured to represent both Eventide Audio and SKAARHOJ in the Middle East,” said Peyman Dadpanah, MediaCast business director for UAE and Turkey. “With our in-depth understanding of the market and Eventide’s cutting-edge technology, we are poised to deliver unparalleled value to our customers across the region.”
“This new partnership with Provision AVL in the Middle East is a statement of d&b’s intentions in the region,” explained Brad Maiden, VP of business development, d&b Middle East. “At its core, d&b audiotechnik is a company of passionate people who care about bringing the best possible sound to every seat in the house, combined with outstanding customer service and a family-like feel to how we approach our work. Provision AVL has that same philosophy, which was incredibly important for us when selecting a new sales partner. We are committed to increasing brand awareness, enhancing our education and technical support activities, and wider client-enablement as
Xilica has announced a strategic partnership with PRO LAB, designed to strengthen its business in the hospitality, leisure and entertainment verticals across the GCC region. Mark Ullrich, Xilica manager solutions engineering, said: “We are very pleased to be working with PRO LAB to strengthen our business in the professional audio channel in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. Focusing on their core markets will be very beneficial as Xilica continues to expand in these verticals. We very much look forward to working with them and supporting their customers in deploying superior audio systems.”
“PRO LAB is delighted to be partnering with Xilica to deliver stronger integrated audio solutions,” commented Rami Haber, CEO of PRO LAB. “Xilica’s high-performance range of processing, control and endpoints perfectly complements our existing portfolio of premium audio brands and will offer significant advantages to customers across our vertical markets, giving greater ease of use and additional flexibility in installation and setup.”
SOUTH AFRICA
Audio-Technica has appointed Alpha Technologies as the new distributor for its commercial products in South Africa. The distributor is well-known in the local market, with a broad portfolio of brands including beyerdynamic, Biamp, Bose Professional, Cloud and WyresStorm.
“We are delighted to join forces with Alpha Technologies as our official distributor in South Africa,” commented John Dodson, business development manager at Audio-
Technica for the Middle East and Africa. “This partnership aligns with our commitment to delivering exceptional audio experiences to a broader audience. Alpha Technologies’ dedication to innovation and customer satisfaction makes them an ideal partner as we continue to expand our reach in the region. Their expertise and extensive customer network make them the perfect choice to represent the Audio-Technica commercial product line.”
Technologies, echoed Dodson’s sentiments, stating: “South Africa is a dynamic market with a growing demand for high-quality audio solutions. We look forward to a successful collaboration
technology to a wider audience in South Africa.” www.alpha-tec.co.za www.audio-technica.com
MIDDLE EAST
LEA Professional has partnered with manufacturers’ representative HL Group to expand its reach throughout the Middle East.
HL Group will work to bring the company’s technology catalogue to the Middle East Gulf region, offering LEA’s Network Connect series of professional amplifiers and companion Dante Connect series, as well as Dante and AES67 connectivity.
Nadim Labban, HL Group general manager, noted that the partnership aligns with the company’s values of strategy, commitment and
“It is clear LEA Professional aligns with those values. We’re looking forward to the upcoming opportunities that this partnership will bring for
“HL Group is an established player in the industry and will aid us in this mission,” concluded Scott Robbins, VP of sales at LEA. “HL Group’s commitment to its customers is commendable and aligns with our goal to do the same. We look forward to a wonderful and
• TAKABUMI ASAHI
DIGITAL
EAW’s James Bamlett has been promoted to the role of senior director of APAC and EMEA sales, extending his remit to Europe and the Middle East. In his previous role as director of APAC sales, Bamlett managed the brand’s current distributors while helping to increase sales throughout the APAC region from his base in Southeast Asia. In his new role, Bamlett is responsible for adding new distributors while managing the existing sales channel in the two territories.
• STEEN TYCHSEN
• INTERNATIONAL SALES MANAGER GENELEC
• HASSAN KTEISH
• BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER CREATIVE
“James has a proven track record of managing existing distributors and expanding sales, and we are confident that he will continue to excel in this new position,” said TJ Smith, president of EAW.
Bamlett possesses many years of experience in the pro audio industry, including working as a technical support consultant and touring systems engineer. He joined EAW almost 25 years ago, starting in a product specialist role before transitioning to sales.
His technical background together with his sales skills have enabled him to expand EAW’s presence in the APAC market.
“I look forward to this opportunity to work more closely with our partners in EMEA and help expand EAW’s footprint in both the APAC and EMEA regions,” said Bamlett.
“With the impressive growth EAW has seen in recent years and the continuous addition of innovative products to our portfolio, it’s an exciting time to be part of the company’s journey.”
www.eaw.com
d&b audiotechnik (d&b) has announced the appointment of Robb Allan as principal product manager for Soundscape. Allan, a renowned sound engineer and product designer, will join the team led by d&b’s vice president of Immersive, Al
Allan brings a wealth of expertise to the new role, with his career in professional audio spanning touring, studio and television. His extensive experience includes working with artists such as Radiohead, Massive Attack, Groove Armada and Coldplay, as well as being a key contributor to product development initiatives at digital mixing console manufacturer Avid.
As the principal product manager for d&b Soundscape, Allan aims to use his firsthand experience of d&b’s Soundscape technology to inspire creatives about its capabilities. “As an end user, I am passionate about
the creative possibilities of Soundscape,” said Allan. “d&b’s commitment to fostering relationships with creatives, sound designers and musicians aligns with my vision for advancing immersive sound experiences. Having been
from bus-based to object-based mixing.”
www.dbaudio.com
Bose Professional Middle East has named Renny Thommana as territory manager, sales, audiovisual. The role will see Thommana responsible for supporting the brand’s AV partners in the UAE. Well-known in the local market, Thommana began his AV career at VV & Sons in pre-sales before progressing to account management and ultimately becoming the division head of sister company SGTC, responsible for business development and leading the pro AV sales and technical team. He then moved to Redington Gulf where he helped the distributor strengthen its pro AV division as product manager.
As a Bose Professional territory manager, Thommana will devise and implement effective sales and marketing strategies alongside the company’s distribution network, leveraging his
“When the opportunity to work for a prominent
NMK has announced significant leadership changes within NMK Group, designed to strengthen the company’s core leadership team. Alex Kemanes has been appointed regional director for the Middle East, Dino Drimakis will take on the role of director of strategic development and Nicolas Cox has been promoted to managing director in the UAE. As regional director, Kemanes will oversee the group’s activities in the Middle East, with his primary focus being organic growth across various business sectors and geographical territories. Additionally, Kemanes will take on the
responsibilities of managing director at Midwich
Drimakis will use his experience of pioneering new markets to spearhead NMK’s business development and market expansion efforts in the Middle East and Southern Asia, with the aim to advance the group’s presence in key territories.
NMK believes that Cox has consistently demonstrated exemplary leadership qualities and a deep commitment to its goals
SY ELECTRONICS
• MARC GLATTES
• EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SALES AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
L-ACOUSTICS
www.nmkelectronics.com
• GABRIEL ALONSO CALVILLO
• SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER
ADAM HALL GROUP
8-inch point source models – the Keiron 4C, 5C and 8C – perfectly match with an 8-inch subwoofer, the Keiron 8S, to deliver a high sonic performance in the widest applications.
Built in wooden cabinets (HDF) with a scratch-resistant paint finish, FBT’s Keiron is equipped with the finest professional high-end components housed in clean and discreetly designed enclosures. Each model has its dedicated hardware to meet userfriendly handling as well aesthetic elegance.
System connection is through a four-pole “in & thru” Euroblock connector ensuring a hassle-free installation process.
The Keiron series offers an excellent solution for uniform sound distribution where intimate low volume or high sound pressure are expected. From small lounges to large halls requiring dynamics and intelligibility, the Keiron units deliver unprecedented sound quality without compromising on expectations, making them easy to be integrated into any space.
Each Keiron point source model has its optional multi-angle hardware for fast and
with a scratch-resistant paint finish. Fourpole “in & thru” Euroblock connector.
8-inch LF coaxial woofer with 2-inch VC and 1-inch HF compression driver with 1.4-inch VC. 250W RMS recommended amplifier. 80° dispersion and internal crossover network. Wooden cabinet (HDF) with a scratch-resistant paint finish. Four-pole “in & thru” Euroblock connector.
can be wall mounted through the optional dedicated bracket.
Reflecting the latest trends and advancements in the audio technology
KEIRON 4C: 4-inch LF coaxial woofer with 1.5-inch VC and 1-inch HF dome tweeter with 1-inch VC. 100W RMS recommended amplifier. 90° dispersion and internal crossover network. Wooden cabinet (HDF) with a scratch-resistant paint finish. Fourpole “in & thru” Euroblock connector.
KEIRON 8S: 8-inch high-excursion subwoofer with 1.5-inch VC. 300W RMS recommended amplifier. No internal crossover network, requires external processing. Wooden cabinet (HDF) with a scratch-resistant paint finish. Four-pole “in & thru” Euroblock connector. Four removable rubber feet for ground use. Wall mount facility through the optional brackets.
InfoComm 2024 attendees are encouraged to visit FBT’s booth (C935) in the Central Hall to explore the capabilities of the Keiron series. This will be an opportune moment for professionals to engage with FBT representatives, gain insights into the series’ technical specifications and potential applications, and discuss how these innovations can be integrated into their current systems to enhance audio performance.
Passive Point Source & Subwoofer
Born to be installed. Wooden cabinets (High Density Fiberboard) and components of the highest engineering.
A new series of professional speakers characterized by an elegant design also suitable for environments with important architectural features. Clean and discreet lines make Keiron the optimal and compact solution that guarantees high volumes of acoustic purity with any musical genre, both live and reproduced sound.
Available now in black or white. Other colors on demand.
significantly over the years, driven by relentless pursuit of unparalleled colour accuracy and reliability. While traditional projection systems have made considerable strides, none quite achieve the precision and longevity offered by RGB pure laser projection. This cutting-edge technology not only dazzles with its vivid colour reproduction but also proves to be a game-changer in applications where colour accuracy is imperative.
At the heart of RGB pure laser projection lies its ability to produce colours with exceptional accuracy and brightness. Unlike conventional laser projection systems, RGB lasers emit pure red, green and blue light, resulting in a much wider colour gamut, image uniformity and significantly more true-to-life images. This translates into stunning visual experiences characterised by vibrant hues and remarkable clarity, captivating audiences like never before. Moreover, RGB pure laser projection boasts superior reliability and increases longevity over typical laser projection by 25%. By utilising solid-state laser light sources, these systems also eliminate the need for frequent lamp replacements in lamp-based systems, reducing downtime and maintenance costs. The longevity of laser light sources also ensures consistent performance over time, making them ideal for high-usage applications requiring sustained brightness and image quality.
Projection mapping festivals feature largescale, dazzling displays that combine art and architecture. Primarily located outdoors, festivals require projection solutions that are not only bright, but capable of showcasing an artist’s work exactly as intended. RGB pure laser projection can reproduce real-world colours, delivering vibrant content that can transform city landmarks.
For example, at GLOW Festival in Eindhoven, Christie supported three artists with solutions
Wilhelminaplein with projection-mapped faces from the Rijksmuseum collection of art, and artists Dirk van Poppel and Michel Suk lit up three trucks with trailers in a tribute to the local DAF factory.
In Prague, Christie helped Signal 2023 captivate crowds. Christie projection solutions, including Griffyn 4K50-RGB and M 4K25 RGB pure laser projectors, lit up installations across a three-mile route throughout the city centre that included projection mapping by László Nagy onto the Municipal Library.
Projector colour performance plays a crucial role in elevating the audience experience, and theme parks excel in delivering immersive and unforgettable experiences for their visitors. Colour not only sets the mood and atmosphere but has also been shown to enhance the perceived brightness of the content. RGB pure laser projection offers more than double the colour range of a standard laser projector, empowering content designers with a broader
projected onto a 20m-high concave screen. Due to space constraints, a single projection solution was required. The Christie RGB pure laser met the size requirements while delivering vibrant colour reproduction to immerse guests in the magical world of mythical creatures.
palette to enrich the overall enjoyment of attractions or dark rides.
At Legoland Windsor, a Christie RGB pure laser projector lights up The Flight of the Sky Lion, one of the resort’s newest attractions, and the UK’s first flying theatre ride. The Flight of the Sky Lion, created by Brogent Technologies, is the main attraction in Legoland’s imaginary land “Mythica: World of Mythical Creatures”. Inspired by the ideas of children, the focal point is the Sky Lion that is created out of 685,530 Lego bricks. The ride stands 25m tall and visitors are transported below the Sky Lion’s wing to Mythica, where
RGB pure laser projection excels in large-scale experiences, including one of the largest in the world: the Al Wasl Plaza dome. Located at the heart of Expo City Dubai, and previously the centrepiece of Expo 2020 Dubai, the dome is the world’s largest 360° projection surface and holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest interactive immersive dome. The Al Wasl dome features a trellis design, with pieces of specially made projection screen material stretched tightly between each section. This creates a 360°, 25,380m2 projection surface. A total of 252 Christie RGB pure laser projectors were installed in 42 projector pods located around the inside perimeter of the dome. RGB pure laser delivers the brightness and colour gamut required to illuminate the massive surface with stunning visuals.
As technology continues to evolve, RGB pure laser stands firmly at the pinnacle of laserilluminated projection, reshaping the landscape of visual storytelling. Its merits extend beyond mere spectacle, enriching the way we perceive and engage with the world around us. From theme parks and festivals to the largest 360° projection surface in the world, the applications of RGB pure laser projection are as diverse as they are transformative, heralding a future where brilliance knows no bounds. Discover more about the benefits of RGB pure laser projection: christiedigital.com/ whyRGB
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Certified product manager and expert in the field of entertainment technology, Moswain Antão sits down with Bea Meikle to discuss his love of cooking and culinary expertise
What inspired you to get into cooking?
I got my inspiration for cooking from my father. The creative side came from his hobby of tailoring which he learnt at a young age and the taste side came from his love of cooking, both for the family and social gatherings. During high school, I started cooking breakfasts for the family and slowly moved over to lunches and dinners. It was my way of giving them a break. After moving to Dubai, eating out every day was not a viable option, so I started exploring new dishes and ingredients. Gradually my taste profile started to grow, and I began trying new restaurants and researching new dishes. I was also inspired by my favourite chefs including Raymond Blanc, Heston Blumenthal and Nobu Matsuhisa.
Do you have a standout dish that you’ve cooked?
My all-time favourite is my version of cured salmon, which is simple to prep but takes 72 hours to cure. I love it because it’s a mix of clean ingredients that, when put together, explodes of earthy, sour, sweet and salty flavours with crispy and raw textures. It’s almost always the first course for all my hosted dinners – it sets the tone for the meal.
What is it about cooking that you find so beneficial?
Cooking is an art and I’m the artist. When I was younger, I used to paint and I also enjoyed photography and cinematography,
adventurous while at home or travelling. Ingredients, cooking methods, pairing, plating, etc. is a massive playground that feeds my passion. Now, when I dine at starred restaurants, I understand the process and taste profiles. I also like to merge my knowledge of photography and cooking to take pictures of my dishes – after all we eat with our eyes first.
How do you see this hobby developing?
Currently, I just cook for family and friends and the occasional supper club or catered event and I’m considering maybe doing regular supper clubs. But it’s my zen place, and for now I don’t intend for it to be anything more. When the time is right, I’ll open a restaurant and café that will feature what I’ve learned over the years.
How do you fit your cooking around your work life?
Another reason I look forward to cooking is it provides me with a work–life balance. Everyone needs to eat! I’m able to cut myself off from daily work duties and break into a whole other world. Whether it’s cooking at home, tasting a new dish or sipping a new cocktail, it keeps me going.
How do you source and select ingredients for your home-cooked meals, and what importance do you place on using fresh, seasonal produce?
I love to visit the local farmers’ market every weekend. You get to learn how the ingredients are grown, who grows them and when they are in season. Plus, fresh products last longer than what you would get from a supermarket. You don’t need to purchase the perfect-looking produce, they all taste the same and have the same nutrients. I also don’t like to bulk buy as I think that can cause over-buying and wastage.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start or get more creative with their cooking?
Motivate yourself to just start. It’s not meant for everyone, but it could be as simple as cooking an egg. Eggs alone can be prepared in multiple styles, temperatures and cooking methods –one of my favourites is the dehydrated egg yolk grated over pasta, risotto, meat and veg. Once you get comfortable with the basics, start exploring what happens when you change something in the cooking process – you might just impress yourself! Don’t expect to become a master overnight. If you go back and look at my Instagram posts, you can see how my dishes, plating and even photography have developed over time.
What’s the reaction been from friends and family?
Everyone who has seen my dishes are eagerly waiting to try and those who have tasted them leave intrigued and impressed. I push myself to create a dining experience and not just plate up a few dishes. I try my best to showcase the uncommon ingredient that someone would not usually opt for but, when put together with a known ingredient and a pairing of wine, leaves a memory of when you dined at mine.
www.instagram.com/moswain
Having consulted on some of the region’s most involved projects in recent years, few understand the hurdles an audio consultant in the Middle East is confronted with better than RCoe’s
What first attracted you to AV consultancy?
It’s a long story. Like many, my passion for audio began with music. At six years old, I started playing piano. By 14, I had a created a rock band, and by 16 I had started my first company – a recording studio (which still exists). After doing a little bit of almost everything in the industry – from live sound to event productions and installations for distributors and AV integrators – I finally decided to go independent and started doing designs and consultancy for clients freely with my own company. I am always looking to optimise budgets, while providing the best technology available and seeking the best possible performance.
What do you feel has been the biggest change in AV in the past five years?
The industry has changed and evolved immensely, not only in the technologies and resources available for digital signal processing, but also in terms of signal transmission, in which Dante has now become the dominant standard. In terms of my own speciality, which is audio, I think the most interesting thing I’ve personally witnessed has been that whole journey from mono all the way up to immersive. While just a few years ago in cinema, we were already talking about “Atmos” and multiple channels; today, things are starting to get “immersive”, with even more audio channels and technologies available for diffusion and control of multidimensional sound dispersion. For me, in design, this has been a very powerful transition.
What do you predict will be the major shifts to happen over the next 5–10 years?
I think the future is bright! And much is to come. I have a research department myself and we are working together with some brands and some manufacturers on projects that will definitely change the way we work and use audio systems. But for now I mustn’t reveal any more!
What should manufacturers consider while designing new solutions?
I think that the main concern for manufacturers should be to develop products that simplify the lives of their customers and users, that are reliable and efficient. Nowadays, there are a lot of innovative things that do not represent any added value for the industry and, for users, often being copies of others with low prices and with dubious quality, unfortunately.
Do AV consultants need to have IT skills?
Absolutely! Everything now feeds into an IT device.
Is it important for a consultant to be employed on large-scale projects?
From my perspective, it provides the guarantee that the client, installer or integrator will have a professional dedicated to implementing the best practices, within the defined budget, while also making the needs of the project compatible with international requirements and respecting the client’s ambition.
What additional value does a consultant bring?
Above all, the know-how and experience capable of turning ideas and challenges into real achievements where all parties become satisfied.
What’s typically the biggest challenge for consultants to negotiate on projects?
In projects where I have been involved, it’s normally to make the available budget compatible with the performance and characteristics desired for the system. However, it’s no less important to make sure your ideas are compatible with that of the
client’s across all areas involved in the project, such as architecture, construction and special installations, among others.
What unique considerations do you often encounter working in the Middle East?
My first project in the Middle East took place almost 20 years ago, and there are some things that never change – the insatiable search by customers for innovation and the latest equipment and technological developments. It should even be said that many of the projects in which I was involved were applied and developed pioneering technologies, specifically to meet the specialised needs of projects in this region.
What’s helped you get where you are and what advice can you offer others who want to set off in a similar direction?
Unfortunately, there are no big secrets. You have to be responsible, serious and competent. Have enough humility to recognise failures, but then also to correct them and learn. Never stop learning and acquiring knowledge. And never stop looking for new opportunities.
What’s been the most satisfying part of your career?
I’m very proud of my journey! I think I’m where I’ve always wanted to be. It’s good to have
industry recognition and clients requesting our services for relevant projects.
What has been the biggest ongoing impact of the pandemic to how you carry out your work? Do you think this will ever change?
Frankly speaking, it didn’t have a big impact on my business. All the projects I’ve been involved in have remained in development despite there being some delays.
Have you identified any prominent post-Covid trends?
The need to visit customers in person and have face-to-face meetings – which was often not only ineffective but also brings high travel costs – began to be reassessed, and done less frequently, but above all conducted more effectively.
What exciting projects are you currently working on that you can share with us?
There are a few, but I’m not allowed to reveal much about them at this stage. However, one that can be talked about is the new Kuwait Airport, a project run by the prestigious architects Foster + Partners. It has brought –and still brings me – many challenges!
www.rcoe.pt
After more than a decade of construction, the Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi Airport has finally opened its doors, showcasing the beam-steering solution hidden within
WHEN
in large-scale projects, there aren’t many more important applications than a bustling airport terminal. Typically, the chosen architectural design language in these types of places features multiple levels all housed within a single cavernous space, with ceilings that often sit 20m or more above visitors’ heads. If that wasn’t enough to make sound transmission problematic, the unique nature of an airport setting, with elevated security and safety concerns, makes the intelligibility of emergency messages that much more crucial again.
The modern solution to this challenge is typically to rely on clever beam-steering technologies that physically point sound away from reflective walls and obstacles, thereby transmitting messages more directly to the listener. So, when the plans were laid out for Abu Dhabi Airport’s brandnew Midfield Terminal, which finally opened its doors at the end of 2023, a beam-steering audio solution was naturally the preferred choice from the outset.
Incredibly, construction first started on the new terminal more than a decade ago in order to meet the emirate’s 2030 vision of increasing tourism to the region. The current aim is to move (nearly) all operations to the new terminal –now named Terminal A – since it has the ability to handle all of the airport’s current operations and will more than double existing capacity. The new complex spans 742,000m2 and is laid out in the style of a butterfly, with a central body and four “wings” that house the gates. In total, it comprises a full terminal building, passenger and cargo facilities, and a multitude of duty-free shops and restaurants.
Having secured the tender to provide the entire security infrastructure within Terminal A, in addition to the voice alarm central unit and multiple fire alarm stations, Honeywell, which was serving as the systems integrator on the project, approached German loudspeaker manufacturer Fohhn for its expertise with the audio distribution. This was, mind you, back in 2012, more than a decade ago.
“We started working on the new terminal over 10 years ago,” explains Frank Strohmer, who now heads the project engineering team at Fohhn. “We received the design from an acoustic designer and had to completely review and optimise it. The entire audio infrastructure was also converted from copper to fibre optics.”
“We have been a partner of Honeywell for many years and have therefore attended many meetings with the end customer and operator,” adds Oliver Mack, Fohhn’s regional sales director and project manager. “Ultimately, they realised that we are among the best on the market in terms of sound quality and our beam-steering technology, and so our solution was selected.”
Strohmer and Mack worked as a well-coordinated team with different tasks to oversee the project all the way to commissioning. A project of this scale requires more than one opinion and both have visited the site multiple times for demo setups and implementation.
Spread throughout the terminal’s central concourse and gates are more than 260 Fohhn beam-steering speakers of varying lengths – roughly a quarter of them LFI-450s and the rest LFI-220s – from the manufacturer’s now discontinued LFI series, all connected via fibre in a redundant ring topology. When the audio design was first devised back in 2012, the pandemic wasn’t even a word in people’s lexicon yet, and the expectation was for the terminal to be open by mid-2017.
“In total, we manufactured around 260 cabinets, all in special RAL colours and everything bespoke, such as the length of the speaker, the integrated fibre input interfaces,
the supply boxes and so on,” notes Strohmer. “It was really a fully custom-made product.”
“The addition of a completely customised fibre interface for connection created a whole package that really made for the ideal solution on such a huge project,” adds Strohmer. “It is so far not only one of our biggest projects, but also a great illustration of modern audio technology using the combination of beam-steering speakers and redundant fibre connectivity. Lossless, optical transportation provides the possibility to run audio lines of several hundred metres or even kilometres, removing the distance limitations constraining copper cabling. Fire protection is another important aspect where fibre champions copper. Glass is considerably more fire retardant than metal.
“Everything is connected in a redundant ring topology,” says Mack. “If one connection breaks between speakers, the signal is fed from the second input. The whole project is designed with different redundant fibre rings connected to our beam-steering cabinets.”
For intelligible audio announcements, the benchmark typically set is to always reach an average minimum STI of 0.5, “and we achieved that easily in most areas,” reflects Strohmer. “The most important announcements happen at the gates, and in these areas we managed to achieve at least 0.6 or better. When you take into consideration some of the throw distances are upwards of 70m and the spaces are highly reverberant, that is an impressive feat to say the least. We also needed to prove that our sound quality matched our claims and that the beam-steering technology worked effectively onsite in real life. For us, it has been a very big and important project.”
“It has taken a while to get to this point,” adds Mack, “but now everything is said and done, it’s a really prestigious project for all of us to be involved with, for Honeywell, for Fohhn and also for the Abu Dhabi airport itself. It’s a huge project with many customised products. Our manufacturing and assembly departments also did a great job supplying almost 300 speaker systems within such a short space of time.”
www.adairports.ae www.fohhn.com
Blue Rhine Industries installs one of Dubai’s largest indoor LED screens at Dubai Mall Aquarium
DUBAI MALL IS TYPICALLY ONE OF THE FIRST STOPoff points for new tourist arrivals. It exemplifies exactly what the country has become famous for: over-the top displays of grandeur and opulence. So, when it comes time to add new elements to the complex’s infrastructure, demands are understandably high. Sat at the base of the world’s tallest skyscraper, the shopping mall boasts a complete indoor aquarium and underwater zoo, an Olympic-sized ice rink and over 1,000,000m2 of retail space – it doesn’t do things by half. The Dubai Mall Aquarium lies at the core of the complex and, set in the round, provides the perfect canvas right above the tank for the installation of a wraparound LED screen. Having been enlisted into the Dubai Mall project due to its previous experience with developer EMAAR, Blue Rhine Industries has recently integrated one of Dubai’s largest indoor LED screens at the mall’s core. “The relationship for us started a few years ago when we were working with the IT team at Marina Mall to install all their digital screens within the mall space,” recalls Blue Rhine’s head of technology, Niraj Vyas. “Through that experience, I think EMAAR gained a lot of trust working with us. When they had this new requirement at Dubai Mall, they called most of the major SIs and manufacturers to tender for the job. That’s when we shook hands with INFiLED and decided to tender together on the project. We’ve done a lot of projects with their brand before, but this was by far the biggest.”
“The tender was highly competitive, also with other SIs that had a lot of experience working with the client, so we were not initially all that confident of winning,” adds Blue Rhine sales director John V Joseph. “However, we were able to offer them the right combination of solutions and our technical capability. As an SI, we come with a very strong background in fabrication and sign manufacturing, and one very important aspect of this particular project was the structure work. It’s arguably more complicated than the screen itself.”
In response to EMAAR’s needs, INFiLED MV-Series and MV-Edge series panels were called on. The panels boast an
impressive 3.9mm pixel pitch and cover an expansive area of over 980m2. Reaching 70m wide and 14m high (forming 64m pixels), the screen is reportedly the largest indoor LED in Dubai. INFiLED’s seamless curve on both ends was consequently selected for fulfilling the main need: a display that could not only showcase advertising but also effectively communicate relevant information in the major setting. The 980 installed INFiLED panels are driven by an Analog Way Aquilon C+ LivePremier presentation system handling video processing. Custom built for the project’s specific requirements, the unit offers 24 4K inputs and 16 4K outputs and is fed with content from a Picturall Pro Mark II
media server offering eight 4K outputs and a Dante audio interface. Analog Way’s ControlBox-3 solution provides simple management of the LivePremier solution.
“In terms of the output, we are doing exact pixel-to-pixel resolution and that’s when the beauty comes in using Analog Way to process everything – we’re talking pure 17, 18K resolution,” notes Vyas. “The drawback of this is it’s difficult for people to create content at such resolutions, it’s expensive and just the rendering time alone is insane. So, the way we designed the system is so that it functions as one canvas but can also be divided into two or three parts. There are multiple options already. The Analog Way
‘brain’ is responsible for the colour reproduction and it’s just beautiful. Skin tones come out perfectly.”
Analog Way regional sales manager Hassan Abu Minshar worked closely with the Blue Rhine Industries team to define the right specification. “The large number of pixels and tight operating hours due to the location all had to be taken into consideration to provide a solution that will allow the end user to run the whole screen as one big canvas with no limits, whether it is single or multiple content.”
The content itself is served up over fibre cabling from the media server located in a rack room some 400m away. “Everything runs over fibre optic,” notes Joseph. “Initially, they didn’t even have power and they pulled the power over for this particular screen – 500kW has been allocated to the screen alone. All the receiving cards in the fibre converters are for the screen and that’s where the video conversion happens. Then, we have Cat6 cable distributing everything, everywhere.”
Taking the technical challenges in providing such highresolution video to one of Dubai’s largest indoor screens out of the equation for just a second, there were no shortage of other unique obstacles to overcome. “There was already another older screen installed, so we had to dismantle that, prepare a structure for the new screen and then install the INFiLED panels,” notes Vyas. “The main challenges were that it’s a public mall and aquarium, and we were only allowed to work between the hours of midnight and 7am. We had to account for the fact that we had just 4–5 hours of quality work each night. We also couldn’t make any drilling into the wall as it would disturb the fish in the tank beneath – something that I believe has caused problems in the past.”
The screen wraps around the wall above the aquarium glass, and because of the nature of the aquarium that required a lot of research from Blue Rhine, this made the project particularly unique. “We were briefed on the challenges involved, but as a company we are used to installing just regular screens,” offers Vyas. “At the same time, we’ve built our reputation over the years working on challenging jobs such as this. I think that’s one of the main aspects that gave the client confidence to work with us. And our fabrication capabilities only add to that fact when we are given such a complicated structure to work with. We made the entire structure in-house. Everything was fabricated by us.”
Because of these considerations, the weight of the LED cabinet emerged as a critical factor, and the MV-Series, with its weight of only 20kg/m installation process. In addition, meeting the aesthetic expectations of the place required meticulous planning and execution. “The aquarium glass is made of thick acrylic, and its properties limited the amount of weight that could be installed on top of the wall that actually holds that acrylic,” explains Joseph. “There were a lot of technical parameters that had to be considered.”
Given the mall’s long hours of public operation, physically carrying out the required work also provided headaches.
“There was a service entrance a couple of hundred metres away but, given their slow speed, just getting boom lifts in
location and open during the day, whatever work we did at
had to be automated to close and open in the morning and
In spite of these logistical hurdles, the new visual showcase
engineer around, we were working with, I think, the best in the industry when it comes to partners, whether that was Analog Way or INFiLED, in making sure that the client gets the best
standards, and they consistently set benchmarks to outpace the competition. The culmination of this project marks a moment of pride for us as we contribute to the Dubai Mall’s charm with our screen. We are thrilled to have our flagship
SOARING 385M ABOVE THE SURROUNDING CITYSCAPE,
the PIF Tower is the centrepiece of the new financial plaza of the King Abdullah Financial District. Formerly known as CMA Tower, the iconic 80-level crystalline office tower is currently the tallest building in Riyadh and according to its owners is said to symbolise the beginning of a new era of global financial leadership within the Saudi capital.
Serving as the new home for Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the building provides approximately 185,000m2 of floor space above ground level, comprising various corporate and commercial office spaces, a state-of-the art 450-seat auditorium, dining areas and a fitness centre and pool on level 54. A lower ground level and three full basement floors accommodate support functions and central plant and equipment areas. Within these underground areas are a series of command and control centres (C&Cs) operating the PIF’s internal IT network and operations.
The PIF is responsible for the creation of many of the Kingdom’s megaprojects and, unsurprisingly, the new headquarters is full of futuristic and forward-looking technologies. A high-performance solar control system moderates the intense light and heat of the local environment, while an external layer of fins, gantries and perforated panels provides shade. A three-storey podium structure at the base of the tower integrates public circulation (via the King Abdullah Financial District’s sky-walk system) with private amenity spaces, including the auditorium and dining areas. With its energyefficient skin, photovoltaic system and intelligent infrastructure, the tower is expected to achieve LEED Gold certification. That is to say, the entire building is very future focused in its construction, and this mindset continues throughout. Riyadh-based systems integrator MaktabiTech was enlisted to provide a cutting-edge AV solution for the tower’s three C&Cs, each of which has been meticulously designed and equipped with the latest technologies to enhance decision-making processes.
“The PIF has very high standards and so we opted to work with Activu and Samsung to fulfil their requirements,” explains MaktabiTech technical director Khaled Al Sheikh. “For the LED screen, there was a choice of two brands, but also a requirement for a 0.8 or below pixel pitch. We chose Samsung’s
The Wall. The display is such good quality that it feels like you’re looking into an LCD screen more than an LED. It is also capable of very high brightness and can support the biggest resolutions.”
With a total of 64 users accommodated in the 150m2 space, the first of the three areas is now operational and has set a benchmark for the remainder of the tower’s future construction. “There are three C&Cs inside the tower for managing the PIF’s internal networks. One is a Network Operations Centre, one an IT help desk and the third used mainly for building management service activities and cybersecurity. All share a similar design from an audiovisual perspective, and the main aim was ensuring a seamless workflow for all operators inside the rooms,” adds Al Sheikh. “The ergonomic layout we designed promotes collaboration and efficiency within the command and control centre.”
Enlisted to handle the AV portion of the project, MaktabiTech created a series of designs that revolved around the use of bespoke Pyrotech Technical Consoles and Samsung’s The Wall LED solution. “There were several key aspects to this project that made it interesting,” shares Al Sheikh. “The first was the integration of hardware such as the display, which was a direct LED from Samsung of 0.84pp – the absolute highest in the
range that the company offers. The second aspect was the LED S-Box SNOW-JMU video controller, which Samsung calls SnowBox.”
The LED S-Box condenses the delivery of content into a single, centralised device, providing the ability to transmit Ultra HD content across multiple displays without external boxes or splitters. “We’re running full native 8K resolution to the screen, and at the other end providing connectivity between the video controller and the servers,” the technical director explains. “There’s an Activu DisplayNode server connected directly to the video controller that provides the output to the screens, and there’s also another server for system management. This system manager is the core of the solution. One server runs all three command centres at the same time and handles the registration of the users.”
MaktabiTech implemented Activu, a cutting-edge video management software to provide real-time situational awareness and facilitate swift decision-making inside the command centres. The software’s interface provides users with a comprehensive view of critical information. “On the software side, we’re running the Activu software platform for command centre management,” says Al Sheikh. “This was ideal as it can integrate with any IT software, such as those that the PIF uses. The IT department is streaming everything onto the data network and at the same time it is being encoded onto the displays; the system manager is doing all the management of the streams, the display itself is not decoding the signals coming into it.”
MaktabiTech has provided licensing capabilities for the Activu solution for up to 100 users. “These operators can be inside the command centre itself, or anywhere else around the world,” Al Sheikh furthers. “They can operate the system remotely, for example, highlighting something on the display, or changing the layout of the canvas on the LCD screen without being inside the room itself. The configuration of the management system was quite complicated, but we got great assistance from Activu here in Saudi Arabia.”
With the goal of providing mission-critical information in the timeliest manner, the Activu solution has also been integrated with the Pyrotech Technical Consoles, which house RGB “status-alert” indicators. “If, for example, there is a red alert
ticket raised on the system, the console will change colour to attract the operator’s attention,” notes Al Sheikh.
This integration works both ways, and the console’s functionality, such as the ability to move the motorised desk up or down, change the colour of the LEDs or trigger the alarm on or off, can also be accessed directly from within the Activu interface.
With the rest of the building’s construction still an ongoing process, the two additional centres will be installed in the
While the integration of the command centres was carried out in partnership with the overall project fit-out contractors, Absal Paul and Baytur, the fast-moving nature of building work inside the tower meant that MaktabiTech was left to do the majority of the work itself. “We had to work pretty much everything on the install side by ourselves. Our team installed the cables and handled all the terminations. One of the benefits of the Samsung screen was its use of fibre-optic cabling. Instead of dozens of traditional data cables connecting the video controller and LED panels, The Wall
“Having secured the project, we started working on the design back in May last year and took hundreds of meetings just to reach the final design. We then immediately started purchasing equipment. The integration itself took another two months,” concludes Al Sheikh. “The success of this transformative AV integration project at the PIF wouldn’t have been possible without the collaborative efforts of our esteemed partners, whose commitment to quality craftsmanship ensured that the C&Cs have not only met but exceeded the highest standards
An AV-over-IP solution is ensuring signal keeps flowing across the new NRU campus in Riyadh
technological innovations, IT networks, audiovisual systems, these risks. Its aim is to strengthen the resilience of the Kingdom against identified threats in coordination with the government, private sector and the public; and also to establish Risk Management processes throughout the Kingdom, at national, regional and local levels. for a complete audio and visual experience based on the latest technologies available in the market, in combination with high
business manager, Hatem Bitar, it proved to be the perfect proposal and we were able to gain the client’s approval to move forward.”
Following these discussions, more than 180 WyreStorm NetworkHD 500 series NHD-500-TX and -RX encoders and decoders were integrated into a complex-wide solution in combination with a wide range of ancillary AV equipment, such as LED videowalls from LG, interactive screens from Huawei and Viewsonic, and control from Crestron. WyreStorm’s SYGMA Cloud Management solution was also implemented to monitor, control and update all the devices over the network. The infrastructure to drive this installation was created using Netgear’s line of AV-over-IP
“We needed to achieve high-quality AV streaming throughout the complex – low-latency, 4K HDR streaming with a high level of scalability and accessibility – along with very fast equipment delivery duration,” furthers Abdelqader. “These were the key requirements that led our client to choose the WyreStorm NetworkHD/Netgear AV infrastructure, which ticked all the boxes. The NetworkHD 500 series devices were also readily available, which helped us secure the tender. Furthermore, since the client was the National Risk Council, security was of prime importance and this need was also met through WyreStorm’s security and encryption capabilities.” securing the required equipment. Acknowledgment is merited
for the commendable role played by IPS managing director Mohammed Abu Zainah. His proactive engagement facilitated the project’s deliverables with WyreStorm’s headquarters in the Netherlands, ensuring the highest level of urgency was maintained throughout the process.”
Given such a critical and tight timeline to get everything integrated and operational with very little margin for error, Abdelqader is pleased to report the project was handed over on time and to the client’s expectations. “Now that everything has been concluded, we are very impressed with the finished result as it provides the client with everything they desired: flexibility and scalability to manage future growth, efficient distribution of signals throughout the complex, significant cost savings compared to alternative approaches and the adaptability to meet changing needs when integrating with the local IT systems. It’s a prime example of how using an AV-over-IP system is more cost-effective in certain scenarios,” notes Abdelqader. “Aftersales support from IPS and WyreStorm was great throughout the integration phase and all-in-all the client is very satisfied with the job we provided as the master integrator.”
Moreover, the project also serves as a perfect reference for all involved at a time when the Saudi market is at full steam ahead. “The audiovisual market in Saudi Arabia and the region is increasing and growing rapidly, which is driving a lot of new investment in various sectors, such as technology, communications and collaboration,” concludes Abdelqader. “As a company we are investing tens of millions of Saudi Riyals into the development of these technologies, in addition to hiring and training lots of new staff. We want to be ready – and at the forefront – for the next phase of technological advancements in the Kingdom. You can expect more great projects like this from us soon.”
www.ipsmena.co www.netgear.com/av www.solutions.com.sa www.wyrestorm.com
Qvision was the central thread pulling everything together during Qatar’s recent AFC Asian Cup
GROWING TO BECOME ONE OF THE WORLD’S MAJOR annual football tournaments, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup stands as a pinnacle of football excellence, showcasing the greatest talents across the Asian continent. Taking place this year in Qatar, the cup represented a pivotal moment for the country to reaffirm its position as a leading destination for international sporting events held in the region following its huge success in hosting the historic FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
But readers shouldn’t think of the AFC as a knock-off version of the World Cup. It’s anything but, and the operations from a production standpoint have continually set new standards for excellence. For homegrown fans, whose team clinched the championship title last time around, this year’s tournament was even more sacred.
From an audiovisual perspective, arguably no one has had a bigger part to play than Doha-based company Qatar Vision (Qvision) Productions, which took a central role in every stage of the planning and execution process. “Since September 2023, I’ve been diligently collaborating with my team to orchestrate the most remarkable AFC Asian Cup ever held in our cherished Qatar,” recalls Sharif Hashisho, Qvision CEO, who also served as the AFC’s artistic director and executive producer. “This has included the initial brainstorming sessions to the development of concepts, sketches and storyboard drafts, to the visualisation of environments, modelling of assets, captivating 3D storytelling animations, production and, ultimately, the seamless delivery that you’ve all witnessed, whether that was in the stadium or through televised broadcasts. The journey was undoubtedly challenging, as the final outcome is often the only aspect visible to all, with the tireless efforts behind the scenes remaining unseen.”
Following a rigorous tender process, Qvision secured contracts for several pivotal aspects of the tournament. This encompassed the implementation of comprehensive technical AV overlays across all nine stadiums, coupled with
the installation of over 3km of LED screens to adorn Lusail Stadium during the opening and closing matches. Additionally, Qvision undertook the development, production and delivery of stadium infotainment across all 51 matches, ensuring a consistent and captivating spectator experience throughout. Moreover, the team led the creation of bespoke pre-match ceremonies, incorporating custom props and special effects to elevate viewer engagement. It also orchestrated the coronation ceremony and fireworks finale, all the while curating engaging Fan Zone activations.
The technical equipment integrated at the nine stadiums consisted of audio consoles, vision mixers, video and audio replay equipment, wired and wireless communication networks, multiple monitoring devices, content and graphics playback servers, as well as microphones and in-ear monitors for all presenters. Enhanced audio systems were also installed and operated at the Jassim Bin Hamad and Lusail Stadiums to address areas not adequately covered by existing legacy systems. “We seamlessly integrated with host broadcasters and competition departments to transmit broadcast and VAR signals to these control rooms, leaving no aspect uncovered,” notes the CEO. “Additionally, to deliver impeccable infotainment and pre-match ceremony programmes, we installed a total of 800 moving lights across six stadiums.” Enhancing the pre-match ceremony experience and allowing for complete control of stadium lighting, eight MA Lighting grandMA3 consoles, along with their MPUs and network switchers, were programmed to synchronise with infotainment music and provided entertainment.
The production for the impressive opening ceremony required additional external support, with Auditoria sound expert Scott Willsallen and additional audio equipment supplied by Dubaibased Agora and lighting equipment by PRG Middle East – 450 Ayrton fixtures alongside Elation Proteus Brutus and Proteus Excaliburs. The OC lighting design was handled by Roland Greil, while staging and automation was provided by Stage
One and rigging by ES:ME. Creative Technology Middle East also deployed a grand total of 600 ROE Visual BP2V2 panels configured into five shell-shaped screens as a visual backdrop. Back to the main tournament and, in total, Qvision supplied the technical setups across the nine stadiums. In all, this comprised the use of nine Blackmagic Design ATEM 4 M/E Constellation 4K vision mixers with ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel 30s, 45 Blackmagic Smart View 4K video monitors and 81 Blackmagic Micro Optical Fibre Converters. Nine digital
audio consoles were also in use – a DiGiCo Quantum 338, Quantum 5, Quantum 7 and SD10 with SD-Racks and five Allen & Heath SQ-7s with GX4816 digital stageracks. Additionally, nine Simplylive VI-Box 16 EVS replay units were combined with 27 Simplylive VI-Box 8 graphics replay units. The setup also consisted of 18 360 Systems Instant Replay 2 audio playback units, four Sony PXW-Z750
RF cameras, nine Daktronics DMP-8000 stadium screen video servers, 189 Riedel Boleros for comms, 40 Shure ULX-D wireless microphones and 36 Shure PSM 1000 IEMs. A total of 96 loudspeakers (Meyer Sound’s Milo, M2D and Melodie arrays, together with UPM-1P cabinets and 700-HP subwoofers) were used for stadium audio enhancements, along with eight grandMA3 lighting consoles with MPU lighting processors and network switches, and 54 grandMA3 8Port Node and MA Network switches. The 550 moving lights used for lighting enhancements across the championship comprised Clay Paky Scenius Unico, Sharpy Plus Aqua, Xtylos, K-Eye K20, Skylos, Mythos 2 and Hepikos models, while a further 48 ADB LEXPERT Profile key lights were used to illuminate giant inflatable trophies. Tying this huge infrastructure all together saw the team deploying more than 2.3km of fibre cabling for lighting signals, 5.9km of fibre to deliver the broadcast and VAR video signals to their respective control rooms, 1.5km of audio cabling and 90 antennas to cater to the required wireless AV and comms
Another crucial and distinctive technical aspect was the design, supply and installation of over 3km of Tyworth TF390 3.9mm pixel pitch LED screens that adorned Lusail Stadium. Three different tiers of LED displays were provided: an upper waveshaped display and two middle ribbons. Additionally, screens were installed above each entry vomitory, while the players’ benches were adorned with LED wraps. This
extensive LED setup transformed the stadium into a visually stunning spectacle, enhancing the overall atmosphere and spectator experience. Powering the content for this required the use of 25 Novastar NovaPro UHD LED processors.
In addition to the technical supply, Qvision was tasked with handling the production and delivery of stadium infotainment for all 51 matches, in addition to the 51 prematch ceremonies spread across all stadiums, the final coronation ceremony held at Lusail Stadium and the official AFC Fan Zone. For the pre-match ceremonies, the technical equipment was housed within inflatable trophy platforms and controlled via timecode generated by the overlaid grandMA3 consoles in each stadium. Special effects such as sparkulas, jets and CO2 smoke were also integrated. During the matches, Qvision’s “Infotainment Kits” handled a mix of multicam match coverage, replays and VAR, commentator analysis and interviews. It also took care of advertising, broadcast graphics and statistics going out to big screens throughout each venue.
“A Live PGM mix gave spectators every insight needed to enhance their match experience,” explains Hashisho. “Recognising the distinct branding and aesthetics of each stadium, we crafted unique visual content and graphic sets tailored to complement their individual identities. Over 30 hours of video and graphics content were meticulously created to enrich the spectators’ experience, all undertaken by our in-house content team, and we also supplied Sony RF cameras independent of the official broadcasters to capture specific, unique content for display on the stadium screens.”
The coronation ceremony holds immense significance in any championship as it symbolises the culmination of weeks or months of intense competition. “Our contribution here was also nothing short of extraordinary! To provide the organisers with a comprehensive understanding of the proposed designs, we shared lighting design WYSIWYG files and conducted a full 3D simulation of the fireworks finale design. Additional ‘final match’ specific CGI work was developed by our content team. Moreover, special music was composed specifically for the ceremony to ensure its distinctiveness and emotional impact. Notably, the participation of His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar added a significant level of prestige and honour to this exceptional segment of the final match.”
As a key partner in the tournament, Qvision also played a crucial role in conceptualising, designing and executing the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 Fan Zone experience, which was strategically placed near Lusail Stadium. This included the deployment of a total of 60 stacks of Meyer Sound Milo line array speakers and 700-HP subwoofers, controlled by a DiGiCo Quantum 7 console. Complementing the audio setup, 650 moving lights – primarily Sharpy Plus, AlphaBeam 1500 and Hepikos from Clay Paky and profiles, beams and washes from GTD Lighting – were installed to illuminate both the stage and the entire area, synchronised and controlled by two grandMA3 consoles. To enhance visual engagement, 1,600m2 of highresolution Tyworth TF390 LED screens were strategically placed and seamlessly operated by two dedicated Modulo Player video
As the tournament’s technical director, Tom Ellis, explains, overseeing the intricate technical aspects of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 was a monumental task. “With challenges spanning across all nine stadiums, the scale of this project was immense,” he recalls. “Yet, through the dedication and expertise of our team, we navigated through every hurdle and delivered a resounding success. It is a privilege to have led such a crucial project, ensuring the seamless production and technical support vital to the success of international events of this magnitude, and I am truly honoured to have been a part of this remarkable journey.”
The significance of this tournament transcended mere competition; it symbolised Qatar’s commitment to delivering an event of unparalleled quality, raising the bar for future sporting endeavours. Qvision’s involvement was undoubtedly crucial to its success. “I am profoundly honoured by the success of our team in delivering an unparalleled AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 experience,” says director of operations Mostafa Abdelhay. “This achievement underscores our relentless dedication to precision and quality in every endeavour. It further solidifies our reputation as a leader in event management.”
Just 10 days into the competition, it was revealed that impressions on the AFC’s digital channels exceeded 1.5 billion – making it the first competition to reach the breakthrough landmark. “We are immensely honoured and proud to have played a pivotal role in delivering the best AFC Asian Cup ever,” concludes the Qvision CEO. “This achievement stands as a testament to our commitment to excellence and innovation. It adds another milestone to our track record of successfully orchestrating major international events, including the recent World Cup. At Qvision, we continually strive to surpass expectations and leave a lasting legacy of exceptional event management.”
www.facebook.com/qatarvision
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REVENUES FROM RECORDED MUSIC IN THE MIDDLE East and North Africa have risen dramatically in the last couple of years, with trade body IFPI recognising the region as the world’s fastest-growing market. So, it’s no surprise that a flurry of recording studios has also sprung up in recent years to capitalise on this popularity.
Opening his first studio space in the suburbs of Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa City long before this new wave of demand, BarCoe Studios owner Sean Barcoe was well ahead of the crowd. As a producer, guitarist and singer, he spent the preceding decade nurturing local talent, with the fruits of that journey most recently leading him to a new plot on the outskirts of the city and embarking on the construction of a vastly bigger studio space as the business expanded. With a background in aviation, firstly serving as a US service member and later as an instructor pilot in Abu Dhabi, Barcoe at first may seem an odd choice to become the flagbearer for the Middle East’s first fully AES67 Dolby Atmos studio. “I have a huge passion for music but, if I’m honest, I’m not a brilliant musician,” he laughs. “And because I’ve been a pilot my whole life, I never really had much chance to pursue that passion. When I first moved to the UAE, I started a band, but we quickly realised none of us had any proper knowledge of sound. I decided to undertake an audio course and it was here I figured out that my passion for music really came from my ears. I am great at picking apart sounds –something I wish I’d known 20–30 years ago. Next, I started to learn live sound as a passion, but I was still a working pilot at the time. A little later, I met a local producer here and started working with him. He introduced me to the production side of things and everything just kept growing from there. I started recording and the rest is history.”
Barcoe opened the Khalifa City recording space back in 2014, welcoming artists for consultations on their homegrown material with the studio’s in-house producers and engineers, taking part in song-writing classes and even
getting a session shot and edited for a potential music video. “Originally, the whole idea was to showcase and promote local artists, but we had been struggling with getting local venues on board,” the owner recalls. “I figured why not build my own space, taking inspiration from shows I love like Tiny Desk, Sofar Sounds, Jimmy Fallon’s The Late Show and BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. The ultimate goal has been to open a live music venue here in Abu Dhabi that is purely dedicated to original music. It’s through venues like these that a music scene can really evolve in the city.”
Such an involved approach is a far cry from the normal practices of studios in the Arab world and the popularity of BarCoe Studios naturally led it to quickly outgrow its Khalifa City home. Furthermore, the recording industry itself was changing, spurred on by Apple’s requirement for spatial mixes in its Music Store. In early 2023, the pilot moved to an empty plot of land on the outskirts of the city and set about creating something new entirely from scratch.
“Two years ago, I was in the US and Blackbird had just built their new Atmos room,” Barcoe recalls. “It was a monumental investment, so I’d written Atmos off as something we’d never be able to do over here. But I learned that Apple had booked out the space for two years, seven days a week, mixing their entire back catalogue into Atmos. I walked away thinking, well, if they’re willing to put such a big investment into this, how long is normal stereo 2.1 going to stick around?
“Of course, it’s not going away anytime soon,” he rationalises, “but, if I’m going to spend money, I want that investment to last as long as possible and get the best bang for my buck. The future is clearly immersive and if I didn’t start getting into it now, I’d be behind the power curve. When I rented this place, we were basically handed a clean slate. The focus was to get the Atmos room up and running first. I took an empty villa and did what I could with what I had. The Atmos room is now completed and we’re finishing up our sound stage.”
Taking pride of place at the new studio is naturally the 5m x 4.3m Dolby Atmos control room, the first in the region to be fully AES67 connected. Over the years operating the previous studio, Barcoe has built up a close relationship with Sennheiser Middle East, going so far as to be the host of a number of regional events, training and product launches on behalf of the German manufacturer. Having already settled on the use of Neumann monitors for Atmos playback, this existing relationship with Sennheiser, which at the time of talks had only recently brought the Merging Technologies brand into its family, also paid dividends elsewhere. “Prior to making this decision, they’d already demonstrated they have my back and were not going to steer me wrong. Ryan [Burr]’s always just been a call away, so I contacted him and off we went. He performed
placements.”
Built around a pair of Steven Slate Audio Raven MTi2 touchscreens serving as the DAW control surface and running through a Merging Technologies Anubis AD/DA and a single Universal Audio Apollo X16, two X8P, an X4 and UAD-2 Satellite audio interfaces, 13 Neumann KH 120 II monitors, supplied by the company’s local distributor Thomsun, serve as the front and rear speakers, with a further four filling in the height channels. Four Neumann KH 750 AES67 subwoofers placed behind the bespoke studio desk support both bass management and the LFE channel.
“Neumann brought Marcus Blight across from the UK support team to assist me with configuring the system,” explains Ryan Burr, head of technical sales and application engineering at Sennheiser Middle East. “He also did a onceover of the designs while still on paper before we got to the install stage. He’s done hundreds of studios like this in
The network itself took the best part of two days just to get the audio-over-IP infrastructure up and running.
“Getting everything aligned is tricky because you’ve got added latency inside the switches,” Burr notes, “and the IP element adds things that makes that alignment even more challenging. Everything needs to talk to each other at the same speed.”
While configuration of the audio-over-IP network might have created some initial headaches, the time it saves the pilot and his crew down the line is invaluable.
Moving to a fully digital setup also brings other benefits.
“When I go to those big studios in the states like Blackbird, I see their desks and no doubt they’re impressive,” says Barcoe. “But I get to have four of those rooms in one by putting everything through the Apollo; I like that flexibility. I think the days of massive desks are gone. Dante has just made everything that much easier.”
Beyond the Atmos studio, BarCoe houses separate photo and video production studios, a spacious live room and a small song-writing/break-out space. Every single room is interconnected digitally when it comes to the AV. “If I want something to go to the video production studio, I can send it, without even lifting a finger,” the owner explains. “Previously, our live sound and studios desks were the same, so every time a different band came in, I’d have to get behind the desk and reroute everything. Furthermore, I kind of think it’s cool to say that from the time the signal leaves your instrument to the time it reaches your ear, it’s all digital.”
May–June
Sandwiched between the control and live room is a Vicoustic VicBooth that doubles as both a vocal suite and the backdrop for the BarCoe Booth. Set up with a Neumann U87 at the time of Pro AVL MEA’s visit, BarCoe isn’t only a fan of the German manufacturer’s monitoring solutions. He has a vast selection of Neumann mics to call on, including KM184, TLM102 and TLM107 models. For special occasions, this even extends to Neumann’s M 49 V large diaphragm condenser microphones, one of only 300 ever manufactured.
“Our last vocal booth was a converted bathroom, so this is quite the step up,” explains the owner. “The point of the BarCoe series was that I wanted to show what singers sound like off the desk and without processing. There’s no postproduction done whatsoever, which is rare. A lot of today’s music is quite overproduced, and I wanted to showcase what real talent is out there.”
The live sound stage is the other major focus for the studio and the new location has allowed the owner to scale operations up considerably. It’s roughly four times bigger than the old site. “We’ve styled everything similarly to before, with a few lighting rigs overhead and a complete stage setup,” Barcoe notes. The extra floor space allows artists to host their own live concerts inside in addition to serving as a backdrop for livestreaming. “The room has been set up so that when you turn sideways, we can build sets in here that allow us to shoot videos,” he adds.
to that same idea of finding new ways to showcase the artists.”
From the outside, you’d never guess this sleepy neighbourhood was secretly home to a 100-plus-capacity live venue, and stepping inside the surprises keep rolling. With a stage at the back of the room adorned with L-R pairs of QSC K12.2 speakers, four rows of lighting rigs overhead and plans to install a large LED wall at the rear to serve as a reconfigurable backdrop, artists have access to everything necessary to stage a professional show. New equipment servicing the space includes a 128-channel Allen & Heath Avantis digital mixing desk that replaces a rack-mounted Behringer X32 used at the previous location, and multiple channels of Sennheiser EW G4 in-ear monitors. “In the last studio, because of its size, our live sound was also controlled by the desk in the control room, so there was always an involved changeover. That’s why I got drawn into the Dante world, simply because I just got tired of crawling around under the desk.”
Livestreaming and broadcasting from inside the live room is done using a TriCaster 4k and Canon 4k film cameras
running over the studio’s 10GB network. “I run dual backbones with NDI and SDI and we kind of do a blended solution,” says Barcoe. “We run our Blackmagic BMPC 4K converted to NDI so I get the look I want, and then run one BirdDog P400 PTZ for the closeup controllers.”
Sandwiched between the live and control room is another small studio setup serving as an impromptu breakout room. “We call this the song-writing room,” says the owner. “In the previous venue, I was always running into issues with clients wanting to come in and hang out – we didn’t really have a space for them beyond the foyer. Here they can sit down together, close the door to get away from everything and collaborate.”
Serving as a simplified recording setup, the room houses an Apple Mac Mini hosting Ableton and Logic Pro DAWs, connected to a Neumann MT48 two-channel interface and Neumann KH 120 and KH 750 2.1 system for monitoring. BarCoe’s capabilities have broadened considerably since first dipping its hat into audio production, and there are dedicated studios for photo and video shooting and video production. “We’re multi-faceted,” the owners claims, “and we have future plans to do virtual production.” As a result, the video production studio has been outfitted with Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve paired with a Universal Audio Apollo Twin that feeds L-R pairs of Neumann KH 310A speakers. While the new space is still a work in progress before becoming fully operational, the Atmos studio is already online and being actively used. For the BarCoe team, the transition has been surprisingly painless. “When we moved to the new location, the change really wasn’t that big. My priority was that I didn’t want to invent an entirely new workflow, because that would hamper our productivity. The only thing we had to learn that’s completely new to us is Atmos. I ran Dante –albeit much less – in the last studio, so most of the gear just transitioned over and was expanded.”
With the paint barely drying on the walls of the new space, BarCoe’s story is just beginning a new chapter. “We haven’t even had the official opening yet, we’ve just done a tech rehearsal to make sure all cables are connected for the live space. But I have full faith in what we’ve created. The whole purpose for me here was to create a space and pay things forward to the industry and I feel we’ve done a great job in getting to where we are. I can’t wait for the doors to officially fling open.”
en-ae.sennheiser.com www.neumann.com www.thebarcoe.studio
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Unmatched
Unbridled
MUCH OF THE WORLD WHERE ENGLISH ISN’T THE native language can nonetheless communicate remarkably well with it. Much of that linguistic facility comes not from classrooms or tutors but rather from movies, music and other entertainment media, the vast majority of which over the last century has been American-made. Ever since movies started talking and Hollywood became Hollywood, America’s version of the English language has influenced and ultimately dominated the world’s cultural conversations.
It had a nice head start: for instance, India recognises 22 official languages and is home to over 200 others, but government business is still conducted in the language of the British Raj. But millions of others there and elsewhere learned their English from ubiquitous American films, songs and television shows. There is even a formal tutorial in English, Fluent With Friends, named for the TV show Friends, which will also teach aspiring English speakers plenty of cheeky double entendres. In fact, music even taught the English to speak English, at least the Americanised version of it, with words and phrases originating in the Black American experience and ultimately resold back to mostly young white Yanks by the 1960s’ British blues explosion.
However, like other aspects of the American global hegemony, its entertainment/industrial complex’s grip on the world’s aesthetic is loosening. Look no further than China. For decades, starting with Deng Xiaoping’s opening up of the country in the late seventies, US film studios and record labels saw a massive potential audience for their wares. Even as late as 2012, seven of the top 10 releases in China, like Transformers , were American films. More recently though, Hollywood has had to adapt itself to external expectations. China’s censors increasingly prevail over scripts, with dialogue replaced by explosive sound effects. And if the US continuously “won” the Vietnam War in Sylvester Stallone movies, China’s Hollywood reminds moviegoers there that they kicked our asses at The Battle at Lake Changjin , the 2021 release about a Chinese triumph over the US during the Korean War that’s now the country’s top-grossing movie of all time. On the other hand, neither of the two films that made up the dual blockbuster of Barbenheimer last year even dented China’s top 30 films. In fact, no American movie broke the country’s list of top 10 highest-grossing movies. Small wonder that Mandarin is now one of the leading languages taught in US high schools.
American music is also feeling the global cultural pushback, although the effects can be elided somewhat semantically. Though born in the US territory of Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny tops the US charts with barely a word of English in the lyrics. Before it became owned primarily by shareholders after its 2021 IPO, Universal Music Group – which traces its roots back to the American branch of Decca Records in 1934 –was a majority French firm and is now joint venturing with the United Arab Emirates. Music City in Dubai will serve as a regional hub, supporting both local and international recording artists with its own recording studios (branded as Capitol Studios, with a licence from the Hollywood original), educational academies and a full-service label supporting local and regional artists’ recording, touring, branding and merchandising needs. All that may remain of American influences there are the words “branding” and “merchandising”.
And that’s all that may be needed to acknowledge the American Century’s most durable influence on global culture. What America has become best at now is the financialisation of the arts. English remains the lingua franca of business and aviation but look closely to see our new watermark: it’s in every number that follows a dollar sign.
Phil Ward discovers that immersive isn’t always impressive
OCCASIONALLY IN THIS JOB, YOU GET A REALITY check. Most of the time we concern ourselves with best practices, notable achievements and new inventions. That is the currency of the trade press, in contrast to the wild subjectivity of consumer media and its army of opinionated commentators. In the words of London theatre critic and writer Kenneth Tynan: “A critic is a man who knows the way, but can’t drive the car.” We must forgive Tynan for overlooking the obvious fact that it may be woman who knows the way, and it was 1966. But his point is succinct. So we, in the business-to-business world of communications, talk to the people who can, and do, drive the car. To what extent they “know the way” is a whole new matter: how far creative ideas and choices are forged by the technology and the materials, and vice versa. Who has the map? That sort of rabbit hole. What we do know is that we’re going nowhere unless someone is driving. When, as happens more frequently than you might imagine, we witness less-than-best practices, under-achievements and misplaced inventions, we tend to look the other way. When I worked in MI publishing many moons ago, the sort that reviews new products for the budding musician, there
was a standard procedure for any model submitted that was on a collision course for a panning. There would be nothing in print; the offending item would be returned to the manufacturer or distributor with a diplomatic note explaining why there would be no coverage. This was, it was hoped, useful for the supplier, if not for the reader. The reader, unfortunately, was kept in the dark.
I thought about this when I dispatched myself to a large European cathedral a few weeks ago. Inside, there was to be a typical son et lumière display with a narrative concerning the British monarchy and its ceremonial trappings, just the sort of thing to stir the heart of the modern patriot. Interestingly, the event was promoted using the buzzword of the moment, which is “immersive”. I won’t bore you with any of my thoughts about this word, suffice to say that if you stand in a cathedral, you are already immersed in centuries of iconography.
This time, when the production failed to deliver almost any of the effects promised by the description, I decided not to look the other way. The reason it didn’t work was, mostly, audio-related. The projections were fine, impressive even, if you make allowances for the irregular surfaces of a medieval
interior and the way that they endow King Charles III with six eyes, rather than two. The sound, on the other hand, was an afterthought.
I might have suspected that a few averagely priced loudspeakers on poles would not provide the right coverage or definition for the prerecorded classical soundtrack, but I was not prepared for the arrangement of three or four different zones, operating simultaneously, with differing content. There must have been some sort of zone amplification, but there was no acoustic separation. In certain positions, the cacophony was, how can I put it… multi-zonal. I left.
But I suspect I know what lies behind this debacle. Before the event, I did manage to speak with the artist – the man who knew the way – and the engineer, who was driving the car. The divisions of labour were clear. In this instance, the engineer – who was even referred to as the person who “makes whatever I say happen” – was every inch the capwearing chauffeur, while the artist reclined in the back seat pointing vaguely. The rabbit hole was clear. Without a true balance of power between art and technology, there is no map.
CHRIS ROSTALSKI
LIGHTING DESIGNER
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Seamless integration of Riedel‘s SmartPanel and Bolero wireless intercom. Easily scaling from 16 to 1024 ports with flexible licensing.
LAST OCTOBER, IN WHAT IT TERMED A “realignment”, Bosch Building Technologies announced the sale of most of its product divisions, instead focusing on the regional integrator business with solutions and services for building security, energy efficiency and building automation. Pledging consideration for the people, customer base and brands involved, the company is now undertaking due diligence to identify a suitable buyer for the video, access and intrusion and communication business units. With German labour laws decreeing any prospective buyer must take ownership of all three business units as a single package, together with their associates and locations, the communications business unit initially appeared to be heading into long-term limbo. But cometh the hour, cometh the men. Newly appointed head of the communications business unit Jens Mack, together with his succeeding VP of sales and marketing, Kerem Arabacioglu, are steadying the ship with a clear message to the market: attractive growth and partnership opportunities resulting from innovative product solutions and supported by a global network. In addition to calming doubts of longterm customers and resellers, the duo was determined to reassure the unit’s 4,300 associates across more than 90 worldwide locations. Between them, Mack and Arabacioglu have clocked up more than
40 years’ experience in various roles and international locations for Robert Bosch GmbH, sending a strong signal to their associates and the market alike.
Joining as a Bosch product manager in 1998, Mack’s impressive career includes a five-year stint as general manager in Hangzhou City, China. Arabacioglu’s rise from sales engineer in Istanbul for the fire alarm, intrusion and access product group has been similarly meteoric. The duo’s leadership skills and confident, visionary manner signifies the start of an exciting new chapter for this business unit.
Mack and Arabacioglu and have relinquished their distinguished careers with Bosch, pledging allegiance to the brands they now lead. “Working for Bosch was a relatively safe career path, but it is no different to any other company with steep targets to reach,” asserts Mack. “It demands integrity, but our business unit now needs to adopt a more entrepreneurial approach and be more customer-focused.”
Passionate and energised, the duo has taken a leap of faith beyond Bosch. “Our 2023 sales were our best to date and these figures are a confidence boost,” notes Mack. “By adopting more internal entrepreneurial freedom and greater flexibility in decision-making, there will be a quicker turnaround on investments. Conversely, for the Bosch group, our
looks to the
business unit is currently highly profitable, so this is a good time to sell.”
Despite achieving the best sales figures in 17 years, Mack dismisses the notion that Bosch has been hasty in its decision.
“For our industry, Bosch Communications is not a small company but, within the Bosch family, our unit constitutes about 1% of the Bosch family of nearly 430,000 employees. Automobile parts and services make up, by
far, the largest share of the business for the conglomerate. With Bosch staying ahead of the electric vehicle wave, supplying both Chinese and Western car manufacturers, the need to continue investment is greater than ever with the industry experiencing huge software and electronic transformations. As a result, Bosch needed to evaluate its portfolio of automobile parts, household appliances, power tools and others.”
Since the announcement, Arabacioglu and Mack have been clocking up the air miles to engage in constant dialogue with the global team, including regular town hall meetings. “In addition to delivering a message, we are keen to receive feedback and concerns from our associates,” comments Mack. “For some, it’s like leaving home for the first time, but there’s something better and more exciting beyond. There are uncertainties and questions of course, but I am personally motivated by the fact that our strength as a team makes us unbeatable.”
The clear business-as-usual message has been broadcast by all four brands. Arabacioglu is keen to highlight the successful sales figures of Electro-Voice’s portable speaker portfolio, particularly in North America and Europe where it consistently charts in the top two. This has been strengthened by the next-generation of the million-selling ZLX portable loudspeaker series. Dynacord recently extended its multichannel amplification credentials with the V-Series for commercial installations, in addition to the continued evolution of its Sonicue Sound System Software and the MXE5 Mix Matrix engine.
While Electro-Voice and Dynacord have established themselves as respected brands since 1927 and 1947 respectively, the Bosch Security and Safety portfolio of public address and conferencing products came into existence in 2002. Mack is not overly concerned that a change in ownership will reduce the credibility of this product segment. “The Bosch brand provides a highly credible image beyond this industry. However, a systems integrator or a consultant is probably more aware of the product family within Bosch such as Dicentis [conferencing] or Praesensa [public address and voice evacuation]. These names are almost perceived as brands in themselves whose proven technologies lead their market verticals.”
Arabacioglu agrees that investment is needed for this to happen. “The R&D budget for product development has to be shared among intercoms, conferencing, powered speakers and electronics; therefore, it needs to be balanced. However, we have a clear strategy ahead and it should be possible to deliver new products to the market quicker than before, because we don’t need to follow the same procedures as we have under Bosch. By reacting quicker to market demands and requirements, I am positive that we will build greater momentum with the products being developed.”
Mack is looking ahead to InfoComm Las Vegas, where key additions to the business unit’s fixed installation portfolio will be revealed. “By showcasing complete system solutions that can be applied to specific verticals, the exhibition will represent a new start for us. It’s the reason why we have developed a clear segmentation focus within our organisation specifically and holistically. These changes do not happen overnight, but we’ve entered a marathon rather than a short
Many professional audio brands have expanded their portfolios to establish themselves as solution providers. To date, the business communications unit has preferred to
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promote product families across various market sectors. Mack is leading the charge towards a more segment-focused strategy. “Under Bosch, we have designed and built marketleading products, but we didn’t always connect the dots properly between the brands to offer multi-brand system solutions tailored to the specific needs of key verticals. We’re in a unique position as not only can we offer the Electro-Voice speakers powered and processed by Dynacord electronics, but also the RTS intercom element, all operating on the same network. We’re segment-focused, and we’re filling out our portfolios to meet the changing needs of the market. This has been possible due to the commitment and investment from Bosch but, moving ahead under new ownership, we can anticipate a more agile and faster-to-market approach, being a bigger fish in a smaller pond.”
The ambitions of the four brands have been mirrored at the 2024 tradeshows, according to Arabacioglu. “At NAMM and ISE, we opted to go bold and strong at all the relevant exhibitions because we are proud of our position in these markets. InfoComm is strategically important for the ElectroVoice and Dynacord brands, owing to our expertise and heritage across a broad range of verticals, including house of worship, hospitality and sport venues. We’re developing our offering for additional verticals and will be steadily launching new products to enhance our amplification, DSP, loudspeaker, public address and critical communications portfolios. The key word is momentum. We’re growing, bringing onboard new people to support these new products, from engineering to marketing to sales. It’s an exciting time, and the energy and dedication we’re feeling from our teams around the world is incredibly strong.”
www.boschbuildingtechnologies.com
Firing on all output channels, Blaze Audio sparked into life at ISE 2022 to make its sleekly designed mark on the pro audio landscape. Richard Lawn pays a visit
CONCEIVED AND LAUNCHED IN COPENHAGEN EITHER side of the pandemic, Blaze Audio benefits from an in-house relationship with Danish OEM amplifier electronics manufacturer, Pascal. The combination of an ambitious idea, proven technologies, private investment and a driven team has ignited and combusted. Founded as a separate brand within Pascal, Blaze Audio
2006 when Pascal first flickered into life. Coming from a nation associated with high-quality brands, Hansen’s design philosophy is refreshing. “It’s no fun simply selecting the most expensive goods,” he explains. “However, it’s an engineering challenge to build something great with unique features and within a certain price range. I liken Blaze to Volkswagen as we prefer to design
To date, a blend of hardware and software expertise has created a series of networked wall-mounted controllers and GUIs that can be remotely operated from a smartphone. Largely inspired by the Internet of Things (IoT), the concept
There have been subsequent additions of Dante networking to the PowerZone Connect models, software developments and integrated DSP.
“Many software drivers were developed to make our products compatible with control systems,” says Hansen. “We are heading towards a more software-based domain. A trend has emerged to own fewer pieces of hardware that can be updated by software features. With processing power becoming less expensive, leading to an increase in memory capacity, more interesting features will be added in years to come. By incorporating advanced functionality at a reasonable cost, users can access features previously not available in smaller installations. For example, a version 1.4 update applied the mixing of inputs, which is in effect a small mixing board. When
loudspeaker brands, amplifier module producers often shy away from building their own finished hardware. Having worked for larger corporations prior to Pascal, CEO Gustaf Høskuldsson assumed control of most organisational operations in 2021 by transitioning to the role of CEO. Høskuldsson explains the Blaze difference: “Pascal remains our core business and, naturally, we do not want to compete with our own customers.”
When Hansen first revealed his innovations that would lead to the birth of Blaze Audio, Pascal’s owners were presented with an opportunity to get up close and personal with their customers. Feeding off one another, a symbiotic relationship enables Pascal’s customers to utilise Blaze technologies. “Pascal was lacking a connectivity with end users,” continues Høskuldsson. “We used our time during the pandemic to better understand how our products were being applied. Some solutions conceived for Blaze now spin over into our OEM business. Subsequently, our Pascal customers can go now to market with added confidence knowing they possess the right innovations.”
Høskuldsson admits to pressing a pause button to remain in business over the pandemic, which changed the trajectory path of the operating model. Initially worried that the significant investments made in inventory in late 2019 would hurt the company financially, Høskuldsson would ultimately be vindicated following the Blaze launch. “Having sufficient stock allowed us to take control and enter planning mode which, in turn, accelerated
our journey out of the pandemic. We transitioned the company almost a year faster than forecast.”
Høskuldsson acknowledges that the owners’ initial three-year plans to hit the forecast budget and scale up was achieved. “Three elements contributed to those targets being exceeded. Firstly, we attracted very talented people. Secondly, we made some good analyses for both businesses that led to the right go-to-market business models. This led to the third element, which is understanding the value that we are delivering. It is simply not enough to have great people; you must have a good understanding of what makes your partners successful. We have added value to our Pascal business.”
Drafted to Blaze in September 2021 from consumer-driven sales backgrounds, George Tennet (vice president of sales and marketing) and Niels Tholander Lorentzen (executive sales director EMEA and APAC) have significantly contributed to this success story. Handed a blank piece of paper, the pair were challenged to devise a marketing strategy and sell an unknown brand to the professional audio market, effectively being granted a licence to create the branding and name products.
“During my final interview, I was handed product documentation and asked to create a business plan,” recalls Tennet. This would lead to the establishment of a distribution network to channel the
CV Series of amplifiers, including PowerZone. “Looking back, it was an exciting time, but it was also highly challenging. Compared to previous employment at Ericsson and Bang & Olufsen, we were given much more responsibility. This in turn made us sharper and prompted us to be more forthcoming in our discussions with potential distributors.”
Tennet had to dig deep in his extensive toolbox – global distribution, channel management, pricing, third-party logistics, branding, websites, social media campaigns and tradeshows – to accelerate the fortunes of Blaze. “There were so many things to action. Eighty percent of this was achievable, but the remaining 20% required further research. Coming from the consumer business, Niels and I were not as appreciative of long-term business relationships and partnerships.”
At that point, a professional with over two decades of experience at Bose Professional entered the fray. Anders Wisbøl was drafted in as a temporary consultant, performing the role of technical lead when negotiating with potential distributors. His proven skills have been sufficiently demonstrated over a two-year period, and he now fulfils the role of EMEA technical sales manager. Crucially, Wisbøl understands the art of cultivating stronger relationships with new distribution partners and manages the expanding sales network by striking partnerships that demonstrate proficient distribution and system installation.
Almost mirroring Tennet’s employment background, Lorentzen scaled the career ladder in telecommunications and consumer electronics including spells at Samsung and Bose. He attributes his learning curve to developing a good ear and listening to his
colleagues in the professional industry. “Consumer audio is more about moving boxes and branding correctly in retail, and telecommunications commands a defined market presence. Projects assume greater importance in professional audio, and this requires a more educational approach to highlight the technology, the brand’s advantages and value propositions.”
In less than three years, Lorentzen and Tennet would be surrounded by over 20 other colleagues in their own dedicated unit separate from the Pascal business. “It may appear that we hit the ground running, but it was tough at the outset,” muses Lorentzen. “We started with three amplifiers and were calling European contacts, attempting to get a completely unknown brand into the market.”
Before the website went live, Tennet recalls the first six months – armed with a price list, a pitch and data sheets –with a certain nostalgia: “We were cold calling prospective distributors and dealers. Following our conversations, we’d dispatch free samples but, in some cases, we would not receive a call back. We had the right products and business plan, but it is somewhat character-building when you’re not scoring any successes. It’s totally different in the consumer world where you are promoting a new phone or headphones for an established brand. Blaze may have had Pascal behind it, but it was a completely new brand. Indeed, Pascal was not widely known among distribution channels as their amplifier modules are only known by other manufacturers.”
industry figurehead, Patrick Hau, established a Singapore office, while a team of eight represent Blaze’s US interests. Since creating a nucleus of largely Nordic distributors two years ago, Blaze is now distributed in 51 countries worldwide, the most recent additions being China and the UAE.
“From the beginning, we established a culture to partner with people we enjoy working with,” explains Tennet. “That includes collaborating on a long-term strategy rather than simply appointing a reseller striving for success. We have distinguished ourselves and created a unique identity, so it’s vital that we listen and react quickly to customer feedback. With local representation available in most territories, our sales managers are liaising directly, which is leading to an acceleration in product development. When we first started working with our partners, they reminded us that the three design elements our amplifiers required were reliability, reliability and reliability. Price usually charts fifth or sixth on the list. By designing solid products Blaze offers reliability, but another aspect we like to focus on is ease-of-use. Our engineers spend a long time innovating software, but the outcome is worth the wait. Most of our customers remotely manage their installs from the GUIs within their smartphone apps, so our evolving ecosystem needs to be simple to control and update.”
With perseverance, a solid distribution base was founded in Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. From that point a momentum took sway, leading to an upsurge in demand for PowerZone and PowerZone Connect. Quality inevitably led to quantity and the European distribution network grew. Tennet attributes Blaze’s growth to the Made in Denmark badge: “Danish design detail is not just how the product is made or how it looks. It is more about what that product does for someone and how it fits into their lifestyle. A Danish designer prefers to focus on care and attention rather than profit. Danes are prepared to pay more for a well-designed piece of furniture or lifestyle product, and this ethos extends across Danish society. Our intuitive wall controls are virtually plug-and-play, the interface makes it easy to install our products and the end user finds them simple to operate. Our renowned high-quality production and Danish design are significant USPs for Blaze.”
Blaze may not be a universal fit, but its open API design appeals to a wide audience of systems integrators. “In addition to focusing on audio clarity, our amplifiers are designed to operate with other brands as we want to fit into any commercial installation, in addition to some residential applications,” continues Tennet. “The user-friendly interface in the setup phase makes it easy for an installer or distributor when scoping a project. A key phrase we use in our marketing is ‘It’s done in five minutes’.”
reached. “The list of achievements was amazing to see. Hardware and software engineers, operations and sales had all made a huge impact over those three years.”
Tennet played a part in convincing the Pascal owners to attend ISE to experience a professional AV exhibition for the first time.
“They had seen the stand designs and marketing images but, even though they had a perception, nothing could prepare them for the actual experience. During the second day of the show, when the booth was packed, we knew we had passed the point of no return. We had only been trading for eight months, with 10 distributors who had met for the first time. Everything came together, the show was successful and the investors felt vindicated.”
With further innovation and the attraction of talent, Blaze will continue to grow, according to Høskuldsson: “By introducing business-oriented solutions to the market in addition to the way we design and manufacture products, Blaze aims to be recognised as a leader.” The growing team of skilled hardware and software engineers bears testimony to his claim. “Recruiting talent remains difficult but, as we continue to innovate unique solutions, we are creating a buzz that new recruits find appealing. By drawing respected employees, you build your own culture with a respected brand identity.”
With Anders Olsen overseeing Blaze’s Middle East business, industry veteran Thomas Marcher has represented APAC from Malaysia since 2022. The following year, another experienced
With a growing and maturing sales network, Blaze has integrated a solid logistics supply chain. By accurately forecasting quantities with sales partners, Blaze now pre-orders between 6–12 months of stock for warehousing in Copenhagen, the US and APAC. To minimise shipment times and costs, the logistics network will be extended with growth. “Our customers can order smaller quantities and receive their orders within days,” explains Lorentzen. “We are building our distribution network in a very controlled, scalable manner, one market sector at a time. We previously declined a lot of potential interest because we were not set up to support it at that point in time.”
Backed by Pascal, which has earned a reputation for designing reliable, established amplifier technology, and having rapidly built a distribution network, Blaze is now part of the pro audio establishment. However, it’s not all work and no play. “When you spend so many hours in the office, the management is mindful that employees need to be treated well,” says Lorentzen. “Benefits include an in-house canteen, yoga, physiotherapy and TT38 talent testing. There is a duty of care for all staff to maintain a work–life balance, and the employees recognise this and are willing to go the extra mile in return.”
Devoid of shareholders, banks and venture capitalists tugging their strings, Hansen and the R&D team have the freedom to design audio technology in their own unique style. “When we sit down to design something, we want to make it great,” he says. “But it’s the ease-of-use products that are often the hardest ones to build.”
Pulling off the rapid launch and growth of a brand, however, appears to have proved quite simplistic.
www.blaze-audio.com
Brompton Technology’s stand at ISE 2024 drew crowds intrigued t TrueLight. CEO Richard Mead (RM) and product lead has led to the company’s latest innovation
What did Brompton Technology develop TrueLight in response to?
RM: TrueLight has been the culmination of various technological advancements, building on Brompton Technology’s dynamic calibration system that delivers colour accuracy and HDR while maximising panel performance. For virtual production, our focus has been on recreating reality, and reproducing colour accurately is a big part of that. When LED volumes are also providing the illumination for the actors and foreground objects then it becomes about more than just displaying the right colours – you need the LED to be emitting a broad spectrum of light to ensure good colour rendition. Adding an additional white emitter helps a lot – but now maintaining colour accuracy and per-pixel calibration becomes much more complex. Brompton developed the TrueLight algorithms to solve this difficult problem and give the user full control over the RGB to RGBW conversion.
What exactly were clients asking for?
CC: As a pioneer in the industry, Brompton is committed to working with its users to get the best experience for the most complex video workflows. While in direct view we had very successful results and we had been working on some features that gave a great performance for in-camera LED setups, our users were looking for a way to improve the workflows, especially in large LED volumes where the
panels might be acting as a source of lighting and getting the best quality when merging virtual and real worlds.
RM: The world of lighting has known for a long time that RGB LEDs are great for direct view, but a poor-quality source of illumination. LED light fixtures tend to either use white LEDs, which have a phosphor that emits a broad spectrum of light, or additional colours to fill out the spectrum. Within a virtual production LED volume, many of the benefits of the technique come from lighting the foreground with the LED screens to give realistic shadows and reflections. But if the light is of poor spectral quality, it has to be supplemented with traditional lighting fixtures, which means some of the promise of an LED volume is not being realised. We set out to ensure you could have it all –the benefits of an LED volume and good spectral-quality light output at the same time.
When did you start to develop the technology and at what stage did you begin working with ROE Visual on the CB5 panel?
RM: We started working on TrueLight in 2021, in response to the rapid adoption of LED for virtual production. However, TrueLight builds upon Brompton’s unique dynamic calibration system, and we’d anticipated the need to support additional emitters when developing that several years earlier. One of the blocks was the
sheer complexity of the algorithms required to maintain colour accuracy and per-pixel calibration with extra emitters – about 60 times more computationally intensive than traditional per-pixel calibration for RGB. Fortunately, our close partnership with Intel allowed us access to a suitably powerful FPGA, which became the basis for the Tessera G1 – the most powerful receiver card to ever go into an LED panel, and a key enabler for TrueLight.
CC: Once Tessera G1 was developed, ROE Visual, one of our main partners, was the first to recognise TrueLight technology’s immense potential and created the unprecedented Carbon 5 MKII (CB5 MKII) RGBW LED panel, incorporating four emitters in a traditionally three-emitter model.
Can you explain the technology, in particular the relevance of the fourth emitter and how it works?
RM: The red, green and blue emitters in an LED panel are intentionally selected to have a narrow spectral output as this is essential to achieving a wide colour gamut and accurately reproducing saturated colours. Paler colours, including white, are achieved by blending these emitters, so the spectral output of an LED panel displaying white is spiky with gaps where there is no light energy at all. This is very different from a normal light source where there is light energy present at all wavelengths.
The spiky spectrum is not an issue for direct view, but you notice the difference as soon as you start using an RGB LED panel as a light source, which is what is happening in a virtual production LED volume. The lack of energy in parts of the spectrum means that objects can be colour shifted – either looking more red or more green than they should do. Crucially, most skin tones fall in this range, and so faces tend to look flushed and unnatural when illuminated by light from an RGB panel. This is critical for in-camera visual effects, which rely on consistency between colours in foreground “real” elements and the virtual background.
Adding an additional white emitter with a broad spectrum is one way to solve this – with RGBW pixels the LED has much better colour rendition. But when displaying RGB video with RGB emitters, there is only one right answer that will perfectly reproduce the specified colour, and a processing pipeline aims to achieve that one perfect result. However, once there are RGBW emitters there will actually be many possible ways to reproduce a certain
colour (known as metamers). Giving the user control of which metamer they want to select while maintaining colour accuracy is the tricky problem that TrueLight solves.
On a sustainability front, how does TrueLight help to improve power efficiency?
RM: We see interesting potential for significant energysavings in some applications through being able to use a single, efficient white LED instead of achieving the same
result using a combination of three LEDs – red, green and blue.
In which verticals do you see the technology doing particularly well?
RM: Clearly, virtual production is the most obvious fit because there is such a focus on colour accuracy and ensuring the foreground blends seamlessly with the virtual background. The enormous improvement in colour rendering TrueLight brings is the next big evolution in this space, and will change the way filmmakers can utilise
virtual production, making it much easier and quicker to get a realistic baseline look, thereby allowing more time to be creative. But any application that is aiming for a level of realism and relying on light from panels to illuminate people or objects is going to benefit. It could be particularly relevant for simulators, virtual reality, immersive experiences and retail applications.
CC: Another vertical is live events. With the extra emitters, the panels can achieve higher brightness than traditional panels, but with a smaller pixel pitch and the video source benefits you wouldn’t get from other lighting sources, providing a better viewing experience for the audience. In addition, creators could benefit from getting the most accurate colours for the assets onstage. I imagine that the clothing designer for top artists like Beyoncé or Adele would appreciate these colours being represented accurately on an LED screen.
Are you collaborating with any other manufacturers apart from ROE?
CC: Besides ROE, INFiLED has also released an RGBW panel with TrueLight, and other LED panel manufacturers will have new models in the market soon.
What has market feedback been like so far?
CC: People are very excited about using TrueLight technology and the general feedback is that this will be part of the future of any LED setup in which the panels are acting as a source of light. In markets like virtual production, this is now seen as a gamechanger, and a must-have to futureproof your setup.
LD Systems has expanded its MAUI G3 series with onboard effects and wireless remote control via a smartphone or tablet
WITH THE release of the MAUI G3 series, LD Systems claimed to have set the sound benchmark for compact column PA systems in delivering a portable PA package for DJs and small bands. Now, the manufacturer is expanding the series with the MAUI 11 G3 MIX and MAUI 28 G3 MIX models, which further extend the solution’s application possibilities with the integrated digital six-channel mixer, onboard effects and wireless remote control via a smartphone or tablet. These are said to make the MAUI G3 MIX an all-in-one solution for artists who don’t want to bring a separate mixing console to their live gigs.
The MAUI G3 MIX series combines all components for live use: mixing console, effects, dynamics processing, DSP controller, power amplifiers and speakers. The integrated digital six-channel mixer offers four XLR/ line combo inputs for connecting microphones, line devices or highimpedance instruments (Hi-Z available on channels 1 and 2), supplemented by a stereo Bluetooth connection on channels 5 and 6. In addition to the System Out for connecting an additional subwoofer or other equipment, two Monitor outputs are available for connecting up to two monitors and supplying each with its own mix. Two MAUI G3 MIX can also be connected via the SysLink connection to double the number of channels. The variety of connections is rounded off by a footswitch input for hands-free effects control.
The mixer settings can be adjusted manually via the control element on the rear of the subwoofer, as well as fully remote-controlled. For this purpose, the manufacturer offers a free iOS/ Android app for smartphones and tablets, which provides full access to the mixer channels, monitor channels and the effects section with reverb, delay and dynamics tools. A parametric five-band EQ is available. Depending on requirements, the complete app control of the mixer can be operated in Easy or Expert mode.
The MAUI 28 G3 MIX is based on a 12-inch subwoofer with 2,060W peak output and two aluminium column elements with 12 3.5-inch midrange drivers designed as cardioid loudspeakers to enable controlled sound dispersion.
The MAUI 11 G3 MIX uses two 8-inch subwoofers with 1,460W peak power and six 3.5-inch midrange drivers. Both models feature phase plugs in front of the midrange drivers which, in combination with the two 1-inch tweeters, ensure even sound distribution with constant horizontal dispersion (120° x 30°). Equipped with DynX DSP generation, the subwoofers reportedly offer extended reproduction even at maximum volume down to 37Hz (MAUI 28 G3 MIX) or 39Hz (MAUI 11 G3 MIX). When using a second subwoofer, the bass range can be operated in cardioid configuration at the touch of a button. Thanks to Bluetooth 5.0, the solution becomes a versatile sound system for wireless playback of background music and other content.
www.ld-systems.com
WITH A compact form factor designed to minimise installation efforts and line-ofsight considerations, Blaze Audio has unveiled the CBL Series comprising two models: the CBL528 and CBL523. With a wide 180° symmetrical horizontal pattern control, the CBL528 loudspeaker offers mid/high-frequency gain shading across its eight vertically arrayed 2-inch drivers, which provides a smooth and controlled 45° vertical pattern from 420Hz–18kHz. The loudspeaker incorporates four 5-inch proprietary low-frequency drivers with tightly
Blaze Audio amplifiers, the CBL528 is suitable for permanent installations such as sports arenas, conference centres, performing arts venues and houses of worship.
The CBL523 incorporates three vertically mounted 2-inch mid/high-frequency drivers and two 5-inch low-frequency drivers, with tightly designed acoustic centres that minimise combfiltering with a frequency response down to 71Hz.
The CBL523 provides a smooth and controlled 55° vertical pattern from 520Hz–18kHz and includes wide 160° symmetrical horizontal
SPEAKER SPECIALIST DAS Audio has boosted its ARA Series with a trio of products. The ARA-P12.74 is a selfpowered point source system featuring a 12-inch LF driver and a 3-inch VCD HF compression driver, 96kHz FIR filters and 1,200W of Class-D amplification. The ARA-P28.74 features dual 8-inch drivers, a 3-inch VCD compression driver, with 96kHz FIR processing and 1,200W of power. Both come with accessories to mount them in virtually any scenario and feature a rotatable horn for optimal coverage. In addition, the ARA-M210
is a dual 10-inch stage monitor which also boasts 1,200W and 96kHz FIR processing, has a 50° horizontal spread and an asymmetrical vertical dispersion of 40° downward and 30° upward. DAS Audio says this optimises the monitor for a wide variety of stage setups. All three are compatible with ALMA, DAS Audio’s control and monitoring software. The company has also announced the next generation of its EVENT Series line arrays. The EVENT-28A is an ultracompact line array sporting two 8-inch neodymium LF transducers and a single
BLUESOUND PROFESSIONAL announced support for the Xyte Device Cloud for remote monitoring platform. Integrators of Bluesound Professional products can register with Xyte to enable remote monitoring and control of basic functions from Xyte’s Device Cloud platform. Remote monitoring and configuration of BluOS-enabled products are now possible through the Domotz cloud platform. BluOS integrators are alerted to service problems that can be addressed prior to disruption. With support for highresolution audio streams up to 24/192, the BluOS multi-room audio ecosystem manages stored and cloud music sources and playback. In addition to music streaming services and integrated features, BluOS has added support for the NAD M66 streaming DAC preamplifier and the ClassicStream and Stream-XR streamers from Cyrus Audio. Mini-driver support has also been added for BUGS music on Control4 systems. By adopting next-generation features available
FOLLOWING ON in the footsteps of the Res 2, Funktion-One hopes that the Evo 2 will bring “a new level of performance” in a smaller enclosure. The Evo 2 is a medium dispersion, fully horn-loaded, three-way loudspeaker which features the latest Funktion-One driver technology and refined tuning.
The Evo 2 been designed for a range of live event and install applications, including as a four-point club system or two-wide flown system for medium-sized venues. Its manageable size and Butterfly Plate rigging system reportedly enable quick and easy deployment. The Evo 2 is also suitable for ground-stacking at small events, flying singly or in pairs for wider coverage and larger audience areas, or used as fill supporting Vero, Evo or Vero VX systems.
The cabinet can easily be adapted between three-way active (NL8 tri-amp) or three-way passive mid/high (NL4 bi-amp). It is available in standard Funktion-One violet finish or durable black PU coating. A foam-backed grille can be added for a more discreet appearance and a custom flight case is also available.
In addition to the Evo 2 launch, Funktion-One has unveiled Tour Rack and showcased Projection system design software. Tour Rack is a compact, shock-mounted amplifier rack that’s built for the road. It reportedly delivers a comprehensive solution for rental users in need of efficient and effective system control and amplification for Funktion-One systems. Tour Rack houses three high-power, four-channel, DSP-
zones. With the latest certified drivers, BluOS now supports seamless control for streaming services including Pandora and Presto Music. Additionally, Control4 integrators can deliver enhanced playback options with the introduction of shuffle and repeat functionalities for the Now Playing queue.
www.bluesoundprofessional.com
M-60 compression driver, powered by Class-D amplification with SMPS. The symmetric V-shaped configuration of the cone transducers delivers consistent 100° of horizontal coverage, while the M-60 driver remains coupled to an advanced waveguide design which controls the vertical dispersion and ensures precise coupling between units in vertical arrays. The EVENT-118A is a companion subwoofer with a single 18-inch front-loaded woofer and Class-D amplification.
www.dasaudio.com
enabled amplifiers and comes complete with three-phase mains distribution, comprehensive signal distribution and speaker output patch panels.
The manufacturer’s Projection system design software assists Funktion-One users in designing and optimising arrays for smooth audience coverage and generates detailed venue-specific system information. It produces accurate 3D direct sound prediction for Vero, Vero VX, Evo 7 and Evo 6 arrays, with many more Funktion-One products available as single loudspeakers. Projection also provides rigging calculations, kit lists and PDF exports of system designs.
www.funktion-one.com
UK-BASED HH Electronics has launched the Tensor-MINI, a portable, all-in-one, batterypowered PA. With an easy-to-carry design, the Tensor-MINI has a 6.5-inch coaxial full-range driver and reportedly can be set up in seconds, making it suitable for a host of applications such as busking, small gigs, parties, gyms, cafés, classrooms and corporate AV presentations. Its pre-amp includes a three-channel mixer (two universal inputs with tone presets and adjustable EQ, and an auxiliary input), DSP and reverb, along with a Bluetooth/USB media player which doubles as a charger for the input device. Bluetooth also supports stereo linking of two units.
Its multi-angle cabinet allows the unit to be used on the ground, as a monitor or on a pole stand, and audio protection prevents overloading and damage. Fully chargeable in five hours, the unit delivers up to 12 hours continuous playback.
www.hhelectronics.com
DESIGNED FOR fast installation in a variety of environments, the Otarkio Series from France’s Hortus Audio is a range of wireless audio products that are powered via light rails. Equipped with DECT technology and an FIR DSP programmed by Hortus Audio engineers, the company claims that the low-energy Otarkio Series offers rapid, scalable and cost-effective installations that are immune to disruptions from mobile phones, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
By mounting speakers on existing power rails and wirelessly connecting to the player, installation is non-disruptive to business operations. Each player is capable of pairing with up to 100 speakers in a single zone, while zone extensions are flexible and can accommodate up to 10 players per installation. Audio sources can be fed into the player via input
virtually no latency over a range of 50 120m.
THE CANNON range of coaxial loudspeakers from 1 Sound is now available in a Marine version. Designed for outdoor applications in harsh saltwater environments, the range boasts fully stainless steel A4 316 hardware – including the grilles, input plates and screws – and replaces the connector with a marinegrade cable gland that comes with 0.6m of 16/2 gauge speaker wire. Despite already
the A 470, available in Straight, Focus and Wide versions. Each A 470 module is 80cm x 28cm (HxW) and houses 14 transducers. Therefore, each
speaker incorporates four internal sections, including four 6.5-inch long-excursion loudspeakers – co-developed with the Danish brand PURIFI – as well as four planar ribbons placed in front of the low/midrange section and six 8-inch diameter long-excursion passive radiators. The proprietary waveguide for the bass/midrange transducers also works as a closed-back load for the planar ribbons. Each section features a linear-phase FIR crossover filter with a steep Brickwall-type slope at 1,000Hz offering a combination of both “power and finesse” for the planar ribbon drivers across their entire frequency range, while also protecting them from low frequencies. The nominal directivity of a loudspeaker in the horizontal plane is 100° on average.
The Straight column module features a straight enclosure design; the Focus column module features a 1° enclosure angle and a 1° dispersion in the vertical plane; and the Wide column module features a 4° enclosure angle and a 4° dispersion in the vertical plane.
The off-axis response of the Avignon Columns above 600Hz, measured onsite at the Avignon Courtyard of the Palace of the Popes, is within ±1.5dB. The length of each line array – around 4m corresponding to a wavelength of 85Hz –favours a directivity effect and the natural range of the bass.
Any smartphone, tablet or computer is able to function as a dashboard for configuring, managing and operating the Otarkio system, and can be controlled and managed anywhere via the Otarkio web application. Speakers can also be adjusted directly via remote control.
www.hortusaudio.eu
being IP55 rated, the company says the Marine version speakers are resistant to rust and able to withstand harsh weather environments, including being by or on the ocean. The Cannon Coaxial Series speakers provide extended low end and high SPL, with the Marine Versions customisable with cabinet colours and grille fabrics.
www.1-sound.com
FOHHN HAS released its Focus Slim speakers, designed to bring the manufacturer’s beamsteering technology to smaller and more pricesensitive projects. The four slim enclosures blend in discreetly but are equipped with all the features they need for software-controlled sound dispersion in difficult acoustics. The beam can be easily adjusted via mouse wheel – the systems stay straight on the wall or screen without mechanical tilt. This allows users to achieve clear sound and speech intelligibility without disturbing reflections. Measuring 8.4cm wide, the speakers are equipped with Dante and analogue inputs and feature an integrated bass-reflex system. The range include the FS-70 (700mm high/111dB m a ximum SPL), FS-110 (1.1m high/117dB maximum SPL),
FS-150 (1.5m high/121dB maximum SPL) and FS-200 (2m high/123dB maximum SPL). Meanwhile, the manufacturer has developed its Linea LX range and launched the Linea LXP passive line source speakers which can be installed straight thanks to a 5° dispersion tilt. The speakers have been acoustically redesigned with improved low-frequency reproduction and dynamics. The included T-slot reportedly allows for easy and flexible mounting. The length of the four speakers influences the behaviour of the system – the longer the line, the more the low frequencies are directed. The LXP-10 (100° x 100°), LXP-60 (120° x +15°/–25°), LXP-100 (120° x +10°/–20°) and LXP-150 (120° x +10°/–20°) have been designed for churches, community halls or for mobile applications.
www.fohhn.com
ELECTRO-VOICE HAS announced the launch of the ZLX G2, the second generation of the ZLX portable loudspeaker series. The line-up offers a range of updated features and functionality and comes in 8-, 12- and 15-inch two-way models in both powered and passive versions.
The woofer and compression driver in each model are coupled to a patented Signal Synchronised Transducers ported waveguide, enhancing low-frequency extension and delivering even vertical and horizontal coverage across all frequencies. The ZLX G2 also features a higher maximum SPL than the previous generation of models.
The ZLX G2 powered versions are “Powered by Dynacord”, while 1,000W Class-D power amplifier modules feature an integrated four-channel, three-input digital mixer with effects. The mixer includes two XLR/TRS combo jacks and provides 24V phantom power and Hi-Z compatibility. The mixer also includes features such as automatic feedback suppression, ducking, compression and loudspeaker delay settings.
Five system mode settings are available: music, live, speech, club and FRFR (full range, flat response). New for the ZLX G2, the FRFR setting offers a flat/ neutral frequency response to produce
accurate results when used with modelling processors and guitar cab simulators.
Powered ZLX G2 loudspeakers also contain Electro-Voice-specific subwoofer
presets that adjust for both gain and time alignment, for full acoustic optimisation. Additional high-pass filters are available in the DSP for increased compatibility.
All the loudspeaker and mixer functions can be remote-controlled and monitored using the Electro-Voice QuickSmart Mobile app. The app allows pairing and grouping of up to six Bluetooth-equipped Electro-Voice portable loudspeakers. Users can wirelessly pair and link to two ZLX G2 loudspeakers in a stereo setup using Bluetooth true wireless stereo streaming. Local configuration can be completed using the single-knob encoder with the updated full-colour LCD.
In terms of design, all models are available in black and the symmetrical sides allow for a steeper projection angle when the loudspeaker is placed in monitor position. A built-in “kick-back” angle allows the 12- and 15-inch versions to project upwards at a 23° angle in a vertical orientation.
Mounting accessories are available to install permanently on the ZLX G2 models including a “U”-style wall bracket and long arm pole mount-style wall bracket for the 12- and 15-inch versions for vertical mounting with tilt adjustment, as well as a short arm pole mount-style wall bracket for the 8-inch version.
www.electrovoice.com
With the addition of the powerhouse Aquilon RS6 and the ability to link several image processors to further scale up their performance, LivePremier systems have become the industry’s most powerful solutions for safely controlling the world’s largest installations and events.
PORTUGUESE MANUFACTURER NEXT
Audiogroup has designed its MOKA System to be an ultra-compact, plug-and-play line array system for use in flexible, high-power and modular array configurations in a diverse range of sound reinforcement applications. MOKA reportedly integrates cutting-edge concepts in sound reinforcement technology into a singular system, comprising three fundamental elements: the MOKA Array, the MOKA Sub and the MOKA Sub A. Its capabilities span from a small to large event, extending all the way to flown line array systems for professional live sound reinforcement at concerts and festivals, complete with adaptable subwoofer arrangements on the ground, or flown if needed. The MOKA Sub A is a 15-inch active, bassreflex subwoofer powered by a 4 x 2,300W Class-D amplifier module with DSP. It has been created for high-level and extended low-frequency output. Each Sub A can power up to another Sub (passive) and four Arrays. Four different configurations are available: MOKA Small (four MOKA Arrays + one MOKA Sub + one MOKA Sub A), MOKA Medium (eight MOKA Arrays + two Moka Subs + two Moka Sub As), MOKA Large (16 Moka Arrays + four Moka Subs + four Moka Sub As) and MOKA Giant (24 Moka Arrays + six Moka Subs + six Moka Sub As).
Boasting a new DSP and amplifier module, the LAm114xA PLUS is an upgraded version of NEXT Audiogroup’s LAm114xA stage monitor. The PLUS is boosted with an onboard 96kHz/40-bit
SHARC DSP engine and monitored by a built-in LCD screen with a preset loading encoder. It can be remotely monitored and controlled over Ethernet by a PC using X-NET Software which automatically identifies each device and allows simultaneous control of multiple devices through its grouping facility. Retaining the same design and measurements as the LAm114xA, it is driven by a two-channel UMAC Class-D full bandwidth PWM modulator which releases 1,150W for the LF section and 500W for HF section.
Complementing its LA210x line array system is the LAs518A subwoofer. Boasting dual longexcursion, high-power neodymium 18-inch drivers, the LAs518A delivers resonant bass down to 24Hz at –10dB and a maximum peak SPL of 143dB. Encased in an 89kg front-loaded bassreflex enclosure, it is suitable for both installation and rental applications and is driven by a two-
EXTENDING ITS X Series range of coaxial speakers, French speaker specialist
L-Acoustics has launched the Xi Series, a range of installation-focused coaxial enclosures with distinct formats, bandwidth and SPL specifically tailored for short-throw applications. The X8i and X6i models utilise coaxial technology to provide constant tonal balance over distance in a compact package.
L-Acoustics says its coaxial technology ensures smooth coverage for off-axis audiences, eliminates the need for a minimum listening distance and provides high feedback rejection. The Xi Series features L-Vents to deliver clear low-frequency power and boasts an IP55 rating for indoor and outdoor installations.
The Xi Series’ slender, streamlined designs encourage integration into high-end architectural
frequency response down to 67Hz. For standalone applications and close proximity listening experiences, the X6i_50 preset delivers full-range sound reproduction down to 54Hz and produces a maximum SPL of 117dB. The X8i_40 preset reaches 43Hz, producing a maximum SPL of 123dB.
The manufacturer has also launched Mixhalo Translate, allowing new capabilities for the L-ISA platform. Mixhalo’s real-time audio streaming software aims to unlock a creative dimension with high-fidelity, low-latency audio for audiences at conferences, sporting events and museums.
Mixhalo Translate combines real-time streaming capabilities with new advancements in artificial intelligence, transforming the way interpretation services are delivered at live events. Attendees can access AI-generated foreign language interpretation and transcription through their
THE VOLTERA D series of networked amplified loudspeaker controllers (ALCs) from Biamp offer onboard digital signal processors and tools for tuning rooms. Available in 1,200W or 2,400W configurations across four or eight channels, the Voltera D line is described as easy to use and configurable by either Tesira or the new Biamp VenueTune software, depending on user preference
released its Weave pattern front grille that will debut on the upcoming P-Series of coaxial, point source loudspeaker systems for portable applications.
Designed to improve the void-on-full ratio without spoiling mechanical protection factor, Weave introduces a distinctive, quasi-textile-look, reminiscent of the linen curtains that hung in living rooms during the 1970s. The self-dampening device on its lower side, combined with the aluminium construction, are said to make the Weave front grille less resonant than traditional round-holed, steel-sheet designs.
All Voltera D models provide high power and channel density in a compact 1U enclosure for space savings while maintaining high efficiency and low idle power. They are capable of high peak voltage output and, using power sharing, they can deliver up to 75% of the total amplifier power on any single channel. They also offer the option of either Lo-Z or Hi-Z per channel to support hybrid systems,
only a few lines of ALCs on the market to feature redundant network audio, support of failover between mains power and backup generators without a reboot and groupcontrolled raised cosine EQ, making them suitable for large systems. They also provide support of both AVB and Dante and accurate raised cosine EQ below 160Hz, which reportedly results in more precise elimination of room modes and optimisation of the lowfrequency performance of a system.
The VenueTune software offers in-depth control through an intuitive graphical interface, which uses simple 2D floorplans and a staged workflow to guide systems designers and installers. The software also provides extensive performance and usage logging over time, enabling IT personnel, AV pros and venue managers the ability to optimise performance after installation.
AES67. The Voltera D series is suitable for a wide variety of applications, from houses of worship, to transportation and government buildings, to entertainment and sports venues. In brief, the manufacturer has also announced that its line of Parlé all-in-one video and audio conferencing bars are now certified for Zoom Rooms and specifically the Parlé VBC 2500a conferencing bar and Vidi 250 conferencing camera are now certified for Intelligent Director for Zoom Rooms. Finally, EasyConnect MPX 100 firmware 1.1.1 and Parlé N 100 firmware 1.1.1 are now available for download, with updated bundled firmware for Parlé ABC 2500 and Parlé VBC 2500 to v1.3.0 and for Vidi 250 to v1.3.0.
www.biamp.com
The first member of the P-Series will be the P8, a compact point source loudspeaker
system for portable applications, integrating carrying handles, asymmetrical cabinet sides and the Weave front grille. The series will be complemented by specific mechanical accessories, designed to simplify rigging practice at typical tradeshow, theatre and live club venues, as well as short-throw open air events. The protective polyurea coating of the cabinet is graded to a proprietary off-black tone, finely matching the lo-viz, powder-coated, off-grey Weave-patterned grille, combined to ensure invisibility when the lights go off.
In brief, Isaac is Newton’s new multiplatform control software for Windows, macOS and Linux users.
www.outline.it
THE EX28 is a two-way, full-range, active loudspeaker system from KV2 that extends the company’s EX Series range and builds on the success of the EX26. Adding further low-frequency extension, its compact profile is designed for a multitude of front of house and in-fill applications such as theatres, leisure venues, houses of worship and concert halls. Two individually designed 8-inch neodymium mid-bass woofers offer Transcoil for improved vocal performance and extended bass for the low-frequency section, along with a neodymium compression driver mounted on a 100° x 80° horn.
www.kv2audio.com
IN RESPONSE to customer demand, Void Acoustic engineers have developed a KROME finish, providing a visually impactful line of products capable of “gracing the most prestigious venues”. According to the manufacturer, enterprises across the world are looking to revitalise their establishments and customer experience.
The KROME finish was originally designed for KOR and its lounges in Taipei and Shanghai. However, the finish was unveiled to the public for the first time at ISE where it was added to the company’s Air Array three-way sculpted loudspeaker. All Void fibre-glass products can be customised in a variety of KROME colours, including black,
BRINGING AUDIO to the great outdoors, WORK PRO’s Aulum Series loudspeakers are designed for applications such as gardens and terraces. Available in two acoustic enclosures for ground and wall-mounted locations, both are cylindrical in shape and offer 360° horizontal and 120° vertical sound dispersion, with a frequency response of 90Hz–18kHz.
Made from aluminium and featuring an IP65 protection rating to withstand rain and spray, both utilise a 2.5-inch woofer and can work in low-impedance installations with a power handling of 10W @ 8W as well as high-impedance setups where they offer 10W to 70V/100V line installations. Both models also feature 12V DCpowered 6W LED lights with a colour temperature of 3,000K to help illuminate specific areas of an installation. Designed for omnidirectional coverage, the AL 1003 F is intended for ground installation, while for landscaped areas where a wall-mounted enclosure is more suitable, the AL 503 M provides the same capabilities in a smaller form factor.
www.workpro.es
WHARFEDALE PRO has released its SC-26X loudspeaker mana gement system.
The latest addition to the Versadrive series of DSP processors, the SC-26X replaces the SC-26 and is described as versatile and sca l able, catering to systems with multiple subwoofers, monitors, line arrays or even zones. In the output stage, the limiters section includes RMS compressors and peak limiters to prevent any system damage that might occur through a lack of DSP. Along with time-saving Automatic Gain Control, the SC-26X also has dual-band dynamic EQs available at its input stages.
These advanced EQ systems can address issues in the source signal, such as tonal imbalances or resonances. The two-in/ six-out device comes with full PC-based con t rol over USB, RS-485 or Ethernet, and all software parameters can be remotely set, locked, saved or loaded.
The T-SUB-AX12B has also been introduced for situations when compact solutions and
even more bass are needed. Following in the footsteps of the 15-inch T-SUBAX15B and 18-inch T-SUB-AX18B, the 12-inch T-SUB-AX12B subwoofer features an adjustable low-pass filter around the back which allows for easy tuning to suit almost any active top. It has a frequency response of 50–200Hz (±3dB) or 45–250Hz (±10dB). The unit is covered in the latest polyurea ToughTone paint for durability, but the unit can also be protected with optional soft cover accessories.
www.wharfedalepro.com
FOLLOWING DIGICO’S acquisition of Fourier Audio and the launch of its inaugural product, the transform.engine, DiGiCo has unveiled the Fourier Interface Card that will be retrofittable on all Quantum consoles as well as on the majority of the manufacturer’s SD-Range desks. The module delivers 64 channels of bidirectional audio at both 48k and 96k connections to the Fourier Audio transform.engine, which is a 2U outboard Dante-connected server designed to run VST3 software plugins in the live environment. The card is based on Dante, allowing most of DiGiCo’s consoles – even those without DMI card slots – to join the Dante ecosystem, without requiring MADI on the transform.engine.
Meanwhile, the console manufacturer has also announced that it is now offering second-generation software updates for its Quantum338, Quantum338T and Quantum225 mixing consoles. Available for a nominal fee, the Mk 2 software packages, known as Pulse, will increase the input channel and bus counts of each desk model, plus add other notable features.
On the Quantum338 and Quantum338T, the upgrade will increase the number of input channels to 156 (from 128), busses to 72 (from 64), Mustard Processors to 48 (from 36) and Nodal Processors to 72 (from 64). Other perks include the addition of Mix Minus functionality, plus a larger 36x36
Matrix on the “T” theatre-software model of the console (up from 24x24). Similarly, Pulse will bump up the Quantum225’s power and
96 (from 72), bus count to 48 (from 36), and Mustard and Nodal Processor tallies to 36 and 48, respectively (from 24 and 32). Mix Minus is also included in the new feature set. To qualify for the discount, the Pulse software upgrade must be purchased before the end of 2024. The company will simultaneously offer Mk 2 software updates for its Quantum7 and Quantum5 consoles free of charge, adding Mix Minus to the desks and increasing the number of Mustard Processors on the Quantum7 to 80 (from 64) and to 64 (from 48) on the Quantum5.
CODA AUDIO
installation amplifier. The unit, the first produced by CODA’s recently created amplifier engineering R&D team, is part of the company’s roadmap towards an entirely new
platform.
DYNACORD HAS announced the introduction of the V600:2, the latest member of its V Series family of commercial amplifiers. With a total output capacity of 600W, this two-channel amplifier is intended for background music and announcements but also for whenever higher SPL levels in small or mid-sized fixed installations are required, including educational facilities, hospitality venues, retail areas and houses of worship. Integrators can now mix and match different V Series models to meet their specific project requirements. With the
amplifier channels to be driven at 4Ω, 8Ω, 70V or 100V, without affecting output power.
Overall power consumption is significantly reduced with ecoRAIL, conserving energy and lowering ownership costs. Auto Power Down (APD) aims to improve energy consumption by automatically powering down the amplifier when no audio signal is present. dualCOOL provides silent operation for applications in quiet environments, while a built-in multi-stage fan is activated under extreme thermal conditions.
The LINUS6.4-iD drives the vast majority of CODA’s family of loudspeakers with the exception of line arrays and sensor-controlled subwoofers, and can be controlled by LINUS Control which offers full network control and monitoring over Ethernet. Additionally, the LINUS6.4-iD can be controlled via LINUS App which allows full control from a mobile device using its built-in Wi-Fi hotspot.
The LINUS6.4-iD is a four-channel DSP networkable installation amplifier delivering 4 x 1,500W of clean power in a lightweight, 19-inch package. Advanced Class-D discrete power stages with DC-coupled DACs provide minimal thermal dissipation. The PCB layout
design integrates DSP, four amplifiers and SMPS on a single PCB for enhanced sound quality, pinpoint control and rugged protection. The LINUS6.4-iD’s inputs are selectable, enabling users to choose between analogue, LiNET or Dante digital audio network, and route to any of the four outputs via the input matrix. The DSP processor enables the integration of audio algorithms, including phase linear DS-FIR filters. The end result is said to be increased system headroom and sonic fidelity, even under heavy use conditions.
www.codaaudio.com
same features and Dynacord technologies on board as the four-channel V600:4, the V600:2 is said to offer optimal installation flexibility, superior power efficiency and advanced reliability.
powerTANK technology adds flexible power allocation, acting as a power reservoir. With direct access to 600W, the V600:2 can deliver asymmetric power across all channels as needed. Dynacord’s Variable Load Drive (VLD) technology allows the
At just a single rack unit high and half a rack width wide, the V600:2 offers a multitude of installation options wherever space is limited. The included brackets facilitate single or dual rack-mount options. Two amplifiers fit in a single rack unit when rack-mounted side-by-side, using space and doubling the channel count and output power.
BOASTING ONBOARD DSP, WebUI, cloud connectivity and third-party API control in a compact enclosure, the Connect Series Half-Rack amplifiers from LEA Professional provide the same feature set as the company’s Connect Series amplifiers, but in less space. Featuring fully routable analogue inputs and four amplifier channels with Lo-Z, 70V or 100V selectable by channel, the range consists of six half-rack models: the CS34, CS64, CS124, CS34D, CS64D and CS124D. Both D units also support Dante and AES67 connectivity. All of the units provide three different ways to connect to a network. Options include using the built-in Wi-Fi access point, connecting to an existing Wi-Fi network or using a Local Area Network Ethernet connection.
CADAC CONSOLES has designed its CM system to offer enhanced connectivity, control and flexibility, all packaged in a lighter but familiar form factor with a new design language. The system is centred around the CM-J50 mixer, which has been updated with the addition of a number of new user-led features, allowing faster creative control while maintaining a 0.4ms through-system latency. Though smaller and lighter than its forebears, the CM-J50 mixer boasts a higher I/O density with 96 inputs and 56 outputs, of which 48 are user assignable. Brighter 23.5- and 6.5-inch touchscreens are at the heart of the user interface. And while the form factor is familiar – including the wooden armrest – the CM-J50 has been internally reengineered,
Providing remote monitoring and control for LEA amplifiers, the LEA Cloud platform has also been updated with a range of cloudspecific features. LEA Cloud users are now able to perform over-the-air firmware updates to ensure installations are kept up to date, while status information is easier to monitor by enabling users to see the health of all their LEA installations on a single screen. Additionally, LEA Cloud now supports event and fault notifications via text or email alerts, allowing integrators to be notified of system alerts immediately. These notifications allow for proactive communication and system maintenance so that issues can be addressed promptly, delivering an additional service that integrators can add to their recurring revenue models.
www.leaprofessional.com
MegaCOMMS ports, mirrored on optical LC ports as well as BNCs, provide system extension through a new series of “intelligent” CM-SR remote stageracks.
These follow Cadac Consoles’ new design language with the series comprising the 4U CM-SR24 and CM-SR40, with 24 inputs/32 outputs and 40 inputs/16 outputs respectively, and extending up to the 7U 64-input/40-output CM-SR64. Designed to meet the ever-increasing demands of live audio production, they feature local control via a 2.4-inch colour screen, OSC implementation, headphone monitoring and dual internal PSUs, with the units encased in a robust, 100% recyclable aluminium chassis.
www.cadac-sound.com
LINUS DSP amplifier
ABLE TO search for, track and switch between meeting participants, AudioTechnica’s ATND1061 beamforming
multichannel digital audio and information control. A benefit of Audio-Technica Link (AT-Link) is that it uses general-purpose LAN cables, eliminating the need for multiple analogue audio cables to simplify cable management and installation, while the ATND1061LK has two connections for integration into an AT-Link daisychain setup, as well as network connectivity for configuring individual room settings.
The ATND1061LK detects unwanted sounds during meetings and automatically adjusts the beam so that it is not pointed in that direction. It can be flush- or surface-mounted in a drop or hard ceiling, or mounted in open space via a standard VESA mount.
The ATND1061 has also been updated with VISCA-over-IP and Voice Lift technology. VISCA (Video System Control Architecture) offers synchronised control of multiple video peripherals to help improve interoperability and meeting equality. Using VISCA-over-IP, users can position the camera to match with the audio captured by the ATND1061. This is said to create a more natural experience in hybrid calls. Following customer feedback, the ATND1061 also now includes Voice Lift. The purpose of Voice Lift is to improve the communication environment in a space where voices don’t carry, such as larger rooms. Whether it’s a classroom, meeting room or other type of space, Voice Lift reportedly makes a presenter’s words
more intelligible. The technology also alleviates speaker and listener fatigue. The person speaking doesn’t need to strain to be heard, and the people in the back of the room don’t need to
The manufacturer has also unveiled its ESWR4180LK eight-channel receiver for use within the brand’s DECT-based Engineered Sound Wireless ecosystem. Using a single standard Cat5E cable for both power delivery and audio, the ESW-R4180LK handles up to eight channels of audio. AT-Link also provides the ability to power AT-Link endpoint devices, eliminating the need for a power cable or standard PoE switch. The receiver can be daisychained to simplify installation and, for added flexibility, mix-out channels can be used when there are not enough input channels for the audio destination. Audio-Technica’s Wireless Manager software allows users to check reception status, audio level, battery level and
In brief, Audio-Technica’s Engineered Sound Wireless (ES Wireless) system has been integrated into the Q-SYS ecosystem with the development of a certified plugin with US enterprise AV infrastructure specialist The Farm. Delivering scalable wireless mic functionality to the Q-SYS ecosystem, the integration of the Q-SYS control plugin enables users to connect to and manage the DECT-based system, including individual and group channel muting, preset loading, real-time monitoring of RF and charging parameters, all via a Q-SYS network touchscreen controller.
www.audio-technica.com
HOPING TO take its production tools and console technology to a wider audience of artists, producers and engineers, Harrison Audio has released three 500 Series modules, including the 32Cpre+ microphone preamplifier, the MR3eq three-band parametric equaliser and the Comp compressor. Each module takes key elements from Harrison’s studio consoles from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s and delivers them in 500 Series format.
The 32Cpre+ takes the transformercoupled microphone preamp from Harrison’s 32Classic studio console and combines it with Harrison LP/HP filters –all in a single 500 Series unit. Inspired by the Harrison 3232, the 32Classic mixing console and preamp is said to deliver the same tone that helped create iconic albums like Thriller, In Through the Out Door and The Nightfly
A full low end, open midrange and “super-smooth” natural highs are the aims from the Jensen JT-MB-CPCA transformer-coupled mic-pre. The 32Cpre+ delivers 20–70dB of smooth gain and is capable of driving a wide range of mic types, including ribbon. Additionally, the front panel features 180° phase, 48V,
–20 pad, Hi-Z impedance switches and a combo XLR input with a ¼-inch jack connector.
The MR3eq is an analogue EQ, originally developed for the Harrison MR3 studio console. A three-band parametric equaliser featuring low- and highfrequency 6dB/octave Shelf bands, it can be switched to a second-order Bell response with Harrison’s proportional Q. The MR3eq is designed to enhance a wide array of source materials and is suitable for both tracking and mixdown scenarios.
The Comp module uses a THAT 2180 VCA chip for analogue performance. The compressor’s attack is said to be programme-dependent and continuously adapts to the input signal. These parameters mean that the Comp module can function both as a transparent leveller as well as a saturated vibe compressor. Finally, the manufacturer has released its Mixbus V10 update. V10 enhances Mixbus’s signature analogue-style mixing with new processing tools, while also adding workflows for immersive audio/ Dolby Atmos production.
www.harrisonaudio.com
INTRODUCING A wireless monitor system with Dante and encryption in the 537–691MHz range, Lectrosonics has launched its Duet digital wireless monitor system in the B1C1 frequency band for markets including Europe, Asia Pacific and South America. Supporting both analogue and Dante signal sources, the all-metal Duet IEM system boasts a signal latency of 1.8ms and includes a M2Ra bodypack receiver, M2T/E01 dual-stereo half-rack transmitter and M2C-L wideband power combiner.
Other features include phantom power protection on the M2Ra headphone jack
so that the receiver can be safely used as a camera hop receiver and an IFB analogue compatibility mode. High receiver IP3 and 1dB RF compression points reportedly provide robust handling of high signal levels, while D2 and HDM mono digital compatibility modes in the M2Ra mean it can also be used as a portable receiver or portable monitor device, with mono digital transmitters from the DSquared product line. Both the M2Ra receiver and M2T/E01 transmitter also include a USB jack so users can update the firmware in their units in the field.
www.lectrosonics.com
EXTRON HAS released the NAV E 121 compact encoder, the latest addition to the NAV Pro AV-over-IP series. It streams ultra-low latency, high-quality HDMI video and audio over 1Gbps copper Ethernet and standard IP networks. Reportedly half the size of other encoders on the market, it features the Extron-patented PURE3 codec and delivers real-time streaming of visually lossless video at resolutions up to 4K/60 with 4:4:4 chroma sampling and ultra-low latency over 1Gbps. The NAV E 121 features an HDMI 2.0 loop-thru for local display or confidence monitoring and an RS-232 control port. Support for AES67 audio-over-IP facilitates integration with Extron’s broad range of audio DSPs or other IP-enabled audio components. Meanwhile, the company has also released the DTP3 T 101 D, a one-gang decorator-style transmitter for sending HDMI up to 100m over a shielded Cat6A cable. It extends video resolutions up to 4K/60 at 4:4:4 without compression
to provide optimal image quality. This HDCP 2.3-compliant transmitter includes EDID Minder, a comprehensive EDID management technology for dependable content display. It also supports multiple embedded audio formats. It can be powered remotely by a DTP3-enabled product or with the included Extron Everlast power supply. Offering long-haul transmission of HDCPcompliant HDMI video with embedded audio over fibre, the FOX3 T 101 and FOX3 R 101 transmitter and receiver deliver
mathematically lossless transmission of images up to 4K/60@4:4:4. Designed specifically for AV systems, the compact and low-profile devices include integratorfriendly features such as Key Minder, EDID Minder, internal test patterns, a USB-C configuration port and remote configuration. The FOX3 T 101 and FOX3 R 101 extend Extron’s FOX3 series, ranging from point-to-point extension to fully non-blocking matrix applications up to 2,000x2,000.
In brief, the manufacturer has also expanded its XPA Ultra FX line-up with the XPA U 4004 FX four-channel, multi-zone audio power amplifier. The Energy Star-qualified amplifier can deliver 400W simultaneously into 8Ω, 4Ω, 70V and 100V loads, independently configurable per channel. Each channel of an adjacent pair dynamically draws power from the pair’s total wattage, delivering optimal power where needed according to system requirements.
www.extron.com
VIDEO SWITCHING and control device specialist AMX has added two products to its growing catalogue. Its SVSI N3300 Series of encoders and decoders are designed to extend the reach of its SVSI 4K60 networked AV solutions to a wide area network (WAN). Delivering 4K60 H.26x and Dante AV-H video, the N3300 Series aims to provide greater streaming flexibility
The N3300 Series also features recording of video to a USB 3.0 external drive on encoders, video preview images viewable from the built-in web interface or from a touchpanel, and enhanced support for highsecurity networks. With Dante AV-H, N3300 products are compatible with Dante Studio to allow monitoring or bringing video directly into UC, recording, production or streaming
and interoperability for streaming, video to desktop, digital signage, set-top boxes or mobile device applications.
applications without the need for additional hardware. H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC video compression standards are both supported,
and its open API makes it possible for any control system or application, such as Zoom Rooms, to control the device.
Available in standalone box and card form factors, N3300 encoders simultaneously output both 4K60 H.26x and 1080p H.26x video streams. AMX has also introduced three HydraPort USB-C modules to provide conference spaces with a wider range of connectivity options. A USB-C-to-HDMI module with retractable cable provides a dedicated video connection for outputting content from laptops and mobile devices to in-room video networks. It also delivers digital video in resolutions
up to 4K@60Hz. With a retractable USB-C cable on top of the table and an HDMI output underneath it, it simplifies the connection of devices to a video network while keeping cables hidden. Additionally, two USB-C charging modules are available which provide both USB-C and USB-A connections with charging capability to the HydraPort chassis. The HPX-USBC-US65 includes a two-port power supply with US-style, Type A plug, capable of providing up to 65W over USB-C, and up to 30W over USB-A. The HPXUSBC-100 provides all the functionality of the HPXUSBC-US65 but does not include a power supply and is compatible with any global power plug standard. AMX says that with over 50 global-friendly modules to choose from, its AMX HydraPort Architectural Connectivity System supports most AV, power or networking connections required to support modern meeting space collaboration needs.
www.amx.com
NEUMANN.BERLIN HAS released a feature upgrade for the MT 48 audio interface. The Monitor Mission transforms the MT 48 into a freely configurable monitoring controller. In addition to mono and stereo, the Monitor Mission can also handle surround formats such as 5.1 as well as immersive audio formats such as Dolby Atmos 7.1.4. This is said to open up a whole new field of applications, particularly in the mixing and mastering sector. The Monitor Mission includes flexible bass management and complex alignment functions to adjust the frequency and time domain characteristics of loudspeakers to the listening position. The downmix feature
allows multichannel audio to be monitored in either mono or stereo. The extensive range of connectivity options makes it possible to connect studio monitors in a variety of ways, whether analogue or digital via S/PDIF or ADAT. It is even possible to combine several connection types for one speaker group. Using the four analogue monitor outs and an external ADAT converter, systems of up to 7.1.4 can be realised. In addition, the built-in AES67 interface allows the connection of highly professional multichannel converters such as the Merging Hapi MKII and/or Neumann studio monitors in the AES67 version.
www.neumann.com
CATERING TO a diverse range of environments, the Soundweb OMNI family from BSS is an open architecture DSP platform that combines enterprise-grade processors, flexible I/O expanders, Dante/
devices, the 32e and 16e. Each audio I/O port is “format configurable” as either analogue or stereo AES3, and certain audio I/O ports (and all GPIO ports) are configurable as either inputs or outputs. The platform is managed through
digital signal processing, combining purposebuilt hardware with software to provide the flexibility of centralised or distributed DSP to allow systems designers to choose the appropriate topology for any installation.
BSS’s commitment to supporting control system programmers is reinforced through the introduction of HControl, a human-readable, standards-based and developer-friendly API. Featuring BSS’s 512p and 256p flagship processing devices, the Soundweb OMNI family provides up to 512x512 Dante/AES67 channel counts at 96kHz. It also offers two I/O expansion
via two applications – AVX Architect is a desktop software app for system diagramming, device configuration, network management and custom UI design. It allows users to add an unlimited number of processors and expanders to a single project file, while still using a single canvas for device configuration. Alternatively, AVX Control is a lightweight software app providing easy access to custom UIs for controlling and monitoring devices across Windows, iOS, Android and AMX
SINCE CPR legislation came into force, Tasker is following the constant market demands and has once again increased its range of medium risk class cables (Cca) with 12 products that are compliant to the most advanced homologations needed worldwide. All of the releases are manufactured with innovative construction materials to make them suitable for indoor and outdoor installations.
In the speaker cable sector, the company has expanded its product range with five models –two with two conductors (TSK406 CPR Cca 2x6mm²; TSK408 CPR Cca 2x8mm²), two
MARKING 55 years in the audio industry, API has announced a commemorative limited run of its classic 5500 Dual Equalizer as well as an upgrade to its TCS-II channel
decoding circuit to allow for separate EQ control of the separated mid and side signals.
In addition, the company has updated its The Channel Strip (TCS) with the
strip. Featuring the same vintage cream colour worn by numerous API consoles, the 5500 Anniversary Edition Dual Equalizer is a limited production run of just 55 units and retains all the sonic and functional characteristics
of the standard production 5500. The 3U rackmount chassis features a frequency range of 20Hz on the LO and 50Hz on the LO-MID, with 15kHz on the HI-MID and 40kHz on the HI band. It has a variable high pass filter which
TCS-II. The original TCS featured a 512c preamp, 527 compressor, 550A EQ and a 325 line driver, all fitting into a single rack unit.
With thousands of TCS units in service, the TCS-II retains its circuit structure and API sound but upgrades the compressor section from the 527 to the newer 527A, updates the 512c input selection controls and adds peak LED metering. Additionally, the output level control knob now has a pointer for reference.
KLOTZ AIS has released its VU07L1DS range of digital video cables for mobile applications which feature BNCpro and BNCslim series as well as BNCmicro and DIN 1.0/2.3 connectors from Damar & Hagen. The cables come with a concentric stranded copper inner conductor, a dense tinned copper braid shield and a PUR overall jacket. The flexible C7PLRP network cable provides transmission lengths of up to 100m. Boasting Cat7 S/FTP AWG23/7 600MHz construction with a consistent outer braided shield and foil-shielded pairs, the manufacturer claims the C7PLRP cable has been designed for demanding live entertainment applications in the pro AV and broadcast sectors, as well as for use in industrial environments. Its low
www.apiaudio.com
released four digital multipair cables: the TSK902 CPR Cca (2x2x0.22mm²) and the TSK904 CPR Cca, TSK908 CPR Cca and TSK912 CPR Cca with four, eight and 12 pairs
Finally, the manufacturer has strengthened its range of cables for video applications with the TSK1078 CPR Cca, TSK1079 CPR Cca and TSK1080 CPR Cca for 12G-SDI video signal at 4K resolution for distances of 60m, 80m and 100m respectively.
www.tasker.it
RJ45 or etherCON connectors in both indoor and outdoor areas. The robust black PUR jacket is flame-retardant, halogen-free, resistant to oil, microbes and chemicals, and offers stability even in extreme conditions down to –40°C. To mark the manufacturer’s 45th anniversary, KLOTZ has also given the KLOTZ LaGrange a redesign. With the aim of retaining 100% of the properties for stage and studio use, but offering the customer an even more individualised cable, the LaGrange is now available with laserengraved metal jack plugs. Abrasion-resistant “LaGrange” lettering with guitar logo and the company’s new cable tie have both been
cord sets’ overmould guarantees up to 20,000 bending cycles.
Using powerCON TRUE1 TOP connectors and overmoulded with high-quality H07RN-F TITANEX rubber cable, the Power Cords sets reportedly provide enhanced levels of durability and protection for the most demanding indoor and outdoor application environments. The
DARKSTAR soft compound coating provides improved durability and haptics, and connector colour coding is provided with optional rings that fit flush between the connector housing and cable overmould. The manufacturer says that improved anti-kink protection provided by the
Optional ruggedised locking sealing connector covers for use with either series provide protection against moisture and particulate ingression when unmated. Cord sets and
data connectors are RJ45 carriers for 1Gbit/s/100W PoE Ethernet and network connections.
The D-shape panel mount connectors are RoHS/REACH compliant, flame retardant, UV and corrosion resistant, and provide IP65 protection against particulate and moisture ingression for applications in
Designed to optimise power cabling costs and complexity in outdoor broadcast and film locations, Contrik has developed Power Strip Multicore boxes and Power Multicore cable assemblies. The Power Strip Multicore “stringer boxes” consist of six models with Harting E16 connectors for six-channel, single-phase breakout, or breakout and daisy-chaining, on
Neutrik powerCON TRUE1 TOP or Schuko Type F connectors. Designated as offering either “X” (Xtreme protection) or “XO” (Xtreme Outdoor protection), “X” offers high mechanical (IK) protection and “XO” IK and high environmental protection. The proprietary Easylen housing offers high IK mechanical protection up to IK 10+ with high levels of flame retardancy, temperature resistance, UV protection, corrosion insensitivity and non-conductivity.
www.neutrik.co.uk
LISTEN TECHNOLOGIES and Ampetronic
AURI is the first product Listen
supported broadcast audio, which unlocks a variety of new use cases, including wide area assistive listening. Auracast can broadcast audio simultaneously to an unlimited number of Auracast-compatible devices, including receivers, hearing aids, earbuds and smartphones.
Listen Technologies and Ampetronic are active members of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) working to make Auracast broadcast audio technology as reliable and widespread as possible.
and small spaces, dedicated receivers and charging bases, and a complete line of accessories, including headphones, neck loops and network management and configuration software.
AURI will reportedly provide high-quality multichannel broadcast, support open or secure audio transmission, offer multilanguage support and help venues meet global accessibility compliance requirements.
www.ampetronic.com www.listentech.com
DICENTIS HYBRID Meetings is a cloudhosted end-to-end hybrid conferencing solution from Bosch that combines in-person and remote conference attendance. Since general online videoconferencing applications often don’t meet the needs of structured hybrid meetings – due to insufficient onsite systems integration and lacking professional features like microphone management and compliant voting – Bosch has developed its own hybrid solution to create a flexible meeting environment.
Dicentis Hybrid Meetings combines the stationary, IP-based Dicentis conference system with remote participation into a fully native hybrid meeting solution. It has been designed to create an optimal meeting experience for onsite participants using Dicentis conference devices
comprising the voting results and hall visuals –even when connected remotely.
Meetings are centrally controlled over one straightforward user interface for the chairperson and meeting manager. They can control hybrid meetings the same way as in-person gatherings, including speaker timers, request list, response mode, voting with quorum, majority and voting weight with automated reporting in a tamperproof format. Dicentis Hybr id Meetings offers a high level of security. Data are processed with full privacy-compliance, in accordance with international information security and privacy management standards as well as the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR). Stateof-the-art data encryption using standardised IP technology and security features ensure protection against tampering and hacking. The
STUDIO TECHNOLOGIES has released the Model 214A, 215A and 216A Announcer’s Consoles designed to serve as the audio control centre for announcers, commentators and production personnel. Serving as upgrades to the Model 214, 215 and 216, the units utilise STcontroller Software Application for all configuration selections.
is maintained for on-air audio, talkback audio and headphone cue feeds.
The Model 214A’s two, Model 215A’s three and Model 216A’s four pushbutton switches allow the user to control the main and talkback audio output channels. On all models, one pushbutton switch controls the status of the Dante main transmitter (output) channel.
The Model 214A, 215A and 216A Announcer’s Consoles are suitable for numerous applications including on-air television sports broadcasting, stadium announcements and corporate AV. All three consoles are compatible with broadcast and audio system environments that use Dante audio-over-Ethernet technology. Only an Ethernet connection with Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) is required to make the Model 214A, 215A or 216A part of a networked system. Audio quality
This is the audio channel intended for on-air, announcement or other primary uses. The Model 214A, 215A and 216A’s pushbutton switches use gold-plated contacts for reliable long-term operation and include backlighting using white LEDs. Three rotary controls allow the user to adjust the content and level of the two-channel headphone output. The Model 216A can also serve as a four-channel IFB (interrupted foldback or talent cueing) main station for
remote production (REMI) applications. This unit will integrate all on-air, talkback and cue audio signal routing in one compact package.
Designed to interconnect audio channels across two independent networks, the Model 5682 is a 1U unit that bridges SMPTE ST 2110 audio channels with Dante. Available in two versions, the Model 5682-01 allows up to 32 audio channels to pass in each direction, while the Model 5682-02 supports up to 64. It is compatible with both the ST 2110-30 standard for PCM audio signals and the ST 2110-10 standard for signal timing, while the Dante interface is compatible with Dante Domain Manager and AES67.
The Model 5682 incorporates three GigE
are designated for use by associated ST 2110 or Dante networks, while the third is reserved for configuration. In line with the SMPTE 2022-7 standard, the unit supports redundant streams, while the Dante Controller application selects whether the Dante interface operates in a switched or redundant mode.
Front-panel LEDs, an LCD display and five pushbutton switches are provided to view and revise selected operating parameters. NMOS, ANEMAN and JSON configuration support is provided, while Dante Controller can be used to configure the unit’s Dante network and audio parameters.
SOLID STATE Logic has unveiled its SSL 360° Link plugin software which enables the manufacturer’s UC1 surface to control any third-party plugin, bringing control of any plugin within its SSL 360° software environment and virtual console hybrid workflow. The software/hardware combination of the UC1 plugin controller and SSL 360° software provides a “knob-perfunction” plugin control and visual feedback for users who will reportedly have greater control over sonic flavours by accessing a broader palette of plugins, providing a range of creative options when producing and mixing music.
Delivered through a streamlined user interface, the 360° Link lets users drop third-party plugins into a session and control them with the advanced “console-style” workflow that the UC1 offers. Any third-party plugins mapped via 360° Link become visible in the SSL 360° Plugin Mixer alongside SSL’s 4K E, 4K B and CS2 channel strips. The 360° Link comes with a selection of customisable factory maps for SSL channel strip plugins from Slate Digital, Harrison Audio, Universal Audio, Waves Audio and Brainworx. While the UC1 is optimised for a typical channel strip layout, any plugin can be mapped.
www.solidstatelogic.com
DESIGNED TO “reform the audiovisual ecosystem experience”, Panta Rhei from Kramer is a single, centralised cloudbased platform which encompasses the entire audiovisual lifecycle and offers a full suite of services for systems integrators, IT/AV managers and end users. Panta Rhei is specifically designed to provide customers with a unified platform that is adept at managing not only all Kramer installations but also seamlessly integrates with third-party devices. It has been designed to facilitate the transition from planning and deployment to management, support and end user services. The manufacturer has also expanded its AVoIP portfolio with the KDS-17 which offers ultra-high performance and scalability and
DESIGNED TO connect to a broader hardware ecosystem or operate as a standalone software solution, Clear-Com has unveiled the Gen-IC Cloud Intercom, promising the flexibility and power of cloud production combined with the manufacturer’s reliability and customer support.
The solution is described as a secure and flexible virtual intercom that allows users to easily integrate on-premise hardware with virtual intercom clients. Designed for scalability, the Gen-IC Cloud Intercom will allow end users to ramp up multiple virtual clients as needed, with the capability of integrating with Clear-Com’s extensive hardware infrastructure over LAN, WAN and the internet.
The issue of latency is especially important for audio comms. As a result, Clear-Com has developed a virtual intercom application that
Created for spaces requiring 4K60 4.4.4 video quality with minimal latency, it supports up to
PURPOSE-BUILT FOR producing, mixing and mastering, the open-back HD 490 PRO reference studio headphones are Sennheiser’s top-of-the range professional model for mixing, mastering and producing. With a wide, dimensional sound stage for localising the components of a mix, its ultra-light voice coils reportedly ensure fast and authentic sound reproduction. The frequency response is uncoloured across the entire audio spectrum, with an accurate and defined low end courtesy of a special low-frequency cylinder. The open-mesh ear cup covers reveal Sennheiser’s Open-frame Architecture, which minimises resonances and distortion, while the transducers sit at a slight angle to emulate a typical monitor loudspeaker setup.
The lightweight design eliminates any pressure points to guarantee the headband does not press on the sensitive parts of the head, and the circumaural ear pads feature a patented soft comfort zone to cater for the temples of glasses while maintaining good sealing. A patent has also been applied for regarding the axes geometry of the headphones. The design ensures that the headphones adapt to the head and maintain an equal contact pressure whatever the user’s head shape. The HD 490 PRO also provides two different sets of ear pads designed to shape the sound differently to deliver two headphones in one; velour ear pads have a slightly warmer response, while fabric ear pads allow for a very flat, neutral sound that helps focus on detail when a sound reference is needed in finishing off a mix. In addition, the headphone cable can be plugged into the right or left ear piece to cater for different studio setups and preferences, and
can be deployed on selectable regional targets. This reportedly minimises the latency inherent when going virtual by giving administrators the ability to easily deploy the Gen-IC Cloud Intercom closest to where teams are doing work. Moreover, Gen-IC Cloud Intercom instances from around the world can be linked, producing a communication and collaboration tool for mission-critical productions.
Also new is the Clear-Com SkyPort, which provides workspace management, making it easier to manage many different customer sites and events in one online application. Through SkyPort, users can authorise local administrators to manage events, while still benefitting from Clear-Com’s support capabilities provided via its partner network.
www.clearcom.com
The left/right designation is visible on the inside dust covers of the transducers and the headband fork also carries braille information. The manufacturer has also introduced the Headmic 4, an ultra-lightweight (7g) condenser cardioid neckband microphone for vocal and speech applications. Featuring a KE 4 cardioid mic capsule, it comes with 3.5mm jack and three-pin connector options and is compatible with all Sennheiser bodypack transmitters. Meanwhile, Sennheiser’s upgraded Room Planner now includes a Room Plan Upload Feature for personalised audio and video designs, while height adjustments for ceiling microphones have been refined. Product guides and specifications have also been integrated.
www.sennheiser.com
AUDINATE HAS announced the release of the Dante Pro S1, a compact and cost-effective system-on-a-chip (SoC) for professional audio and AV equipment manufacturers to integrate Dante network functionality in low channel count devices. The Dante Pro S1 is designed to meet the evolving security requirements for enterprise Internetof-Things (IoT), Unified Communications (UC) and advanced audio system implementations. The chip solution provides a platform for new features such as media encryption. The Dante Pro S1 offers an alternative to the Ultimo chip for OEMs building low channel count devices. New designs are encouraged to use the Dante Pro S1 as it will provide future features and capabilities that may not be supported by Ultimo-based products.
The Dante Pro S1 is designed for compact and power-efficient audio equipment solutions requiring Dante network interoperability. The chip is a TFBGA100 package (8mm x 8mm) and requires minimal external components to complete system integration. The underlying microcontroller is more power efficient than previous Dante solutions, resulting in low-heat dissipation for space-constrained equipment designs. It comes in multiple package configurations to meet the exacting requirements of OEMs. The configurations are said to support up to 2x2 channels at 96kHz or up to 4x4 channels at 48kHz audio encoding. An evaluation kit is available for equipment manufacturers to prototype system designs using the Dante Pro S1. The kit is based on the Dante Pro S1 reference design and
AVAILABLE IN standard and Dante-equipped versions, the four-channel nanoNXAMP4 and
can accommodate a dynamic microphone or professional mixer, while unbalanced inputs
includes XLR connectors for analogue I/O and swappable network interface modules for a range of PHY and switch ICs.
Audinate has also announced that Dante Director, an SaaS solution for remote Dante network administration and management, is available as a pre-release beta. Dante Director enables management of Dante networks from a simple, convenient web dashboard accessible from anywhere.
and includes Dante Domain Manager, which serves enterprise and on-premise network management needs.
Dante Director works closely with Dante Controller to enable remote AV management capabilities. After initial setup, users can remotely access and manage channel subscriptions for networks managed by Dante Director from any location. Remote management capabilities are critical for IT and
Designed to meet the needs of users with small and medium-sized Dante networks, Dante Director enables IT and AV administrators to remotely configure Dante channel subscriptions, control user access, ensure network security and monitor multiple Dante networks from a single account. Dante Director joins the Audinate suite of products that bring professional management to AV solutions
AV administrators and service providers who need flexibility to diagnose, repair and monitor AV networks. With Dante Director, admins can manage multiple AV networks from a single web dashboard, providing faster response times, increased flexibility and better peace of mind through increased monitoring.
www.audinate.com
with presets available for an edited range of speakers drawn from NEXO’s ID and ePS Series.
With a universal mains voltage range of 100–240V, the nanoNXAMP4 occupies half a rack width, increasing channel density. The integrated DSP offers a four-in/four-out architecture with optional Dante connectivity. Onboard mixer and matrix functions reduce the overall cost of smaller installations, with setup and remote control enabled by an embedded web page that can be accessed via Ethernet or integrated Wi-Fi. Four balanced/unbalanced analogue inputs provide “double connectivity”. Balanced inputs
microphone is in use. An SPDIF In/Out can be
a stereo signal across multiple nanoNXAMP4 units. A GPIO port adds analogue volume control and a 12V trigger In/Out. Wall remote controls are available and can be configured to allow users to select sources and control volume, and the nanoNXAMP4 is compatible with remote control protocols including Q-SYS, Symetrix, Crestron, Crestron Home, ELAN, AMX, RTI and Control 4. The nanoNXAMP4 is also compatible with NEXO’s NeMo remote control and monitoring software.
www.nexo-sa.com
PAN ACOUSTICS has launched Pan Immerse 4D Audio, a multifunctional, interactive production platform designed for rendering and controlling audio objects, but it can also interact with other systems via various control protocols. The centrepiece of the system is the Pan Immerse 4D Audio Server, a 19-inch hardware platform designed for a long operating time. Depending on the configuration level, it is available in different versions which can
audio applications with up to 128 or more speaker channels. Pan Immerse 4D Audio can be seamlessly integrated into an existing ACS system, allowing retrofitting of already installed systems.
Specifically designed for use in systems with virtual room acoustics and objectbased audio, the manufacturer has also released its CX series, consisting of three models: the P 8-CX, P 10-CX and P 12-CX. Developed as a solution for
precise sound reproduction and immersive
FORMING PART of the company’s 100th anniversary celebrations, Celestion has introduced its Ten Squared (Ten2) Series of pro audio drivers. The Ten2 Series has been born out of a specialist development programme at Celestion’s UK-based R&D facility. These cast aluminium frame, neodymium magnet low-frequency pro audio drivers are designed to deliver consistently superior levels of performance in demanding professional sound reinforcement applications, even after hundreds of hours of use.
The series comprises five models, each engineered for applications in subwoofers or as bass units in two- or three-way loudspeakers and larger-format line arrays. The line includes the flagship 24-inch TSQ2460, 21-inch TSQ2145, 18-inch TSQ1845, 15-inch TSQ1535 and 12-inch TSQ1230.
Constant airflow through Precision Tuned Venting (PTV) provides efficient cooling around the magnet assembly and voice coils. The cooling potential is further optimised through custom coil winding that uses a hybrid multilayer, inside/outside methodology. In the
designs. The PTV and proprietary coil structure are said to combine for a significant reduction of power compression and thermal stress, maximising product lifespan and performance longevity.
The TSQ2460 has a continuous power rating of 4,800W (estimated continuous) thanks to the enhanced cooling offered by the PTV system together with a proprietary voice coil featuring advanced heat resistant adhesives.
version for all its immersive platforms – including hardware processors and the Holophonix Native app for macOS – plus a touring-ready hardware processor, called Holophonix Ultra. The Ultra
for you
WITH THE V2.0 firmware update of Stagetec’s NEXUS audio router, the German audio specialist is giving existing NEXUS units a significant boost, including updated audio processing and a redesigned web UI. The release provides a 120x16 mix matrix, 16-input processing (Delay, Exp, EQ, Comp), 16-output processing (Delay, EQ, Comp, Lim) and Avatus EQs and Avatus compressors, including the addition of wet/dry, knee and soft clip parameters. Its browser-based UI provides controls for this functionality, and with the same look-and-feel of the Avatus GUI. The updated UI includes snapshot automation, copy/paste for processing blocks and an XY routing matrix for more intuitive signal routing. In addition to signal routing, mic parameter control can now be carried out directly from the Stagenet UI, and the Dante version of NEXUS compact can now be controlled from a Yamaha
real-time spatialisation, with up to 512 inputs and outputs, an embedded touchscreen and redundant power supplies. It also introduces a new scalable licensing model.
greater cone excursion and a high Xprotection level. The driver’s motor strength and mechanical compliance reach their defined Xprotection limit at practically the same point, achieving a low distortion performance, even during high excursion. This capability is complemented by Ten2’s Polysiloxane Laminated Dual Suspension
design that enables the driver’s suspension system to work much harder without losing stiffness, providing better coil control and reduced likelihood of DC shift, while simultaneously increasing speaker longevity. Designed for a wide variety of OEM environments, Celestion’s Truvox 0615 is a mid-bass loudspeaker that fuses lightweight construction, power efficiency and multiapplication flexibility in a 6-inch driver format. With industry-standard mounting dimensions, the Truvox 0615 is designed as a drop-in replacement in PA cabinets, cars, bass amplifiers, recessed wall mounts and other destinations. A centrally located vent assists cooling, and front and rear gaskets are included for ease of mounting. The Truvox 0615 is the first member of a product family that Celestion will expand throughout 2024 to include 8-, 10-, 12- and 15-inch sizes.
www.celestion.com
The Holophonix Ultra features a redesigned chassis machined from aluminium blocks, integrating a tour-ready hardware configuration tailored for demanding setups. It comes with ultralow audio latency and scalable I/O expandable up to 512 ins and outs, along with low noise and enhanced internal airflow, redundant power supplies and a built-in touchscreen on the front panel. This touchscreen provides instant access to crucial monitoring parameters, including IP addresses, network and performance status. The processor is also designed to be rackmounted. The rear panel features Neutrik-housed connectors integrated into the aluminium chassis, including two powerCON mains connectors, three etherCON connectors for remote control and Dante connectivity, as well as Display-Port
CL/QL console; the same licensing system applies as with Yamaha mic control for NEXUS. Meanwhile, Stagetec’s NEXUS 4split is a standalone unit that comes in a variety
of sizes and configurations. TrueMatch mic inputs are duplicated using four splits that the XMIC cards provide on each input, while each of the four split outputs has
and USB 3.0 connectors for easy access while servicing.
The Holophonix 2.2 software update features a new design for the Inspector window for a better workflow and a new dock offering quick access to the main features for Holophonix users. This refreshed design is described as more live sound oriented, with its new logic and workflow deriving from the live mixing console universe. The update also features the ability to import and export CSV files from the overview window, a new Add menu for Sources and Speakers including pre-configured Dolby Atmos layouts and an improved audio engine.
www.holophonix.xyz
its own set of parameters for use onstage or in a recording context. These signals are controlled by a web browser interface, enabling operation from an iPad or a service computer running standard web browser software. The split signals appear on all output formats (Dante, AES67, analogue and MADI) simultaneously.
The manufacturer has also released its Stagenet V1.0 control system for IP signal management, as well as the latest 1.20 release for its Avatus software. The company says the underlying OS has been rebuilt to improve fluidity and add features including CUE-Preview/edit, Remote Desktop Connections controlling external PCs, WebViewer for browsing and AES67-Stream configuration and DAW-control.
www.stagetec.com
SHURE HAS expended two of its product lines with the launch of the Axient Digital ADX3 plug-on transmitter and the SLX-D portable systems. Designed for broadcast television and location sound, the ADX3 extends the company’s Axient Digital Wireless System and transforms any XLR microphone into a portable ADX Series wireless microphone.
Delivering the same performance of the AD3, the addition of Shure’s proprietary ShowLink technology allows comprehensive, real-time control of all transmitter parameters over a 2.4GHz diversity wireless connection directly from the receiver.
Meanwhile, the company has expanded its SLX-D Digital Wireless family with the introduction of SLX-D Portables, including the SLXD5 Portable Digital Wireless Receiver and SLXD3 Plug-On Digital Wireless Transmitter. The SLXD5 is an SLX-D receiver that can be installed on-camera through a cold shoe mount as well as in an audio bag. Enabling users to start recording immediately, the SLXD5 automatically scans for the best frequency and pairs it to the transmitter with IR Sync in seconds, while Multi-Mic Mode facilitates management and monitoring of multiple sound sources from a single receiver. Following the launch of the MXA902 last year, the manufacturer has announced the launch of the Microflex Advance MXA901 conferencing ceiling array microphone, featuring a low-profile 34cm diameter round form factor, available in white, black and aluminium finishes. Designed to deliver enhanced directional voice capture and reproduction with minimal setup required, the MXA901 comes with six available accessory mounts to ensure compatibility with most ceiling types. In addition, the microphone is scalable from small to large meeting spaces
with one or multiple arrays. The MXA901 is designed with Single Zone Automatic Coverage Technology, which covers a 6m x 6m space with minimal configuration needed, enabling users to automatically capture the speakers they wish to hear and avoid distracting noise.
Shure has also introduced its latest line of wireless clip-on microphones, the MoveMic Microphone System. The lightweight, dualchannel, direct-to-phone wireless lavalier solution delivers broadcast-quality audio and features a custom acoustic design as well as Shure’s proprietary wireless software. The MoveMic series connects directly to phones in both single and dual configurations for use with Shure’s MOTIV audio and MOTIV video apps on iOS and Android, allowing users to configure audio settings such as gain, limiter, compression, noise reduction and EQ. For those seeking universal compatibility, the standalone MoveMic Receiver and bundled MoveMic Two Receiver Kit integrate with devices such as cameras, computers and third-party smartphone apps.
In brief, Shure has announced a preview of Designer 6.0, the next generation of the Designer configuration software, while the manufacturer has also announced that its Microflex Wireless neXt 2 (MXW neXt 2) Microphone System has been Certified for Microsoft Teams.
www.shure.com
SYMETRIX HAS announced that AV-Ops Center, its remote monitoring and man a gement tool, has successfully completed beta testing and is now available in general release for professional AV installations. AV-Ops Center receives telemetry from system components and provides real-time
ENABLING SYSTEMS engineers to create 3D venue models for any environment, JBL’s Venue Synthesis acoustic simulation software is a free acoustic simulation application for desktop. Replacing JBL’s Line Array Calculator, the application enables users to design and simulate acoustic coverage for any environment and prepare complete sound reinforcement systems for rigging or installation in both 2D and 3D. Designed for tour sound rental companies, venue owners, acoustic consultants and live sound system engineers, it enables users to create or import 3D venue models, interact with 3D models of JBL Professional equipment and predict coverage for a full system of JBL products. The company says it has modelled every component of the signal chain, from the input signal to the amplifier output voltage, in order to model accurate sound pressure levels that relate to reality.
Venue Synthesis features three modes of operation. Venue Mode can generate venue models in 2D or 3D using industry-standard geometry formats, or build venues from scratch. Users can import and trace 2D schematics using common file formats to model venues and create common architectural and audience areas such as balconies using its Special Object Creator. Acoustics Mode builds and refines JBL loudspeaker systems, including suspended and ground-stacked line arrays, distributed subwoofers and point source systems, and can configure
and parameters including system size, position, angles, DSP and amplifier settings. A System Groups feature organises and links loudspeakers and arrays according to acoustic properties, while 2D System View visualises coverage, impact points and loudspeaker angles. Meanwhile, Delay Optimiser optimises loudspeaker delays for the entire venue. Finally, Mechanics Mode validates and refines mechanical settings to confirm system feasibility, safety and reliability. Its Array Statistics tool confirms adherence to regulatory requirements and a real-time warning notification system alerts users to safety and reliability issues across the system.
www.jblpro.com
CREATING MORE integration possibilities for K-array’s flagship Kommander range of amplifiers, the company has announced the extension of its control plugin portfolio to include integration with Kramer Control. Kramer Control is an enterprise-class, cloudbased control and management product which provides a way to control, monitor and support AV systems, infrastructures and third-party devices. It means the company’s Kommander amplifiers can
metrics via a browser-based dashboard. The system can also send commands to devices to optimise performance or troubleshoot. Authorised technicians can review system performance and assign resources based on real-time data to solve problems. Push notifications and integrations with popular messaging platforms – such as Microsoft Teams, Slack and Google Chat – help technicians open and close tickets faster, and at a lower cost.
www.symetrix.co
now be implemented into a Kramer-based control system and follows the release of plugins for other control platforms including Crestron, Q-SYS, AMX and Control4. Further software partnership announcements are expected throughout 2024.
www.k-array.com
included for serial control for legacy devices. The VKP-8E is set up using the Atlona Cloud platform, providing an interface for defining ePaper label/icons and LED colours, as well as macros for controlling room technology which can be added from a database of Atlona and third-party drivers. Configuration files can be deployed to the keypad directly from the cloud or offline over a local area network.
inputs. For larger system setups, the transmitter can also provide an auxiliary HDMI input to a main switching system, such as the Omega AT-OME-PS62 presentation switcher. Featuring a US one-gang wall plate enclosure, it offers a modern, end user-facing design and comes with interchangeable black and white wall plates and face plates. The AT-OME-TX11-WP can be installed inconspicuously on a wall, inside
ACTIVE SPEAKER SERIES
Expanded Range
CORE FEATURES
• Powerful Class D amplification • High-quality robust build
• Ultimate versatility: DJ sets, live music, speech, studio monitoring
BUILDING ON the success of its iVAM1-12G, Wohler Technologies has released its iVAM2-12G 16-channel audio, video and data monitoring solution which can monitor and meter up to 16 channels of 12G-SDI audio and video, plus two channels of analogue audio in a compact 2U format. With 64 presets and using dual touchscreens, operators can toggle between video,
choice of upgrading with either an AoIP card which can accept either Dante or Ravenna card options (both offer SMPTE 2110-30 and hitless SMPTE 2022-7) or an additional eight channels of analogue inputs and outputs.
The dual 4.3-inch touchscreen front panel uses design philosophies from previous iAM Series products, while physical front panel controls provide
meters, loudness measurement and menus. An HDMI output allows additional external monitoring of the currently selected video source, while analogue XLR, headphone and selected 3G-SDI outputs are also included as
access to main volume, balance and auxiliary controls to supplement touch controls. Individual audio channels may be summed, soloed or muted by touch or mechanical control. A front-mounted USB port is provided for software updates to
DESCRIBED AS a next-generation IPTV endpoint for the high-quality delivery of video and digital signage across the network, the EP6 is a multi-video advanced decoder with a fanless design which can output two 4K or quad-HD video streams, and the ability to render 4K graphics up to 2160p60. Additionally, the EP6 has PoE+ functionality, enabling the endpoint to be
and Dante audio, that puts control in the hands of educators at the podium, in the classroom or in the lab. With dedicated inputs for a laptop, microphone, Dante audio and document camera, different educators can manage and integrate diverse multimedia sources in any classroom, fostering interactive discussions and presentations. The matrix integrates tools at the main desk as well as with the students in the classroom. The multi-format video connections including USB-C and HDMI enable seamless 4K60Hz switching that transition between video inputs with a builtin 4K60 scaler on all outputs, ensuring a smooth and uninterrupted visual experience without black screen switching. Built-in DSP incudes Dante 4x4, mic inputs, balanced audio outputs and four-channel amplifiers for up to four speaker outputs.
Meanwhile, the MX-1007-HYB 10-in/sevenout matrix switcher brings all the same features as the MX-0804-EDC but comes
can be directly connected via HDMI to provide an Ethernet connection. Designed to run over 1GbE networks, the NHD-120-IW-TX is a two-gang in-wall unit that operates on PoE, supports up to 4K30 4:2:0 and comes with audio de-embedding, IR port for source control and scaling capabilities for mixed-resolution
Ethernet network with less than 1ms latency. Capable of communicating 4k30Hz video as well as multichannel audio and USB 2.0 between the transmitter and the receiver, the EX-100-KVM-IP is designed for environments where the source device and operators are separated. This includes high-end boardrooms,
encryption performances for IPTV distribution projects. Designed for ease of use, the release reportedly provides an intuitive format for accessing IP video destination channels for operators. ChannelLink can be paired with IPTV solutions to achieve low-latency distribution to remote sites, offices and homes via the internet. It is now available in various deployment options to cater to specific requirements, including on-premise servers, virtual instances or the convenience of direct integration within the AWS Cloud via the new AMI.
www.vitec.com
gaming cafés, classrooms, laboratories and command and control centres where the operator sees a screen and HID devices, and the main PC is in a centralised rack or secured in an AV room. It is also suitable for long-range connectivity and multi-site deployments. The EX-100-KVM-IP’s transmitter and receiver are configured to operate and communicate out of the box by patching the Cat cable to the Ethernet switch and hooking them up to the source, display and HID devices. Four-pin DIP switch settings are configurable to enable up to 16 extenders to work on the same network, and its low latency makes it suitable for applications that require real-time interaction. It supports HDCP 1.4, a range of extension distances, and audio, video and USB connectivity options. The EX-100-KVM-IP ships as a set of transmitter and receiver devices with power supplies and mounting brackets. The unit is also available in a wallmount option.
www.wyrestorm.com
DIGITAL PROJECTION has introduced what it believes to be two of the most advanced laser projectors to date. The E-Vision 16000i WU boasts an upgraded electronics platform that shares much of its functionality from the TITAN series. Central to the new design is the implementation of Texas Instruments’ 0.8-inch High Efficiency Pixel (HEP) DMD, which allows for a higher brightness than was previously achievable on the 0.67-inch DMD, as well as colour and contrast. The updated DMD is optimised for solid state illumination,
ISO lumens. An increased tilt angle on the DMD mirrors allows for a wider colour gamut, helping to achieve “blacker blacks” by diverting light away more efficiently from the lens when the mirror is in the “off” position, giving an improved native contrast. The laser-phosphor projector is charged with ColorBoost + Red Laser technology to provide more realistic and saturated colours.
In contrast, the E-Vision 10000i boasts 9,600 lumens of brightness and 20,000:1 dynamic contrast, but shares the same advanced
Satellite MLS range with 20,000- and 30,000-lumen versions to complement the original 10,000-lumen light source, said to make installations easier than before by removing the need for “many-to-one” fibre configurations.
The new fibres have a decreased diameter and higher light transmission efficiency so that when they’re coupled with the new light sources, they offer a large reduction in the system cost.
The manufacturer has also launched its Nexus “next-generation” electronics platform which has been designed to deliver advanced image processing to all projectors including
offers users the familiarity of its operation, OSD menu structure and functionality, all of which are integrated into the new Projector Control II software. Key features include enhanced multifunctional image processing technology, with de-interlacing, scaling, warping and edgeblending, all combined in a single IC, a built-in warp-table generator which implements real-time processing for horizontal and vertical keystone correction as well as pincushion and barrel, wall corner correction and linearity correction.
www.digitalprojection.com
JABRA HAS unveiled Jabra+ for Admins, a cloud-based API-first software platform for remote monitoring and management of meeting rooms and devices. The platform is said to offer a seamless experience from start to finish, allowing users to manage their communication devices with ease, saving time on administration and troubleshooting. IT administrators will have visibility and control
a comprehensive solution for IT administrators. The platform also allows users to manage all devices in a room collectively, optimising the in-room experience by remotely configuring devices and updating firmware. Furthermore, the real-time online/offline status tracking of rooms and devices helps to identify immediate issues, reducing IT tickets and ensuring a seamless meeting experience.
over settings, firmware and insights from one unified software platform and can check in for real-time status updates from anywhere.
According to the manufacturer, Jabra+ for Admins “will pave the way for future experiences for IT administrators, end users and partners” –starting with meeting room and video device management that customers can sign up for now via an Early Adopter Program.
With Jabra+ for Admins, users can monitor and manage all Jabra meeting room solutions with a clear visual overview of rooms, locations and devices. The modern user-interface, new design and enhanced intuitiveness are said to make device management more accessible, offering
As a unified software platform, Jabra+ for Admins can integrate with IT help desk systems and third-party tools to create an ecosystem for device management. Whether updating devices, customising headsets or integrating with Jabra devices, users engage with just a single system. Jabra+ for Admins also leverages the security and scalability of Microsoft Azure, providing a futureproof platform with Single Sign-On (SSO) for easy access. SSO enhances security by reducing attack surfaces and streamlining user authentication, resulting in a better user experience.
www.jabra.com
PEERLESS-AV HAS redesigned its range of mobile trolley solutions with the launch of new models boasting a lower cost design, greener footprint and host of upgraded features. The SR860-EUK and SR898-EUK SmartMount Flat Panel Trolleys and PR565-EUK Paramount Flat Panel Trolley complement the existing range, offering customers a wider choice of options for large-format or interactive display deployment in any corporate, education, public sector, event or showroom application.
Visually different from the existing SR560M and SR598 models, that will continue to be produced, the design of the SR860-EUK and SR898-EUK is described as a significant evolution from the existing range. The frame is tested to UL load requirements for peace of mind when hanging heavier displays and can glide through doorways as small as 762mm wide. The frame is also optimised for transporting and storing multiple trolleys in a reduced footprint. The legs offer more space when interacting with the display, making it more accessible to people in wheelchairs, and the trolleys will fit under a table for videoconferencing use.
The SR860-EUK supports 43- to 75-inch displays with a maximum load of 56.7kg, while the SR898-EUK supports 55- to 110-inch displays with a load of 136kg. The PR565-EUK supports 55- to 75-inch displays with a load of 68kg. Further accessories are available, including an ACC-SB2 soundbar/VC bar mount.
BARCO HAS launched the ClickShare Bar, two projector families – the I600 and QDX –and the Encore3 platform. The ClickShare Bar enables wireless conferencing in small to medium-sized meeting rooms, with audio and video capabilities integrated into the single device. Audio functionalities like noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation aim to ensure only the essential audio input is captured, while video capabilities like speaker framing, group framing and composition view guarantee all participants are shown.
The ClickShare Bar is available in two models. The ClickShare Bar Core brings all essential collaboration functionalities, combined with audio and video. The ClickShare Bar Pro adds extra functionalities like advanced AI speaker framing, interactivity features (touchback, annotation and blackboarding), as well as a wired roomdock for 4K content sharing and
alternative connectivity. It also supports dual screen configurations. The ClickShare Bar is also said to be the first carbon-neutral video bar for wireless conferencing on the market.
The I600 4K UHD single-chip laser phosphor projector is designed to offer colour fidelity, high resolution and a long lifetime. With its compact and lightweight design, weighing under 23kg, Barco reports that the I600 is the most portable in its category. The QDX projector aims to elevate visual experiences with up to native 4K resolution, Rec. 2020 colours and brightness levels going up to 40,000 lumens – boxed into a lighter unit to optimise transport costs and installation
time. The QDX supports existing TLD+ lenses, offering the highest flexibility in installations. The incorporation of IoT allows for remote projector management, enhancing operational efficiency.
Finally, Barco has announced the Encore3, the third-generation Event Master platform. In addition is the IO Gateway, the company’s first IPMX transcoder. The Encore3 is designed to be an image processing platform for every event, offering integrated video signal distribution, switching, layered video screen composition and the ability to manage all screens. It grants access to a broader canvas space of ~80MP PVW/PGM, boasting 12-bit 4:4:4 processing with never less than 16 fully capable 4K layers per screen.
Also featured is native 4K image quality, Athena scaling and ultra-low processing latency down to 16ms. With a flexible slot-based architecture and modular cards, the Encore3’s built-to-order design enables users to configure the system to their requirements.
www.barco.com
manufacturers, maximising the potential of the existing infrastructure.
In other news, Canon Europe’s latest firmware update adds cinema RAW Light recording formats to its EOS C500 Mark II camera. Adding 12-bit cinema RAW Light formats in LT (Light), ST (Standard) and HQ (High Quality), the feature allows users to select a scalable range of internal RAW recording data rates that either enhance the fidelity of the sensor output or reduce file sizes, while maintaining 12-bit colour information. The EOS C500 Mark II features a 5.9K full frame sensor, internal RAW recording, interchangeable lens mount and a configurable modular design. The update was previously made available for the EOS R5 C and EOS C70.
COMBINING OPTICAL zoom, visual AI tracking and multi-camera switching, Crestron Electronics is hoping its 1 Beyond range of PTZ cameras addresses a critical need for automated cameras in larger meeting spaces. Designed to enhance framing and tracking in medium or large rooms, the 1 Beyond i12 and i20 models are intelligent PTZ cameras boasting built-in Visual AI. An onboard processing unit and built-in reference camera allows them to frame and track groups, presenters or zones, while Crestron Visual AI detects and tracks a speaker even when the
subject is turned away or wearing a mask, and anticipates behaviours for smooth camera movement. The i12 offers 12x optical zoom and can be used for either group framing or basic presenter tracking up to 7.5m. In addition, two i12 cameras can be paired together to switch automatically. The i20 provides 20x optical zoom with enhanced presenter tracking up to 15m.
with SKAARHOJ. Exclusively designed for Canon, the controller “sets a new standard for versatility in multi-camera productions” –from entry-level broadcast, to live events such as musical performances and concerts, or recording lectures in higher education. By integrating Canon XC protocol with a professional-quality joystick, Zoom Rocker and dials, the controller reportedly allows content creators to give their productions “a powerful creative edge”.
The RC-SK5 has been designed to provide a “seamless” multi-camera workflow, while the ability to control various PTZ cameras and Canon camcorders via an IP network is said to unlock new opportunities for dynamic and synchronised content creation. The joystick delivers a tactile and responsive link to
be achieved with the Zoom Rocker, enabling users to monitor everything with precise control, with the additional benefit of 20 control sets. The ability to connect to other SKAARHOJ products extends the controller’s capabilities by providing access to a broad ecosystem, such as the side panel Frame Shot Pro which offers even more control with colour images of preset positions. An additional paid licence opens further features and enables the freedom to integrate the RC-SK5 with various products and devices from different
Meanwhile, the p12 and p20 models are standard PTZ cameras. The p12 is suitable for medium and large rooms with a 12x optical zoom, while the p20 is ideal for large and extra-large rooms, offering 20x optical zoom.
All four 1 Beyond cameras are designed for flexible deployment as standalone devices or as part of a multicamera setup, with up to 12 cameras able to be leveraged in a single space with automatic switching, framing and tracking based on who is speaking. All integrate seamlessly with Crestron Flex to enable one-touch integration with Microsoft Teams or Zoom Rooms software.
www.crestron.com
PPDS HAS unveiled Google-certified 4K, interactive Philips Collaboration displays for education, including the “elementary” Philips Collaboration BDL3152E and “advanced” Philips Collaboration BDL4152E display series. Available in 65-, 75- and 86-inch sizes across both model variants, the Philips Collaboration Series for Education reportedly marks a significant step beyond the original Philips E-Line Series, which debuted in 2021, featuring a new tailored design, together with the latest advances in educational software.
Collaboration displays run on Android 13 to bring an “instantly familiar” mobile or tablet experience to the classroom, for near-universal usability and minimal training. The displays have been built with connected experiences and usability as their core and feature a 3840x2160 Ultra HD, 400–450cd/m2 brightness display, together with 40-touchpoint interaction, double that of their predecessors.
The manufacturer has also announced that its in-house wireless content-sharing option – Philips ScreenShare – will soon be available, allowing
Up to 64 personal devices (running on ChromeOS, MacOS, Windows, iOS or Android) can be securely connected at the same time, including those located in other rooms or locations, and even those studying remotely. AirPlay, Google Cast and MiraCast are also supported.
Available in a range of interchangeable 10mm pixel pitch panel variants – 120x120, 120x90 and 90x90 (WxH) – the Philips Urban LED 6000 displays provide a 5,000:1 contrast ratio and high refresh rates of 7,680Hz. Content is viewable in any lighting condition, including direct sunlight. The displays have been designed for a wide range of outdoor installations – such as a billboard on a motorway, a giant display outside a shopping centre or a digital scoreboard inside a sporting venue – and are suitable for use in temperatures ranging from –20°C to +50°C.
In brief, four Philips Unite LED All In One (AIO) Series offering 4K and 8K viewing for a range of environments have also been released. The 4000, 4200, 5000 and 7000 Series models provide “fast, seamless and connected solutions” for businesses looking to transition away from smaller LCD screens and existing videowalls to larger, more versatile, bezel-free LED displays. Finally, the manufacturer has launched the Philips Hospitality TV 4500 Series for entry-level hospitality settings. Curated using market feedback, the Android TV line is available in 24-, 32-, 43-, 50-, 55- and 65-inch size variants and features Chromecast built-in technology and Google Play store.
www.ppds.com
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TVU NETWORKS has unveiled its TVU MediaHub, a cloud-driven platform that manages video signals in both IP and SDI
Grid and YouTube, while the TVU MediaHub can scale and direct outputs to multiple destinations in formats like RTMP, HLS, TVU Grid and
environments. Marking a departure from traditional hardware-dependent routers, the TVU MediaHub supports limitless inputs and outputs, marking “a major shift towards cloudbased digital media workflows”.
Features include the ability to accept various input formats ranging from SDI, NDI, SRT, TVU
Facebook. The platform uses resources onpremise in data centres or in the cloud, with TVU providing additional resources as needed. Objectoriented visual UI reportedly allows effortless operation without specialised training.
www.tvunetworks.com
ETC HAS updated its Mosaic Show Controller X (MSC X) with new video I/O options and an audio input for two Linear Timecode channels, removing the need for a separate RIO-A unit. As a result, units will have a new part number and model numbers will add “Mk3” at the end. With the new model comes new connectors. The video input accessory (-VCC), if equipped, changes from DVI to HDMI. Video output is now a DisplayPort-style connector. The serial port on the unit (RS-232) has been updated from connectorised to terminal-style interfaces. Audio output is handled with either an S/PDIF (RCA) port or terminal connectors. Audio input for linear timecode is also via a terminal interface. The manufacturer has also expanded its Source Four Mini and Irideon fixture offerings with F-Drive compatible options, with these low-voltage
ANALOG WAY has debuted its Solo media player, a single-channel 4K video player with one programme, one preview and intuitive user interface software that offers high-quality monitoring of the Program and Preview channels. Focusing exclusively on playback of full-screen video files, it has native support of various codecs, including H.264, H.265/
Tailored for live-operated scenarios in both rental and staging and live-like systems integration, Analog Way says Solo is perfectly complementary to its presentation
The company has also added three products to its LivePremier series with the Aquilon RS5, Aquilon RS6 and Aquilon Cmax. Expanding the range with Aquilon multi-screen and multi-layer live presentation systems supporting pixel canvases up to 16K, these 6U units offer up to 32 4K60p inputs (or 64 2K/dual 60Hz inputs with eight-plug input cards) and up to 24 4K60p outputs (where 16 outputs can be used to drive programs and the remaining outputs can be used to drive auxiliaries). All three systems feature up to 64 layers and up to 48 still images and can be linked to up to four additional LivePremier chassis for even larger I/O needs: up to 256 inputs and 80 outputs in total, and up to 320 outputs with the DPH104s. They feature two dedicated multiviewer outputs and a Dante audio
www.analogway.com
colour temperature and CRI options and are also available in canopy or portable options.
Finally, ETC has launched its Response SnapBack device which expands any ETC control system by adding recorded sACN preset looks for simple recall. The device has been designed to maximise the capabilities of colour-changing LED fixtures, allowing users to create various looks that can be recalled from any of the ETC switches or stations.
Each SnapBack device can store and recall up to 10 multiparameter static looks across 10 universes of addresses and multiple devices can be stacked for each system, allowing users to design a variation of looks. Paradigm and Mosaic systems can store multiple presets across 500 universes. For Echo systems, systems can use two devices per each EchoTouch or Echo Integration Interface in a programmed space
versions joining the recently released OneTrack models. According to the manufacturer, F-Drive compatibility in Source Four Mini and Irideon fixtures decreases costs while increasing portability and ease of installation. The Source Four Mini LED can now be controlled via DMX for the first time to provide “a more beautiful, smooth dim” in any installation. F-Drive compatible Source Four Mini LED and Irideon luminaires are available in all of ETC’s existing
SnapBack is available in DIN rail and rackmount form factors. Devices can be configured using ETC’s Concert software or directly on the device and, once configured, preset record and playback can all be achieved remotely using UDP input to the device, allowing it to pair with ETC’s Paradigm, Echo, Mosaic, Echoflex and Eos control systems.
www.etcconnect.com
HIVE MEDIA Control has introduced two additions to its product range. The Beeblade Minima and Beeblade Osmia are joining the Beeblade Pluto as part of the wider ecosystem, offering users more media playback solutions that work with a wide range of project types. Additionally, Hive
user interface that can be accessed from any modern browser. The Beeblade family can also live in Hive’s Beebox and Beehive units. The Beebox is a custom-designed portable enclosure that can be placed next to display technology if there is no in-built SDM slot. Beehive is a 5U chassis that can hold up to
has also launched its Beehive 5U rackmountable chassis.
Beeblade is described by the manufacturer as a revolutionary approach to media playback that integrates into any Smart Display Module (SDM) compatible display or projector. Joining the Beeblade Pluto – which is suitable for large-scale mapping projects – the Beeblade Minima is Hive’s latest HD player with the lowest technical specification, while the Beeblade Osmia is a midrange solution that is said to achieve 4K media and 4K output capacity. The Beeblade range is said to be simple to integrate, easy to manage and features a
16 Beeblades. Whether users fill the Beehive or use it partially populated, each Beeblade SDM slot has its own network connection and customers can manage each player in the Beehive through Hive’s software.
www.hive.run
extends the capabilities of AJA’s Dante AV 4K-T and 4K-R transmitter/receiver converters. The update delivers support for HDR, ensuring HDR signals pass through the devices
seamlessly and that users can easily change the HDR metadata on outputs received, and also introduces support for Ref In. This means that a device like the AJA GEN 10 HD/
GLP HAS introduced an upgrade to its JDC1 Hybrid Strobe. Larger than its predecessor, the JDC2 IP reportedly provides a significantly brighter output and is also IP65certified. The integrated beam line is equipped with 84 high-performance LEDs which are described as highly efficient at 10W each. The optimised, extremely steep flash ramps are said to ensure an even more realistic and intense strobe impression. With 12 individually controllable segments, the beam line offers extended intensity flash effects and more than 100 static and dynamic strobe patterns. The saturated colours and brightness of the 1,728 LEDs are said to provide powerful diffuse lighting. This allows stages and spaces to be completely immersed in colour. A rich colour environment is created, especially when combined with haze. The specialised black LED masking ensures a black front appearance, while eliminating reflection from other light sources. The manufacturer has also extended its FUSION X-PAR range with the addition of the FUSION X-PAR 8Z, which rounds off its series of weatherproof LED PARs with motorised zoom up and down. Described by GLP as a real all-rounder and suitable for a wide range of applications, the FUSION X-PAR 8Z is the most compact and lightest
SD sync generator may be used to lock the output of the 4K-R when the signal must be combined with other baseband device outputs and sources. In addition, Dante AV 4K v1.1 activates a second locking Ethernet port (Eth2) on the device, allowing users to connect a second device to their Dante AV switch without needing to connect a second Ethernet cable directly to the switch.
Cropping and scale resizing capabilities for the 4K-R let users scale 4K to UHD and downscale UHD to HD, with the ability to select between
JDC2 IP
in the series. At 4.5kg, it has been designed for applications with limited space. The 8Z comes with an 80W RGBL LED and emits up to 1,800 lumens thanks to GLP’s patented iQ.Gamut colour calibration. The compact housing (175mm x 175mm x 249mm) allows it to be used in a variety of applications, and the 132mm Fresnel lens reportedly ensures an excellent light image. Thanks to the motorised zoom, powerful 8° beams are just as possible as homogeneous washes up to 55°.
www.glp.de
auto, native and crop 4K to UHD/Scale UHD to HD. The upgrade also validates select 4K and 8K 4x4 workflows where 4K-T signals can be sent to four 4K-Rs and all four outputs are confirmed to be in time and in sync. 3G Level B 4:2:2 10-bit high frame rate is now supported and compatibility with Audinate’s Dante Domain Manager can be purchased, enabling users to control Dante from touchpanels, as well as monitor status and automate workflows.
www.aja.com
ASTERA HAS launched the ProjectionLens for its battery-powered PlutoFresnel LED luminaire, updating the Fresnel to a multifunctional lighting fixture. The ProjectionLens offers precision optics, zoom, accurate shutters for highlighting specific areas and gobos.
Powered by Astera’s full-spectrum, highrendition Titan LED engine, the PlutoFresnel has an output comparable to a traditional 300W tungsten Fresnel, with power consumption of less than 80W. Weighing 4.5kg, the fixture is suitable for fitting into small and less accessible spaces on sets or stages and also includes multiple rigging options, with a removable handle, foldable legs and YokeBases.
The ProjectionLens has been developed after gathering extensive feedback from event companies, lighting designers and other end users worldwide via Astera’s distribution network. The lens can be installed quickly and
efficiently by sliding in and out of the luminaire, and features an integrated manual zoom with a range of 16–36° for projection which can be simply adjusted by twisting the lens barrel. For clear gobo projection at various distances, two focus wheels are included in the ProjectionLens, with one for standard focus and the other enabling a focus for close-proximity surfaces. The E-Sized gobo holder enables seamless projection of shapes, breakups and other effects and custom logos/gobos, with the projected beam or gobo image aligned and focused by rotating and tilting the lens barrel. The ProjectionLens also features a four-leaf shutter design, offering maximum beam control by allowing the projected and lit areas to be trimmed as needed.
www.astera-led.com
Chris Miller, executive director of PSNI Global Alliance, explains how the organisation has evolved over almost four decades
How and when did PSNI come into being?
Professional Systems Network was started with four AV and broadcast systems dealers in 1986. As a network, it was a revolutionary business concept that was new to our industry. The premise was to bring like-minded AV dealership owners together to share business best-practices, elevate professionalism and provide support to customers in a way that had not been done before. Strong relationships were built among the small nucleus of business leaders and the reputation of PSNI grew. Over time, it attracted many of the best US-based dealers in the industry. The founders published a customer bill of rights and code of ethics shortly after forming the alliance that today remains at its foundation. These conduct codes form the basis for the selection of our licensees, vendor and strategic partners. While many things have changed over the past 38 years, the human element of trust and professionalism remain at the core of our beliefs, both in competition and coopetition.
How has the organisation grown and developed over the years?
The innovative business model offered in 1986 is still relevant today. It was a new alliance concept that was not widely understood at the time. Collectively, the value proposition of the network was promoted both to the member and the customer of the member. Even though the premise was to share among the membership, there was always a coopetition approach to business while serving as an extension of each other’s capabilities, reach, service and support to end users of technology. It introduced a new level of trust and engagement that has become a true market differentiator for Certified Solution Providers (CSPs) with global
This year, we announced our global coverage in 64 countries with more than 270 locations worldwide. PSNI has remained agile, allowing the alliance to grow to a collective annual turnover (revenue) of US$5.7b with more than 12,000 employees around the world.
In 2018, we launched two key certifications: global deployment and global service and support. All CSPs are required to maintain certified engagement specialists to provide network partner support. This standardised approach to engagement mitigates risk and improves profitability and client satisfaction. In 2023, PSNI launched a new Strategic Account Management certification and, in 2024, a new Quality Management Systems (QMS) certification for system design through system commissioning. These are provided at no charge to our CSPs worldwide and are required for continued affiliation. Today, PSNI Global Alliance is the largest alliance of AV/UCC systems integrators in the world.
client relationships is a driving factor of joining, in addition to the potential of receiving business from other PSNI CSP customers. We empower our stockholders and stakeholders worldwide to achieve more together to the benefit of end users – this is a huge incentive to all.
What are the requirements for joining?
What benefits does PSNI afford to its members and what are the incentives for joining?
By being a part of PSNI Global Alliance, our integrators, referred to as CSPs, collectively leverage each other’s strengths, expand their individual capabilities and overcome challenges more effectively than they could individually. The power of working together in alliance lies in the synergistic effects that arise from combined efforts, leading to enhanced productivity, increased influence, improved outcomes and with less risk to CSPs. We empower our stakeholders to achieve more together to the benefit of all customers – wherever and whenever. As a for-profit corporation owned by the CSPs, a global board of directors, elected by the global membership, sets the direction of the alliance. A team of industry experts and external advisors manage daily business
joining vary. They include alignment with the PSNI brand, global vendor programmes, access to a trusted network of peer-approved
partners around indicators and industry research internal company growth, training strategic account standards and access to services including PSNI Global opportunities are also an important
Systems integrators who need a qualified, vetted and trusted network to support key end users regionally and globally while mitigating risk and solidifying
We receive more than 100 enquiries annually from integrators throughout the world who have expressed an interest in joining the alliance. An initial interview is conducted to determine synergy between the SI and PSNI. Based on the outcome, an application may be extended to the SI, but only in those markets where PSNI needs additional coverage or specific vertical market expertise that complements its overall capabilities. The application process includes leadership/ ownership interviews, site visits (if possible), credit checks, submission of professional processes in place, years in business, ownership, project documentation, drawings, ratios of full-time employees by skill that fit the proven ratios required by all CSPs, references by vendor partners and, if possible, references from end users. By doing this diligence up front, end users and CSPs can rest assured that when they use a PSNI Global Alliance integrator or service provider, they are using a qualified and vetted partner in the market.
What was the response when you decided to take the organisation global in 2017, and where did the initial interest and early international members come from?
In 2016, after 30 years of business in North America, PSNI commissioned an exploratory committee and international consultant to interview system integrators, manufacturers and enterprise end users to determine if there was a need for global expansion. Discovering there was a true need and opportunity coupled with PSNI’s 30-plus years of experience in building and operating a network suggested a real opportunity for PSNI to make a difference in the AV experience for systems integrators and end users. The 10 founding global licensees were in Europe, India, the UAE and South America, and the global group met for the first time at InfoComm in 2017. Since then, PSNI has worked diligently to build out its network to a full coverage across six continents.
What are you doing to attract more global members?
We are very proud of our CSPs throughout APAC; however, there are still countries where we are accepting interviews and applications. We encourage any systems integrator in the AV/UCC space to reach out through the psni.org website to see if it’s a fit for their organisation. PSNI will attend InfoComm Asia and we would love to talk to interested APAC and MEA systems integrators during the show.
www.psni.org
