Pro AVL MEA September-October 2019 by Blank Canvas Publishing Ltd

LIVE 2019 LIVE RECORDING INSTALLATION AV BROADCAST POSTPRODUCTION January–February LIVESOUND SOUND LIGHTING LIGHTING RECORDING RECORDINGINSTALLATION INSTALLATIONAV AVBROADCAST BROADCASTPOSTPRODUCTION POSTPRODUCTIONSeptember–October January–February2019 2019 SOUND LIGHTING RECORDING INSTALLATION AV BROADCAST POSTPRODUCTION January–February

POWER PEOPLE SHIPTO TOTHE SHORE QE2 aa new in QE2 makes makes new home home in Dubai Dubai Behind South Africa’s Innibos Festival

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CONTENTS

Volume 16 Issue Five September–October 2019

NEWS NEWS Biamp buys Apart and Community, Focusrite Group acquires ADAM Audio

SPECIAL REPORT: Saudi goes all out for its first international festival

EDUCATION Avolites Academy goes to the Oasis, Sound GP and Wild & Marr team up

DISTRIBUTION Harman joins forces with Masterpiece, DWR expands portfolio

APPOINTMENTS CTME brings in new faces, marketing manager joins Sennheiser ME 24 NEW PRODUCTS The industry’s most comprehensive product news

FEATURES COVER: READY FOR THE STAGE Gruelling humidity at South Africa’s Innibos Festival 66 UNDER THE DOME Taking a tour of Qatar’s largest planetarium

RIDING THE WAVE Pulse ME tackles audio at The Palm’s entertainment complex

CUSTOM EXPERIENCE Rolex’s flagship Dubai outlet gets a bespoke solution from Mood 74

Editor’s note When important business news is approaching release, it’s normally the industry’s worst kept secret. So, it was somewhat of a surprise to see two major acquisitions spring out of the woodwork this issue. Firstly, we had the news that Biamp had acquired Audioprof, the Belgian group housing the Apart Audio and Community brands. Then, less than a week later came the news that the Focusrite Group has bought German monitor manufacturer ADAM Audio. Both of these appear well-judged combinations that add great potential to each of the brands involved. What they both also highlight is the need for manufacturers to constantly expand their offering if they’re going to remain competitive. You can’t hedge your bets on one stand out product driving the bulk of your business anymore, customers ideally want a single point of contact capable of fulfilling all of their needs. Focusrite now has a well-regarded studio monitor line up in its portfolio, an eminently sensible choice. While, for Biamp, a whole range of products have now joined its offering which gives it a leg up in vertical markets such as retail, hospitality, stadiums and outdoor venues. Both these announcements broke while I was at the Mediatech Africa exhibition in Johannesburg, and unsurprisingly became a big talking point on the show floor. Mediatech was one of the other highlights of this issue for me. Uniquely, the show takes place biennially, and perhaps this is one of the main reasons why attendees are so eager to sink their teeth into what’s on show? You can find our report on p.82. From a theme park install to a high-end retail outlet, or a planetarium to a rustic gastropub meets family entertainment centre, this edition has a little slice of everything inside.

GROWING THE FAMILY Doha’s latest family attraction opens in Doha Festival Mall 76

BUSINESS Email: sluckhurst@proavl-mea.com

LETTER FROM AMERICA Dan Daley assesses the evolution of live sound 78

CONTACTS

LETTER FROM EUROPE Phil Ward on why audio is still not top of the priority list 78 COMPANY PROFILE What’s next for Martin Professional?

SHOW REVIEW Mediatech Africa 2019 was all about the visitor experience

ANALYSIS Vitec’s Kevin Ancelin talks OTT strategy in the social media era

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TECHNOLOGY Part two of our Audio Precision series on audio measurement 86 R&D Nexo gets straight to the point with its new P Series project

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COVER: Innibos Festival - Image courtesy of Kief Kreativ/Anriette Van Wyk LICENCES: Singapore: MCI (P) 065/05/2019 All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the copyright owners.

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NEWS

Biamp expands product portfolio with Audioprof acquisition WORLD: Audioprof Group International, the parent company of Community Loudspeakers and Apart Audio, has been acquired by Biamp from 3d Investors of Ghent, Belgium. Having celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, Community Loudspeakers is a respected manufacturer of premium speakers targeting demanding indoor and outdoor applications including commercial, leisure, stadiums and other large venues. Most recently, the Philadelphia-based company introduced the new L-Series LVH-900 Beam-forming Venue Horn at InfoComm 2019. Based in Antwerp, Apart Audio has established itself as a provider of audio solutions in small- and medium-sized venues with a large

Biamp president, CEO and co-chairman, Rashid Skaf portfolio of speakers, amplifiers, mixers, controllers and paging stations. Having entered into the North American market in 2018, Apart has a well-established business in Europe and a market in which Biamp’s extensive

distribution system can provide an immediate boost. ‘I am tremendously excited to complete this transaction,’ commented Biamp president, CEO and co-chairman, Rashid Skaf. ‘Building a comprehensive lineup of speakers has been a priority of mine as we move to position Biamp as a full line provider of professional audiovisual solutions. Acquiring Apart Audio and Community Loudspeakers was my preferred route to accomplishing that quickly with incredibly strong and respected brands. The many products added to our portfolio give us powerful positions in several key growth markets for Biamp – most notably retail, hospitality, restaurants, stadiums and outdoor venues. With this move, Biamp has clearly

established itself as a leader in the pro AV market.’ The acquisition follows quickly after the launch of Biamp’s desono speaker family developed primarily for conferencing rooms and smaller-scale applications. ‘I am thrilled that Community Loudspeakers and Apart Audio are joining the Biamp family,’ added Apart Audio CEO, Kris Vermuyten. ‘The great product complementarity and geographical fit strengthen my belief that we are now part of one of the strongest and most-respected AV solutions providers and that we will be able to offer best-in-class solutions to our channel partners and end users. I want to thank 3d Investors for their hands-on support and guidance during the last 10 years that helped our company grow

into a worldwide installed sound specialist.’ Under Skaf’s direction, Biamp has charted an aggressive growth strategy that blends organic product line and distribution expansion with entry into new markets via acquisitions. The addition of Audioprof Group International follows that of Cambridge Sound Management in December 2018, making Biamp a leader in sound masking systems. Community Loudspeakers and Apart Audio will join Biamp as product families within the company’s portfolio, with business functions gradually blending to form a single Biamp business. www.apart-audio.com www.biamp.com www.communitypro.com

Sennheiser buys majority stake in Dear Reality WORLD: Sennheiser has become the majority shareholder of Dear Reality GmbH, a virtual/ augmented reality audio software company. Dear Reality will continue to operate as a separate company based in Düsseldor f; however, the acquisition will result in joint VR/ AR workflows. Uwe Cremering, who oversees Ambeo immersive audio at Sennheiser, will support Dear Reality as its third CEO, alongside founders Achim Fell and Christian Sander. The company’s products are aimed at sound engineers, sound designers, broadcasters and musicians, with its latest

piece of software, dearVR Spatial Connect, used for mixing immersive VR content. Existing dearVR products will receive continued suppor t, such as the dearVR PRO binaural, Ambisonics and multichannel encoder for vir tualisation. ‘For us, 3D audio is the future,’ said Sennheiser co-CEO, Andreas Sennheiser. ‘With Ambeo, Sennheiser is active in all areas of immersive audio production, from the initial recording to mixing and processing and, finally, reproduction. Audio software is an important building block in this production chain, especially with regards to VR/AR applications.’

DearVR Spatial Connect enables sound engineers to mix VR in VR Co-CEO Daniel Sennheiser added: ‘We are pleased to have gained additional, highly

qualified software experts and further 3D audio products with the acquisition of Dear Reality.

At the same time, leveraging the strength of the Sennheiser brand and its global distribution network will give Dear Reality a larger scope of action.’ Dear Reality founders Fell and Sander explained that they had been working closely with Sennheiser as an investor and partner for more than a year. ‘3D audio software has an everincreasing importance in audio production. Together, we will expand our innovative, professional end-to-end workflows – and develop new ones,’ they said. www.dearvr.com www.sennheiser.com

ADAM Audio acquired by Focusrite Group WORLD: The Focusrite Group has acquired ADAM Audio in what is its first acquisition since going public in 2014. The Berlin-based studio monitor manufacturer joins the Focusrite Pro, Novation and Ampify Music brands in the Focusrite Group portfolio, yet will remain autonomous and continue as its own brand under the leadership of CEO Christian Hellinger. ‘I am delighted that we have an important new addition to our family of brands,’ said Focusrite founder and chairman, Phil Dudderidge. ‘For the Focusrite Group, the creation and recording

Focusrite Group CEO, Tim Carroll, with ADAM Audio CEO, Christian Hellinger

4 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

of music is everything. With a vision to create the most holistic creative experience for recording professionals and musicians alike, choosing the right high-precision studio monitor brand is key. Together with ADAM Audio, we can achieve so much more, removing the technical barriers that frustrate artists seeking to record and reveal their true sound.’ ‘What a perfect beginning for the next chapter of our great company’s story,’ commented Hellinger. ‘I’m so proud of what the ADAM Audio team has achieved over the past 20 years, and can’t

wait to see what we’ll achieve together with the Focusrite Group.’ Tim Carroll, CEO of the Focusrite Group, also commented: ‘ADAM Audio is undeniably a leader in the field of electro-acoustics. The A7Xs and S3s have become standards in recording spaces across the globe. Even so, I know the team have no interest in resting on their laurels. We need to ensure they receive all the support they require to continue raising the sonic bar.’ www.adam-audio.de www.focusrite.com

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NEWS

AAP Media Network selects Calrec for recent channel expansion

PAKISTAN: AAP Media Network has invested in six new Brio36 audio consoles to be used for live on-air mixing on two of its news and infotainment channels, AAP News and Indus News. The Lahore-based broadcaster is also planning to launch an additional channel later in the year for which the Brio36s will be deployed. ‘When we started working on these two new channels, I wanted to make sure that we were using consoles that would foster innovation and make mixing easy,’ stated Suhail Ahmed, Group COO at AAP Media Network. ‘Calrec satisfies both those requirements.

The Brio36s took our engineers only 30 minutes to configure and two days to learn. By day three, we were up and running. They offer easy access to preamps and our studio resources can be accessed remotely via Dante, though as we grow, we plan to deploy Hydra2.’ Jawad Ali, general manager, broadcast and IT at AAP Media Network, added: ‘Calrec has given us a single system that covers and caters to all our needs and has allowed us to take away external third-party devices, reducing system complexity and deployment time. Our engineers are all Dante certified, allowing us to be the first

channel in Pakistan to benefit from audio-over-IP using Dante.’ ‘The mic preamps are amazing and our audio quality has improved drastically,’ furthered Tanvir Hussain, head of PCR operations at AAP Media Network. ‘We no longer use our external delay units because we have easy GPI triggers, which transition seamlessly to the built-in delay when we need it.’ Four of the Brio36s are located in AAP Media Network’s main studio in Lahore. The fifth is housed in its studio in Karachi and the sixth at its Islamabad facility. AAP News, an Urdulanguage channel, and Indus News, an English-language channel, both reach local and international audiences. Programmes include Coffee Table, AAP Janab and AAP Kay Muqabil. ‘This is a significant customer win for us in Pakistan,’ commented Calrec international sales manager, Anthony Harrison. ‘Our goal with this project was to get AAP Media Network up and running with the Brio36s quickly and, given the ease with which the engineers learnt the sophisticated features of the consoles, this certainly proved to be the case.’

Shure gets certified WORLD: Several Shure products have been Zoom Rooms cer tified. These include the Shure Microflex Advance ceiling array and table-top microphone, the IntelliMix P300 audio conferencing processor and Microflex Wireless microphone products. Additionally, the microphone manufacturer has joined the Microsoft Teams Cer tification programme and is working to achieve cer tification for a select por tfolio of its networked systems products.

Zoom provides video-first unified communications solutions running across mobile devices, desktops, telephones and room systems. As par t of the cer tification process, Shure worked to ensure that the Mute Sync feature on the IntelliMix P300 worked seamlessly with Zoom Rooms. This feature synchronises mute control and

LED notifications without the need for an external control system. ‘Audio quality is critical to ef fective unified communication for any scale meeting, from a one-onone discussion to a large, 20-person conference,’ said Chris Merrick, director of global systems marketing at Shure. ‘We know we can deliver our mission of extraordinar y sound with cer tification with leading platforms like Zoom.’ Microsoft Teams, on the other hand, provides an online meeting solution that includes meetings, live broadcasts, Microsoft Team Rooms, cloud video interoperability and audio conferencing for corporate conference rooms to special event venues and higher education campuses. Designed for these environments, Shure microphones and digital signal processing products enable premium audio suitable for a variety of rooms and applications. ‘Joining the Microsoft Teams cer tification process is a clear indicator of our intention to provide best-inclass experience, compatibility and reliability in the unified communications market,’ added Merrick. www.shure.com

www.calrec.com

Levels and Avant Garde join forces

MIDDLE EAST : UAE-based companies Avant Garde and Levels have announced that they are merging into a single entity. Owned by the same backers, the systems integrator and audiovisual distributor will now trade under the Levels name with a distribution por tfolio comprising Oyaide Neo, Linea Research, Monacor, Pioneer Pro Audio, Tecnare and Xilica. Established in 2015, Levels has up until this point primarily served as an AV systems integration and event production company focused on the hospitality industry. ‘One of the partners at Levels was also a partner at Avant Garde, so there was already an established connection between the two organisations,’ explained Levels managing partner, Hassan Alwan. ‘Secondly, each company had a unique offering that the Hassan Alwan and Daniel Ball

6 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

other did not carry. Levels was a proven and established hospitality-focused integrator with high-profile project experience that included Concrete (Al Serkal Avenue), La Petite Maison, Loca, Nus-ret and Yas Beach. Avant Garde, meanwhile, was a specialist in technical engineering and delivery, offering a high-quality and diversified brand portfolio that included Pioneer Pro Audio, Xilica and Tecnare.’ Prior to the announcement, the two companies had been working together for over two years with both benefitting from the UPS and added value the other brought to the table. ‘With both companies sharing a similar vision for business expansion and future opportunities, it made sense to integrate the two under a single roof going forward,’ furthered Levels’ partner and technical lead, Daniel Ball. ‘Moreover,

Levels did not get involved in distribution and sourced its products from AV distribution companies based in the UAE. We found this to be challenging when targeting premium hospitality projects that required top-tier audio solutions that we did not carry within our own exclusive portfolio at the time, hence the appeal to Avant Garde’s product offering.’ Avant Garde was established in 2017 with a specific focus on supporting the Pioneer Pro Audio brand in the region. In the two years since, it has assumed responsibility for brands including Xilica and Tecnare. ‘We are on the verge of announcing new additions to our Levels product portfolio, including show lighting products and audio and lighting cable solutions,’ concluded Alwan. www.levelsav.com

NEWS

Informatica relies on Iconyx at Katara Hills Gardens QATAR: Boasting a 5,000-seat amphitheatre, two mosques, more than a dozen restaurants and cafés, shops and a private 1.5km beach with gondolas and water sports, Katara Cultural Village in Doha is a 21st-century project that celebrates the diversity of global cultures. Summer 2019 saw the opening of Katara Hills Gardens, a 606,000m2 waterfront development within the village that features two parks containing jogging trails and other public recreational facilities. Doha-based systems integrator, Informatica Qatar, was enlisted to design, supply and install CCTV, AV and background music systems at the new development. BOOM Construction was the general contractor for the project and KEO International handled project construction management. It was decided by Informatica Qatar that the best way to fill the large outdoor space with a high-quality, non-intrusive speaker system was to install an Iconyx IC Live Gen5 digitally steerable line array from Renkus-Heinz. ‘RenkusHeinz was chosen for its durability,

Iconyx IC Live Gen5 digitally steerable line arrays keep the outdoor space covered

Katara Cultural Village in Doha is the recipient of ICL-F-Dual-RD-WR digitally steerable line arrays especially under rough outdoor conditions, and also for their line arrays’ ability to cover large areas such as the park with very highquality playback,’ stated Informatica project manager, Ahmed Youssef. ‘Renkus-Heinz also has a strong presence in Qatar, with a lot of successful installations.’ Informatica Qatar was selected for the project in part due to its previous experience with open-air systems. Over the last decade, the company has worked on numerous large projects, including installing systems at Al Rayyan and Lusail Stadiums for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup. For the Katara Hills Gardens project, 15 ICL-F-Dual-RDWR digitally steerable line array enclosures are fed by electronics from Spanish manufacturer LDA Audio Tech, which collaborated with both Informatica and Renkus-Heinz on the project. A close collaboration between Renkus-Heinz and LDA reportedly ensured a seamless and hassle-free integration of the IC Live Gen5 arrays.

The loudspeakers were mounted on poles located around the parks and were connected to a Dante network through dual ports with fibre-optic inputs, thereby eliminating cable length limitations across the open expanses. The fact that Renkus-Heinz was the only loudspeaker manufacturer equipping its products with Dante over fibre optic was said to add ‘significantly’ to the IC Live’s suitability for the project. ‘The objectives for the sound system were to provide maximum coverage at a comfortable level for the jogging tracks and other walking and sitting areas,’ explained Youssef. ‘The loudspeakers were made with a custom colour, RAL 8016, to match the woody look of the trees onsite and to try as much as possible to fit the speakers into their outdoor locations unobtrusively.’ The ICL-F-Dual combines two ICL-F-RN modules, each equipped with five 6.5-inch cone transducers and three 1-inch titanium nitride compression drivers. This gives the ICL-F-Dual the ability to form up to eight separate beams with different coverage angles and throw full bandwidth sound at 105dB SPL over distances of up to 30m. The sound system is typically supplied with audio from a client workstation, an LDA NEO8060S02, or an LDA RCD-21R multi-source audio player that incorporates a CD/DVD player, FM/AM radio, and USB and SD Card interfaces. LDA also supplied controllers, software, paging microphones and other components that are located in the control room for the facility. Signal switching is performed by Cisco switches. ‘The client is very happy with the system,’ concluded Youssef. ‘In fact, they told me they want to use Renkus-Heinz speakers in other new areas of the village as they are built.’

www.i-qatar.com www.renkus-heinz.com

VST Music Studio embraces Cubase Pro 10

UAE: Having first opened its doors in 2016, Dubai-based production studio VST Music Studio has adopted Steinberg’s Cubase Pro 10 as its primary DAW. Corporate work has been a segment of focus for VST lately, with Cubase Pro 10 supporting recent productions with some big names in the market such as Al Marai, F1 Abu Dhabi, RTA and Dubai festival city.

Cubase Pro 10 introduced a re-designed user interface and new features such as the Audio Alignment Tool that lets you stack and match recordings, synchronising them to a reference track. ‘Every producer is used to what he/she’s been working with and they can say it is very fast and convenient and recommend

Studio owner Stoyan Stoyanov Storn Having worked as a music producer, composer and arranger for 16 years after relocating to the UAE in 2010, Bulgarian studio owner Stoyan Stoyanov Storn has been using the Steinberg software alongside a Universal Audio Apollo 8 audio interface and Behringer X32 mixer. ‘Cubase has an extremely comfortable functionality, especially with the new and additional features included in the latest version 10,’ explained Storn. ‘To name some standout features would be wrong, because it’s the entirety of the Cubase functionality that makes it brilliant. But let’s just say that the Vary Audio tuning tool, the channel strip for each audio/instrument channel, plug-ins like Quadrafuzz, the really convenient mixing console and the render in place functionality are all amazing features.’

their DAW,’ furthered Storn. ‘All my customers who have some experience with other DAWs are amazed with what I can do with Cubase and the speed I do it. Speed is the word I can use to really describe Cubase. It is a brilliant DAW.’ ‘We have always been in awe of how Cubase empowers musicians and producers,’ added Khadija Khalid, audio sales and marketing manager at Cubase distributor, MediaCast. ‘People who use Cubase swear by it and we hope to take it to more people to experience the system. We work very closely with the end users and I am delighted to hear the fantastic feedback from Stoy and VST about Cubase.’ www.mediacastsys.com www.steinberg.net

VV & Sons launches new website WEB: Dubai-based distributor VV & Sons has launched a website for its professional division to highlight its expanding role as a professional AVL distributor. As well as spor ting a brand-new look, the website now features a range of content that will be kept updated, including helpful information, ar ticles,

8 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

news, newsletters, company announcements and client success stories. ‘Our goal with this new interactive website is to provide a clear message of who we are, what we stand for and where our value lies when it comes to AVL,’ explained VV & Sons professional division

manager, Vikesh Thamban. ‘It gives visitors an interactive way to learn about the VV & Sons Professional AVL division, its products, ser vices and solutions, and also allows visitors to browse information based on their own choice.’ www.pro.vvsons.com

YAMAHA MUSIC GULF FZE Jebel Ali Free Zone Dubai U.A.E. Tel : +971 4 8011500 http://mea.yamaha.com www.yamahaproaudio.com http://nexo-sa.com

NEWS

Nexo reaches for the sky UAE: The recently opened Skyland Bar & Lounge on the top floor of the Stella Di Mare hotel in Dubai Marina has been equipped with a Nexo sound system, supplied by distributor VV & Sons and installed by Alphadata Dubai. ‘Skyland is one of the few rooftop bars in Dubai,’ said Vikesh Thamban, manager of VV & Sons’ pro AV division. ‘They were looking for a high-quality sound system that could be used for foreground music during the day and as a pure club setup at night.’ The system was designed with two separate audio zones: one for the lounge and the other for the club’s stone island area. An Allen & Heath GR4 zone mixer was installed, along with a pair of PL14 wall-mount controllers. In the stone island zone, four Nexo ID24 speakers have been paired with an IDS110 subwoofer, while the lounge is covered by double the amount, with eight ID24s and two IDS110s. A Nexo NX-AMP4X4 amplifier provides the power needed to drive the setup. ‘Nexo was chosen for this project because their speakers offer high quality and are compact in size,’ added Thamban. ‘They can be used as a full-range system, or as a dedicated “sound beaming” unit in difficult spaces. Whether they’re mounted horizontally or vertically, the ID24 delivers great performance in all areas. The wide dispersion and unique user-rotatable horn helped quickly select between 60° x 60°, 90° x 40°, 120° x 40° or 120° x 60°

Alphadata’s Mr Bala with Mr Sajan and Vikesh Thamban of VV & Sons in each part of the venue.’ In addition to the speaker setup, VV & Sons supplied two AudioTechnica ATW-2120 wireless microphones and a Denon DN-300Z media player. Meanwhile, Alphadata Dubai also installed the PA and BGM solutions needed throughout the rest of the Stella Di Mare hotel, choosing Australian Monitor systems across 16 zones. Feedback from the client has been positive following installation. ‘The system gives us great sound,’ said Basel Abboud, assistant director of food and beverages at Skyland Bar & Lounge. ‘It is the perfect solution for what we were looking for.’

Radio Kuwait expands Nexus network

KUWAIT: Radio Kuwait has expanded its Stage Tec Nexus network. Notably, the radio broadcaster was equipped with the first major Nexus network in the Middle East back in 2004, for which a central Nexus Star router and 20 Base Devices are connected in a star configuration. These have been responsible for the entire audio signal distribution throughout the radio station and, now, several Nexus interfaces have been updated and expanded. New additions include Dante/ AES67 boards, allowing production facilities at Radio Kuwait to connect over IP. The radio station has also been equipped with the Nexus monitor control GUI that enables the signals across Nexus networks to be monitored without a mixing

‘Radio Kuwait opted for Stage Tec 15 years ago because Nexus provides an extensive distribution network for audio signals, taking all conceivable

The Radio Kuwait control room console. The Nexus network itself has been extended to 63 Base Devices with up to 64,000 I/Os. Stage Tec also supplied three new Nexus Base Devices with multiple interfaces, installed in the main control room and in two of the music studios. The network includes Stage Tec On Air, as well as two Auratus consoles.

The Stage Tec Nexus Monitor Control installed at Radio Kuwait

Nexus matrix formats into account,’ said JeanPaul Moerman from Stage Tec’s sales team. ‘Another advantage is that Nexus is constantly being fur ther developed and remains compatible over generations.’ Following installation, Moerman provided training for the Radio Kuwait engineers.

www.alpha.ae www.nexo-sa.com

www.stagetec.com

www.pro.vvsons.com

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NEWS

GDMO goes wireless with Digital 6000 UAE: Sennheiser’s Digital 6000 solution has been installed as par t of an upgrade to the conference hall at the Government of Dubai Media Office’s (GDMO) headquar ters at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The new system provides the necessar y wireless connectivity and audio quality required of the high-profile events held at the hall, while a significant aspect of the install was the GDMO’s decision to leverage networked audio. ‘Doing so has enabled us to significantly reduce the amount of cabling, simplify interconnectivity, maintenance and troubleshooting, and streamline our technical operations,’ explained Salem Belyouha, director of media ser vices at the GDMO.

ME 9004. The GDMO also selected Sennheiser’s ME 104 cardioid capsule with five SK 6000 bodypack transmitters to provide the best feedback rejection and attenuation of room noise. ‘Our experience with the Sennheiser team has been fantastic,’ commented Belyouha. ‘They suppor ted us long before we issued any formal RFQ and long after the project was completed.’ GDMO’s custom handheld mics

www.sennheiser.com

NEW

The Sennheiser setup at the GDMO With Yamaha and Sennheiser collaborating to enable integration between CL and QL series consoles and the Digital 6000 system earlier in the year, the GDMO’s engineering team has gained the ability to control several parameters of the mic system’s operating menu and also to monitor RF levels, gains and batter y status of the wireless microphones, all through the console itself. A wireless solution was preferred due to the additional flexibility it offers; however, as events held at the venue typically result in large numbers of mobile phones being used, it was also imperative that the system address the GDMO’s concerns regarding RF inter ference and noise. Four EM 6000 Dante receivers form the backbone of a system that includes three SKM 6000 handheld microphones. Sennheiser customised these handhelds in the GDMO’s corporate colours and provided both a dynamic capsule in the form of the MD 9235 and also the pre-polarised condenser microphone capsule, the

TAKING LINE3/4 ARRAY PAGE

PERFORMANCE

TO A WHOLE

NEW LEVEL Sharing the same aesthetic and sonic signatures as the acclaimed GEO M10 and compact M6 line arrays, the new GEO M12 takes its place as the flagship of the range, achieving a peak SPL of 140dB. And with great power comes great versatility, with integral rigging, a dedicated sub, plug & play power options and touring / installation versions making GEO M12 a system that performs at a whole new level in a wide variety of applications.

Thinking. Inside the box.

September–October 2019 PRO AVL MEA 11

NEWS

Audio Asylum finds the perfect PMC match SOUTH AFRICA: Audio Asylum, a postproduction studio based in Johannesburg, has invested in a new monitoring solution from PMC featuring a 5.1 setup of the British manufacturer’s result6 cabinets and twotwo sub1 subwoofer, supplied by Benjamin Pro Audio. ‘I really love PMC’s attention to detail,’ explained Audio Asylum owner, Mark Yaman. ‘When I originally invested in a pair of the PMC monitors, I knew I would be expanding my system later to cater for 5.1. What made this simple was PMC’s willingness to take the serial numbers of my monitors and do resistance matching with the rest of the

speakers I needed. There is no other monitor company I know that would go to such great detail for their clients.’ Audio Asylum is a privately owned facility and is currently housed in a bigger facility called Rothesay Avenue Studios. The space is equipped with Pro Tools Ultimate 2019.5, an Avid HD Omni HDX system and an Avid S3 and dock controller. At present, Audio Asylum’s main business is supplying audio post services to Africa’s biggest broadcaster, M-Net/MultiChoice. The company has also worked on a few TV documentaries, independent short films and television shows for

The Voice South Africa immerses audience in sound SOUTH AFRICA: The third season of The Voice South Africa has entered the live show phase that will see it broadcast at Mosaiek Teatro in Fairland, Johannesburg and air on M-Net, DStv 101. This year, for the first time, the in-studio audio enjoyed by the audience is being powered by L-Acoustics’ L-ISA immersive sound technology. Multi-Media, the show’s full technical supplier, achieved this by using an L-Acoustics Kara PA and DiGiCo consoles.

other production companies and broadcasters. ‘I absolutely love the accuracy of the result6 monitors and how old mixes translate so well on them,’ Yaman stated. ‘It took very little time for my ears to adjust to listening to them and, to date, I have had no listening fatigue at all. I can vouch for the fact that they have a very wide sweet spot and I love their ability to translate accurately at extremely low levels. This has really aided me with dynamics in my mixes in a way that I didn’t even consider in the past.’ www.audioasylum.co.za www.pmc-speakers.com

Pan Beam steers the acoustics in Parliament

quadrophonic and surround shows,’ shared Multi-Media audio engineer, Adriaan van der Walt. ‘These were few and far between and some had greater levels of success than others. There was generally very little correlation between the setup in a studio and a large-format PA system. Then L-ISA caught my attention and I knew it would be a game changer. I knew it would have huge benefits for a strong production like The Voice. When I presented the idea

JORDAN: Pan Acoustics’ integration partner, Girhoma, has combined a Televic conference solution with Pan Beam PB 24 speakers at the Jordan Parliament in the capital, Amman. The setup was chosen to ensure speech intelligibility while remaining discreet.

Multi-Media audio engineer, Adriaan van der Walt

Multi-Media has worked on The Voice South Africa since it arrived in the country four years ago. At the beginning of this year, it decided the time was right to invest in a new top-end audio system, initially purchasing 30 L-Acoustics Kara, 12 SB18, four KS28 and seven LA12X amplified controllers. This was augmented for the latest series of The Voice with an additional 18 Karas, four SB18s and five LA12Xs. ‘I always jumped at the opportunity to work on

to the production team, they were convinced, too.’ Van der Walt travelled to the manufacturer’s head office near Paris with DWR’s Chris Pugh for an extensive four-day L-ISA training session. ‘It was very informative with a great deal of information to absorb, but the friendly and welcoming spirit that is present at L-Acoustics made it a special experience for me,’ noted Pugh. ’We couldn’t wait to get back to South Africa to get started.’

12 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

The setup at Mosaiek Teatro features five arrays of nine Kara each, positioned across the width of the stage as a Scene system. The KS28 subs are flown centrally, while six Kiva II per side act as the extension system to provide a wider panorama. Front-fills comprise two X12s, while, due to the width of the venue, there are an additional two ARCS WiFo flown per side to cover the outer sides of the venue. For stage monitoring, Multi-Media’s Simon Panos used two X12s flown in the lighting grid and two X12s on the side of the stage. Control is from a DiGiCo SD10 running the latest firmware. ‘It has a couple of new features that tie L-ISA and DiGiCo together,’ explained van der Walt. ‘I set it up so that, in no more than three button pushes, I can be anywhere I need to be and do anything I need to do. Of course, it takes a bit of time to lay it all out and programme it, but, once you are in that operation mode, it really is a breeze to work on.’

The desk also integrates Waves Multi-Rack, L-ISA Controller, Multitrack Recording and a busy Optocore backbone. ‘There was a lot of routing and inser t patching that had to happen in the background,’ added the audio engineer. ‘We almost managed to max out the first Optocore loop – there are only 40 audio paths left out of 500.’ While there are familiarities in how the audio system is set up, the approach to mixing is a depar ture from what van der Walt is used to. ‘The experience means applying yourself in a new way. Your creative input becomes more valuable with L-ISA. It gives you the oppor tunity to interpret the music and place things where you think they should sit spatially. It’s incredible how this, in turn, af fects the mix; the possibilities are endless.’

The Parliament room The main challenge for the Girhoma team to overcome was from the layout of the amphitheatre. Previous setups had been unable to provide sufficient coverage throughout, as the seats differ in height by up to 4m from the lowest to the highest. The Pan Beam systems include multi-beam technology that directs three beams across different heights. Highly reflective walls provided another obstacle. However, the Pan Beam systems were able to tame the acoustics. ‘We are happy to have found the best solution with the Pan Beam PB 24,’ said Hanna Zannaniri, general manager of Girhoma. ‘They make our lives much easier, solving all our acoustical problems.’

www.dwrdistribution.co.za www.l-acoustics.com

www.pan-acoustics.de

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NEWS

Audio Technology and Christie bring 6th October War to life EGYPT: Built to commemorate the 6th October War, which took place in 1973, the Panorama 6th October Museum in Cairo was opened in 1989. Thirty years later, and the museum was in need of a refresh, including a modern AV setup to attract visitors. Therefore, museum operator Military Authority of Museums commissioned Audio Technology SAE to blend audiovisual technologies with existing exhibits to captivate and educate guests. This has resulted in several exhibits being equipped with projection solutions from Christie. In Hall One, a 150-seat 5D cinema has been created with the help of a Christie Mirage WU14K-M projector offering 3D capabilities. The cinema showcases an FHD resolution 3D stereoscopic film, portraying what it was like on the front lines of the war by highlighting several battles, as well as the Egyptian army’s preparations. Christie’s LW502

projector has also been installed in Hall One for seminars. Six D13WU-HS projectors have been installed on another exhibit to form a U-shaped display that provides an overview of the war with a 10K resolution. Wrapping around the room, the screens fill the audience’s field of view, immersing them in the content.

Meanwhile, in a cylindrical room at the centre of the building, nine DWU1075-GS laser projectors beam footage captured during the 2011 and 2013 revolutions onto screens that wrap around the room entirely, creating a 360° screen projection. ‘We couldn’t be more thrilled with how the new additions have Six D13WU-HS projectors provide an overview of the war with 10K resolution

The Panorama 6th October Museum in Cairo

transformed the museum; and the response has exceeded all our expectations,’ said Jacko Makram, technical design and pre-sales manager at Audio Technology SAE. ‘We’ve received great feedback from the operator, who has said that visitors have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, with much of the excitement stemming from the exclusivity of the project; this is the first time in Egypt that all of this technology has been combined together in

one place. It’s important for us to show people this important time in history in an effective and immersive way that provides not only knowledge, but entertainment too. The client aspired to achieve a full-day entertainment programme for all ages, and we feel that the museum now proudly sits among Cairo’s other iconic locations.’ www.audioteceg.com www.christiedigital.com

KV2 supports Clean Prosound backs up TNL Bandit in Amman at new Afropunk HQ

JORDAN: Clean Bandit, a British electro-pop classical crossover band, recently played their first gig in Amman at the Boulevard in the new Abdali district. Triad Live Productions supplied the PA, control and lighting setup, including a KV2 Audio point source sound system. A KV2 VHD2.0 mid/high loudspeaker was paired with a VHD1.0 down-fill on each side. Two ES1.0 cabinets per side handled side-fill, while six EX12s provided front-fill. For the low-end frequencies, Triad supplied eight VHD4.18 subwoofers and four flown VHD2.16 units. ‘We used to use line arrays like everyone else as, at the time, it was considered to be the only way to successfully power major concerts,’ commented Amjad Marar from Triad Live Productions. ‘The switch to point source for us came after we heard a demo

of KV2’s VHD system at Prolight + Sound in 2007. From that moment on, we felt that KV2 had successfully busted the line array myth. It was enough to make us abandon line arrays completely in favour of point source systems, and we’ve used them to power almost all of the major concerts held in Jordan ever since – Akon, Yanni, Tom Jones, the Jerash Festival and more. ‘Clean Bandit – with prominent local artist, Jaafar, as the opening act – was no exception. The gig sounded great – very dynamic, crystal clear and with plenty of headroom to spare. We had lots of positive comments about the sound from both the crew and audience members so, as usual, it was a job well done.’ www.kv2audio.com www.triad-av.com

14 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

SOUTH AFRICA: TNL Technical Services recently undertook an installation project for the Afropunk Johannesburg Festival management, which was establishing a permanent office and pop-up venue in Braamfontein. The premises will be used until 2020 as a production office for the annual festival staged at Constitutional Hill each December. TNL founder, Teboho (aka Tee) Lekhula, was a long-time employee of local distributor Prosound, which took his company under its wing as an Enterprise Development project in 2017. Lekhula and Warren Bokwe of Afropunk came to know each other through participating in regular Redbull Sponsored events and built a relationship. ‘After an exchange of ideas, an installation idea came about,’ says Lekhula. Riaan Jacobs joined the team as a consultant, bringing his expertise and experience to the mix. The venue was not suitable for large sound systems having previously been a clothing store; therefore, Jacobs designed acoustic panelling to alleviate the problem, which TNL installed. The installation of Electro-Voice ZLX and ELZ speakers took four days,

Pepe Khumalo and Teboho (aka Tee) Lekhula with two days of after-hours work as no drilling was allowed during normal hours. Pepe Khumalo of Prosound was also involved in the project from the beginning. With the original brief received at the beginning of the year, he worked with the client giving advice up until the venue launch, including having two of the four ZLX 12-inch active speakers sprayed white to blend in with the white wall. Jacobs commended Khumalo on his professionalism, eagerness

to help and how quick he was able to deliver quotes. ‘When the system was up and running, it was so satisfying and exciting hearing it fired up – suppor ted by an additional two EV ELX 18-inch powered subwoofers, brought in just for the launch. All the hard work and planning had been wor thwhile at the end of the day,’ said Lekhula. www.afropunk.com/festival/joburg www.prosound.co.za

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NEWS: SPECIAL REPORT

Getting creative at Jeddah World Festival

Creative Technology and Protec joined forces to support the Kingdom’s biggest-ever music festival SAUDI ARABIA: Creative Technology (CT) Middle East and Protec were recently enlisted to support the closing ceremony of the inaugural Jeddah World Festival. The event, which took place on 18 July to 40,000 music fans, was the culmination of the 41-day festival comprising a series of events and performances from national and international artists and was not only the largest music festival to have been held in the country, but also marked a milestone in KSA’s 2030 vision to expand the entertainment sector in the country. Featuring performances from Janet Jackson, Liam Payne, Future, Tyga, 50 Cent, Chris Brown and Steve Aoki, the closing ceremony took place in the vicinity of King Abdullah Sports Stadium, which gave festivalgoers a view of the iconic stadium as a backdrop to the main stage. CT worked alongside its client, The Manual, as well as technical director John Adkins from World Class Events and production designer Mark Cunniffe, to deliver all live video aspects of the sold-out event. This included 15 custom-mounted 4.8mm outdoor LED screens in the shape of diamonds spanning 4m x 4m each, two 4.8mm rolling DJ risers and 150m of ROE LED strip which outlined the stage and catwalk. The stage design was achieved by rotating the screens 45° across the 90m structure. Protec delivered an extensive audio, lighting and rigging package for The Manual on behalf of Roqu Media.

Sennheiser wireless microphones along with a package of top-end wired microphones from Shure, Sennheiser, Neuman, DPA and AKG. Lighting and production designer Mark Cunniffe created the elaborate stage design. ‘Mark Cunniffe’s creative design was so unique that it required an engineering

‘The show looked and sounded incredible,’ commented Protec’s project manager, Luke Doyle. ‘The stage structure was the largest ever seen in the Middle East. This type of event had never been done to this scale in KSA and it was a great show to be a par t of for sure.’ Protec was tasked with fulfilling the technical rider for each ar tist, despite an unconfirmed lineup right up until the last minute. ‘We had catered well technically for the event using stock from our Riyadh and Dubai warehouses; however, we had to move quickly to discuss the requirements with the relevant ar tist’s teams and production and get the extra kit rushed into the countr y once the last lineup was finalised,’ noted Doyle. ‘The event was also a few days behind on build schedule so we were tightly pushed on time to deliver from our side with only two nights for build and rehearsals.’

16 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

An L-Acoustic K2 line array was selected as the primary PA, comprised of a main left and right hang of 23 K2 each and two large outer hangs of four K1-SBs, 13 K2s and six Karas per side, as the venue was very wide. Two small hangs of Kara were used behind the follow spot towers to fill out the dead spots in that area, while 32 SB28 subs were used in a sub arc configuration together with Kara front-fills. ‘The power-to-weight and size ratio of the K2 made this perfect as we were able to use very large hangs as the main left and right to get the throw needed without main delay towers, which the client didn’t want,’ explained Protec’s technical director, Ed Ross. ‘We also provided 20 channels of Sennheiser 2000 series IEMs and 16 L-Acoustics 115xtHIQ wedges for use by all the artists, as well as large side-fills of L-Acoustics ARCS II and SB28 onstage.’ Additionally, for recording, Protec used a mixture of Shure Axient and

safety approval before we could hang the LED panels 45° along the scaffolding structure,’ explained CT’s project manager, Giorgio Devecchi. ‘Prior to delivering the project, we carried out preproduction testing of the large diamonds at the CT headquarters in Dubai, where we compiled a full pixel study to ensure the content and live feed were displayed at the correct angle.’ CT provided a full video control package, driven by disguise gx 2 servers incorporating Notch for live camera processing and visual effects. ‘The screen control and switching were managed from a linked Barco E2 and S3 system with an additional two Image Pro 4Ks at front of house for VJs and touring media servers,’ added CT’s senior video engineer, Tom Stocks.

‘We also supplied our PPU for a sub mix of the broadcast cameras for IMAG to correspond to the diamond pixel area of the LED screens. A full 4K@50, pixel-for-pixel workflow was maintained with our Gen2 Barco system, Lightware 2.0 Matrix and Novastar 4K processors, as well as 4K fibre distribution.’ Protec also provided the lighting fixtures, which included 74 SGM Q7s on outer SL and SR towers, 80 SGM P5s on inner SL and SR towers, 66 Clay Paky Scenius Unicos used on stage rear wall and stage sides, 20 Clay Paky Scenius Profiles on stage rear wall and stage sides, 72 Clay Paky K.10 B-Eyes used on the stage rear wall and stage sides, 25 K.20 B-Eyes used on stage rear wall and 40 Robe Pointes used to line the catwalk and the aprons of the SL/SR towers. ‘These fixtures were controlled by three grandMA2 Full size along with two NPUs and a complement of Luminex Gigaswitch,’ added Doyle. ‘Jeddah World Festival was the first of its kind in many ways, the first festival in Saudi Arabia and the first large-scale outdoor show,’ concluded Richard King, director of The Manual. ‘We produced an experience never seen before in the market. When creating the show, it was essential we used excellent suppliers who are known for their reliability and huge inventory available locally.’ www.ctme.co www.productiontec.com

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EDUCATION Avolites Academy returns to the Oasis MIDDLE EAST: The Avolites Academy returned to Procom’s home in Dubai’s Silicon Oasis recently for another four days of intensive training. Having debuted at Procom for the first time outside of the UK last year, the workshop saw eight participants tackle Avolites’ Foundation and Mastery Level courses. The more tailored approach

The recent Avolites Academy workshop, therefore, was not just about introducing attendees to the new features added in the latest firmware update, but also delved deeper into more advanced workflows. The sessions were delivered by Procom’s certified Avolites instructor, Wiam Boutine, and presented in two versions,

to training marks something of a shake-up for Procom, which, having assessed the success of several past initiatives, is now concentrating on delivering a more dedicated and focused type of training. ‘Initially we were approaching these events as more of a marketing activity,’ explained Procom’s business development manager, Rami Harfouch. ‘We have hosted Avolites, Madrix, Philips and Eurotruss events, all with upwards of 50 participants. These people were interested in finding out more about the technology, but it wasn’t creating the sort of thorough and proper participation that gets them interested in what some of these products can really do.’

both English and Arabic, for the first time ever. There was also an optional assessment to become an accredited programmer, with a grade of 85% or higher resulting in a listing on the manufacturer’s website as a Titan Certified Programmer. ‘As the official distributor of Avolites within the region, we have a responsibility towards our customers and all Avolites users to ensure they receive world-class support and training on all Avolites products so they can fully benefit from the complete and versatile functionality that each desk has to offer,’ commented Boutine. ‘We emphasise a hands-on approach, with classes seating no more than eight students at a time and students benefiting

SOUTH AFRICA: Audio engineer and Sound GP owner Cristo Hattingh recently partnered with Wild & Marr to hold an Avid Venue S6L workshop in Strydom Park, Randburg. The workshop saw local rental companies, freelance sound engineers and students in attendance and was the first in a series set to make its way to Cape Town soon. Avid recently announced an expansion to its Venue S6L live sound family, with three new control surfaces (48-, 24- and 16-fader models), a new engine (112 E6L) and new 32- and 16-channel I/O racks. At the recent workshop, in addition to providing insight into

the Avid Venue S6L workflows, layouts, plug-in racks, snapshots and the control section, Hattingh intrigued attendees with practical examples of experience gained working on the latest season of The Voice South Africa, a project that Sound GP has been involved with for many seasons. Avid’s pro audio and live sound representative, JeanGabriel Grandouiller, was also in attendance, and demonstrated tips, tricks and features included on Avid’s latest update of the console’s software. Additionally, Wild & Marr sponsored a draw for two pairs of Shure SRH840 professional monitoring headphones, with the

from working on a dedicated console each during the classes.’ With so much to learn, the course is split into two parts. The two-day introductory course covered all the basics of the Titan platform including desk setup, patching and programming, while the following two-day mastery course covered more advanced topics such as time coding, pixel mapping and networking. ‘I really liked the concept that each student has their own desk and visualisers in front of them. It definitely makes things easier and more clear,’ offered Mathew Gionsamy from Eles Entertainment (The Music Hall). ‘Coming from a theatre background, I really like the scene master function on the consoles as it can help me a lot when changing and preparing a song within the set list at the last minute.’ ‘This Avolites training has been one of the best courses I have attended in the region, mainly because of the ease with which the console features were explained by Wiam,’ said Anugeeth Ashokan from Lightech Audio Visual Rental LLC. ‘Just when you think that you are quite familiar with the interface, Avolites surprises its users with new features with every version upgrade. The training is really extensive, but the way they have designed the course makes you realise that you will always have something new to learn. It’s a brilliant course and I would highly recommend all lighting enthusiasts to undertake future workshops; however, skipping the foundation course is not recommended at all.’

Loud and Clear Academy comes to Prosonic UAE: Dubai-based ElectroVoice and Dynacord distributor, Prosonic General Trading, recently hosted the first Loud and Clear Academy to take place at its new showroom on Dubai’s Airpor t Road. The event focused on Electro-Voice and Dynacord products for the por table, install and touring markets and was the first in a series of events. The session highlighted the capabilities of Electro-Voice Evolve 50, ELX 200 and EVC VI speakers as well as Dynacord’s L and C series amplifiers. Attendees were repor tedly par ticularly impressed with the EVC variable intensity speaker. Thanks to its asymmetrical dispersion waveguide, this loudspeaker delivers even coverage to the front and rear listening areas. As such, attendees saw it as a great solution for small auditorium

and house of worship applications that could be covered with a single speaker. Evolve 50 was another Electro-Voice product grabbing attendees’ attention. The por table column speaker delivers 120° x 40° coverage across the full frequency range to a wider audience area and many people at the session remarked how its sound quality was above their expectations. ‘The event’s feedback was extremely positive,’ reflected Prosonic general manager, Amir Bagheri. ‘We are looking for ward to our next training session which will be related to software solutions and large-scale application design including implementation examples of the latest IPX series amplifiers from Dynacord.’ www.prosonic-mea.com

www.avolites.com www.procom-me.com

Sound GP and Wild & Marr team up for S6L training

18 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

Following the workshop, attendees were treated to a live demonstration of JBL’s VTX A8 and B18 cabinets, hosted by seasoned engineer and JBL ambassador, Juan Soothill. The VTX A8 is JBL’s next-generation line array element for small- and mid-sized rental and installed applications, and is suitable for production companies, rental houses, theatres and houses of worship, as well as production applications requiring frontfills, side arrays or as auxiliar y suppor t for larger-scale VTX systems.

lucky winners named as John Naicker from the Academy of Sound

Engineering and Nkwane Matlala from Gearhouse.

www.soundgp.co.za www.wildandmarr.co.za

NEWS: EDUCATION

ETC explores rigging and control systems at Oasis

UAE: ETC recently held a comprehensive two-day training course on its hoists and control systems at the Oasis Enterprises offices in Dubai. Sales manager Enrico Nobile and project manager and systems estimator Paulina Slawinska from ETC’s rigging team presented a brief overview of hoists and control systems while familiarising all of the attendees with ETC’s product lineup. The presentation was intended primarily for introducing installers and dealers to ETC’s fixed speed rigging products. Following the presentation by the rigging team, ETC’s field service

engineer Chris Purnell delivered a more technical and comprehensive training which included software configuration as per a venue’s application, installation techniques and examples of commercial and theatrical applications. All the attendees were given a first look at some of the ETC products currently under development as well as hands-on demonstrations of the most recent additions. On the third day, the ETC team accompanied Oasis project manager Ziad Al Barghash to one of the company’s recently installed project sites in Dubai’s DEWA campus for

Occupational and Academic Development. Here, Oasis had installed motorised Prodigy hoists and a QuickTouch control system. Students received a hands-on demo of the system, where each of the auditorium’s rigging system components was installed in strategic locations. ‘We are thankful to ETC for providing us with periodic training and keeping our staff up to date with new techniques, which will help us to deliver our customers a highly personalised professional service, be it for hoists, rigging, lighting or control systems,’ commented Al Barghash. ‘As we learn through the course, ETC’s Prodigy hoists and QuickTouch Controls set new standards for safety, design and affordability. In addition to enhanced safety and lower operations costs, ETC rigging offers significant upfront cost savings for both new construction and renovation projects.’ www.etcconnect.com www.oasisppd.com

NMK takes Luminex training to MediaPro UAE: Conducted by NMK Electronics, a two-day Luminex training course was carried out at the Media Pro Dubai offices recently, the first session to be held following NMK’s appointment as a Luminex trainer for the Middle East region. The sessions covered network fundamentals, switches, lighting protocols, converters and splitters and included individual hands-on sessions. The Belgian company is a manufacturer of data distribution equipment for pro lighting, audio and video applications. ‘We hope to do ongoing training sessions for the AV industry

and the appointment as official trainers by Luminex proves the brand’s commitment to developing the region,’ commented Darren Caithness, lighting business manager at NMK Electronics. ‘Luminex makes planning easier during set up and during shows because backups are taken care of. Execution and monitoring are extremely simple with no need for a network specialist,’ commented a MediaPro audio engineer who attended the sessions. www.luminex.be www.nmkelectronics.com

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September–October 2019 PRO AVL MEA 19

DISTRIBUTION Harman joins forces with Masterpiece for the GCC GCC: Harman Professional has announced that Masterpiece will now be responsible for distributing the entire audio product offering from its AKG, JBL Professional, Soundcraft, Studer, BSS, Crown, DBX, Digitech and Lexicon brands moving for ward. With Masterpiece assuming distribution for the Studer brand throughout the GCC except Egypt and Turkey,

this leaves Cairo-based Audio Technology and Istanbul-based Ertekin Elektronik handling the brand in those territories. ‘As a Harman distributor, we are excited to represent their extensive audio product portfolio, while being fully committed to expanding the audio brands that are renowned for advanced engineering and high quality,’

commented Simon Daniel, general manager of Masterpiece. ‘We are looking for ward to facilitating Harman’s expansion throughout the entire Middle East GCC region by building a close connection with customers and providing them with a high-level of suppor t.’ The distributor has been of fering its products and

ser vices across the Middle East in the audio sector since 2001 and, having assumed distribution for Harman, has plans to open a Harman Experience Centre at its of fices on Dubai’s Airpor t Road. ‘We are delighted to par tner with Masterpiece, an organisation comprised of world-class audio exper ts whom we entrust with growing the brand across the

region,’ stated Mark Coombes, regional director EMEA, Harman Professional Solutions. ‘This distribution agreement signifies greater suppor t of our customers but also demonstrates our continued investment in the Middle Eastern GCC countries.’ www.harman.com www.masterpieceproav.com

Girhoma to represent DWR expands distribution Pan Acoustics in Jordan JORDAN: German steerable audio specialist Pan Acoustics has appointed Girhoma, Ideal for Information Systems and Communication Technologies LLC, as its new Jordanian distributor. Headquartered in Amman, Girhoma is a distributor/systems integrator specialising in lowvoltage systems and represents AV

manufacturers including Christie, Crestron, Panasonic, Powersoft, Shure, Televic and Yamaha. ‘We had been looking not only for a company that was specialised in steerable products but also offered a slim line of passive speakers, and had leading technology and the feature set that the market needed. We ultimately wanted outstanding performance combined with simple, intuitive system set up, so the installer doesn’t need to be a programming expert to get great results,’ explained Hanna Zananiri, Girhoma’s general manager. ‘In Pan

Acoustics, we found exactly this, but we also found an open-minded communication, something that is required in our own culture but is not always easy to find. The sales staff of Pan Acoustics gave us a good feeling and the will to guide us into further success for our company with their comprehensive range of products.’

‘We have had long discussions in finding the right partnership for the region but, after experiencing the technical resources and the strong portfolio of synergetic brands, combined with excellent relationships with key integrators and consultants, we are pleased to finally have found the perfect Pan Acoustics distributor for Jordan and we are confident we will see good sales in the key Jordan market,’ commented Jan Leerschool, Pan Acoustics’ international sales manager.

L–R: DWR’s Duncan Riley, Bruce Riley and Jannie de Jager SOUTH AFRICA: DWR has been named as the new distributor for cable manufacturer Klotz AIS and wireless LED manufacturer, Astera LED. DWR will serve as the exclusive distribution partner for Astera LED across South Africa and into other southern and central African countries, while the agreement with Klotz solely covers South Africa. Frederic Kromberg, director of international sales at Klotz, visited DWR in Johannesburg to secure the deal. ‘Klotz cables have been available in South Africa for well over 15 years but, as a strongly solutionsoriented company, especially with rental companies, installers

L–R: DWR’s Bruce and Duncan Riley with Frederic Kromberg from Klotz and broadcasting markets, we are very excited to develop and expand the Klotz cable business in South Africa with the highly

professional team of DWR. We believe this is a great opportunity for DWR to develop our extensive product range.’ ‘I think the African and South African markets are vibrant and full of potential and I have heard so many great things from around the industry about DWR and their incredible customer service,’ commented Astera’s sales and marketing director, Sebastian Bückle. ‘I am looking forward to a great working relationship with Duncan, Sherryn and their dedicated and very enthusiastic team.’ ‘I knew of the Klotz brand and always admired the quality, but I really got a good feeling when I met Frederic and realised that their company was as people orientated as we are,’ commented DWR’s Duncan Riley. ‘Similarly, I really like the full flexibility that is inherent in all the Astera product designs. They seem to be “all about the people”, which is a direct fit for us, and seeing some of their projects around the world was another deciding factor.’ www.astera-led.com www.dwrdistribution.co.za www.klotz-ais.com

www.pan-acoustics.de

SGTC-Pro takes Ecler and FBT MIDDLE EAST: SGTC-Pro has bolstered its portfolio with two new additions: Spanish audiovisual manufacturer Ecler and Italian loudspeaker manufacturer FBT Audio. The distributor will take responsibility for solutions from all three of Ecler’s primary divisions – audio, video and acoustics – in the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, while it will also now handle FBT’s full range of products in the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. ‘At Ecler, we are doubling our turnover ever y four years

and we therefore need strong par tners that can follow our rhythm,’ commented Ecler’s area manager, Jan Pagès. ‘Our commitment is ver y clear: to be the one-stop supplier to pro AV integrators. For that, we need a local par tner that can

20 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

be an extension of ourselves, having knowledge of both the market and technology and the ability to react quickly to local inquiries.’

‘We are delighted to partner with Ecler, a world-class brand with constant product development and a variety of products and solutions. It fits perfectly with our expansion plans and we see a great future ahead,’ stated Rohit Dhar, division manager for SGTC-Pro. ‘Similarly, I am also excited to partner with FBT, and I look forward to vertical growth at SGTC-Pro with FBT on board.’ ‘It was time for us to settle and strengthen our presence in the UAE area with one partner that could sincerely develop our brand, dedicating resources, skills and

knowledge to the achievement of common goals,’ said FBT’s export manager, Roberto Mataloni. ‘We believe we have the right partners; our goals are shared, and our forces are aligned to give the best quality and support to our clients. Additionally, we will be jointly exhibiting at the 2019 Prolight + Sound Middle East show in what we hope is the first of many such joint market-facing activities.’ www.ecler.com www.fbt.it www.sgtcpro.com

NEWS: DISTRIBUTION

Leyard sets sights on the Middle East with Amac

Avolites takes distribution Backstage

MIDDLE EAST: Amac has expanded its distribution catalogue with the addition of Chinese LED display manufacturer, Leyard. The Beirut-based distributor will exclusively represent the Leyard brand and supply its range of products across the Middle East. ‘Our customers are our core interest; therefore, we are extremely excited to have shaken hands with Leyard,’ commented Ali Saab, video division consultant and department manager at Amac. ‘We are ready to work hand in hand with them to meet the needs of all our clients across the region. With the same prospect and business development strategies, Amac and Leyard share the same vision to fulfil customer expectations by supplying the market with the highest-quality products, clientcentric services and the most

SOUTH AFRICA: Cape Townbased Backstage Distribution has been named as a new accredited distributor for Avolites in South Africa. Backstage will cover all support training and sales enquires for Avolites complete portfolio of lighting products.

Abdul Razzak Assafiri of Amac, Jonathan Liu from Leyard and Amac’s Ali Saab professional support network available.’ ‘We will be facilitating Leyard’s customer needs through our experience centres with hands-on demonstrations and after-sales support,’ added Abdul Razzak Assafiri, Amac’s general manager. For Leyard, the partnership is vital

for gaining ground in the Middle East. ‘We have been looking to penetrate this prosperous region for a long time and, with Amac, we know we are on the right track,’ said Leyard’s vice president, Jonathan Liu.

Following the appointment, the manufacturer also supported the new distributor at the recent Mediatech in Johannesburg, showcasing Avolites T1 and T2 products. ‘It has taken me some time to find the right partner and I am glad we found a company with the passion and enthusiasm that we expect,’ commented Koy

Neminathan, Avolites’ sales director. ‘South Africa has always been an important market for Avolites and we understand that the need for support and training at the highest level needs to be delivered. It will be now with Connor and his team.’ ‘We are delighted to become the new Avolites distributor,’ commented Connor Thompson from Backstage Distribution. ‘The brand has a wellestablished reputation and South Africa holds huge potential.’ www.avolites.com www.backstageav.co.za/Backstage-Distribution

Pro Lab named exclusive distributor FOS Technologies joins for Visual Productions VV & Sons distribution portfolio

MIDDLE EAST: The distribution portfolio at VV & Sons has grown once again with the addition of Greek professional lighting manufacturer, FOS Technologies. The Dubai-based distributor will represent FOS Technologies’ range

of products, including fixtures, LED screens, fog machines and DMX tools, across the Middle East. ‘I am happy that finally we found FOS Technologies, who can cater to all of our business verticals, including retail, rental

www.amacsarl.com www.leyard.com

and projects,’ commented Vikesh Thamban, divisional manager for VV & Sons Pro. ‘We are thankful to FOS Technologies for giving us the opportunity to be their exclusive distributor.’ Photis Markakis, managing director at FOS Technologies, is excited to work with VV & Sons due to the distributor’s experience in the professional lighting sector. ‘Through this new collaboration, we will have the chance to expand the use of our popular products throughout the UAE,’ he said. ‘It’s also a great opportunity to present our new products, Orion and Hercules, through VV & Sons.’ www.fos-lighting.eu www.pro.vvsons.com

MIDDLE EAST: Having recently undertaken a major expansion of the audio brands it distributes that saw Martin Audio and Audix join its portfolio, Pro Lab Middle East has now also added a new lighting brand to its roster in the form of Visual Productions. The Dutch company is a manufacturer of software and hardware technology for the entertainment and architectural lighting industries. Pro Lab has assumed exclusive distribution for the brand throughout the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and will be stocking the manufacturer’s entire catalogue of products. ‘We are thrilled to be Visual Productions’ partner in the Middle East,’ commented Pro Lab managing director, Rami Haber. ‘They are the perfect addition to our visual and lighting portfolio and will surely have an immense added value to our sales.’

Argosy partners with Canare in EMEA EMEA: Argosy has agreed a distribution deal with Canare to supply the cable manufacturer’s solutions across EMEA. Argosy will help support its broadcast and AV customers as they transition to IP production over SMPTE 2110, as well as to higher resolutions, with Canare’s 12G products. Japanese Canare has a strong presence across Asia. Argosy’s customers that have started the

22 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

transition to IP and 4K in APAC are therefore familiar with Canare’s reputation. Argosy will now look to replicate this across EMEA. ‘We see Canare as one of the market leaders in connectivity, with a solid reputation for highquality precision products,’ said Chris Smeeton, director of Argosy. ‘Their “best-in-breed” solutions and competitive pricing truly complement our product portfolio.

Visual Productions’ control systems are said to be ideal for systems integration due to their ease of operation and communication technologies, with a prominent feature of all interfaces being that they are solid state. The solutions are designed for both architectural and permanent entertainment installations. ‘Over the last few years, Dubai has become a very important market for Visual Productions,’ stated Maarten Engels, managing director at Visual Productions. ‘It is a great step forward to partner with Pro Lab for distribution; it’s a fantastic company and, with their sales team, logistics structure and technical support, they will accelerate our growth and improve the support for SIs.’

www.prolabllc.com www.visualproductions.nl

The addition of Canare’s extensive range of patch panels, cable assemblies and connectors to our offering not only expands our range to another quality brand, but is a strategically important move for us as a company as the industry moves further into the world of 4K and beyond.’ www.argosycable.com www.canare.com

ALLOW AUDIO TO TRULY CONNECT

Next floor. Next city. Next continent. When the audio between conference callers works the way it should, distances become irrelevant. But when it fails, those distances are really felt. With a choice of solutions from Shure, including the MXA310 table array microphone, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to offer your users reliable audio technology that supports seamless collaboration. As if everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the same room. The way it should be. Finally, users will feel truly connected. Discover our range of conferencing audio solutions at shure.com

APPOINTMENTS CT Middle East brings Regional marketing manager joins Sennheiser ME in six new faces UAE: Creative Technology (CT) Middle East has been on a hiring spree, with six new members of staff joining the company. First of all, James Prince has joined CT Middle East as business systems controller. He holds 14 years of experience within the AV industry and in live events, as well as seven years in the GCC region. Meanwhile, awardwinning video engineer and project manager Giorgio Devecchi has

James Prince

Giorgio Devecchi

Volodymyr Demchuk

Craig Harvey 14 years of experience in the AV industry, covering rental and installations. His credits include work on the summer and winter Olympic Games, as well as events for UEFA and FIFA. The other project manager joining the SI department is Craig Harvey. With almost 20 years of experience in AV installations and live events, most of which have been within the GCC region, Harvey once worked as a project manager for Delta Sound before joining L-Acoustics as an application engineer consultant, supporting the touring, rental and integration markets across the Middle East and India.

WORLD: David Dohrmann has joined L-Acoustics to lead application support for installations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. He most recently served as technical director for Adamson Systems Engineering, where he led a team providing support and training across the APAC region. At L-Acoustics, adding the rest of Asia and EMEA to his remit, Dohrmann will be based in Hamburg, Germany.

content is created and consumed has led to an increasing crossover in the utilisation of some of our professional audio and consumer electronics products by our customers. Shraddha brings with her a unique 360° insight into the

www.sennheiser.com

‘It’s thrilling to join a company that is shaping our industry, and that has a unique combination of scientific excellence, team spirit and passion for the audience experience,’ said Dohrmann. ‘I am honoured to be able to contribute to the success story of the company, and to inspiring the application install team moving forward.’ David Dohrmann

www.l-acoustics.com

Lawo adds to executive board

Peter Herring Finally, joining Demchuk and Harvey in the systems integration department is new head of engineering, Peter Herring. For more than 20 years, he has worked with companies such as Dubai Parks and Resorts and Global Village. www.ctme.co

Jamie Dunn

24 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

Shraddha Mukul

region’s commercial and consumer electronics segments.’ With eight years’ experience in the Middle East electronics industry, Mukul joins Sennheiser from KEF where, similar to her new role, she was responsible for raising the brand’s profile across the consumer and pro audio market segments. ‘Sennheiser is an iconic brand with an engaging story to tell,’ Mukul commented. ‘It is an exciting time to join the company at what is a pivotal moment in its journey in the region. Over the last 10 years, Mig and his team have established strong ties with key industry stakeholders and I now have the opportunity to build on this platform and elevate the brand to the next level.’

David Dohrmann takes install support role at L-Acoustics

WORLD: Lawo’s executive management board has grown with the additions of Jamie Dunn as chief commercial officer and Phil Myers as chief technology officer. They join CFO Claudia Nowak, COO Ulrich Schnabl, CSCO Christian Lukic and CEO Philipp Lawo on the board.

Dhyaan Parikh joined the company’s project management team. Throughout his 20-year career, Devecchi has gained experience as a video mixer, projectionist, graphics mixer, Watchout programmer and disguise programmer – CT Middle East is a newly appointed disguise Certified Solution Provider. Dhyaan Parikh has also joined the project management team. He started his career as a freelance AV technician before joining PRG UK as a project manager. Now, he brings those skills to CT. The systems integration department at CT Middle East has gained a pair of new project managers. First is Volodymyr Demchuk, who has more than

MIDDLE EAST: Shraddha Mukul has joined the Sennheiser Middle East team as its new regional marketing manager. The new role has been created following strong regional growth in both the manufacturer’s consumer and pro audio lines. Reporting directly to Mig Cardamone, director of sales and marketing at Sennheiser Middle East, Mukul will take charge of the manufacturer’s brand and trade marketing activities across sales channels, as the audio specialist looks to further build strategic ties with its partners. ‘We have been steadily growing our footprint in the Middle East and believe now is the right time to bring on board an experienced marketing manager,’ explained Cardamone. ‘The evolution of the way in which

Dunn joined Lawo in 2011 and most recently served as global head of sales. He will retain those responsibilities while also taking on his new role as CCO. ‘This development reflects the continuous execution of our growth strategy and is a natural step in the evolution of our company’s structure,’ he explained. ‘Building strong partnerships based on staying close and accessible has been a core value of the company since its foundation. My new role recognises the importance to maintain our customer focus as we continue to grow.’ Meanwhile, Myers joined in 2018 as senior director of IP systems and chair of the company’s technical advisory board. ‘Lawo has continually developed pioneering solutions that create competitive advantages for our

Phil Myers customers worldwide,’ said the new CTO. ‘I look forward to driving the company’s technology strategy at board level and ensuring that our heritage of engineering and manufacturing excellence continues.’ www.lawo.com

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r e v o c Dis

ppor O • s a e d I • oducts

New Pr

w #NAMMSho

tunities

The global industry converges at The 2020 NAMM Show, in Southern California from January 16–19, offering the chance to experience the latest pro audio and live sound products, connect with industry thought leaders, and grow your career all in one convenient location. The last two or three years with the integration of AES, the Parnelli Awards and this new, wonderful facility, The NAMM Show has gone from being a peripheral show to really the primary show. It’s always attracted a lot of international people and it continues to do so. And, there is a much larger focus on the pro audio and sound reinforcement markets.

January 16–19, 2020 Southern California

Ken Berger • CEO • VUE Audiotechnik

NAMM reinvests proceeds to grow the industry.

namm.org/proavl For visa assistance, email letterofinvitation@namm.org.

NEWPRODUCTS

INSTALLATION • AV • LIVE SOUND • BROADCAST • POSTPRODUCTION • RECORDING • LIGHTING A-ZCONTENTS

D Squared = four-channel evolution

The D Squared system

Lectrosonics reports that its D Squared wireless microphone system offers a new level of performance, convenience and sound quality INCORPORATING LECTROSONICS’ fourth-generation digital architecture, the D Squared wireless system includes a DSQD four-channel digital receiver, DBu digital beltpack transmitter and a DHu digital handheld transmitter. System features include 24-bit, 48kHz digital audio, two-way IR sync, three levels of encryption and a tuning range from 470–614MHz. The DSQD receiver incorporates highresolution colour display, analogue or Dante digital outputs and rear BNC antenna ports with loop-thru buffered BNC outputs to another receiver. It is compatible with the DB Series and DHu, the stereo DCHT and the half-rack M2T. Three different receiver diversity schemes can be used, including switched, digital ratio diversity or digital frequency diversity. The DSQD includes digital talkback capability when used with any talkback-enabled transmitter such as the DBu and DHu digital transmitters.

A headphone jack is included on the DSQD for audio monitoring per channel. Additionally, Ethernet and USB ports allow the receiver to connect to the Wireless Designer software for programming and monitoring, while a serial port enables connection between receivers for data sharing and frequency coordination. Antenna bias power can be called up in the menu and front-panel LEDs show the status. The DBu beltpack and DHu handheld transmitters are capable of extending their operating time on two AA batteries, offering RF power selections at 25mW and 50mW, respectively. Input gain is adjustable over a 45dB range in 1dB steps to allow an exact match to the input signal level, reportedly maximising the dynamic range and signalto-noise ratio. Two-way IR ports allow for encryption key transfer and data sharing. The DBu beltpack unit features a removable antenna with SMA connector, incorporating a TA5 connector with servobias input for use with a wide range of

M2C

lavalier and dynamic mics together with line-level sources. A multi-function switch on top of the aluminium transmitter can be configured as power on/off, mute, talkback or bypassed altogether. The DHu handheld transmitter is compatible with the HHC cardioid condenser capsule for use with capsule heads incorporating standard 1.25-inch openings and 28-thread pitch. A programmable button on the outside of the housing can be configured as a push-totalk, cough or mute and power switch. Lectrosonics has also announced the release of the M2C active antenna combiner. Designed as a matching component to the manufacturer’s digital transmitters including the DCHT portable stereo unit and the Duet M2T dual stereo unit, up to eight transmitter sources can feed a single antenna to minimise cabling in multichannel systems. The M2C inputs are isolated to reportedly minimise crosstalk and intermodulation between RF channels. Front-panel LED indicators display active status of RF inputs, and a USB port is provided for firmware updates. The M2C is a 1U, AC mains-powered, fan-cooled unit with eight 50Ω BNC input ports and a single 50Ω BNC output port. The frequency range is 470–614MHz and the unit accepts input sources up to 100mW. www.lectrosonics.com

AJA Ki Pro Go/openGear converter cards AKG CBL Series Alcons Audio CRS8/LR24/QR20 Allen & Heath GX4816 and DX012/SQ V1.4 Analog Way Picturall Quad/Picturall Twin Antelope Audio Amári Ashly Audio CA Series/FA Series/AquaControl Audio-Technica ES925/BP892x, BP893x and BP894x Audix Dante | AES67 integrated microphone system Avonic CM40-IP/CON300-IP Ayrton Levante-S and Levante-TC/Huracán-X Beyma 12LEX1300Nd/15LEX1000Nd/18LEX1000Nd Biamp TesiraConnect/Crowd Mics 1.1/desono IC6 Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve 16 Bluesound Professional BluOS/B100S/B400S/A860 Bose ControlSpace Broadcast Pix RCC Calibre AiO LED Display/SmartBrick/HQPro1000 Chauvet Maverick MK3 Profile and MK3 Spot Christie DS Series Clair Brothers C10-TrueFit Claypaky Xtylos/Axcor Wash 600/Mini-B/CloudIO Clockaudio TIM-1000 Community Amplified Loudspeaker Controllers (ALC)/LVH-900 Countryman A3 halo gooseneck Crest Audio Versarray Mk III Crestron AirBoard/XiO Cloud update/DM-NVX-D80-IoAV d&b audiotechnik A-Series (AL60, AL90, ALi60 and ALi90) Dana Innovations Sonance Danley Sound Labs Cinema Line/20k4Pro, 10k4Pro, 10k8c DirectOut globcon beta 0.6/Montone.42 update disguise gx 2c DPA 4097 Core Earthworks IMDL1 EAW SB818P|F/RM 121/123 and RS 151/153 Ecler eCMP8 and eCMP12/WPNETTOUCH/ACLASSCAN6L Elation Proteus Maximus/Fuze Spot, Profile and Profile CW Electro-Voice MFX-12MC and MFX-15MC Extron DMP 128 FlexPlus/HC 402/IN1806 and IN1808 GatesAir Maxiva ULXTE GLP FR10 Bar K-array Lyzard-KZ1 Kramer PA-240Net/PA-120Net/PT-12/Via Connect Plus L-Acoustics LS10 LDA Audio Tech LDA One LEA Professional Connect Series Lectrosonics D Squared/M2C LG Transparent OLED/MicroLED/LAPE series Luxul XMS-1208P Lynx Pro Audio BS series Martin Mac Allure Wash PC/VDO Atomic Dot Martin Audio BlacklineX Powered/WPS Matrox QuadHead2Go Series/DSX LE5 Q25 and DSX LE5 D25 NEXO P12/L15 Next-proaudio PXA8001 NST Audio VMX88 NUGEN Audio SigMod update Orban 8700i LT Peavey Elements CS Series/Impulse Series Pioneer Pro Audio CM-C54T and CM-C56T Powersoft Mezzo PR Lighting XR 1700 Framing/Venom/Tango Spot QSC AD-S6 and AD-S402T/Software-based Dante for Q-Sys RCF M 20X, M 20R, M 20XD and M 20RD/F 24XR Riedel App for 1200 Series SmartPanel RME macOS support added to Digiface AVB Rohde & Schwarz Prismon.cloud Roland V-02HD/VR-50HD MK II Ross Video Voyager/UX5/Furio SkyDolly RTW TM7 and TM9 update/plug-ins version 4.1 Schoeps Parabolic dish and microphone Shure MXA910/SystemOn 3.1 Sommer Cable HDMI Knight Sony HXR-MC88/SRG-X400 and SRG-X120 Sound Devices Scorpio Studer Glacier Series V1.1 Tasker C862/TSK1038 PUR/C128 PUR/C725 PUR Vaddio RoboShot Elite/HuddleShot Vitec MGES-7000/MGW Ace IP Wheatstone AirAura X5/Glass LXE/Virtual Dimension Three Williams AV WaveCast Dante/FM+ Wisycom 2200 Series (SPL2208, SPL2216)/MPR50-IFB XTA MX36 Yamaha PC Series/AFC4/YVC-330

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XTA makes a switch THE MX36 DSP Enabled Console Switching System has been designed by XTA to offer a ‘simple solution to the problem of handling multiple mixing consoles’ audio feeds in a multi-stage situation’. The MX36 handles 36 inputs in 2U across analogue, AES and Dante networks, arranged in sets of four (to typically support left-, right- and front-fill and sub feeds from an

individual console). There is also one set of four outputs, available simultaneously across analogue, AES and Dante networks with Word Clock output sync available on AES. All switching takes place in the digital domain with soft crossfades designed to switch up to three consoles, each with up to three levels of redundancy. The primary and secondary sources

may be selected depending on the availability of support on the console (so AES or Dante, or even just analogue) and the MX36 will automatically select the secondary source should the primary fail. If failover with redundancy is not required, the MX36 can handle up to nine consoles (accommodating

three each on analogue, AES and Dante). In addition to the quad channel sets for the consoles, there is a fully featured, high-quality mono mic preamp with selectable routing, as well as clarity filtering in DSP and switchable 48V phantom power. The MX36 also features a stereo

line input with ‘sweetening’ filtering, selectable routing, fully balanced rear inputs and an unbalanced 3.5mm jack front-panel input. Dante allows for units to operate in either cascade or parallel modes to extend the input set sizes or number of consoles that may be simultaneously switched. www.xta.co.uk

September–October 2019 PRO AVL MEA 27

PRODUCTS

AKG sets new boundaries Enhancing speech intelligibility AKG’S CBL Series boundary layer microphones are available in two coverage patterns to support meeting spaces of all sizes and shapes. They are also geared towards conference rooms, education spaces and other applications that require audio capture in large- and medium-sized rooms and over the internet. Two models are initially available: the AKG CBL201 dual element and the CBL301 triple element boundary layer mics. They are disc-shaped, designed to keep a low profile on

boardroom desks. Their screw terminals have been developed to keep installation simple, while the Touch I/O function allows users to switch between talk and mute modes by simply touching the microphone itself. LED ring indicators provide visual cues that indicate whether the microphone is currently in talk or mute mode, and the RF interference suppression capabilities help to avoid interference from mobile phones and laptops.

AUDIX HAS extended the appeal of its installed ceiling microphone series by including Dante digital networking interfaces. The Audix Dante | AES67 integrated microphone system combines two Dante | AES67 microphone interface models with RJ45-equipped versions of three of its existing microphones: the M3 tri-element hanging, steerable flush-mount M70 ceiling and M55 hanging ceiling models. All microphone functions including on/off contact closure and LED status indicators can be controlled via a single Cat-5 or Cat-7 cable with RJ45 connections at both the interface and microphone.

The gain structures of the RJ45equipped analogue microphones are optimised for their intended placement to provide quality audio at the DSP. DN4 and DN43 microphone inter face units are at the core of the Dante | AES67 integrated microphone system. The DN4 features four inputs for Audix RJ45-equipped, single-element microphones, while the DN43 features one input specifically designed for the M3 tri-element mic and one input for the singleelement M55 and M70 models. Both inter face models are equipped with two 5V logic outputs per port together with

A DIRECTIONAL boundary microphone designed for permanent and fixed installations has been released by Earthworks, and claims to improve speech intelligibility. The IMDL1 comes in a black and stainless-steel finish and features LumiComm Touch Ring, which consists of a dual-colour LED light ring and a touch sensor output, providing integrators with flexibility to assign function and LED colour with a media control system. The IMDL1 also features RF shielding to prevent inter ference from mobile phones and other electronic devices. Measuring

under 1.6 inches in diameter and 0.7 inches tall when installed, the IMDL1 provides a lower

www.akg.com

Microflex gets smarter SHURE HAS unveiled a new version of its Microflex Advance ceiling array microphone that builds in IntelliMix DSP. IntelliMix DSP in the MXA910 comprises acoustics echo cancellation, noise reduction and automatic mixing, while Autofocus Technology continually fine-tunes the position of each lobe in real-time for consistent sound pickup. The array is said to ease deployment and out-of-the-box setup by including simplified templates and the Autofocus Technology. It can also directly connect to a hardware or software codec using the DSP embedded in the ceiling microphone. When used with a Shure audio network inter face, it gives users a simplified room solution that provides a microphone and DSP in a single package. Integrators can also incorporate multiple MXA910

MXA910 microphones and the Shure IntelliMix P300 audio conferencing processor for room expansion and scalability. Shure has also introduced version 3.1 of its SystemOn

28 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

audio asset management software to provide users with a 360° view of inventor y. The software monitors device health and histor y to help events run smoothly, including tracking

www.earthworksaudio.com

Countryman takes to the podium

Audix uses the M-way to reach Dante

source/sink capability for the LEDs controlled by networkconnected DSPs and one logic input per single-element microphone port for buttons. Configurable via software, low-

profile appearance and features a 20Hz to 30kHz frequency response. Coupled with a cardioid polar pattern, it has a ‘nearperfect’ frequency response at 0°, 45° and 90°, according to the manufacturer. Meanwhile, the IMB and IMBL boundary microphones have a maximum acoustic input of 145dB SPL and sensitivity of 10mV/Pa. The combination of its polar response and high sensitivity will allegedly allow integrators to install fewer IMDL1 microphones and cover the room with further clarity at all frequencies.

network connectivity, low batter y status, RF per formance and audio levels. SystemOn 3.1 now suppor ts Shure’s ULX-D digital wireless system, the MXA910 ceiling array and MXA310 table array microphones, P300 IntelliMix audio conferencing processor, ANIUSB-MATRIX USB audio network inter face and SCM820 automatic mixer. In brief, the manufacturer has announced that it is expanding its lineup of MXW6/8 and ULXD6/8 wireless boundar y and gooseneck base transmitters, along with its corresponding MX405/410/415 goosenecks, with the introduction of white colour variants. It has also become Zoom Rooms Cer tified for several of its key audio conferencing solutions.

BASED ON the A3 podium microphone, Countryman Associates has introduced the A3 halo gooseneck microphone. One of the microphone’s main features is the Active Plus Vibration Cancellation which is said to reduce table thumps and microphone handling noise without the need for shock mounting. The in-mic jumper system reportedly allows installers to reconfigure the pins of the A3 halo’s XLR5 to match most common halo gooseneck configurations without the need for system rewiring. The microphone comes with a screwon multistage windscreen and is available in a choice of three lengths in a rugged, semi-rigid design. The A3 halo includes an ultrabright LED indicator ring and a dual-element design which allows for a switch-selectable omnidirectional, cardioid or hypercardioid polar pattern, vibration rejection and wind noise reduction. It has been designed for houses of worship, lecture halls, legislative chambers and meeting spaces, or any other environment where presenters require a versatile, podium-style microphone to ensure their message is clearly heard.

www.shure.com

www.countryman.com

and high-pass filter settings are available on each audio channel in addition to eight selectable gain levels. www.audixusa.com

PRODUCTS

Audio-Technica’s latest mic-drop

Nexo’s first 12-inch enclosure

AUDIO-TECHNICA HAS added new models to its Engineered Sound, MicroSet and UniPoint ranges. New to the Engineered Sound line of modular microphone systems is the ES925 gooseneck microphone. With interchangeable components allowing users to configure each microphone system from a choice of three different polar patterns (the ‘C’ model representing cardioid, ‘H’ for hypercardioid and ‘ML’ for MicroLine), the ES925 is also available with four power module options (DS5, FM3, FM5 and XLR) as well as six different gooseneck lengths, meaning there is a total of 72 variants on offer. The cardioid, hypercardioid and MicroLine versions

THE P12 point source cabinet from Nexo is the company’s first 12-inch enclosure and has been designed for a wide range of short-throw sound reinforcement applications at FOH, onstage or as part of a distributed system. The curvilinear enclosure is made from custom birch and poplar plywood and employs a 12-inch LF neodymium driver and 3-inch diaphragm HF

offer acceptance angles of 120°, 100° and 90° respectively, with an omnidirectional element available separately. The desk stand, flush-mount power modules and all mic element housings feature RGB LED status indicators. The five-pin desk stand is additionally equipped with a touch-sensitive, capacitive-type user switch with local and remote switching options and a UniSteep filter that provides steep lowfrequency attenuation for improved sound pickup that reportedly doesn’t affect the vocal reproduction quality. The three-pin and five-pin flush-mount power modules are designed to mount in table tops unobtrusively and come with isolators that mechanically dampen the mounting surface. Both versions are equipped with a capacitive touch switch to locally enable muting of the microphone. Meanwhile, the MicroSet line of headworn microphones has three new models. The BP892x,

The BP89x set

ES925 BP893x and BP894x are updated versions of the BP892, BP893 and BP894 models with the addition of detachable cables and more secure ear loops for added comfort. Finally, the UniPoint U843R threeelement multidirectional boundary microphone offers three cardioid condenser elements within a single housing. It is phantom powered, making it suited to surface-mount installations, and is said to be ideal for a variety of video and audio conferencing applications. The UniPoint U891, meanwhile, has been updated with the addition of a two-state RGB LED status indicator and a touch-sensitive, capacitive-type user switch that can be set to three modes. The new models are equipped with an 80Hz low-cut UniSteep filter to reduce pickup of lowfrequency ambient noise, UniGuard technology to protect against radio frequency interference and a PivotPoint rotating connector that changes the cable exit point without the need for tools. www.audio-technica.com

The U891 in black and white

The P12 and L15 driver in a coaxial configuration. The cabinet measures 531mm x 432mm x 317mm and has a frequency response of 60Hz to 20kHz. The SPL is 138dB peak (passive) or 140dB peak (active mode). The horn flanges can be interchanged to deliver a variety of directivities – from the 60° x 60° provided as standard, to a 90° x 40° or an asymmetrical

50–100° x 40°. Users can switch between different directivities by removing the steel grille with a coin and replacing the flare, which uses a magnetic fixing. Weighing less than 20kg, the P12 includes carry handles on each side, pole-mount fitting and threaded inserts for connection of mounting accessories. The speaker can be used on a pole mount with the L15 sub-bass cabinet, or wall-mounted or flown in landscape mode beneath an L15 enclosure using a specially designed yoke bracket. Nexo believes that one of the principal applications of the P12 enclosure will be onstage. ‘For a vocalist, there is better dispersion because of the angle of the cabinet, and variable dispersion means each box can be precisely tailored to its user, from a lead guitarist to a horn section or a backing singer,’ describes Denis Baudier, sales director at Nexo. The P12 is the first Nexo speaker to be purpose-designed to use the processing capacity of the NXAMP4x2mk2 amplifier, although it is fully compatible with the larger NXAMP4x4. To partner the P12, Nexo is launching the L15 sub-bass cabinet, specially designed in a matching footprint that makes it ideal for flown applications, and for use as a drum-fill. With a new acoustic load using a 15-inch bass horn, nearly all the front face of the cabinet is used as a radiating surface to provide a frequency range of 40–120Hz and 139dB peak SPL. Touring and installation versions of the P12 and its partner L15 sub will be produced in black and white paint finishes. For more on the R&D behind the P12, turn to p.128. www.nexo-sa.com

Electro-Voice launches Multi-Function Monitors ELECTRO-VOICE HAS unveiled the MFX Multi-Function Monitors range, engineered to complement the Bosch brand’s X-Line Advance X1, X2, X12-128 and X12-125F line array models and corresponding installation versions. This MFX catalogue comprises the 12-inch MFX-12MC and 15-inch MFX-15MC. They are two-way coaxial monitors that use high-output, coaxially aligned HF and LF transducers paired with a new Constant-Directivity

waveguide and crossover design. Coverage in monitor orientation is 40° x 60°. The dimensions and location of the waveguide are said to interact with the woofer to create a bipole output that enhances coverage control through the midrange frequencies. As well as providing a stable sound image when the performer moves off-axis, the compact coaxial design of the cabinets reportedly results in a low-profile footprint onstage in comparison to other high-end monitors. The

30 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

MFX-12MC

cabinets also employ a brandnew concept with dual monitor angles of 35° and 55° that allows the output to be focused directly towards the performer. The MFX Multi-Function Monitors have also been optimised for use with TGX10 or IPX10:4 amplifiers from EV’s Bosch sibling Dynacord. Both the MFX-12MC and MFX-15MC can be deployed in passive or biamp configuration, and can be put to use for different applications via DSP settings in the amps. Power handling

PRODUCTS NEWS

Absen is an Aries Beyma celebrates WPC aids expanded

at Sooroosh Hall

THE ARIES Series (AX 1.5) COINCIDING WITH1.5mm its golden is Absen’s first response to anniversary, Beyma has added requests for a sub-2mm finerange, three subwoofers to the LEX pitch LED NPP display.aAudio Itnew is the TAJIKISTAN: Martin in addition to Acreating first entrwoofer y in the manufacturer’s Wavefront Precision line 14-inch and aCompact 1.4-inch exit Aries Series and, as the at name array has been installed the HF compression driver. suggests, has a pixel pitch of 700-seat Sooroosh Hall in the 1.5mm. Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe, Absen states that the Aries as part of a substantial upgrade Series has been developed to to the venue’s technical produce a much broader range infrastructure. The work was of colours, wellmanufacturer’s as providing carried out as by the ‘road-rugged’ corner edge long-term distribution partner, protection, allowing it toMusic, be Latvian-based A-T Trade 12LEX1300Nd transpor tedinvited to events. It is also which was to develop an integrated but adaptable solution by its Tajikistan dealer. ‘Prior to this, the system could only be used for conferences and meetings rather than the classical, pop and traditional music concerts and other events that now take place,’ explained A-T Trade Music sound and stage 15LEX1000Nd KEEPING UP with engineer, the current equipment project trend for HDR, ‘The Lynx client Technik Imants Cīrulis. wanted introduced HDR be Evie, an for a has system that would useful enhanced image engine this hall as video well as for open-air powered by the events. WPC wasgreenMachine the best choice processing formultipurpose this.’ platform. Described by the manufacturer as the first system to use advanced algorithms that 18LEX1000Nd

Automated conversion

suited double to fixedsilicone installations sides, spidersand and suppor ts the HDR10 triple surround rings. standard. Its cabinet measures Rated at 1,000W AES 27.5 power,inches the with aspect ratio 16:9.with ‘Thean concert hall has of acomes very 12LEX1300Nd woofer This design aims tolayer make it interesting configuration,’ Mr Cīrulis a 4-inch DUO double in/out easy to replace existing LCD furthered. ‘Its special feature is a voice coil that offers extended videowalls, as balcony well as that suppor ting very deep, displacement 11m controlled withoccupies full ser vice. one front thirdXmax of the hall.65mm Calculation of ±11mm and peak-toThe excursion Aries Series solution speaker positioning using the also [Martin peak before damage. The includes the latest Integrated Audio] Display software showed 15LEX1000Nd and 18LEX1000Nd Matrix Device Common good parameters theDUO balcony models feature and a under 3.5-inch voice Cathode as – and without thetechnologies, use of delay coil design providing lowlines distortion, does Absen’s 0.9mm pixel this also proved to be true in practice. 97dB/98dB (1W/1m) sensitivity pitch CR0.9, whichand forms parpeakt The sound pressure, clarity and with ±10mm Xmax 65mm of the CR Series. Theanywhere CR0.9 resolution are amazing to-peak excursion.

events programme Designed for bass and mid/bass applications, the 14MC700Nd is a 700W, AES-rated, 14-inch woofer with a 3-inch DUO voice coil that incorporates an FEAoptimised neodymium motor structure. The 14-inch format gives users the chance to work between conventional 12- and 15-inch sizes. With a recorded sensitivity of 99dB (1W/1m), the 4kg woofer operates within a 55Hz to 4kHz frequency range and further benefits from the inclusion AXMaltcross 1 of technology. Other

CD1114Fe features include an aluminium demodulating ring and waterprooftreated cone for both sides. Finally, for the high frequencies, Beyma has produced an FEA-

is typically ferrite suited compression for use in optimised corporate and control driver withsettings a 1.75-inch DUO rooms, layer with true pixel-to-pixel double in/out aluminium HD in hall 4K –and 8K, and in the from fronthigh tothroat. the voice coil and athe 1.4-inch grayscale at lowA-T brightness back-row seats.’ Trade Music ran The CD1114Fe features a levels thanks to process its incorporation of the whole from conception PM4 polymer diaphragm that Cr ystalView technology. and acoustic simulation tolinearity, system promotes competitive Also pass new and is Absenicon, installation staff training, band and distor tion as described as an all-in-one well as after-sales service. Two days ratings. Featuring four M6 display solution, available of training were given to1.9kg local in staff threaded holes, the driver five different sizes between in WPC rigging, Display and VU-NET is rated for 70W program power 110 inches andwith 220a inches with software packages. above 1.5kHz sensitivity 4K109dB compatibility. of (1W/1m). www.attrademusic.lv www.absen.com www.martin-audio.com www.beyma.com

Natural group conversation – clear as face-to-face

Based on the design concept of the 18LEX1600Nd flagship, the Spanish professional loudspeaker manufacturer has extended the LEX series with the 12LEX1300Nd, 15LEX1000Nd and 18LEX1000Nd greenMachine HDR Evie woofers. Featuring long-excursion capabilities and combining high automatically andthe apply output with low analyse distortion, 12-, optimal corrections in real-time 15and 18-inch variants have been on a frame-by-frame HDR engineered for vented basis, cabinets and Evie ishorn suited for sports or any loaded designs. In addition broadcast FEA eventneodymium needing tolive incorporating high-quality, real-time HDR toare motor structures, the woofers SDRsystem conversions. The is optimised sufficiently cooled courtesyfor of twothe istechnology. aeight compact, boxgreenMachine resolution, with elements inherent Maltcross All self-contained AV processing hung per side.feature The speakers three models waterproof platform isfrom equipped are suspended two points cones withthat treatment for both integrated frame towith enable easy redeployment at synchronisation, up/down outdoor events or other places. andsubs a suite of A cross furtherconversion eight SX218 have audio processing been placed under capabilities. the stage in greenMachine HDR Eviewith specially built chambers supports single-channel sound isolation (two subs 12G per SDI conversions chamber). Six iK42 for the4K/UHD MFX-12MC ismultichannel 450W or can be configured as a fouramps have been assigned to drive (continuous) and 3,000W (peak); channel device for 3G 500W (HD) WPC and SX218 (three amplifiers the MFX-15MC delivers applications. 4K Quad per side), while the iK812SI powers (continuous) and 3,500W (peak). inputs and optional 12G fibre eight Martin Audio LE200 wedges Both models have maximum SPL connectivity reportedly inI/O biamped modeand (two136dB, LE200 per ratings of 135dB makes it compatible with input channel). respectively. almost any the system. HDR Also forming part of monitors the Evie In addition, MFX supports aare range of pole open installation a pair eachcup, of feature an integrated standards conversion, Martin Audio CDD-LIVE12/CSXallowing use for as short-throw tone mappingsubs. and colour LIVE118 These gamut are primarily main/full-range loudspeakers including HLG, PQ, SDRwhen and used for side-fills onstage, but for sound reinforcement it SLog3. is expected that this acoustic needed. system will also be used for small www.lynx-technik.com presentations and events in the www.electrovoice.com hall lobby.

AM-FC1

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Audio Collaboration System Imagine you are in a team conference and everyone gets clearly heard across different locations – no matter how passionately you discuss your ideas. An array microphone with high quality loudspeakers, which focuses automatically on whoever is talking, will make your team collaboration more productive and your presentation more attractive. Steering array microphone technology offers ideal sound collection Bluetooth® interface allows attendees on the public phone line

Built-in DSP function such as Automatic Echo Cancellation and Automatic Noise Reduction

We supply sound, not equipment. www.toa.eu

TOAEurope

TOA Electronics Europe

July–August 2019 PRO AVL MEA 31 51 September–October May–June 2019 PRO AVL MEA 13

PRODUCTS

Augmented loudspeakers THE LATEST A-Series from d&b audiotechnik combines ‘variable splay angles with advanced waveguide design’ to address applications where coverage flexibility in both the horizontal and the ver tical is paramount. Realising the adaptability of a point source cluster with the extensive control options of a line array, the system comprises the AL60 and AL90 loudspeakers, with the ALi60 and ALi90 of fering cabinets designed specifically for permanent installation.

Using the appropriate frame, up to four AL60/AL90 and ALi60/ALi90 loudspeakers can be flown either in vertical or horizontal arrays. Variable splay angles between adjacent cabinets can be set in 5° increments from –10° to +10°, allowing for fine adjustments and ensuring sound is directed more precisely to where it is wanted. Meanwhile, midrange directivity control ensures frequencies between 200Hz and 2kHz are evenly distributed, regardless of the splay angle. With 60° horizontal dispersion and directivity control down to

approximately 550Hz, the AL60/ ALi60 can cover a distance of up to 30m. The AL90/ALi90 – with its 90° horizontal pattern control down to 370Hz – ensures the same optimal acoustic result is achieved more

consistently, ‘anywhere and at any angle, whatever the configuration’, claims the manufacturer. The AL60/AL90 loudspeakers share a passive two-way design featuring one 1.4-inch exit HF

CRS8

3dB, making it particularly suited for the imaging in height channels of immersive systems. The CRS8 is driven by the Sentinel amplified loudspeaker controller (ALC), its Signal Integrity Sensing pre-wiring ensuring dynamic cable/connector compensation between the CRS8 and the ALC. Meanwhile, Alcons has filled the gap between its LR18 compact mid-size and LR28 large-format proribbon line array systems with the launch of the mid-size LR24. The Dutch manufacturer states that the LR24 offers its signature high-fidelity

Pro-ribbon immersion THE CRS8 is a two-way, passivefiltered, full-range loudspeaker, built by Alcons Audio for use with the range of immersive surround-sound formats currently available and under development. It features the manufacturer’s Alcons pro-ribbon driver technology, consisting of the RBN401 pro-ribbon driver for HF and a vented 8-inch mid-bass for LF reproduction. The CRS8’s HF section has an 800W peak power input, allowing

for a 1:16 dynamic range with up to 90% less distortion from 1kHz all the way up to 20Hz. Due to the pro-ribbon transducer technology’s ‘compression-less’ design, the system reportedly delivers a fully linear response, with the same tonal balance at all SPLs for a 1:1 performance. With both 90° horizontal and vertical dispersion of the waveguide, the CRS8 offers wide and consistent coverage up to 20kHz at

compression driver with a 3-inch diaphragm mounted to a waveshaping device, and two 10-inch neodymium LF drivers. The A-Series is also compatible with d&b amplifiers and subwoofers so that the system can be tailored to meet specific application needs. The four-channel 30D, D20 and D80 amplifiers provide user-definable equalisation containing two 16-band equalisers with parametric, notch, shelving and asymmetric filters as well as delay capabilities of up to 10s. The V-GSUB and Vi-GSUB also come recommended for low-frequency extension using the A-Series. www.dbaudio.com

pro-ribbon audio with up to 90% less distortion than other conventional line array systems. In addition, it boasts extended 1:15 RMS-to-peak power ratio dynamics, a lobe-free HF wavefront with laser-accurate projection and extended throw. For smaller applications, Alcons has launched the QR20 modular line source array column. It is intended for use where the directivity of its larger Q system sibling solutions is required, but SPL and throw requirements are lower. www.alconsaudio.com

AcousticDesign to the fore and the back QSC HAS added to its AcousticDesign Series with the AD-S6 and AD-S402T. Firstly, the AD-S6 is a transformer-less, sur face-mount, 6.5-inch, twoway loudspeaker. It is designed for foreground and background music applications, as well as higher SPL foreground sound reinforcement. ‘[The AD-S6] is nearly identical to the AD-S6T, but we lowered the cost by removing the transformer and providing 16Ω nominal impedance, making it ideal for use in low-impedance distributed systems,’ explained QSC product manager, Travis Nie. As with all other speakers in the AcousticDesign Series, the AD-S6 is available in black or white and comes with QSC’s patented X-Mount mounting system designed for easeof-installation to minimise commissioning time. The AD-S402T is aimed at more challenging acoustic environments. Consisting of four weather-treaded, 2.5-inch transducers, the AD-S402T is suitable for the needs of reverberant and other architecturally complex spaces, while being capable of 70V/100V or 8Ω bypass loads.

as an extension of the Q-Sys workflow. Because Q-Sys operates over a standard IT network infrastructure, Dante audio data works with Q-Sys AV&C data, repor tedly eliminating the need for bridging or combining schemes to manage both Q-Sys and Dante connected peripherals. As a result of the announcement, all new Q-Sys Core processors will ship with a small set of Dante audio channels enabled at no additional cost. Finally, QSC has introduced a major firmware v2.0 update to its TouchMix-30 Pro compact digital mixer. Feature enhancements include a new Custom Fader Banks function suppor ting three fader banks assignment, each for eight channels, that are saved as par t of a Mixer Scene, and the capability to inter face with third-par ty external control sur faces with motorised faders. There are 28 new instrument presets and CP Series compact power loudspeaker presets are available directly in the mixer as well as CP8 and CP12 loudspeakers’ input gain settings recommendations.

AD-S6 All speakers in the AD Series feature Progressive Taper Topology, which provides a virtual curve for improved directivity control. In addition, the entire line is said to feature a more intuitive mounting system, with simplified pan-and-tilt positioning to reduce the amount of live load time. QSC has also announced Software-based Dante for Q-Sys as part of its partnership with Audinate. Q-Sys feature licences will enable native Dante networked audio integration without the need for additional hardware I/O or external configuration software. Users can add Dante audio natively

32 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

AD-S402T

www.qsc.com

DiGiCo-SD12 OUR ULTIMATE

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www.digico.biz DiGiCo UK Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park, Leatherhead Road Chessington, Surrey KT9 2QL. Tel: +44 (0) 1372 845600

#FESTIVALSD12

PRODUCTS

Peavey faces the Elements at sea A YEAR on from the launch of its Elements C Series weatherproof loudspeakers with an upgraded IP56 rating, Peavey has unveiled marine-grade versions – the Elements CS Series – designed to withstand salt water environments. This makes them suited for installations on cruise ships, at swimming pools and for outdoor applications along the coast. The series is made up of three two-way, full-range enclosures and a flyable subwoofer.

The Elements 115C and Elements 112C features 15- and 12-inch weatherproof Black Widow woofers respectively, and an RX22 2-inch titanium diaphragm compression driver tweeter with a QuadraticThroat Waveguide rotatable horn. Both are available with either a 60° x 40° or a 105° x 60° horn. Their sibling, the Elements 108CS, combines a 75° x 75° horn with an 8-inch weatherproof woofer in a

The Elements CS Series

K-array’s Lyzard shrinks even smaller KNOWN FOR squeezing high output from unbelievably tiny speakers, Italian manufacturer K-array has gone one step further with the addition of the Lyzard-KZ1. Weighing just 23g and measuring 200mm x 350mm x 200mm, the solution makes use of a ½-inch long excursion driver inside of an ‘ultra-resistant’ aluminium chassis and is intended for use in intimate

environments where high-quality background music is needed, such as museums and small retail outlets. The IP54-rated speaker ships in a variety of finishes and, in terms of specs, offers an 850Hz to 18.5kHz (±6dB) frequency response, 72.5dB sensitivity and peak SPL of 77.5dB. www.k-array.com

compact cabinet. Meanwhile, the Elements 212CS flyable subwoofer features a pair of 12-inch weatherproof woofers. The enclosures of the Elements CS Series are built from a composite fibreboard material that is dimensionally stable in wet conditions yet has the resonant properties of wood. All metal components, including the front grille, are made from 316 stainless steel for higher resistance to pitting and corrosion, and to qualify for the marine-grade ranking. In other news, Peavey has given two models in its Impulse Series a makeover. Impulse 1012 and Impulse 1015 are IP44-rated, compact, high-per formance, two-way loudspeaker systems featuring 12- and 15-inch weatherproof Black Widow woofers respectively, and a 2-inch RX22 titanium diaphragm compression driver with a neodymium magnet. The driver

Impulse 1015 is coupled to a 110° x 80° Quadratic-Throat Waveguide to reportedly provide high power handling capability, low distortion and a smooth, clear response. The trapezoidal enclosure is made of light, injection-moulded plastic and has been redesigned for a more streamlined look. The

speakers come with an integrated stand mount point, three handles and two extra angled sections on either side to allow for use as a floor monitor. They are capable of SPLs in excess of 129dB at 1m from the speakers. Peavey has also developed a Digitool driver for Neets IP-based AV control inter faces. The driver is currently available for the Digitool MX16 and Digitool Live devices and works with all Neets AV control inter faces with IP connectivity. It provides an IP-based command set including input and output channel level and mute control, level and mute functionality for all audio matrix points and the ability to trigger internal preset loads. The driver is available within the Neets Project Designer drag-and-drop configuration software as par t of the device driver librar y. www.peaveycommercialaudio.com

Pro sound from California CALIFORNIAN COMPANY Dana Innovations has launched its Sonance Professional Series speakers. The range comprises 24 units in total, including in-ceiling, pendant and surface-mount models at 70V, 100V and 8Ω. The Sonance Professional Series speakers all include the Sonance laminated core transformer, which the manufacturer states ensures uncompromised 70V/100V performance. A heavy-duty voice coil is included for reliability, while a high-excursion woofer extends the bass response and a chambered 1-inch tweeter adds high-end detail. Consistent voicing is also promised across the range

so that different combinations of the speakers can be installed together. The series is highlighted by the low-profile PS-C43RTLP in-ceiling speaker, which has a depth of 8.71cm, making it a viable solution for in-wall installations, as well as

the equally low-profile PS-C63RT with an 11.1cm depth, delivering a larger driver within a shallow enclosure. Both models share the bezel-less grille design featured across the entire in-ceiling family. www.sonance.com

Pioneer reduces vibration PIONEER PRO AUDIO has launched two ceiling speakers, the 4-inch CM-C54T and 6.5-inch CM-C56T, each with a ¾-inch tweeter that incorporates a magnetic fluid field design driver and a unique damper to reduce vibration and produce clear, smooth audio. The coaxial driver establishes a uniform soundfield within the coverage area and reportedly prevents phase cancellation between the mid and high frequencies. An impedance of 16Ω is said to give users both high- and low-impedance options.

According to the manufacturer, the protective steel-back can of the compact ported enclosure can enhance low-end frequencies. Each speaker is equipped with a one-touch, spring-loaded ceiling mounting tab. The slide-lock mechanism on the grille includes a fall-prevention function as well as included C-rings and tile bridges. The CM-C54T and CM-C56T have been designed for a variety of applications. On their own, they’re described by Pioneer as ideal for delivering sound in

34 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

CM-C54T

commercial spaces, or they can be used to complete an installation of XY Series speakers by filling in areas where wall-mounted boxes are unsuitable, such as corridors and bathrooms. A Euroblock connector is said to enable easy loop-through and the builtin transformer tap allows for multiple deployment configurations over a variety of distances. The speakers sit flush

with the ceiling or wall and are available in black and white. The CM-C54T has a frequency response of 85Hz to 20kHz, a 120° dispersion and a sensitivity (1W/1m) of 86dB. It measures 240mm x 210mm (WxH) and weighs 2.6kg. The CM-C56T has a frequency response of 82Hz to 20kHz, a 90° dispersion and a sensitivity (1W/1m) of 88dB. It measures 278mm x 211mm (WxH) and weighs 3.5kg. www.pioneerproaudio.com

PRODUCTS FEATURES: PROFILE

If you were starting a business now, what area would you primarily focus on?

par tners and Mipro offices in key countries, as well as winning Germany’s Red Dot and iF product design awards and Taiwan Excellence Awards presented by the Ministr y of Economic Affairs. We’ve also been happy to see our products nominated many times for the Technical Excellence & Creativity awards during NAMM.

Improved systems integration between hardware and software. It seems all products are being sold online nowadays. We can MARTIN AUDIO hasinternational added to itse-commerce 18-inch driver, 4-inch voice coil learn a lot from these companies.system down of the combined BlacklineX family with the 12-inch and 2,000W Class-D amplification. to 42Hz and can be used singly, XP12do and 15-inch full-range In other news, Martin Audio has stacked in omni or cardioid mode, How you stayXP15 ahead of the competition? What are some of the biggest problems you’ve enclosures and the 18-inch or flown via integral M10 insets. It added the fourth model to its overcome? We have close relationships with our international offices sub with an XP118 subwoofer to form the Wavefront Precision optimised is a self-powered The breakthrough in stability of digital UHF wireless products. and distribution partners and exhibit BlacklineX Powered series. The at major trade shows. Sourcing advanced components to improve product WPS We receive offer market feedback firsthand in order to improve our products optional Bluetooth performance. existing future products and give audio professionals control,and streaming and a built-in, a three-channel better experience when using Mipro products. The mixer to reportedly crowded too, so we have also introduced 5.8GHz wireless wireless environment providemicrophone increased flexibility and changes constantly. More Do you know the names of all your employees? microphone systems. system integration with software and hardware is required. features for live venues, DJs and Haha, I have tried, but it is not easy. I do schedule one This means events hiring more talent and investing in advanced corporate to permanent meeting with each employee once a year. equipment installs. to fulfil customer needs in order to sustain market Will Mipro diversify its product range away from the HF throat to sum effectively growth. line array series. The WPS is The XP12 and XP15 are selfwireless technology? thefor HF Mipro? wavefront. The four a passive, three-way system powered, portable, two-way What does the futurewith hold Unlikely. We would like to focus mainly on wireless that integrates a high density 1-inch compression drivers systems with 1,300W Class-D How many employees are directly stationed in that can deliver be operated in harsh microphones and related products and technology. of drive unitsToindevelop repor tedly high-frequency a ver y wireless compactsystems amplification. R&D today? They have on-board softwarethe experiences and sound without harshness enclosure. It environments, features two improved 8-inch receiver DSP with a rotary control interface Around the workforce, or 20 applications for wireless portable PA tion systems. and distor of larger-format drivers, four 4-inch midrange along 10% with of three-band channel EQ,people. Trade shows are important for marketing –LFhow devices. independent LF and HF peak and many do you attend per year and why? drivers and four 1-inch exit HF The 8-inch LF drivers compressionWhat driversare loaded a RMS limiters. A user-rotatable Which products are selling best on the export the by assets and drawbacks of are set NAMM (USA), ISE (Holland), InfoComm (USA), Frankfurt back behind the walls of the HF moulded HF horn occupies 80° x 50° horn and vertical and market? beingthat ‘Made in Taiwan’? Prolight + Sound (Germany), KOBA (Korea), Guangzhou horn, with a small volume of air theProlight full width of the enclosure, horizontal mounting options are Our professional 7 and 8 Series and entry-level 3 Series ‘Madehorizontal in Taiwan’ products product + Sound (China) and Integrate (Australia). These coverdefining the in have front aofhigh each driver quality increasing the 100° also featured. The enclosures wireless microphone systems and wireless portable PA and arecoverage often mid-priced the compared Chinese-made regions of North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. constant directivity output with at the upper end are constructed from plywood systems. products, good value audio professionals. of its for operating range. The The pattern of both the HF creating and and finished with a hard-wearing disadvantage is that wages are rising, and the LF exit aper tures are international spaced textured paint. Cloth-backed What is your biggest achievement to datemidrange over sections. status of Taiwan up with China. think LF apar t horizontally to We provide The 4-inch midrange driverscan be mixed steel grilles protect products away from Isperforated there a need to migrate the last two decades? by branding we can create a stronger value and product horizontal pattern control. are compression-loaded to raise the drivers from damage and dust the 2.4GHz spectrum? Becoming the leading wireless microphone brand efficiency in in the minds of audio professionals. anddifferentiation enter the horn ingress. The XP118 extends the BlacklineX Powered 2.4GHz is another frequency option as UHF bandwidth is being www.martin-audio.com Taiwan with more than a 50% share in professional and via annular slots close to walls low-frequency operating range www.mipro.com.tw squeezed worldwide. However, the 2.4GHz band is getting more commercial markets. Having 75 worldwide distribution

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September–October July–August 2019 PRO AVL MEA 35 73

PRODUCTS

Danley heads to the movies DANLEY IS bringing its point source prowess to the cinema market with the introduction of a new Cinema Line of subwoofers, speakers and DSP-enabled multichannel amplifiers. Kicking off the series are the CJ-1894 and CSH-1196, which are reportedly capable of delivering ‘reference-monitor fidelity’ at up to 142dB and 136dB SPL continuous output, respectively. Intermediate loudspeakers include the CSH-996 and CSH-496, which can also be used in a range of applications from large to small theatres depending on the output

Go2-6CX

10k8c needs of the channels they’re used for. Lastly, the smaller CS-100S and CS-8CX are said to be ideal for smaller theatres or surroundsound channels at up to 120dB and 115dB SPL, respectively. The CS-100S is built with a 20° down angle for easier surround sound installation.

For LFE, Danley’s CBC-418 enclosure provides 148dB continuous SPL of directed low-end energy. The manufacturer’s multichannel amplifiers with integrated DSP play a supporting role. All of the units feature 96kHz processing and presets for all of the Cinema Line

EAW extends its speaker portfolio EASTERN ACOUSTICS WORKS (EAW) has added several new members to its 800 Series of loudspeaker and low-frequency enclosures. In addition, two new series of point-source loudspeakers together with active por table models have been added to its por tfolio. Following the earlier introduction of the KF810P installation line array, a companion subwoofer has been added in the form of the SB818P | F. The vented enclosure is a direct-radiating model incorporating an 18-inch neodymium transducer with long-excursion 5.3-inch voice coil. Designed specifically for fixed installations, the flyable, compact subwoofer extends the lower frequency range beyond the 50Hz limit of the KF810P three-way module. In addition, the US manufacturer has introduced the RS series of two-way, selfpowered loudspeakers and subwoofers. The RM 121/123 and the RS 151/153 are por table, lightweight wooden enclosures housing biamplified electronics. Incorporating EAW’s latest generation of transducers, the high-frequency drivers are

married to a rotatable, constantdirectivity HF horn offering precise pattern control. The RS Series’ DSP also claims to provide ‘intelligent focusing for accuracy and DynO dynamic optimisation’. Providing 1,500W and 2,500W of Class-D power respectively, the companion RS115 and RS118HP selfpowered subwoofers feature tuned, vented enclosures, while EAW’s DynO algorithms help to enhance the power transfer from amplifiers to transducers for fur ther headroom at maximum output. RS115

RS118HP

Deep bass performance CREST AUDIO has debuted the Versarray Mk III passive line array system comprising the Versarray 112 Mk III passive line array element with ribbon drivers and its companion subwoofer, the dual 18-inch Versarray 218 Mk III. The system has been designed to provide modular coverage of small- and medium-sized venues. Versarray Mk III can be used in conjunction with a compatible system management amplifier,

such as Crest Audio’s ProTour series with on-board DSP and Dante connectivity. The two-way passive system comprises a 12-inch Black Widow Neo series woofer with a neodymium magnet structure with two of Crest Audio’s latestgeneration RD 2.6 Mk III ribbon drivers and a proprietary Clear Form waveguide. Capable of over 500W of continuous power handling, the woofer has been formed to

36 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

www.eaw.com

loudspeakers and subwoofers. To accommodate different system sizes and output requirements, Danley manufactures the DNA 20k4Pro (four channels/20,000W), the DNA 10k4Pro (four channels/ 10,000W), the DNA 10k8c (eight channels/10,000W) and the DNA 3k8c (eight channels/3,200W). All

of the units feature loudspeaker and circuit protection, as well as analogue, AES and Dante connectivity. Aside from the new Cinema Line, Danley has introduced the Go2-6CX small-format loudspeaker, which uses a 6-inch coaxial driver housed inside a Baltic birch cabinet to produce 109dB continuous SPL. The cabinet joins its larger sibling, the Go2-8CX, as the second member of the Go2 series. www.danleysoundlabs.com

Lynx adds four passive cabinets DESIGNED FOR a wide range of applications such as fixed installations, nightclubs, houses of worship and corporate events, the BS series from Lynx Pro Audio comprises four full-range passive cabinets and two passive subwoofers to extend low-frequency support. The BS-8, BS-10, BS-12 and BS-15 are two-way passive cabinets with an 8-, 10-, 12- and 15-inch LF transducer, respectively. All four cabinets also comprise a one-inch HF driver mounted on a 90° x 60° rotatable horn. The BS-8 has a sensitivity of 93dB and a frequency range of 70Hz to 18kHz (–10dB); for the BS-10 these figures are 94dB and 65Hz to 18kHz (–10dB); for the BS-12 they are 96dB and 60Hz to 20kHz (–10dB); and for the BS-15 they are 98dB and 55Hz to 20kHz (–10dB). The cabinets are constructed from premium birch plywood and finished in a polyurea coating, while the enclosures offer a screw-free grille and number of dedicated accessories. The cones are waterproof and have been treated on both sides. The BS-8, BS-10, BS-12 and BS-15 can be complemented by the BS-112 and BS-118 subwoofers. The BS-112 has a 12-inch driver with a

BS-10 sensitivity of 93dB and a frequency range of 40–90Hz with preset. It has a rated power of 500W AES, 1,000W program and 2,000W peak, and a quasiomnidirectional dispersion. In contrast, the BS-118 comes with an 18-inch driver, a sensitivity of 98dB and a frequency range of 38–100Hz with preset. Power is rated at 600W AES, 1,200W program and 2,400W peak, and the dispersion is omnidirectional. www.lynxproaudio.com

create more power, while its ribbon tweeters ensure ‘crystalline highfrequency reproduction’. Featuring a pair of the manufacturer’s Lo Max 18-inch woofers in a unique cabinet design, the Versarray 218 Mk III claims to provide lower distortion. A 4,800W programme power rating is also coupled with a high-strength cone and increased excursion for enhanced deep bass performance. Versarray 112 Mk III

www.peaveycommercialaudio.com

The perfect solution for protecting your audio, video and lighting equipment

> RCBO per channel – the highest level of safety for you and your equipment > Zero-Cross switching – virtually eliminates nuisance tripping from inrush currents > Staggered start-up – automatic start-up of individual channels on power up > Dropped Neutral protection – instant protection for your lighting, sound and AV equipment if the Neutral is lost/disconnected > Over/under voltage protection – if your voltage level is outside your set range then phases will shut down automatically until restored > Remote monitoring – remotely configure and monitor APS from anywhere (requires Houston-X software) > Two devices in one box – DMX Relay Rack or APS Advanced Power Distribution modes > Available in 19” 3RU rackmount or wallmount versions > 12Ch x 10A, 12Ch x 16A and 6Ch x 25A versions available

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… much more than a box of cables and circuit breakers > 12Ch x 10A, 12Ch x 16A and 6Ch x 25A versions available > Available in 19” 3RU rackmount or wallmount versions > Two devices in one box – DMX Relay Rack or APS Advanced Power Distribution modes > Remote monitoring – remotely configure and monitor APS from anywhere (requires Houston-X software) > Over/under voltage protection – if your voltage level is outside your set range then phases will shut down automatically until restored

PRODUCTS

Energy-reducing line array Water and electricity mix well for Ashly

A CUSTOM-TAILORED loudspeaker with horizontal waveguides has been launched by Clair Brothers. The new double 10-inch format, mid-size line array, C10-TrueFit, has been designed to reduce energy wasted on walls and claims to ‘extend the stereo image over a greater audience area’ while promising ‘fewer lateral reflections and better intelligibility’. The C10, like the C12 and C8 (the 12-inch and 8-inch speakers in the C-Series), features new transducer technology that offers

two benefits: decreased weight and a reduction in amplifier channel requirements. These features allow the line array to be digitally beamsteered in the vertical plane with FIR processing. The C10 can be ordered with a variety of horizontal waveguide patterns, as can the C8 and C12. The standard C10 factory waveguide is 100° x 15° (HxV), but a range of horizontal waveguides between 70° and 120° (in 10° increments) are also available.

ASHLY AUDIO has created the CA and FA Series of amplifiers. Featuring three two-channel and three four-channel models in 500W, 1,000W and 1,500W per

plus advanced control system implementation. Dynamic PowerFactor Correction assists the power utilisation efficiency by tracking fluctuations in current, rather than

compact solution, the FA Series of 1U lightweight amplifiers can be fixed to walls or under desks. The FA Series comprises half-rack four-channel (125W) and twochannel (125W) configurations in addition to a full 1U model. All three amplifiers are convection cooled and are Energy Star rated. Meanwhile, to save time and costs for both the SI and the enduser, Ashly has developed the

channel (at 4Ω) versions, the CA Series is based on a Class-D design. In addition, all six amplifiers are designed for stable operation at 2Ω and 70V. Each unit incorporates Ashly’s D-MAX proprietary power supply design and energy management systems

just sampling at the peaks. Furthermore, the SailFlow cooling design feature introduces a bilateral air-cooling system to maintain a low operational temperature. Euroblock and XLR combo connectors come as standard. Designed to provide versatility in a

intuitive AquaControl software to power future Ashly solutions. The browser-based software is operable without an app for the new lineup of web-enabled products.

www.clairbrothers.com

www.ashly.com

Kramer endures the highs and lows KRAMER HAS designed its PA-240Net amplifier for a wide variety of AV installations with selectable high-Z (70V/100V) or low-Z (4Ω/8Ω) power. The versatile power unit also features built-in DSP and autostandby functionality, as well as an additional balanced stereo line-level output. The PA-240Net features a flat frequency response and is designed to provide low distortion levels. The manufacturer states that switching between low-Z and high-Z means that the amplifier can accommodate ‘any type’ of loudspeaker installation. Users can select one channel of 240W into a 70V/100V line or two channels of 120W into 4Ω/8Ω. In addition, Dante compatibility allows the PA-240Net to connect to any Dante-enabled system.

selectable high-Z (70V/100V) or low-Z (4Ω/8Ω) power. However, users have the choice between one channel of 120W into a 70V/100V line or two channels of 60W into 4Ω/8Ω. Also new from the manufacturer is the PT-12 CEC-enabled on/off controller for TV/displays and extended EDID processor for HDMI signals of up to a 4K at 60Hz (4:2:0) resolution. Via

PA-240Net The ½ 19-inch unit supports an independent input mix with master volume, three-band parametric EQ and selectable high-pass filter from each output. It includes a 32-bit advanced digital analogue converter architecture to achieve excellent dynamic performance and improved tolerance to clock jitter and maintains the quality of the

original audio signal with selectable sampling rates of up to 96kHz. It can be locally controlled via RS-232 serial commands or remotely through embedded web pages over Ethernet. Alongside the PA-240Net, Kramer has released the PA-120Net, with many of the same features. The PA-120Net amplifier also offers

Connect Plus is a new solution for wired and wireless presentation and collaboration in a variety of spaces with no need for additional hardware. The new TP-873xr transmitter and TP-874xr receiver work together to offer better control, near zero latency and visually lossless video compression at 4K60. www.kramerav.com

PT-12

Amplification for the large venue market

NEW KID on the amplifier block, LEA Professional, has launched a range of 350W and 700W IoT-enabled amplifiers for the

professional installation market. The Connect 354, Connect 704, Connect 354D and Connect 704D aim to provide systems designers and integrators with a more simple and powerful solution

38 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

to drive their large-scale installations with the capacity to support monthly recurring revenue business models. With the Connect Series’ built-in AWS IoT Core, systems integrators can monitor hundreds of data points from fan speed to thermal temperatures to system faults without being in the same building. This allows users to identify potential issues, troubleshoot the cause and load new parts on the truck before any urgent maintenance is required.

The Connect Series is made up of two product families: the Dante Connect and Network Connect models. All four mid-power models are built with fully routable analogue inputs and the 354D and 704D have the addition of Dante and AES67 connectivity. All four models also include three different ways of network connection: use the built-in Wi-Fi access point, connect to the existing Wi-Fi network or use a LAN Ethernet connection. Coinciding with this launch, the US-based manufacturer

has also added four low-power models of IoT-enabled products for the pro installation market. Designed for smaller-scale applications including 70V and 100V operation, the Connect 84, Connect 164, Connect 84D and Connect 164D feature the same benefits as the mid-power series. All four low-power models are built with fully routable analogue inputs, for which the 84D and 164D versions benefit from Dante and AES67 connectivity. www.leaprofessional.com

EVID P6.2 6.5” pendant

EVID C4.2LP 4” low-profile ceiling

EVID C6.2 6.5” ceiling

MEET THE THREE NEW MODELS The C4.2LP (4” low-profile ceiling), C6.2 (6.5” ceiling) and P6.2 (6.5” pendant) join the extensive EVID product lineup, which includes acoustically and aesthetically matched ceiling-mount, flush-mount, pendant-mount and surface-mount models suitable for installation in spaces of every shape and size, indoors or outdoors. ©2019 Bosch Security Systems, Inc.

PRODUCTS

Powersoft makes a Mezzo The PC Series

Next-generation power YAMAHA HAS released a raft of new products and enhancements, with the standouts being new generations of its PC Series network amplifier systems and AFC Active Field Control systems. The Japanese manufacturer describes the latest PC Series D/DI models as a new kind of power amplifier equipped with ‘state-of-the-art signal processing’, Dante audio network connectivity and a 20x8 input matrix. The matrix allows audio from analogue or Dante inputs to be output via Dante to another amplifier using the on-board processor, increasing scalability and allowing it to take on a role beyond just a simple amplifier. The PC Series comes with four different Class-D models to choose from: 1,200W or 600W output power options and standard or installed variants. They are all compatible with ProVisionaire Control/Touch remote control and monitoring software applications. The amplifier’s DSP processors come equipped with capabilities such as FIR EQ, 16-band PEQ, crossover, filter, delay and protection features such as peak limiting and RMS limiting. It is also possible to output equalised sound to other amps by using the input matrix and Dante output described above. The AFC4, the fourthgeneration of the Active Field

Control systems, is said to provide significant upgrades in per formance, sound quality and flexibility, thereby expanding its range of suitable applications to include opera, musical theatre or broad-scale entertainment productions. The increase in sound quality comes from the system’s DSP and connectivity expansion. The processor’s sampling rate, fixed FIR taps, FIR presets and configurable FIR tap settings have all been upgraded. The new version is also equipped with a FIR EQ in favour of the AFC3’s parametric EQ. The system now also boasts a total of 32 mic inputs and 96 output channels. In addition to these headline releases, the manufacturer has also unveiled new sound technology for vir tual meetings in Open Workspace with the YVC-330 vir tual meeting solution. Featuring SoundCap technology and engineered to enable remote conferences in noisy open workspaces, the YVC-330 is

said to provide a clear, superior conference call and prevent unnecessar y sound from being transmitted. The device also features an auto mute function, for when par ticipants are not speaking, which works in tandem with Yamaha’s Human Voice Activity Detection technology, which distinguishes human voices from other sounds. The SoundCap technology also offers an auto speaker volume adjustment, which regulates the volume to ambient noise levels and is suited for maintaining speech privacy. Lastly, the YVC330 features USB, Bluetooth, NFC connections and power through its USB cable. Last but not least, Yamaha UC’s CS-700 video sound collaboration system for huddle rooms has a new mic option in the form of the XW-CS-700 wireless mic. Customers can now choose between either wired or wireless connectivity with the system. uc.yamaha.com

DEVELOPED FOR the AV/IT market, Mezzo comprises eight amplifier models, each with different power and connectivity options. Mezzo is a selfconfiguring amplifier system aimed at corporate, hospitality and educational environments. The units feature a compact design with Class-D technology that is said to be easy to install and operate. The system can also be monitored remotely.

control system or a plug-in in a DSP matrix platform. The smaller 320W models are able to deliver 80W/160W per channel into 2Ω, 4Ω, 8Ω or 16Ω, as well as 25V, 70V or 100V. Meanwhile, the larger 600W power sized models can deliver 4 x 150W or 2 x 300W, and can drive 2 x 16Ω as well as 25V, 70V or 100V. Each channel reportedly has sufficient

Two Mezzo units fit one 19-inch rack The eight Mezzo models offer four power options: smaller power versions provide 320W in 4 x 80W or 2 x 160W configurations, while the larger 600W options supply either 4 x 150W or 2 x 300W. Each model is available as an ‘A’ (analogue) model or an ‘AD’ (analogue/ digital) variant that adds Dante/ AES67 capability. All eight models are networkable and feature automatic set up for audio parameters, reducing deployment time during installation. They each offer load monitoring, allowing users to monitor system parameters such as temperature, power usage and per formance over time. These parameters can be monitored and controlled via Powersoft’s Armonía system manager or via an external

headroom for power sharing according to the specific needs of an installation, meaning one Mezzo amplifier can drive zones of varying sizes, and design changes can be accommodated without having to alter equipment choice. Each unit comes with rackmount accessories that fit two units into a standard 19-inch rack, or one unit into an 11-inch compact rack. A Mezzo unit can also stand alone on its rubber feet within a credenza, be mounted to the wall or hidden behind a video screen. The unit is designed to be ‘ultra-quiet’ and requires no ventilation. In terms of per formance, Mezzo can repor tedly deliver enough power to drive multiple subwoofers. www.powersoft.com

Wireless extension for the CS-700

Open-architecture DSP BOSE IS now shipping its new ControlSpace engineered sound processors: the ESP-880A, ESP-880AD, ESP-1240A and ESP-1240AD. The ‘A’ designation indicates Bose AmpLink connectivity, while the ‘AD’ designation indicates both AmpLink and Dante connectivity. They feature analogue audio I/O – mic and line level – and advanced signal processing with 48kHz/24-bit audio conversion, low latency and ultra-low noise operation. In addition, the ESP-880AD and ESP-1240AD feature front-panel RJ45

Ethernet connection for localised configuration and monitoring. ControlSpace ESP processors can be configured using

40 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

ControlSpace Designer software and its signal processing modules, including automatic mic mixers, predictive feedback

suppressors, room combiners, multiband graphic and parametric EQs, Bose loudspeaker libraries, signal generators, routers,

mixers, AGCs, duckers, gates, compressors, source selectors and delays. Each processor also supports integration with industrystandard control systems, such as Crestron and AMX. The processors are compatible with Bose’s three digital ControlCenter controllers: the CC-1D, CC-2D and CC-3D. They also work with the ControlSpace Remote app, which allows endusers to adjust volume, mute, tone and source selection from their mobile devices. pro.bose.com

PRODUCTS

Allen & Heath expands its appeal FOLLOWING THE launch of the Dante-enabled I/O boxes, Allen & Heath has expanded its ‘Everything I/O’ ecosystem with the addition of two new remote audio expanders. Designed to be a high-channel-count remote expander, the 96kHz GX4816 is a central hub for all stage I/O that connects via a single cable link to SQ and dLive systems. Incorporating 48 dLive mic preamps and 16 XLR outputs in a 4U chassis, the GX4816 is equipped with two DX ports for further expansion or bridge connection to an ME personal mixing system. In addition, the DX012 is a 1U output expander that feeds IEMs and amplifier racks. A second DX012, DX168 or DX164-W can be cascaded to the unit, while a redundant connection can be made to compatible hardware. The current array of I/O options includes the 48kHz AR2412, AR84 and AB168 audio racks for Qu and SQ digital mixers, the modular DX32 rack, the portable DX168, the wallmount DX164-W for SQ and dLive systems and the Dante-enabled

GX4816

DX012

Finally, V1.4 firmware for the SQ series has been unveiled. Three new audio tools – Multiband Compressors, Dynamic EQ and De-Esser – allow SQ users to have up to eight instances that can be inserted on any input channel, group or mix. V1.4 also introduces an offline mode for SQ’s MixPad app, which is now being released for PC and Mac. Offline mode allows engineers to create show files without the need for an SQ, manage shows and scenes offline, and send and receive shows over a wired or wireless network. www.allen-heath.com

DT168 and DT164-W. Larger systems can also be facilitated by the DX Hub expander. In other news, the manufacturer has released Custom Control, a cross-platform control app for dLive systems. Users can design multiple inter faces tailored to different levels and device types. Access to all levels, mutes and sends is provided, together with preset recall, source selection and metering. Tabs can be

configured for access to multiple control pages or zones. Once complete, the configuration is uploaded to the core of the system, the MixRack, ready for deployment. Any device running the Custom Control app can log into the system with a given user profile, at which point the correct user inter face is downloaded and displayed. This allows for both kiosk applications and BYOD use.

Custom Control

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PRODUCTS

Extron flexes its processing muscles

Avnu-certified network switch unveiled by L-Acoustics L-ACOUSTICS HAS launched the Avnu-cer tified LS10 AVB switch as an out-of-the-box solution for providing ‘simple and reliable’ AVB networking. As a founding member of the Milan workgroup, L-Acoustics has made a commitment to AVB for real-time media transpor t and, as a result, the new LS10 is based on Milan open standards. ‘We know our users don’t have the bandwidth to be IT exper ts, spending all their time configuring networks,’ explained Genio Kronauer, director of electronics at L-Acoustics, and member of the Milan workgroup since its founding. ‘With the LS10, you get a rugged AVB switch that works ef for tlessly. All you have to do is plug in the LS10 and

you are ready to send audio through your entire network in seconds.’ According to the manufacturer, users will spend less time setting up systems and more time creating ‘unforgettable’ experiences. Two LS10 units can be mounted side-by-side in a 1U rack space for redundancy. With front and rear connectivity, the LS10 can also be mounted in the LA-RAK II, distributing audio and control to other amplified controllers or other LA-RAK II units through eight EtherCON connectors and two SFP cages for fibre-optic transceivers. The LS10 also operates in silence with no need for internal ventilation.

THE DMP 128 FlexPlus series of compact Dante digital matrix processors from Extron offers 12 ‘FlexInput’ channels with full DSP, as well as AEC and Dante connectivity, all in a half-rack unit.

digital audio connection with a DTP CrossPoint or another DMP, eight audio file players and configurable macros. The DMP 128 FlexPlus is intended for use in collaboration

The DMP 128 FlexPlus series An extensive mix matrix, USB audio interface and analogue compatibility are all features of the DMP 128 FlexPlus. The unit allows users to connect and route multiple source signal types to accommodate a diverse range of analogue and digital system requirements. It features an ACP bus for audio control panels, an expansion port for bidirectional

spaces and large conference rooms. For collaboration, the DMP 128 FlexPlus V model includes up to eight VoIP lines. The manufacturer also states that the DMP 128 FlexPlus is well suited to applications using Dante ceiling microphone arrays and other Dante-enabled devices. With network connectivity for up to

48 Dante sources and 24 Dante destinations, the unit includes a built-in, two-port Gigabit switch. Extron has also released its HC 402 series of meeting space collaboration systems. These combine video switching, scaling, signal extension and system control into a single-gang wall plate transmitter, paired with a receiver. They provide signal extension for audio, video and power up to 70m over a shielded CATx cable. Finally, the IN1806 and IN1808 series presentation switchers have been developed to offer 18Gbps support and 4K/60 at 4:4:4 video scaling. They feature Extron’s exclusive Vector 4K scaling engine with 30-bit internal video processing and the manufacturer’s ProDSP audio processing capabilities, video transition effects and logo keying functionality. www.extron.com

www.l-acoustics.com

The IN1806 and IN1808 series

Dante assistive listening WAVECAST DANTE from Williams Sound is a Wi-Fi platform designed for pro-audio applications where high-quality sound is required for streaming audio in real-time to smar tphones or tablets. The inter face is based on the Audinate UXT Ultimo chipset which suppor ts both AES67 and SMPTE 2110. Dante’s

audio routing of Dante-enabled products on an audio network. Professional audio inputs on the WaveCast Dante include ¼-inch/ XLR, phantom power and a linelevel output jack. In addition to multi-stage gain control inputs, the DSP features include AGC, limiters, high- and low-pass filter, and adjustable range compressor

WaveCast Dante Ultimo UXT suppor t of AES67 and SMPTE 2110 gives integrators various audio options to choose from for greater interoperability with other audio equipment in their system design. This allows the WaveCast Dante to be controlled by the Dante Controller, Dante’s software used for setting up and managing

control. The 16-bit DAC provides a 48kHz sample rate for a smooth digital stream and minimises digital harshness. WaveCast Dante supports both unicast and multicast network configurations, while up to four WaveCast systems can be connected to the same Wi-Fi network to provide multiple listening channels, supporting 45

42 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

users in unicast mode or more than 1,500 users in multicast mode. Continuing the theme of assistive listening, FM+ is described by Williams Sound as the first system able to broadcast both FM and Wi-Fi audio from a single source. The FM+ integrates WaveCast Wi-Fi audio server technology into a Williams Sound FM assistive listening system so that endusers can listen with either an FM receiver or with their own smartphone (via the WaveCast listening app). The FM+ is built on a professional DSP platform and comes with an optional Dante interface to provide integrators with a full audio networking solution. Venues no longer need to choose between providing FM or Wi-Fi assistive listening systems. The FM+ supports both the new iOS and Android WaveCast apps, in addition to all of the current and legacy Williams Sound FM receivers operating on the 72–76MHz bandwidth. www.williamsav.com

Lighter processing power ORBAN HAS added to its por tfolio with the OPTIMOD 8700i LT audio processor, which is a lighter version of the flagship OPTIMOD 8700i. Offering more versatile five-band and two-band processing than the 8700i, it suppor ts both analogue FM transmission and digital media, including DAB+, HD Radio and Streaming. The 8700i LT provides features such as a phase corrector that can reduce multipath distor tion without compromising the stereo separation and allows for a more ‘modern-sounding bass punch’.

Like the 8700i, the 8700i LT includes Orban’s MX limiter technology, which claims to lower distor tion, improve transient punch and minimise pre-emphasis-induced, highfrequency loss. Fur ther features include a digital MPX output, ‘helping to reveal more detail and increase impact’ while reducing listening fatigue and distor tion. With the introduction of the 8700i LT, Orban has also announced that the OPTIMOD 8600 will now be discontinued. www.orban.com

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PRODUCTS

The heart of the system RCF launches M 20 Series THE PXA8001 rack solution is described by Next-proaudio as the heart of the system and has been configured to allow users to run multiple configurations of the company’s PX system. The PX system is a plug-andplay, processor-controlled, horn-loaded stacking PA that has been designed for portable applications as well as small

concerts, along with side-fill and DJ monitoring. Comprising an 8,000W Powersoft amplifier and featuring four output channels (2,000W at 4Ω), the PXA8001 incorporates a new power supply design equipped with PFC and Smart Rails Management. The rack also comes with a fixed switching frequency design of the Pulse

Width Modulation block to reportedly increase performance, predictability and immunity from intermodulation artefacts. Power limiters, thermal shutdown, short circuit and overload, and a clip limiter are included. The DSP audio processor is said to protect controls and optimise the system, including signal processing, crossover

filters, PEQ filters, all-pass filters, delays and limiters. The built-in port gives users access to DSP processing capabilities directly from the PC running Powersoft Armonía software. Four different presets are available: PXH64 Flat, PXH64 Music, PXH95 Flat and PXH95 Music. www.next-proaudio.com

RCF HAS added four new mixers to its M Series range: the M 20X, M 20R, M 20XD and M 20RD. These consoles, dubbed the M 20 Series, are ‘DSP-rich’ and fully recallable, with 11 motorised faders and 16 remote controlled preamps. The M 20X is described as the ‘standard device’, while the M 20XD adds a Dante interface for AoIP networking. The M 20R and M 20RD are 3U rack versions that offer the same functionality and remote-control capabilities without the faders. Additionally, the M 20X marks RCF’s first complete digital mixer with motorised faders. With its compact form factor, the Italian manufacturer hopes it will have particular appeal to rental companies, musicians, as a conference system or sub-mixer for larger installations. The M 20 consoles also feature 20 input channels and 16 highquality mic preamps, as well as eight XLR and eight combo inputs, two TRS inputs and a stereo input on a mini jack. There are 10 output channels, eight of which are XLR and the other two TRS, in addition to two main XLR outputs. All outputs are routable. The rear panels feature an AES-EBU stereo output, USB audio 24x24

M 20X

multichannel inter face and LAN port for wireless remote control. A 5-inch touchscreen with five encoders offers control of each mixer’s capabilities. In addition, four function buttons can recall the main pages on the screen along with eight programmable user keys. There are 10 motorised faders for I/Os and one for the main master mix, as well as four fader layers (inputs 1–10, inputs 11–20, four FX returns, six custom faders and 10 mix outputs). The M 20 Series provides three options for multi-track, real-time recording and playback, with 20 tracks on an SD card, as well as a

Amplified control THE AMPLIFIED Loudspeaker Controllers (ALCs) from Community Professional Loudspeakers have been designed to provide all of the signal routing, zone switching, DSP processing, protective limiting, remote monitoring and amplification functions needed between a mixer and the loudspeakers in virtually any Community loudspeaker application. Standard Ethernet communication protocols reportedly allow for fast system design, system control and remote system monitoring, while analogue and Dante inputs included in each model are assignable per channel in static or failover/backup configuration. Three models are available: the ALC-404D (four channels of 400W), the ALC-1604D (four channels of 1,600W) and the ALC-3202D (two channels of 3,200W). Bridged channel pairs support driving loads down to 4Ω at double the power of a single channel. Housed in a compact 1U chassis, the DSP reduces the need for external outboard equipment, while reduced power

consumption is said to lower thermal dissipation and reduce the need for external cooling devices. Each channel is capable of directly driving 70V/100V distributed loudspeakers, low-

managing the system can be done at a remote, decentralised location. The per-channel, userassignable, fault-indicating GPIO connectors on the rear panel can be integrated with third-

four 12-inch LF drivers, three Community M200 midrange compression drivers and four 1.5-inch HF compression drivers. Using patent-pending techniques, all drivers integrate into a single

44 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

party monitoring and emergency notification systems. Community is also taking on the challenges of large venues with its LVH-900 Beamforming Venue Horn. Combined with the manufacturer’s room prediction software and the ALCs, the horn tailors the directivity of each loudspeaker, or array of loudspeakers, to meet the sound requirements of the installation. Each LVH-900 consists of

www.rcf.it

SigMod hosts VST3

triaxial waveguide that fills the entire 36-inch x 31-inch face of the enclosure, providing pattern control to below 200Hz. The LVH-906 and LVH-909 offer 60° or 90° fixed horizontal dispersion respectively, with each allowing vertical dispersion beamforming ranging from 60° to 20°, in symmetric or asymmetric configurations.

NUGEN AUDIO has released an update for its SigMod utility toolbox plug-in, which adds VST3 hosting capabilities that the manufacturer states allows the use of ‘any plug-in in any way within this SigMod’s 12 different signal modification units to instantly enhance DAW and associated plug-in functionality’. A VST3 file is a plug-in used in several digital audio workstations (DAW), storing the information about instrument or audio effects used to modify recordings. The files are saved in the Virtual Studio Technology 3 (VST3) standard. With the SigMod upgrade, users are able to host VST3 plug-ins in Pro Tools (AAX environments), Ableton (VST2 environments) and Logic (AU environments). According to the manufacturer, users can apply any plug-in in mid/side mode, add split L/R functionality, or split frequencies and route audio to anywhere within the DAW.

www.communitypro.com

www.nugenaudio.com

The ALC family impedance loudspeakers from 2Ω or any mixed configuration of low- and high-impedance output loads. Control and monitoring are accomplished via ArmoníaPlus. Assigning loudspeakers is described as a simple drag-anddrop process, while loudspeaker groups and zones can be created by clicking on the images of the loudspeakers to be grouped together. Tailoring the sound and

24x24 channel USB 2.0 inter face and stereo recording and playback on a USB key. Also new is the F 24XR digital mixer, which completes RCF’s F Series. The F 24XR features 18 mic preamps, 16 line inputs, four stereo inputs, two stereo bus outputs and six compressors. It contains 16 multi-FX presets, a single control compressor and comes with a USB inter face for stereo recording, three-band EQ with selectable frequency and four aux sends, one of which is available for the internal FX engine.

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PRODUCTS

Schoeps develops new dish SCHOEPS HAS collaborated with Swedish manufacturer Telinga to develop its new parabolic dish and microphone system. It has been created in response to the need for ‘pristine sound’ in sports broadcasts and nature recording. The parabolic dish has been built for high directivity at medium and high frequencies. To achieve a balanced frequency response, the positioning and microphone type are specifically matched to the dish. Schoeps recommends its omni CCM 2, as well as its CCM 21 (wide cardioid) and CCM 4 (cardioid) directional microphones for use with the dish. The manufacturer’s website explains the differences and details which type to choose for varying applications.

A new, free plug-in, ParabolEQ, handles signal equalisation. This reportedly delivers a transparent frequency response between 100Hz and 20kHz, depending on the microphone type and other

parameters. An integrated Rycote windscreen addresses wind problems when using pressure gradient microphones. www.schoeps.de

Digiface AVB gains macOS support

Digiface AVB THE DIGIFACE AVB is a portable USB3 audio interface that connects computers and DAWs to AVB. It has been compatible with Windows since launch, and has now added macOS support for Apple users. As Mac computers support AVB natively via macOS, RME deemed it not necessary to need an

external third-party solution as an AVB interface. However, the manufacturer has now ported the RME AVB Controller to macOS, updated the family-class USB driver to include network support and updated the Digiface AVB firmware for Mac operation. Following tests by several professional AVB companies and users, RME has

decided to publicly release Mac support for its Digiface AVB. The Digiface AVB doesn’t make use of Mac’s native AVB implementation functionality. Instead, it uses RME’s own, providing access to AVB as a 128-channel USB3 audio interface, including TotalMix FX support. System requirements include the latest driver release, 3.15 or up, including TotalMix FX and full support for the Digiface AVB, firmware version 203 or higher, RME’s AVB controller to run and access the Digiface AVB, and Mac OS X 10.11 or above. RME has also released new firmware for its ADI-2 Pro series to FPGA version 193 and DSP version 94. www.rme-audio.de

Following the action A TRACKING Intelligent Microphone has been launched by Clockaudio to cater for huddle rooms, conference rooms and video conferencing facilities. The low-profile condenser features the ability to track sound sources within a room and can eliminate the sound of unwanted steady noise such as air conditioners and projectors, according to the manufacturer. The TIM-1000 installs just like a ceiling speaker (using dog legs) in a drop ceiling or hard ceiling and does not require any programming or the need to set up different lobes. In addition, it can self-configure to any space.

The microphone uses intuitive GUI and UDP commands for set up and control, has a frequency response of 150Hz to 15kHz and is powered by 8W PoE. The

46 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

microphone comes constructed with UL 2043-rated plastics and an aluminium shell. At the core of the TIM-1000 is Clockaudio’s Adaptive Proximity Technology, which allows for a more consistent sound level for the person speaking and will automatically compensate for the distance of the par ticipant from the microphone, while maintaining real-time audio capture. It requires one channel of AEC, is UL listed and is compatible with any soft codec, as well as both Dante and AES67 devices. www.clockaudio.com

Limitless sound reconstruction WHEATSTONE HAS added several new advancements for radio broadcasters to its flagship audio processor platform, AirAura. The company explains that it has been seeking a new solution to dynamics control and pre-emphasis management and, having witnessed the possibilities with DSP, has applied similar thinking to FM pre-emphasis and peak control. The result is Limitless FM peak control technology that reconstructs the audio after the application of pre-emphasis. According to Wheatstone, this means ‘no more dull, smeary highs or spitty audio, just a clean high end that’s matched to the texture of your audio’.

virtual console. The console acts as a standalone UI for the WheatNet-IP audio network and is laid out similarly to the network’s flagship LXE hardware control sur face. Glass LXE can be used anywhere there’s a PC touchscreen or several touchscreens connected over that network, and offers a studio-ready user inter face with familiar buttons, knobs and multi-touch navigation and menuing for EQ curves, filtering and other custom settings. The manufacturer has also introduced a virtual console for TV applications. Virtual Dimension Three is a multitouch virtual console with 64 faders onscreen that inter faces with

AirAura X5 The X5 also integrates Unified Processing, which allows the processor to share information between all stages. In the X5, the iAGC, Dynamics and Limitless Clipper work together, with changes made automatically and in real-time. The unit has been designed as 31 independent filter banks with no crossovers to colourise the audio. Additionally, the X5 offers a suite of static and dynamic RDS features along with multi-stream UECP suppor t. Aside from processing enhancements, the unit houses a host of synchronisation and remote logging tools, such as Live Logger, while Wheatstone’s HD/FM audio alignment technology joins the X5 in the form of the FM&HD Livelock. Broadcasters seeking a virtual solution are also catered for with Wheatstone’s Glass LXE

StageBox One

major production automation systems, including those by Ross Video, Grass Valley and Sony. Also acting as a standalone inter face for the WheatNet-IP audio network, the sur face can be used anywhere on the network that features a touchscreen and comes with a rackmount mix engine to handle mixing and processing. Lastly, we have the StageBox One, a 4U device that extends console I/O, providing 32 mic/ line inputs, 16 analogue line outputs, eight AES3 inputs and eight AES3 outputs, as well as 12 logic and dual Ethernet ports. Its heavy-duty construction makes it suited to on-the-go applications, such as remote sporting events. The StageBox One works with all WheatNet-IP audio networked consoles. www.wheatstone.com

PRODUCTS PRODUCTS FEATURES: INSTALLATION

Biamp its for Reverbconnects plug-in goes conferencing bigger sound gear

end of last year. It was redesigned with a completely redone interior and new tech infrastructure as well.’ While stunning to look at and a major attraction for the restaurant, the Japaneseinspired interior décor would create a number of headaches for Procom down the road, ultimately meaning a ‘less more’ solution new poll graph types, customisation options BIAMP HAS introduced its is TesiraConnect was necessary approach. and a new way to experience the moderator roomthe expander, a five-port AVB connection box Audio reinforcement throughout the entire application. designed to simplify Biamp conference room venue comes from just a handful The IC6 is the next phase of Biamp’s desono setupstherefore by providing power and media over a of Artec wall-mounted cabinets from Spanish speaker family. It is a medium-format, inmanufacturer DAS Audio, paired with three ceiling, constant-voltage loudspeaker designed strategically placed subwoofers. A single to deliver full-range music in larger common Artec-506 6-inch cabinet covers the hidden areas, including airports, warehouses, sake bar, while six CL-8-T ceiling speakers casinos and factories. The Tesira platform support BGM in the much-quieter private dining is now said to offer an end-to-end solution Infused sake is the speciality drink served area. A further five Artec-508 8-inch enclosures for both conferencing and sight and sound at ONI TesiraConnect deployed throughout the main dining and bar reinforcement (SSR) applications. For SSR, fewIC6 options forto sub placement. ‘The venue area the speaker setup. the is said provide high intelligibility ‘Wecomplete also worked with other pro audio shares three 15-inch Artec-S15 subs, which The lack ofon space and unforgiving of single cable between Biamp AVB DSPs, USB with wide uniform coverage and design companies the project, such asnature Harman might seem little strange,’ admits Schroeder. the room’s aesthetics presented Procom with extenders, PoE+ and Adly. microphones. features sucha as blind mount and a removable AIMED AIMED AT AT seasoned seasoned recording recording are are brighter, brighter, more more diffused diffused and and use use Professional andamplifiers Shure,’ adds ‘We didn’tgrille. haveItany spaceainsix-position, the middle where If more thanEventide five connections aresetup, required, features engineers, engineers, Eventide has has released released aa higher highermagnetic bit bit resolution. resolution. In addition to the loudspeaker wecan wanted to the put them originally, so had to multiple expanders canresponsible beaadaisy-chained. 70V/100V tap with an 8Ω bypass to we specify Reverb Reverb plug-in. plug-in. Recreating Recreating classic classicfor the Users Users can control control the structure structure of of Audio Technology was sit down with the designer andneeded. basically design Acting aof connection point for the exact number ofthe speakers collection collection ofcentral reverb reverb algorithms, algorithms, the the the the the reverb reverb by by fine-tuning fine-tuning the controls, controls, entire as sound system. This included furniture pieces and counter pieces the all Biampis in a conference room, including SixPredelay, months after acquiring Cambridge SP2016 SP2016 isdevices aaof pro pro audio rack-mount, rack-mount, including Predelay, Decay, Decay, Position Position and and for Sound deployment a audio Soundcraft Vi1 48-channel subsWhile to goan in.’EQ TesiraConnect measures 14.7cm 14.7cmDiffusion. x Management, Biamp is integrating multi-effects multi-effects processor processor with with three three reverb Diffusion. While an EQ section section allows allows Cambridge mixing console, equipped with an xreverb RS2409SP The high result is the first marble-encased 2.8cm and weighs 800g. It can be mounted sound-masking devices intoof SageVue types types available available in in two two versions: versions: Vintage Vintage for simpler simpler high and and low low filtering filtering ofitsthe the Cat-5/MADI card, alongside a CSB 32/8+8for subwoofer Pro monitoring AVL MEA has on beneath astagebox table, in and ais or that behind andencountered management and and Modern. Modern. Room Room iscabinet an an effect that can reverbbrowser-based with with adjustable adjustable filter filter ranges, ranges, the the compact a effect whole hostcan of a reverb its can many travels so far.or ‘Itboost wasn’t easy. They monitor. Itforisreverberant fully compatible with Biamp’s low platform with SageVue version 2.1. be be used used for reverberant doubling doubling and and low filter filter can be be used used to to cut cut or boost Shure microphones, including SM58SE are solid marble counter pieces obviously new release allows users to and discover SageVue management and monitoring single single echoes; echoes; Stereo Stereo Room recreates recreates at at the theThe specified specified frequency. frequency. The The plug-in plug-in dynamic vocal, SM86 Room cardioid condenser and the marble changes theincluding response,’ explains and addartist Cambridge devices to SageVue; system and all ofaaits ports are located the the ambience ambience of of large large concert concert hall; hall; on also also includes includes artist presets, presets, including MX418D/C gooseneck mics. Schroeder. ‘But weand hadChiccarelli, to find afaults; way toread meet acknowledge dismiss the back, keeping theis free for status some and and Hi-Density Hi-Density Plate Plate isfront aaalso plate plate reverb reverb someview, by by Dave Dave Pensado, Pensado, Joe Joe Chiccarelli, The microphone setup comprises theDevine, décor restrictions, andincluding overall itzone still level Cambridge device details, indicator lights. with with dual dualSLX24/SM58 pickups pickups simulating simulating the the effect effect Richard Devine, Sasha, Sasha, George George a Shure handheld wireless Richard sounds very nice.’ and mute status, network details New features also been addedto to of of aa big, big, heavy heavy have plate, plate,lavalier allowing allowing users users to Massenberg, Massenberg, Buda Buda && Grandz Grandz and and Erin Erin and location system, SLX14/85 wireless The careful placement the subsinternal allows information; and access asanctuary, device’s Biamp’s Crowd Mics audience engagement make make vocals, vocals, guitars guitars and and percussive percussive Tonkon. Back inside the mainof the system, MX153 earset headworn mics, a Tonkon. one unitreflective to feed three simultaneously. management console. solution that appear creates a collaboration instruments instruments appear bigger bigger and and brighter. brighter. large, roomareas has an extremely UA844+SWB-E antenna distribution system, ‘There’s enough end in three of the In brief, Biamp low hastime expanded the spaces experience presenters and liveand www.eventideaudio.com www.eventideaudio.com The The Modern Modernbetween versions versions of of the the algorithms algorithms long reverberation ofall 11s. With the in UA874WB active directional antennas zones from thatbeam-tracking single itunit,’ says Schroeder. its Parlé microphones audiences. Mics transforms every cathedral now open, is the Fohhn Linea UA860SWBCrowd passive omnidirectional antennas. which ‘This could minimise the amount of can bemeant deployed by adding fordirect smartphone and tablet intocomplement a personal the Additional loudspeakers Focus beamwe steering that support facilitates subs needed and with were ableand to push the other Devio tocoverage its TCM-X ceiling TTM-X tablemicrophone and in interactive Fohhn systems the form of JBL’s CBT sound precision, resulting two closer towards the bar to maximise the top Parlé microphones and the aTCM-1 response system via a100LA-1-WH free 50LA-1-WH and CBT column in clear speech intelligibility with 0.6 low-frequency output the DJ.’ pendant. Finally,forTesira has alsoIndex) iOS Android app, by Crown CDi 4|300 lineor arrays, powered average STI (Speech Transmission Powerbeen for the DAS comes from updated to version 3.11 to eliminating needas SRX812P active bassamplifiers, the as well measurement, for cabinets 95% intelligibility of PA500, PA1500, PA4000for and two PA2700 include support Dante Domain to passcabinets handheld reflex and LSR305/230 monitors. sentences spoken. amplifiers, while processing and via a Manager; new blocks forisLogic mics theAudio DESIGNED DESIGNED FOR use use in inTechnology’s film film and and music music microphone microphone signals to to be be integrated integrated at at zoning Thearound scopeFOR of work wasn’t ‘Thesignals vast flexibility oflogic Fohhn’s Linea Focus Symetrix Jupiter 8 awith wall-mounted controllers Pulse, Logic room. V1.1 includes recording recording in inwithin addition addition to to broadcast broadcast higher level level and and equally equally into into the theovercoming mix. mix.and Logic contained Cathedral of the Nativity’saa higher products helped lotSelector in the installed in the additional Sequencer; and expanded improvements toeither, commentary commentary and and interviews, interviews, Schoeps Schoeps Available Available as as 1-to-2 1-to-2 L/R L/Rbar. and andAn 1-to-3 1-to-3 L/C/R L/C/RDASsupport main sanctuary as the systems challenges we faced at Cathedral ofAudio the DSP23 for the forconcludes TesiraLUX EDID.processing the user interface, has has created created Mono Mono Upmix Upmix Plugin Plugin that that versions versions from from performs the the ‘Plugin ‘Plugindedicated Alliance’, Alliance’, its its integrator also designed and installed Nativity,’ Adly. In thewhen backmonophonic of the control room, there extracts extracts diffused diffused audio audioShure, and and distributes distributes itit use use is issubs. warranted warranted when monophonic room room sound solutions from JBL, Crown desono two sets of patch panels that link with www.biamp.com to to two two or or three three channels. channels. While While improving improving signalsare are arealso present. present. www.audioteceg.com and Soundcraft inside aIC6 smaller chapel, signals possible DJ positions. the the timbre timbre and and spatial quality quality of of aahall. mono mono The The range range of of setups setups with with suspensions suspensions www.fohhn.com auditorium andspatial a multi-purpose ‘One thingfor that the owners signal, signal, another another benefit benefit of of the the plug-in plug-in and and windscreens windscreens for Double Double MS MS 5.1 5.1requested was thetechnology flexibility tohas move theexpanded DJ booth around is is spatial spatial depth. depth. Developed Developed by by Swiss Swiss surround surround technology has been been expanded according to different events they are running, specialist specialist Illusonic, Illusonic, the the algorithm algorithm differs differs with with the the development development of of aa free free Double Double so weThe incorporated patch panels with full from from the the conventional conventional Upmix Upmix approach approach as as MS MS plug-in. plug-in. The new new software software decodes decodes cabling capable of moving itit adds adds nothing nothing to to the the original original signal, signal, while while the the three three signals signals of of aa Double Double MS MSthe DJ booth along with allduring of thepostproduction gear so it can to be plugged in being being fully fully downmix-compatible. downmix-compatible. While While the the microphone microphone during postproduction to onan theoptimised other side of the Despite its sound sound of of aa monophonic monophonic dialogue dialogue signal signal produce produce an optimised signal signal in invenue.’ stereo stereo or or heavyweight appearance, the whole booth is is is significantly significantly improved improved with with the the plug-in plug-in surround. surround. movable. in in film film and and broadcasting broadcasting applications, applications, While it clearly took a lot of effort to devise www.schoeps.com www.schoeps.com in in music music recording recording itit can can support support such a minimal system, keeping the openplan areas covered without interfering A REFERENCE-GRADE AD/DA conver ter Amári features analogue inputs on two with pairs theXLR décor, theconnectors end result and has RCA ticked all of the capable of 24-bit/384kHz conversion of combo jacks and boxes. outputs on XLR connectors and with DSD256 suppor t that can achieve analogue ‘It involved a lotalso of EASE modelling, 138dB dynamic range has been released TRS jacks. Ports provide digital I/Obut on everythingS/PDIF just works,’ shares Schroeder. by Antelope Audio. Designed with an AES/EBU, and TOSLINK connectors, ‘Wewell had do a lot of onsite calibration easy-to-use inter face, Amári has two as astobidirectional computer connectivity andthe testing but Gen. we’re1really happy with the high-powered headphone outputs on via USB 3.1 connector. outcome. a great amountDAC of level, Amári alsoThere’s uses eight CS43198 chips XLR combo connectors with userbeing pushed –and fourthe persystem channelcan – tohandle offer improved sound selectable output resistance, which quite well. We’ve already in quality. It supports sample had rates700+ of uppeople to works as headphone membrane weight here on (PCM) a single before the system 384kHz andnight operates at and the same compensation. Both stereo headphone performedand brilliantly.’ resolution speed as the two AK5578 ADC outputs feature a volume control chips that top a dynamic range of 128dB. capped at 20dBu, with digital trim and selectable output impedance from –4.6Ω www.dasaudio.com www.onidubai.com www.antelopeaudio.com to 85.3Ω. The private dining area serve as delays www.procom-me.com Fohhn DLI-230 speakers

Singles and doubles served by Schoeps

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Reference-grade conversion

September–October 2019 AVL March–April March–April 2019 2019 PRO PRO AVL AVL MEA MEA 47 43 43 July–August May–June 2019 PRO PRO AVL MEA MEA 65 65

PRODUCTS

Singing the Blues BLUESOUND PROFESSIONAL has introduced a suite of products to its catalogue, including two streamers, two amps and rackmount accessories. At the core of these products is the company’s BluOS multi-zone audio content management interface integrated into the products’ hardware.

and interoperability among BluOS Enabled devices within a BluOS ecosystem. The B100S BluOS and B400S four-zone BluOS network streaming players can be rackmounted and connected to either a distribution amplifier with passive speakers or directly into

B100S

powered speakers. The B100S fits into a 1⁄3-rack space and can stream to one zone, while the B400S fits a 1U rack space and can stream to up to four zones. The A860 eight-channel and B160S two-channel BluOS

streaming stereo amplifiers are designed to accompany the streamers, for which the B160S integrates network-streaming benefits that deliver audio content to a zone. Featuring a 3.5-inch woofer and a 1-inch HF driver,

A860 B400S Designed for commercial applications, the BluOS Enabled technology reportedly provides a virtually unlimited number of zones of high-resolution grouped or independent audio environments

the BSP125 is a 25W amplified speaker with built-in DSP. BluOS Enabled, the BSP125 can connect to network-accessible music sources and communicate with other BluOS devices on the same network. The RM100 and the RM160 rack accessories are designed to complement the B100S BluOS network streaming player and the B160S BluOS streaming stereo amplifier, respectively. The RM100 and B160S can house up to three B100S and six B160S players in 1U and 3U rack spaces, respectively. Other features include loudspeaker wall-mounted brackets, hardwired Gigabit Ethernet (RJ45), along with network discovery, device self-discovery and advanced customisation options. www.bluesoundprofessional.com

Sound Devices launches 32-channel flagship A NEW flagship, 32-channel, 36-track portable recorder has been released by Sound Devices, which it is describing as the most powerful product it has ever designed. With 16 mic/line preamplifiers, 32 channels of Dante I/O, AES I/O, 12 analogue outputs and multiple headphone outputs, Scorpio is equipped to tackle almost any production scenario. A customisable routing matrix enables sound

Sommer’s knight in armour The HDMI Knight’s connectors are fitted with Glandmaster protective sleeves that protect against loss with a stainless-steel rope. This makes them ideal for rough mobile use, claims the German manufacturer. Thanks to GOING BEYOND armour plating of the exterior cable housing, the latest solution from Sommer Cable adds protection to the connector itself. The HDMI Knight features an integrated stainless-steel corrugated tube capable of withstanding tensile forces up to 800N, while the strain relief of the connector is rated to withstand 650N. Furthermore, the cable boasts a halogen-free and notch-resistant PUR jacket with a 5.8mm thickness and a minimal bending radius of 20mm.

Active Optical Cable technology, the transfer of the high-speed contents is based on glass fibres – this facilitates a maximum transfer distance of up to 100m with a UHD performance of 18G. www.sommercable.com

48 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

professionals to send any input to any channel, bus or output. Up to 12 busses may be individually mixed. Scorpio boasts an engine comprised of three FPGA circuits and six ARM processors deliver the horsepower needed for complex tasks, and it also features the manufacturer’s latest analogue microphone preamplifier design, which includes built-in analogue limiters, high-pass filters, delay,

three-band EQ and phantom power. The recorder also houses an internal SSD and adds the ability to simultaneously record to two SD cards for redundancy. For additional flexibility, users can send different files to their choice of media. The companion SDRemote Android application allows for control of Scorpio via a large display. www.sounddevices.com

Tasker heads outdoors DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY for outdoor and heavy-duty applications, Tasker’s C862 is a 110Ω-rated double DMX light cable with aramidic fibre fillers and an outer sheath constructed in PUR, a special material that is flame retardant, halogen free, and UV, water, chemical and oil resistant. Its single-pair brother is the TSK1038 PUR, a 2x0.35mm² DMX 110Ω AES/EBU with high-coverage shielding and the same sheath as the C862. In the same family is one of the Italian manufacturer’s most popular balanced microphone cables, the C128 PUR, that can run in installations up to 100m in any condition, both indoor and outdoor. Tasker has also unveiled a range of LAN cables that allows users to transmit digital audio and video as well as classic data signals.

To start is the C725 PUR, a Cat.5e cable ideal for digital audio applications on the Dante protocol. Next is the C728 PUR, a cable with a larger section of 4x2x0.22mm² (24/7 AWG) designed for HDBaseT transmissions. Then there’s the C726

PUR, a Cat.7 cable with a diameter of 6mm and, finally, its bigger brother, the C726 PUR Super, a Cat.7A cable that allows a data transmission speed up to 1GHz for CATV applications. www.tasker.it

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PRODUCTS

Wisycom combines and splits FORMING PART of Wisycom’s 2200 Series active combiner/ splitters, the SPL2216 and SPL2208 feature 16 and eight diversity channel outputs, respectively. They can be used to combine or select signals from up to two (2x2 diversity) antenna inputs and feed 16x2 (SPL2216) or 8x2 (SPL2208) diversity outputs. By connecting two units, the system can be set up in a cascading arrangement to cover up to four zones, feeding up to 32 receivers. The SPL2216 and SPL2208 can be controlled via their buttons or Wisycom Manager, allowing for matrix selection between two diversity inputs. It also offers a redundant DC supply.

‘The SPL2216/2208 feature a wide frequency range (170– 1,240MHz) and a high level of robustness and linearity, for use in high-density frequency arrangements,’ explained Massimo Polo of Wisycom. ‘The device additionally serves as a resource for diagnostics information from antennas via a coax connection to the Wisycom Remote Antenna Protocol. This feature allows the user to monitor and control boosters and antennas within the network in real-time via an IP network using Wisycom Manager 2.0, the latest version of our proprietary wireless remotecontrol interface.’ In addition, Wisycom has unveiled its new MPR50-IFB true-diversity

MPR50-IFB

receiver. Designed for interruptible foldback applications, the beltpack-style receiver includes wideband tuning up to 232MHz, multi-companding processing via Wisycom’s ENR or ENC algorithms and a custom headphone amplifier for headroom up to a peak of +23dB. www.wisycom.com

SPL2216

Broadcast transmission power BUILT ON GatesAir’s PowerSmart Plus architecture, the Maxiva ULXTE is a liquid-cooled TV transmitter that powers over-the-air delivery across the UHF television spectrum. It uses the latest 50V LDMOS amplifier devices, compact high-efficiency power supplies and the new Maxiva XTE exciter with advanced real-time adaptive correction. The Maxiva ULXTE power amplifiers have been designed to provide both performance and efficiency for ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0. The ULXTE transmitter is rated for identical average power levels for both modulations, to reportedly offer a simple and cost-effective upgrade path for future ATSC 3.0 operation. According to the manufacturer, modular designs simplify installation and reduce ongoing maintenance, lowering total cost of ownership over the life of the transmitter. Additional features

Transparent audio BASED ON the company’s latest-generation DSP designs, NST Audio’s VMX88 eight-in/ eight-out matrix signal processor allows mixing of not only the eight analogue inputs – each one equipped with a compressor, high-pass filter, eight bands of

parametric EQ and delay – but also routing of eight channels of Dante-networked inputs to any output channel. The eight analogue outputs also include NST’s twostage PXL limiters. The front panel interface is said to give clear visual indication

of all inputs and outputs, as well as status of Dante and communications network activity. The VMX88 is compatible with the manufacturer’s VR1 PoE remote

TM7 and TM9 update

NEW VERSIONS of RTW’s TouchMonitor TM7 and TM9 audio meters now add Dante/AES67 across 32 channels and redundant network support. A TouchMonitor with Dante connectivity is able to monitor up to 32 audio channels at sample rates up to 96kHz. Apart from measuring critical audiorelated factors such as loudness, true peak, correlation and frequency distribution, users also get instant and visible feedback on the overall status of the audio

network. This reportedly allows for quick troubleshooting and identification of potential problems that may cause critical downtime. TouchMonitor TM7s and TM9s with Dante compatibility automatically detect and adapt to Dante channel names to simplify routing when setting up the audio metering system on the network. RTW has also released version 4.1 of its plug-in suites, introducing a new licensing system that is server-based and shareable. The

50 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

multi-seat licences can be installed on a server and shared across a local area network, which will reportedly benefit large facilities in terms of production workflows with multiple contributors. Two multiseat licences are available: two seats and 10 seats. A dedicated stereo-only version will also be available, while the surround versions of the plug-in suites will still include stereo operation. The multichannel features of the surround plug-ins have also been improved, as the surround version now aligns with the Pro Tools channel layout from mono and up to eight channels. A new channel activity indicator is said to make it easier for users to set up their multichannel workflows. Version 4.1 is compatible with the latest operating systems, including macOS Mojave and Windows 10. www.rtw.com

control panel, while control via thirdparty systems such as Crestron is available via NST’s Ethernet control protocol. Industry-standard Phoenix-type connectors are used

include up to 45% AC-to-RF efficiency; an integrated highefficiency pump system for certain power classes; hot-swappable, lightweight PA modules; low energy use; and RoHS and CE compliance. www.gatesair.com

throughout on the VMX88’s rear panel. In addition, the four GPI connections allow configurable actions such as fire alarm mutes and preset recalls. Up to 30 presets can be stored with recall options allowing selective recall combinations of input, matrix and output sections. www.nstaudio.com

Compact and certified voice evacuation SPANISH MANUFACTURER, LDA Audio Tech, has devised a compact PA and voice evacuation solution. The LDA One has recently been awarded the double certification of EN 54-16 and EN 54-4 and, according to the manufacturer, is the most compact system with this double certification to date, for both the control unit and its built-in battery charger. The LDA One includes a charger and battery in the same unit, reportedly an industry first in this segment, where it is usually sold separately, and features two Class-D amplifiers up to 500W and a backup amplifier, with six outputs/zones, three analogue audio inputs and one 6x6 expandable digital matrix. The wall and rack design also allows for wall mounting or installation in a 19-inch rack,

adaptable for any space requirements or installation type. The system includes failure detection and indication in all emergency functions, USB backup and restore features as well as an emergency log. www.lda-audiotech.com

HDL SYSTEM THE SOUND BEHIND THE EXPERIENCE

Higher SPL’s, constant directivity and sonic clarity are not enough. You need reduced weight, speed of rigging/de‑rigging, fast tuning and management and ease of transportation. Lightweight and easy to deploy, HDL Line Array Modules feature RCF transducers, Class‑D amplifiers, RDNet remote management, and proprietary FiRPHASE DSP processing for a natural sound at any volume.

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HDL 26‑A, HDL 28‑A,

Amplifiers

HDL 30‑A, HDL 50‑A 4K

Networked Management

to 140 dB SPL up to 4000 W RMS

to 8 Neodymium transducers

FiRPHASE Technology

www.rcf.it

PRODUCTS

Snapshot control BETA VERSION 0.6 of globcon, DirectOut’s global control software platform, introduces snapshots for the Andiamo series, MADI.SRC, EXBOX.MD, MA2CHBOX.XL and M.1K2, allowing the user to store and recall all parameters controlled via globcon. When a snapshot is taken, all current values are stored into a dataset. Users can either recall the whole

dataset or create a so-called scope-set to only change distinct areas of the settings and leave the others untouched. Snapshots are supported for single devices and on a global level. The new beta of globcon also provides several enhancements for existing plug-ins such as the Andiamo series, MA2CHBOX.XL and M.1K2, an improved demo version of the

Prodigy.MC plug-in and a new demo plug-in for the Prodigy.MP. The updated plug-in for the M.1K2 supports label management and includes a new feature called ‘globcon square meter’ which allows users to monitor in real-time all the 64 incoming channels of each single MADI port. A major firmware update has also been released for Montone.42, DirectOut’s MADI/Ravenna converter. The transparent transport of AES3 audio data over IP is now possible through the newly added ST 2110-31 support – the audio signal can be transmitted over IP, while the meta data is preserved. As a result, remote Andiamo devices can be controlled through audio-over-IP streams. Switchable transparency modes in the Montone.42 allow users to safely transmit non-PCM data, such as Dolby E, over ST 2110-31 streams. www.directout.eu

V1.1 enhances mixing workflow for Glacier V1.1 SOFTWARE for the Studer Glacier Series has introduced several new features and improvements to the mixing workflow, including the introduction of Channel Widgets and a Virtualised Central Module. The Channel Widget enables users to control up to six channels from the Central Module with full channel control including fader, mute and PFL. The Virtualised Central

Module provides tactile buttons in parallel from a tablet without losing functionality. Additionally, the update brings improved logging control. Logging is not enabled by default but can be enabled on different log levels to prevent files from extensive size increase or customise event logging based on log levels. www.studer.ch

Riedel launches smart app for 1200 Series RIEDEL HAS developed a new API based on the open NMOS standards for its 1200 Series SmartPanel to allow the use of the SmartPanel as a user interface for control, monitoring and automation solutions. Dubbed the 1200 Series SmartPanel Control Panel App, it enables the system to take on additional responsibilities within broadcast workflows. The app can trigger actions in control/automation systems

The 1200 Series SmartPanel Control Panel App

and provide visual feedback on the status and any configuration changes on the panel using colours, labels and symbols. ‘Its NMOS underpinnings allow a third-party system to automatically discover all of the panel’s control elements, like its lever keys or touchscreens, and assign any desired functionality,’ explained Riedel’s Marco Muckenhaupt. Another new app from Riedel is the MediorNet Processing App,

which delivers decentralised signal processing capabilities to MediorNet networks. It is built on the MicroN 80Gb media distribution hardware and includes two channels of up, down and cross-conversion, four channels of colour correction in the RGB and YCbCr spectrums and two multiviewer screens. It supports 4K and IP workflows. www.riedel.net

Roland uploads a V-02HD iPad app

V-02HD ROLAND PROFESSIONAL A/V has released the V-02HD Remote iPad control app for GUI-based operation. As long as users have updated to software Ver.1.10 on the V-02HD mixer, they can use the app to turn an iPad into an additional, touch interface.

The app allows for switching, virtual fader audio mixing and provides quick access to settings and effects parameters. Up to eight custom scenes can be created and stored to preset memories for quick setting up of regular shows. The V-02HD’s USB Type-B connector is used to

52 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

connect to the iPad’s lightning ports via adaptor cables that are available commercially, or via Apple’s USB Camera adapter. The mixer can also connect to the USB Type-C ports on an iPad Pro using USB Type-B to Type-C adaptor cables. In addition, the Ver.1.10 software update provides the V-02HD with support for additional resolution and frame rate formats, as well as USB MIDI support and the addition of increased audio delay and transformer switching. The VR-50HD MK II multi-format AV mixer adds an aux output to support confidence monitoring, recording and streaming feeds while maintaining the original VR-50HD’s connectivity and flexibility. The MK II features an updated user interface, enhanced audio quality, control capabilities for select JVC and Panasonic PTZ cameras and new automation functions such as intelligent

automated audio mixing and video input switching. The MK II combines a 12-input/ four-channel multi-format video switcher, a 12-input digital audio mixer, a multi-viewer touchscreen and an AV streaming output via USB 3.0. The assignable inputs allow the use of any combination of four SDI and HDMI sources, while the new input assignment

VR-50HD MK II

buttons are said to make it easy to use all inputs on the switcher with on-the-fly assignment of inputs to crosspoints on the switcher. The unit’s I/O capability includes RGB/ Component and Composite inputs, and accommodates professional cameras, computers, mobile devices and microphones. proav.roland.com

PRODUCTS

Palm-sized video production AN ENTRY-LEVEL, palm-sized camcorder that aims to bring professional video to users in education, corporate and government environments is leading a raft of new launches from Sony. The HD HXR-MC88 promises high picture quality but with straightforward operation and is equipped with the manufacturer’s BIONZ X image processing engine. Its 14.2 megapixel 1.0-type stacked Exmor RS CMOS sensor is said to deliver impressive background bokeh defocus effects and sensitivity for capturing highquality images with less noise, both in dark or bright conditions. The HXR-MC88 features the Fast Hybrid Auto Focus System and comes with 12x optical zoom, which can be doubled to 24x with Clear Image Zoom while maintaining full resolution using Super Resolution Technology. In addition, the 14.2 megapixel CMOS sensor and Sony’s Digital Extender can double this range up to 48x, to satisfy the demand for wide-angle to telephoto shooting. The XLR audio input terminal and microphone holder add to its operability.

Staying with cameras, Sony’s range of IP-based PTZs has been expanded with two new models, the SRG-X400 and SRG-X120, which join the BRC-X400 and provide users with a future-proof 4K upgrade option. The SRG-X400 and SRG-X120 are designed for a variety of corporate, education, healthcare, house of worship and government applications. On the other hand, 4K resolution comes as standard on the BRC-X400, which is ideally suited for broadcast studio and TV production as well as live event capture. All three cameras incorporate the manufacturer’s 4K Exmor RTM CMOS image sensor, while a built-in, high-resolution 4K lens accommodates wide-angle shots up to 70°. For added flexibility, the cameras can be ceiling mounted. They boast a horizontal resolution of 1,000 or higher TV lines in full HD to capture fine image details. The SRG-X400 is equipped with 40x zoom capability using Sony’s Clear Image Zoom technology, while the SRG-X120 camera has a 12x zoom.

HXR-MC88 Similar to the BRC-X400, both the SRG-X400 and SRG-X120 support SDI, HDMI and IP and are

equipped with NDI | HX capability through an optional licence. Connection via a single IP cable

provides power supply, image output and camera controls. Lastly, Sony has introduced Live Element Orchestrator alongside two new SDI-IP converter boards, the NXLK-IP50Y and NXLK-IP51Y, offering support for SMPTE ST 2110 standards with HDR compatibility, the latter also supporting 12G-SDI. The Live Element Orchestrator provides overall system management of an IP-based production system and is compatible with both Sony and third-party solutions. The solution enables resources to be shared across multiple locations, configurations to be set up centrally and operations to be monitored across all equipment. pro.sony.com

The SRG family

UNITE THE PEOPLE DIGITAL WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• Wireless Microphone • Interpretation Application • Assistive Listening • Guided Tours www.beyerdynamic.com/unite

September–October 2019 PRO AVL MEA 53

PRODUCTS

Ross begins a new voyage

Vaddio huddles down VADDIO HAS unveiled its HuddleShot conferencing camera and new additions to the RoboShot Elite camera series. The HuddleShot is an all-in-one solution for huddle spaces, while the RoboShot Elite cameras boast increased image quality over the conventional RoboShot models. The HuddleShot camera offers an ultra-wide field of view and integrates audio, making it an ideal solution for small huddle

Skype for Business, Cisco WebEx, GoToMeeting and others. The RoboShot Elite is a series of PTZ cameras for higher

education, broadcast and corporate applications. Available in 12x and 30x zoom and offered in five variants – HDBT, HDMI, SDI, Cat-5 and USB, and PoE+ – the cameras use a 1/2.5 Type Exmor R generation CMOS image sensor to deliver 8.5 megapixels of 1080p/60 video. The RoboShot Elite 30x cameras include IntelliZoom Image

Processing in order to achieve the full 30x zoom without compromising image resolution quality. All of the models in the series feature the manufacturer’s silent motors and Tri-Synchronous motion algorithms, which it says result in ‘ultra-smooth’ pan/tilt/zoom motion and can be bundled with a variety of extension systems. Additionally, the RoboShot Elite Series 12E and 30E cameras allow for IP streaming (RTSP or RTMP format with H.264 compression) to share live events such as lectures, meetings and worship services over popular applications such as YouTube, Livestream and Facebook. RTSP and RTMP streaming is available with HDBT, HDMI, USB and SDI options. www.vaddio.com

Voyager It is powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 4 and allows content creators to create hyper-realistic graphics for a virtual studio production. Voyager integrates with MOSbased newsroom workflows as well as Ross’ OverDrive solution for production automation. Anchored to the launch of Voyager is UX5, a new version of the manufacturer’s control system for ARVS productions. UX5 delivers workflow tools such as MOS integration for news environments, operatorcreated virtual set rundowns and data-driven virtual graphics via Datalinq.

Next-generation viewing DESIGNED TO deliver a more convenient way of deploying next-generation videowalls, the QuadHead2Go Series from Matrox is capable of driving four displays from one signal and comprises controller appliances and PCI Express cards. The controllers capture a single 4Kp60 video signal for display across up to four Full HD 1920x1200 screens. The input content could be from any source – including professional graphics cards and integrated GPUs, digital signage players or laptops – while displays can be arranged in classic rectangular 2x2, 2x1, 3x1, 4x1, 1x2, 1x3 or 1x4 setups. On-device buttons on the appliance enable users to cycle through pre-set configurations to select and set the display layout, as well as access presaved images to set up display positions and fine-tune bezeldisplaced pixels. The DSX LE5 Q25 and DSX LE5 D25 are the newest additions to Matrox’s SMPTE ST 2110 25 GbE network interface controller (NIC) card family. Based on the X.mio5 Q25 NIC card, the products are

Also new from Ross is Furio SkyDolly, the latest addition in its camera motion system catalogue. It is a ceiling-mounted version of

RoboShot Elite

HuddleShot spaces. It offers plug-and-play connectivity, stereo speakers, two built-in microphones capable of picking up participants’ voices from up to 4m away and remote management features. Furthermore, the solution works with all major cloud-based conferencing applications, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams,

ROSS VIDEO has launched Voyager, a graphics rendering solution for Augmented Reality and Virtual Studio (ARVS) applications.

said to simplify the transition from multichannel SDI workflows to multichannel IP workflows by delivering up to four 4K IP video inputs and outputs over 25GbE networks. Users can choose from a variety of options to deliver advanced 4K/HD-enabled broadcast graphics systems, channel-in-a-box systems, video servers and other high-density, PC-based video equipment. The DSX LE5 Q25 network adapter

provides multichannel IP video I/O of up to four 4K/UHDp60, 16 1080p60, 32 HD or any equivalent combination of flows over two 25GbE links with SMPTE ST 2022-7 redundancy. The DSX LE5 D25 option, meanwhile, receives and transmits two 4K/ UHDp60, eight 1080p60, 16 HD or any equivalent combination of flows over one 25GbE link with SMPTE ST 2022-7 redundancy.

Matrox has also announced that its Maevex 6100 Series enterprise encoder appliances and cards now include built-in HLS support that allows enterprises to deliver multiple streams to a broad range of devices over the internet. The encoders now also support IPv6 addressing, while fMP4 file format support equips administrators with multirecording redundancy functionality to preserve recordings. In other news, Aggregator Mode is a new multi-system control feature available with Matrox Extio 3 IP KVM extenders. It permits an Extio 3 receiver unit to aggregate multiple video streams coming from different Extio 3 transmitter units. Multiple computer desktops can then be viewed and controlled simultaneously from an Extio 3 receiver unit with a single keyboard and mouse. Aggregator Mode is described as ideal for a wide range of applications including process control, industrial and automation, military and defence, healthcare, broadcast and postproduction.

the manufacturer’s Furio camera robotics with a three-wheel design, enlarged wheelbase that is 60% wider and 40% longer than other Furio solutions, and a raised centre of mass to ensure shake-free operation. SkyDolly is initially available with fixed columns ranging from 12–48 inches, is fully compatible with all Furio heads and can be added to existing Ross Robotics solutions under SmartShell or OverDrive control. An inverted lift mechanism will be available later in 2019. www.rossvideo.com

The power of healing LUXUL HAS released the 12-port XMS-1208P managed Gigabit switch to sit alongside the 18-port AMS-1816P. Both switches feature Self-Healing with PoE Auto-Recovery and PoE Power Scheduling. Auto-Recovery allows the switch to power cycle unresponsive PoE devices, and

Power Scheduling enables switch PoE ports to be turned on or off on a schedule. The XMS-1208P features two Gigabit RJ45 uplink ports and two SFP ports to reportedly allow for high-speed interconnection between SFPcompatible Luxul switches and enable integrators to connect devices via Ethernet or fibre-optic cable.

www.matrox.com www.luxul.com

54 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

Pinnacle-KR202 High-tech, lightweight portable system | k-array.com

The Pinnacle-KR202 I is an ultra-light powered system in a stereo configuration. Each side features a Thunder-KMT18 I subwoofer with 2 channels of 1000W matched to two Kobra-KK102 I mid-high line array elements with 16 x 2â&#x20AC;? neodymium magnetic transducers each. The hardware included guarantees ultra-fast setup and optimum mechanical stability.

PRODUCTS

Precision encoding CUSTOMISED TO control different types of cameras or support gear – including PTZ cameras and robotic heads – Broadcast Pix’s RCC can be used with any BPswitch integrated production switcher, Broadcast Pix Commander touchscreen control platform or production switcher from another manufacturer. RCC features a high-quality precision encoder and includes native IP support for Panasonic and Sony PTZ cameras. Support for other cameras and robotic heads is available as a separate software option.

An integrated 7-inch touchscreen provides menu

navigation to cameras, shot presets, camera settings and system setup. Users can also customise the

number of cameras and camera presets they need, as well as camera and preset shot names for easy recall. According to the manufacturer, the compact RCC has a durable, machined aluminium chassis. Its three-axis joystick with adjustable zoom speed and one-touch auto focus reportedly allows for a smooth, precise control for shots. RCC also adjusts focus, iris and white balance. www.broadcastpix.com

Musical projection

eCMP8 ECLER HAS expanded its range of sound projectors with the eCMP8 and eCMP12. The eCMP8 is a high-efficiency musical projector for outdoor applications due to its waterproof and sun screening building material (IP56). It consists of an 8-inch LF driver and 1.4-inch HF coaxial driver, 150W at 8Ω nominal power and 70V/100V line transformer with 37.5W/75W/150W at 8Ω power options. Other features include 100° x 100° dispersion, a frequency response of 80Hz to 18kHz (–3dB), a crossover frequency of 2.1kHz (passive) and a maximum sound pressure at 1m of 117dB. The dimensions are 300mm x 302mm x 334mm and the weight is 11kg. The eCMP12 is also rated IP56 and comes with a 12-inch LF driver and 1.7-inch HF coaxial driver, 300W at 8Ω nominal power and 70V/100V line transformer with 50W/100W/200W at 8Ω power options. Compared with the eCMP8, the dispersion is 80° x 80°, the frequency response is 60Hz to 18kHz (–3dB), the crossover

Each unit could be configured to work as a single zone control panel or as a global multizone controller. It allows executing UCPs that are able to control volume, sound source selection, preset recovery and communication via TCP/UDP with external devices. It is fully compatible as a server for other clients like WPNETTOUCH, WPmSCREEN as well as a UCP for third-party devices (iOS, Android and Windows). The last new product from Ecler is the ACLASSCAN6L, a fireproof back can to cover the back of the IC6CLASS-54 loudspeakers mounted in false ceilings with a

ACLASSCAN6L frequency is 2.1kHz (passive) and the maximum sound pressure at 1m is 122dB. The eCMP12 measures 407mm x 410mm x 378mm and weighs 20kg. Both projectors are designed for commercial, hospitality, education, corporate, sports and house of worship applications. In other news, the WPNETTOUCH is a remote control TFT touchscreen compatible with all EclerNet products such as the MIMO4040DN, MIMO88/SG, MIMO1212SG, NXA Series and DUO-NET Player. WPNETTOUCH incorporates a capacitive 10-inch touchscreen, a server client and User Control Panel (UCP) server.

56 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

WPNETTOUCH free air gap greater than 4 inches to provide the speaker with a secure and robust finish. It measures 89mm high and has an internal diameter of 219mm and external diameter of 225mm. www.ecler.com

Up in the cloud PRISMON.CLOUD FROM Rohde & Schwarz is a cloudbased AV OTT monitoring solution that content providers can use without dedicated hardware. It’s been designed to enable OTT providers to quickly adapt their monitoring infrastructure, for example when peak loads during the transmission of large events require extended service. New virtual sensors can be added at different locations and connected to the dashboard at any time. The quality of service data can be permanently measured, stored in a cloud and viewed in a timeline format on a web interface

thanks to Prismon.cloud’s live multiview function, automated analysis of AV data and error assignment in real time. Combined with the Prismon monitoring solution, analysis data from physical and virtual sensors can be displayed on a single dashboard. End-to-end analyses reveal errors such as deterioration of video or audio quality or poor CDN performance as a cause of churn. www.rohde-schwarz.com

Lighter and quieter CHRISTIE HAS launched its DS Series of ‘lighter and quieter’ 3LCD laser projectors with a 4,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The products feature 360° orientation, input/output options including HDBaseT, low maintenance, and up to 50,000

improves the reliability of the phosphor wheel,’ explained Brad Mar tin, product manager at Christie. The LWU755-DS is also a midbrightness 3LCD laser projector designed for small-to-medium applications. It delivers 7,550

hours of operation and a fiveyear warranty, whichever comes first. The LWU900-DS and LHD878-DS are mid-brightness projectors that deliver 9,000 and 8,775 lumens, respectively. They are suited to medium-to-large spaces or high-ambient light environments where higher brightness is required. The projectors accept 4K at 60Hz signals, have built-in edge blending and warping, and feature a low-power mode. ‘The patented optical engine in the Christie DS Series is more efficient than its competition because of the compact laser diode block. This design changes the excitation light spot shape from a round spot to a rectangular shape and disperses the energy on the phosphor wheel, which

lumens along with built-in edge blending and warping, and advanced colour management. Available in black or white and featuring omnidirectional capabilities, the LWU755-DS projector is ideal for tight spaces. All three models provide integration with control systems such as AMX and Crestron, and are equipped with LiveViewer so users can share audio and video content directly from their computer or laptop to the projector via the LAN or wirelessly (optional USB dongle required). The HDMI LoopThrough allows HDMI input signals – up to 4K at 60Hz – to be passed on to other DS Series projectors without a distribution amp/splitter. www.christiedigital.com

W371

8 3 61

8351B

8 3 41

8331

Point Source Excellence - From Nearfield to Main Monitoring Genelec The Ones monitors are revered every day in thousands of studios around the globe for their perceptual qualities, technical brilliance and spectacular design. Now introducing the new members of The Ones Family, 8351B and 8361, and the Adaptive Woofer System, W371: Unparalleled room-tailoring continued to the lowest octaves, for the most critical listeners and applications. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how great your room can sound before hearing it with natural direct sound, controlled reflections and pure neutral low frequency response.

THE ONES.

T H E W O R L D â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S F I N E S T U LT R A - N E A R F I E L D - M I D F I E L D M O N I T O R S .

W W W.G E N E L E C .C O M / T H E O N E S

PRODUCTS

Razor-thin transparency LG BUSINESS Solutions has created what it describes as a razor-thin display designed to deliver a unique customer experience in specialised commercial applications such as retail and hospitality. Watching video on the LG Transparent OLED is enhanced by seeing objects and images behind the screen. LG Transparent OLED reportedly achieves a transparency of 38% in a wide viewing angle. LG’s OLED technology features self-lighting pixels that are said to maintain accurate and vivid colours even when the display becomes transparent. The pixels can be turned on and

off individually to control image brightness and quality. The 55-inch class display (55EW5F) has a native resolution of 1920x1080 full HD and can operate in temperatures from 0–40°C and humidity of 10–80%. LG has also unveiled several new technologies and product ranges in recent months. MicroLED technology relies on arrays of microscopic LEDs that form individual pixels that work independently to increase the detail of the image. LG reports that there is no colour distortion and no bezel. Each LED measures less than 50 micrometres, around half the width of a human hair.

Transparent OLED The LAPE series uses a specially designed flexible LED display module that suppor ts true concave and convex cur vature up to 1000R. The products include LG’s Dynamic Contrast Algorithm to repor tedly provide a wide range of colour and deep

contrast. A new 130-inch LED screen, meanwhile, forms par t of the LAAF series and features embedded speakers and AV connections and is compatible with par tners such as Crestron and Cisco. Finally, the LAT series provides various form factors and

aspect ratios. The 24mm pixel pitch LED film offers over 1,000 nits of brightness, is 2mm thin and can be installed on most existing glass, plexiglass and other transparent sur faces. www.lg.com

AJA on the go THE LATEST addition to AJA’s Ki Pro family is the Ki Pro Go, a portable, genlock-free, multichannel H.264 HD and SD redundant recorder/player that records video to off-the-shelf USB media. It comes in a 2U, half-rack form factor and can be used to record up to four channels of HD and SD content from SDI and HDMI sources. Genlock-free recording reportedly eliminates the need to synchronise four input sources, while redundant recording provides multiple backups in the field to protect the recorded video. Video and audio input matrix channel mapping are said to simplify switching between physical inputs to the appropriate recording channel within the device’s UI from a mix of source inputs as needed. AJA has also unveiled a raft of other products. Fourteen new openGear converter cards have been announced that combine

SMPTE ST 2110 for IP-based workflows. Described as compact, quiet and rugged, both models feature dual 10 GigE SFP+ ports for facilities using SMPTE ST 2022-7 for redundancy in critical distribution and monitoring. AJA has extended its family of Corvid audio and video I/O cards with the Corvid 44 12G, an eightKi Pro Go the capabilities of the company’s Mini-Converters with openGear’s high-density architecture and support for DashBoard, enabling industry-standard configuration, monitoring and control in live event environments over a PC or local network on Windows, macOS or Linux. The IPT-10G2-HDMI and IPT-10G2-SDI Mini-Converters are single-channel IP video transmitters for bridging traditional HDMI and 3G-SDI signals to

Corvid 44 12G

IPT-10G2-HDMI

lane PCIe 3.0 video and audio I/O card featuring support for 12G-SDI I/O in a low-profile design for workstations and servers and 8K/UltraHD2/4K/UltraHD high frame rate, deep colour and HDR

workflows. Corvid 44 12G also facilitates multichannel 12G-SDI I/O, enabling either 8K or multiple 4K streams of input or output. Firmware updates include FS-HDR v3.0 which introduces enhanced colouring tools and support for multichannel Dynamic LUTs; Desktop Software v15.2 which provides support for Apple ProRes capture/playback across Windows, Linux and macOS in AJA Control Room, at up to 8K resolutions; HDR Image Analyzer v1.1 which includes a new web UI that reportedly simplifies remote configuration and control from multiple machines; and Helo v4.0 which introduces new features that allow users to customise their streaming service and improve monitoring and control. www.aja.com

Crestron shares content COMPLETING THE Crestron AirMedia 2.0 wireless presentation portfolio and designed to enhance student participation and employee collaboration, the AirBoard streams content originating from any remote dry-erase whiteboard to any network via LAN connection. To enhance collaboration and productivity, the whiteboard content can be recorded, captured and shared with anyone, providing participants with unobstructed views from room displays. Wireless presentation capabilities can be added by pairing the AirBoard with an AirMedia AM-200 or AM-300, while enhanced control is achieved by connecting a Crestron touchscreen to the paired AirMedia device.

The IoT-based technology provisioning and management solution, Crestron XiO Cloud, has been enhanced with remote support for touchscreens, together with support for a growing portfolio of third-party devices and an API to pull intelligence data. The XiO Cloud supports a direct deviceto-cloud connection via an Azure IoT Hub without the addition of hardware. Built on the Azure IoT Hub, Azure services provide unlimited scalability, while no special ports or permissions with bidirectional communication are required between devices. Managers can remotely view and control Crestron touchscreens (TSW and TSS) and a new API

58 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

AirBoard enables managers to pull data by connecting the Crestron XiO Cloud to business intelligence platforms via cloud-to-cloud connections. Furthermore, the Developer Kit

enables third-party technology manufacturers to integrate their devices with Crestron XiO Cloud. Using Intel and Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) technology,

commercial displays can be instantly transformed into native DM NVX endpoints. The DM-NVXD80-IoAV is a native network AV solution that has been designed for display manufacturers including LG, NEC, Philips, Avocor and Smart. The 1GB plug-and-play solution enables displays to deliver audio and 4K/60 video across any network. The DM-NVX-D80-IoAV drops into native OPS slots in the back of professional displays, allowing them to be easily flushmounted to the wall, while adding enterprise-grade security and Crestron XiO Cloud management and provisioning. www.crestron.com

PRODUCTS

Vitec adds HEVC encoder Ultra-compact laser projection WITH THE streaming landscape now requiring high input solutions capable of supporting multiple channels of both HEVC (H.265) and H.264, Vitec has released the MGES-7000 4K/UHD/HD eight-input IPTV encoding blade to meet these needs. The manufacturer claims that PT-LB425 the device offers the highest density processing available on the market, with real-time hardware encoding of four 4Kp60 or eight 3G/HD/SD input ports for live sources of SDI, HDMI or IP (SMPTE ST 2110) video THE SIX together withmembers advancedof features Panasonic’s LB channel, series of such as secondary por tableresolution projectors integrated andprovide frame-rate brightness levels ranging scaling, AES256/128-bit encryption from 3,000 to 4,100 lumens and low-latency mode. and either WXGA or XGA Using hardware-based encoding resolutions. They offer a lamp chips supporting 4:2:2/4:2:0 replacement cycle of 20,000 hours (in eco mode). All models feature a high contrast ratio of 16,000:1 and a daylight CALIBRE HAS recognised view function to ensure highthequality growing popularity images evenofinLED brightly technology thealso lit rooms.and Thedeveloped projectors AiOsuppor (All-in-One) display t autoLED input search and in corner association with its sister keystone correction. The company, Optoma. With a reported PL-LW375 and PT-LW335 have installation time of lessthe than an a WXGA resolution; other hour, display– can be fitted in fourthe models the PT-LB425, three steps: join PT-LB385, PT-LB355 and PTLB305 – an XGA resolution. Inser ting the optional ETWML100 wireless module into the USB por t on the projector allows users to wirelessly project from Windows PCs, iOS or Android devices with

10-bit and 8-bit H.264 and HEVC codecs, the blade can support any application demand while providing benefits such as support for secondary video streams up to 1080p60 for each input. All streams can be managed via a web UI. When coupled with the manufacturer’s MGW family of carrier-grade IPTV platforms, IPTV providers can serve up to 208 IPTV streams from the MGW 5100, up to 96 IPTV streams from the MGW 1100 and up to 16 IPTV the correct freeware installed. streams from the Images from up to four MGW 1000. devices cantobethe projected In addition simultaneously. new blade, Vitec Similarly, the four TW series has announced shorits t-throw also that MGWprojectors Ace offer a lamp replacement IP decoder is now cycle of 20,000 hours, range in brightness from 3,200 to 3,800 lumens and feature a contrast ratio of 16,000:1. is based on the aspect The PT-TW371R and PT-ratios of 48:9, 96:9 and 72:9 than TW370 models have rather a WXGA the industryand standard form factors resolution both provide of 16:9,lumens 5:4 andof4:3. With the 3,300 brightness. possibility of arranging the displays The PT-TX430 and PT-TX340 in almost any configuration up to are XGA versions and provide the limitand of the media player, 3,800 3,200 lumens of they be deployed brightness, can respectively. Thein a range of digital PT-TW371Rbroad is also equipped signage applications with interactive functionality, arepresenters particularly allowing up and to two suited for insertion to write simultaneously on the on shelf projected image withedges. a penThe or SmartBrick family pointer. comprises the SB-300, www.panasonic.com SB-600 and SB-900D with resolutions of 240x45 (300mm x 56.25mm), 480x45 (600mm x 56.25mm) and 720x90 (900mm x 112mm), respectively. All feature 1.25mm pixel pitches for closeup viewing. Other features include In other news from thea colour 600 NITs of brightness, Canadian gamut thatmanufacturer, is 110% of NTSC, a BlackTrax V2.3.3 combines contrast ratio of 4,000:1 and a tracking with angle. lighting, media 160° viewing Connectivity is interactivity, moving via HDMI or LAN, withprojection wireless as mapping, an option. 3D positional audio and camera V2.3.3 Calibre has tracking. also added to its aims act as an aggregate HQProto4K scaler–switcher range control for all cameras with thesuite HQPro1000, which on production and will architecture allow users for features a modular the possibility to link between ‘optimum upgradability, seamless modules switching and and quickly supportset for up multiple scenes with the sources and and subjects layers’. Scaling is appropriate cameras, locations provided by HQUltra technology and automation presets. supporting 4K50/60 4:4:4InRGB addition, formats. PTZ positional presets provide users with the ability to www.calibreuk.com position and save non-tracked cameras with an infinite amount of camera presets that will point and zoom the PTZs in any desired position.

Portable projection

Easy installation

wysiwyg enters virtual reality THE CAST AiO LED wallGroup has launched wysiwyg R42, which introduces a plethora new features the two frameofmodules together, such them a VR by experience attach tighteningwhen the the lighting design software is screws and installing the individual connected theA118 HTC Vive LED modules.toThe is a or 118-inch, 1.8mm pitch Oculus Rift. Thispixel allows users LEDFusion and weighs to ‘step inside’ their 116kg; designsthe to QUAD130 is athem 130-inch, 1.5mm experience vir tually before pixel pitch unit weighing implementation. Other125kg. new Both displays are 38mm deep. The features include the Position AiO alsoa benefits Calibre’s Tool, dockablefrom window that proprietary HQUltra halo-free, lowdisplays an object’s position latency scaling and HQUltraFast and allows the user to change input switching.byInclicking standbyinmode, its location, the displaydirections uses lessorthan 0.5W. various entering In news, the company has anrelated exact coordinate. R42 also released its LED SmartBrick which brings improved truss suppor t, cleaner object representation, a display as screen option for LED walls, the ability to cast shadows per object, shaded view to tooltips, enhanced laser visualisation, and more. HQPro1000

www.cast-soft.com

AN RGB laser projection solution featuring TruLife electronics has been launched by Christie. The Mirage SST features an ultracompact, fibre-coupled projection MGES-7000for head and is best-suited demanding applications such as theme park attractions, dome theatres and planetariums. Weighing 50kg, the Mirage SST projection head enables installation where there are significant space constraints. The Mirage SST delivers 4K resolution at 120fps or, with MGW Ace IP decoder

an optional licence, 480fps at 2K resolution. High frame rates remove blurring and strobing effects in fast-moving images to create a more immersive experience for audiences,

according to the manufacturer. The solution reportedly achieves greater than 90% of the Rec. 2020 colour space and 5,000:1 on/off contract with ultra-high contrast lenses. The Christie Mirage SST can be available as an card. installed in openGear single or multiThe decoder the latest projectorsupports configurations HEVC/H.265 and legacywith H.264/ and is compatible AVC Christie compression standards, Mystique Install, is 4K ready withaims dual to 12G-SDI outputs, which simplifiy andthe provides 10-bit HEVC design,4:2:2 installation andand H.264 decoding of from IP or maintenance multiDVB-ASI. Toarrays, supportand contribution projector Christie orGuardian, any multichannel applications, which offers the 2U openGear chassis automated, invisible, real-time can image host upcorrection to 10 decoders blended even offersisa playing. redundant power whenand content supply. www.christiedigital.com www.vitec.com

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March–April 2019 PRO AVL ASIA 87 September–October MEA 59

PRODUCTS

New addition to gx range DISGUISE HAS launched the gx range flagship server. The gx 2c features 10-bit and HDR support and gives users ‘the opportunity to build environments with more particles, effects and richer scenes, at higher resolutions and smoother frame rates’. The manufacturer has maximised GPU and memory as the result of user requests for greater realtime content performance. ‘As one of our most popular server ranges, the gx 2c was born out of the innovation of our in-house teams designing and creating bespoke server packages for some of the world’s most well-known artists including U2 and Justin Timberlake,’ said Fernando Küfer, CEO at disguise.

The gx 2c can capture 8x 3G-SDI inputs to reportedly unlock new workflows for broadcast and live events, where users will be able to use more live feeds than before. The video inputs permit the capture of 2x 2160p60 (2x 4K@60), four times the capability of its predecessor, the gx 2. The inputs have the same low

Blackmagic meets its deadlines

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN has announced the release of DaVinci Resolve 16, an update that adds a new cut page for technicians that need to work quickly and are on tight deadlines. The cut page lets users import, edit, trim, add transitions and titles, automatically match colour and mix audio. The regular edit page is still available so customers can switch between edit and cut pages to change editing style in the middle of a job. Blackmagic describes the cut page as challenging the traditional way of working with familiar concepts such as source tape mode and an A/B trim tool. According to the manufacturer, ‘the cut page isn’t about simplification, it’s about removing the things customers don’t need and building powerful, professional tools that help customers work more quickly. And, sometimes, it means borrowing the things that were great about the past and bringing them into the future.’ When users click on the source tape button, all of the clips in their bin appear in the viewer as a single long ‘tape’. This reportedly makes it easy to scrub through all of the

shots, find the parts they want and quickly edit them to the timeline. The new cut page also features a dual timeline so users never have to zoom in or out. The upper timeline shows customers the entire programme, while the lower timeline shows them the current work area. Both timelines are fully functional so that clips can be moved and trimmed in whichever timeline is convenient. If users want to move a clip all the way to the end of a programme, they can pick it up from the lower timeline and drag it to the end of the upper timeline to move it down the edit. DaVinci Resolve 16 features improvements to existing ResolveFX, along with several new plug-ins for adding vignettes, drop shadows, removing objects, adding analogue noise and damage, chromatic aberration and stylising video. The scanline, beauty, face refinement, blanking fill, warper, dead pixel fixer and colourspace transformation plug-ins have also been updated. The public beta is available for download on the Blackmagic Design website. www.blackmagicdesign.com

60 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

latency as existing pro and gx range machines. The gx 2c also has double the amount of media storage with a 4TB NVMe drive fitted. The increased storage, combined with more capture capabilities and rendering power, will reportedly help live events creatives to grow and expand their

vision even further. It also features disguise’s VFC technology, which allows users to output HDMI, SDI, DVI or DisplayPort without changing the system, as well as mix signal formats and resolution types in the same project. The server features two VFC slots and ships with the manufacturer’s HDMI 2.0 VFC cards.

Like all gx range servers, the gx 2c will come with an integrated two-year Notch playback licence. With a reported increase of almost 50% on Notchmark performance, disguise believes the gx 2c provides a large step up in terms of capabilities and performance levels. Manufactured to scale and fit in as part of a bigger media server system, the gx 2c enables creatives to go beyond the power of a single server solution and into distributed systems, with many servers working as one. Although designed for generative content, the gx 2c features the disguise production suite, built-in pro audio and two 10G network ports. www.disguise.one

Picturall gets smaller ANALOG WAY is shipping new compact versions of its Picturall Quad and Picturall Twin media servers. Providing the same playback performance in a 2U chassis, the Picturall Quad Compact and Twin Compact models incorporate version 2.7 software. Among its feature set, v2.7 adds support for the HAP video codec family, while introducing the AWX proprietary

video codec that offers optimised playback for very high resolution and bit rate content for multiscreen and large-scale LED wall applications. Incorporating four 4K at 60Hz 10-bit outputs for playback of up to 12 layers of full HD or three layers of 4K at 60Hz video with the new AWX codec, the Quad Compact 4K media server is designed for large-scale events

and applications. For mediumsized events, the Twin Compact is a more cost-effective 4K media server with two 4K at 60Hz 10-bit outputs delivering a playback performance of up to eight layers of full HD or two layers of 4K at 60Hz video with the new AWX codec. Both compact models offer up to four optional inputs (HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0, 3G-SDI or DVI) in addition to a two-channel audio interface with balanced XLR outputs. Sharing the same core features as their larger Picturall media servers, the compact versions operate on the same Linux-based software engine with the same control solutions. www.analogway.com

Avonic offers IP support EVENT CAPTURE and recording company Avonic has unveiled its CM40-IP PTZ and CON300-IP serial- and IP-based controller for PTZ cameras. As well as dual concurrent H.264/H.265 IP very low-latency streaming, the CM40-IP features a 20x zoom and supports 3G-SDI, HDMI and USB 2.0 outputs. Its Panasonic CMOS sensor delivers a high signal-to-noise ratio and the camera is reportedly capable of a broad range of output formats up to 1080p60. The CM40-IP is suited to conference/collaboration facilities and huddle rooms, and is compatible with Skype for Business. Controllable via RS485 and RS232, the camera supports PoE using industry-standard PoE

switches. A single cable provides connectivity, control and power. A ‘privacy’ mode is provided where the camera automatically turns ‘backwards’ when not in use to provide reassurance that the camera is not recording. The CON300-IP is a development of the manufacturer’s CM300 controller. It suppor ts legacy cameras using RS485 and RS232 inter faces well as Avonic’s range of IPbased cameras, including the CM40-IP PTZ camera. Up to 50 cameras can be controlled by the CON300-IP via a serial inter face, and over 250 via IP. Nine presets are available for each camera, while a joystick provides 3D pan/tilt/zoom functionality. The

CM40-IP user has direct control of iris, brightness and colour correction, and the CM300-IP suppor ts both auto and manual focus as well as PTZ speed control. The unit features five RS232/485 serial RJ45-style connectors and RS485 on a Phoenix connector. A LAN RJ45 connection is also provided. www.avonic.eu

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PRODUCTS

The sculptor of light AYRTON HAS created a wash luminaire that can sculpt light and add a high-transmission diffusion filter to the zoom lens group to erase the edge of the beam without changing its angle. Levante is a miniaturised version of the Bora wash light and matches the dimensions of the manufacturer’s Mistral spot luminaire. A variable linear frost system allows the user to adjust the desired diffusion level ‘with precision’.

Two Levante luminaires has been released Levante weighs just under 20kg and has a light output greater than 20,000 lumens. Features include a barndoor module allowing shutters to be positioned across 100% of the surface area, a CMY colour mixing system, a variable CTO and a wheel with seven complementary colours. In addition, a 15-blade iris diaphragm and a wheel with seven indexable rotating gobos are supplied as standard. Levante-S has been designed for stage applications with an ultra-high output monochromatic 6,500K LED light source, while Levante-TC is geared for applications that require perfect colour rendition, using a monochromatic 5,700K light source with a native CRI

greater than 90 and high TM30 readings. Perseo-S and Huracán-X have also made their debut. Perseo-S is Ayrton’s first compact, multifunction, IP65-rated fixture developed for outdoor use and is described by the company as a waterproof version of the Ghibli luminaire. It has a 27,000-lumen output from a 500W source, calibrated at 8,000K, and weighs less than 40kg. Features include a 7–56° zoom range, 100% framing shutters, a phase-change liquid cooling system fitted with four submersible fans located outside the enclosure and a waterresistant menu navigation system. Huracán-X is the 1,000W big sister of Khamsin and comes in a similarly compact housing but with a 50,000-lumen output, and is suited to large-scale venues. It has a colour temperature of 6,500K and a triple variable colour temperature corrector to allow adjustment from 2,700K to 10,000K. It has been designed to deliver a uniform flat beam with no hot spot and comes with a 10:1 zoom ratio and a 6.2–62° zoom range. www.ayrton.eu

Hurácan-X

Chauvet adds to Maverick series CHAUVET HAS added to its Maverick series. Both the Maverick MK3 Profile and MK3 Spot feature an output of more than 51,000 source lumens. The LED optics include CMY and CTO colour mixing, a 9:1 zoom ratio and an adjustable CRI from 73 to 93. Both lights include an animation wheel, two independent and overlapping prisms and two frost options (superlight and medium). The MK3 Profile incorporates a four-blade shutter frame system with a full blackout, 120° rotation and two gobo wheels (one rotating, one static).

Maverick MK3 Profile

Maverick Storm 1 Wash

and can be controlled via DMX, W-DMX, sACN and Art-Net. The Rogue R1 FX-B is said to have an infinite rotation of both pan and tilt from its five individually controlled heads, powered by five pixel-mappable 15W RGBW LEDs. Other features include 16-bit dimming of the master dimmer; built-in colour and tilt macros; continuous movement of pan and tilt functions; and a 7° beam angle and 11° field angle. Chauvet has also expanded its COLORado range with the COLORado Solo Batten, which projects a single homogenised wash with smooth colour mixing, giving it the appearance

of a bright single bar of light without round ‘eyes’ or pixels. It is engineered with 12 square sections that can be controlled individually but appear together without separation and create a variety of colour control and pixelmapping effects. Lastly, COLORado Solo Batten 4 is an RGBAW four-cell LED batten with end-to-end colour mixing. It has four homogenised, individually controlled square sections that reportedly project smooth colour mixing without separation or dimmed lens corners. The fixture is rated IP65 and can be used as a wash or for pixel-mapping effects.

COLORado Solo Batten The MK3 Spot comes with three gobo wheels (two rotating, one static). In terms of weight and dimensions, Chauvet reports that the products are ‘lighter and more compact than any luminaire with a comparable output’. Both fixtures have a 6–54° zoom angle. The Maverick Storm 1 Wash has become the first IP65-rated RGBW Osram LED moving head to join the Maverick series. Featuring a compact and rugged die-cast aluminium housing built with marine-grade stainless steel screws, it has an output of over 6,000 lumens and offers pixelmapping effects and a virtual gobo wheel. The RDM-enabled unit features 16-bit dimming

www.chauvetprofessional.com

Martin adds to Mac family THE MARTIN Mac Allure family of LED moving head fixtures has been strengthened with the addition of the Mac Allure Wash PC. The washlight variant of the Mac Allure Profile features an RGBW light engine with a seven-segmented beam control. With instant colour control and pixelated beam, the Mac Allure Wash PC is said to enable dynamic diffused projection and mid-air effects, and reportedly is the first washlight to include integrated, on-board P3 control that works in addition to industrystandards such as DMX, Art-Net and sACN. Designed to be safe

Mac Allure Wash PC

62 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

with LED drivers that run the light engine at high and precise refresh rates, the compact 17.6kg design promotes use in smaller spaces, reducing concerns about truss loading constraints. Martin has also expanded its Creative LED VDO product line with the VDO Atomic Dot fixtures. The lighting and video fixtures feature control via P3,

VDO Atomic Dot DMX, Art-Net or sACN to eliminate the need for additional interface boxes, and have been designed to produce a ‘punchy’ white light in

two colour temperature variants: CLD and WRM. A video-controlled Aura backlight and a bright strobe/ blinder have been combined in one fixture to give users the ability to deploy VDO Atomic Dots in large quantities. The fixtures also include an integrated power supply for daisy-chaining several VDO Atomic Dots together. A narrow beam can be turned into a wider beam/blind by adding a diffuser/ lens. An integrated front accessory holder allows users to change beam angle or add barndoors as needed. www.martin.com

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PRODUCTS

PR Lighting in the frame THE XR 1700 Framing is PR Lighting’s latest framing fixture based on the Osram Lok-it 1700/PS shor t-arc metal halide lamp. With a power consumption of 2,000W at 220V, the fixture includes double shutter blades (0.3–25fps), has a head movement of 540° pan and 270° tilt, and a light angle of 5–55°. The dimmer is 0–100% linearly adjustable and the iris has 5–100% linear adjustment with macros. The light also has a 0–100% linear CTO system and DMX linear focusing. Two six-facet prisms (one circular, one linear) provide bidirectional

rotation with variable speeds. A double effects wheel also produces bidirectional rotation with variable speeds. Rated IP20 and weighing 52kg, the fixture has two individual frost filters (one light, one heavy) and comes with a DMX512 wireless receiver and an optional DMX512 wireless transmitter. At the smaller end of the spectrum is Venom, a 29.38kg fixture with a 420W cool white LED and an input voltage of 100–240V AC (50/60Hz). It has a power consumption of 650W and a high-speed LED shutter/ strobe effect with variable speed.

XR 1700 Framing

With a light angle of 3–50° and a head movement of 540° pan and 270° tilt, the IP20-rated LED has a three-facet rotating prism with variable speed and direction, a frost filter and a linear motorised iris. The final new fixture from PR Lighting is the Tango Spot, equipped with an Atria 620W white LED. An input voltage of 100–240V AC (50/60Hz) and a power consumption of 800W at 230V combine with an electronic strobe (0.3–25fps) and a linear dimmer from 0–100%. The LED comes with two prisms: one four-facet prism and one

six-facet array prism that are both bidirectional at variable speeds and incorporate an index function. The double layers effects wheel has independent bidirectional rotation at variable speeds and the iris has a 5–100% linear adjustment with macros. Rated IP65 and weighing 37.2kg, the Tango Spot has a DMX linear focus, a DMX linear zoom and an 8–56° light angle with 16-bit adjustment. It comes with a DMX512 wireless receiver and an optional DMX512 wireless transmitter. www.pr-lighting.com

Lighting to the max THE IP65-RATED Proteus Maximus from Elation is a 50,000-lumen wash/beam and profile LED luminaire with a 950W, 6,500K LED engine and a 180mm front lens. Suitable for outdoor applications, the light is said to provide ‘bright and powerful beams, quiet operation and precise gobos and colours’. The package comes with six rotating and seven fixed glass gobos, a full animation wheel, dual prisms, dual frost and a high-speed iris. The indexable framing system reportedly provides full blackout shutter cuts for accurate beam shape control, while the fast zoom ranges from 5.5–55°. Elation has also added three new Fuze fixtures to its catalogue. Fuze Spot, Fuze Profile and Fuze Profile CW are LED moving heads. Fuze Spot and Fuze Profile house a 92 CRI engine that uses a five-colour homogenised LED array of red, green, blue, mint and amber sources. The

LEDs deliver over 9,000 lumens and incorporate virtual colour temperature, magenta/green adjustment plus colour gel emulation. Described as compact, quiet and lightweight, both fixtures house a 7–46° zoom, dual gobo wheels, an animation wheel,

all have IP65 protection and use 15W RGBW cells – 9, 24 and 50, respectively. The lights can be used from either a floor or truss position and incorporate individual cell control and strobe. Finally, the Dylos pixel compressor is based on a full 3D environment and DirectX graphics processing. The first preview

of the engine allows users to examine how Obsidian envisions the integration of fixture, media and pixel control into the Onyx platform. According to Elation, Dylos will reshape how fixtures are controlled and operated with the Onyx platform. www.elationlighting.com

Fuze Profile CW

Proteus Maximus

frost, prism and iris. The Fuze Profile CW has a 91 CRI 380W LED engine and an output reportedly exceeding 12,000 lumens. It also has a 7–46° zoom alongside a rotating gobo wheel of breakups, two colour wheels featuring solid colours and correction features, and an iris. The Paladin series also has new members. Paladin Cube, Paladin Brick and Paladin Panel

Paladin Panel, Brick and Cube

GLP goes linear FOLLOWING IN the footsteps of its X4 Bar series, GLP has introduced the FR10 Bar, a linear format fixture with a new optical system. Featuring a larger size output aperture that can also be found in the impression FR1, the FR10 Bar contains 10 sources, each with a high output 60W RGBW LED that colour matches all the products in the manufacturer’s X4 and FR series of fixtures. It also includes individual colour control, a series of built-in colour macros and a large selection of industry-standard colour filters. The fixture has a 10:1 ratio zoom range of 3.5–35° but GLP

believes that what separates the FR10 from any other product on the market is the ability to control each of the zoom lenses

64 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

individually. At its narrowest angles, the FR10 Bar reportedly produces clean, seamless, flat sheets of light along with arrays of

pinpoint beams of light. At wider angles, the FR10 Bar can wash areas and sur faces of stages, walls and cycloramas.

The FR10 Bar uses the same construction as the X4 Bar 20 along with the same rigging and interlocking systems. It also features 16-bit movement through a tilt range of 210°, while power and data connectors are housed within the base of each unit for daisy-chaining of multiple fixtures. The light can be rigged in any orientation and has built-in rubber feet for floor-mounting. It also comes with Neutrik True1 connectors and five-pin XLR connectors to support DMX and RDM protocols. www.glp.de

PRODUCTS

Powered by laser CLAYPAKY HAS unveiled its first beam effect powered by laser. The Xtylos is a compact beam moving light that makes use of a patentpending, tailor-made laser source. It features an RGB additive colour mixing, where coloured light beams are said to be as bright as a white light beam. The beam aperture is less than 2° and can be decreased further to 0.5°. Features include two gobo wheels – with seven

Xtylos

the Axcor Profile 600. The Axcor Wash 600 fits a four-blade framing system and is available with PC (standard), Fresnel or clear lenses. The three types are interchangeable and can be purchased separately. With a CRI of at least 90, the Axcor Wash 600 has a 55° wide beam angle and comes with CMY colour mixing, a linear CTO and two overlapping colour wheels with five colours each. Also new is the Mini-B, the smallest LED beam light ever made by Claypaky. Weighing 7kg

CloudIO and measuring 34cm, the Mini-B’s light source is based on 40W Osram RGBW LEDs and its central LED may be controlled separately from the external ring of LEDs. It features a wide zoom ranging from 4–55° and comes with more than 50 pre-installed effects/ colour macros, 2,500–8,000K

colour temperature control, a 16-bit dimmer with four curves, an electric strobe at 25fps and Ethernet access. Finally, CloudIO is a patentpending IoT device that provides technicians with complete diagnostics for Claypaky fixtures. When the lights run checks

after use, the unit collects data on hours of lamp life of each fixture, the conditions of various components in the units and updates firmware by connecting to the cloud. CloudIO is equipped with a retrofit system, which allows it to be fitted to most of Claypaky’s lights. It has a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen and two in/out passthrough DMX connections so users can interface and communicate with up to 31 lights. www.claypaky.it

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Axcor Wash 600 rotating gobos and 12 fixed gobos (including seven beam diameter reducers) – a wheel with three prisms and a 16-facet prism on a dedicated channel that can be overlapped with the prism wheel. The Italian manufacturer has also introduced the Axcor Wash 600, described as a versatile light designed to enhance the Axcor LED moving head range and, specifically,

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September–October 2019 PRO AVL MEA 65

FEATURES: LIVE EVENT All images courtesy of Kief Kreativ/Anriette Van Wyk

Ready for the stage

Extensive preparations were needed under Mbombela’s gruelling humidity at the Innibos festival. Ledetta Asfa-Wossen spoke to some of those that made it happen BORNE OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA’S KLEIN KAROO NASIONALE Kunstefees (KKNK) festival from the early 1990s in the Western Cape and Aardklop Arts Festival in Potchefstroom, Innibos has grown to become the largest festival of its kind in the region. Each year, the five-day show welcomes an influx of people from far and wide to Mbombela (formerly Nelspruit) for its live music and theatre. Now in its 16th year, the event has come to rely on the safe hands of MGG Productions for its main structures and major live areas. This year, the rental company was in charge of supplying technical and stage structures for Innibos’ Main Stage, the Vodacom-Lowvelder Arena Stage, KykNET Leefarea Stage and Rock Stage, while also supplying the raked seating structures for the theatre productions in the school halls. ‘We started with our prep on 10 June and the last trucks arrived back on 4 July, but the actual pre-production of the event took five months,’ explains MGG project manager, Günther Müller. ‘Our aim this year was to really lift the standard of the festival which impacted the decision-making as well. We have been involved with Innibos for five years now and every year our responsibility has grown. The beauty of being involved with a production for a long period of time is the fact that you can improve on your own performance each year, which lifts the production value of the event in return.’ With Innibos featuring a variety of indoor and outdoor venues with different types of performance, a key factor was selecting the right audio, video and lighting for the job.

66 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

A DiGiCo SD10 was used on the Rock Stage ‘Innibos is a large-scale project, so we spent a lot of time using audio prediction software to make sure that each sound system is suitable for the size and capacity of that specific stage. The Main Stage, for instance, had to cater for 40,800 people on the Saturday night. Kyle Freemantle, our systems technician and engineer, was given the task to draw, predict, plan and execute the PA systems for all four stages,’ adds Müller.

Under pressure The festival setup was split up into core areas, with MGG working on all the main festival grounds and live areas. Local

company AVS Hire supplied technical for the clients located in the festival ground, while Blond Productions was appointed to supply technical and manage the production in the theatre venues. And with the Lowveld being home to the hottest winter temperatures in South Africa, conditions were sticky. ‘We were working in a dusty and sometimes rather uncomfortable environment. Mbombela peaks at 30°C during the day and can drop to very low temperatures at night. We’re constantly reminding the crew to drink enough water, apply sunscreen lotion and take multivitamins. It is so vital to plan the event in detail. You cannot take on a production like this without proper technical drawings and, most importantly, weight calculations. We liaised with the engineers from various equipment manufacturers to ensure we do it correctly. This scale of event is a logistical beast. We hauled over 135,000kg of structures and scaffolding. That’s without a single piece of technical equipment. We had about 14 trucks carrying approximately 20,000kg per load – that’s more than 280,000kg of equipment and structures,’ adds Müller. MGG alone had a crew of 60 people onsite, excluding additional support that came from its HQ. ‘Planning and communication are key to the success of a project. Without that it would be impossible to get all the equipment and people needed in one place safely. Timescales were tight and we had to stick to a schedule to get the rigs up on time. The hardest part of the whole event was to get everything back safely after a draining three weeks but Innibos turned out to be yet another world-class festival,’ recalls Müller.

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FEATURES: LIVE EVENT full system control and will always be my console of choice – it just makes life easier,’ says Ferreira.

Creative thinking Pieter-Jan Kapp of PJK Production Management, operating as technical manager for the theatre venues, brought in Blond Productions for AV production in the theatre, having worked on KKNK and Aardklop previously. ‘We worked on eight venues – mainly school, community and church halls with a stage and that’s it, so we had to convert these spaces into theatres to perform cabarets to small comedy setups and larger dramatic theatre productions. On top of that, you’re looking at around two or three performances per day, per venue, with differing technical requirements. So, we had to equip the venues with full technical rigs, FOH and lighting consoles and the same with the sound,’ explains managing director at Blond, Christiaan Ballot.

The sound setup for the Main Stage was composed of L-Acoustics K2s, SB28s, SB18s, Karas, Arcs Wides and 8XTs with JBL VTX V20s as out-fills. Onstage monitoring consisted of L-Acoustics 12XTs and SB18ms. The FOH engineer for the Main Stage, Murray Lubbe, used a Soundcraft Vi7000 as the FOH audio console with a combination of a Soundcraft Vi5000, DiGiCo SD9 and DiGiCo S21 to mix monitors, in-ears, ME units as well as talkback and comms systems and two DirectOut M.1K2s. Handheld mics, beltpacks and wireless inear monitors on the primary live stages included Shure Axient, Axient Digital, UHF-R, ULX-D, PSM1000 and PSM900 units.

Lighting up Innibos The lighting rig on the Main Stage was specified by the festival’s lighting designer, Johan Ferreira, while the stage lighting fixtures were chosen by MGG. ‘The lights had to be reliable and durable enough to withstand the harsh environment of a festival. We deployed over 650 fixtures across four stages,’ adds Müller. Marking his 13th year as the lighting designer at Innibos for the Main Stage, Ferreira was responsible for all the visual design aspects, from stage to LED screens, lighting design, programming and operation. ‘Designing for Innibos is a lengthy process starting well in advance. Most of the artists for the Main Stage are booked just a month after a festival has passed, giving me 10–11 months to get it all ready. We had more than 110,000 people attending this year and the event has received the Fiesta award for best outdoor production specifically for the Main Stage,’ adds Ferreira. Innibos turns the surrounding area into a buzzing cultural village. The festival runs from Wednesday and culminates in a free gospel show on the Sunday. During the week, the festival grounds are filled with four stages, ranging from pop to rock to theatre in the round and the Main Stage with full productions in the evenings.

68 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

‘My design approach for the Main Stage changed this year as we had the opportunity to transform the stage structure. Being an outdoor event, the environment is very tough on equipment. For the lighting stage design, I created a multilayered performance area comprising risers for bands and a thrust area to accommodate the different performers for all the shows. The Layer Scaffolding system supplied by MGG worked exceptionally well and provided me with a bigger and stronger structure. It’s important to have a design that is flexible as the productions onstage vary dramatically between artists. One moment can be intimate with a solo artist and the next can be a 10-piece band with an ensemble cast or choir. Fortunately, I work closely with the production directors, but surprises do still happen in a festival environment,’ he adds. The lighting design consisted of four main truss hangs over the stage, fixtures on the stage floor, side wash positions and lighting on the scaffolding structure for audience effects. The extensive stage rig included several Robe CycFX 8 lights, Robe Robin LEDBeam 100s and 150s, Robe Robin LEDWash 1200 and 600 fixtures, along with Robe MegaPointes and Pointes, Clay Paky Sharpys and Clay Paky Mythos luminaires with Philips Nitro 510s and 510cs and Martin Rush Strobe 5X5s around the audience and front AV screens. As the main lighting console, a grandMA2 Full size with a grandMA2 onPC for backup and system monitoring together with MA NPU and MA Network switches were deployed. An MA 3D visualiser was used to help pre-program all the shows. ‘grandMA has got the ideal package when it comes to

For lighting throughout the theatre venues, several ETC Source Fours were fitted. ‘They’re such solid, bullet-proof fixtures that really stand the test of time. Onstage, we usually use 1K Fresnels or 650 Fresnels supplemented with LED PAR cans and some special effects if needed,’ adds Ballot. DWR Distribution provided technical support on the MA Lighting dot2 control systems in place. Highlighting some of the problematic factors of working an event like Innibos, head of audio at Blond, Riaan Rademan, elaborates: ‘At some festivals, we can often use a generic rig but one of the challenges at Innibos is the venues have limited power so we had to go down the LED route. These are not professional venues to start with and Mbombela isn’t a big place, so the infrastructure isn’t always there.’ The key is to adapt, interjects Ballot. ‘You might walk into a venue and there’s no FOH bar. Or, we have to bring our own pipes and find a way to rig an FOH bar or climb through the roof to hang a lighting bar. You have to think outside the box and carry a big bag of tricks. ‘Similarly, the same flexibility was needed for the audio setup. If it’s a musical performance, you’ll add a bit more beef onto the PA, or, if it’s a larger venue, we’ll add a VRX line array instead of say a JBL point source box.’ An event like this requires lateral thinking and, regardless of the scale, weather and lack of power, this year’s event was a case of meticulous preparation. ‘The thing that everyone wants to avoid in any type of production is equipment failure. We had one or two pieces of equipment giving problems, but everything was soon fixed or replaced with the help of the excellent crew onsite and the great after-sales service from our suppliers. We had a big rain storm on the Wednesday as gates opened for the public. This was a first for the festival, but we were prepared, so the rain had little-to-no effect on us. We thought that it would impact festival attendance, but the sales were up 16% on last year. The event was truly a culmination of hard work, an incredibly focused and professional crew and quality equipment,’ concludes Müller. www.blondproductions.co.za www.dwrdistribution.co.za www.innibos.co.za www.mgg.co.za www.pjk.co.za

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FEATURES: INSTALLATION

Techno Q hung and built the dome as well as integrating the AV equipment

Under the dome

A pair of Christie Boxer 4K30 projectors peer into the planetarium

Pro AVL MEA takes a tour of Qatar’s largest planetarium DESPITE THE CLOSE EQUATORIAL POSITIONING AND near-perfect environmental conditions for the task at hand, there aren’t a great number of planetariums available to visit in the Middle East. So, when the new 22m-diameter Al Thuraya Planetarium opened its doors in Doha at the end of 2018, it quickly became one of the main attractions in Katara. While Al Thuraya isn’t quite the biggest planetarium in the region – that accolade is held by the 28m-diameter Dome of Mina in Iran – it is the biggest in Qatar and one of just a select number of 4K planetariums in the world. However, while not that common, planetariums are the perfect showcase of synchronised audio, video and lighting, every aspect of which is made all the more complicated by the dome hanging overhead. Suleiman Hilal Al Busaidi, astronomical consultant and the man in charge of operations, proudly describes Al Thuraya Planetarium as boasting ‘the most powerful 3D you will have ever seen’. Enlisting the services of local systems integrator Techno Q back in 2016, Suleiman has played an active role throughout the project, liaising with Techno Q project manager Ahmed Marei on the dome’s specification and execution. ‘The planetarium here in Doha uses the latest technology available in the world and we are able to do both 2D and 3D presentations,’ explains Suleiman. ‘Most planetariums around the world only offer 2D. At 22m, we can also accommodate around 200 people and we are quite unique compared to other planetariums because we have the Buttkickers installed.’ Every one of the 197 seats at Al Thuraya has been integrated

Suleiman Hilal Al Busaidi and Ahmed Marei with a Buttkicker K3, which, as the name implies, vibrates in-sync with low-frequency content in the presentation to add an extra dimension to the entertainment. Yet, the planetarium’s primary purpose is not entertainment, but education. The 2,240m2 venue is therefore typically only open to prearranged school trips, except for the first Saturday of each month when the doors open to the public.

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‘Techno Q was awarded the contract in late 2016 and we started our first discussions with Suleiman in early 2017,’ notes Marei. ‘Over the next few months, we worked to incorporate all of his requirements, requests and expectations. Of course, we are working with the Digistar 6, which comes from a specialist company, Evans & Sutherland.’ The Digistar 6 platform sits at the heart of the planetarium’s audiovisual setup and powers the 2D/3D astronomical presentations. The immersive visuals are made possible through the deployment of 10 Christie Boxer 4K30 projectors installed in pairs behind the perimeter of the dome. While the lenses poke through a small gap between the dome and the knee wall beneath, the projector housings remain completely invisible from the audience’s perspective. ‘The reason why there are two projectors side by side is for 3D,’ explains Marei. ‘You have to have an individual projector for each eye, each of which is a Christie Boxer 4K30 and is capable of 4K output with 30,000 ANSI lumens. The images from all of the projectors are then stitched together inside the dome to make a single image. Each projector is fed from two servers – we have 20 servers in total in the rack room.’ Inside each projector are INFITEC 3D filters. The same image is fed through both projectors and then the output of one is filtered. When combined with 3D glass, this creates the illusion of depth.

FEATURES: INSTALLATION ‘Older-style planetariums used to have either a single projector or multiple projectors in the centre of the dome firing upwards,’ says Marei. ‘This causes problems with heat or with people putting their hands in front of the beam. By distributing the projectors behind the knee wall and then aligning and blending the images together from all 10 projectors located at the dome’s perimeter, we were able to avoid this.’ This task in itself, though, is no small feat. While software is capable of automatically performing the necessary adjustments on a flat surface, aligning the images under a dome still requires a lot of manual labour. ‘It’s very hard to stitch the images together when it’s a dome like this,’ notes Marei. ‘It’s much easier on a flat surface. A lot of the alignment has to be done physically on the ground, before the software takes over to do the final adjustments. The dome is essentially broken up into five pieces – one main central piece and four outer areas. Each pair of projectors feeds a different segment.’ Digistar 6 also provides complete show control of the audio, video and lighting systems. The platform has a cloud library with a variety of different pre-made programmes covering various astronomical topics. ‘Also, we have what’s called Dome Casting,’ adds Suleiman. ‘This is where similar systems, such as one in Tokyo, can share the same presentation in real time, so it happens in both venues simultaneously.’ ‘We also hold science, technology and mathematics lessons – so we use the dome to project things like the periodic table which can be explained to the students,’ says Suleiman. In addition to pre-made programmes, the system can be used to display regular content such as PowerPoint presentations for these purposes, for which a portable podium position has been

Two JBL subwoofers offer low-end support

The entire show control can be handled by the Digistar 6 system created inside the auditorium, and it can also be linked directly with outdoor telescopes for live viewing. ‘Furthermore,’ notes Suleiman, ‘we can connect with the music system, so you can bring in anything you want to play. We weren’t able to do most of this stuff at other planetariums, such as in Oman.’ While most of the functionality at Al Thuraya is inherent and included within the Digistar 6 platform, several specific requests were made to Techno Q. ‘One of these requests was the translation system,’ recalls the consultant. ‘For example, the show that is in the system right now can be played back in several different languages, meaning the audience can listen in one language while others can listen to up to three other languages (up to a maximum of six) via a headset. The Digistar 6 system is providing all of the interfacing with the audio system.’ Audience members listening to the primary feed can do so via the 5.1 surround setup comprising three JBL Professional AM7315 three-way cabinets and a pair of AM7212/66s hidden behind the NanoSeam perforated projection dome, as well as ASB 6128 18-inch subwoofers integrated into the front knee wall for low end. ‘This allows us to position the speaker out of sight without affecting the audio quality,’ explains Marei. ‘Also, a dome presents certain acoustic challenges as the audio bounces around inside it. The perforation in the Splitz NanoSeam removes this issue as it doesn’t hinder sound transmission at all. The screen surface is completely seamless with flush panels and no overlapping sections. Behind, we have placed an acoustic blanket to further absorb the reflections.’ Driven by six QSC DLP series amplifiers, the speaker system uses a Symetrix Prism 8x8 for signal processing. For the translated feeds, Techno Q supplied 80 Sennheiser TourGuide UHR receivers which are fed from a pair of antennas placed on either side of the auditorium. Users can select which channel they want to listen to on the receiver, as well as increasing or decreasing the volume. An AKG wireless microphone system has also been supplied to enable freedom of movement when giving lecture-style presentations inside the dome. In addition to the projectors and audio system, a full cove lighting system from Bowen Tech was installed that bathes the dome in colour when the projectors aren’t in use. Control for this comes from an AstroFX Aurora. ‘The full dome is covered by the lighting, and to do this you need cove lighting around the perimeter as well as a zenith light which just covers the upper portion of the dome. While

it’s not that tricky to cover the entire area, ensuring that the intensity is uniform throughout from several different fixtures is a real challenge.’ In fact, due to the wealth of specialist technology being integrated under the dome, there was an uncomfortable air of uncertainty about the end result. ‘We have been coordinating with the main contractor, Boom General Contractors, and the process was a little bit challenging because it was a brand-new system,’ explains Marei. ‘No one knew exactly what we would end up with because they had never seen it or worked with it before, so this meant a lot of coordination with other parties for the electrical, mechanical and civil teams. But, while this process was challenging, the end result is really great.’

The auditorium can accommodate up to 200 seated guests Thankfully, Suleiman, the man whose verdict of the new planetarium system really matters, has nothing but praises to sing for Techno Q. ‘We now have world-class facilities here and, since opening in December, we’ve had more than 21,000 visitors. Al Thuraya Planetarium is the first one of its kind in Qatar and I’m very glad to be a part of the team here. Techno Q, and in particular Marei, have done an exceptional job of both understanding our requirements and providing us with a system that ticks every box.’ And yet despite the planetarium’s enviable credentials, there is still room for improvement. ‘This planetarium is a 4K planetarium with a 3D option; however, we could potentially have an 8K system here by distributing the existing projectors around the perimeter of the dome,’ concludes Marei. ‘The reason we chose not to implement this now is because there really aren’t any or many 8K shows available on the market yet. But, in the future, we can easily upgrade the system. Hopefully, this will be one of the first 8K planetariums in the world.’ Like Marei, Pro AVL MEA is now eagerly awaiting the announcement of Al Thuraya becoming the world’s first 8K planetarium. www.katara.net/en/communities/al-thuraya-planetarium www.technoq.com

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September–October 2019 PRO AVL MEA 71

FEATURES: INSTALLATION

Riding the wave Andy Morris, head of audio at Pulse Middle East

The outdoor terrace can accommodate either a live band or DJ setup

Riding on a wave of past successes, Pulse Middle East joined forces once again with Solutions Leisure to bring its latest outlet on The Palm to life WITH WAVEHOUSE, THE LATEST OUTLET FROM SOLUTIONS Leisure, set to open on The Palm, it was unsurprising that Pulse Middle East was once again enlisted to provide consultancy and design services for the audiovisual setup. The two companies have worked together successfully on a raft of previous outlets in Dubai, including Lock, Stock & Barrel and STK outlets inside the Rixos Premium Hotel, explains Pulse Middle East head of audio, Andy Morris. ‘We had a great relationship with Solutions Leisure through our projects together. They were really happy with our previous work and, back in 2018, we got the call to design the sound system for Wavehouse, specifying what speakers should be installed where and what coverage would be needed. A few months later, we won the installation phase of the project too and started work. It wasn’t guaranteed that we would be awarded the integration but, once we were given the go-ahead, we had just three months to design, install and integrate the sound system for this enormous space.’ Wavehouse is not your typical Dubai entertainment establishment and offers a little piece of something for all patrons – everything from a kid’s climbing wall to a bowling alley, a restaurant, a bar, an arcade and an outdoor area with a stage for live music. ‘And, of course, the surf machine,’ highlights Morris. ‘That’s one of the big draws here and is actually linked with the water park next door. People can be at the park, head over here to do some surfing and then go to the bar for a drink afterwards.’ With Wavehouse offering such a diverse collection of areas, the audiovisual requirements of each space differ greatly. Under its old guise as a nightclub, speakers had already been integrated throughout the venue. While some of these were repurposed by Pulse in the smaller areas, the main areas have been refitted

72 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

A Midas M32 serves as the primary audio console with an additional 108 loudspeakers from Martin Audio and TW Audio. The result is a multi-zone audio system controlled by three Symetrix Radius NX processors (two 12x8 and one 4x4), driven by Powersoft Quattrocanali and X Series amplifiers (six 4804 DSP+Dante, seven 2404 DSP+Dante and three X8 DSP+Dante), and tied together over a Dante infrastructure with numerous AVIO adapters from Audinate spread throughout for patch-in to the system. The setup can adapt to the venue’s changing needs throughout the day by providing the Solutions Leisure team with the ability to feed any source to any zone within Wavehouse from portable devices such as smartphones or tablets. The primary zones for the audio consist of the bar, restaurant, bowling alley, multifunction area, projection room, outside stage, climbing area and entrance. In the zones where more SPL and bandwidth are required, Pulse selected TW Audio cabinets. Outside, weather-resistant Martin Audio

CDD10-WR and CDD8B-WR full-range and CSX118B-WR and CSX112B subs have also been installed to fill in the gaps in coverage. ‘There are two stages – one inside and another outside,’ explains Pulse Middle East managing director, Joe Chidiac. ‘These zones in particular required a high dynamic range, for which we deployed T24Ns, backed up by an array of three B30s in the centre under the stage inside. Outside, we used five T24s to cover the whole area in front and to the back of the stage, along with four S33s for high output and pattern control. ‘The transition between the setups of bands playing on different stages, DJs or TV must be seamless,’ he continues. ‘Therefore, speaker placement had to be carefully considered to allow the whole venue to get adequate sound coverage considering an audio focal point of either stage. Then, delays and levels had to be set correctly for each of the three modes to change the focal point. With T24Ns used as the main speakers, we chose T20s, M12s and M10s to provide high-output coverage to the rest of these zones as delay speakers.’ Inside, further T24Ns have been installed, alongside C5 multifunctional loudspeakers, while the restaurant areas are covered by M8, M10 and M12 enclosures. ‘Everything on that side of the venue where we needed more volume is TW Audio,’ says Morris. ‘In the restaurant, we’ve had to fly quite a lot of the subs just to keep them hidden, and a few have also been integrated into the furniture.’ Due to the complex floorplan, Wavehouse sports a separate control room for each half of the venue. ‘We decided that it would be necessary to use two separate AV rooms in order to minimise cable losses and for reasons of practicality,’ recalls Chidiac. ‘Helpfully, the Powersoft amplifiers come with damping control to

PRODUCTS FEATURES: INSTALLATION

Razor-sharp quality bespoke desks clear possible and weand compensate for as some of as these cable losses wanted to damping ensure that the interpretation maximise of subwoofer drivers.’ was fully into the solution,’ Page.in Theintegrated X Series amplifiers are mostlyadds installed Elaborating on handling the camera setup, Page the control room the high-power areas, COMBINING CONTRAST ratio, and continues: wereoutdoor looking fordurability a flexible such as the ‘We bar and terrace, while the affordability, the APSthe Series of 3LCD laser camera system that could integrate with the Quattrocanalis serve other areas where projectors from Christie Shure sound system output 6,500 automated less power is needed –and thedelivers arcade, restaurant, ISO lumens, and a five-year mixed camera views based on what virtual bowling and kids zone. and 10,000-hour warranty, lobes were active from the MXA910 Pulse has also installed a Midas M32mics. console whichever comes first. The integration Once learnt about their with in the we control room. Governing the high-power LWU650-APS andmain LWU530the MXA910 and tested out the AVS system, zones, this offers control alongside a pair APS have been designed for weofrequired. this out functionality of TWgave Audio C5the speakers capable monitoring classrooms, boardrooms Using theany 1 Beyond any zone, input orcamera the M32system monitorallowed output or small-space usother to ‘If choose the digital codecup weinneeded itself. the technician is sitting the environments. Theyus feature androom didn’t to any manufacturer AV andrestrict they’re trying to get something or an efficient laser illumination technology.’ working, maybe one of the inputs is a bit noisy, system and patented Withcan the courtrooms designed over to 100 they just select thatoptical adapter, listen the light design yearspath agothen for paper-based the real input and theythat canuses turn litigation, it up and listen to only motor. patented challenge was to‘The repurpose the‘Using courtroom it on one the monitors,’ says Morris. Dante, optical light pass design litigation, while for paperless electronic changes the the excitation lightof the hearing maintaining aesthetics spot round spot to a roomshape designfrom and amaking it functional. ‘This rectangular disperses the as energy was beyondshape any AVand hardware project we on wheel, which and improves theto hadthe to phosphor integrate the software services reliability of the courtroom phosphor wheel,’ explained create a digital that is part of the Jim Hall, platform,’ senior product Christie. eCourts adds manager, Page. ‘Featuring flexible input/output an Omnix was tasked with the AVoptions, integration. on-board 16Wsenior speaker andand omnidirectional Abdul Riyaz, design engineering design and operation, manager at whisper-quiet Omnix, explains how thethe APS Series provides razor-sharp image2quality collaboration came about. ‘Opus came up whether a presentation, dataset or then with the it’s entire design concept. We were video.’ given the concept and functional requirement documents to review and propose the detailed solution, along with an itemised bill of quantities and our understanding. Opus 2 provided great insight into the functional The bowling area and operational requirement along with technologies and vendors. Our design team then checked the requirement, contacted vendors and finalised the offer for approval to the ADGM. After a couple of pre-award meetings with the ADGM IT team and

Mirage 304K is surrounded by individual The restaurant booths, each reinforced with its own TW Audio speaker The Mirage 304K is a 30,000-lumen, 3DLP, 4K projector combining a compact it was really easy to connect these AVform rooms factor, light powerful processing together. Weweight, cooperated with the hotel’s IT and user-friendly features such as built-in warping department who gave us a separate VLAN for and nearfield communication AV inblending, Wavehouse, which is also accessible over monitoring and an at-a-glance the Wi-Fithe network achieved apreview latency of just Inside ADGMand hearing room screen. 0.5ms.’ Based on the industry’s only 4K, true 120Hz projection system and Morris credits the Powersoft amplifiers Opus 2,also we capable gave our recommendations and featuring Christie’s TruLifefeatures electronics, with providing some useful that aid started the implementation phase.’ the Mirage 204K has builtelement forthere’s Video distribution wasbeen a critical of the the Wavehouse installation. ‘First off omnidirectional and enables, canavailable install duesharing,’ to thedeployment various information the power he says. ‘This for be mounted operated anyto within courtroom processing that needs example, oneand amplifier to beinable drivetoa be orientation. made available to every delegate/counsel as subwoofer, but then on another channel it can Thetheir Series ofspeaker. flat panels per needs and role. have aSecure lower powered Using the power has been developed government, ‘It was not a straightforward video sharing calculator fromfor Powersoft, you can easily corporate or military environments, or the matrix as is sources available for see howswitching, much power available across other facilities that top distribution onlyrequire around eight andchannels had amplifier andare distribute it to the various security at allavailable times. The first than 70 to be made on more as required.’ two are counsel the SUHD551-L displays. Every and judge had their Themodels Italian manufacturer’s Armonía+ platform and include own SUHD651-L localused source monitor andfirst then twoduring was also by and Pulse for the time OPS slot, UHD resolution and additional monitors centrally the configuration and for tuning of the distributed system. USB playback. ‘Customer sources choose from the WyreStorm ‘This wasto really useful because it allowed us requirements forspeaker a solution, AVoIP decentralised the NHD 400 to position each on a layout drawing,’ professional secure display series was a‘As perfect fit recommended by says Morris. we were going around and without RF arethough going largely Opus 2. Even it wasthe ourdelays first largetuning the system, changing and unmet,’ said Jimjust Hall, scale distribution as opposed the EQ,AVoIP we could clickproject on a speaker and senior product manager, to our the traditional matrix thanks adjust settings for thatsolution, component very to Christie. ‘This our long expertise in really digitalimpressed signage and intuitively. We’veseries been withIPTV the includes compliance with technologies, we were prepared an differences between the old versiontoofadapt Armonía current TAA AVoIP very quickly,’ adds Riyaz. and thesolution new requirements. Armonía+.’

Each user has a smart desk comprising a PC and three screens E-participants had to be a key consideration in the construction of the digital courtroom. ‘We used a Polycom group series 700 codec solution with Skype for Business integration. To manage all the AV devices, we installed a Crestron control system integrating all these systems with customised GUI on wired and Powersoft X Series and Ottocanali amplifiers wireless iPads. The install also included a installed in the main equipment room dedicated control room inside the courtroom separated by a glass wall, housing the language translation booths with a Shure/DIS IR solution for the court audience. It had to be a simple AV system to use and flexible for various type of hearings,’ notes Riyaz. FHD553-X Opus 2, who has been deploying paperless trial technology into traditional courtrooms The panels do notyears, have was radionofrequency for the last seven stranger to functionality, so noorunauthorised users can this type of project its tests. To maintain access the system adding room, an extra layer of the aesthetics of the–hearing it worked security.’ closely with architects Perkins+Will. Bespoke The FHD553-X flat panel was has also beendesigned designed furniture for the courtroom to the FHD552-X and handmade features an andreplace prototyped in London and in ultra-narrow Abu Dhabi. bezel flat panel with full HD resolution, high pixel density andMiddle an ‘The ADGM wanted a contemporary The panel Eastern feel toLED thebacklit hearingscreen. room rather than can berooms installed either the traditional wooden you in see around landscape mode the world inspiredportrait by the or English legal system. and comes with a floorplan, three-year With such large and complicated Working witha marble, glass and unique lighting labour warranty. Pulse opted to design aand custom interface features made it parts challenging on control various levels,’ decadethat after using the Symetrix Controla Server provides elaborates Page. Nearly the launch Christie The interior design requirements posed some complete control of all of theof various zones from strain on the physical installation of the AVfor a smartphone orMicroTiles, tablet. ‘You the can manufacturer choose, has launched example in the bowling areas, toMicroTiles change the LED. The smaller, brighter, level of the sound effects, or the outside zone, powerful moresubwhere you’ve gotmore control of eachand different flexible LED version zone, as well as volume control, anddelivers control of P3 colour space, inputs complies HDR-10 and all of the different suchwith as the TV, the DJ is for broadcast or suitable the live band playing outsets, on thecorporation terrace,’ says venues, museums, retail, stadiums, arenas Morris. ‘All of these features are only possible and higher It includes low- and because theeducation. whole system runs off aDante profile, QuickMount system becauseADA-compliant of the super matrix on the Symetrix so displays can be created in any shape and Radius devices.’ size, including 90°a inside/outside corners Needless to say, project of this scale and and both concave convex curves. ‘There complexity was not and without its challenges. were some long days on this project, because of www.christiedigital.com the sheer scale of the venue and the speed with equipment too, such thebuilt. positioning of from the which everything had as to be We went ceiling microphones due totosome large lighting an empty nightclub venue this intricate multifixtures overinthe area. ‘We had area space justmain 12 weeks,’ thealso head of to audio do a lot ‘Getting of virtualallaudio enhancements to getfor recalls. of the various contractors to expected levelsupport of performance andon had thethe cabling and the in place and time some challenges sourcing pre-defined size was really challenging. ‘There are also over 100 speakers here, desktop monitors. However, with the in in-house so weofhad to show theand contractors every single team programmers support from point andwe exactly of the any cables vendors, were where able toeach overcome physical needed to go to identify comments which AV room they’d installation challenges,’ Riyaz. pulled the cables from, keep checking According to Page, theand newjust digital ADGM the entire process. We were here every dayand for design holds a number of benefits both in about a of month.’ outside the hearing room and could improve Once again, the cooperation between litigation efficiency by over 33%. Riyaz is also Pulse Middle and confident thatEast, moreSolutions regions inLeisure the UAE will be its contractors has resulted in the flawless keen to upgrade their government buildings. execution of another audio system. ‘As an integrator, we multi-faceted are already starting to see ‘I think needs we arecoming all quiteup proud of what we judicial have similar for most of our achieved here at Wavehouse,’ concludes Morris. customers.’

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May–June 2019 PRO AVL MEA 51 July–August 2019 PRO AVL MEA 73 59 September–October

FEATURES: INSTALLATION

Custom experiences

On the top floor is an exhibition space surrounded by a larger-than-life replica of a Rolex Oyster bracelet

BrightSign XD234 media players power the synchronised lift system

Hidden behind the main store is the experience centre

A trip inside the Rolex Store in Dubai Mall uncovers a hidden world. Simon Luckhurst steps inside IT MIGHT SOUND OBVIOUS, BUT AN EXPERIENCE CENTRE is, of course, all about the experience. For most outlets, this simply means properly experiencing the products on offer first hand. Other places take this notion a little further, as became apparent when Pro AVL MEA visited the three-storey Rolex outlet in Dubai Mall recently. Here, the product is almost an afterthought. The experience on offer is instead all about the company, its values and its heritage. The notion being that if you buy into the brand, you will automatically buy into its products. The customer expectations a brand such as Rolex attracts set the bar high, and devising an experience that can truly wow customers in this media- and content-savvy world takes a bit of creativity, a bit of technical prowess and a lot of determination. Thankfully, Mood Media is no stranger to these tasks, albeit typically on a smaller scale. And having been enlisted by the outlet’s management early on in the design process, the company was given the flexibility and resources to pull off something quite special. ‘The Mood European offices already had a relationship in place with Rolex in Geneva, and Mood GCC was brought on to help execute it,’ recalls Glen Borden, AV systems manager at Mood GCC. ‘This project actually started years ago because of

74 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

L–R: Glen Borden, Adrian Goulder and Terry Borden from Mood GCC the level Rolex work at when they roll something out, especially something this new, everything gets thoroughly tested. They built a complete mock-up of the system back at their headquarters in Geneva where they can run through and test everything meticulously. It’s a rigorous, rigorous bar that has to be crossed before Rolex signs off.’

The system that Borden speaks of consists of several main audiovisual elements – a number of video screens around the store, an immersive theatre and the most challenging aspect to execute: four full floor-to-ceiling screens in each elevator whose content is synced with the lift’s motion. ‘We did a little bit of everything in this store,’ explains Mood GCC technical director, Adrian Goulder. ‘We’ve installed LCD screens across the store and in the elevator, and an immersive theatre consisting of hi-fi audio equipment synced up with a custom-made iPad application. This was definitely a higher-end installation.’ Content for all of the screens, which was also developed and is managed by Mood, resides on 14 BrightSign XD234 networked A custom iPad app for control designed by Mood manages the immersive theatre system

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Mahajak brews up a solution for Singha

media players out of sight the store’s equipment ‘This includes our own audio content that’s managed and integration withinstalled the IT enterprise, willinprovide access to room, eight whichofare to the experience. created by us from over 3 million songs,’ adds Goulder, ‘and powerful newoftypes AVdedicated data that has theelevator potential to create ‘The elevators integrated with these of BrightSign sensors we’ve also custom designed all of the visual content and new value and are transform the economics our industry.’ that havefirst been configured to communicate withDSP the basic production. When people talk about a turnkey solution, we’re As the adopters of audio-over-IP products, innovators systems, KanexPro THAILAND: Rawd Brewery, functions ofBoon the lift,’ explains ‘It understands what really and truly the turnkeycollaboration provider. Anything and everything are now extending their reach Borden. throughout the signal chain from that suited seminars and events, receivers, renowned forisits beer floor thetolift onflagship and, when it goes up or down, you’llinsee linkedwere with their audiovisualtransmitters system wasand designed and Epson is source mouth. Having acquired Cambridge Sound latethe whether the rooms separated and Panasonic projectors, Razr Singha, has moved a new fountain of to Geneva either spouting descending down. managed by us.’room. 2018 prior rollingto out Crowd Micsup ator ISE, Biamp unveiled or combined to form a larger projection screens, and Sharp the premium work space the heart That’s one of the more experiential parts ofcoaxial this solution and This experience Goulder speaks of doesn’t just concern the desono series of in in-ceiling andofpendant speakers Furthermore, the system needed Modulo Pi media servers and the Merging Technology Hapi LEDfull screens, JBL speakers Crown Bangkok. Thefeature brewery called on the was a great that we got tomicrophones. use with the Designed BrightSignfor customers, butaudio also includes management, maintenance together with Parlé beamtracking to be compatible with other interface power the AV in the blacked-out presentation room amplification, services of Mahajak to equip the newunused.’ player, typically that kind ofthe gets left and servicing top. ‘We’re on call 24/7BSS for aprocessing, store like this,’ conferencing applications, attractively styled additions and visual systems broughton in from mixing anddown, Shureor space withwith a range AV solutions, This synchronisation was achieved interface says the technical director.Soundcraft ‘When anything goes interface usersofand extend their using appealthe to GPIO a larger us would usually include some LED and LCD screens,’outside.’ shares having on the employed BrightSign players with contacts there’s an issue with any ofmicrophones. the screens or the experiences, audience than thethe SIssystems andtogether facility managers who installed have untilinnow Goulder. ‘Here, it’s about so much more than that, it’s all The board room alsoproject benefits integrator for a previous project. the elevator. There is also a triggerTesira for theDSP amplifiers we send a technician out immediately. It’s a big with a discreetly installed and configured units. powering about turning those elements into an experience. And that ‘Mahajak wasSound responsible forspeakers the from Barco’sinClickShare CSE-200 the Meyer MX-44P to play theweaudio lot of moving pieces that was designed Europe and executed ‘Bylift’s introducing our desono conference speakers, are at begins the second you walk in, with a custom scent.’ Ross Video’s Todd Riggs Lectrosonics’ Karl Winkler Matt Larson and XTA’s MX36 console switching system installation ofaudio audio, visual and wireless presentation system, the same time, so that when you’re descending you hear a here. We were a part of a large team and all those people extending our reach from microphone to loudspeaker,’ Uniquely, the company handles the content creation and promoted Ultritouch with the D Squared system control systems for 48 ‘IT rooms of technology water sound a Geneva fountain. ‘It’s an extremely deserve a lot of credit.’ as does the ballroom and town confirmed Joefrom Andrulis. and AV managers tight now management in addition to the AV integration, a rarity in the 12 different types,’ the hallof venue. JBL speakers, LGinto and space and, inside therevealed physical liftaudio itself, a whole other Thankfully,received the hugeequal amount pre-planning thatsoftware went have the ability to bring Biamp’s tothere’s rooms outfitted with billing as server-based region and something that the Mood GCC team feels separates controllers Mahajak project team. ‘Mahajak Samsung screens, and Barco bag of tricks in there to actually get itOur to products move,’ notes Borden. the systemXiO design that glitches are rare; however, its Hangouts Meet hardware solutions. and solutions solutions, cloudmeans connectivity, room scheduling and wireless it from others. also installed LED displays in the ClickShare devicesbugs can occasionally also be ‘Integrating our system well wasBya adding challenging bespoke nature naturally means unexpected are no longer confined toasthe rack. Parlétask.’ X-series presentation technologies. ‘Typically, people are distributing equipment and people are Working with Intel, Crestron’s development of DMlounge, NVXadmits native canteen and directory inbeen theourpaid Mahajak alsoend-todeployed a throwing large, screens found incustom the executive Similar to attention to detail has to the immersive crop up. ‘Custom solutions create problems,’ support Devio, we aresigns providing customers with easyup to and use,have and good after sales no idea about content,’ explains network AV encoders and we’re decoders connects displays to thekind lobby.’ 8.25m x 2.25m Uniview LED dining room living room. theatre. Hidden at meet the rear the store on the 2nd level,AV Goulder. ‘But, ultimately, the bestand place to do these end solutions that theofentirety of an organisation’s for creative their meeting rooms,’ Borden. ‘Thenservice you have people and graphic designers AVoIP world. and The support Open Pluggable Specification-based decoder The screens canteen, was of ourbut largest screen on the wallthey besidedoing the content,said uninvited customers would be hard pressed to know what of solutions it, ‘This not just in one the GCC throughout requirements ininallthe spaces.’ Mahajak engineer. whoa really haveproject no idea about the marketing transforms a display a projects native DM endpoint. Specified of which thereout are arevisitors all 20-port stairs theabuilding’s indoor toNVX date,’ said were missing on. Here, are greeted large world. This was ainto challenging project, but one the that we’re Having released the20, AFM-20DSP audioinwith matrix with ‘TheyAVrequired automation the Mood Media’s The meetingthe rooms, which can function of these solutions. One thinginthat Constructed in 1893, Waverton station is demonstrated a heritage-listed building EDC Acoustics SC-30 provide intelligibility along the platform forspeakers projects on account ofback its flexibility andabout.’ scalability, the Samsung Smart Signage SHFAVinhas garden zone, alongits with four JBL Mahajak team. ‘It was completed floor-to-ceiling projection screen the centre of a blacked-out now very happy to stand and shout interchangeable I/Os, Kramer further conference room that would be separated or combined, have done, which is very forward thinking, is to control combine those long-term is assured through firmware updates 37-inch stretch Serving 28-1 speakers a channels,the and handed over to the room. Content history unique quality ofpowered Rolex credentials andexploring isscreens. movingthe beyond theand box. Its collaboration with by audio, and air-conditioning been with a vast range appealsuccessfully two and offer visual the complete 360° solution for theequippeddecoder’s –including the latestCrestron codec has further decreased latency down to 2.5ms. as directory displays in the lobby customer.’ Crownand XLS 1502 and itsadds timepieces from portfolio redundant Modulo Pisamplifier. Xilica DSP to is itsstreamed growing audio exemplifies of technology,www.moodmedia.ae installation.’ systems, as well as the motorised TheAMX presence of an extensive range of surface-mount, drop-in are twoasSamsung Smart ‘The customer acting a trend mediaofserver toSignage an Epson EB-Z10005U projector the current well-poised producers to compete forexpected whole to get an curtains. Moreover, the client control solutions, ACR-5100 ceiling and pendant models within the Air, FS, Saros and Vector www.mahajak.com DM75E LED screens. installed overhead. projects commercial rather than fractional scraps. up-to-date and smart system that is required an audio and video system Acendo Core meeting space, loudspeaker families has been emboldened by the arrival The Modulo Pi connects to an internet router behind the Crestron continues to develop AV technologies with both of Avia and MP Dante-networkable, multichannel amplifiers. immersive screen and and communicates with a custom iPad the IT facility manager corporate customer in mind. Theapp Integrating Crestron Control, the Avia 12x8 DSP and UC DSP for control,booth triggering the projector to start andamassed also triggering immense was warranted, judging by the crowds series will take the manufacturer beyond its more traditional the Merging Technology Hapi interface to days. play audio. A 9.2 blotting out the carpet design for all three Simplified, educational and corporate spaces. Completing its audio jigsaw setup of Genelec 7350dialer APMsinterfaces, delivers the audio and, like the functional and elegant Mercury tabletop – for now – is the inclusion of the Avia Audio Tool Software to Epson meltstouchscreens away entirelyand intomedia the room’s blackedUC andprojector, AV solutions, presentation CHINA: A Next-proaudio system managed by touring ensure non-audio-savvy technicians canN-RAK be guided fromracks the LAs418G enclosures per side out surroundings, ensuring the presentation gets the full of more than 120 speakers with and Powersoft X8 amplifiers. Guided Steps learning centre dashboard. stacked in front of the stage. attention of viewers. WHEN THEAVDECISION WAS MADE TOthe REINSTATE STATION was issues supplied by distributor ‘Thetoelectronic sound Dante continues dominate music the audio-overto solve the local at Waverton. The Real new digital A fur ther nine Mindful LA212xthat units The final aspect of the project saw Mood GCC announcements at Waverton, an eastern suburb of Sydney, Music at the recent editiontravellers, of ef fectshas were controlled landscape, the Avnu Alliance extended the Milan announcement system needed to inform while at wereIPused per side for out-fill, team install a series of synchronised LG commercial SM5D fury fromoflocal residents resonated more than the localXD234 the One residents Yeah Pop go Up+ Festival fantastically andthe the sound club. RCF announced itself as latest member the same time letting about their liveswhile oblivious 12 widenetworking angled LA122w displays varying sizes. ‘We have six more BrightSign commuter trains these hurtling northwards to different Hornsby. videos Following in the Xi’an. Thetofestival combines pressure the LA212x of the pro AV segment. Following thewith introductions of the to the fact that 08.11 Parramatta was aboutspeakers to delivered front-fill. players powering displays, playing in a deal struck with the transport authorities in video 2010,content, the double- depart from platform electronic music and rap with wasof really amazing, Milan-ready productsline – in array the form the L-Acoustics one. Another threefirst LA122w boxes synchronisation,’ offers Goulder. ‘It’s similar glazed locals spared regular announcements at a traditional allowing the audience P1 were processor and Adamson CS7p all speaker system – d&b ‘Previous tenders for ourChinese digital PAmusic system centredand around an LAs118 mounted but what you’llhad see,been for example, is a golfer swinging a ball station where trains commonly stop two angles minutes. They andintelligibility other events, such as to have a fantastichave music and L-Acoustics made further required speech for passengers,’ explains on tm both sidesaudiotechnik, of the stageMeyer as Sound on one screen, and then you’ll get sixevery different of that were at the prospect of you’ll living see withthe up stagetec systems streetball. said Richie contributions the form experience,’ of the DS20 network bridge,Wang, LS10 AVB MD, Treva Head. ‘However, Waverton side-fills. In addition, 16 in X15 shot. understandably Each frame has horrified to be synchronised so that to 2,000 announcements eachquite day. tricky.’ The sound setupapproach, comprised CEO DSP at Real Music. and were the Galaxy Galileo platform, respectively. required a much more sensitive with the point emphasis source switch speakers transition smoothly, which was Having perfected a bespoke audio over IP for 15environmental flown LA212xpollution cabinets per of the committed to serving as a catalyst for market placed more on control Digital used as stage‘InfoComm monitors. isThe While these three main elements formed thesolution bulk of the some 300+integration, stations within Sydney Trainsand side Perkins and[DVAs] 18 presented ground stacked growth by offering and programmes that speak to Voice Announcements including control, setup was powered andcontentwww.next-proaudio.com audiovisual it wasthe just one aspect ofand the complete L–R: EAW’s Kenton Forsyth, Bryn Richards TJNSW Smith Sonance's Chris a ambient selectionnoise ofentire 70V with the latest KF810P line array speakers LG screenssystems fed from BrightSign players multiple visual tm points of viewachievable in sync with each other TrainLink network, tm stagetec systems was challenged thestagetec’s outcomes through solutions,’ directional speaker design and time of daydisplay switching.’ ‘experience’ Mood offers at Rolex. ‘A typical installation for Mark Lownds andAV Treva Head furthered

Digital platform Next-proaudio pops up in Xi’an

A train station in suburban Sydney has a new digital announcement system courtesy of tm stagetec systems. Richard Lawn commutes in

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102 PRO AVL ASIA Januar y–Februar y 2019 36 PRO AVL ASIA May–June 2019

September–October 75 July–August 2019 PRO AVL MEA 79

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Growing the family

Bose unveils ShowMatch Eliminating latency SSLreturns blends API its Powersoft The expands PT-70 gives performs Combining power and of simplicity Projecting to therange masses Williams AV adds Bluetooth connectivity dBTechnologies toNew thea Opera BroaMan receives signal and ControlCenter analogue processing analogue recording consoles Armonía a tune up Design to CM Series

and you don’t really find them in any within thehatched region,’inhe With the project complete and the first of the FITInc temperatures from –50°C to 200°C andmember a humidity range company will be created. While the gyms concepts are reasons. 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First thebuilt-in moving head LED audio quality as wellpresets as of solution TASCAM HAS unveiled its Series PoE+ or external DC and HDMI digital reverb, compressor, FOHHN AUDIO AGspin developed Two differentwith beam dispersion for thewhere Bose12V SMthe Series, solution for smaller venues, effect on the environment. Itthe is uniqueness here the manufacturer as the ‘most expensive room in theiswhole building’: the brand WITH SIZES ranging from control system integration, while BROAMAN HAS expanded Repeat48-2Fiber supports DBTECHNOLOGIES’ CLASSIC and a double horizontal dispersion. lights from Vision Pro Lighting. These with the second installed. Having making a Audio client happy means more than 102i audio/MIDI interface for in/out with audio embedding and to phase invert and four-band its Perform-Series, as the name are available: Das Aero Series, custom d&b and out, or an EQ can measure materials such asto lead or cadmium new anechoic chamber. TheProAV room a box-in-box construction THE WILLIAMS AV BluePOD is iscombine can also be established where DESIGNED WITH the rental a robust preset library with FIR such as biamped loudspeakers inwireless a typical office oras educational gives integrators the ability to add angles system. WaveCAST is90-degrees built onor or 200 to 265 inches, Elite aindoors 5V to 12V its Repeat48 range with therestricted transceivers up 12G and can BOSE PROFESSIONAL’S Opera series loudspeakers has Additionally, all three models element, haze machine, and the sound system to create aof line anything,’ offers. ‘I don’t think there isused anything that could owners ofthe studios, and its de-embedding, the devices support for each with theorarray aim of ARMONÍA PRO Audio Suite xa 50-degrees and 60-degrees xconform suggests, for live performances. Max12 systems, and which enables imported shared extension for bigger or ensure itshe PCBs to theand European international standing on rubber absorbers to decouple it from the rest designed to simplify the process tweaking isMax15 necessary for specific market insmall mind, Powersoft’s processing. The Tand Series offers subwoofers with passive tops. environment. the B-WAP intoofany existing audio hardware-based DSP audio trigger ischannel included has released Saker Plus, av2.10 Repeat48-2Fiber module. reportedly be for 12G video or Bridging the gap between the FUSION ISThe an all-analogue 2Uthe initial ±9dB attenuation. Next isThe aoffer new 1608-II ShowMatch DeltaQ array been completely reengineered feature two input channels, club-like environment. be done better on install. 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Tof Series consists of motorised twoand remote control advanced InFUSION to analogue inputs, The system also system for Bluetooth architecture, allowing system large electric for synchronised Itaddition can be toon convert from 10G IPNexo systems. ‘It is now 1608-II and consoles, the outboard processor that features high-frequency compressor that loudspeakers aim to better witharea the AXS latest evolution, promises selectable output channels –places Link ‘The spin iswedges extremely unique,’ Mrthe Armstrong. wireless control for gym toalso ensure the AV/server room for professional studio and live online streaming and secure taking load off the thebe computer to 1608 in that aims to improve the process looked to studio ensure that the newest pressure level isThe 140dB, update the Quattrocanali 1204, txt, csv or xml to read Targeting rental final room on the themain corridor is one of the first of large Rockwool which createsays aarenas. environment Theinperformance 1608 and AXS consoles, the outboard processor that high-frequency compressor that computers, laptops oravailable mobile Professional audio inputs on four-channel models in signal processing abilities via the T Series also includes AES3 totest select the speakers and functionality. 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CM1008D, plywood, with scratchBaden-Baden, 28th Ehinger compression chamber horn, Sodirections. it to isand little surprise that thethe facility directly neighbouring the www.dbtechnologies.com from dimmer curves to laser intensity and beam toweofcoated on each channel, four stereo system set up the screens on The WaveCAST app is They are active 3D, receivers with IR 6.3mm returns, while the Final Touch The ShowMatch DeltaQ encourage everyone toAdam push themselves harder. have not used aThis conventional DSP butenable ratherthe alland audio in the smartphone game ofready, theHall’s same name, theas highlight of for network or cloud storage. four-band parametric EQ and versatile up to 7.1 surround monitoring, CMX20DT, CM608D and resistant, polyurethane black finish Jazztage atapp Jazzclub Ehingen andnew asiswell aoutputs 1.4-inch compression anechoic chamber is photometric laboratory. colour quality. allwhile combines to manufacturer returns, the Final Touch embedded web server provides available in iOS or Android Individual Repeat48 or The technical sales manager, Maciek 4K ultra HD and HDR and RF remotes FOLLOWING ITS launch in 2008, fader automation system can among API consoles, so that www.deltasolutions.ae loudspeakers have a design suited While the technology creates the environment for the workout, main gym is running from a central PC.’ the four new mall additions and boasts over 35 adrenalinestreamers CDNs andbeare auto level users control each input. monitoring. The 208i there are dual headphone outputs as CM20DT don’t differ in their a performance by Axel Rudi Pell at standard support (other RAL colours driver on the CD horn, the PT-70 the anechoic chamber is striking for the wedges that to measure every element of its lights. FOLLOWING ITS launch in 2008, fader automation system can complete set up control and the and allows tofor perform among API consoles, so that Repeat48WDM devices can Janiszewski. and incorporate standard black are also included. 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The Afires horn-loaded, passive, two-way 39kg. featuring aand voltage-controlled equally imposing. ‘What you see black room because characteristics of the various products, it isdigital the third room recording and mixing console. audio source. the app toEQ, automatically discover then be mixed on Legacy AXS 2Fiber modules, up to six with direct SDI,high/low HDMI or pass RJ-45 play ready do anot require any screen backing. 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All six ‘a some the other within the Experience for is low-frequency saidCentre, to reduce edgewound, copper transmitter with avia Shure also integrates the Final Touch shelving EQ, designed to quickly introduces subtle coverage configurations. Solo Wi-Fi-delivered assistive listening intelligibility. Custom presets automation system, which is dialthis in low-end weight and saturation, alongside a highreinvention thebodypack modern era’. two 8-inch neodymium woofers. Series 208i www.tascam.com plusforautomatic FTP manufacturer ofFOR choice thanks to its previous integration in consumer devices. 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Highlow- success. frequency phase shift. and fixed installation applications, 8,100 ISO lumens and time and set up the costs. Housed A ceiling mounted sub provides low end in the main room Equipped with aoftouchscreen, frequency circuits each offer plus A/B source selection and portable applications, the or 20-degree vertical coverage, design andSystems install the audiothe solutions.volume Having never worked Line Array Performance the numberexit ofbelief Eventthat 208A or four for complex audio signals. factor correction efficiencies together moving the R&D teamand intoHD a facility where they can 1.4-inch higher maximum four-pole Mini-XLR connector. Either a Equipped with ahas touchscreen, frequency circuits each offer four Christie Digital added WUXGA resolutions. The in a compact form factor almost www.solidstatelogic.com Final Touch mixes can be shared switched frequency points and volume plus A/B/C/D series four two-way whilst integrated rigging is rated for audio with Bose before, the project spawned aornew relationship with source Simulator has been designed Event 210A systems required, There are three SA models with all comprises the required protections be in direct contact end users will theand best results. with SmartTV clients deliver www.solidstatelogic.com The driver SPL. The driver alkaline or rechargeable lithium-ion size. Final Touch mixes can be shared switched frequency points and with projectors offer 65,000:1 contrast Crimson series ofSeries 3DLP laser identical to the Christie Boxer Apart’s CMyield Design speakers The spin room has a professional and lighting setup which feature a of new grille in systemspeaks, and be three direct-radiating up to 24-box arrays. ASA-625 compatible the American manufacturer. to phosphor calculate how many of configuration coverage initially available: the against overheating ‘We want to create the ratio, cycle between R&D, customers and live channels including 4Klife and also features 50Woptions, batteries can used with and bothover- provides projectors to the its product selection 3,000 hours lamp and chassis,respectively. the CrimsonAvailable projectors either black or white, three subwoofers. matching-width, single 18-inch itmanufacturer’s iscatalogue. theclient instructor who leads it.or+ Asdifferent such, they need to be able ‘The approached several integrators with Event 208A maps, handling and rigging data. explains Mr Pietschmann. amplifier, which outputs voltage. With reportedly the exception of the the future,’ ‘When we listen to encryptedintegration. content power a protected titanium transmitters, providing simplified Reportedly Capable of500W delivering come with an IP5X these sealed, areincrements. equipped with an inand The X8 ultra-compact, X10 with atouring complete line to understand and use equipment at models their fingertips. This AVID HAS released the Avid Avid Link, such as plug-ins, projects with collaborators realasubwoofer brief that specified Bose products,’ Vishesh Event 210A systems are required Thedelivers tool canour reportedly be used to the Apart Quick Fit connector (70just 125W; the SA-1250, which delivers 2-channel X2D andofthe 8-channel customers we get right feedback and we at areroughly not THE rack from channels. in 25kHz Housed in a and diaphragm that up to seven hours continuous upRS16000 to 25,000 ISO lumens forofLink uptotoexplained offering high brightness solid-state laser light source intuitive interface and fit into a compact, X12 X15 highrigging provides LF is quite literally the case thanks to the Bose simplified touchscreen app inaccessories Apple’s App Store and on video effects, product training time, or seek advice by forming Mathur, regional sales engineer from Professional. ‘We properly cover a given audience, or calculate areas up to 35m x 35m 100V) for fast connection via 1,000W + 250W; and the SA2000, S5 models,With theand 4-channel amplifiers 106dB developing products that we just think are necessary. 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Each isunderstand vary inofpower 500W and here means the4,900 processphosphor is getting faster and we have that EXTERITY HAS strengthened 24-bit, true diversity, wireless the gateways can provide EPG Electronic includes six Programme RS16000R receivers, for increased stiffness. performance over a of up to range upmodels tobetween 90m absence processing, the Crimson Series units, the LWU720i-D, orientation. For 3D The visualisation units allbehind include a user-rotatable ControlCenter CV41 four tosplitter one 10-inch, 12-inch andRS16000 Eachcontrol, BlacklineX enclosure is That’s theLWU620i-D SM5 module rigging which can be everything into touchscreens placed arm’s length of to allow industry professionals be opened through Pro Tools, selecting Find Talent, users requirements, the system uses and which areas to cover –the this and optical formats. Native DSP, and the Matrix re:defined provide flexible, scalable audio The manufacturer intends for this within people. transformer tappings sticker equipped with output connections per channel in15-inch power. Ondirect contact. vision the building.’ its partnership with Samsung microphone system offering up information into Samsung Reach (EPG) data directly from Exterity aBy model AS6W antenna frequency range of 800Hz This isand said to create a higher of1,500W interference, the is incorporates BoldColor Technology, LHD720i-D or simulation applications, the FOLLOWING IN challenge the footsteps with two mic pre/equalisers in the PAD, polarity reverse, a of high-pass horn allowing for horizontal or converter can support up to four loudspeakers respectively. The made from with plywood and finished adjusted for longer throw. instructor so tracks for audio be changed as well as lighting to network with one another, Media Composer and Sibelius, can search the profiles of other was a particular ascan it of was a large open space over including delay, equalisation, multiaudio management systems are solutions. The Matrix-C controller tool to be simple to operate and The Event Line Systems gives a have clear colour indication to power external drivers and offers board DSP and functionality the three Walt Disney’s words may be seen by some as just a throwFOLLOWING INtuning the footsteps of with the release of its latest to 400MHz of bandwidth with two mic pre/equalisers inWU25 the in the same way they contribute TVgateways, enhancing the PAD, polarity reverse, a high-pass 9V phantom power, its own to 20MHz, aArray recommended threshold frequency to avoid the FCC-, REDIC-compliant. Sold TruLife Electronics for ultra-fast projectors been designed as Crimson HD25 and Crimson Crimson its single-channel predecessor, same rack unit. filter and a +48V phantom power. vertical orientation and a Master variety ofit’s ControlCenter CC-1 zone controllers subwoofer line-up comprises the with a textured black coating Meanwhile, the new ControlCenter themes,’ explains Mr Armstrong. ‘This allows therack instructor to promote their skills to potential and with Avid artists, musicians, composers, multiple levels.’ channel limiting and noise-reduction categorised within the commercial combines 8-balanced inputs with has based the simulator around Performance Simulator can thatquote.an foraccessed which power tap needs toand full networking capabilities, Rhaon matrix versions include crossover away motivational But, for the team at Adam Hall, its single-channel predecessor, TVgateway, which integrates across six channels and operates same unit. to an Exterity ArtioGuest system. information available to hotelrates filter and a +48V phantom power. active cooling system, an RPS10 crossover frequency of 1.2MHz. possibility of dome breakup, separately, handheld and bodypack alternative to laser phosphor processing and Christie Twist projectors offer higher frame the HA-73 EQ mic amp/equaliser, Employing three correct-vintage Its EQparametric section includes high mounting options. with a up PS602 or PS604 PowerShare X115 15-inch model, the X118 and reportedly provides durability, of zone controllers comprises never leave their bike so they don’t loseboth the energy, vibe and employers, and manage Account information. video editors, producers and ABW features aspectrum complex layout with indoor and outdoor features are also included, as are catalogue. Thea Adaily (PC/Mac software), 8-outputs, which can be controlled some standard questions. be found directly onis the be used. IIseries control, monitoring functionality, and EQ filters, limiting reminder of the abundance ofdistortion, creativity and inspiration the HA-73 EQ mic amp/equaliser, with Samsung’s Lynk Reach within the UHF ofprojects, Employing three correct-vintage guests through their Samsung Its EQ section includes high power supply and an HUB800 The CDX14-2410 employs awhile therefore within the transmitters are also available for warp and blend capabilities. With projectors. and to 120Hz processing. upgrade to the Crimson WU25 The manufacturer expanding operation. Heritage Audio has announced ‘Vinkor’ pot core inductors, the shelving EQ, midrange EQ, low amanufacturer’s rugged 2U steel andcolours aluminium amplifier. 18-inch version and the X210 white and custom RAL are three distinct and aAES/ converter momentum built up in aof session.’ products and workflows. Users filmmakers. Products services areas. ‘The indoor area has multiple levels ofavailable attractions with a and use nine preset memories. C (DSP audio controller), M (remote from iPad touchscreen Users are asked to select the homepage. and a choice ofmodels analogue, and alignment delays. that our industry is capable of.an listening www.exterity.com operation. Heritage Audio announced hospitality middleware. The 470–870MHz. Ahas total 16,000 ‘Vinkor’ pot core inductors, the in-room SmartTV. shelving EQ, midrange EQ, low to a rugged 2U steel and aluminium network hub, which allows patented phase-plug design critical band of via 2–10kHz. use with the system. the addition of Christie Mystique, Existing Christie MExterity Series and HD25 models without needing its D Series line-up with three the availability of its HA-73 EQX2 HA-73 EQX2’s preamp section shelving EQ, a variable high-pass chassis, the HA-73 EQX2 uses an www.samsung.com slimline double 10-inchports cabinet. alsosingle-lamp available to models, order. The sevenan www.christiedigital.com for simplifying wiring. ControlCenter As would be expected from installing a club-style system www.avid.com can share ideas and discuss can also be purchased within common atrium and the acoustics space were not very microphone station) and W uses (wall EtherNet. Multiple units can be system, whether the loudspeakers EBU and Dante single or redundant Outfitted with RS-485 www.martin-audio.com the availability of its HA-73 EQX2 of this Reach platform now ingests frequencies are available, which HA-73 EQX2’s preamp section TVgateways are fully compatible shelving EQ, a variable high-pass chassis, the HA-73 EQX2 of the manufacturer’s Wireless where the suppression of cavity new multiple projector calibration Christie J Series customers can purchase new lenses. www.apart-audio.com The Eventgain, Line output Array Systems Performance www.heritageaudio.net dual mic amp/equaliser equipped features trim, –20dB filter Simulator and EQ bypass. Housed in external power supply for low-noise CC-1 solely provides volume control, The NEC throw into abe gym environment, the main challenge three friendly,’ adds Mathur. ‘The outdoor section had challenges inDAS Adam Hall’s Asian distributors gather forfor the opening should be flown or network input connections instacked, copper www.adamhall.com/ExperienceUsLive pro.bose.com www.heritageaudio.net www.celestion.com www.dbtechnologies.com dual mic amp/equaliser equipped can selected in ground manual mode features gain, output trim, –20dB filter and bypass. Housed in external power supply for low-noise Manager software a frontresonances occurs at short much higher projector The audio setup in theEQstudio www.dasaudio.com www.renkus-heinz.com can bethe found on thevia website

The latest family attraction to opens its doors in Doha sparked a new relationship between the companies involved, discovered Pro AVL MEA

SA Series to unify A SAC of digital goodies from Korea Renkus-Heinz High-frequency dBTechnologies goes on tour Blackline gains compression X-factor DAS tool answers coverage questions Christie hits a purple patch Exterity Connectexpands with Avid partnership Heritage Audio extends Elite series

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July–August 2019 PRO AVL MEA 75 37 January–February 2017 PRO AUDIO November–December 2018 PRO AVL MEA MEA 79

FEATURES: INSTALLATION terms of mounting locations, as the entire space is full of rides and other attractions.’ In order to achieve the best audio quality and coverage possible, the teams would need to use Bose Modeler Sound System Software to simulate the entire space. ‘Also, being an amusement park, the background noise levels were very loud,’ notes Mathur. ‘Therefore, we had to make sure that the S/N ratio is always high.’ Back in 2017, Mathur and the Bose team designed a simulation for the multi-level space, initially without the help of site or acoustic plans. In total, four revisions of the acoustic plans were presented, then refined as the design of the space evolved. These plans were not just for ABW but also for Virtuocity and Juniverse. In late 2018, the plans were finalised for all three areas; however, Adabisc also later decided to add an additional sound system in the atrium for public events. The result is a network of over 600 black and white Bose loudspeakers from the Panaray, RoomMatch Utility and FreeSpace ranges, which are all driven by PowerMatch PM8250 configurable power amplifiers. The ABW team also has eight Bose F1 flexible array portable loudspeakers at its disposal that can be wheeled out for events when required. ‘We had already proven the capabilities of Bose products in terms of the coverage ability, aesthetics and audio

Acoustics in the open indoor area proved particularly tricky

F1 column arrays can be wheeled out for ad hoc events

The Virtuocity esports gaming park next door has received a similar Bose setup

RoomMatch Utility RMU208s keep energy levels high in the main gaming area

quality,’ says Mathur. ‘With every simulation we paid attention to ensuring an even audio coverage, and Adabisc was happy with the coverage the speakers could provide. Bose also stood out for the excellent levels of project support, and from this we built trust and confidence with the client that we were the right manufacturer for the project.’ The system inside ABW has been integrated with the PAVA system in both the indoor and outdoor areas. Each area brought its own set of playout requirements and has been zoned accordingly. ‘We’re extremely happy with the system,’ comments Ahmed Alsebary, the senior ELV/ICT engineer for Adabisc. ‘We’re particularly pleased with how the Bose team supported them through multiple rounds of design changes and strived to accurately model the system and forecast the final result. The system is low maintenance and performs as required for daily use.

‘Our focus is on making sure we provide families with an unforgettable time in our parks, and a key part of this is the audio solution because it helps bring the experience to life,’ he adds. ‘We knew we could rely on the products, and the team, to deliver what we needed. We’re really impressed with the end result.’ Having successfully completed the audio installation at ABW, Diverse has now shifted focus to the Juniverse attraction nearby, which is due to open its doors soon. Satisfied with the completed project at ABW, Diverse has again decided to work with Bose to outfit the space. www.adabisc.com www.diverse.com.qa www.pro.bose.com

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The Distributed Remote Console IP-based and freely configurable 128 summing buses and up to 800 DSP channels Intuitive operating concept No central section Scalable consoles 12 - 96 fader Colour-coded control elements Virtual user interface RUI, e.g. tablet Detachable meterings (option)

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BUSINESS: COMMENT

A letter from America

Not so rider-ready? Dan Daley looks at the evolution of live sound

YOU’VE LIKELY HEARD THE TERM ‘rider-ready’; however, you may not realise its full implications. At a time when there are more brands and models of PA system products on and coming to market, the riderready phenomenon, which collectively and largely subjectively ordains just a handful of them as the ones that meet the highest expectations, creates a market bottleneck. That can have significant consequences at a time when live events have become as important as they have. Whether it’s concerts or sporting events, commercial product introductions like a new pickup truck or a political rally, the live event is the new currency for communications and messaging. I mean, personal politics aside, what would Donald Trump’s MAGA (Make America Great Again) be without the raucous caucuses he periodically convenes around them? And as common as the small-pitch big-screen video has become at sprawling events, so too has the expectation for loud yet intelligible audio to accompany it. The demand for live sound has never been this great, and it should be a gold rush for manufacturers mining the trend. However, at the same time,

the criticality of good sound for live events has conferred a premium on certain brands, not necessarily to the exclusion of all but the three or four so-called rider-ready marques, but their perceived dominance can make everything else seem secondary by comparison. They’re not, of course. Live sound has never sounded this good, because the technology to reproduce near CD-quality sound from a stage has reached an extremely evolved state: distortion is virtually nil; you have to work at it to generate feedback; predictive software and beamforming allow for pinpoint accuracy of coverage with any seat in a 20,000-seat house within 2dB of any other; and there is control of every element in a system now available on an IP network that manages both signal distribution and control. And, thanks to a combination of demand and more companies than ever before entering the market, the costs of providing this level of audio quality are actually declining. But the upper reaches of this burgeoning market are often closed off to all but a few brands. There’s no conspiracy here, no market manipulation, no attempt to corner a market. But the rapid rise of live events

A letter from Europe

has created demand for better sound in venues beyond the usual ones that require it, like concert halls and music clubs. Now, metrics like the articulation index (AI), speech-transmission index (STI) and other coherence-based intelligibility metrics, along with higher-than-ever SPL values, are being demanded by sports venues, houses of worship and lecture halls, to name a few places where great sound now matters. And it’s those types of venues that tend to follow the perceptual leaders, because sound is as subjective a matter as it is and most managers in those verticals don’t have the expertise to confidently pick and choose systems, so they’ll go with whatever the common wisdom says is a sure thing. That may be a safe choice, but it also has the potential to short-circuit the market. We’ve seen pro audio come to rely on one or two products before, most notably Avid’s Pro Tools platform, and even that ubiquitous icon hasn’t managed to shut down a host of other recording, mixing and editing software around it. On the positive side, we’re seeing sound system brands that had been well entrenched in certain verticals starting

to actively market themselves to other sectors, or doubling down in areas where they already have sizable market and mind shares, or both. But, at the same time, it can prove to be problematic when too many users from too many sectors gather around a very limited number of system options. That kind of hierarchy is not planned, nor is it technically accurate or economically desirable, yet there it is. In fact, the riderready phenomenon is the outcome of another modern problem dynamic, the tyranny of choice: too many options can vapour-lock decision-making, which could create a notnecessarily salubrious status quo in the live sound universe. For now, the diversity of work is enough to satisfy the revenue requirements of most if not all of the sound system brands on the market. One of the reasons we’re seeing as many brands and models as we are is because we’re living through a golden age of live events. But at its core it’s also a game of musical chairs, and the music will slow down someday. How manufacturers manage this era of the industry will largely determine where – or if – they get to sit at the next one.

Phil Ward discusses why audio is still not a Premier League fixture IT LOOKS WONDERFUL. ENGLISH PREMIER League football club Tottenham Hotspur finally opened its brand-new stadium towards the end of last season, amid the usual fanfare and a gala opening ceremony for which the audio and its accoutrements were laid on by leading UK rental company, Britannia Row. Harman Professional Audio Solutions had been announced some time earlier as the official audio supplier – meaning, effectively, UK distributor Sound Technology – and, with a small twist of irony, it was the UK’s other leading rental company, SSE Audio, that handled the permanent installation of the stadium’s advanced AV and VA systems. No conflicts of interest; no problem. SSE’s 2012 acquisition of champion installer ETA Sound has transformed the group’s business. Critical to the operation of new stadiums like this is the kind of advanced DSP exhibited by BSS Soundweb, as at Spurs,

and by QSC’s Q-Sys Core and its compatibility with standard IT networks – ensuring audio, control and even video systems such as Cisco StadiumVision and SVSi are genuinely integrated in a single package. Even the broadcast dimension, whether based on Ravenna, Telos or Livewire protocols, can be tied in via AES67. And the final pieces of the jigsaw are provided by the I/O cards for Dante or CobraNet that constitute a gateway to visiting production systems. All well and good. But when the official PR proudly claims that the installation will include ‘the largest screens in any stadium in Western Europe’, hold on a minute. With no joke intended, the alarm bells ring. It’s not the case at Spurs, in particular, but such deference to screens – both in the stadium and in the press release – tells us a lot about the pecking order that consistently enables them to elbow sound reinforcement to one side, leading to compromises that make headlines.

78 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

You can see where a screen should be placed. It’s obvious. You cannot, with anything like the same confidence, tell where the loudspeakers should go. And yet, if the screens fail, the performance is more or less uninterrupted. If the audio goes down, you would imagine that a lot more attention would be given to the audio infrastructure than the video, and a lot earlier in the planning process too. But the continuing message from audio professionals across the industry is that this is still not the case. Audio is not a Premier League fixture. Increasingly, speaker hangs are obliged to go higher and wider. But why? Video screens, camera sightlines, lighting rigs … these are considered an intrinsic part of the creative brief. People with beards scribble diagrams on Ivy napkins. Ideas and caffè latte flow. Meanwhile, sound designers are lucky to get a credit in the programme while their machinations, although artistically mission

critical, are as taken for granted as the stability of the trussing and the regulation of the mains voltage. All of the Premier League football clubs based in London have built completely new stadiums, except one – and even that one has been given the kind of makeover only a Russian oligarch can give, paintbrush in hand. But it was Croke Park in Dublin and the Spice Girls that made the news recently, when an incompatible production system rendered the perfectly capable in-house rig unusable – something that could and should have been spotted earlier. This will happen again, unless we get this balance right. I said that Tottenham ‘finally’ opened its stadium because there were delays and, typically, audio was apportioned a large part of the blame in the mainstream media. In fact, construction delays caused by bad weather held everyone up. I don’t know. I blame the scapegoats.

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Where next for Martin?

Qvest Media builds Al Mamlaka TV infrastructure

columns, the beams of the active speakers can be digitally Biamp TesiraForté VT DSP has been applied to the audio controlled down to 800Hz, ensuring focused audio directivity inputs of the five conference and meeting rooms, providing towards the stadium’s seats. Hidden from view within the Acoustic Echo Cancellation (AEC) and Dante networking for up wall, a pair of CF18S subwoofers extends the low frequencies to eight channels of USB audio. down to 35Hz. Ease of functionality has been provided with the integration Audio sources include an inventory of Audio-Technica of a fully programmed AMX control system. Configured from ATM610a handheld mics together with wireless ATW-3141b an iPad touchscreen, an AMX NX-4200 NetLinx processor Qvest Media also worked to the handheld and ATW-3110b cW bodypack transmitters. Inputs serves the Showcase Stadium via the LAN network switch. mandate that media content from the mics, together with a TASCAM SS-R100 MP3 player/ The War Room, exhibition space and five meeting rooms all should be made available as a live recorder, are mixed on a Midas M32 40-input digital console rely on NX-1200 controllers for their AV operations, using AMX stream, the production in the rear control room, monitored via Tannoy Reveal 502 MSD-701 7-inch or iOS touchscreens for AV management. Eight 49-inch Philipsso screens combineworkflow as a visual display therefore needed to support 24/7 speakers. An Extron SMP 351 H.264 Streaming Media ‘Fortunately, this was not a retrofit, so working closely with in the War Room operations on all channels. Processor captures and distributes the AV sources and other builders allowed us to create conduits under new raisedAl of Mamlaka TV uses an entirely presentations as recorded media or live streaming. level flooring and in the ceiling,’ explains Sutthivanichkul. The The outer wall the Showcase Stadium integrates an eyedigital production chain for A Biamp Vocia PA system combines a DS-10 desk-mount vast loudspeaker, lighting and Cat-6e cabling infrastructure catching 17.3m-wide MP Tech curved 2mm pixel pitch LED. newsinproduction, ingest to the Innovation microphone, VA-8600 digital networked multichannel amplifier Measuring 1.2m was then routed throughout the various zones, terminating in height, the from display serves playout and The receiving main and VI-6 audio input expansion unit to ensure full zonal reach. Showcase exhibition the main and other distributed control rooms. zonedistribution. directly behind, its inputs workflows comprise the planning of Six Novastar The signals – including an overriding evacuation panel – to Following the mass withdrawal of contractors that had each from a concealed control room behind a display. news controllers shows andwere productions, the VA-8600 units are output via the LAN to the Tannoy CVS 4 VX4S LED display completed their 50-day missions, the Showcase Stadium required the to provide full of live sources andcombined recorded or separate ceiling speakers in the six zones (reception, exhibition area, became the centre of media attention. Here, KTB president functionality ingest and processing for either contributions, thewall. newsContent production meeting rooms, relaxation area, café lounge and toilets) in and CEO, Payong Srivanich, announced the release of visual displays in the main AV for this can be JORDAN: publicmanagement services. Localised routed from either Renowned studio banking application monitoringat systems, are to set and approval process, and the addition toState-funded the main building the Next mobile a launchwe event the iMAG AV systems or a number WORLD: of broadcaster Mamlaka took to overcome thistochallenge – so automatic approved Lab.gruppenAl E-series 2:2TV dual channel amplifiers power the highlight itsADAM features, including the ability provide exchange BrightSign XT243 digitaltransfer signageofplayers. An additionalmonitor four manufacturer to the4airwaves 2018, Audio with there isThe nothing in the material tothe transmission and deep CVS speakersininJuly these dispersed zones. services for up to 10 currencies. eventstanding was given further VX4S controllers serve other four 2.4m x 1.2m MP Techhas partnered delivering a 24/7 HD news feed reference calibration way of achieving truly illumination courtesy of the Philips Showline SL reliable, PAR 155 LED displaysarchiving. making up the showcase display in addition to a studio from a new six-storey facility in developer Sonarworks sound.’ majortouchscreen benefit of using zoom luminaires. Presets reference are recalled from an Avolites Tiger 75-inch Philips‘The 4K UHD in thethe exhibition software area. Amman’s King Hussein Business a range of controller new ‘Ourrear international userwhile baseStrand is VSM display systeministhe thatadjacent it creates Touch lighting in the control room, The main visual Wara Room and will unveil Park. Qvest Media was responsible monitoring solutions during the very aware of limitations in their familiar workflow all operators Lighting DMX512 six-way boosters provide DMX distribution. combines eight Philips 49-inchfor screens. The video signals for the entire design, build and first half of 2019, it has been KTB has monitoring environments, which in all anews studios and AT-RON-442 the MCR,’ 4K HDR Founded in 1966, been catapulted way into are sourced from PC via an Atlona integration of the site’s broadcast revealed. most casesand areAVprohibitively said Ahmad Al Linksys Kayal, head of switcher and the companies 21st centuryhave thanks tointhe interior design of HDMI distribution amplifier, 16-port the Both operations, installing Lawo’s VSM stated that the these new solutions expensive or timeflexibility consuming sales at Qvest Media.decoders ‘VSM is the Innovation Lab. Alongside functionality, andto Thunder encoders, and wireless Lawo’s VSM provides the standard overall iMAG broadcast system controlreceivers andonly (Virtual Studio Manager) as the willare help users to achieve studio overcome,’ added ADAM control system on the market aesthetics, future-proofing played an important role Audio in this transmitters. The audio components here overall broadcast system control sound. Christian Hellinger. ‘Through able to and workcombine in a fullya IP-based design. Judging by the lastCEO, 50 years, no one can predict equally unobtrusive Lab.gruppen Luciareference 120 to support sophisticated workflows Middle East Award for Systems ‘Fixing the where monitoring ourwill partnership Sonarworks, environment and with third-party banking or indeed AV be in evenwith 10 years’ two-channel amplifier to power Cornered Audio C5 speakers. across the facility. environmenttime. has But, always the showcase our customer base will able Integrator of the Year. The design, implementation for been now, this will enhance thebebank’s With a uniqueequipment. 90° triangular these speakers provide Qvest Media’s work on the biggest obstacle musicamong creators to experience our amazing The facility has been builta with of VSM across thethe Al Mamlaka credentials its expanding online customer base. discreet installation between wall and ceiling. Negating greenfield project also included face in achieving reference loudspeakers without having to complete redundancy, including channel proves its ability to cabling terminals, the requirement for brackets with hidden the design and installation of audio,’ explained Martins worry about imperfections in AV and broadcast IT equipment, provide thedesign overallallows control www.ktb.co.th the 5.25-inch, two-way thesystem, 4.1kg aluminium a custom, motorised, curved Popelis, co-founder and VP of their rooms.’ based on virtualised systems. regardless of theinto hardware used www.vichai1983.co.th cabinets to be placed directly the corners. DANISH MANUFACTURER MARTIN HAS a lotand of rumours going on.opposite I think some people videowall system that provides a PROFESSIONAL The building was designeddefinitely to therooms overall design.’ Two conferencing onsystem the wall can beproducts at Sonarworks. ‘By seen some in recent years, from its Harman being laid off andDevio thereintegrating was unique look upheaval for the viewer at home. our software expertise www.adam-audio.com be managed centrally andthought with everyone combined to seatatupMartin to 22was delegates. A Biamp SCR-20 www.lawo.com www.sonarworks.com acquisition in 2013 closing in no longer an R&D It reallyinto couldn’t further from The company’s worktoonthe this projectof the with ADAM Audio’s best-in-class an factory infrastructure that is easily conferencing hub department. has been installed both be rooms, www.qvestmedia.com Frederikshavn 2015, right through toexpandable Samsung’stobuyout truth. In terms of our engineering team, I would Martin of won it an ASBUinBroadcastPro meet futurethe needs. providing three 120° zones in each meeting spacesay courtesy of Harman in 2017. With a passionate team driving it is stronger than it has ever been before. Our core The lighting ceiling-suspended, beam-tracking microphones. computerand an extensive lighting R&D roadmap now in place, it’s engineering team alone at Martin now holds over or 250 years of based conferencing includes a BYOD approach connection complies with the European EN benefitting from a renewed innovation and manufacturing signifies that the One public industry experience, so that Martinconnectivity foundation hasn’t via a dedicated in-room PC,solid whileold speaker options 54-16 standard on voice alarm focus, with the resources to back its ambitions. address, background music and gone anywhere. include HDMI inputs. The audio is catered for by Cornered control and indicating equipment László complies Bencsik and István Prehoffer illustrating the Audio C3 4-inch speakers powered by Lab.gruppen voice E2:2 alarm system sophisticated LED testing process WORLD: LDA Audio Tech’s and that its integrated charger, the market that has this double with the requirements outlined amplifiers. There were some concerns post restructure on What’s the purpose of the CoC and what does the One PA/VA system has been One-BC1, adheres to the EN certification for both the control the Construction Products Out of of sight, the audio involve? equipment has been neatlyby installed the future of Martin’s engineering. How much of role CoC director granted EN 54-16 and EN 54-4 54-4mainly standard for power unit and its built-in battery The research for activities focused in thesupply CoC Regulation (EU) 305/2011 fire are under the tables of each room, which are further equipped it certification. was speculation? The manufacturer equipment. charger’. Denmark and the product development activities are andinalarm equipment. with Philips 75-inch HD screens. Visual conferencingdetection has states that this makes it ‘the AA: Lighting depar tment now sits separately to certificate, The certification was issued mainly0370-CPR[conducted] in Shenzhen, China. I head up the CoC A single beenThe enabled withCoC wall-mounted cameras located underneath www.lda-audiotech.com AA: In terms ofSCR-20 the engineering Martin and what has most compact equipment onpart ofmicrophones theand Product focusing Development depar tment and located inensures by the Applus + laboratory in Denmark, while my counterpart, Mads Budde, heads 3206, the One-500 unit screens directly at delegate eye is level. Similar AMX MSD-701 7-inch and iOS touchscreens control theup AV Biamp Devio conferencing serve the happened throughout this entire restructuring, there are Aarhus, but we work together to form united rooms. R&D team. the development organisation in Shenzhen. parameters throughout setups have been created in three otherameeting meeting rooms

ADAM Audio partners with Sonarworks

We asked Martin Professional director of product management (lighting) Peter Skytte and its Centre of Competence (CoC) director (lighting) Asger Andersen what the future holds for the manufacturer

LDA’s One certified

1/4PAGE PAGE 1/4 8 PRO AVL MEA March–April 2019 80 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

May–June 2019 PRO AVL ASIA 107

BUSINESS: COMPANY PROFILE I have been with Harman for four years now and was an engineering manager for the old Martin team. I was responsible for about 40 engineers then. After the reorganisation, I became responsible for building up the structure around the setup of the CoC based on the old Martin team, but then setting up one that also fitted into the wider global corporation structure. At the very top level, the main objective of the new organisation with Product Development on one side and the CoC on the other side is to optimise our R&D footprint by ensuring that we maximise the use of our competencies. We have to continuously ensure that our highly sophisticated competencies and skills within optical systems are being used to create the best lighting solutions possible. It’s about enabling the CoC team to focus on proving new technology and new lighting platforms to generate the key differentiators in our products, while our Shenzhen-based product development team can focus on speeding up new products to market – based on those proven lighting technologies and platforms. This way, we’re making sure that all our highly skilled engineers are using all their expertise to create the best possible Martin products in the most efficient way.

What impact has the restructure had on Martin’s R&D? AA: Before the restructure in 2017, Harman Professional was spread across 14 different sites across the globe. Martin had an R&D department with a total of 42 engineers, all centred in Denmark. They were the only resource pool for anything lighting and it simply wasn’t scalable. If we ran into any issues with products in running production, we would often have to delay our new product development activities as we could not borrow resources from elsewhere.

How much of your R&D is based on innovation and creating unique patents, as opposed to responding to competitors?

László Bencsik describes the manufacturing process for the Martin MAC Quantum Wash at Pecs, Hungary Harman, in general, was very site centric and monolithic in many ways, in the way we were set up. Now, that has changed significantly. Post re-organisation, Martin R&D is based on 29 engineers in the CoC in Denmark and 35 dedicated lighting engineers in the Product Development department in Shenzhen being part of a much bigger Harman Professional Product Development team of over 200 engineers. So our Martin lighting engineering team has grown significantly and, at the same time, become scalable as part of a much bigger coherent engineering team. A further benefit of having a major part of our Martin R&D team located in China is to have our knowledgeable lighting engineers close to some of our supplier base and to be able to secure a smoother and agile corporation on the operational side. So in terms of R&D, Martin has come out of the restructure bigger, better and more agile.

AA: Innovation is a huge priority for us. The setup with the CoC directly emphasises our ambition to allow our passionate engineers to focus on the development of new technology and platforms. Furthermore, we’ve spent the last couple of years building a more productive process for creating a funnel of ideas to ensure we effectively bring those to our products. We also now have a smart online tool and complete visibility on any ideas in progress. Once every two weeks, we run through those ideas with the head of innovation of CoC, product management and a few of our engineers to examine which concepts should be explored, which should be prototyped and assessing those with the most longevity as a potential product line. This doesn’t mean we don’t look at our competitors closely and vigilantly rip their ideas apart. If the market already has a very good solution, then of course we are no better in terms of copying what we can, but we will also look at ways to improve or enhance them. For us, it’s not solely about reinventing the wheel. PS: We’re also highly invested in design simulation, testing and rapid prototyping, from LED light engine mock-ups to PCBA prototyping and 3D printing to enable rapid assessment of new ideas. Differentiation is key and technology and innovation are a great part of this. The MAC Allure Profile was a recent example of innovation where we’ve introduced an all-new concept to the market with a pixelated light engine in a profile fixture and introduced video control via P3. The MAC Encore Performance has also set a standard of quality in light and optical performance of a moving light and that level of differentiation has helped the product to be specified and used in the most prestigious venues and shows and illustrates what has now become possible with LED solutions. And we see even more potential for LED going forward.

Lastly, what are some of the technology areas Martin is currently looking into? PS: Strengthening product differentiation based on proven platforms and technologies is really a priority for us. Some areas we are looking closer at include future light sources, from alternative light sources to very high lumen density technologies. Cooling is another area; power densities can increase rapidly, and traditional cooling presents a bottleneck. So, we’re assessing future high-density cooling technologies and also other areas to improve energy and power efficiency. Colour calibration and temperature compensation and improving colour accuracy is another focus.

Martin MAC Allure profile fixtures undergo rigorous testing prior to shipment

AS YOU WISH !

www.martin.com

PRODIGY.MC I MODULAR AUDIO CONVERTER

1/4 PAGE IBC I 8.E85

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September–October 2019 PRO AVL MEA 81

BUSINESS: SHOW REVIEW

L–R: Augustine Edwards and Bernhard Wüstner of TW Audio

L–R: Shaun Xavier from Stage Audio Works with dBTechnologies’ Luca Bocci

Mediatech Africa 2019 With the local industry battling a number of challenges, Mediatech Africa 2019 put the focus on the visitor experience

MEDIATECH AFRICA BRINGS THE LOCAL PRO AV AND broadcast industries together for three days every two years at the TicketPro dome in Johannesburg. Now in its 18th iteration, the latest edition highlighted the economic struggles faced by the region in recent years, as well as the immense enthusiasm that continues to drive the sector through troubling times. One benefit of the show’s biennial nature is that visitors are guaranteed a brand-new spread of technology to sink their teeth into. Manufacturers typically bring those products that have garnered the most attention earlier in the year at the main international exhibitions such as ISE, Frankfurt’s Prolight + Sound and IBC, which the majority of Mediatech visitors would have been unable to witness. Nevertheless, there were questions raised by certain exhibitors as the show doors opened on 17 July, with some notable missing names. Just a few editions ago, Mediatech was home to a number of large, multi-level booths and individual manufacturer stands. This year, the show floor had noticeably shrunk in size and nearly all of the booths had returned to a single level. Bucking this trend, however, was Stage Audio Works, whose two-tier booth dominated the centre of the hall and was duly awarded with a Platinum stand design award by the organiser. ‘We’re showcasing our latest LED solution from our in-house brand Pixel Plus, as well as d&b’s GSL system for the first time in South Africa, and the latest from Yamaha, NovaStar, Christie, QSC and Audac. Mediatech has been great this year,’ commented Stage Audio Works’ Shaun Xavier. ‘We’ve had a lot of key customers coming onto our stand and we’ve found it to be a brilliant platform to mingle with old faces, meet new people, close deals and hopefully stimulate the market. Both the GSL and Yamaha’s PM7 have garnered a lot of attention.’ The education programme at Mediatech has always been one of the exhibition’s strongest points and was exemplified again this year by the large Black Box standing at the far end of the dome, a collaborative effort to host full technical showcases away from the glare of the show floor. ‘In addition to our Systems Solutions booth, we’ve supplied the technical for the Black Box and the live stage at the café in the middle as the show’s technical sponsor,’ explained Gearhouse’s LooE Swanepoel. ‘We’ve been involved with Mediatech since the start, and I think for Gearhouse it’s about supporting the community. Sure, we might be competitors, but it’s about meeting old friends and building the community. With the entertainment industry in South Africa, the pie is only so big,

82 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

L–R: Powersoft’s Leonardo Weber and Varun Jagger

L–R: David Budge from Bose with Alpha Technologies’ Tiaan Hoogstad so we need to work together to support everyone. In terms of technology, LED seems to be the big thing here this year; there’s very little projection on the show floor.’ One of the few projector brands represented was Christie, occupying a space on the Stage Audio Works booth. ‘We’re exhibiting on our partner’s stand this year rather than with our own booth and, when you don’t have your own booth, you’re always a little unsure of how busy it will be or how well your products are going to be represented,’ said Miles Donovan. ‘From day one, we were seeing that the market appears fairly buoyant; there’s definitely scope for our new products coming down the line into many applications. There’s a real buzz about the stand here and a real mixture of attendees, which I think is quite refreshing.’

Inside the Black Box A number of exhibitors had also opted to secure separate demo spaces to hold their own demonstrations, for which Sennheiser’s TeamConnect Ceiling 2 mic was being showcased at the back of the hall by Peripheral Vision. ‘What we wanted to do is create a boardroom environment, but obviously out there on the floor there’s a lot of noise and we would have had a major problem with acoustics,’ explained James Futter of Sennheiser South Africa. ‘The reception from people has been fantastic. When people listen to this microphone and they understand how quick and easy it is to install, they’re pretty awestruck.’ The experiential nature of Mediatech was an aspect highlighted by the organiser in the run-up to the show, and all of the demos in the Black Box, as well as those in the three separate presentation areas dotted around the exhibition floor, garnered good crowds of interested listeners throughout the three days. Similarly, manufacturers that had opted to partake in the outdoor loudspeaker showcase were pleasantly surprised at the crowds that gathered and the number of follow-up enquiries the demos generated, while drone demonstrations and the OB vans on display outside grew constant huddles of crowds. These features ensured that Mediatech drew a high level of visitors. In fact, the strongest element of Mediatech is arguably the attendees themselves, as their enthusiasm is unrivalled at other regional shows around the world. Traditionally one of the biggest Mediatech exhibitors, DWR Distribution opted not to have a large stand, instead erecting a bar to promote relaxed networking, flanked on all sides by individual manufacturer stands for the various brands it

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BUSINESS: SHOW REVIEW represents, including DiGiCo, Quest Engineering, Absen, Green Hippo, Robe, Clay Paky and Visual Productions. Admitting that he had originally questioned whether to exhibit this year at all, DWR’s Duncan Riley’s change of heart was vindicated after three successful show days. ‘The show is definitely smaller, probably because our economy is in a bit of a lull at the moment. It was a big choice for us to be here this year and we were initially a bit unsure of that decision. However, based on the amount of footfall we’ve had – I think the traffic is higher this year than in 2017 – us being here has been one of the most amazing experiences. We’ve been able to see all our clients and friends.’ Despite the murmurs as the doors opened, by closing time on day three, the majority of exhibitors felt the show had been a

success, with visitor numbers exceeding those experienced in 2017. That’s not to say that the 2019 edition was all positive, however. Despite the organiser’s attempts to broaden the geographic spread of visitors, the crowd was once again largely drawn from South and southern Africa, with fewer attendees from the rest of the continent. For most people, though, the positives far outweighed the negatives. In comparison to the struggles faced by regional trade shows around the world, the local industry is still resolutely positive about the long-term future of Mediatech, with every exhibitor Pro AVL MEA posed the question to, saying they would return again.

L–R: Peter Berry and Aidan Wolhuter from TV Audio, representing FBT

George Hattingh from ASE announces the winner of the Mastermix competition

The outdoor speaker showcase gathered strong crowds

Avolites was happy to be back with a new distributor, Backstage Distribution

The organiser’s view PRO AVL MEA caught up with event director, Simon Robinson of Sun Circle Group, to get his thoughts on this year’s event.

DWR forewent the typical booth for the more relaxed networking environment of a bar

What new elements did you add to the show this year? We included a third presentation zone this year, so we have three of those now on the show floor and they’ve all been very well attended. If you go to the international shows and check out the on-floor presentation areas they have there, I think ours here are as busy or even busier. We also expanded the Black Box theatre a lot this year and have brought a much greater educational element into that as well. Also, the rigging demonstration we had in Presentation Zone 3. I don’t think you will ever have seen anything like that anywhere in the world and the place was completely packed out. It’s a testament to what we’re trying to put together – to make the show that much more experiential.

What has the industry been telling you this year? We’re in a very tough economic space in South Africa at the moment and business sentiment is definitely down. The industry has enjoyed tremendous growth in this sector over the last 18 years and Mediatech has played a pivotal role in that. When you get to a tough time like we are in now, to keep that sentiment with your clients I think is critically important, and Mediatech provides a great platform to stimulate that and keep the industry alive. When you talk to people on the show floor here, the attitude is very positive. We’re fortunate to have a lot of those kinds of guys on board, but I’d say that as a show, that’s not by accident, that’s an element we’ve pushed very hard at.

For someone that’s never visited Mediatech before, why should they come in 2021? From an international point of view, the market is small here, but the show is of an international standard, and the industry here is of an international standard. There are huge growth opportunities in and around South Africa and there’s no other show like it in the region.

84 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

The Audiocenter team with Viva Afrika director Luis Madeira (centre)

2019 Dates:

17–19 July

2021 Dates:

14–16 July

Venue:

The TicketPro Dome, Johannesburg

Total attendance: 7,700 Contact:

www.mediatech.co.za www.proavl-mea.com/details/62915mediatech-africa-2019

The Datavideo solutions on the Macrovideo booth proved very popular with attendees

Views from the show floor ‘I expected the show to be a bit quieter,’ said Exterity’s Colin Farquhar. ‘Three days is a long time for a show like this, but we’ve had a lot of people coming through and the thing that’s really impressed me is how many of them are end-users wanting to talk about ways they can expand their projects … they all seem to have a very positive approach and attitude. The show feels like a good place to do business. Maybe that’s because it only happens every two years, so they come with a purpose and an appetite. I’ve also been impressed at the amount of university and college students coming through. It’s fantastic compared to shows like NAB, InfoComm and IBC where the industry’s quite top-heavy.’ ‘This is our first time exhibiting at Mediatech having just become the new Avolites distributor here,’ explained Connor Thompson at Backstage Distribution. ‘It’s been really busy and a very exciting few days for us. People are happy to see that the brand is back available in the market and that it will be supported fully and locally by us. People have also been excited by the new features in Version 12.’ ‘The thing I’ve found interesting this year is that it’s the sound guys coming to our booth wanting to find out more

about the video products because they are wanting to provide a turnkey solution,’ noted Erik Wiese of Datavideo distributor, Macrovideo. ‘They want to know what we’ve got, specifically what entry-level equipment we’ve got. Datavideo products are well priced and backed up with a decent guarantee, so we’ve understandably been seeing a lot of traffic.’ ‘This is our first year exhibiting and we are really happy with the turnout,’ commented Parcival Mukuchura from TW Audio distributor, Hardsound Pro Audio. ‘We’re a company that has just started up in Zimbabwe, so we came here to reach out to new customers. We also make our own in-house speaker system that was in the outdoor sound demo, and the response has been amazing, we’ve done some great business.’ ‘The last time we exhibited at Mediatech was 2011,’ said Surgesound’s Ruan Joubert. ‘We wanted to be back this year to give some new exposure to our new brands and just show people that we are here, we’re doing good business and we’ve got some cool products. Eight years ago, the show was very pro audio and lighting based, whereas today there’s a much bigger push towards AV integration and the broadcast market.’

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BUSINESS: TECHNOLOGY

Joe Begin

A speaker driver testing in a hemi-anechoic chamber

Informing acoustic design

Image courtesy of George Bullimore, director, Tymphany UK Design Centre

The added mass technique in progress for calculating Thiele-Small parameters for a driver

What are the challenges involved in loudspeaker testing and what impact can it have on acoustic design? Joe Begin, director of applications and technical support at Audio Precision, follows on from part one ONE OF THE CHALLENGES IN PRODUCING QUALITY loudspeaker measurements is mitigating the interactions of the loudspeaker with the test environment. Ideally, you want to measure the direct sound radiated from the device under test (DUT) without any contamination caused by reflections from the walls, floor or ceilings. Special rooms called anechoic chambers are available for this purpose, but they are very expensive. And, even the best ones are usually not fully anechoic at the lowest frequencies of interest. This article discusses some techniques for pro audio companies to test loudspeakers, using procedures that can help overcome challenges when the ideal test environment is not available. When the appropriate instruments are used, quasi-anechoic measurement and ground plane measurement techniques are effective ways to get good, repeatable results when testing loudspeakers. Using these techniques, you can obtain the impulse response plus leverage nearfield and farfield measurements to improve results. From a measured impedance curve, you can also derive the Thiele-Small parameters.

Quasi-anechoic measurement techniques Quasi-anechoic measurement techniques enable measuring the frequency response of loudspeakers in an ordinary, semireverberant room. These techniques are all time-selective. They work by stimulating the loudspeaker with a broadband signal and analysing that portion of the measured response that contains the direct sound from the loudspeaker but excludes the portion containing reflections from the room surfaces.

86 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

rectangular window with cosine tapers at the beginning and end is also typically used to create smooth transitions. To use time-selective measurement techniques, you must first obtain the impulse response of a loudspeaker as set up in the test room. There are several methods available, each having certain advantages and disadvantages.

Impulse testing

An Audio Precision 376M03 phantom-powered ½-inch measurement microphone Quasi-anechoic techniques take advantage of the equivalence of a linear system’s frequency response and its impulse response. In the frequency domain, a system’s frequency response, H(f), represents its output magnitude and phase (or real and imaginary parts) per unit input, as a function of frequency. In the time domain, its impulse response, h(t), represents the system’s output as a function of time when stimulated by a unit impulse or Dirac delta function. These two representations of a dynamic system are equivalent, and one can be derived from the other using Fourier analysis. Time-selective or quasi-anechoic measurements apply a window to the impulse response, eliminating any data ‘contaminated’ by reflections, and then use a Fourier transform to compute the frequency response magnitude and phase. A

Impulse testing involves applying a narrow voltage pulse to the loudspeaker and measuring its response with a microphone. The room must be large enough for the direct response from the loudspeaker to substantially decay by the time the first room reflection reaches the microphone. The energy in the pulse is spread over a wide frequency range, resulting in a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), particularly at low frequencies, requiring many averages to be used to improve the SNR. As an older technique, impulse testing is rarely used now and is primarily mentioned here for completeness. An alternative known as the maximum length sequence (MLS) technique is based on exciting the DUT with an MLS signal and measuring its output. An MLS is a special type of pseudo-random signal that is spectrally flat and has some interesting properties that make it useful for frequency response measurements. The impulse response is obtained by circular cross correlation of the measured output with the MLS signal input to the DUT. Once the impulse response has been derived, it can be windowed to remove the portion containing reflections, and then Fourier transformed to yield an estimate of the DUT’s transfer function.

BUSINESS: TECHNOLOGY When averaging is used, MLS testing has relatively high immunity to steady or impulsive noise that is not correlated with the MLS input sequence. It is, however, impossible to separate the linear response of the system from nonlinearities, such as harmonic distortion, and they appear as artefacts or peaks distributed along the impulse response.

Log-swept sine measurements A chirp signal is a sine signal with continuously var ying frequency. Using a log-swept sine chirp signal to stimulate a system, through deconvolution, it is possible to simultaneously derive the linear impulse response of the system as well as separate impulse responses for each harmonic distor tion component. By carefully timewindowing and Fourier transforming the various impulses, the individual response functions can be recovered, from which many different audio measurements can be derived. The log-swept sine chirp measurement has become a hallmark of Audio Precision’s APx500 audio analyser platform with the Continuous Sweep, Frequency Response and Acoustic Response chirp measurements. The Continuous Sweep measurement provides a multitude of audio results including level, gain, phase, harmonic distor tion, group delay, crosstalk, impulse response and more. The Frequency Response measurement contains a subset of these results to quickly measure a device’s level and gain versus frequency, and its deviation from flatness. The Acoustic Response measurement, specifically for acoustic device testing, includes an Energy Time Cur ve result, controls for windowing out acoustic reflections for quasi-anechoic analysis and several results of interest to users testing loudspeakers.

Limitation of quasi-anechoic measurements Sometimes, the windowing in quasi-anechoic measurements truncates the impulse response before it has decayed to a sufficiently negligible level. This truncation causes errors in the estimated frequency response, especially at low frequencies. The duration of a loudspeaker’s impulse response depends mainly on its low-frequency roll-off characteristics. To see this in an acoustical measurement would require an impulse response measured in a perfectly anechoic environment

A measurement accessory for loudspeaker and headphone testing, the APx1701 Transducer Test Interface integrates instrument-grade amplifiers and microphone power supplies with low ambient noise – difficult to obtain. However, the low-frequency behaviour of a loudspeaker system can easily be modelled based on its resonant frequency and other parameters derived from simple electrical measurements of the system impedance.

Combining nearfield and farfield measurements One approach to overcoming the inaccuracy of quasianechoic techniques at low frequencies involves combining them with nearfield measurements. The farfield response of a loudspeaker at low frequencies can be estimated by measurements in the nearfield, for example with a

measurement microphone located very close to the driver dust cap. This relationship is valid at low frequencies, at which the driver behaves like a rigid piston. A loudspeaker’s full-range response can then be derived by scaling the low-frequency nearfield measurement and splicing it with the mid- to highfrequency response measured in the farfield with a quasianechoic technique. For the nearfield/farfield splice technique to work, the room must be large enough relative to the size of the loudspeaker for there to be an overlap frequency range. The nearfield measurement results in a frequency response curve that is much higher in level than the farfield response. The curves are combined by shifting the nearfield response curve down in level such that it matches the farfield curve at some point in the overlap region and splicing the curves together. One caveat is that if the loudspeaker system has one or more ports or multiple drivers, the technique becomes more complicated.

Diffraction effects A disadvantage of using a nearfield measurement to estimate the low-frequency response of a loudspeaker enclosure in the farfield is that it does not include the effects of diffraction from the enclosure edges. This effect causes an apparent ‘loss’ at low frequencies and ripples in the frequency response at higher frequencies, which are not present when the driver is mounted in an infinite baffle. If enclosure diffraction effects are not accounted for in the nearfield/farfield splice technique, it can cause errors in the estimated frequency response. Luckily, there are software tools available to simulate baffle diffraction, such as The Edge, from Tolvan Data. In the third and final part of this series, we’ll take a look at ground plane measurements, impedance curves and other loudspeaker measurement techniques.

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September–October 2019 PRO AVL MEA 87

BUSINESS: R&D

The Nexo P12 in different modes of application

Point well made

Nexo’s R&D director Joseph Carcopino and Julien Dorel, lead engineer on the new P Series, share their thoughts on loudspeaker design, past, present and future, as the French manufacturer celebrates its 40th anniversary Nexo’s Alpha system and PS Series models set a benchmark for point source. Why has it taken so long to design a 12-inch cabinet?

inventory, yet many products. Only one learning curve, yet many applications. We were aiming for a great balance of versatility and complexity.

JC: The first PS designs were launched in the early 1990s, following general parameters that were very standard in the industry at the time, particularly for a 15-inch point source cabinet. Today, motors and amplifiers are much more powerful, enabling designers to achieve higher SPLs from smaller cones, so the 12-inch has become the benchmark – most manufacturers now have a 12-inch, twoway point source in their portfolio. Taking the sum of all the characteristics of the popular models gave us the threshold of modern expectations; our challenge was to make something even more powerful.

JC: For both the P12 and the L15 partner sub, we were very careful about the dimensions of the cabinets, especially when we considered the potential for the P12 as a floor monitor. It has the low profile that is desirable for broadcast applications, and even the sub is aesthetically proportionate. Externally, we apply a special coating to the cabinet, a polyurethane surfacing that is used on our moulded cabinets, the ID Series and the Geo M family of line arrays. This way, we can exploit the sonic properties of the wood enclosure and gain the advantages of durability: the polyurethane finish prepares the P12 for use in all climate conditions and makes it tougher for stage monitoring use.

How does the P12 differ to other models on the market? JC: All the internal parts were specifically designed and built for the P12. The big difference is down to the 12-inch horn and using a large 3-inch HF driver; this gives us a distinctive sound, thanks to the gain of the horn, and we were able to retain some of the characteristics of the PS Series. For the cabinet itself, we used a lightweight poplar veneer inside, which is 30% lighter than our standard. We’ve initiated a new 3D machining process to handle the veneer, effectively producing the equivalent of a moulded cabinet in wood. This gives us a better quality, super tough enclosure, with a curved shape that makes it easier to handle the box, particularly in a wedge monitor application. Constructing it in bent wood minimises the number of parts we have to glue together, which in turn reduces vibration and makes it sound better. JD: The P12 is effectively a three-in-one enclosure, which the user can customise. The horn flanges can be

88 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

Julien, this is the first loudspeaker development that you’ve led at Nexo. What have you learned?

L–R: Nexo’s Joseph Carcopino and Julien Dorel interchanged to deliver a variety of directivities – from the 60° x 60° that is provided as standard, to a 90° x 40°, or an asymmetrical 50–100° x 40°. They can also be inverted, so that provides even more options. Only one

JD: I was an engineering student when I joined Nexo in 2010, and have spent most of my time working on the borders of the electro-acoustic and the electronics side of R&D. The P12 is very much a team effort but, for me, the P12 process has enhanced my philosophy and practice of science: from the beginning, when we ask how we can be better than others, to the testing of our ideas (and the rejection of many), to the compromises between engineered solutions and aesthetic ideals. It is actually much easier to come up with a true Nexo innovation than it is to improve on an industry standard. Also, for this product cycle, Nexo is creating new pathways for development and manufacturing. Working with my colleagues in the factory and in the field, I’ve learned new

BUSINESS: R&D BUSINESS: R&D BUSINESS: R&D BUSINESS: TECHNOLOGY

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BUSINESS: R&D R&D BUSINESS:

Furthermore, companies specialised in making Dante bridge, you split that off have into the Dante network approach. companies tend to Idrive tothen market as orks aredifferent invisible to each political skills as other,’ well as technical ones. amthird-party proud that ith different contents from aUS central these hiding accessories and there the are FOH already some the available where that is then shared between console, fast as they can and they’ll fix the issues later. That is not the e is connected to a broadcast truck, we have made something elegant and versatile, with a new pplications really range from the go for which our new design.the That was again one ofthe the OB things weand learnt recording console, console, truck way Yamaha sellsand new products to its customers.’ nvisible to thethat broadcast truck aesthetic and simple accessories, manages tobroadcast retain plex,’ clarifies Moreno. from the R&D team’s all ofdeeply that audio is Yamaha available to allwork.’ the desks. It’s bi-directional While thishopes first has drawn on the there isacompletely invisible connection to product Nexo’s history. one field Holoplot to to the one of the too, sofuture if you want toThis takehighlights audio back from the major broadcast truck, quality process, Mr Reid that collaborations gital equivalent of a transformer perhaps the clearest example of believes from advantages that DPA has such as the audience mics or the ambience, we canseen ask the will see other elements come to the fore. ‘We are getting onhance possible interaction between the speech intelligibility and Nexo has achieved longevity with products taking this approach tothe the broadcast truck to send us an ambient feed back into best out of both companies. We have a Yamaha quality he mostthe composite and hectic such as the PS Series, which has been around R&D process. ‘Having the and we can and pick that up where ever we want. It gives control processoffers fits the broader Yamaha brand wo separate networks some for 25 years.that Can you donetwork it again? R&D team you to a tremendous amount where theseeing audio we’re convinced working outthat how we use that be competitive in theof flexibility about day equally fromismuseums – to create ‘focused what to our customers doing was brilliant,’ goes and it allows you to build up very large complex audio ever-growing UCconferences, market. Is everything you need to do for ve environment a–positive JC: Notisjust PS, wething see many Alpha systems still onare the sive soundscapes’ to says Mørch. ‘That way it was not conveyed networks quite simply and very inexpensively because it isvia a high-end piece of equipment what you need to do for a ers the example of a conventional road today. the market has changed; we cannot aspire ech and But more even ll intelligibility several people, it like was direct. They could using standard switches and cable.’see what they were US$150 USB Probably not. That’s what we’re OH aart monitor console, to and 25 ofspeakerphone? longevity although we’d to, we Cat-5 ailconsole spaces andyears exhibitions arenow and, ere designing because knew the pain was, was theyalways didn’t hat. They are thrilled toand see that weforward. Expanding the Manufacturers Livethey family intowhat different markets investigating now as we go We’re discussing what on atechnology, separate console asuccess feed cannot remake the of the PS Series. the in order to create have to guess what they were designing for.’ have used some of the input that going to be the sensible option for SSL. But by embracing really makes sense from a go-to-market perspective and We have some conventional Madi are releasing newarea products experiences, and it’s one that at an ever-faster rate and, at The combined resultnetworking of the newfor capsules and accessories e gotisfrom theEast. tour expectations the potential audio the concert market, the establishing what customer are. hich connected directly to the the higher end ofworld the market, the lifecycle ofofprofessional italise on inthe theround Middle ‘So is something manufacturer clearly a lot of pride make better. manufacturer has shown that allisthat timetaking in development has ‘This will bethat the many on the the collaborative heitloudspeakers begins. ‘The Madi I/Oofgoes is first shorter thanproducts before, despite rental values dork,’ in the Middle East follow from. ‘It is a‘We’re very exclusive product,’ concludes Nielsen. ‘We et isinto that it fits perfectly and it can well spent. from the two companies,’ hebeen continues. looking ctly the monitor console to run There’s an innate passion shines through when Born reducing. This scenario makes the versatility of the P12 tothat result inside high reverberation times, know the combination is in high ntinues. ‘With the benefits from further leverage ourbetween products. Wediscusses havethat wireless microphones absolute minimum latency the just better love making even more interesting when you consider the product ROI for development. one of smaller‘I and glass, concrete and the design of demand. I for think wevery are going to open some newatdoors hat the on the back the www.solidstatelogic.com CEO Roman Sick collecting an award at SXSW and Yamaha-built DSPs andapplication. other systems mixing in /O and the monitor board. Via the microphones,’ hethat smiles. ‘I think about microphones home, product that canoffit every ogy, withclip its steering capabilities, Image of Katrina Barber at I’m Getty Images due tomicrophones the size mainly, and I also think that a number ofs those things where we wondered, Iwith thinkitcourtesy about when eating breakfast. I just to create intelligible speech in of our customers will switch to that one. decisions My gut feeling is that foreno. love what I do. Of course, some of those are hard. Other potentially Do you astrong strong future for point source sthis before?’ particular needs. ‘We toit’s get away from fixed ‘But and output cards or 4-channel GPIO cards for either input relation tosee its acoustic outline,’ notes Oliver Thomas. going tothe be good.’ enclude only accessory to benefit fromneeded the varied. You want to go in there and just make a phone call or high-end audio applications. ‘The liberal use of the word “immersive” is why it’s We started project with only one cable at 1.6mm. Then we For higher-end rooms, you could Europe and Asia. technology? architecture and focus on creating a truly modular or output. The integrated 4x4 Dante card is something the best takeaway was looking at the type of engineering 060 lavalier,benefits weWe made a new version you want to go in there and make a video call or you want to go us solution combining becoming difficult to guys bringand a truly immersive to our spoke to the theatre theyimagine said, “we really would likewireless and wired microphone erent it thinks its challenge. did an awful lot audio h business render channel count immersive design DSP system. So with Solaro, we took the approach of a bonus feature for the user, as assured flexibility is and design process for a company making products that will nd www.dpamicrophones.com instead of taking thepatience mic out, in there and do nothing but put your slides up on the screen. technologies with some of their DSP technology to address the JC: In opinion, point source a will increase in get popularity the market and noticed all thetonoise Truly 1mm cable because it’s a with lot easier hide”.around. I said, “well, ere are of my operational costnPlex andlots having the toyou to adopt a rotable modular I/O architecture in order to through provided by the combination of any card type and any be used in a prettydesign,’ harsh environment and going ts. erent position via a Conference rooms everywhere get used like that all the time, boardrooms the know where to those channels, they wouldn’t evenworld.’ knowand that they’re not confused for two reasons. Firstly, the growing interest input immersive immersive sound, from our point of view, is anofexperience in alright. Let’s go and do it”. The company understands that stem less speakers and/or less dtered bad,–so to make those changes that maximise the I/O requirements per project and card slot. the steps of validation and testing.’ e arechallenging different positions sorewarding. you can clip especially in companies where they’ve created a lot of these But product he quick to point out that the collaboration what toafor do with we them. at notaudio, applicable,’ he reasons. which requires lots localising sound. whichknew person is able to feel dragged intoisaequally virtual spaceas they that needed to have this as perfect ersive setups because less or no both and Butitof cabinets reduce unnecessary spending.’ Making systems integrators’ lives easier, Xilica’s The PMC sales and marketing team has already set its u Mario Nexo’s director of ofany manufacturing, P12s to come off the production line smaller conference rooms.’ could conferencing scale. ‘We with the first ‘The barrier to business for most isRodriguez, thebeing complexities sers can filter the database for just Secondly, the dramatic improvements in networking, which that from the physical one,people whiletackle still able to ofproducts it candiffers be.’ quired,’ adds ‘This solution a launch like Moreno. this with complete elite signals can remote news programming software – Xilica Designer – Support forheAudinate’s Danteteams technology, the sights on assist the broadcast sector in Asia and Australasia and ey ical was a key part,’ continues. Importantly, Mr Reid also believes that the mission-critical can go down up.For They have power amps and speech the design,’ heimmense continues. ‘Ihuman can do a design in aand minute-andmdid theour various speaker or enable users to deploy large numbers ofactions point source perform that any intuitively make. Despite the amount ofwill planning and development performance, ecoustic homework oncross-talk it. projector We could introduction programmable controls and in the region. develops into a universal control platform for is banking onofthe result6 to make an impact en ome with more attachments Are you going tokinds build the P12 release nature of these spaces means team that there a potentially andyou all high-end audio and equipment that Anything that offers greater provides opportunities for of on a-half. I could run five designs using different manufacturers, ake itup acoverage much more professionally nt system, which allows users the electronics development that is has developed the cabinets easily. This for new sound example, if you find yourself immersed in a the jungle, want that went into TwinPlex, it’scapacity safe toreinforcement say that development niform entire audience wo years ago,’ heover adds, ‘but ittocreates would opportunities Solaro’s selectable multi-sampling rates for third-party products. QR1 connects to a wide ‘We will be looking at China quite aggressively, and I would we found innot the market. ‘People recognise thatthe ease of use, time to a hear range of point speakers? we can leverage as wesource go going down we have our USB vibrant improved video quality and performance. different loudspeaker different screens and projectors se.’ t,utmonitor liveespecially feeds, route content MK2 range of NXAMPs, working on processing, setups design inhave the entertainment using floors, walls to be hasn’t able to turn around when you an animal from theup. And team ground tobrands, a halt now the product has arrived on peech intelligibility. It’s a film system robably wouldn’t sounded as to environment, enhanced usage continue to spearhead Xilica’s range of control inter faces including the optional expect the result6 to open a new market for us there,’ ele eal pros who know they are start, and audio algorithms and video quality of meetings are essential phones have USB phones so there are a lot of places Network offers a newthat of reliability by corner. and present those the client. Iflevel we get theand job, that’s brilliant, to handle the complexities ity and view data and surfaces. and protection in these new controllers. and ceilings radiating back or toblending walk to to a waterfall you hear in they the the market. caon, but it’sperformance an added important audio cable this thin orwhat allasfour colours. XTouch50 and XTouch80 programmable touch innovative DSP credentials. In addition, says international sales director, Miles Roberts, adding ’ them ch anything. We can give them drivers of meeting effectiveness and productivity, and they will we can godo together. USB phones, VoIP conferencing phones, automatically combining cellular connectivity from multiple and don’t I’vethings only wasted 30 minutes.’ gn, MraSingleton is quick point JC: Actually, our next product release is not a loudspeaker; And, importantly, to physically and share ‘Doifmost Iwe have some that I still want toemotionally with it?’ environments, where clearto audio is a such good portfolio.’ Solaro’s design specification adds a dragcontrols. It can also be managed via Ethernet that unlike its European and American competitors, PMC know how toI to hide it.point Why try give pay premiumdetails to get them. can seebea found real market outof there peripherals that do everything audio, video, data – we could mobile network carriers with on-demand satellite connectivity, This has always been the key goalThis for TCD. Clients will make CD can bring new marketplace, ecture should beadesigned sotothat JD: think source is the only way tothe go for many parts this autumn, we will take signal processing Fullatechnical of theWe P12 can on p.30 that with person next to you. delivers that, which is the –new concludes Born. ‘Of course, there are still some wish list ex being the theatre market, and-drop design, with control China via iOS, Android using the software GUI or indeed the GPIO card is in from the process of obtaining CCC Certification – a have to have us and if it breaks for that improve their employees’ collaboration.’ cover the full spectrum of collaboration broadcasters towith get high-quality video transmitted subjective choices but, tools like TCD, missing out onwith ain ‘Because have doing this eed sent over whatever data bandwidth of key theI features market. You have tointhinkallowing about Small events will technology developed for the P12 andspaces.’ extend it to our other sgs. one that comes upbeen many times thistools issue. why weIcost. think immersive sound has finally met its half-orange items. can already see great potential for more things several it felt could and Xilica’sthen proprietary XTouch system sur faces. The ports. Additionally, Xilica’s XTouchApp can be used mandatory product certification with the aim of out ofexpresses aaspects they have While that is ranges. for the future, Reid can see ain definite challenging network contract doesn’t haveconditions. to bigger be so painful. problem itcostume was forbrought me,’ he reflects. oitoreno whichever location or locations always be point source and, progress loudspeaker We’re Mr investing heavily software concern over itsto if manufacturers in the market.’ this portfolio.’ All of the different current Solaro family consists of FR1 and QR1 modular to connect iOS and Android devices with any thirdprotecting consumer security – for result6. Not having a he things that they are using you can www.revolabs.com business case too, for the CS-700 now. ‘We’ve brought that out to of rplains it’s easy. When you’re doing 32 As such, the system should be as www.nexo-sa.com point source designs, we might even see a resurgence in development which will allow us to get the best e,7.1 at times being problematic for Born, ‘whether it’s the cable, Revolabs’ Phil Marechal and Michael Fitch demonstrating I/O architecture processors, new restrictions XTouch50 and party controller such as AMX and Crestron. CCC canthe reportedly create import but XTouch80 PMC hop and pick up bits you need. the CS-700 at InfoComm www.yamahacommercialaudio.com market for these smaller rooms where usea cases are very www.thecinemadesigner.com www.dejero.com dered audio, most people wouldn’t ned tocontinents allow the of various peripherals asconnection itlive is across town. www.proavl-asia.com/videos/trade-shows www.shure.com www.holoplot.com touring and use. It’s a 2017 question of cost vs efficiency. our loudspeaker products. Julien hasthe been key player in eween feature set’. programmable touch controls addition to existing Mini Just as the Neutrino series was updated to claims to have the edge in the in country, having obtained the controls andfor theprevious Rio series of Dante I/O inter face devices. incorporate Dante networking, Mr Chow is keeping certification products. an eye on networking trends when it comes to other ‘China is working out for us quite well,’ continues Mr The rear panel of the QR1 protocols on the market. ‘Xilica has to remain openRoberts. ‘We are expecting some significant movement with minded if we are to maximise Solaro’s potential,’ he The design of the Solaro FR1 processor is based on the result6. We already have pretty large pre-orders from PMC’s international sales director Miles Roberts expects stresses. of theinfact that the new platform allows a Linux platform and utilises Xilica Designer universal DMT, our China and Hong Kong distributor, so we are just big things Mindful from result6 China Xilica to network with other manufacturers, the company configuration software. From the front, the 19-inch 1RU waiting for the CCC approval to come through to ship them.’ understands with other chassis simply incorporates a front panel OLED display demands fromthat hiscollaboration team. ‘We always strive manufacturers for accuracy and The big plans for Asia do not end there, with PMC also will be the key to future successes. ‘Collaboration with and rotary wheel. However, the full modularity of Solaro neutrality,’ he says. ‘That’s the goal with all of our products. using result6 to tap into education for radio and television similar-sized us to collectively compete becomes evident from the rear. Sixteen card slots can I suppose it iscompanies a little bit allows like high-resolution television. The production technologies and classical recording. ‘We were in the gets market,’ hewith adds. accept either 2-channel audio input and output cards or detail better the more money that is spent. If you already doing installations at around eight conservatoireJudging by the increased acceptance of Neutrino 4-channel GPIO cards for either input or output. Providing listen to the result6 and putmarket them against the twotwos, they type, educational establishments,’ continues Mr Roberts. ‘I A Universal Media Controller the heart during the very past similar decade, poised take this enhanced flexibility, further cards can be inserted for other will sound in Solaro balanceiswhen youtoswitch between see result6 as the point where lies the at students canofstep into a Solaro.like ‘We’ve an increasing adoption of relatively young company to stage ofwill development. I/O requirements including AES/EBU, USB audio and them, which is important, butthe thenext difference be that brand PMC.witnessed It is reachable and affordable as opposed low-cost universal controllers for any from any Xilica’s headquarters in theresolution, northern Toronto suburb of RS232/485. the twotwos will have more detail and be more to our other products. The result6 will device give students that going to be put to market are much smaller than with a manufacturer,’ furthers Mr face Chow. installation Stouffville in many symbolises both cost Mr Chow the Operating at a sample rate of 48kHz, QR1 analytical. And they ways should, because they a lot and more.’ quality experience they will in ‘A thetypical real world.’ product of result6’s price. Although the Solaro R&D cost is uses higher, integrates a digital active mixers, but, company he’shas created. Therehorizons may notfor bePMC a sign to promote same input, output and DSP processing architecture The result6 broadened with It has been a long processor, and rocky road forspeakers, PMC and result6 the amount per speaker isn’t.’ projectors and lighting. haveittherefore developed this the industrious activities that in liethe within, but the is as the larger Named for have its ¼-rack dimensions, QR1 imminent and similar projects pipeline set door to once for Peter Thomas and hisWe team, was worth the wait and Although theFR1. result6 will not the exact same sound controller‘In sobusiness, that it could everything on open thePeter atmosphere friendly. Ditto Solaro. is based on same Linux platform and incorporates a again and excite Thomas is and his team. struggle. youaccommodate allocate the R&D cost to each dynamics as the its predecessors, it will share the one common one single softwareout platform, together all the control dual that corePeter processor drive to provide I/O flexibility. product by working what the lifetimewith will be,’ explains trait Thomas – who startedmodular up the company www.xilica.com options.’ www.pmc-speakers.com Eight in card slots can either 2-channel input Peter Thomas. ‘With the twotwos, the numbers that are back 1991 with hisaccept partner Adrian Loader –audio always

BUSINESS: R&D

Three years of this development was spent ensuring that all the electronics worked perfectly, both separately and together

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BUSINESS: ANALYSIS

The new audience stream

Developing an OTT strategy is critical in today’s social media era, says Vitec’s vice president of worldwide broadcast sales, Kevin Ancelin

PEW RESEARCH ESTIMATES THAT MORE than five billion people own a mobile device. That number is indicative of how dependent users have become on them not only as their main source of communication but also as their main viewing screen for live and on-demand video. They’re the set-top box of choice, and it’s estimated that 73% of all internet traffic is media-related streaming. For broadcasters, content creators and anyone with video assets needing a strong subscriber base – which is pretty much anyone these days – understanding the technical aspects of over-the-top (OTT) streaming is key to perfecting a strategy that will drive audiences. In the broadcast timeline, OTT streaming first hit commercially in 1995. ESPN streamed a live audio broadcast of a Seattle Mariners vs New York Yankees game using RealNetworks’ (then known as Progressive Networks) latest technology. Although it was only audio, it redefined the landscape of sports broadcasts. It was the first time that a live radio broadcast was transmitted over the internet so, regardless of where a fan lived, they could catch the game. Streaming audio seems like child’s play today, but that technology – Real-Time Streaming Protocol – and the increase in bandwidth availability laid the groundwork for the present streaming media environment. Throughout the 1990s, as OTT streaming increased, content distribution networks (CDNs), which were typically used for enterprise data storage, such as banking, benefited greatly. CDNs helped mitigate the round-trip time associated with packet loss and throughput of sending a file across the world, by building networks within networks. These basic networks adapted the use of transport control protocol. CDNs enabled OTT by distributing assets and live streams close to the point of consumption. They pushed content to the last mile, which is critical for streaming media. Without a CDN, video streaming wouldn’t be possible. Currently, the most common CDNs include Amazon’s CloudFront, Akamai, MaxCDN, Incapsula, Rackspace, Cloudflare, EdgeCast (Version), Fastly, Hibernia, KeyCDN, Limelight, Level3, Highwinds, OnApp, aiScaler, Internal, Azure and Google. Even with the development of CDNs to truly make OTT streaming as viable and profitable as it is today, there needed to be a better codec. MPEG2 was not efficient for streaming. It took the introduction of AVC, commonly

Vitec’s Kevin Ancelin

known as H.264, in the late 2000s to accelerate the advancement of live streaming, allowing HD bit rates in the 3–5MB range, or lower. The final piece of the OTT puzzle was creating a new point of consumption. There were no devices that truly made OTT a 24/7 necessity. Finally, in 2007, the first iPhone came to market and changed everything. With the advent of mobile iOS and Android devices and the free use of Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming specification, OTT could flourish. Everything OTT needed was available: the CDN to get content to the edge, a new AVCcapable codec and a point of consumption that made sense. After all, it would be comical to think people would sit in front of a palm-sized device connected to a set-top box. Mobile devices closed the loop and created a complete ecosystem that would allow content owners, content creators and technology manufacturers the ability to securely move media – live streaming, subscription and video on demand (VOD) – out of traditional venues and rethink consumption paradigms for the first time. Smart TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast and other technologies, plus service providers like Netflix, HULU, HBOGo and soon Disney’s DSS, have enabled content viewing options that expand the experience

90 PRO AVL MEA September–October 2019

far beyond traditional TV distribution methodologies – hybrid fibre-coax networks, QAM cable plants, over-the-air ATSC, NTSC, satellite DVBS and DVBS2. Last year, global OTT revenues totalled US$70 billion, according to Digital TV Research. That is a staggering number that is only expected to grow. The same report estimated it will reach $129 billion by 2023 – an unprecedented 45% increase in five years. Those numbers are the writing on the wall. An OTT strategy is essential for broadcasters, content creators or anyone who owns assets and is looking for subscribers. What’s more, social media is a huge part of this growth. The top social media platforms for live video are Facebook, which dominates with 2.32 billion subscribers as of April 2019, with YouTube close behind with 1.9 billion users. Facebook has been much maligned recently because of its security issues. Five months ago, the company announced that – after some setbacks – it would secure its live streaming through RTMPS. RTMPS is the secure form of the Real-Time Messaging Protocol. The ‘S’ stands for secure, requiring an SSL TLS certificate that is authenticated similarly to HTTPS authentication. Similarly, YouTube uses RTMP as well.

But with great power comes great responsibility. Streaming is the foundation for driving viewership not only for linear programmes, but also VOD assets and digital media distribution. The viability for broadcasters and content creators alike will revolve around understanding the deeper technical aspects of streaming technology and what solutions are capable of delivering the expected flawless live OTT streams to audiences. Very high-end applications, such as broadcast, will need HEVC encoders that can distribute video with ultra-low delay – 16ms glass to glass – and 4:2:2 10-bit quality, as well as a professionalgrade, high-performance IP decoder capable of supporting the bandwidth-efficient HEVC/H.265. For entry-level OTT streaming applications, H.264/AVC encoders will suffice but will have a longer delay and lower performance quality in comparison. The heralding of streaming isn’t the death knell of cable and satellite TV. Cable and satellite TV are still components of a full distribution approach, but they’re done growing. Engaging customers and keeping their attention means bringing social media and all the technology to support OTT streaming to the forefront of the overall broadcast strategy.

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