Audio Pro April 2010 - Issue 28

Issue 28 • April 2010

LIVE • COMMERCIAL • RECORDING • BROADCAST

www.audioprointernational.com

ULTRA HIGH TRANSMISSIONS United Music brings a new level of production to the Czech Republic

PL+S REVIEW • MUSCLE SHOALS • SMALL FORMAT PA • FREEMASONS • PLASA FOCUS

ISSUE 28 April 2010

CONTENTS > IN THIS ISSSUE NEWS TOA ABSORBS TRANTEC • 4 Corporation takes over worldwide sales

HH ELECTRONICS RETURNS • 4 Brand reincarnated with new PA line

OPTOCORE PARTNERS • 5 Wigwam and Lawo join the Optoteam

EMI SELLS OLYMPIC • 5 London studio bought by commercial developer

EVENTS PLASA FOCUS • 11 A preview of new seminars and what to expect in Leeds

PL&S REVIEW • 14 Big news and new product launches from the year’s second big show

LIVE SOUND/INSTALLATION COVER FEATURE TRANSMISSION • 16 The Czech Republic’s high-end Trance event

SMALL FORMAT PA • 19 A roundup of the best middle-weight boxes

CROWN • 26 Harman’s green initiatives explained in Watts and Ohms

STUDIO/BROADCAST HEADPHONE REVIEW • 29 Chris Frost gives his thoughts on headphones from leading manufacturers

FREEMASONS • 30 Brighton’s dance duo talks production

MUSCLE SHOALS • 34 The reconstruction of Alabama’s most renowned vintage studio

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

> Regulars: Behind the Board 37 In Session 38 Products 40 People 43 Marketplace 45 Mixdown 49

EDITORIAL

W

e have returned from Frankfurt in one piece.

Well, I say that, but my colleagues and I have all come down with the post-Messe flu – we have managed to muster the strength to bring you this issue.

How was PL+S? Well, attendance was down 2,000 people, but considering 110,000 people showed up, I would say that those who stayed home may have been wasters anyway.

As usual, many new products were launched, many new friends were made and several people got very drunk and crossed the work/social boundary, and perhaps woke up in a hotel lobby with a splitting headache wondering how they ended up there. But that is half the fun of Frankfurt: the smoking in the halls, the live music stages, the after-show parties, and somewhere in-between it all we all do a bit of work, or in the case of journalists, we collect our environmentally-friendly thumb drives with all of all the latest and greatest new products to hit the scene.

This year’s highlights were some new, and even more compact consoles, loudspeaker innovations and rack after rack of wireless microphones.

Late one night, after leaving the small city known as the dB Technologies/RCF/SGM stand, I made a wrong turn out of the exit and literally got lost in the halls of the Messe Frankfurt. As I wandered the empty building, I noticed how enormous the place is. There is no denying that the community of pro audio professionals that gather over the four days is a force to be reckoned with. More to the point, there are several issues that affect our business, ranging from illegal downloading to the Digital Dividend Review to noise restrictions, and if a united group came together we could really change things in our favour.

If one bloke on Facebook can rally enough people to beat the X-Factor marketing monsters and get Rage Against the Machine to Christmas number one, surely with a bit of effort we could change a few things and help out all those people that we love to get drunk with every year at Messe Frankfurt? Or maybe I have just taken to much cold medication.

Andrew Low - Editor andrew.low@intentmedia.co.uk A bookmark us in your phone

mobile.audioprointernational.com Contacts for Audio Pro International Editorial: +44 (0)1992 535646 Ads: +44 (0)1992 535647 Fax: +44 (0) 1992 535648 Editor: Andrew Low andrew.low@intentmedia.co.uk Deputy Editor: Rob Hughes rob.hughes@intentmedia.co.uk Advertising Manager: Darrell Carter darrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk Editorial Production: Helen French helen.french@intentmedia.co.uk Ad Production: Rosie McKeown rosie.mckeown@intentmedia.co.uk

Subscriptions Manager: Hannah Short hannah.short@intentmedia.co.uk Designer: Claire Brocklesby claire.brocklesby@intentmedia.co.uk Managing Editor: Andy Barrett mipro@intentmedia.co.uk Publisher: Dave Roberts dave.roberts@intentmedia.co.uk

> NEWS

Trantec absorbed by Toa Corporation Wireless mic specialist brought into the corporate fold – move appears to signal end of BBM Electronics be maintaining its normal high IN A letter to its staff and standards, offering top quality care management, dated March 15th, the and support to all its customers. We Toa Corporation and BBM will update you of any further Electronics’ bosses, Takefumi information and would like to thank Nishigaki and Tamotsu Hirai, have you all for your past revealed that the Toa support, and Corporation (UK) It appears that this hope this will will be taking over responsibilities for move will effectively continue in the future.” the sales of Trantec see the Toa bought branded goods and incorpoartion of the British accessories, as well as wireless all functions in the Trantec as a developer, UK and Europe Toa brand.

BBM from BBM. Electronics, The process of in 1998, with the latter having take-over, the letter explained, will be been founded in the early 80s completed by May 31st, with Toa UK

by Steve Baker, Dave Binks assuming official responsibility from and Terry Mabey. The June 1st. company was created and The letter to BBM’s workforce developed around radio mics concluded: “In this interim period, and systems under the the sales and service team at BBM will

“

Samsung adopts MP3HD Electronics giant puts its faith in new highresolution audio compression format

TECHNICOLOR HAS announced that its high-res MP3 format MP3HD has been adopted by electronics giant Samsung, for its first portable music player, Ice Touch.

Introduced last summer, MP3HD is one of the first audio formats to claim lossless audio compression as well as compatibility with the widely used MP3 standard.

Theoretically, this would enable content creators, the music industry and consumers to benefit from WAV-like audio quality and the same memory-

4

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April 2010

light characteristics as the standard MP3 format.

In recent times, a number of renowned audio engineers have bemoaned the degradation caused by the original MP3 format, calling for standardisation on a higherfidelity format such as WAV. Others, however, have acknowledged that the practicality of MP3 means that it is here to stay and that we should instead look to refine the format with a less-destructive variation.

MP3HD could be the answer. > technicolor.com

Trantec brand name and has functioned in the south of London for R&D, marketing and sales for the entirety of its near 30-year history.

Although no confirmation has yet been received, it would appear that

this move will effectively see the end of BBM and the incorporation of Trantec as a Toa brand. > toaelectronics.com

HH Electronics returns New range to include large scale PA enclosures

HH ELECTRONICS is to be reincarnated with the launch of a new range of PA equipment.

HH, a brand name owned by the Laney/Headstock group since the 1980s, was a common badge on the pub gig circuit, alongside other British solid-state names, in the 60s and 70s.

Headstock MD James Laney told Audio Pro that the venture, which is being headed up by Duncan Boniface, will be essentially a standalone enterprise, slotting in neatly alongside the other Headstock brands of Laney, Tama and Ibanez.

“People know and think of Laney as a valve amp company,” explained Laney. “Laney does some solid state

gear and some PA gear, but in that respect, the HH range will take off where Laney stops. We have been planning this for a while now, but it was really important for us to make sure that the divisions between the three companies, HH, Headstock and Laney, were very well defined. It is important that each functions as its own entity."

Boniface, who has been working on designs and travelling to China to find manufacturing partners for the new gear, feels that he now has a complete range, stretching from small practice guitar combos to large scale stackable or flyable PA enclosures. > headstockdistribution.com www.audioprointernational.com

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Prolight+Sound report

Transmission

Small format PA

NEWS <

Optocore joins forces with Wigwan and Lawo Fibre network specialist forms strategic partnerships to pool resources and develop new products IN TWO separate collaborations, Optocore has teamed up with rental firm Wigwam and digital console manufacturer Lawo.

In the first of these alliances, Optocore worked with Wigwam’s rental division to design a new data returns system, after the two companies agreed on the need for a flexible solution to the restrictions which many hire/production firms are finding with CAT5 cable systems. The result is the OptoRack, which will get its first airing on the Leona Lewis world tour, beginning in May. It enables high quality audio and data transmission over distance to all system ports, allowing plugand-play at the FOH and stage end, with a locked-out preset.

“I was getting sick to death of spending thousands of pounds every year on cable and transmission systems, which we were never going to use again,” said Wigwam’s hire director, Chris Hill. “I was also fed up with manufacturers continually bringing out Ethernet-based equipment – 100 to 125-metre runs are no use to our industry and we were finding ourselves hanging large format systems with some of the

worst connectors in the world. What we needed to do was develop a data tunnel which we could support and standardise on, run on fibre and which was completely future-proof, because some new digital protocols are already becoming redundant.”

In another partnership, Optocore

“

100 to 125-metre runs are no use to our industry.

Chris Hill Wigwam

worked alongside Lawo on a project for which Optocore developed a ‘Lawo emulation mode’ that enables a Lawo console to communicate with Optocore I/O units. This allows the console to receive audio signals and control Optocore preamps. Following the success of the project, the two companies have reported their intention to continue this co-operation going forward. > optocore.com

EMI sells Olympic studios

Focusrite establishes US branch

Legendary London facility may become a cinema

Former SSL man to head up the new company

EMI HAS sold the Olympic studios complex in South West London for £3.5 million.

Rumours of the sale surfaced last January when EMI stated that Olympic would be closed in order to focus more attention on Abbey Road.

It was at one time thought that U2 were interested in purchasing the studio. However, last week it was announced that the studio was bought by an unnamed businessman.

Sadly, the new owner does not plan to reopen the facility, hoping instead to convert it into a cinema complex. www.audioprointernational.com

Well known for classical recordings, Olympic has also hosted an impressive list of legendary bands over the years, including The Rolling Stones, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, making it one of the most recognised studios in UK recording history.

This sale of Olympic is another hit to the already suffering London recording industry. Many of the remaining commercial studios have been forced to diversify their services in order to survive the recession and the ongoing decline of record sales. > emirecords.com

Phil Dudderidge (left) welcomes Phil Wagner as president of US division

FOCUSRITE HAS announced the formation of a dedicated American division for Focusrite and Novation.

The British manufacturer has set up the new branch, located in Los Angeles, to further establish both brands in the US. Former SSL president, Phil Wagner will head up the new company.

Phil Dudderidge, MD of Focusrite, stated: “We want to increase the recognition of and support for the Focusrite and Novation brands in the vital US

market. Creating Focusrite Novation Inc. enables us to enhance our presence with increased levels of dealer support and various forthcoming marketing initiatives.

We are extremely pleased to have Phil Wagner on board as president.”

“Phil Dudderidge was a key factor in my early career when we started Soundcraft NY in the 80s,” added Wagner. “It is only fitting that we work together once again in the next phase of my career. > focusrite.com

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April 2010 5

> NEWS

New ‘Behringer City’ for 2011 Music equipment giant announces plans for a wholly owned manufacturing plant and creates a new installation department ULI BEHRINGER chose his recent Partner Event 2010 to announce his plans for a new 'Behringer City' manufacturing plant, where all of the Behringer and Bugera products will be made, as well as a good amount of Midas Klark Teknik’s overseas manufacturing programme.

Eurotec, the official name of the manufacturing business within the newly formed The Music Group holding company, which umbrellas Behringer, Bugera, Midas and Klark Teknik, is currently situated just outside the city of Zhongshang and is a leasehold site.

The new facility, which will be wholly owned by The Music Group, will cover some 640 acres of land and will be operational initially from 2011.

The site will feature its own power plant and extensive leisure facilities for the nearly 3,000-strong workforce, which lives on site.

The factories will include space for the implementation of Midas Klark Teknik's exacting requirements for manufacturing, allowing some of its more specialised processes to be moved away from the UK for the first time.

In other Behringer news, the

firm has announced the launch of a new range of installed sound products, as well as the creation of new department within Behringer, the Behringer Install Group (BIG).

The idea behind the new division is to create an industry-specific group that deals solely with what is seen as a very unique sectors, looking to take advantage of the restaurant, HOW, retail and conference markets, where the entry-level audio group has been conspicuous by its absence.

Costa Lakoumentas, who will head up the new division, commented: “This is a significant global market. It is also a market that has a significant way of doing business. We recognise that the contractor is the end user and while the consultants are important, developing a relationship and trust with the contractor is key to the success of this new group.

“We are looking to be in every market sector – obviously not from day one, but eventually we will work our way in to the business.”

Lakoumentas previewed some of the new products, such as powered mixers and amps which, he said, represented “a new benchmark”. > music-group.net

Vicoustic splits into three divisions New market-focussed departments will enable the development of products that better serve each sector VICOUSTIC HAS announced its division into three separate business segments – Music & Broadcast, Hi-fi and Home Cinema and Industrial, with immediate effect.

Cesar Carapinha, Vicoustic’s CEO, explained: “Over the past year we have seen a growing demand for products within the home cinema market, often linked to interior design projects. We have also seen an increase in sales of our products to the construction industry, for example, new housing developments and noise reduction in classrooms and other workplaces.

“These new departures require more specialised support and the development of more specialised acoustic solutions. By splitting the firm into separate divisions, we can 6

audioPRO April 2010

target product development and sales more effectively.”

The latest developments coincide with the new appointment of Luis Teixeira as international sales manager. Teixeira has a background in construction engineering, specialising in acoustics. His brief includes overseeing Vicoustic’s various certification processes and developing the company’s new industrial division.

Vicoustic is also reviewing its distribution network. In several territories, additional specialist distributors are being appointed to support industrial and home cinema/interior design customers, with many existing distributors continuing to focus on the music and broadcast sector. > vicoustic.com www.audioprointernational.com

EMI Music Publishing London with VTC 48 channel console

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> THIS MONTH IN BROADCAST

A new breed of broadcast Experimental miking captures sound from all ends of the Breeders Cup in ‘hardest sport’ to cover for audio ESPN’S SENIOR technical audio producer, Kevin Cleary, used experimental measures to shake and rattle the houses of viewers watching the 25th annual Breeders Cup horse race. “We want to be able to convey everything but the smell of the horses,” Cleary said.

The new techniques used for the races employed Holophone’s H3D binaural microphone and Neural Audio’s Neural Microphone Array multichannel microphone. Cleary had previously tested the mics during the broadcast of the X Games and selected collegiate and Monday Night Football games to find the sweet spot for the first Breeder’s Cup broadcast in 5.1 surround sound.

Another new technique, first used at the Belmont Stakes, was the placement of the network’s own custom-manufactured Xducer piezo-electric microphone on the starting gate to document the release of the gate and its clanging bell.

According to Cleary, the horse racing is not actually the loudest source captured during the broadcast. “Viewers also want to hear the sounds that give them a sense of place and event, like the starter calling ‘Riders up!’” he explained. As such, the track is ringed along the outside and inside with Sennheiser 416 and 418 shotgun microphones, and the action is also tracked

by a chase vehicle with gyro camera equipped with a camera microphone.

Although Cleary is using a raft of new techniques for the race, it still only used approximately 100 inputs. The main audio console was a Calrec Alpha in the IMS Production primary remote truck, with a Yamaha 4000 for the submix. Audio veteran Dan Bernstein was the production mixer for the broadcast, Thom Mangan

”

Horse racing is a difficult challenge.

It’s one of the hardest sports in the world to cover, audio-wise.

Kevin Cleary ESPN

handled submix duties, while Shawn Peacock oversaw the integration of all audio sources and sends.

“Horse racing is a difficult challenge,” said Cleary. “The tracks are huge, the horses are quiet and the crowds are wildly extreme and go from talking to screaming in a split second. It’s one of the hardest sports in the world to cover, audio-wise.”

Jünger to launch TV Audio Processor at NAB

Neural’s Microphone Array was the basis for the mix. “I have tested this microphone successfully for Monday Night Football and college football this season,” said Cleary. “I also had mics on both the starting gates and a host of [Sennheiser] long and short shotguns around the track in strategic locations to capture the hoof sounds as well as the nuances of jockey noise to give the viewer the feel of the race.”

In addition to the main host position, wired microphones were also placed in the paddock area, and there were three roving RF reporters, an RF on horseback and an RF pony rider.

The audio signals were transported on fiber via LightViper Booth Kits supplied

by CP Communications. “We utilised some of the sends on the LightVipers for the EFX mics,” Cleary said. “I like to see horse racing as a challenge, not only for the overall sound design, but in creating an infrastructure of this size and covering so much ground during the course of an event. It's kind of like a football game with a field that is a mile long and announcer positions potentially anywhere on the 320 acres of Santa Anita Park.”

Lawo mixes for 220 million Zirkon console added to Shanxi TV News Centre

Loudness, upmix and surround sound processor debuts JÜNGER AUDIO will be unveiling a new TV Audio Processor at this year’s NAB Convention in Las Vegas.

The device is primarily designed for TV playout facilities and will provide loudness control, upmix and surround sound processing for up to eight channels of audio.

Peter Pörs, managing director of Jünger Audio, said: “This latest addition to our product range fulfils the quality requirements set by major broadcasters around the world. Maintaining loudness consistency is now a major issue for our industry and one that particularly affects playout facilities because they have absolutely no control over the broadcasted content’s average operating levels. Our processor is designed to solve this problem in an easy and cost effective way.”

The wide band eight-channel processor (8x1, 4x2, or 6+2) focuses on automatic and adaptive loudness control using the company’s Level Magic algorithm (ITU

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compliant). It also offers dynamic filters so that the sound can be ‘coloured’ much more easily than with a traditional multiband sound processor. Optional Dolby decoding and encoding (D, D+, or Pulse), as well as metadata management, are also provided, along with 5.1 Downmix and Jünger Audio’s recently introduced UPMIX functionality.

“The new processor is capable of handling digital inputs (AES) and, through interface slots, all other usual audio formats including all SDI versions (SD, HD, 3G),” Peter Pörs added. “It is controllable through front panel and web-based GUI, plus remote control, and GPI – and it comes with a redundant power supply as standard.”

Jünger Audio will also be using the NAB platform to show its entire suite of DSP and interface cards for its C8000 Level Magic automated audio loudness control system for production and broadcast. > juenger-audio.de

SHANXI TV in Taiyuan, China hosts eight channels and broadcasts over 100 hours every day, covering 220 million people in China via a satellite output.

The broadcasts are sent from its News Centre Studio, which became the first broadcast studio in China to use Lawo’s new Zirkon on-air audio mixing console.

Last year, Shanxi TV commenced an upgrade programme for its news operation, to provide HD capabilities to the News Centre Studio. A 16-fader Lawo Zirkon digital audio mixing console

with 48 inputs and 40 outputs was chosen by Mr Jian Jingyuan, technical director of the news centre.

“Not only does the Zirkon console have excellent sound quality and reliability, its design offers an operating interface which is really simple to learn and use,” said Mr Jingyuan. “The audio operators were able to master the console’s operational features in a very short time, which was extremely helpful in the context of the whole HD project.” > lawo.de

audioPRO

April 2010 09

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With true plug-and-play efficiency, M7CL-48ES auto-configures the system and is ready to roll in a matter of minutes.

Supporting 48 inputs and 24 outputs over EtherSound, the console also features eight OMNI inputs and eight OMNI outputs for direct analogue connections, and three MY expansion card slots - ideal for adding further I/O, or direct live recording via the protocol of your choice.

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PLASA FOCUS EVENT PREVIEW <

PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 April 27th - 28th

Northern exposure PLASA Focus: Leeds 2010 is promising to bring new products and interesting seminars to the North of England. Andrew Low explains why Focus is the place to see what you missed at PL&S, NAMM and ISE... t is grim up north, or so the saying goes; however, if the success of the the first PLASA Focus: Leeds is anything to go by, this is a region with a lot of heart. The second annual PLASA Focus will be held at the Royal Armories, UK on April 27th and 28th.

Already established as the quintessential show for the North of England’s entertainment technology community, Focus 2010 is boasting a sold-out exhibition floor with 115 exhibitors and a unique two-day Education and Learning Programme to help visitors and exhibitors make new connections in the region.

I

www.audioprointernational.com

According to PLASA, Focus has been an easy sell. “PLASA Focus: Leeds has become the annual creative hub of a thriving industry community in the North,” says event manager Sophie Atkinson. “Visitors and exhibitors love the fact that they have a top quality event that brings the global reach of the PLASA organisation to the North. As last year shows, this is a very friendly and social occasion which presents a great opportunity for everyone from chairman to technicians.”

New additions to this year’s seminar schedule include Ex-Hacienda

production manager and Ear To The Ground live director Jon Drape, who will give a presentation on Manchester’s The Warehouse Project.

Located in the industrial arches below Manchester's Piccadilly train station, The Warehouse Project is an iconic clubbing event that attracts 55,800 people and 270-plus performers and DJs over 12 weeks. Drape explains: “The car park that we use for The Warehouse Project closes at 5pm on Friday and we have to turn it into a 2,000-capacity live music venue within four hours each week,” Drape says. “As soon as the cars leave we roll out the

flight cases, build FOH and start setting up the stage for sound checks.”

Rob Ashworth of audio rental company Audile and Pete Robinson of lighting supplier DBN will be on hand at PLASA Focus to discuss the technical side of the respective systems and explain how they make it work, look and sound good.

David Stuttard, technical director of Ireland’s new Wexford Opera House, will give a presentation, in addition to special classes from The Theatres Trust, the Stage Managers Association, the National Skills Academy, InfoComm and Julies Bicycle.

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> EVENT PREVIEW PLASA FOCUS

While the show’s exhibition stands do not allow space for a full range of kit and giant loudspeakers, product reps will be bringing the latest products for the live sound and installation markets.

ALCONS AUDIO Alcons has several new product additions that it will shout about in Leeds. Its new LR24 system is the company’s foray into the live touring market, designed to deliver the same SPL of equivalent products in the midsize line-array category, with 15dB less distortion. The system comprises linearray, line-array bass, ground-stacked subs, multi-channel amplification and processing, featuring an all-new proribbon mid-high transducer platform.

Also new from Alcons is the LR7 micro pro-ribbon line-array, including the LR7B micro line-array bass unit. Its Cinema Ribbon Monitor System (CRMS) is a new three-way reference cinema sound system featuring fully matched loudspeaker, processing and amplifier components, launched at ISE. ALLEN & HEATH Allen & Heath will be exhibiting the newly launched iDR-16 3U MixRack and iLive-R72 rackmountable control surface, launched at NAMM. It is a lightweight digital live mixing system with many of the same attributes as the larger touring iLive systems at a lower price point.

It will also show the ZED-10 and ZED-10FX mini mixers, which feature two ultra high impedance discrete Class A FET inputs.

DURAN AUDIO Duran Audio will show its new range of AXYS Beam Shaping Subwoofers. The range is designed to allow dispersion control of the bass array.

DB TECHNOLOGIES dB Technologies recently launched the DWS800 digital wireless mic system at PL+S. Dubbed as ‘future-proof’, the DWS800 series addresses the problem of narrowing frequency bands by using digital transmission technology, 12

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ensuring many more frequencies are available in a narrower band, with high switching bandwidth. Automated setups can be assigned to country-specific frequency bands, offering up to 200 channels in parallel.

The company also released the Opera 610D, DVA S08, a 12-inch high power active bass-reflex subwoofer, the DVA S09 W active subwoofer featuring an integrated active stereo crossover and the new Cromo Series loudspeakers.

LAB.GRUPPEN Lab.gruppen recently unveiled the PLM 20000Q at PL+S. Featuring two Lake processors and four, 5,000-Watt channels, the new amp incorporates several new developments to maintain rated performance even with extreme program demands or under marginal operating conditions. A new universal power supply with power factor correction (PFC) is featued, in addition to a differentiated load on each of the four outputs.

NEUTRIK Neutrik recently unveiled the Xirium professional multichannel wireless system at PL+S to address the impending eviction of PMSE from the 800mHz radio frequency band.

The firm has developed a new wireless technology known as DIWA (digital data transmission without data compression); Xirium is the first product to operate on it.

OHM Ohm has recently launched Ersa Major, an integrated line array system intended for large scale concerts, festivals and sports events. The system is run in four-way active mode with the amplifiers flown in the array. Matching dual 18-inch PUKK sub bass bins can be flown or ground stacked.

The mid/high cabinet has dual Ohm ten-inch midrange woofers with a twoinch, plus one-inch coaxial compression driver mounted on a proprietary horn flare. The mid-range

drivers are mounted at the rear, which creates a fully hornloaded cabinet with a compact size of 700mm wide, 600mm deep and 300mm high. The cabinet is three-way active with an impedance of sixteen Ohms and has a flat frequency response from 100Hz to 20kHz with a maximum SPL in excess of 140dB. RCF With several new product launches at PL+S, RCF will have a lot to talk about at Focus. The company released the new ES 3323, which is a 320W CD/USB MP3 player receiver amplifier that manages paging and program sources into three separate audio zones and the weatherproof P8015-S bass reflex subwoofer.

Other new products include the ART 4 Series portable speakers with the latest digital Digipro amplification technology developed for the ART 7 Series, three new coaxial transducers, and the new TT051-A and TT052-A compact active loudspeakers with a state-of-the-art input board.

YAMAHA Yamaha will show the new M7CL48ES digital console and MY8-SDI-ED interface, launched at ISE. The latest M7CL replaces the 48 internal mic pre-amps with two EtherSound ports, keeping the MY card slots free for other uses such as multitrack recording, the Dante communication protocol or the use of Waves plugins.

The MY8-SDI-ED interface card offers from eight to 64 I/O channels (depending on the console and number of cards used) of HD-SDI embedded audio signals.

TRANTEC Trantec will focus on the Channel 38 ready, S6 wireless system that is modelled on the S6000 range, and takes the 19-inch, 8-way concept to a

higher level. The internal circuitry of the S6 beltpack and handheld transmitter has been upgraded, extending the frequency capability to 80MHz. Trantec will also be exhibiting the SD7000, as well as the 12 channels S5.3 system, the Racked'n'Ready S5.5, 24 channel system, the entry-level S4.4 system featuring four licence-free channels and the 16-channel version S4.16.

CLOUD Cloud Electronics will show the MA60MEDIA, which combines the standards of Cloud mixeramplifiers with an added on-board media player. The company will also show its new VTXWM1 web monitor card, a web server Ethernet option card option for Cloud's new VTX power amplifiers.

NEXO Nexo will be showing the new RS18.

With a frequency response of 31Hz100Hz, RS18 is a compact 2x 18-inch sub that performs equally ably in both directional and omni-directional modes, offering output figures such as 143–146dBPeak (2x1750W to 2 x 4000/81) in Omni mode, and 140– 143dBPeak (2x1750W to 2 x 4000/81) in Directional mode.

POLAR AUDIO Polar Audio will exhibit new and existing pro audio products from ASL, Australian Monitor, beyerdynamic, Biamp, MC2, Novosonar, RenkusHeinz and Revolabs The company’s focus will be on new additions to its lines, including the new AV Revolution DSP from Australian Monitor, beyerdynamic’s new MPR-210 desktop mic – which utilises Revoluto technology, the Stegos – encrypted wireless boundary microphone and the wireless Revoluto range. > plasafocus.com www.audioprointernational.com

Mixes the show without maxing the budget

Introducing the latest addition to Soundcraft’s tour and install-proven Vi Series digital live sound console range. The new Vi1 delivers the acclaimed Vistonics operating interface along with 64 channel/24 bus mixing capacity, built-in FX and dynamics, legendary Vi sound quality and optional MADI stagebox interface – all at a price that won’t max out your budget.

Find out more about the digital mixing consoles that live depends on at

www.soundcraft.com Soundcraft T: +44 (0)1707 665000 E: soundcraft@harman.com Soundcraft US T: 888-251-8352 E: soundcraft-USA@harman.com

> EVENT REVIEW

MARCH 24TH - 27TH MESSE FRANKFURT

Done+Dusted Another Prolight+Sound has been and gone, but was it a rip-roaring success? Rob Hughes finds out…

ell, the main thing is that, despite the best efforts of the BA cabin crew, most of us got to PL+S okay. In fact, it seems that those who did have flight problems were with alternative airlines, so props to BA for keeping it together. Although I do think that the rust bucket they rolled out for Audio Pro’s return journey should be immediately decommissioned before a precariously mounted cathode ray television claims its first victim. It’s just a matter of time.

Those of us who wanted to be there got there and I reckon that was nearly everybody. Admittedly, the halls weren’t quite as busy as before but the exhibitor numbers were as strong as ever and the slightly lower

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visitor figures – which were down just 2,000 on last year across the combined show – were probably the result of company decisions to send fewer employees. I’m sure however, that every pro audio firm worth its salt was represented in some way. It is, after all, Prolight+Sound.

So how positive was the industry’s post-show reaction? Very, as it turns out. I was expecting a few gripes along the lines of: ‘not as much footfall as we’d hoped’, but not a bit of it; in actual fact, I didn’t hear a single complaint. It seems that the visitors who weren’t crowding the aisles were enthusiastically crowding booths instead and many exhibitors had more guests than they could deal with anyway. It should also be pointed

out that slightly smaller stands (though more impressive than ever in terms of design) made for wider aisles and this contributed toward the impression of a quieter show. Nevertheless, the usual PL+S buzz was very much present.

“It was a brilliant show for us,” recalls Vicky Wills from Allen & Heath. “We were consistently busy on the Allen & Heath stand, especially in the iLive area, which was absolutely buzzing with visitors coming to see the new R72 control surface and iDR-16 MixRack. We were in Hall 8 and I heard that some of the other halls were a little quieter, but that certainly wasn’t the case for us; we were busy the whole time.”

Tony Andrews from Funktion-One says: “We’re really pleased with how it

FACT FILE Venue: Messe Fankfurt Date: March 24th – 27th Exhibitors: 829 Visitors: 110,000 (combined with Musikmesse) Verdict: Slightly lower visitor numbers than last year, but neither that nor smaller booths could detract from the positive atmosphere. A successful show for most.

www.audioprointernational.com

PL&S EVENT REVIEW MARCH 24TH - 27TH MESSE FRANKFURT

went. We were glad to be in Hall 8 this year and we managed to get the demo up to a good size and with acoustic characteristics that really contributed to the playback process.

The show itself was a little quieter than last year on the whole, but then we hardly had a minute to ourselves the whole time and we can’t really ask for much more.”

“For us it was a really good show,” adds Patrick Almond from Studiomaster, “the busiest in some years. We launched over 30 new products and that got a great reaction, highlighting the extent to which the brand has a made a comeback recently. We had a lot of footfall in Hall 6.1, actually better than the guys in Hall 8 were getting at some points, so we were really pleased to be in there too.”

And Neutrik’s Charlie Cook was equally impressed: “The first day was pretty much solid with press launches and distributor meetings and the rest of the time the stand was absolutely manic, so it was certainly a successful show for us. Everybody seemed very impressed with our new products and www.audioprointernational.com

not just the digital wireless system, but also the Plug2Plug, which got such a good reaction that we’ve decided to enter for a PLASA award.”

So the exhibitors were largely a happy bunch, but what about the visitors? Well, there was plenty to see as always, but the number of new products that were debuted – and, more to the point, the calibre of them – was very reassuring. PL+S gave us plenty of all-new, innovative and in some cases pioneering bits of kit, suggesting that the manufacturers are beginning to invest a lot more in R&D once again. A handful of highlights were as follows: Digico wowed its fans with the new compact SD9 console, aka Red Snapper. Designed for touring bands, schools, smaller theatres and other users on a tight budget, the new crimson desk, despite its diminutive size, provides a large full colour digital

TFT LCD touch sensitive screen, 24 fulllength motorised faders with touchsensitive fader caps and much more. It features the third generation Stealth Digital Processing software; its Super FPGA technology incorporates floating point processing for optimised headroom, dynamic range and audio quality.

Neutrik was also a big crowd-puller with its own solution to the radio mic crisis – a new wireless technology known as DIWA (digital data transmission without data compression), which utilises the fivegigahertz frequency band. The firm also showed the first product to operate on DIWA, the Xirium professional multichannel wireless system.

Although comparatively humble, Neutrik’s new Plug2Plug connector, which connects a pair of male jack plugs simply by gripping them together.

Alcons Audio entered the touring market with the launch of the LR24

line array system, the result of three year’s work by MD Tom Back and his team. The LR24 boasts the same SPL output of equivalent products in the mid-size, line-array category, yet with 15dB less distortion. Alcons is stating that the LR24 system sets a new benchmark in terms of projection control and sound quality. The system is a complete package, comprising line-array, line-array bass, ground-stacked subs, multichannel amplification and processing. All parts of it have been developed from the ground up, resulting in three patents pending. Back comments: “Hi-fi quality sound at concert SPLs has always been the holy grail of sound reinforcement. Now it is finally available.”

Roland Systems Group introduced the world’s first battery and remote-powered 8x8 digital snake, the RSS S-0808, an eight-in/eight-out compact, lightweight digital snake that supports multiple power options including batterypower, embeddedpower over REAC and power over Ethernet. The inputs offer remote controllable preamps, phantom-power, 24bit/96kHz AD conversion, as well as choices of XLR, TRS line and Hi-Z capability, to reduce the need for direct boxes.

Lab.gruppen unveiled the new flagship of the acclaimed PLM series at the show. Along with two Lake processors, the 20000Q boasts four, 5,000-Watt channels, making it the most powerful amp of its kind. Miguel Hadelich, VP of the touring market division at TC Group International says: “It’s no longer necessary to split configurations across several amplifier types. Rack configuration and inventory management can be vastly simplified, saving time and labour costs.”

There were also a couple of exciting sneak previews, including one from MC2, had a prototype of its first fourchannel, Class D amp on display. The E100 is expected to deliver 3,200W per channel into two Ohms, or 2,500W into two Ohms. Another attentiongrabber was the forthcoming recording console from Allen & Heath, which will be the first of a whole new studio range for the company. There are no details available at present, although, having seen it, we can confirm that it’s a 24-channel model.

Watch this space…

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> LIVE SOUND TRANSMISSION

Ancient transmissions United Music’s annual trance music event, Transmission, is created with extremely high production standards. Last year’s event featured the largest configuration of Funktion-One F221 bass bins ever used and Glastonbury-sized loudspeaker clusters. Andrew Low talks to the Transmission team … rom lasers to lighting, video and fireworks to bass stacks totalling 37 Funktion-One F-221 bass cabinets, Transmission is praised as having some of the highest production standards in Europe. Held annually at Czech Republic’s O2 Arena, last year’s event was created with an ‘Ancient Mysteries’ theme and featured a full Funktion-One system with MC2 amplification and XTA processing among elaborate stage settings and visuals that rivalled an intergalactic fight scene from a science fiction movie.

United Music’s director, Anco van der Kolk, explains that Transmission spares no expense in bringing an unforgettable experience to the 15,000 punters that attend the annual event. He comments: “The events that I was familiar with from growing up in Holland were focused more on the details and production then, say, in the UK where the focus is more on the DJ. We create the concepts for Transmission ourselves and invest money to make it as good as possible.”

With no restriction on noise levels and an arena with great acoustics, UK rental company Audio Plus and Funktion-One’s Tony Andrews were able to design a mammoth system to fulfil van der Kolk’s desire for thundering bass and even coverage throughout the venue. “The year before we used an L-Acoustics system, which was not bad, but I felt like it could be better. I had heard the Funktion-One speakers in dance clubs and wanted to bring that sound to an arena,” van der Kolk explains. “The main difference I noticed with the Funktion-One system was the fantastic bass sound. The spread of the sound throughout the whole venue was also much better. “

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Audio Plus system tech Mark O’Neill comments: “There were huge expectations on us supplying this system; not only did we have to out perform the VDosc system used before, we also had to get a chest-pounding bass response to the back of a 15,000-strong audience. We knew they wanted the wow factor, so we used 37 F221A twin 21-inch bass enclosures compared with the 12 we would normally use on a rock n roll show in this type of space. There were 14 per side, two wide, seven high – these bass stacks ended up being 14 feet high by 11 feet wide giving us control and definition that dance music demands in such a large space. We also had nine F221A bass enclosures across the center in blocks of three with two Res2s on each block for infill. The 58 Res5s controlled dispersion allowed us to ensure the mid/hi coverage throughout the arena with plenty of headroom. We had two main clusters consisting of 20 Res5 and five R4D(downfill) with two delay points at approximately 50m, each consisting of nine x Res5. Sound quality was prioritised with the use of XTA DP448 processors, MC2 E45 amplifiers and a Midas XL4 at FOH. The system performed with outstanding results.”

Funktion-One’s Tony Andrews was also on hand to help tune the mighty system. “It was a long venue, almost the size of Wembley, so we put them in a block of subs to power the bass all the way to the back,” Andrews comments. “My main priority was to keep it on the floor for those who wanted to get the full experience, and it did that.

And around that stack when it was working it was notable that, although the space was packed, only a few people were

”

We create the concepts for Transmission ourselves and invest money in it to make it as good as possible.

Anco van der Kolk United Music

www.audioprointernational.com

TRANSMISSION LIVE SOUND <

standing around the stacks. Only the completely insane were near it,” he laughs.

“It not only had height but it also had a decent amount of width. We didn’t use them to full power at all. In fact I don’t even think we got out of the amber lights.”

The large and tall stacks were also configured specifically to avoid the problems created when subs are placed across the lip of the stage. “If you put subs across the front of the stage they are going to give pretty narrow coverage and they will not get back into the bleachers,” Andrews explains. “What they will do is curl back on the stage and completely confuse your mix.

When you are working in a small place you might not have the choice but to put them across the stage, but by and large it is not a good idea.

“I don’t like the idea of pointing bass backwards and cardioding it. It is a timing issue that relates to dimension, and dimension relates to frequency, so it is only going to work at a narrow band of frequencies. I guess you can do it if you are using those one-note bandpass bins that are already very narrow because they are not making the rest of the bass frequencies. I just figured that we should put up a solid stack and power it the way we usually do. And we used our XTA self powered speakers, which saved time and space.”

Curious?

XTA processors formed part of the AudioCore Control Network, along with Funktion-One powered enclosures that were part of a FunktionNet monitoring network. The whole system was accessible via wireless tablet.

Andrews comments: “It was great to use the XTA wireless control. Literally, as the show started we were able to dial the delays in. If you are at the top of the bleacher it is a single delays setting and if you are at the bottom it is definitely another, so you pick the medium position.

“With the tablet PC and wireless system we were able to adjust it so that the delay actually disappeared and it sounded like it was all coming from the front. The timing of the delays has to be done in real time by adjusting in milliseconds, and it only took us about five minutes to do. And we were able to be in the crowd doing it. It is better to adjust them when the people are in the venue because, acoustically, it is less reflective.

“If you set the system during the day and then add people six hours later it will have a totally different environment. The humidity and temperature will have changed, so you need to be able to do it at the start of the gig. Humidity and temperature change the speed of sound through the air. When you are dealing with milliseconds, and bear in mind that we can resolve down to 15 to 20 microseconds, it needs to be done.”

”

My main priority was to keep [the bass] on the floor for those who wanted to get the full experience, and it did that.

Tony Andrews Funktion-One

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SMALL FORMAT PA LIVE SOUND <

Genre-bending electronic musos Underworld show off their Funktion-One Res 2 system

Bang without bulk These days, it’s possible to squeeze a fair old racket out of some rather modestly sized speaker cabinets.

Rob Hughes checks out what’s on offer in the current small-format PA sector… imilarly to the way my friend’s fearless chihuahua is the proud owner of a bark that completely belies his pint-sized physique, my aging KRK monitors, despite sporting nothing more than customary eight-inch woofers, are more than capable of frightening said friend – as I proved last weekend – and quite possibly his dog, were I to allow it into my house.

Unlike the chihuahua, which, regardless of its undeniable gusto, was clearly an illadvised purchase, my monitors were worth every penny. Of this, I was reminded recently when I upgraded my mixer to a new model with oodles of headroom and transparency (for the price anyway), which grabbed the KRKs by the scruff of the neck and beat them into acoustic submission.

They are now, at least within the confines of my makeshift studio, earbleedingly loud. It’s awesome.

As you can tell, I’m excited by my new setup, primarily because, as humble as it is, it downright shakes the house down. But am I satisfied? No, since with my ever-increasing realisation of just how many SPLs you can squeeze out of a breezeblock-sized lump comes an ever-increasing desire to explore the possibilities – and maybe extend my neighbour-annoying potential to the next street (it currently ends at number 46, which, to my shame, is the house next door).

I’ll let you know how I get on, but in the meantime, here is a collection of boxes that probably represent the zenith of what I could achieve on my quest for bang without bulk.

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www.audioprointernational.com

OHM Ohm’s Ersa Minor, with dual six-inch neodymium main drivers and a high frequency waveguide, gives a dispersion of 120 by 20 degrees and a power rating of 250 Watts (RMS).

Ideal for small venues, theatres and performance areas in schools, the individual Ersa Minor cabinets can be stand-mounted, singly or in pairs, to provide wide dispersion sound for conferences and meeting rooms. The cabinets can also be used singly for in-fills and under balcony applications.

Each cabinet is just 410mm wide and can be hung in multiples by means of the built-in wafer flying system and singlepoint hanging frame. The flying frames have a built-in patch panel, which allows a multiple array to be transported with the cables still attached to the cabinets.

The cabinets are fitted with twin Neutrik Speakons allowing for easy daisy chaining and an HF attenuation switch for single or multiple cabinet use. The eight-Ohm cabinet has a frequency response of 80Hz to 20KHz (-3dB) and has a maximum SPL of 123dB. A range of Ohm sub-woofers are available to complete the system. Six Ersa Minors would typically need a double 18-inch sub.

”

Ersa Minor cabinets can be stand-mounted, singly or in pairs, to provide wide dispersion sound for conferences and meeting rooms.

FUNKTION-ONE Funktion-One offers three sizes of full range, all-in-one PA enclosures, suitable for small to medium size venues. All three models – Resolution 1.5, Resolution 2 and Resolution 3 – feature F1’s signature Axhead mid range technology, renowned bass and overall natural accurate sound achieved through

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> LIVE SOUND SMALL FORMAT PA proprietory driver design, rather than corrective processing.

All the enclosures offer high sensitivity and therefore big output for minimum input.

The Resolution 1.5 is a two-way enclosure with 90-degree dispersion, high fidelity and very effective low frequency output for its small size. It is suited for applications needing a single enclosure per side. A five-inch loudspeaker is integrated to operate cleanly down to a low crossover point of 520Hz and enable a smooth transition to the 18-inch bass driver.

The Resolution 2 ups the driver count to three, with a 15inch LF, eight-inch Axhead mid range and a passively crossed over one-inch high frequency unit. Similarly, the Resolution 3 is also a three-way enclosure, though substantially larger, comprising a special horn-loaded 18-inch bass loudspeaker with five-inch voice coil, new Axhead loaded ten-inch loudspeaker for mid-range and one-inch compression driver for high frequencies. The mid high section can be rotated for horizontal installation and it produces exceptional SPL for its size with bass so convincing that additional sub bass is unnecessary.

ELECTRO-VOICE EV’s Phoenix series employs Electro-Voice’s manifold technology. Designed for huge SPLs and sonic headroom, as well as easy transport and setup, Phoenix is targeted at users that find the X-Array too much and QRx not enough. The output of the boxes is optimised for rock, pop and dance music genres. Using dual ND2 neodymium compression drivers on a manifold horn and state-of-the-art DVX woofers, the speakers can operate at high levels for sustained periods with minimum stress on system components.

Passive and bi-amp selectable, the dual two-way PX2152 features twin DVX3150 15-inch, ND2 low-frequency transducers with forced air cooling, two-inch voice coil, and one-inch, exit neodymium compression drivers. Maximum SPL is 136dB with a 60 by 45 degree rotatable coverage pattern.

Power handling is 1,200W continuous or 4,800W peak.

DB TECHNOLOGIES dB Technologies’ active DVX series pairs the company’s Digipro power amp with RCF speaker components such as neodymium woofers with double-wound voice coils for high load handling and minimum power compression. High-quality tweeter cones are made from Mylar or titanium and rotatable HF horns from aluminium, keeping drivers cool. The two-way DVX D15 is the enclosure of choice for use as a full-range FOH. Its 1.4-inch driver with a 2.5-inch titanium voice coil is designed to handle high loads and is capable of throwing punchy signals across medium-to-longer distances. Its integrated Digipro digital power amp delivers high SPLs and with the 15-inch RCF low/mid woofer, will deliver a dynamic response and tight low-end reproduction.

DB also offers the Entire Active system design (EASD), in which DVX models may be combined with DVA line array active subwoofers.

LD SYSTEMS LD System’s LD Premium range has been on the market for a year now, having been launched at Prolight+Sound 2009 and if the amount of LD Premium branding seen flying around in Frankfurt this year is anything to go by, it’s proving to be quite a hit. The LD Premium range has inherited the same ‘bang for buck’ appeal that the firm’s MI products – including the Dave series of portable systems – have built a solid reputation among many hard-working professional musicians.

The entire range was developed by a team of experienced audio designers and FOH engineers 20

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in the USA and Germany. The series comprises two-way, fullrange loudspeakers, array systems and subs, all of which offer a compact PA solution.

The flagship LD VA-8 and VAPS215 sub offer a frequency response of 70Hz to 19kHz, 34Hz to 400Hz and a peak power handling of 1,200W and 2,400W, respectively.

ALCONS An asymmetrical enclosure and revolvable 90 by 40-degree waveguide make Alcons’ two-way VR8 ideal as a compact FOH system. It has the multi-patented RBN401 four-inch pro-ribbon driver with ‘Real-90’ horizontal dispersion and eight-inch vented mid-bass driver.

Frequency response is 74Hz to 20kHz, with a peak output reaching up to 125dB. The 800W peak handling of the HF pro-ribbon features a 16:1 peak-to-RMS ratio (traditional HF transducers bring a 2:1 ratio). This caters for a virtually unlimited dynamic range of 1kHz to beyond 20kHz. Pro-ribbons have a naturally flat impedance, negating the use of impedance-correction circuitry in the passive filter and considerably shortening the signal path. Production tolerances are within one dB, so that any two VR8s can be regarded as a matched pair.

If line array is required, Alcons also offers the LR7, which features the same RBN401 pro-ribbon driver. With a frequency response of 74Hz (-3dB) to above 20kHz, the LR7 enables a full-range deployment without the necessity of additional sub bass systems.

JBL Sharing components with the touring standard Vertec line arrays, JBL’s lightweight and compact VRX900 series comprises two eight-inch and 12-inch formats, including a powered option in the latter. The VRZ928LA has a frequency response of 87Hz to 19kHz and peak power of 1,600 Watts and the VRZ932LA-1, of 75Hz to 20kHz and 3,200 Watts, respectively.

Both 15 and 18-inch, bass-reflex subs form part of the range The VRX accomplishes a consistent sound field by way of JBL’s Array Configuration Selector.

VMB VMB’s Lynx LX-F6 is a small-format powered line array module with a folded ribbon HF unit, 1,500W of integrated Class-D, switch-mode amplification, VMB digital signal processing and networking capabilities. It also features a builtin inclinometer and was the first line array element to do so.

The LX-F6 uses two custom-made six-inch (1.5-inch voice coil) Ciare transducers and one one-by-five-inch Beyma AMT. To VMB’s knowledge, the Lynx is the only commercial line array on the market that is both self powered and employs an AMT (Air Motion Transformer). The advantage of this device is the small and very controlled movement of each www.audioprointernational.com

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> LIVE SOUND SMALL FORMAT PA

“

Our HF transducer exhibits a reduction of 20dB in intermodulation distortion and 10dB in third harmonic distortion.

Joel Damiano VMB

fold, accelerating the surrounding air to produce an almost perfect acoustical output in amplitude, phase and all the radiating areas of the transducer.

“Measurements show that our HF transducer exhibits a reduction of 20dB in intermodulation distortion and 10dB in third harmonic distortion,” states Joel Damiano, VMB’s applications manager. “Spectral contamination is 15dB down in vocal ranges and transient response decay is twice as fast.”

The LX-215S is the subwoofer complement to the LX-F6, boasting two neodymium 15-inch woofers with four-inch interleaved sandwich coils, each powered by a 1,000W amp.

ADAMSON The Canadian line array specialist offers two compact series of loudspeakers, the SpekTrix and Metrix series, which possess true line-source array characteristics, made possible by proprietary wave shaping sound chamber technology.

The larger SpekTrix is a three-way enclosure exhibiting a significant output to size ratio. The sound chamber has a defined coverage pattern of five-degrees vertical by 120-degrees horizontal and produces a slightly curved, iso-phase wave front.

The Metrix is a two-way enclosure with the same coverage pattern as the SpekTrix.

Both speakers use the same components – Adamson 8.5-inch Kevlar neodymium drivers and B&C DE 900 compression drivers – and are 15-degree trapezoidal cabinets for extreme downward angles at the bottom of arrays. The SpekTrix Sub is equipped with two 18-inch AW18 Kevlar neodymium bass drivers mounted in a tuned, vented and fully braced cabinet.

STUDIOMASTER Launched at PL+S last month, the Studiomaster A6 series marks the company’s entry into the line array market.

The A6 series is a compact and self-powered modular system, with each module comprising an A6-212SA bass unit, housing one 800W and two 400W amps and two A6-206-4 hi/mid cabinets. The system can either be ground-stacked or flown, with flying points fitted on both cabs. The A6-212SA features two 12-inch ultra LF drivers driven by the 800W amp, with each hi/mid cab driven separately by a 400W amp. The A6-2064 is fitted with two 6.5-inch custom drivers and a single 44mm throat compression driver.

A pre-set electronic crossover is integrated to ensure optimal system performance with all types of program material and all amps have level controls, bargraph displays and limiters.

Studiomaster also launched the JX series at PL+S. This comprises 14 different models – seven active and seven passive – all incorporating a driver design that features a new magnet configuration to reduce distortion at high power.

DAS At the recent ISE show, DAS introduced the latest member of its Aero line array series – the compact Aero 8A. The 8A line array elements debuted alongside the LX-212A powered companion subwoofer.

Measuring only 24.5 x 52.6 x 35.5cm, the 8A unit is equipped with a third generation Class D power amplifier and digital signal processing. The amp offers 250W for the LF

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loudspeaker and 100W for the HF driver. A two-position HF eq compensation switch adjusts the high frequency response for arrays of four or eight or more units.

Low frequency reproduction is handled by DAS’ 8MN eight-inch low frequency transducer. The 8MN employs a 62mm voice coil and neodymium magnet motor assembly.

High frequency reproduction is through the new M-60N neodymium compression driver. Each motor system is attached to the new BPS-191 waveguide-horn assembly.

PEAVEY The smaller member of the Versarray family and the speaker that launched Peavey into the line array market is the 112 ribbondriver enclosure. It features a lightweight 12-inch Neo Black Widow woofer, with four-inch voice coil and neodymium magnet structure in a 13-ply Baltic birch enclosure.

Versarray Series enclosures utilise special bracket-and-pin flying hardware for a flexible rigging system that allows full articulation of the top boxes. Users can adjust two modules away from each other in two-and-a-half-degree increments from zero to 15 degrees, allowing for a classic straight-line array configuration or a number of angling options.

112 arrays can provide sound reinforcement for up to 10,000 people and are intended for use with Versarray 118 or 218 subs.

The 118 and 218 are vented subwoofers, incorporating Peavey’s ultra-high power Lo Max 18-inch woofer in a 13-ply Baltic birch cabinet. The 218 model also features Peavey’s patented UniVent system, which uses an exclusive process to pump air through the enclosure, maintaining cool operating temperatures, increasing reliability and reducing power compression under heavy continuous-drive conditions.

EAW Despite its trim dimensions, EAW’s JFL210 line array module boasts a whole range of the firm’s principal line array technologies. It utilises a constant curvature design to form easily configured arrays with predictable output and coherence, and coverage that is both horizontally symmetric and consistent from short to long throws.

Each two-way, full-range JFL210 module features neodymium drivers for an optimum performance/weight ratio.

Two ten-inch (2.5-inch voice coil) woofers are complemented by a three-inch (1.4-inch-exit) compression driver, closely matched with a horn for directivity. These components help deliver a maximum peak output of more than 130 dB SPL, allowing JFL210 arrays to comfortably fill large spaces.

The JFL210 can be flown or stacked in a variety of ways.

Arrays may be easily flown or ground stacked, and up to two enclosures may be mounted on a tripod loudspeaker stand or on a pole above the forthcoming JFL118 subwoofer.

MEYER SOUND In another Frankfurt unveiling, Meyer Sound introduced Mina, the newest and smallest member of the Milo family. The Mina enclosure is just over a foot and a half long and weighs just 47lbs, yet is capable of producing up to 128dB over a 100degree horizontal coverage area. Mina can be used in a curvilinear array system, for frontfill and under-balconies. It is www.audioprointernational.com

> LIVE SOUND SMALL FORMAT PA

“

Mina is a mature product focusing all of the advances we've made since releasing Milo.

John Meyer Meyer Sound

CONTACTS OHM ohm.co.uk FUNKTION-ONE funktion-one.com ELECTRO-VOICE electrovoice.com DB TECHNOLOGIES dbtechnologies.com ALCONS AUDIO alconsaudio.com LD PREMIUM ld-premium.com JBL jblpro.com VMB vmb.es ADAMSON adamsonsystems.com STUDIOMASTER studiomaster.com DAS dasaudio.com EAW eaw.com PEAVEY peavey.com MEYER SOUND meyersound.com RENKUS HEINZ renkus-heinz.com TANNOY tannoy.com HK AUDIO hkaudio.com RCF rcf.it MARTIN AUDIO martin-audio.com APG apg-audio.com

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capable of integrating easily with its slightly larger sibling M’elodie, yet powerful enough to stand alone in smaller theatres, HOW, ballrooms and corporate AV. “Mina is a mature product focusing all of the advances we've made since releasing Milo,” comments John Meyer. “These include a new digital amplifier, a new manifold configuration based on the patented REM and new horn design.”

RENKUS-HEINZ RH’s IC Live incorporates the Iconyx digitally steerable array technology into a product designed for live sound reinforcment.

The IC Live module incorporates five neodymium 6.5-inch cone woofers and three neodymium compression drivers on purposedesigned waveguides. A multi-channel DSP/amplifier controls each transducer individually. Complex signal processing shapes the array’s output and steers it in the desired direction, steering the sound and not the box.

IC Live arrays produce narrow vertical beams of 30degrees, 25-degrees and 20-degrees that can be steered up or down by up to 30-degrees at .01degree resolution. Horizontal dispersion is a wide 150-degrees. The ICL215S is a systems matching dual 15-inch bandpass subwoofer.

TANNOY Tannoy’s Power V range is a line of compact, active sound reinforcement loudspeakers equipped with the Tannoy Dual Concentric or PowerDual point source, constant directivity drive unit technology. Six, eight, 12 and 15-inch models are available, plus a HP version of the 12-inch for high SPL applications. The Power V 12 has a frequency response range of 70Hz to 25kHz in full range mode and its rated maximum SPL is 126dB peak, or 120dB average.

The Dual Concentric drive unit features a reinforced paper mid-bass cone and double rolled cambric surround for high sensitivity, as well as a dual magnet assembly and a Tulip WaveGuide for the high frequency unit. The two drivers are merged into one with the high frequency mounted in the throat of the mid bass, aligning both transducers to a point source. The result is a uniform frequency response over a wide coverage area.

For applications requiring bass extension, the Power VS15 BP is a versatile bandpass subwoofer system, with integrated Class D amplification that extends the frequency response to below 40Hz. HK AUDIO HK’s Cohedra Compact line array series includes the CDR 108 C single eight-inch and dual one-inch mid/high unit with a 100degree horizontal angle of radiation. It feature a compression chamber on the midrange transducer and Cohedra AcousticLens technology, for the one-inch driver’s true CD horn design. A passive crossover is used with a corner frequency of 800Hz. Complementing the mid-high module is CDR 210 C subwoofer, a direct-radiating dual ten-inch sub. The CDR 210 C also serves as the base for the CDR 108 C mid/high unit.

RCF A smaller brother to its flagship TTL55-A line array element, RCF’s TTL31-A is a compact and powered, full-range, wide dispersion module. It features 750W switching amplifiers, a wide, constant directivity coverage angle, high-power neodymium transducers, high quality analog input board and 96kHz, 32-bit DSP processing with soft limiter and RMS protection.

It features three one-inch Neo compression drivers with 37mm voice coil and one eight-inch Neo woofer with 64mm voice coil. The loudspeaker’s frequency response extends from 60Hz to 20kHz and max SPL output of 132dB. Intended applications of the unit include theatrical sound reinforcement, portable and installed A/V systems, front and under-balcony fill, HOW, ballrooms, concert halls and other fixed venue installations. It should be used with the TTL12-AS 1,000-Watt, 12-inch, active line array subwoofer module.

MARTIN AUDIO Martin Audio’s W8LC is a compact line array enclosure that meets the need for a high power, high bass impact system that is easier to implement than the larger W8L Longbow.

The enclosure packs in one 12-inch, two 6.5-inch and three one-inch drivers, which together achieve a maximum SPL output of 129dB continuous, or 135dB peak. It allows true 90° (-6dB) horizontal mid and HF pattern control, with smooth off-axis response, useable out to 120° (-10dB).

The loudspeaker is fully compatible with the full size W8L and W8LC grids allow systems to be flown or ground-stacked.

Though compact in size, the W8LC is a full-bandwidth system and may be used without subwoofers in many applications, due to its all-horn design. Where additional low frequency extension is required, W8LCs may be complemented by the W8LS line array subwoofer, WLX horn and reflex-loaded subwoofer or WSX horn-loaded subwoofer.

APG APG’s Dispersion series is comprised of five multi-purpose loudspeakers, all of which possess ergonomic and performance characteristics that make them suitable for FOH, distributed sound, stage monitor or reinforcement. Each model employs coaxial technology to offer a perfectly consistent conical acoustic field.

The flagship of the series and what the firm calls “the driving force of the APG range” is the DS15S, cited by the firm as one of the most powerful loudspeakers in the multi-purpose category.

APG notes that its sonic quality is often compared to that of studio monitors. For the purposes of this roundup the pick of the bunch has to be the DS12S, a compact speaker equipped with a 12-inch coaxial assembly and the same performance as a standard 15-inch-based speaker in a much smaller box. It has a bandwidth of 55Hz to 18kHz and can deliver a continuous 124dB, with an efficiency of 98dB (1W/1m). www.audioprointernational.com

THE

PERFECT

MIX...

HD 380 Pro

With their wide frequency response, high sound pressure level delivery and excellent passive attenuation of external noise, these collapsible professional headphones are the ideal tool for audio professionals - even in noisy environments.

The perfect mix...whenever, wherever. www.sennheiser.co.uk

> LIVE SOUND CROWN XLS

Softly lies the With five patents covering various energy-saving technologies, there’s no doubt that Crown’s latest XLS model finds out that, while environmental efforts are indeed being stepped up, efficiency is no new concept to the espite being aimed squarely at the MI market, Crown’s new XLS amp is nevertheless of some interest to audio professionals, because it seems to be an indication of what the future holds for amplification in the touring and installation sectors. Crown calls the amp a ‘game changer’ and is rightly proud of it, having set new standards of power and efficiency at the ‘prosumer’ price level.

“The XLS amps are based on a whole bunch of proprietary amp technologies developed by Crown that bring ultra high efficiency and performance, but at that entry level price point where XLS lives,” says Marc Kellom, Crown’s VP of marketing. “There are five patents on what is happening inside that box and when you see those things and pick them up, you get a sense for what an accomplishment it really is.

There are people out there that are claiming that they have seven-pound amplifiers that do 2,000 Watts, but when Crown says that, it really means it. You’re going to see that type of technology migrating to all the price points and all the product groups in the near future.”

The XLS is the latest Harman product to conform to the group’s Green Edge initiative, which is probably best summed

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up as Harman’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact as much as possible, by changing manufacturing processes and raising the efficiency levels of its products.

In the factory, Crown has made a commitment to recycling and the reduction of power consumption, while within the amplifiers themselves increasingly lighter and smaller components that nevertheless combine to deliver escalating efficiency levels and power-to-weight ratios can be found.

“Green Edge is a Harman-wide initiative,” explains Kellom.

“For example, our automotive division has demonstrated some technologies that have facilitated highly efficient amplifiers and signal processing for use in automobiles. That’s a huge issue for those who are making hybrid and electric vehicles, where every Watt wasted is a big deal. In that industry, inefficient components add directly to battery weight and reduce the range of the vehicle, among other problems.

But that’s just a snapshot – the idea behind Green Edge is to try to pull all of this into a simple message that people can get their brains around. For us it’s important not just to put a green shirt on and tell everybody that we’re environmentally www.audioprointernational.com

CROWN XLS LIVE SOUND <

Crown conforms to Harman’s Green Edge initiative. Rob Hughes amp manufacturer… friendly, the point of it is to say that we’re serious about this and that we have been for some time.”

With the XLS series, the company has applied the Green Edge concept to a Class D design that has allowed the amp to be delivered to the market at a price within reach of professional musicians. However, for those with deeper pockets and a need to maximise return on investment, Crown’s Class I technology, found in the I-Tech and Macro-Tech series, remains one of the most efficient amplifier technologies on the market today, despite having been around for well over ten years. Class I was invented and patented by Crown in 1996 to combine the efficiencies of PWM (pulse width modulation) with the fidelity of Class A, which, at the time, was required more for practical, than environmental reasons.

“We had clients doing some very large installations in the 1990s and once we started networking amplifiers at that time with the original HiQnet system, this is really where the emphasis on efficiency came in,” recalls Kellom. “Clients started to say: ‘This is interesting, because it gives me a way to shut my entire system down when it’s not being used and that lowers my electric bill and my air conditioning bill and makes everybody www.audioprointernational.com

happy’. So nobody was really doing it because they were concerned about the environment at the time; they were doing it more out of a need to save money.

“Likewise, with the K series, which was the first amplifier to use Class I technology, we were just going after the idea of reducing power consumption for practical reasons. All the things that are now interesting from an environmental perspective, for us at the time were more about, for example, getting more amplifiers on a single circuit or eliminating the need for people to drag giant cables everywhere when they needed lots of power. Also, we were building larger and larger amplifiers and while no one really thinks too much about the energy efficiency of a 500-Watt amp, when you get to 5,000 Watts then it starts to become more of an issue because you’re dealing with bigger power cords, bigger mains connectors, a larger chassis and all these things that, ideally, people don’t want. So we came at it from the practicality of use angle, but now, we’re more than happy to talk about being environmentally responsible, because it’s something that we’ve been doing all along.”

And who can blame Crown? The real world energy savings realised by Class I are staggering.

Since 2004, Crown has shipped 13,500 Class I amps with a total weight of 189 tons and using 11,678,580kW of electricity per year. If it had shipped 13,500 MA5002VZ amps, the total weight would have been 519.8 tons and the yearly electricity usage, 18,370,800kW. This translates as an energy saving of 6,692,220, which is enough to power 370 homes for a year. And in freight terms, the weight reduction of 331 tons is enough to prevent the emission of 400 metric tons of greenhouse gases annually, equivalent to taking 75 cars off the road.

Perhaps even more impressively, these savings have not been at the expense of sound quality, as several big touring firms, including Audio Analysts and Sound Image will attest. In fact, Class I has won so much confidence over the years that when Crown announced its flagship I-Tech HD last year, with features that on paper would help to boost fidelity even further, a number rental companies placed sizeable orders on the spot.

“What was so important to us – and the reason that class I was such a big deal for us – was that it gave you lots of efficiency improvements and all the great things that go with that, but it never compromised sound quality. Class D has come a very long way now, but in the late 90s that was not a viable technology – it was only being used in situations where people could tolerate a lot of distortion, for subwoofers, for example. Now it’s a lot better understood, so it’s become much more useable, but even now most Class D designs at really high power levels still face some challenges.”

And now to the burning question: what kind of benefits has Crown seen in return for its efforts?

“In the US, the end users of our products are starting to recognise that this is a big issue,” adds Kellom. “Local governments that are building, for example, a new library or convention centre are putting out requirements for LEED certification and they’re asking questions of their sub-contractors, such as how much electricity they are going to use and if they can come down ten or 20 per cent. This is not something that is new to us and if you’re looking to design an energy efficient audio system, we’re a great place to start. The other thing is that, since we’re building smaller and lighter products, they are less expensive to ship and they use fewer raw materials in the first place; everything shrinks. We’ve done some maths on this and although we haven’t calculated the savings exactly, they are unquestionably there. A pallet of 48 Crown amplifiers now weighs probably one third of what it used to, yet puts out more power – significantly more power. And you save a lot of money on fuel when you’re trucking one third of the weight.” > crownaudio.com

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HEADPHONE REVIEW STUDIO<

Cans at a glance Graphic Nature Studio’s Chris Frost puts his head between some of the market’s leading headphones... ith so many headphones on offer, it can be hard to decide what is best for a particular application. In this review I have put six pairs to the test. They range from £100.00 – £280.00, and each have their own sound and feel, especially when it comes down to critical listening during long sessions. Here are my findings:

W

Headphone: Audio Technica ATH-M40fs closed back headphones Spec: 5-28,000Hz, 60 Ohm, 250g, 3m straight cable with quarter-inch jack Design/build: Comfort/long term wearing:

Headphone: Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro semi open back dynamic headphones Spec: 5-35,000Hz, 250 Ohm, 295g, 3m coiled cable, 3.5mm and quarter-inch adaptor (gold plated).

Design/build: Comfort/long term wearing: Stereo imaging/width: Sound: On-site replaceable parts: No Accessories included: Large padded soft case Extras: Braille on each side to distinguish left and right

Stereo imaging/width: Sound: On-site replaceable parts: Elements, cables and earpads can be changed in the field Accessories included: No Extras: Collapsible design and ear pieces swivel 180-degrees for one-ear monitoring Headphone: Sennheiser HD 380 Pro closed back dynamic headphones Spec: 8-27,000Hz, 54 Ohm, 220g, 3m coiled cable with 3.5mm and quarter-inch adaptor (gold plated) Design/build: Comfort/long term wearing:

Headphone: Audio Technica ATH-M50 closed back headphones Spec: 15-28,000Hz, 38 Ohm, 284g, 3m coiled cable with 3.5mm and quarter-inch adaptor (gold plated) Design/build: Comfort/long term wearing:

Stereo imaging/width: Sound: On-site replaceable parts: Replaceable single sided coiled cable Accessories included: Padded case Extras: Collapsible design and ear pieces swivel 180-degrees for one-ear monitoring

Stereo imaging/width: Sound: On-site replaceable parts: No Accessories included: Padded bag Extras: Collapsible design and earpieces swivel 180 degrees for one-ear monitoring

Headphone: Shure SRH840 closed back dynamic headphones Spec: 5-25,000Hz, 44 Ohm, 317.5g, 3m coiled cable with 3.5mm and quarter-inch adaptor (gold plated) Design/build: Comfort/long term wearing:

Headphone: Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro closed back dynamic headphones Spec: 5-35,000Hz, 80 Ohm, 270g, 3m straight cable, 3.5mm and quarter-inch adaptor (gold plated) Design/build: Comfort/long term wearing: Stereo imaging/width: Sound: On-site replaceable parts: No Accessories included: No Extras: Braille on each side to distinguish left and right

Stereo imaging/width: Sound: On-site replaceable parts: Detachable coiled cable Accessories included: Carry case and additional spare pair of ear pads Conclusion Out of the six headphone sets I tested, a few of them really stood out. I found the Beyer DT880s to be extremely comfortable and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s had a great all-around sound. I would also add that, due to their extended bass, the Sennheiser HD 380s are perfect for dance music production. The Shure SRH840s were my favourite due to their clear and flat frequency response coupled with a very comfortable design. > graphicnature.co.uk

www.audioprointernational.com

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> STUDIO INTERVIEW

Masonic mixing Brighton-based dance duo Freemasons have had to up their game in recent times, after a string of high-profile production credits. Rob Hughes gets the lowdown from band member James Wiltshire, on how they’re adapting to the American market…

iven that Freemasons named themselves after the pub located within staggering distance of their Brighton base, you might be forgiven for thinking that they spend more time lifting pints of beer than tweaking compression ratios. However, if this is the case, then they must make pretty damn good use of their studio time because, for two artists whose roots are firmly planted in the club music scene, they’ve enjoyed a chunky slice of chart success.

And it’s not only their own original creations that have hit the big time – Freemason remixes have been equally well received, helping turn them into one of, if not the most successful crossover dance act in the UK. After the riproaring success of tracks such as Uninvited, international acclaim was inevitable and saw the pair asked to put their touch to records such as Déjà Vu by Beyoncé Knowles (for which they were nominated for a Grammy). Their experience and capability was quickly noted as they became established hit-makers, working alongside the likes of The Neptunes and Neyo to gain production credits on records by Solange Knowles (sister of Beyonce) and X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke, respectively.

Audio Pro was keen to find out how Freemasons managed to balance their output across two polarised scenes in their native UK, but soon found out that there was an even bigger, international juggling act involved.

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You produce and engineer your own music for both the underground club scene and the mainstream market. Do you take a different technical approach to each; for example, does it become necessary to re-engineer an underground track if it becomes successful and is headed for the charts?

In the past we have had a number of our club mixes turned into radio edits, and in those cases it’s often quite straightforward, though we do tend to go back to the original page, pull it up and re-balance stuff specifically for radio. However, recently we did a mix of Shakira’s Gypsy. We were actually commissioned to do an alternate radio edit as opposed to a full-on club mix, so we had to adopt completely different principles, because it was destined for international radio – including the US – as well as Britain.

Over here we live in a nice little microcosm where we quite like the vibe of a mix, whereas over in the States it’s very sonically based. Their radio compression and the sound of their records is as big as their roads, and so we’ve had to really up our game with what we were doing in our little room, just to compete, because there are some incredible mixers in the US at the moment, absolutely incredible. Some of the stuff that they are doing with just Pro Tools boxes and decent monitoring rooms is actually quite phenomenal.

Everything really changed when America grabbed hold of the idea of dance music – or ‘four-on-the-floor’ stuff anyway – and it

”

We were actually commissioned to do an alternate radio edit of Shakira’s song Gypsy opposed to a full-on club mix and so we had to adopt completely different principles.

James Wiltshire Freemasons

www.audioprointernational.com

INTERVIEW STUDIO< started coming through from the urban music producers. The urban guys were fascinated by it but were programmed in a completely different way and because these US engineers were getting amazingly loud mixes, it’s really changed some of the landscape of the radio in America and Europe.

It has meant that we’ve had to start trying to work with two separate heads on.

In Europe it can be slightly different – an edited version of a club mix can often make it on the radio. There are normally some tweaks and also some quite serious mastering that goes on to get it to the kind of level that is required for radio. Obviously club stuff has so much sub bass in it and some of that has to disappear.

What does all this mean in terms of the equipment that you’re using?

Have you had to put together a studio that would rival the sort of facility commonly used to record and mix chart stuff in the States or do you use the same gear that you would for UK club mixes?

Well it’s financially prohibited at the moment, at the level that we’re at, for us to assemble a really high-end studio. That will hopefully be something that we do at some stage of our career, but what we have done is to dramatically change what was a very modest setup, specifically based around the sonics of it. We got in touch with the guys at Prism Sound and they’ve just been absolute diamonds. We ended up getting two new Orpheus interfaces and as soon as they went in we noticed an enormous difference, especially in the definition within the bottom end and the stereo imaging.

The two Orpheuses go into a Neve 8816 summing mixer and monitoring is on Event Opals, so we’ve got fairly high-end stuff at that

”

Wiltshire: The compression used on American radio is very heavy, but it’s a big full sound and you have to mix especially for that. In Britain, there’s still an element of punk that goes through mixing.

level. We’ve also bought a few other bits: we’ve got a nice big API rack with 550 eqs and 512 preamps, an SSL X-Rack with two E-Series eqs and two of the X-Rack series eqs and two Empirical Labs Distressors, a matched pair, because we’ve found that a lot of the American guys were using the same path for drums, which is Distressor into API. The great thing about the system, the way we’ve got it now, is that we can finally loop through Logic – in other words use direct ins and outs to plug through the analog gear. Logic 9 finally allows you to actually ‘ping’ it and work out the latency compensation.

So you’ve adopted a kind of a hybrid approach to mixing – not quite inside the box, but not quite outside either. How are you getting on with this method?

It’s almost like going back to basics from a technical point of view because I’ve had to work that out, with Logic outputs you do have to be careful, because as soon as you go back into the analog domain, all the stuff that you’d learnt has been destroyed in your mind. I come from an analog background and I had to relearn everything to work digitally and now I’m having to learn all over again to go back to analog. Again, it’s about keep two hats on and it can be complicated. But as soon as you can work out the direct operating levels for stuff and things like that, the difference it’s made to our records to have the drums coming out of one stereo pair and the bass out of another is ten times better than what was coming direct out of the computer.

The Neve’s headroom is something like +25 before it hits the rails and that is incredibly useful with anything that is really dynamic, because you can push mixes on it and you start to get a desk crunch to it. And this links up with the Orpheuses because you can just pile a mix back in. The difference when it comes to putting a mix back into the Orpheus is huge.

The old setup worked for us for years and we didn’t really realise that we needed to change it until we started to work directly with the US. The A&R guys there really do go for the sonics of a record. The compression that’s used on American radio is very heavy, but it’s a big full sound and you have to mix especially for that. In Britain, there’s still a naughty side – an element of punk that still goes through mixing: “right, let’s just turn up all the mid range and it’ll be all right”, but then that’s what makes our mixes stand up against the American ones. Some of the American mixes are incredible but sometimes they sound a bit bland.

So I think halfway in between is the way to go – I wouldn’t want to mix a record just for the UK or just for America anymore. www.audioprointernational.com

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> STUDIO URS PLUGINS REVIEW

It’s character building Wes Maebe tries out the URS plugin bundle and adds an analog feel to Delta Unit’s latest EP UNIQUE IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET I first came across the URS plugins when I was mixing at Elliott Randall’s studio. When someone with the recording heritage of Randall gets excited about a product, you can’t help but be very intrigued indeed.

LET’S BACK THE TIME TRAVEL TRUCK UP A TAD Back to 1978 to be precise. This was when Bobby and Joanne Nathan founded the Unique Recording Studios, smack dab in the middle of New York City. URS started out as an eight-track facility, expanding to 16-track Tascam and quickly moving on to the first ever made Otari MTR-90 24-track. In the early eighties, thanks to the fast-growing hip hop scene, URS had to build another room to cope with the sheer volume of clients gravitating towards the facility’s vast collection of now vintage synths. At the turn of the century the complex had expanded to five studios over three floors in the heart of NYC’s Times Square.

FROM HARDWARE TO SOFTWARE Bobby Nathan is no stranger to the software side of things.

Apart from running the very first MIDI studio ‘MIDI City’, he has also been a design consultant for Digidesign, EMU, Akai, Fairlight and Yamaha, amongst others. Nathan was also the first to sample James Brown’s screams on EMU’s Emulator I. The Unique Recording Software came to the public at the 2003 AES exhibition and was nominated for a TEC award within a year.

NEW, YET FAMILIAR It is obvious that the brain behind the URS plugins has spent most of his career surrounded by the all-time classics when it comes to dynamics and eq. Every plugin you open up feels like you’ve physically handled it and heard it before. These plugs are very well laid out, clearly labelled and easy to use. And like www.audioprointernational.com

the hardware, each plugin has its own character. In a world of ‘in-the-box’ mixing, this is such an important asset.

A lot of plugin manufacturers try to supply us with all-in-one bundles covering equalisation, dynamics, time and pitch based effects and de-noising. URS decided to focus on just eq, compression and limiting.

GRILLED AT THE SONIC CUISINE Nathan sent me the full URS bundle for review, which meant 18 new plugins to learn and to play with. I had just been asked to mix an EP for a new and upcoming London band called Delta Unit. Trying the plugins out one at a time, URS ended up in most of the project. As time and budget had to be well managed here, I had to do most of the work ‘in-the-box’ to cut down on recall time. These plugins gave me an amazing analog feel in operation, look and, most importantly, superior sonic quality.

As engineers we can get a bit over-excited by new pieces of gear, but the sound of these plugins did not go unnoticed by my client, who was present at all the mixes. The keywords from that session were ooh, wow, subtle, nice, clarity and old school.

In my opinion, that’s all you want from a set of plugins modelled on those vintage units we all love and mostly can’t afford. Which brings us nicely onto the next point.

UNIQUE RETAIL STRUCTURE Each plugin can be purchased separately. But once you get your hands on one of these you are going to want more. There are several bundles set up to serve your individual needs. From classic and eq only bundles to specific series, you name it, they have it.

I suggest you get out there, explore and add some URS warmth to our world of 0s and 1s.

”

As engineers we can all get a bit over-excited by new gear, but the sound didn’t go unnoticed by my client.

> ursplugins.com

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> STUDIO MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND STUDIOS

Muscle building Rather than investing in the latest recording technology, Muscle Shoals Sound Studios owner Noel Webster is restoring the studio to the exact specifications as it had when the Rolling Stones recorded there in the 1960s. Andrew Low talks to Webster about how to make a period piece a fully functional commercial studio…

labama’s Muscle Shoals Sound Studios prides itself as one of the last remaining studios to use tube recording consoles and rooms full of vintage gear that simply cannot be found anywhere else.

Famously known as the studio where the Rolling Stones recorded Wild Horses and Brown Sugar, Muscle Shoals Sound Studios was started in the 1960s when Fame Studio’s backing band, The Swampers, left to set up their own space on 3614 North Jackson Highway, in Sheffield, Alabama. The band operated the studio from 1969 to 79 and created a signature sound that was revered by artists like John Lennon and is still highly sought after today. The successes of the studio led to the arrival of a raft of mainstream rock and pop artists suh as Traffic, Lulu, Boz Scaggs, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, Bobby Womack and Millie Jackson.

The studio made headline news in 2005 when a false story about a different building being sold to a film company was published in Rolling Stone magazine. It was a huge shock to owner Noel Webster, who has owned the original location since 1999. Muscle Shoals Sound Studios was recently brought back into the press when Akron, Ohio blues duo The Black Keys recorded their latest album, Brother, at the studio with producer Mark Neil.

Webster feels that the continued success of the studio is a result of the gear, great bands and engineers as well as the building itself. “When you stomp your foot or hit a kick drum

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the band feels that under their feet. It is sitting on 100-yearold red oak solid rough-cut beams and the floor is not insulated. The whole building shakes when you play in it.”

Recent renovations made to the studio’s main room are proof that Webster is determined to maintain the spirit and history of the studio, rather than trying to compete with modern studios. “The main room was set up from the 70s and we are going back to put the original 1950s Celotex acoustic tiling in the control room. So when people walk in the studio it will be just as it was in 1969, as opposed to 73. We had an MCI 416 console in here at one time, and that is a great board, but it doesn’t sound like the Universal Audio tube stuff. We are going that route because that is what the clients want. Now when they come in and say they want to sound like the Rolling Stones, it’s nailed.

“I have kept the original studio location and everything in it exactly the way it should be. The building was closed and the city was going to knock it down. I started rebuilding it and registered it on the National Register of Historic Places. I cleaned up the whole place and even restored the original furniture and lights.

“We have gone through some revisions to get it back to how it was in the 60s and put in the original MCI consoles that they used. The consoles are all tube, and we will still track to tape, but we also have a Radar system. We are also adding the mastering lab from the Hit Factory in NYC. I bought its entire Weiss system and its Sonic Solutions HD and

”

We were trying to get that bass sound Arthur Alexander was getting in Muscle Shoals – we love his records.

John Lennon The Beatles

www.audioprointernational.com

MUSCLE SHOALS SOUND STUDIOS STUDIO <

Old gear needn’t be resigned to the scrap heap – as Muscle Shoals Sound proves

DAW and Apogee UV1000 UV22s, so we do complete mastering here as well.

“We are now putting in a Universal Audio 610 desk. Of the three that are in this country, Mark Neil owns all of them. He came around here and made an album and he loved it so much that he is moving his entire operation. He is physically moving here because he has a lot of projects and we are the only cats doing this kind of recording.

“All the instruments in here are historical. We have the Hammond that was used on Eric Clapton’s song Layla and Alabama’s touring drum kit. There is no place to cut on tubes any more. Abbey Road has changed, you can’t go to Stax now and American is gone. This is the last remaining fully-fledged analog tube recording studio period piece.”

Webster argues that, although the studio isn’t filled with the latest time-saving digital equipment, it is an extremely efficient studio to work in. The fact that The Black Keys recorded 15 songs in ten days further strengthens this argument. “It is a period piece, but we can also track to Radar and capture the tube sound,” he says. “The sound we have in here sounds bigger per track than a 24-track mix on a Pro Tools system – it’s huge. Most of the records we cut only need ten to 14 tracks for a whole band because we are using Neumanns and Telefunkens, all tube stuff and tracking just like they did in the 60s, and it works.

“When you walk through the halls at the AES tradeshows you see that all the gear manufacturers are trying to get back www.audioprointernational.com

to the 50s and 60s. They are trying to make Fairchild 670s, but they don’t sound as good as the original because the iron in them is a black art. The fact is that you can’t go out and buy anything that we have in this building. We have Westrex compressors from 1947 that were built for the film industry and they are awesome. We have Bruel & Kjaer eqs that go from 12 Hertz to 40K. Everyone else has Neve inline consoles and Pro Tools rigs, and that is fine. They can keep it because I don’t like it, and it doesn’t sound correct to me. If they made anything better we would use it.”

While most studio owners and engineers will argue that they do not use vintage gear because of the time and money that is needed for maintenance, Webster contends that the gear in Muscle Shoals Sound Studios is so well made that it doesn’t require much maintenance at all. “We might get a ringing tube in one of the consoles every six months, but we have extra modules so we can fix them very easily,” he states.

“We have a huge tech shop, but we don’t really need to fix stuff all that often. This room sounded great then and it still does now and we haven’t changed a thing. We have still cut everything live on the floor and it just works.” > muscleshoalssound.org

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BEHIND THE BOARD WITH… DARREN SIMPSON London-based engineer Darren Simpson talks to Audio Pro from behind Big Bird’s Board…

Which band/project are you currently working on?

I am currently recording a new act for Decca Records: five sisters who all sing and play, write their own songs, but yet still can't come up with a band name.

Favourite venue/festival/studio?

In London: The Luminaire for gigs, and the vibe of Livingston Studio for recording. I wish I could get out of the studio for long enough to go to an outdoor festival.

Where are you at the moment?

Best toy you take on tour or have in the studio?

At The Church Studios in North London, UK.

Not so much a toy, but I'll never be without my custom-moulded earplugs.

What audio console are you utilising? And how many channels?

What’s been your worst professional experience to date?

I am using the API 8824, which has 24 channels with 550A eq modules.

It used to belong to the Children’s Television Workshop in New York where all the Sesame Street music was recorded.

Spending months on an album that sounded great but then the plug got pulled and the record has never seen the light of day. I’m sure it’s happened to everyone, but it’s absolutely no fun.

What decision process was behind the choice of this audio console?

What’s been your career highlight?

Musician David Gray owns the studio and had worked in the API rooms at RAK Studios in the past.

He liked it so much that he decided he wanted one for the main recording room at The Church.

Do you utilise any outboard effects/eq, and if so, what are they used on and why?

Compressors, definitely. Bit of top on vocals, why not? I say, if you’ve got it, use it.

Favourite console?

My choice for favourite console is the the SSL G series.

I’ll never forget being lucky enough to witness the recording of a Lou Rhodes vocal for her track They Say. The sound of her voice through the speakers alone was enough to immediately give me goosebumps, even before the drama of the whole track that followed. And she claimed to be feeling under the weather.

What really pisses you off when working?

Poor organisation.

What makes you happy when working?

When people know what they want, explain it clearly and don’t change their mind afterwards.

Favourite PA or monitoring system?

Well obviously the room has a lot to do with it, but the Dynaudio M4s in The Pierce Room sound good to me.

And if you weren't working now, you'd be?

Sleeping.

“I'll never forget being lucky enough to witness the recording of a Lou Rhodes vocal for her outstanding track They Say.” Darren Simpson

www.audioprointernational.com

audioPRO April 2009/10 37

> IN SESSION

Studios:

People and equipment behind studios in the UK and around the world...

Rooms: ‘Music Room’, control room, booths and ‘sound locks’ Consoles: 64-channel API Vision, 96-channel Harrison Trion Mics: Neumann, Coles, DPA, Schoeps, Earthworks, Royer, Korby Outboard: Tube-Tech, DW Fearn, GML, Alan Smart, API, UA, Manley Monitoring: Dynaudio, Adam

Rooms: Control room, live room, vocal booth Consoles: Tascam DM-4800

Manifold Recording, NC

Astar Studios, Lancashire

CURRENTLY UNDERGOING finishing touches, the Manifold Recording studio complex represents an ambitious vision to serve the recording community with a technically and aesthetically-stunning facility using zero carbon emission practices. Wes Lachot Design provided the stunning architectural plan based on the priniciples of organic architecture, using forward-thinking sustainable practices.

Due to be completed in the third quarter of 2010, the 6,000-square-foot facility is located on nearly 17 acres of pastoral land that is half forest and half meadow, with ponds, nature trails, and a variety of gardens throughout. A soaring ceiling encloses its 1,400square-foot tracking room, which can hold up to 36 comfortably seated musicians at one time. 23 acoustic panels can be used to fine-tune the room’s acoustics, which can allow for reverb times of up to a second. A Yamaha CF-9 grand piano completes the impressive spec of the live space, which is referred to simply as the ‘music room’.

The complex’s Control Room A is also substantial and can accommodate up to 16 seated people. Its reflection-

BASED IN HEYWOOD, Lancashire with nearby residential facilities, Astar Studios has been custom built to serve the needs of modern, cost conscious record labels and the flourishing independent music scene.

The studio boasts a contemporary digital control room and a classicsounding live room complete with a ‘world class collection of guitars’, Yamaha maple custom Absolute drum kit, CVP-303 digital piano, S09 synth, Marshall Anniversary guitar amp stack and Ashdown bass rig.

Astar is owned by Andy Ross, an accomplished musical innovator with a wealth of studio experience. Ross is an international contract songwriter for Clippers Music and has been writing and producing an eclectic mix of back-to-back albums, for independent and major releases including the Yamaha New Jazz Sessions albums that have featured in successive years on the Christmas cover of Jazzwise Magazine.

Ross also recorded tracks for Classic FM's Summer Piano CD and the highly acclaimed debut trio album Golden (Basho) by the BBC Jazz Awards winner, Kit Downes.

free design is enhanced with a dual symmetric four-step quadratic residue diffusor (QRD) rear wall. It features an API Vision console, together with a collection of other high-end recording technologies, monitoring, and outboard processing. The smaller Control Room B has a digital console and both rooms are fully networked for any and every conceivable combined or separate use.

"The initial concept of the studio was a simple one, based on organic architecture and the principle of working as much as possible with nature instead of against it," explains visionary, Michael Tiemann (pictured).

"As the studio build progressed, the genius of the design encouraged and allowed us to be more and more ambitious with our programme.

“We chose the API Vision console because, quite frankly, it was the only one that remained true to the values we established at the outset, while also having the power and flexibility we know we will need as we step forward into the future. The console's breadth and depth is astonishing, and we are really enjoying the response we are getting from the professional community."

“The API Vision console was the only one that remained true to the values we established at the outset, while having the power and flexibility we’ll need in the future.”

Telephone: +1 919 602 7739 Web: www.manifoldrecording.com

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Mics: Neumann, AKG, Sennhesier, Shure, Studio Projects, Røde

Outboard: Drawmer 1968 Mercenary, Neve 1073 DPD Monitoring: Dynaudio Air 15 and BM6A mk2

For artists looking to release their material independently and engage directly with the market, special recording packages are available with support from creative and promotional associates with a wealth of music industry experience.

Furthermore, a unique scheme that provides musicians with interest free loans of up to £5,000 for recording services is also offered, as Ross explains: "We are delighted with the success of the loan scheme, which has enabled us to work with talented musicians we might otherwise have had to turn away on grounds of means. Getting any type of credit has always been extremely difficult for musicians, so the opportunity to offer interest free finance for recording services sits well with Astar's philosophy to empower artists with the best possible recordings, visuals and business plan to get them noticed. The loans are of course subject to status but can be taken out either by the artist directly or on their behalf by a manager, family member or friend. For independent managers and labels on a limited budget it also creates the opportunity to develop new artists on a profit share basis."

Telephone: +44 161 280 0908 Web: www.astarstudios.com

www.audioprointernational.com

IN SESSION <

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// To have your studio featured in this section, please send all details to: andrew.low@intentmedia.co.uk or call +44 1992 535646

TL Audio’s Sarah Yule explores the world of dark matter...

Sound between the sound?

Rooms: Control room, live room, booth Consoles: 50-channel SSL G Series Mics: AKG, B&K, Coles, STC, Lomo, Reslo, Telefunken, Schoeps Outboard: GML, API, Neve, Tube-Tech, Joe Meek, Urei, Valley People Monitoring: ATC, Genelec, Yamaha, Auratone, Carver, BGW, Quad, Turner

The Square, London THE SQUARE is the original Milo recording studio, opened by Henry Crallan and John Deacon in the early 1980s on London’s Hoxton Square, before the area became the buzzing place it is today.

In February this year, Miloco announced that the studio had been the recipient of a newly-installed SSL GSeries console – one of the early G Series boards that once lived at Olympic Studios. This pristine desk comes with 50 G-Series channels, each of which has been lovingly restored. Further upgrades include several pieces of outboard by brands such as GML and Tube-Tech. This adds to a spec that already included ATC SCM200 monitors (set up by acoustician Nick Whitaker), and a 48-output Protools HD3 Accel rig. For nearfield monitoring there's a choice of NS10s or Genelec 1031s.

The studio is accessed through a peaceful and secluded courtyard, which leads visitors directly into the 400 square-foot day-lit and airconditioned control room. There, to the left of the G Series, can be found a large selection of quality outboard.

Along with the recent upgrades, there are a number of vintage pieces,

including rarities from Altec, Ursa Major and API. Analog fans will also be pleased to know that they can record onto an Otari MTR90 MkII two-inch machine.

With enough notice and a small charge, Miloco can add a 16-track headblock.

All this clearly makes for a top mix suite; however, the studio still provides an excellent tracking room as well. The live space consists of a wooden floor and wooden ceiling, while the surrounding walls are made up of a number of large mirrors interspersed with acoustic fabric. It is a wellcontrolled live space, but for engineers that like things a touch brighter, it has a stone floor at one end to add a little sparkle to recordings. There is a good size booth for isolation and a selection of instruments such as a Hammond complete with Leslie and Korg CX3.

The Square has been going for over 25 years and has a client list that features the likes of Bloc Party, DJ Shadow, Richard X, Ash, Bjork, Beth Orton, Liberty X, David Sylvian, Erlend Oye, Annie, Howie B, Two Door Cinema Club, Kasabian, Kathryn Williams, Rachel Stevens, Luke Haines, Razorlight, Rodney P, Everything Everything, Little Boots, Crystal Castles and many more.

It is a well-controlled live space, but for engineers that like things a touch brighter, it also has a stone floor at one end to add a little sparkle to recordings.

Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7232 0008 Web: www.miloco.co.uk/square

www.audioprointernational.com

I AM WRITING this month’s article while airborne, heading towards the Frankfurt MusikMesse trade show. As I glance out the window at the vast amount of air and space between the ground, I’m inspired to consider the concept of moving air in terms of transition of sound and how we think about it.

As you know, when an instrument sounds it sends out soundwaves, frequencies that ripple and resonate through the air. It is our job as engineers to capture that movement of air using a microphone to reproduce and record its emitting patterns.

Due to the way that we interpret this movement of air into voltages and then often again converted into binary figures, it then tends to focus our mind very much onto a final precise value.

We tend to forget about the variants, the subtle movements that weren’t picked up or were lost along the way.

What I am trying to say is that the sounds between the sounds that we noticeably perceive are arguably just as important. The human ear usually picks up frequencies from as low as 20Hz right up to 20kHz with perfect hearing. Even with these figures, it has been proven that humans can ‘feel’ frequencies outside the realm of their hearing capabilities.

This means we must be very sensitive to different frequencies and even if we can’t easily pick them out in our hearing, we may still be aware of their existence and possibly even rely on them to make things sound ‘natural’.

In physics and astronomy, many have discussed ‘dark matter’.

Basically, it is the ‘stuff’ that isn’t there, the space between the space that must exist – and helps to explain the workings and expansion of our universe. It is said that just because we can’t see

something, doesn’t mean it isn’t there and so should respect its existence. The same could be said with sound – just because we can’t perceive all the sounds between the sounds we can hear, doesn’t mean they are not there and we should have respect for them in the recording and mixing process.

You could look at the process of creating and capturing sound as an energy flow process, where the energy is the sound. Your whole system (your studio technique) and your task (as engineer) is to help this energy flow freely and passionately (yet controlled accurately by you) through your entire recording, mixing and monitoring process.

Just because we can’t perceive all the sounds between the sounds we can hear, doesn’t mean they’re not there and we should have respect for them.

The recording space, the microphone, the preamp, the mix bus, the converters, the processing power, the editing, the effects, the dynamics, and the monitors all play a part in how you can respect this flow of energy. Each element, when explained in this way, can help make sense of why these separate considerations and processes are important and what effect they could each have on the sound energy flow process.

Next time you begin to venture into a fresh capture of moving air, or sit down to process your captured energy, be mindful and respectful to allow it to flow with the freedom and passion that nature intended, yet help it with your inspired and creative hand.

Sarah Yule is an experienced audio engineer and Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) graduate. After graduation, Yule became one of the first sales staff for Dolphin Music. She currently works for TL Audio where she was recently promoted to the position of sales director, which is partially due to the success of her conceptual design of the Fat Track Tube Production Suite.

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> PRODUCT

NEW GEAR >> Recent releases in audio technology 1

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Proguard custom earplugs

Earthworks PM40T Touring PianoMic

Powersoft Armonia Pro Audio Suite

Allen & Heath iLive v1.6 software

THEY SAY: Proguard uses acoustic filters calibrated at various SNR levels for accurate hearing and ear protection.

SPECIFICATIONS: Proguard earplugs are designed to safeguard the user’s hearing from excessive sound levels, which may lead to tinnitus, deafness and other noise related symptoms.

They come with a choice of filters to suit the needs of general gigging and concerts and provide higher levels of protection for DJs, drummers and musicians in very loud bands.

The filter choices are 8dB (soft pad) for low-level protection and optimised dynamic response, 13dB (medium pad), which allows users to feel the musical sensation and 17dB (hard pad) for efficient noise safeguarding that still allows the full acoustic experience.

THEY SAY: the new PM40T Touring PianoMic System delivers the sonic performance of its sibling while offering quick, simple, and easy setup, in a compact airline friendly carry-on case.

SPECIFICATIONS: PM40T features two Random Incidence, omnidirectional, 40kHz high definition microphones.

Featuring a frequency response ranging from 4Hz to 40kHz, these microphones exhibit no proximity effect regardless of their distance from the piano strings or soundboard.

The PM40T’s adjustable, telescoping tube is supported by the sides of the piano case, facilitating flexible placement of the microphones close to or away from the dampers, facing toward, or away from the keyboard.

THEY SAY: Armonía delivers a highly intuitive and comprehensive software solution for managing and controlling sound systems of any size or scope.

SPECIFICATIONS: Powersoft’s Armonía Pro Audio Suite is an Ethernet-based, auto-addressing software package, which hosts AES3 audio on the same cable. It provides built-in redundancy and logging and alerting features and is designed to work with KDSP-equipped Powersoft K, Q, D, QTU and Duecanali series amplifiers.

The suite has a Live Impedance measurement screen for constant visual tracking of the system impedance curve, an Active DampingControl feature for improved cone control and the TruePower Limiter feature for controlled operation and longer driver life.

THEY SAY: iLive v1.6 introduces support for the new iLive-R72 Control Surface, Dual-Rack input expansion and SuperStrip user view in the Editor control software.

SPECIFICATIONS: iLive v1.6 software features the Dual-Rack system expansion, allowing up to 128 input channels to be used simultaneously.

Two MixRacks can now be linked together via the Port B sockets to provide 32 mix buses and control of both racks on one surface.

Its SuperStrip processing view combines live mixing parameters into a single window, enabling a more comprehensive mix. Another key feature is the ability to set the redundancy socket on Allen & Heath’s ACE option card as a breakout to split to other iLive systems.

> proguarduk.co.uk

> earthworksaudio.com

> powersoft.it

> ilive-digital.com

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B&C DE850TN neodymium high

Audio-Technica BPHS-1 broadcast headset

Focusrite OctoPre MkII Dynamic

EAW KF740 Line Array

THEY SAY: This smooth and natural sounding, high frequency driver is aimed at the budget conscious builder.

SPECIFICATIONS: The DE850TN is a two-inch exit high frequency driver featuring the same three-inch voice coil and titanium diaphragm as the company’s DE950TN. Featuring a Neodymium magnet assembly with shorting copper cap, the driver provides 108dB sensitivity with a frequency range of 0.5 - 18kHz, a Nominal Impedance of 8 Ohms, Minimum Impedance of 8.5 Ohms, a Nominal Power Handling (AES) of 110W and Continuous Power Handling of 220W.

THEY SAY: BPHS-1 combines natural, focused vocal reproduction with high levels of background noise isolation from the closed-back earcups.

SPECIFICATIONS: The BPHS-1 is based on Audio-Technica’s M30 headphone with a dynamic cardioid microphone attached to the left earcup.

It features user-replaceable cable and ear pads, an adjustable cushioned headband and a gooseneck-mounted microphone to allow positioning on either left or right-hand side. A neodymium magnet is found in the headphone with a driver diameter of 40mm. Its frequency response is 2020,000Hz for the headphone and 40-20,000Hz for the microphone with a headphone sensitivity of 100dB for headphones and -57dB (1.4 mV) re 1V at 1 Pa for the mic.

THEY SAY: The OctoPre MkII features eight channels of Focusrite's renowned mic preamplification.

SPECIFICATIONS: The OctoPre MkII is an eight-channel mic preamp with new single-dial, VCA-based compressors on every channel derived from the Focusrite Red 3.

Each channel has a VCA-based compressor. It's possible to transform the behavior of the VCA, doubling the ratio to deliver an invigorated effect compressor by using the compressor’s ‘More’ switch.

On-board digital converters, with clocking and jitter-elimination technology, enable eight channels of 24-bit/96kHz digital audio to and from an ADAT-equipped computer workstation or hard disk recorder.

The A-D and D-A converters can operate at sample rates of up to 96kHz,

> bcspeakers.com

> audio-technica.com

> focusrite.com 40

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THEY SAY: EAW’s KF740 three-way full range line array features symmetrical design, large horn and spaced woofers, while EAW Focusing and Resolution software enhances performance.

SPECIFICATIONS: Each module contains two HF compression drivers with 2.5inch voice coils and two eight-inch MF transducers with three-inch coils, integrated into a single horn that occupies the entire face of the enclosure. A 90-degree pattern control is provided down to 160Hz, as the MF frequencies are transitioned to a spaced array of four 10-inch LF transducers with 2.5-inch voice coils. Two of the LF transducers are mounted within the horn, and two are side-mounted, providing 18dB of off-axis rejection. All magnet structures within the KF740 utilise neodymium magnets.

> eaw.com

www.audioprointernational.com

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> PEOPLE

IN BRIEF

Studer appoints Tiamas New sales engineer for Eastern European countries

BOSCH SECURITY Systems has appointed John F. Anderson to the role of product marketing manager, Intercom.

Anderson will support the Americas region in his new role, applying his substantial industry experience and strong marketing background to develop and implement marketing strategies for RTS and Telex intercom products. Acting as the focal point for the voice of the customer in this segment, Anderson will report to Daniel Gundlach, VP marketing – Americas. > bosch.com FAIRLIGHT HAS taken on Rachel Verity as its new financial controller.

Verity is a highly experienced finance professional with a double degree in Accounting/Finance and Economics and a postgraduate Diploma in Corporate Governance.

Prior to joining Fairlight, she spent 17 years with GEA Colby, a large international technology business with a strong focus on product development. > fairlightau.com CLEAR-COM Communication Systems, a Vitec Group brand, has named Edmund Song as its new regional sales manager for Southeast Asia.

Song will lead the promotion and sales activities of ClearCom's intercom product lines in the region, while developing the company's relationships with its customers, distributors and systems integrators.

In his new role, Song will use his background in the management and sale of professional broadcast and A/V equipment to further establish Clear-Com's presence in Southeast Asia. > clearcom.com

42 audioPRO April 2010

STUDER PROFESSIONAL has announced the appointment of Tibor Tamas as its sales engineer for Germany, Austria, Greece and the Eastern European countries.

Tibor Tamas is a Studer veteran, having worked for the company for over 32 years. He started in 1977 as an apprentice to continue his education as an electronics engineer with Studer and worked in the R&D department developing mixing consoles. Subsequently, Tibor joined the service department providing worldwide product support/engineering and more recently spent four-and-a-half years in North America, firstly at Studer Canada then JBL – Studer’s Distributor in the USA – as a sales engineer and technical service manager for Studer.

Ian Staddon, VP sales at Studer commented: “Having Tibor in the role of sales engineer allows Studer to utilise his vast experience in both console and system architecture to provide our distributors and customers with in-depth knowledge and consultation on Studer system hardware and software. Additionally, due to his past experience in training our customers, he will be able to

Sergio Castillo joins NOA Audio Solutions Ex-Avid man to handle Latin American sales

support them on an operational level in production, TV and radio broadcast, as well as the many live sound applications that our Studer digital mixing systems are used for.

He will be a great asset to Studer as well our partners.” > studer.ch

NOA AUDIO Solutions has appointed Sergio Castillo as its sales manager for Latin America.

Castillo joins NOA after 12 years in senior sales positions for Avid Technology, and will coordinate NOA's sales operations throughout the region.

"I fell in love with NOA's technology during a technical session in Vienna and I feel that Latin American countries will truly benefit from this product line for preservation of cultural heritage, which may otherwise be lost," said Castillo. "Each country in the region has a complete audio history in music, sounds, and speech to archive and NOA's approach to the process is outstanding. It is a complete solution that can be tailored exactly to each client's needs."

NOA provides software and hardware tools for digitising and managing archive essence material, with a particular focus on audio archives. > noa-audio.com

JBL Professional adds new sales VP Ralph Quintero to look after worldwide sales planning and management JBL PROFESSIONAL has added Ralph Quintero as its new vice president of sales.

Quintero rejoins JBL Professional after more than six years with Global Sales Management, an audio systems consultancy he founded. During this time, he helped businesses achieve results in sales and brand development in Latin America.

“

JBL manufactures the highestperforming loudspeakers in the industry.

Ralph Quintero

In his previous tenure with JBL Professional, Quintero served as director of sales, intercontinental.

“After successfully developing innovative strategies with a variety of prestigious clients with Global Sales Management, I am eager to face new challenges as vice president of sales for

JBL Professional,” Quintero said. “I look forward to helping drive worldwide sales for JBL, which not only manufactures the highestperforming loudspeakers in the industry, but also offers the world’s most varied range of professional loudspeaker systems.”

In his new position, Quintero is responsible for sales planning and management, including close collaboration with domestic regional sales managers and manufacturers’ representatives, and international distributors and sales directors. > jblpro.com www.audioprointernational.com

DISTRIBUTION <

Red Square announces four new Apex dealers for the UK and ROI New dealers to handle sales and distribution into live and installation markets RED SQUARE Audio has appointed four new dealers to handle sales and distribution of Apex’s range of live sound and install products in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

The agreement will see Adlib, Autograph Sales and The Warehouse

“

I believe we will soon see a proliferation of projects using Apex.

Paul Nicholson

managing distribution in the UK and Sound Communications covering the Republic of Ireland.

Paul Nicholson, managing director of Red Square Audio, commented: “We are fully committed to making

the Apex range widely available throughout the UK and ROI, hence our decision to appoint a group of strategically positioned dealers that will help us to sell this great brand into the live and installation markets.

Innovation, superb design, and sonic excellence are the Apex trademarks and I believe that we will see a proliferation of projects utilising these great audio tools in the coming months and years.

“Initially, our main focus will be on the unique SL noise control systems (the Argos and Hera), the dB distribution mixers, and the new dBDI-2 dual active DI box. All of these products are class leading and they will undoubtedly become industry icons. We will also be promoting the Intelli series of digital system controllers and the GX and PE reference graphic and paragraphic eq units as alternatives to the current industry standard choices. All our

Chinese mic manufactuer signs exclusive deal

dealers will be able to supply demo stock and offer a comprehensive aftersales service with the full back-up support of Red Square Audio.” > redsquareaudio.co.uk

APG appoints Audio-Technica for Germany Distribution deal puts APG alongside A&H in exclusive German portfolio FRENCH LOUDSPEAKER manufacturer APG has announced the appointment of Audio-Technica Germany as its exclusive German distributor, effective March 1st 2010.

According to APG’s Xavier Pion, the move represents a significant step forward for the brand in Germany: “Germany is one of the biggest and most dynamic markets in Europe, so it’s important that we have strong representation here,” he noted.

“Audio-Technica is an internationally recognised brand with a high-end product image which reflects our own. Furthermore, Audio-Technica Germany, as a subsidiary of AudioTechnica, has a well-established and technically knowledgeable sales force with excellent market penetration.”

“The only other brand it currently represents is Allen & Heath, with which it has been extremely successful so far,” continued Pion.

“Sales across the range have been excellent, so that is very encouraging for us, as we have most of our major markets in common. In fact, AudioTechnica Germany is present in all of the markets that are important to us; namely fixed installations (clubs, theatres, multi-purpose performance venues) and the touring rental business. This new partnership is a www.audioprointernational.com

clear advance in the realisation of our international development strategy and I’m looking forward to working with the Audio-Technica team to establish the APG brand throughout Germany.”

Audio-Technica Germany’s MD, Jörg Rader, was equally enthusiastic: “We have been considering the idea of expanding our range of distributed brands for some months now in the wake of the success we’ve enjoyed with A&H, but we wanted to be sure that we were taking on the

EMerging to distribute MicW Microphones in the UK and Ireland

EMERGING HAS announced an exclusive distribution agreement for the full range from Chinese recording microphone company MicW in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

A subsidiary of the measurement microphone manufacturer BWSA, MicW was formed in 2008 to develop microphones designed for broadcast, recording and live applications. MicW launched its international sales activities in Europe in Spring 2009.

"As the home of one of the most active recording industries in the world, the UK is an important market for us," commented MicW sales director Qunli Wu. "We need a strong distributor in London with an active track record in sales and support, and with good connections to the audio-visual industries. The eMerging team fits all of these criteria.

EMerging co-founder Richard Bowen stated: "MicW adds another important dimension to our activities as a distribution company. As exclusive UK distributors for Merging Technologies, Smart AV, and DAD we sell and support a lot of equipment for working with both high-quality audio and video, but nothing to handle audio capture — until now. The eMerging team has a lot of combined past experience in mic retail and support, and we will be drawing on that to deliver an aggressive UK and Ireland-based sales channel for MicW." > mic-w.com.

right brand for us. APG has exactly the profile that we were looking for – high quality, technically superior products with a young, dynamic and ambitious team behind them who are keen to make a name for themselves on the international stage. These are the kind of people and products that we like to work with, and I am confident that we will be able to take APG to the next level in the German market. It’s both good for them, and good for us.” > apg.tm.fr

audioPRO

April 2010 43

MARKETPLACE <

SUPPLIER SPOTLIGHT

Gasoline Media FORMED IN 2000, Gasoline Media specialises in public relations for the AV, entertainment technology and events markets.

Owner and director, Sarah James, has been working in the industry for 20 years, initially at Disco International and Live! magazines, moving into PR in 1993 and setting up Gasoline Media in 2000.

“When I started doing PR there were very few companies around offering that sort of service,” James said. “As the industry has evolved, and people have become both more busy and more savvy about promoting their businesses, the need to have someone permanently looking after their publicity interests has become an increasing necessity. And that’s where companies like Gasoline can really help.”

Gasoline works with a variety of companies across the industry, which helps it to be creative in approach and cost efficient.

To ensure maximum effectiveness is provided to its clients, James works closely with freelance staff who have extensive experience of both the technical side of the industry and media/PR. She stated:“We’re always looking for new angles and also for those where more than one client is involved,” James continued. “It can make a story more

DISTRIBUTION

MARKETPLACE ADVERTISERS INDEX Adam Hall

01702 613922

Crown

+1574 294 8093

DBT

0800 239 2848

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Flightcase warehouse 01872 60009

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Gasoline offers specialised PR interesting to the magazines, plus splitting a project between a number of budgets means that we can make everyone’s PR fee go that much further.”

Gasoline’s aim is always to work closely with its clients, making sure that core messages are communicated with each and every piece of material produced and supplying a PR programme that builds brands and connects clients directly with their customers.

Gasoline’s audio clients include DiGiCo, Turbosound and Ampetronic. > www.gasolinemedia.com

www.fullfataudio.com

Gasoline

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GHQ

0207 8749 5654

Graphic Nature

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HME

+1858 535 6060

Leisuretec

+44 (0) 1525 850085

sales@leisuretec.co.uk

Neutrik

+44 (0) 1983 811 441

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Sound Marketing

01296 621 052

www.soundmarketing.co.uk

TL Audio

01234 772 244

www.larkingslist.com

www.wesonator.co.uk www.graphicnature.co.uk

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STUDIO

STUDIO

“ It’s great to know that your mastering job is in a really safe pair of hands.”

When you hand your precious music project over to Wes at the GHQ Sonic Cuisine you can relax, knowing you have chosen an experienced and passionate sound engineer who will care about getting it right for you.

With a tried and tested combination of classic production values and contemporary technology, Wes will deliver a finished master you can be proud of. You won’t have to pay double the price to attend the session either, nor will you be charged exorbitant prices for reference copies.

If you can’t attend the session, everything can be done on-line via Wes’s website. If you do attend, you can expect a warm welcome, excellent coffee and lashings of Belgian chocolate - well, he is Belgian after all.

Which means he speaks Dutch, German, French and English fluently.

Book your first mastering session quoting SAFEHANDS09 and get a 10% discount on the total cost of your job.

E-mail your name and address to info@wesonator.co.uk and enter Wes’s monthly draw to win a box of the best chocolates in Belgium!

Wes Maebe The GHQ Sonic Cuisine, West London Freelance recording, mixing, mastering and live engineer.

T: 020 8749 5654 M: 07875 401114 E: wes@wesonator.co.uk

www.wesonator.co.uk Photo by Stefan Lubo. www.stefanlubo.com

API MARKETPLACE GREAT ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

CONTACT DARRELL CARTER +44 (0)1992 535647

The Audio Pro paparazzi is infiltrating all audio events, snapping away for our monthly Mixdown, which features friendly faces of people in the business and shots from industry events. If you have any pictures from an event that you would like us to include, please send them to andrew.low@intentmedia.co.uk.

The last word in Audio Pro PIC OF THE MONTH

A FISH LOOKING AT A HORSE Audio Pro found this fish-eye image of Avast Recording’s control room knocking about in the Mixdown archives. Weirdly, it’s never graced these fair pages before, so here it is for you to cast your cod-like eye over. This casually bored-looking bunch of dudes make up North Carolina-based indie/southern rock group Band of Horses. (Okay, that’s enough fish.)

Toronto-based DJ and remixer Deadmau5, aka Joel Zimmerman, is the latest clubland star to invest in Prism Sound’s Orpheus FireWire recording interface. Here he is cradling it in his studio.

“I first heard about it at 2009's WMC, where I had a chat with one of the reps at a booth at the National Hotel,” he says. “I did a lot of online research about A/D D/A quality and Prism Sound just kept coming up at the top of the list, so I finally pulled the trigger on one last month.”

Zimmerman now plans to use the Orpheus in his live show setup.

AUDIO FISH OF THE MONTH

JUMP! The New Years SkiJumping Competition in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany is a highlight of the world-famous Four Hills Tournament.

This year, TC Showtechnik was again responsible for the sound reinforcement and relied on equipment from Electro-Voice. XLD line array elements were hung near the jump, managed by an N8000-1500 loudspeaker controller.

This latest (58th) edition comprised four competitions on four different slopes.

www.audioprointernational.com

Mark Thomas, guitarist for the band Black Spiders, caught this Baby Bluefin Tuna while sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Mallorca. Please no hate mail for this one – Thomas used the catch-and-release policy after reeling in this endangered leviathan. The Black Spiders are currently recording their debut album at Axis Studio, Doncaster, UK. Send pictures of your big catch to Andrew Low at: andrew.low@intentmedia.co.uk (Really, enough fish, please.)

audioPRO

April 2010 49

>>

>> EMPTY ROOM OF THE MONTH

DIGITAL DUO

The KME Auditorum, Klingenthal, Germany

Soundcraft/Studer’s Dave Neal and Sam Cordell pose at the Harman booth during Prolight + Sound. The Potters Bar locals were at the show to promote the launch of the Vi1 digital mixing console.

Just look at the array of colours, never mind PA cabinets to be found in this room.

Unfortunately, sound pressure levels in this beautiful space are so high, it’s too dangerous for a human to enter.

FASHION B4 FUNKTION

Funktion-One’s Tony Andrews was spotted in a suit and tie at this year’s PL+S (insert sudden inhaling sound). Andrews actually looked pretty dapper in his pinstripes and fish tie. (Seriously...)

DEEP SEA DIGITAL

This Sound Devices 744T recorder is disguised as an clam with tentacles, in order to capture audio underwater for a dolphin preservation campaign.

JOE GOES A BIT PRO Legendary blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, who has played with artists such as Ray Charles, Eric Clapton and BB King, bought his producer Kevin Shirley a Palmer Audio Tools PDI-03 speaker simulator.

“It gives the sound an immediate attack,” explained Bonamassa.

“It’s really warm and really inviting”

To discuss advertising contact Darrell Carter on 01992 535647 darrell.carter@intentmedia.co.uk For editorial enquiries email Andrew Low andrew.low@intentmedia.co.uk or call 01992 535646

Intent Media is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulation and the Periodical Publishers Association

A audioPRO

© Intent Media 2010. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior permission of the copyright owners. Printed by Manson Group, AL3 6PZ

ISSN: 1755-4918

SUBSCRIPTIONS UK: £50 Europe: £60 Rest of world: £90 If you or one of your colleagues would like to request a subscription to Audio Pro International, please email audio.subscriptions@c-cms.com or call 01580 883848

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April 2010

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Audio Pro International is published 11 times a year by Intent Media ~ Saxon House, 6A St. Andrew Street, Hertford SG14 1JA, England

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