Mondo*dr 24.1

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2013 | 24.1

the international publication for technology in entertainment

november / december 2013

EUROPE & AMERICAS EDITION

audio anatomy john lyons • architec tur al audio lighting control

www.mondodr.com

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28/08/2013 19:42

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W ELCOME Photo credit: sarah@thefifthestate.co.uk

mondo*dr 24.1 November / December 2013

ON THE COVER Grain Store, London

General Manager Justin Gawne / j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk Editor Rachael Rogerson / r.rogerson@mondiale.co.uk Assistant Editor Helen Fletcher / h.fletcher@mondiale.co.uk Advertising Manager Jamie Dixon / j.dixon@mondiale.co.uk Marketing / Circulation subscriptions@mondiale.co.uk Accounts Amanda Giles / a.giles@mondiale.co.uk Production David Bell, Mel Robinson, Dan Seaton Group Chairman Damian Walsh Mondiale Publishing Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ United Kingdom Tel: +44 161 476 8340 | Fax: +44 161 429 7214 Annual Subscription Rates (7 Issues) UK: £30.00 / Europe: £50.00 / Rest Of World: £65.00 2 year rates are available on request. Subscribe online at www.mondiale.co.uk or call +44 (0)161 476 5580 ISSN: 1476 4067 Mondo DR (ISSN 1476 4067) is published in January, March, May, July, September, November and December by Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, United Kingdom Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Limited, Waterloo Place, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, United Kingdom

mondo@mondiale.co.uk www.mondodr.com Printed by Buxton Press, Palace Road, Buxton, UK

Deciding on a leader theme comes easier on some occasions than others but I felt I couldn‘t write this one without mentioning PLASA. The show has been much anticipated by the industry, in light of its physical move to ExCeL and its move within the calendar. The one aspect that was hugely apparent was the lack of audio manufacturers; there were just a handful of exhibitors that fell into this category. However, on the lighting side, stands appeared vibrant and busy for a good portion of the show. For me the jury is still out - although it has certainly lost its place among the top ‘must attend’ tradeshows for mondo*dr, it does still have a position - and I actually think next year’s event will be more telling.

Before heading to this year’s PLASA I was lucky enough to make my first trip to Latin America, it was a truly amazing experience and I hope I have the opportunity to go back again soon. A special thank you to Ian Staddon of DiGiCo, who put me in touch with some key contacts out there in Sao Paulo and Rio; and also to Christian Stumpp and Werner ‘Vier’ Bayer of d&b audiotechnik with whom I attended a Bruce Springsteen gig. You’ll find my first anecdotes from the trip in my show report on Expo Music / Light Week Brazil in this issue on page 108. While the following issue will detail my company visits and there will be coverage of Rock in Rio in the next issue of TPi too - an altogether packed trip.

On the travel front, this is the time of year when it starts to quiet down a little for mondo*dr, however, it is also the time when we put together two issues in two months. Firstly our January / February issue, as the majority has to be finalised before the Christmas break and secondly, the World Trading Survey (WTS) - the only global listing directory of manufacturers, distributors, dealers and installers - and for the first time this year, it will be available for download as an iOS app. To ensure the WTS is as upto-date as possible, please send contact details for your distributor network in list format.

Finally, a quick thank you to The Fifth State for supplying my leader photo, Sarah Ruston-Read snapped David ‘Webby’ Webster and I at this year’s Rock to Opera party hosted by Avolites, DiGiCo, Martin Audio and Amptown, which was held during PLASA. Rachael Rogerson | Editor

CONTENT S 018

in brief

IN DEP T H 028

028 038

INTERVIEW john lyons

REPORT

architectural audio

IN FO CUS 038

060

084

060

milton court, london

068

aura, zurich

076

polski theatre, wroclaw

084

verona di arena, verona

090

naif discoteque, prato

092

the aussie files, SYDNEY / MELBOURNE

098

gateway to india, MUMBAI / DELHI

IN BUSINE S S

092

068

098

110

106

INTEGRATE, SYDNEY

108

EXPO MUSIC & LIGHTING WEEK, SAO PAULO

110

bose expands range, amsterdam

112

PLASA, LONDON

118

PROLIGHT+SOUND, SHANGHAI

122

PRODUCT GUIDE

130

PRODUCT DIRECTORY

142

122

LIGHTING CONTROL

LAST PAGE INTERVIEW

david croxton - entertainment technology australia

142

The 2013 US annual subscription price is 102.00. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to MONDO DR, Air Business Ltd, c/o Worldnet Shipping Inc., 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA

016 AD INDEX

FRANÇAIS

DEUTSCH

ITALIANO

ESPAÑOL

Décider sur le thème d’un chef de file est plus facile dans certains cas que d’autres mais j’ai senti que je ne pouvais pas écrire sur celui-ci sans mentionner PLASA. L’exposition a été très attendue dans le milieu, compte-tenu de son mouvement physique vers ExCeL et tout au long du calendrier. L’un des aspects qui était d’une évidence énorme était le manque de fabricants d’audio ; il n’y avait qu’une poignée d’exposants qui entraient dans cette catégorie. Cependant, dans le domaine de l’éclairage, les stands ont paru vivants et très occupés pendant une bonne partie de l’exposition. À mon avis, le jury délibère encore quant à cette exposition, bien qu’elle a certainement perdu sa place parmi les salons professionnels « incontournables », de l’avis de mondo*dr, elle a sa place, et je pense en fait que celle de l’an prochain sera plus révélatrice. Ici, chez mondo*dr, c’est à nouveau le moment de l’année où dressons notre annuaire de liste annuelle, le World Trading Survey. Veuillez nous faire parvenir votre liste de distributeurs la plus récente afin que nous puissions nous assurer que nos dossiers soient à jour.

Die Wahl eines Themas für den Leitartikel fällt bei manchen Gelegenheiten leichter als bei anderen, aber ich spürte, dass ich diesen Artikel nicht ohne eine Erwähnung von PLASA schreiben konnte. Die Messe wurde von der Industrie in hohem Maße erwartet, in Anbetracht ihrer physischen Verlegung zu ExCeL und der Verlegung innerhalb des Kalenders. Der Aspekt der besonders hervorstach, war der Mangel an Audio-Herstellern, es gab nur eine Handvoll an Ausstellern die in diese Kategorie fielen. Auf der BeleuchtungsSeite waren Stände dafür lebhaft und geschäftig für einen großen Teil der Messe. Für mich ist das letzte Wort noch nicht gesprochen – aber auch wenn die Messe hat höchstwahrscheinlich ihren Platz unter den wichtigsten „zu besuchenden“ Messen für mondo*dr verloren hat, verfügt sie noch über eine Position – und ich denke, dass die nächstjährige Veranstaltung aussagekräftiger sein wird. Hier bei mondo*dr ist bald wieder der Zeitpunkt, an dem wir unser jährliches Verzeichnis erstellen, die Welthandelsübersicht. Bitte senden Sie uns Ihre aktuellsten Lieferantenlisten, so dass wir dafür sorgen können, dass unsere Aufzeichnungen aktuell sind.

Decidirme por un tema es más sencillo algunas veces que otras pero sentí que no podía escribir éste sin mencionar el PLASA. La muestra había sido muy anticipada por la industria, a la luz de su traslado físico a ExCeL y su cambio de fecha en el calendario. El primer aspecto que fue extremadamente evidente fue la falta de fabricantes de audio. Había solo un puñado de exhibidores que encajaban en esta categoría. Sin embargo, en cuanto a la iluminación, los stands permanecieron dinámicos y ocupados durante buena parte de la muestra. Para mí no existe un dictamen definitivo acerca de esta muestra - a pesar de que ha perdido, con certeza, su lugar entre las principales exhibiciones a las cuales asistir para mondo*dr, aún mantiene una posición - y realmente pienso que el evento del próximo año será más elocuente. En mondo*dr estamos alcanzando esa parte del año en la que reunimos nuestro listado de directorio anual, la Encuesta Mundial de Negocios.

Por favor envíenos sus listas actualizadas de distribuidores para asegurarnos que nuestros registros están actualizados.

Decidirme por un tema es más sencillo algunas veces que otras pero sentí que no podía escribir éste sin mencionar el PLASA. La muestra había sido muy anticipada por la industria, a la luz de su traslado físico a ExCeL y su cambio de fecha en el calendario. El primer aspecto que fue extremadamente evidente fue la falta de fabricantes de audio. Había solo un puñado de exhibidores que encajaban en esta categoría. Sin embargo, en cuanto a la iluminación, los stands permanecieron dinámicos y ocupados durante buena parte de la muestra. Para mí no existe un dictamen definitivo acerca de esta muestra - a pesar de que ha perdido, con certeza, su lugar entre las principales exhibiciones a las cuales asistir para mondo*dr, aún mantiene una posición - y realmente pienso que el evento del próximo año será más elocuente. En mondo*dr estamos alcanzando esa parte del año en la que reunimos nuestro listado de directorio anual, la Encuesta Mundial de Negocios.

Por favor envíenos sus listas actualizadas de distribuidores para asegurarnos que nuestros registros están actualizados.

ACM Audio ........................................ 103

Funktion One ....................................... 55

Look Solutions ................................... 117

RCF .................................................. 101

ADJ Europe ....................................... 123

Global Truss China ............................ 121

MBN ........................................ 127 & 129

Renkus-Heinz....................................... 58

Antari ................................................. 133

GTD Lighting/Truss Ltd........................ 11

MC² Audio ........................................... 63

Robe ............................................. 33&83

Camco ................................................ 21

Guangzhou Brighthole Lighting .............. 8

Meyer Sound ...................................... BC

Rosco ................................................ 115

Chauvet ............................................... 71

Guangzhou Caiyi Light Disco Co FINE .. 5

Music & Lights ............................ 125,131

SAE China ......................................... 138

Clay Paky ............................................ 95

Guangzhou Fangda Stage Equip.......... 10

Palm India .............................................. 8

SGM ................................................... 89

d&b audiotechnik ................................. 65

Havells Sylvania Europe ..................... 111

Pangolin Laser Systems ..................... 137

Haze Base ........................................... 75

Philips Entertainment ......................... 135

Studio Due ........................................ 143

Daslight ............................................... 16

ISE Europe .......................................... 26

Philips Lighting B.V. ............................. 81

Studiomaster ..................................... 127

Deton Diyi Audio .................................... 4

JB Lighting .......................................... 87

Pioneer Europe. ................................... 67

Sunlite Nicolaudie ................................ 12

DiGiCo .................................................. 2

K-array ................................................. 17

Powersoft ............................................ 35

Talbot Industries................................. 139

DJ Power ............................................... 9

ADVERTS

Steinigke Showtechnik ......................... 97

D.A.S. Audio........................................ 37

Kling & Freitag ..................................... 47

PR-Lighting .......................................... 19

Tannoy ................................................. 31

Duratruss ............................................. 57

Kobble Digital ........................................ 7

Prolight+Sound Guangzhou ............... 104

TOA .................................................... 14

Dynacord ............................................. 73

KV² Audio ............................................ 43

Prolyte Products ................................ 109

Weifa Stage Roof Factory .................... 11

Elation ............................................... 107

Le Maitre ............................................. 75

Pulsar .................................................. 79

Wireless Solutions ................................. 3

Europodium ....................................... 119

LDR ..................................................... 75

Quest Engineering ............................... 45

Fohhn Audio ........................................ 51

Light Sky Fly Dragon.............................. 6

Rane Corporation ................................ 23

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018 in brief - europe/middle east/africa

IN BRIEF FO R T S A I N T J E A N P R OJ E CT I O N G LO R Y An essential French military complex for more than 400 years, the famous Fort Saint Jean has recently undertaken a massive renovation to return the legendary monument to its former glory.

Now integrated into the museograhic entity of MuCEM, a museum of Europe and the Mediterranean, the structure and landscape offers visitors numerous Mediterranean style gardens to visit.

In order to continue the experience after nightfall, lighting design company, L’Agence Lumière, designed and installed a Martin Professional lighting rig to brighten the symbolic monument, using 17 Martin Professional Exterior 400 image projectors with rotating gobo and colour wheels to illuminate the area.

S T U D I O D U E I L LU M I N AT E S Studio Due of Italy, has worked with installation company Inytium, to illuminate the Palais 12, a new concert hall at the Heysel in Laeken, Brussels.

Accommodating up to 18,000 spectators, Palais 12 is part of the NEO project, which aims to refurbish the Heysel Plateau into a new, modern, multi-purpose area.

The building already existed within the borders of Brussels Expo, a large complex consisting of 12 exhibition halls. Palais specifically, has been completely refurbished and transformed into a concert hall, with a new side added and reconfigured around the building.

Studio Due’s CityColor LED RGB / FC lighting fixture was specified for the roof - with a customisation on the lenses for a wider beam, while its Archibar 100 DRS lighting fixturewas used for the three columns of the façade. Studio Due’s Archiled 200 DRS lighting fixture was used for the canopy.

www.mondodr.com

020 in brief - asia/PACIFIC/OCeania

NEW DELHI MEMORIAL B R O U G H T TO L I F E London-based projection artist Ross Ashton, along with Himanshu Sabharwal of TricolorIndia, designed and specified the large format projection elements of a new permanent immersive multimedia spectacle in Delhi, India, at the Guru Tegh Bahaur Memorial.

Their brief was to create an immersive experience that had a universal spiritual appeal to people of all faiths, and that could work harmoniously with the new age minimalist architecture of the monument.

The monument is projected onto by 16 Christie 20K Roadster machines, while Dataton’s Watchout control system facilitated all the necessary edge-blending.

The lighting specifications include 16 PR Lighting PR300 Beam lighting fixtures and 12 PR Lighting PR-8802 lighting fixtures, which are run from an Avolites Titan Mobile. The new show has been designed by the attraction’s lighting director in conjunction with Modern Stage Service’s Varinder Wadhwa.

Show audio is played via a Tannoy system driven by Lab.gruppen amplifiers.

N E W C E N T R E P I E C E FO R BEIJING TV NETWORK Prysm has installed a LPD videowall at broadcasting giant Beijing Television Network (BTV), in Beijing, China. BTV is one of the most influential broadcasters in China, offering a diverse mix of news, sports and entertainment to an audience of over 300 million.

The Prysm videowall delivers an impressive digital canvas measuring nearly 42ft wide by 7.5ft high, with a 4° curve, making it one of the largest and most immersive displays in modern day broadcast television.

www.mondodr.com

022 in brief - the americas

LIEB E R M A N TU RN S TO SGM FOR CHICAGO NIGH TSPOT When it comes to lighting nightclubs there is no one with a finer pedigree than Stephen Lieberman. Over the years he has turned to many different lighting solutions to fulfil his concepts, but recently added SGM to his tool-box - specifying new generation LED X-5 strobes to implement a redesign at Chicago club / restaurant Studio Paris.

“My philosophy for the club was to give it layered effects based around several key pieces of technology, including LED video,” said the Designer. “We created a big look on the ceiling highlighted by LED lighting and an LED video wall with moving lights on the ceiling - plus the new SGM LED strobe lights to provide that extra punch.”

S U M M ER GA RD E N THE ATRE PERFORMS WITH COMMUNITY Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre in Maryland, US, hosts three major productions each season in an outdoor garden setting, which, while pleasant for guests, presents challenges to actors and staff. Scott McCormick, Technical Director at ASGT, said the theatre’s previous loudspeakers weren’t weather-resistant and had to be bagged or removed from the theatre when it rained and after each performance.

And so, McCormick contacted David McLain of CCI Solutions who recommended weatherised Community iBOX model iHP1226WR loudspeakers for left and right FOH; i-212SWR’s for subwoofers, and WET W2-228 loudspeakers for stage / foldback monitors. The mains and subwoofers are suspended from the truss at stage left and right and the monitors are suspended behind the mains to cover the stage while minimising their visual impact. The system is powered by QSC amplifiers and uses a Community dSPEC226AN loudspeaker processor for equalisation and loudspeaker management.

www.mondodr.com

rane_hal_evolving_ad_mondo_trim.pdf 1 8/23/2013 9:32:43 AM

EXPO DIARY 2013/14 INTERBEE

CUE

TOYKO, JAPAN 13-15 NOVEMBER 2013 www.inter-bee.com

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS 13-15 JANUARY 2014 www.cue.nl

LDI

NAMM

LAS VEGAS, USA 22-24 NOVEMBER 2013 www.ldishow.com

ANAHEIM, USA 23-26 JANUARY 2014 www.thenammshow.com

JTSE

ISE

PARIS, FRANCE 26-27 NOVEMBER 2013 www.jtse.fr

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS 4-6 FEBRUARY 2014 www.iseurope.org

UK FESTIVAL AWARDS

SIEL

LONDON, UK 2 DECEMBER 2013 www.festivalawards.com

PARIS, FRANCE 10-12 FEBRUARY 2014 www.siel-expo.com

www.mondodr.com LED CHINA

AFIAL

GUANGZHOU, CHINA 23-26 FEBRUARY 2014 www.ledchina-gz.com

MADRID, SPAIN 25-27 MARCH 2014 www.afial.net

PROLIGHT+SOUND GUANGZHOU

INFOCOMM CHINA

GUANGZHOU, CHINA 24-27 FEBRUARY 2014 www.prolight-sound-guangzhou.hk.messefrankfurt.com

BEIJING, CHINA 9-11 APRIL 2014 www.infocomm-china.com

THE GET SHOW

PALME MIDDLE EAST

GUANGZHOU, CHINA 28 FEBRUARY - 3 MARCH 2014 www.getshow.com.cn

DUBAI, UAE 15-17 APRIL 2014 www.palme-middleeast.com

PROLIGHT+SOUND

KOBA

FRANKFURT, GERMANY 12-15 MARCH 2014 www.prolight-sound.com

SEOUL, KOREA 20-23 MAY 2014 www.kobashow.com

IN DEP TH

INTERVIEW JOHN LYONS

REPORT ARCHITECTURAL AUDIO

This issue’s interview sees Daniel Keller get to grips with John Lyons, club owner and co-creator of the Avalon series of loudspeakers, and discovers how he influenced the clubbing market to become what it is today.

The Architectural Audio Report is introduced by Ian Stickland of theatre and acoustics consultants Charcoalblue, he discusses how architectural audio has developed over the years - covering key acoustic principles, level, direction, integration, and audio networks, while also looking at how this implementation of audio could progress.

028 INTERVIEW

“THE BIG CHALLENGE IN THE NIGHTCLUB WORLD IS TO CREATE A PLACE THAT’S LEGENDARY ENOUGH THAT PEOPLE WANT TO GO THERE AS A DESTINATION.” JOHN LYONS Speak to anybody who is anyone in the nightclubbing world and more often than not, they’ll have heard of John Lyons, club owner and co-creator of the world renowned Avalon series of loudspeakers. Daniel Keller caught up with the enterpreneur to find out how he helped turn the clubbing market into what we know it as today.

www.mondodr.com

INTERVIEW 029

www.mondodr.com

030 INTERVIEW John with instrumental friend and business partner, Isaac Tigrett.

We’ve all heard that well-worn cliche about success being one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. For John Lyons, it’s an axiom that has always held true, though the percentages might be closer to a 50-50 split. Gifted with both an unstoppable work ethic and a passion for innovation, John has forged an influential path that has spanned the worlds of audio, video, lighting, design, and pretty much every other aspect of the entertainment experience.

These days, John serves as founder and President of John Lyons Systems, which through its two divisions - Avalon Sound and Moon Lighting - have been the creative force behind the design of dozens of the world’s top nightclubs and entertainment venues. He’s also still heavily involved in several of his own venues, including the Avalon and Bardot clubs in Los Angeles. These clubs, as well as dozens more on several continents, are home to the signature Avalon sound systems he created in partnership with Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW).

John’s embrace of hard work began with his first job as a bar back aged 14 in Los Angeles. “After returning to upstate New York at age 16, I got a job working for a nightclub in Buffalo called Uncle Sam’s,” said John. “At that time, nightclub managers lived very complicated lives. It was not unusual for them to not show up, or show up drunk, or have their hand in the till. I didn’t drink, I showed up on time and worked hard, and it wasn’t long before I went from trainee assistant manger to having the keys to the place.”

The inspiration aspect began to kick in early on as well, as John quickly learned the importance of creating an entertainment experience. “The club had a DJ with two turntables and a broadcast mixer, like you would find in a radio studio, and they played rock and pop music of the day. The problem was, the sound reinforcement technology didn’t really have the fidelity to support it. There was no real sub bass as we know it now, and you couldn’t really dance to it. But they had a drummer who would sit on stage next to the DJ, and he would wear headphones and play along to the song. The DJ and the drummer made up the band, and it really pumped up the crowd. We’d have 1,500 to 2,000 people in there on a Saturday night.”

The club was also John’s first exposure to technology. “The speakers that existed at that time were PA based speakers. They were mainly for vocal reinforcement, meant to be placed on the right and left of a stage. Most of the sound really came from the band’s amplifiers. But we took four Altec Voice of the Theater boxes awesome at the time, but comical by today’s standards - and installed them at the four corners of the dance floor. It was so unexpected and unusual for the time, the idea of having loudspeakers pointed at the dance floor instead of standing in front of a stage.”

Visuals were another aspect of the experience. “We had a light show, and projected video of the crowd on to the walls, all stuff no one was doing back then.

And we had bubble machines, and makeshift pyrotechnics that, in retrospect, were pretty idiotic. But I could see the effect it had on the crowd.”

John’s first wake-up call came while managing Uncle Sam’s one packed Saturday night. “The place was jumping, we had around 1,500 or 1,600 people there, and all of a sudden the sound system shut off,” he said. “Nobody knew what to do, and they were all looking to me. I had no idea how the sound system worked, and we had to send everybody home and close the club. That was such a tense, www.mondodr.com

John with Steve Tyler, whom he opened a club with in Boston and Dan Aykroyd, currently his partner at Avalon, Hollywood.

“A lot of these MIT grad students became customers of the club. We began taking new technology they were developing and incorporating it into the entertainment and the décor, they enjoyed seeing the reactions of the customers.”

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An individual in TC Group

032 INTERVIEW John and Isaac at the Super Bowl halftime show presented by House of Blues, LA with Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman.

embarrassing, humiliating moment for me, and I said I never wanted it to happen again. So I started studying, learning about signal flow, and how sound systems worked.”

In the late 1970s, as disco gave way to punk and new wave, John and his brother Patrick took the leap and became club owners, assembling a group of investors to buy out a trendy Boston discotheque called 15 Lansdowne Street. Relaunched as Spit, the club became a mainstay for artists like Talking Heads, the Ramones, Blondie, and others.

John’s interest in technology had meanwhile grown into an obsession. “I was reading hundreds of magazines and journals. I made it a point to be personally involved in anything to do with the sound system. As I started managing more clubs and eventually owning clubs of my own, I always wanted to have the best sound and lighting systems. But the people who were doing it professionally were out of my league. So I would figure out a way that I could afford it, and that usually meant doing it myself.”

It wasn’t too long before his handiwork garnered attention. “I was working with two really talented sound designers at the time, Richard Long and Louis Feldman. I would buy the equipment from them, and have them commission the system, but to save money I would install the loudspeakers and run all the wiring myself. When they came in and saw my work, they started asking me to help them on other projects they were doing.”

As they say, the more you know, the more there is to learn. “I recognised the fact that there was a lot of information that I was missing,” continued John. “I was living in Boston so I started hanging out at MIT (Massachusetts Institution of Technology) and befriending everybody I could who understood sound and electronic circuitry. I ended up connecting with some pretty hardcore technical people, and we did a lot of experimental stuff.”

The synergies were ideal. “A lot of these MIT grad students became customers of the club. We began taking new technology they were developing and incorporating it into the entertainment and the décor, they enjoyed seeing the reactions of the customers.” During the construction of the Metro club in Boston, one member of John’s creative circle was engineer / inventor Henry Kloss. “Henry developed a prototype video projector with six tubes, and we took cameras out onto the dancefloor and showed people dancing in real time up on the screen. Today you can do that anywhere, but back then it was unheard of.”

Working with his brother, John continued expanding the business. “We started a company called The Lyons Group, and ultimately ended up opening 36 venues www.mondodr.com

“I was getting more and more pressure from people wanting to hire my sound and lighting company.

My clubs were winning awards and people would talk about them, about the great sound system.”

I am

Come and get Me 013 2 I D L 653 , 9 4 h6 -2 4 B o ot b e r 2 2 g a s m Nove Las Venter Ce n o i t en C o nv

034 INTERVIEW

Avalon, Hollywood

Encore Beach Club, Las Vegas - photo by Russell MacMasters

in the New England area.” The delineation of responsibilities was clear. “It was just understood that I would handle all the technological aspects. I always enjoyed figuring things out, and with a nightclub you get to see people’s reactions immediately.”

Indeed, the club became his laboratory, a proving ground for new ideas. “Our success and our revenue stream were tied into the success of the club, and I wanted to have a nightclub that was better than any other,” as John explained. “I recognised the fact that the sound, the visuals, and the overall experience were an important part of that.”

And this quest for better sound was never-ending. “My goal was always for people on the dancefloor to feel a song like they had never felt it before, even if it was something they’d heard a million times before.” But even systems from the best of the growing pro audio industry proved unable to deliver that powerful, visceral feeling and this led to another epiphany.

“I realised that the holy grail for loudspeaker engineers was to create the most accurate, spectrally balanced sound possible,” said John. “They wanted a loudspeaker that would make it sound like the symphony or the rock band is right there. And in their world, these loudspeakers always lived on the left and right hand side of the stage. And then it hit me on a dancfloor, you don’t want or need accurate. The ratio of low-mid information to high information needs to be lopsided.

It can’t be one to one.”

Enlisting his network of friends from MIT, John began experimenting with building his own systems. “I decided I was going to build the system as best as I could, addressing all the problems that were inherent in a dancefloor design. Without using any real mathmatics or physics, I intuitively made a ratio of what I thought it ought to be. I had spectrum analysers and I knew what I wanted to get from the system. I just kept adding devices until I got the curve I wanted. It didn’t look very pretty, but it did exactly what I wanted it to do.”

It was a conversation on a transcontinental flight that brought John to the next phase in loudspeaker design, as he explained: “I was sitting next to Ken Berger. EAW had done one of its first sound systems for Spit, and we’d known www.mondodr.com

XS The Nightclub, Las Vegas - photo by Barbara Kraft

Light, Las Vegas

“Isaac always had a lot of big ideas.

He was always thinking ahead. And he was very intent on not having a business that exploited culture, he wanted to create culture.”

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036 INTERVIEW

John with daughter, Dani and wife, Amanda.

each other for a while. And I was telling him about the lack of a purpose-built loudspeaker for our needs. A couple of weeks later he got me together with his engineers and we started developing the Avalon series.” As an end user, John brought a different perspective to the table. “Because I was there on the front line, I was able to give them a somewhat educated user’s view. They understood exactly what we were trying to achieve and in pretty short order they put together some prototype boxes that became the Avalon series and it sounded great.”

While all this was going on, the club design wing of the business had begun to take on a life of its own. “I was getting more and more pressure from people wanting to hire my sound and lighting company,” said John. “My clubs were winning awards and people would talk about them, about the great sound system. DJs would always say the Avalon in Boston is amazing. Other club owners from around the world would come and see what was going on. They would ask me for the name of the company that did the sound and I’d say ‘there is no company, I did it myself.’

They’d ask if they could hire me, and for the longest time I’d say no, because I was just too busy. Eventually the offers became such that I thought... Sure, why not?”

Serendipity has played a major role in John’s life, with chance encounters turning into lifelong friendships. One such instrumental friend and partner has been entrepreneur Isaac Tigrett, founder of the Hard Rock Cafe and House of Blues.

“Isaac had done the Hard Rock in London and New York, and he was looking to expand the brand to different cities,” said John. “There was a guy who worked for A&M records named Charlie Minor who was a friend of ours, and he got us together with Isaac. We ended up working with Isaac on the Hard Rock project in Boston, and a restaurant called Fynns, which became the Capitol Grill.”

Issac sold the Hard Rock chain and retired to France, but remained a close friend.

“Isaac always had a lot of big ideas. He was always thinking ahead. And he was very intent on not having a business that exploited culture, he wanted to create culture. The House of Blues was meant to be a restaurant, but also a place where shows actually happen.” Issac approached John to handle the sound and lighting.

“We were partners in launching the first one, which was in Cambridge.”

The House of Blues project opened another new chapter in John’s saga. “Boston, by that time, had become a very comfortable place. I had been there since I was 19-years-old. I had gone from nightclub manager to owning multiple venues and businesses. But I was always dealing with the day-to-day of it, and before I knew it, 15 years had gone by. And while we were very successful, I really was living in a kind of bubble in Boston.”

It was Issac who motivated John to escape the bubble. “He encouraged me to come along for the House of Blues ride and help him get it launched. For the next couple of years he and I travelled around the country and the world building places. www.mondodr.com

Living in New Orleans, building the House of Blues, I ended up meeting all these new people, and getting into the whole culture and lifestyle. Then Chicago, then Los Angeles, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, and Atlanta. There was probably a three-year period where I spent more time on the road with Isaac than I did in Boston. I started seeing things from a completely different perspective.”

Thus the seeds were planted for an eventual move out west. “Because our business had grown so much in Boston, it was almost an idiotic notion. I was still very involved in the day-to-day operating of our larger nightclubs, and it would have meant giving up so much. But I began to think more and more about what would it be like to leave Boston and live on the west coast.”

Renting a house in Los Angeles set another chain of events in motion. “The idea was to just have a change and let the cards fall where they may,” said John. “I didn’t have a job per se, and did not really know what I was going to do.” It didn’t take long for John to find the Hollywood Palace, an old vaudeville theater in the shadow of the Capitol Records building. After some extensive renovation, the Avalon Hollywood opened its doors to become one of the top-rated clubs in the US. These days, John Lyons Systems has kept its founder busier than ever. The growth of Las Vegas as a nightclub powerhouse has created new opportunities to push the boundaries of the nightclub experience. Avalon Sound and Moon Lighting have been behind a number of high-tech, high-profile venues at the Bellagio, the Venetian, Hard Rock, Mirage, and elsewhere.

The growth of Vegas is part of an overall shift in entertainment, John observed: “For quite some time, venues were artist-driven, people went to a venue see an artist or DJ. And the problem with having an artist driven venue is if you don’t have an artist that people want to see, it’s empty. So the big challenge in the nightclub world is to create a place that’s legendary enough that people want to go there as a destination. You’ve got to give them an experience that makes them want to return.”

Clearly, John’s holistic approach to the entertainment experience has been a good one. But beyond the sound, the lights, and the visuals, he points to an even more basic tenet as a cornerstone of his philosophy. “I’ve always felt that a huge component to the success of an establishment is to have nice people working there. If people show up at a place, and they’re greeted and handled by people just like them, not better not worse, they will remember that experience.

I’ve always tried to surround myself with good people. I’ve found that if you put together a core of good people, they tend to bring in more people like themselves.

I’d rather look for people who are smart, and at their basic core are good and nice people. You can teach someone the mechanics of a job more easily than you can change someone’s character.”

038 REPORT

ARCHITECTURAL AUDIO It is unlikely that any new building will be completed without some form of audio system. The purpose of this system may be for entertainment, information or perhaps for a more subtle use to improve the comfort and experience of the users. The challenge of improving audio quality and matching the appropriate aural experience to the setting is not a recent development. Holding your nose and talking is almost universally understood as a mimic of an announcement on a plane or at a train station. That is now a very inaccurate and unfair representation of the scale and quality of audio systems and how these systems are integrated into buildings. The same high-quality loudspeaker systems used at music festivals can now be found on a similar scale in large shopping centres and most audio manufacturers have developed products specifically aimed at the installed market. The same is true in reverse, with column loudspeakers originally developed for voice announcements in reverberant spaces now very popular as an installed system in concert halls and opera houses - indeed when L-Acoustics applied this common architectural audio theory to large format line arrays, the aural and visual landscape of music concerts changed dramatically. In addition to the developments in loudspeakers, the technology behind distributing audio and the actual creation of content now offers

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a great range of flexibility and creativity. The desired content and capabilities of the audio system must be matched and often developments in technology can inspire more possibilities and understanding of the required content. An example of this is in vehicle reversing alerts. Initially a simple tone sounder was added to the reversing light circuit to give an audible warning. As the ability to playback sound increased, a verbal warning could be introduced at no extra cost, and following more research a broadband noise signal is now preferred as, combined with carefully designed loudspeakers, it improves the ability to localise the noise, and reduces the amount of nuisance noise. This is a clear example of audio technology and source material developing in tandem.

KEY ACOUSTIC PRINCIPALS The design of an architectural audio system must consider and coordinate with many other design disciplines. As the end product of any system is the sound that comes out of the loudspeakers, the most obvious consideration is the acoustic design. Whether we realise it or not, every space has its own unique aural identity defined by its size, construction, the noise produced within the space, its relation-

REPORT 039

LEFT: Acoustic reflector at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury increases the frontal reflections. © Helen Binet

Introduced by Ian Stickland, a Senior Consultant for Charcoalblue, who specialises in project management and audiovisual systems for the performing arts. ship to other areas and the personal experiences of the listener. This concept of a complete aural experience has long been understood in architectural acoustics, and much work was carried out in the 20th Century to provide a set of criteria with which concert halls can be compared. While the work of Beranek and others was initially intended to assess the quality of a room for music performance, the descriptors used form a very useful basis for the analysis of most spaces, and both unamplified and reproduced sound. The criteria that Leo Beranek of BBN Technologies used to compare concert halls include terms such as spaciousness, envelopment, clarity and loudness. These criteria were developed following conversations with musicians and educated listeners, and therefore relate to how the hall is perceived acoustically.

When designing a space it can be problematic to rely on these perceptions and is often more useful to assess the sound arriving at a listener using four of its own measurable and predictable aspects: time, level, frequency and direction. It is important to note that each of these can be applied not to just the direct sound but also the indirect sound and the relationships between each of the reflections and the initial source. Each of the criteria used for assessing and comparing halls is derived from one or more of the four properties of the sound. For example clarity is a combination

of level and time, and spaciousness combines time and direction. Considering the time, level, frequency and direction of the sound at the desired listener’s position therefore provides a very clear way of informing the selection and positioning of loudspeakers.

TIME In 1925 the American theatre impresario Roxy Rathafel proclaimed: “Acoustics no longer present a problem, since the amplification system, with which we are now experimenting, will carry the voice and will send it perfectly almost any distance within reason, and certainly a distance greater than could be found in any theatre.” Of course we now know this to be untrue as level alone does not produce a satisfactory audio system and when poorly deployed in highly reverberant spaces, can actually exacerbate the problem. Rathafel does though highlight an important point - that the developments in audio technology have changed the expectations of the aural landscape. It is easy to hypothesise that the increased availability of high quality sound reproduction in domestic and professional circumstances has increased expectations, but in order to meaningfully explore this it is useful to consider the change of

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040 REPORT

expectations for sound in terms of its time, level, frequency and direction. In 2006 a Spherion Workplace snapshot found that one-third of all workers listen to music on headphones at work and since then, headphone sales have continued to increase so it is reasonable to assume that this percentage has also increased. The proximity of headphone drivers to the ear ensures that no reflections from the room are heard and the lack of any variation in the time of sound arriving results in a very clear sound with no natural reverberation. As many people listen to sound on headphones at home it is unsurprising that one of the most commonly specified criteria for audio systems is a measure of clarity - the speech transmission index (STI). This also considers the frequency content of the sound and is measured by playing a known set of modulated signals into the room, and comparing the sound recorded at a receiver to the test signal. STI values range from zero to one with 0.5 normally being considered as an acceptable benchmark and one being considered perfect. This score of one would be an excellent, if unlikely achievement for a system designed for voice alarms and occasional announcements. A perfect STI score indicates that the room has no effect on the output from the loudspeaker, but we know that we expect to hear reverberation from a space, and the absence of reflections can be uncomfortable. This apparent anomaly in how we assess the quality of a sound is normally resolved by the addition of artificial reverberation, as it is much simpler to add apparent reflections to a sound when required, than to remove it when it isn’t.

LEVEL Level is often only simplified to describe the maximum loudness of an audio system and peak sound pressure level (SPL) appears on many specifications. This only really gives a small portion of the picture as it is also important how quiet the system can go and still be audible, and what the average loudness of the source material will be. For an architectural audio system, the dynamic range will be defined by the difference between the peak SPL achievable and the noise floor of the building.

The noise floor of the building will vary greatly depending on its use but roughly assuming an average building has a background noise of around 50dB SPL at 1kHz, then a loudspeaker system capable of producing over 140dB would be required to fully replicate the variation between the loudest and quietest signal found on a CD. By careful design of ventilation systems, and using larger loudspeakers, this is just about achievable but at great effort and expense. While in building and audio system design there is in an apparent aspiration to increase the dynamic range, the opposite has occurred in music production and broadcast. Since the 1980s the average loud-

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ness in these areas has increased so that there is often very little dynamic range.

The increased availability of compressors and revolution of the MP3 means that it is very unusual to listen to music with a large dynamic range. We then must consider, how much signal to noise is required from the audio system and is this likely to be utilised by the source that will be put through it? Interestingly this expands to beyond how loud the loudspeakers need to be, but also into the system design for playback and transport particularly in selecting the bit depth of the digital audio system.

DIRECTION In the acoustic design of concert halls, much emphasis is put on reflected sound that arrives to the side of the listener, known as lateral reflections. With the increased availability of surround sound systems it is possible to recreate these reflections in both a professional and domestic environment. The directionality of reflections should not be confused with localisation of sound - its function is to create a sense of envelopment and enhance the listener experience. This is not to say that localisation is unimportant, particularly in systems in performing arts buildings where it is very important that the sound appears to come from the stage. As it is impractical to have a loudspeaker in exactly the same position as a performer this localisation is achieved by the psychoacoustic phenomena that allows us to use very small level and time of arrival differences between our two ears in order to localise sound.

This is the same technique used in a two-channel stereo system, and interestingly means sound localisation is a function of time and level rather than the actual direction the sound arrives from. In contrast, for cinema systems the centre loudspeaker is often used for speech, so the dialogue appears as a mono frontal source. This has been mirrored in acoustic design with large acoustic reflectors providing a strong frontal component. In installed sound systems it is sometimes less important where the sound appears to be coming from, however, it is normally important to consider how sound will be localised, whether there is a preference to lateral or frontal sound and how enveloped the listener should feel.

INTEGRATION Considering the time, level, frequency and direction of the produced sound is a very useful starting point for the design and analysis of architectural audio systems, but significant integration with other design disciplines is also required. When selecting locations for loudspeakers the architect and client will normally have a view on the aesthetic required, and the preferred locations. It is easy for this to quickly become

REPORT 041

LEFT: Andrea Bocelli Tour 2010 - line arrays have changed the visual and aural landscape of large concerts. © L-Acoustics BELOW: Careful integration of Intellivox loudspeakers at the Cologne Dome provide excellent clarity in very reverberant spaces. © Duran Audio

a zone of conflict, and result in a less than satisfactory outcome from either an audio or aesthetic view. The key to solving this is to ensure that the audio system is considered early in the design process. This allows the brief to be understood by everyone and loudspeakers to be built into the aesthetic design as appropriate. As audio professionals, it is important to be approachable yet robust when required and ensuring the audio solution is appropriate visually and acoustically for the building, sometimes the best approach is not the highest audio quality. A good example of this is in shop window displays when a transducer is placed on the glass to create an ‘invisible’ loudspeaker that provides playback as well as a talking point, this was used to great effect in UK designer department store Selfridges’ 2011 Christmas display, among others.

As larger systems are used they inevitably require more electricity, create more heat and weigh more, so the early consideration of the audio system also provides the best chance of coordination with the electrical, mechanical and structural engineers.

It is impossible to calculate how much power an audio system will require without knowing what the source material will be. If it is assumed that the system will run at maximum level all of the time, then the cooling and electrical supply allowed is likely to be significantly oversized adding complexity and cost to a project. A sensible calculation must be made considering what the likely source material is, how often the system will be used, and what other systems will be used at the same time. Due to instantaneous peak voltage required, it is normall to electrically allow the amplifiers to be at a maximum, but the supply to be diversified against other systems. Some product manuals such as the d&b audiotechnik D6 and D12 provide an excellent description of power usage and therefore cooling required of amplifiers, and how it varies for different crest factors of music, but it is still difficult to find out this information for some manufacturers so an educated guess must be made. The construction industry is under increasing scrutiny for power usage and cooling so it is very important that these figures are available and can be justified.

AUDIO NETWORKS Since the mass adoption of the CD, digital audio has been widely accepted. The advantage of digital audio networks in terms of transportation, controllability, scalability and repeatability means that they are utilised in some way for all but the smallest systems. In terms of quality, the point that errors are introduced into a digital audio network is normally in the conversion between digital and analogue signals so it is important to keep these to an absolute minimum. Conceptually this is no different to

converting from acoustic sound to audio signal - you wouldn’t sing into a microphone then play it out of a loudspeaker and capture it with another microphone (unless you were in an echo chamber!) so it should be equally obvious that errors will be introduced when converting from analogue audio to digital audio. Once the signal has been converted into a digital signal it is free to be transported around the network with minimum loss. Over the last few years there has been a renewed enthusiasm for using IP-based networks mainly working towards a standardised system compliant with the IEEE’s Audio Visual Bridging (AVB) specification. The great advantage in using IP-based protocols is to take advantage of low cost cabling, IT distribution and tested redundancy and many of the issues regarding latency and compatibility have been resolved by protocols such as Audinate’s Dante.

Most systems use a dedicated audiovisual or audio network to avoid any conflicts of configuration issues with IT systems but a number of high profile cases have proven it is possible to combine networks even for life safety systems. Anybody now starting in the audio industry would be advised to develop their knowledge of networking alongside traditional areas such as soldering and electronics. The main advantage of any network, IP or otherwise is the flexibility in routing signals; a single network cable can carry many audio channels as well as control. This dramatically reduces the space required for cabling and leaves flexibility in the system design for the end-user. For architectural audio systems this means that it is now much simpler to ensure that suitable connectivity is provided and more creative installations can be created reacting to users changing needs with different levels of control as required.

WHAT NEXT? We are now able to create architectural audio systems that are designed, modelled and installed to fit perfectly in the architectural acoustic design. The challenge is no longer just to provide suitable clarity but also to provide an enjoyable listener experience. The physics of loudspeakers does require them to be large at times, but there are many creative approaches and efficient cabinets that can be integrated into most aesthetic designs. The developments in digital audio networking mean that is possible to maintain flexibility in design at low initial costs. The next step is to ensure that architectural audio is always considered holistically as part of the buildings infrastructure, and integrates with not only the building’s design but also with all users either on an explicit interactive level or with a more subtle flexible approach. www.charcoalblue.com

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042 REPORT

FO R STHOFA L M H OTEL Company: K-array Location: Salzburg, Austria Located in the middle of an alpine skiing-resort in Austria’s forth largest city, Salzburg, the Forsthofalm Hotel is a one of a kind, seven-storey building with a roof-top pool, constructed completely out of wood. Wood was the chosen as it met the vision of the owners and the growing demand from guests to be provided with organic products and sustainable architecture for a minimal environmental impact.

When it came time to integrate the audio system into the architectural design of the hotel, Markus Widauer, the hotel’s owner was invited by Musik Lenz, K-array’s Austrian distributor, to its offices for a demonstration of various systems. After an impressive product showcase, Musik Lenz was appointed to design, supply and install an upgraded sound reinforcement system. Karl Wienand, Product Specialist for K-array, worked out a concept that included all the needs of the owner, providing wiring schemes for the electrician and managed to fit all the parts into a working system.

“The clue was to integrate all the specific aspects under one simple, and easy-touse surface, to integrate the existing system and deliver something both, the own-

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ers and the staff could easily handle,” said Karl. Reinhard Machreich, who worked as part of the installation team at Musik Lenz added: “The complexity of the whole system needed to be planned carefully. Perhaps unsurprisingly, compact speakers from the Italian manufacturer are proving the perfect solution and are appealing for designers and architects to integrate their slick designs.”

The project included a fixed installation for background music in the entrance area, two restaurant areas, buffet and open kitchen, spa and wellness areas, outdoor rooftop pool area and for club music on the outdoor terrace and in the bar / lounge areas.

“We were up against a tight deadline because the opening ceremonies were already scheduled and invitations had already been sent out, but the whole building site was like a huge anthill of workers of all trades struggling to finish their work, plus we needed the time for our installation, so it was crazy, but in the end we just made it,” commented Karl.

The system needed to be fully integrated with the existing system and comprised

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several multi-zone areas. Firstly, multi-zone background music distribution in the spa areas with controls in the spa reception. Secondly, multi-zone background music was used in the entrance, restaurants, buffet and open kitchen, as well as club / lounge music distribution for the bar and terrace.

K-array’s active Tornados were installed for the background music areas, while the club / lounge area features K-array KK52 line-array variable beam speakers and KMT12 subwoofers as well as Lyzards and KU36 ultra slim, high power subwoofers from K-array’s Rumble Series.

“We believe that it´s an important thing to realise that there are limited resources on this planet, so it’s wise to plan and build with respect for our environment and for the nature surrounding us. Simply because it feels right, we have the responsibility of being sustainable,” concluded Karl.

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044 REPORT

Company: Martin Audio Location: Plymouth, UK Fathom is a new sonic artwork by Plymouth University media arts specialists Jane Grant and Dr John Matthias. In an attempt to bring one of the England’s most diverse waterways into sharp focus they used new generation technology to create an artificial surface six foot above the floor of a 17th Century Royal Navy victualing yard. Anyone that understands the challenge in creating two distinct sonic experiences in the same space will know this is no small feat, and it is Martin Audio’s award-winning technology that has made this possible.

The company’s multi-cellular loudspeaker array (MLA), supplied by RG Jones, with lighting and staging by Pyramid AV, was used to transmit a combination of live and recorded sounds, enabling visitors to walk around and hear the sounds below the surface of the estuary. They were also able to lift their heads above the Fathom to hear the sounds above the water.

This commission was the centrepiece of a public event to launch It’s All About the River, a year-long project to celebrate the historical, cultural and industrial importance of the River Tamar, which forms the border between Devon and Cornwall.

This site-specific art work, utilising the confluence of the River Tamar and immersing the Old Factory Cooperage at Royal William Yard in sound, formed part of the two week long Ocean City Festival.

Producer of the event and masterminding the audio production was experienced Sound Engineer Simon Honywill, who has lectured for many years at the nearby Deep Blue Sound and has been a strong advocate of Martin Audio’s breakthrough technology since it was launched. Underwater sound recording technology was provided by Thomas Gordon at VP Marine.

Speaking of his involvement in the project, Simon said: “Of all the challenges I have had in my career - and there have been many - it is fitting that my home town of Plymouth should come up with the most intriguing, demanding and wholly satisfying piece of work I can remember.

“The city rests between two estuaries, the Plym and the Tamar, and despite the fact that the Plym gave up its name to the city, it is the seemingly bottomless Tamar that is the major waterway, dividing Devon from Cornwall. It is now, whilst still a busy waterway, a common thread for a wide group of artists of many kinds, and it is art that unexpectedly brought the Tamar and Martin Audio’s MLA system together,” he continued.

The challenge took him on an empirical journey into the unknown, as recordings were made out on the river by the two artists. “Some were familiar sonic events,

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Image courtesy of Nic Black

FATHOM

some less so… but how many get to hear them below the waves?” he asked rhetorically. The recordings were complemented with live input from a pair of hydrophones, electrical instruments for detecting or monitoring sound under water, which delivered a constant picture of the activity down in the deep throughout an entire weekend.

“The key element of Fathom that John and Jane wanted to convey was the divide between water and air, and Jane’s concept was to create a boundary at one fathom (six foot, six inches) from the floor where visitors to the piece could climb steps and emerge from the sonic water into the very different atmosphere above. It was up to me to find a way of achieving this convincingly,” said Simon.

He immediately knew that the answer lay in the ground-breaking Martin Audio MLA, designed to accurately place sound where it is required, and keep it away from where it is not. “It was the only way I could even start to generate the kind of sharp cut-off that this unique project demanded, and the only system I am aware of that can be programmed to make deep holes in its coverage,” he continued.

The underwater experience would consist of eight stacks of five MLA in a space 30-metres by 15-metres and the air experience is a ring of six Martin Audio DD6 differential dispersion speakers on tall stands in the centre of the space, where listeners climb up steps into a stereo soundscape generated by a pair of DPA 2011 microphones rigged over the water where the live hydrophones are placed.

Simon admitted he had no idea how well this would work. “I was asking the system to cover no more than about seven metres, tail off rapidly and create a hole in the coverage at six foot six inches from the floor. It was really pushing the envelope, audio quality was not necessarily high priority but the software said it was possible.

“I must have tried about 10 different configurations in Display 2 [Martin Audio’s proprietary software] before settling on the final one that got rigged. I only had one chance to get it right too, as budget constraints meant that I had crew for four hours and that was it.

“Fortunately this approach was successful, as there was no way I could re-rig 40 MLA enclosures on my own.”

Andy Davies, Martin Audio Application Support, concluded: “With our advanced multi-cellular systems we have introduced a new way of controlling sound systems.

With a desire to push the boundaries and advance the art and science of sound reinforcement it was a great honour for Martin Audio to be involved in this project.” www.martin-audio.com

REPORT 045

GRAIN STOR E Company: Bose Location: London, UK Grain Store is a new restaurant by Chef Bruno Loubet and The Zetter Group’s Michael Benyan and Mark Sainsbury, located on Granary Square at the heart of London’s Kings Cross. Following on from the extraordinary success of The Zetter Townhouse, they have once again joined forces with pioneering drinks creator Tony Conigliaro.

The interiors, created by Russell Sage, are designed around the concept of the exploded kitchen - a flexible space that blurs the lines between kitchen and restaurant - with elements of the cooking process spilling over to the table. The 80-seat terrace on Granary Square is a magnet for alfresco drinking and dining.

With many exposed surfaces within this listed building, the brief for the audio was simple, yet complex to achieve. The requirement was for high quality even sound coverage for background music during the daytime and in the restaurant in the evening, but a more full-on sound for the bar areas which are destinations in their

own right for customers who want a more lively club-like atmosphere. With its listed building status, nothing could be wall mounted, and the ceiling is covered in metal framing and ductwork, so the speaker mountings were custom-made to blend into the industrial style design.

Bose Pro Partner, Progressive AV, which also installed a Bose solution at London’s The Zetter Townhouse, had bespoke steel-wire assemblies made to the exact length required, and additional speaker mounts were adapted from wall mounting solutions to provide a stylish wire assembly that also suited the design of the bar.

The Bose solution included pendant mounted FreeSpace DS40F speakers and FreeSpace 3 system for the main restaurant, and a Panaray system including 502A, 502B, 402 and MB4 bass for the bar areas.

According to Liam McLaughlin of Progressive AV, the result is perfectly balanced sound throughout the restaurant and bar areas. “Diners can now enjoy good quality unobtrusive background music, and when the system is set to provide a higher output in the evenings, the bar areas offer an exciting, punchy sound with clear dynamics for a livelier atmosphere. The Bose sound complements the high quality of the food and drink available at the Grain Store.” http://pro.bose.com

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046 REPORT

Image courtesy of Jeff Strout

NATION A L W W I I M U S E U M Company: Meyer Sound Location: New Orleans, USA At the National WWII Museum in downtown New Orleans, the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center now relies on the Meyer Sound CAL column array loudspeaker to tackle the acoustic challenges in its massive vaulted pavilion. Using CAL’s beam-steering technology, New Orleans-based JBA Consulting Engineers has created a system that delivers highly intelligible music and speech while tailoring coverage for the audience size at an event. The US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center is a 36,000 sq ft angular edifice dominated by a five-storey, steel and glass atrium that houses six wartime aircraft suspended in frozen flight, including a B-17 Flying Fortress. Despite the acoustical hazards posed by surfaces of glass and concrete, the CAL loudspeakers allow the museum to direct exceptional audio clarity to the audience for almost daily programs of lectures, video screenings, and musical entertainment.

“We were originally sceptical about having decent sound in the space, largely based on prior experience in another pavilion using older technology,” admitted Paul Parrie, Associate Vice President of Operations for the museum. “But we are amazed at how well the Meyer Sound CAL system works here, and we are very pleased with it.”

Precise, uniform coverage of the 700-person capacity audience area is provided by two CAL 64 loudspeakers, aided by two UPJunior VariO loudspeakers for nearstage fill. While low end for music and video playback programming is supplied by dual 600-HP subwoofers. The CAL loudspeakers are programmed with two

presets: one uses dual split beams on both sides for larger audiences, while the other uses a single beam at a steeper angle for smaller audiences.

“The wall opposite the stage is five stories of solid glass, and because the room is asymmetrical, the throw is much shorter on one side than the other,” continued Rob Pourciau, Senior Project Consultant for JBA. “We needed loudspeakers that could tailor precise coverage for the space, then change coverage depending on audience size, while providing both high speech intelligibility and superb music quality. CAL is the only system that could do it all and still keep the architects happy with its unobtrusive appearance.”

In addition, two Meyer Sound UM-100P stage monitors provide foldback, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system featuring one Galileo 408 processor is used for optimisation and drive. The pavilion’s event audio system also includes a Yamaha LS9-32 digital mixing console, Clear-Com intercom, and eight Shure ULX wireless systems, which include Beta 58 handheld microphones and beltpacks with Countryman lavalieres. The sound and lighting systems were designed by JBA Consulting Engineers, while New Orleans-based Soundworks handled system integration.

Opening its door back in 2000, the National WWII Museum features interactive exhibits, artefacts of all sizes, and special programs that together reveal how the war was fought, how it was won, and what the results mean for today’s society. www.meyersound.com

C I V I C T H E AT RE Company: L-Acoustics Location: New Orleans, USA Following an extensive nine-month, US$10.5 million renovation project, the Civic Theatre, the oldest surviving theatre building in New Orleans, has officially reopened its doors after sitting dormant for more than three decades. To bring the 107-year-old, 15,000 sq ft performance venue up to today’s production standards, Solomon Group, a new L-Acoustics Certified Provider for the install and rental markets, specified and integrated a Kiva-Kilo loudspeaker system into the space.

According to Solomon Group Partner Stephen Fink, the new house sound system features 11 L-Acoustics Kiva enclosures flown beneath three L-Acoustics Kilo low-frequency extension cabinets per side, all custom-finished in white to match the room’s bright Beaux Arts-style interior. Ground-stacked below each array are two L-Acoustics SB18 subwoofers topped with a single coaxial L-Acoustics 8XT enclosure for fill. The entire system is powered and processed by four L-Acoustics amplified controllers, three LA8’s and one LA4.

“L-Acoustics’ Kiva-Kilo was one of the very few systems that could accommodate the Civic’s rigging weight limits yet still provide the broad vertical splay that the room’s geometry required,” said Stephen. “Beyond that, the stunning presence of these compact white arrays on either side of the stage perfectly complements the visual aesthetic of the venue. They almost look like part of the architecture, as if they were made specifically for the space. Kiva-Kilo was the best fit for the Civic physically, sonically and financially.” www.l-acoustics.com

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SPAZIO GESSI Company: d&b audiotechnik Location: Milan, Italy Located at the heart of Milan’s fashion district, the new Spazio Gessi is a showroom and meeting centre like no other. With world-class Italian brands all around it, Spazio Gessi has literally been dug underground between two historical mansion houses on Via Manzoni. The concept of showroom and meeting centre is itself revolutionary, but revolution is nothing new to Gessi. Home to the design and manufacture of what the company calls, ‘bathroom solutions’, Gessi’s interior designs might more readily be termed high art. The company has built a reputation for innovation, style, and the successful marriage of commercial enterprise and great design; skills it readily impart through its acclaimed Academy Gessi seminar program.

“The project was to create a space destined to be much more than a traditional showroom,” said architect Luca Bresciani. “So when it came to thinking about sound and how to relay information we knew we would need a system capable to offer a natural and smooth reproduction of speech and background music, but at the same time ready to bring out the energy for party and events we are planning to host in our space.” That said, Gessi is a master of elegance and the muted understatement of style, so this would require discretion. “Of course, we need these features in the smallest possible package, because everything had to be hidden behind the walls boiseires.”

Bresciani approached Molpass, one of the leading audio consultants in Italy. “We had worked for Gessi before,” said Alessandro Bertoni. a Molpass Executive.

“We designed and installed a d&b audiotechnik T-Series for the company HQ in Vercelli. Such a system is much like Gessi itself, elegant in design, yet underneath d&b audiotechnik systems portray the highest standards of quality and reproduction, so I turned immediately to its catalogue for this project. The space, some 5,000 sq metres in total, will host fashion shows, business conferences, corporate dinners, even gala concert events, so the sound solution needed to fulfil many varied needs yet not compromise Luca Bresciani’s exquisite interior.”

Alessandro’s solution focussed primarily upon the d&b audiotechnik White range.

“Alessandro showed us the tiny 4S and 5S,” continued Luca. “After having listened to them, together with a 12S subwoofer, we agreed that those boxes had the aesthetic appearance we needed, and the sound reproduction was perfect.”

Alessandro, recognising the need to maintain that aesthetic, conceived a signal management infrastructure based on the d&b Alessandro R1 Remote control software to minimise the need to ever bring in additional sound reinforcement, even for DJ events. “For the main system in the central event area we specified two arrays of Ti10 supported by 27S-SUBs, ideal for this environment; imagine every surface tends to be marble or other similarly dense flat reflective surfaces, the pattern control of the Ti10 was ideal, while the inherent cardioid nature of the 27S subwoofer provides power without mass in precisely the right area. Perfect.”

Gessi company founder Gianluca Gessi was delighted with the installation: “Our new Milano centre is in many ways a concept laboratory. Here creative people and commercial enterprise will merge together in the emotional sensory environment we have created. To achieve such an environment every detail had to be carefully designed, especially for the most subtle of senses: hearing.” www.dbaudio.com

048 REPORT

LIME W H A R F Company: Funktion-One Location: London, UK Lime Wharf is a Hackney based cultural innovation hub and artistic laboratory on Regent’s Canal. Located in the heart of East London’s creative quarter on Vyner Street, this innovative and experimental centre welcomes artists and scientists to collaborate in residencies, think tanks gatherings and stimulating exhibitions.

Founded by creative radical, Thomas Ermacora, the space aims to engage with the public and local communities through a series of participatory exhibitions and sensory events tackling various and diverse topics, ranging from DIY ethics and sustainable practises to cutting-edge technologies. The audio installation at Lime Wharf is the first for Soulsound Installations, Darryn de la Soul’s new venture.

Working with business partners Mark Dale - a graduate of Darryn’s Live Sound Diploma for Alchemea College of Audio Engineering - and pro audio veteran Justin Grealy, they designed an audio system that would provide a visually subtle, yet aurally impactful sound solution. Lime Wharf, rather than being one venue, is a collection of spaces, which have been scooped up from varying states of disuse and repair and splashed with colour and life. The central building houses a quirky open face café that oozes both laid back bohemia and vibrancy, giving the impression embryonic conversations take place regularly, before the latest forays into East London’s painfully cool art scene catch the wind.

A long, narrow space shoots off its side. Its length far outweighs its comparatively slight width, which draws the eye to its end. There, a modest stage sits before a smattering of chairs and just the right amount of random objects. The walls are white and the floor is plain, for this is a deliberately empty space that enjoys bursts of life - poetry, music, conversation and exhibits.

“It is a rectangular shape but it’s a very long rectangle, with very curved walls running down the side,” explained Mark. “The canal is right there, so we need to be able to contain the sound as much as possible because the neighbours across the canal are our main concern.”

Soulsound Installations has specified two solutions for this space. Both have been designed to offer high quality audio reinforcement with minimal visual impact. And both incorporate Funktion One loudspeakers. The first design will be deployed in phase two, which is likely to be implemented at the start of 2014. It utilises multiple Funktion One F55’s, which will provide even dispersion and a high-degree of control within the different zones.

For now, two Funktion One F101 loudspeakers and two Funktion One BR115 bass

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reflex enclosures, powered by a Full Fat Audio F60Q amplifier, supply the sound.

Mark continued: “It’s such a changing space, it’s not like a standard venue, where you’ve got a stage and some PA. We move it around all the time, it goes in various different places, like the galleries and the warehouse exhibition spaces we have.”

BSS London Soundweb networking provides routing, zoning control and safety features - including integration with the alarm system. Discussing the choice of speaker system, Mark explained that it was an easy decision: “Darryn, Justin and I love Funktion One. There wasn’t really any question about us specifying any other manufacturer. It’s true - you don’t have to do anything to it to make it sound good, it just sounds good.

“I’ve had different systems in here. Before we got the F101’s in, we hired in various systems. It’s difficult to get the sound right, purely because of the shape of the room and it’s a load of hard, flat surfaces. But with this system, I generally don’t need to EQ it because there isn’t any need to.”

Darryn added: “For me, putting a system into Lime Wharf is a cementing of relationships built over the years. They’re all coming together under one roof, so to speak. And whilst I do have the greatest respect for other audio manufacturers, my heart and ears have always been with Funktion One. No other PA moves me deep in my core.” www.funktion-one.com

REPORT 049

SIR SEE WO O SAG UR R AMGO O L A M I NTE R N AT I O N A L AIR PORT Company: Fohhn Audio Location: Plaisance, Mauritius

Visitors to Terminal 2 of the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Plaisance, Mauritius, can hear their flight announcements courtesy of 52 Fohhn Linea Series AL-10 loudspeaker systems, thanks to the recent installation of the compact loudspeakers. Set to double the airport’s gateway capacity to 4.5 million passengers a year, the new terminal has been designed to better serve the needs of the island’s tourist industry, as well as playing a key role in its economic development. The 57,000 sq metre state-of-the-art terminal building includes an architectural roof that has been modelled on the Ravenala Palm, a tropical plant found in Mauritius. The terminal design also features maximum use of natural light and renewable energy for lighting, in keeping with Mauritius’ ‘sustainable island’ concept.

French company Aéroports de Paris worked in collaboration with the China State Construction Engineering Corporation to develop and manage the new terminal project and Fohhn Audio’s Chinese distributor, Shoushan System Integration was involved in the supply of the AL-10 systems for the new terminal.

Frequently selected for installation projects, the ultra-compact, 20W nearfield AL10 loudspeakers were specified for relaying passenger information and for providing background music. The systems feature integral line array technology, and are particularly suited to challenging acoustic environments and complex architectural layouts. With clarity of speech and even sound dispersion prime requirements for this project, the design and functionality of the AL-10 was considered best suited to the task of providing effective short distance coverage and high levels of speech intelligibility. The 100V versions of the loudspeakers were supplied for the installation. Amid the terminal’s elegant, modern architecture, visual appearance was also a major consideration and the AL-10’s once again proved ideal on account of their compact dimensions. www.fohhn.com

FR IEN D S A R ENA Company: Electro-Voice Location: Solna, Sweden A new national stadium, the Friends Arena has been built in Solna near Stockholm, Sweden. It has taken three years to construct the 65,000-seater stadium, designed in accordance with the most modern precepts and equipped with a retractable roof. The stadium serves as a venue not only for major sporting events but also for major events from the worlds of music and entertainment. In terms of concept, architecture, design and equipment, the Friends Arena is one of the most modern multi-function stadiums in Europe.

The invitation to tender for the sound reinforcement solution was won by the English firm LBI Projects, one of the world’s leading specialists in stadium sound.

In addition to its impressive reference list, in which names like Wembley Stadium catch the eye, it was the “compact, elegant and efficient sound design concept” proposed by LBI Projects that clinched the deal. The core of the sound reinforcement solution is made up of powerful, compact XLD281 elements from Electro-Voice’s XLVC line array system.

“The XLD281 three-way cabinet is light and visually unobtrusive, sounds excellent and provides very good coverage of the bass frequencies without requiring any support from subwoofers,” said LBI Project’s James Hurst. The XLD281 elements are operated with FIR filters, which James considered essential if the required system performance was to be achieved. “Naturally, we also fine-tuned the system,” he added. “In this case by toning down the preset boosts at 170Hz, which, whilst

it may on a subjective level have led to an initial reduction in loudness, markedly improved transparency - an important quality often notable for its absence in major stadiums.”

The complete audio installation in the Friends Arena is integrated into a redundant Dante audio network on a gigabit, single-mode fibre-optic basis. Nine compact system racks feed all the loudspeakers in the arena. Each of the racks is equipped with CPS 8.5 power amplifiers with RCM-810 remote modules and redundant NetMax N8000 controllers with DM-1 modules for integration into the Dante network.

Four identically configured racks are located beneath the roof; these feed not only the 12 markedly curved XLD281 hangs serving the stands but also the eight horn-loaded EVH-1152S/66 coaxial systems from the EV-Innovation family covering the playing area, with one quarter of the stadium assigned to each rack. Five additional system racks are housed in the ground floor of the arena; these serve all the ancillary zones, such as passageways, catering facilities and areas not normally open to the public, including the banqueting hall, which is equipped with 14 EVF1152S/64 loudspeakers. Full control and supervision of all the racks is assured

by IRIS-Net software. As is generally the case with modern stadium installations, the sound reinforcement system in the Friends Arena is linked to the evacuation system. The latter, in this case, consists of around 500 ceiling loudspeakers, complemented by 340 horn-loaded speakers for recorded music, 75 bi-directional loudspeakers and three digital message players - all from Bosch.

The feedback from the operators of the stadium has been positive, reported James. Even experts like Steve Liddle, Project Consultant with Springwell AB, are “totally enthusiastic about the performance, the evenness of the coverage, the high sound pressure levels and the excellent intelligibility.” www.electrovoice.com

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050 REPORT

MESA V E R D E Company: Quest Location: Melbourne, Australia For those craving Mesoamerican in Melbourne Australia, Mesa Verde is the place to park your sombrero. Offering a slick menu of Mexican-inspired dishes alongside an impressive list of 240 tequilas, it isn’t hard to earn a hangover at this slick little venue. The interior fit out is inspired by the 1971 Sergio Leone western ‘Duck, You Sucker’ (aka A Fistful of Dynamite). The style is noticeably spaghetti western, complimented by a splash of Tasmanian Blackwood furnishings. With so much work going into achieving this particular look and feel, the audiovisual element had to be carefully considered.

The last thing any venue architect would want when designing a custom venue like this, is to have a sound designer suddenly arrive with a selection of obtrusive loudspeakers. Enter the Quest HPI ultra compact speakers. For Mesa Verde, a combination using four of the more compact offerings were chosen, the HPI5, HPI25, HPI12S and HPI212S. The HPI5 is a high output 360W single five-inch plus one inch that comes in under 25cm in height. The HPI25 is a dual five-inch

plus one-inch model only 44cm in height. In the low frequency department, the HPI12S is an extremely compact 12-inch subwoofer, while the HPI212S offers a compact dual 12-inch subwoofer solution. These almost miniature high powered club systems have been purpose designed for applications that require full bodied, high output sound without the big visual footprint many loudspeakers possess by nature. Installed around the venue in multiple zones, the distribution of the HPI5’s throughout Mesa Verde essentially cocooned the patrons in sound. The sonic fidelity and power of the HPI5 system creates a warm atmosphere while the zone control allows for areas of the venue to be high SPL where required. Due to some particular restrictions on speaker placement to satisfy architectural considerations, three additional HPI25 speakers were positioned over the bar. By reflecting these off a parallel wall, the impression of a much larger system was achieved with virtually no speakers in sight. The HPI212S was built into the base of the DJ booth complementing the venue aesthetics while the HPI12S was hidden completely due to its extremely compact size.

The growing popularity of the HPI Series, particularly the compact options have already found their way into impressive venues such as Mesa Verde delivering a club style PA without the aggressive space or visual challenges faced with these installs using more traditional products. www.questaudio.com.au

W E S T PA RK Company: Nexo Location: Ingoldstadt, Germany German system integrator Show‘Em, which works exclusively with Nexo loudspeakers, has installed a GEO system into the Plaza area of the West Park shopping centre, Ingoldstadt.

West Park is one of the biggest shopping malls in South Germany. At its centre is the multipurpose Plaza, a large, glass-ceilinged space which can accommodate around 700 people. Here, West Park regularly puts on community events such as live concerts, classical events, dances, gala bingo, boxing matches and chess tournaments, as well as showing sporting events on the Plaza’s large video wall.

“The owner and the architect wanted to have a discreet sound system, which meant no bass cabinets on the floor or flown,” explained Show‘Em’s CEO Christian Eck. “While this clean look, and the size of the array, was important to the architect, the owner’s priority was to have a powerful system.”

Show’Em hit on an ingenious solution for this dilemma. Using NEXOSoft acoustic simulation software for system design, the company came up with a permanently installed L-R system of three Nexo S1210 and one Nexo S1230 compact two-way cabinets per side. The hangs are suspended five metres above the floor at an 11º horizontal angle, controlled with a Nexo NX242 digital TDcontroller and powered by a Camco Vortex 200 and a Vortex 6 amplifier. However when West Park puts on dance events or live bands, it can rent in Nexo bass cabinets from Show’Em to supplement the unobtrusive main system.

According to Christian, this efficient design, using just four cabinets per side, produces good coverage which can be heard into the corridors of the centre.

“The angle was tricky, so we used Nexo’s simulation software to get it right,” he said. “Most other speakers wouldn’t have stood a chance.

“After the first few events, the owner and architect were very pleased with how easy it has been to produce a clear sound for hundreds of people without a big array. In line with the client’s requirements, the system really does look small and discreet.” www.nexo.fr

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052 REPORT

BEL L A S K Y CO MW EL L H OT E L Company: QSC Location: Copenhagen, Denmark The award-winning Bella Sky Comwell hotel in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, chose the Q-Sys integrated platform from QSC to route and manage much of its extensive audio infrastructure, from background music to conference audio.

The instantly recognisable hotel, with its dual ‘leaning towers’ design, was built as part of the Bella Center Conference venue on Amager, the island off Copenhagen.

Local audio-visual integrator AV-Huset was responsible for the audio infrastructure at the hotel, and chose Q-Sys as the management platform, installing a comprehensive system supplied by Danish QSC distributor EM Nordic. Run from a control room in the hotel basement, the Bella Sky Q-Sys comprises a Core 1000 linked to 10 I/O frames around the building, 21 ISA amplifiers, a total of 10 compact twoway QSC AD-S 52 and 82 loudspeakers distributed amongst the hotel’s four bars and two restaurants, together with no less than 144 QSC AD-CI52ST discreet ceiling-mount speakers in the reception and other communal areas. Q-Sys is mainly responsible for background music facilities at Bella Sky, although mic/line options are provided in some of the hotel’s 28 meeting rooms and three conference halls, so audio can be networked for projections and corporate presentations. In the conference halls, Q-Sys also interfaces with a third-party environmental control system, as Ashley Cooke of EM Nordic explained: “It was my first installation with Q-Sys, and we had to ensure it would integrate with the third-party control system.

I was concerned it would take a while, but it was literally a question of sitting down with the installers for 15 minutes, and then Q-Sys was all hooked up.

“The hotel management were also pleased about the expandability of the system.

We originally installed a fixed-architecture system running the then-current version 2.0 software and firmware, with 24 inputs and 68 outputs. You can imagine the smile on the faces of the installers and the customers when they were informed that future channel expansion would just require the latest firmware update - so they could make use of the new Flex Channels, which can be either inputs or outputs - and not the purchase of a bigger core as they had expected. Partly because of that, plans are now being drawn up to extend the Q-Sys network across the whole of the Bella Center conferencing facility.” www.qscaudio.com

PL ATAFO R M A DA S A R T E S Company: Amina Location: Guimaraes, Portugal With its modular structure, clean, crisp lines and minimal interior the Plataforma das Artes - located in the heart of Guimaraes, an historical city in Portugal provides a blank canvas for artistic, cultural and social-economic activity. In an environment such as this, all elements require careful consideration, not least the audio system.

During the initial sketches of this project, VMC Systems of Portugal was contacted and invited on-board. The first aspect of the interior it noticed was the huge expanse of space present in most rooms with the requirement to fill all with quality, clear sound all the while maintaining the modernist aesthetic. This would have been a near impossible task were it not for Amina Technologies’ invisible loudspeakers.

Large rooms with acoustically challenging architecture make up the majority of the exhibition spaces within the Plataforma das Artes. Amina LFiT invisible loudspeakers were promptly specified due to their wide dispersion, impeccable clarity and their ability in being rendered completely invisible. The dispersive nature of Amina’s DML distributed mode loudspeaker product allows a significant reduction in the number of loudspeakers required to fill a large area compared to that of a conventional cone loudspeaker, here just two Amina DML distributed mode loudspeakers were required.

One of the biggest challenges for VMC was how to control the excessive reverberation in the larger spaces. The solution was to use a special acoustically absorbent plaster finish on all the surfaces. Tests were carried out to ensure that a thinner layer could be sprayed onto the LFiT panel surface so as to comply with Amina’s installation requirement.

The Amina LFiTs provide high quality background music, voice announcements

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and are used to re-enforce the dedicated voice alarm system.

To aid commercial specifiers and installers Amina have made available a simple software package called SQSE that calculates estimated speaker quantity requirements and sound pressure levels. Ideal for projects such as this, SQSE can quickly illustrate the benefit of Amina’s speakers in reduced loudspeaker requirements in nearly all situations. www.amina.co.uk

REPORT 053

COMÉD I E FR A NÇA I S E Company: Tannoy Location: Paris, France The Comédie Française in Paris is one of the most important and historic performing arts institutions in the world, and it is now operating with Tannoy’s innovative QFlex beam-steering technology in its main theatre.

The history of this French institution is threefold. It is the history of a company, the history of its theatres and the history of its repertory. The Comédie Française was born in 1680, the century of Louis XIV - the Sun King - a ruler whose passion was deeply entrenched in the performing arts. The list of actors and productions that have performed in this historic space is the stuff of legends, and indeed, that kind of standard of performance is still going on to this very day.

In recent times, the theatre went through one of its most important renovation program. Closed for around a year, Richelieu Hall - the main theatre space - had to undergo an extensive refurbishment to bring back both the aesthetic and sound quality lost over the years following the previous transformations. Originally built in the neoclassical and enlarged under the Second Empire style, it has undergone many transformationsin order to meet the requirements of the 19th and 20th centuries in constant search of comfort for spectators. However, these historical changes gradually lead to a significant reduction of the acoustic qualities of the room, which in turn caused problems for both actors and audiences alike.

With the recent restoration, the main focus was to restore the room to its former glory, both acoustically and aesthetically, bringing back that original charm and magic of this unique space. These renovations, entrusted to the Department of Building and Facilities of the Comédie Française and its Director Sophie Bourgeois, were made in consultation with the Chief Architect of Historical Monuments.

And of course, with this kind of historically important, architecture in mind, it was important to find a loudspeaker solution that would match the needs of both the audiences and performers alike, at the same time being architecturally sensitive.

French company DV2 was commissioned to design, supply and integrate a new sound system and it found the perfect solution in Tannoy’s digitally steerable, multi-channel, column array loudspeaker system.

The technology within QFlex means the system is able to achieve even, full-range coverage and SPL which is maintained across the listening plane, and can create an asymmetrical pattern to allow similar SPLs in both the near and far field. It can steer focused beams of acoustic energy to frequencies beyond 12kHz, which makes it suitable for full-range musical material as well as spoken word.

The modular nature of QFlex means that integrators can choose a specific size of array according to their needs, and after careful consideration and testing the team at DV2 settled on two QFlex 48’s, mounted discretely on either side of the stage.

These units perfectly blend with the elaborate white and gold stage surround, and with the steerable nature of the internal drive units, allowed DV2 and the staff of Comédie Française to compensate for the challenging acoustics and reach each level of the steep incline of seating in the theatre.

Nicolas Faguet, Sound and Video Manager for the venue, commented: “From the beginning, we knew we had limitations on what we could use to form the main sound system here, and when DV2 suggested QFlex from Tannoy, we were very interested to hear what it could do, and see it in place.”

A small series of custom-painted Tannoy VX 5.2’s were employed as side fills to

cover those seats right on the side of the stage at each balcony level, allowing for the same Tannoy sonic signature to be projected throughout. These are controlled

by XTA processors, and amplified with a Lab.gruppen C 20.8X amplifier, the most powerful eight-channel amplifier in the C Series family.

A pair of Adamson Point 115 subwoofers and a pair of Adamson Point 215 subwoofers, artfully integrated, provide additional power and punch for those occasions where a particular performance needs extra impact.

In summing up the use of Tannoy in Comédie-Française, Nicolas commented: “I have had some experience with beam steering before, but Tannoy is by far the best I have ever heard in terms of audio quality and intelligibility. From the time we reopened, it was clear that we had the perfect solution. Both the audiences who visit us daily and the guardians of the theatre have expressed their delight in what we have done, and QFlex is so discrete that I have heard people ask many times, ‘where is the sound coming from?’ - that to me is testament to their superior design, power and clarity.” www.tannoypro.com

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054 REPORT

GÄDDVI K E N R EHEARSA L H A L L Company: Yamaha Location: Stockholm, Sweden Whether it’s a historic venue which wasn’t designed with the needs of modern productions in mind (or indeed originally as a live performance space at all) or perhaps a rehearsal facility where the acoustics weren’t prioritised in the design and construction, the acoustics of some venues can leave a lot to be desired.

As well as making the audience experience more enjoyable, improving the sound of a venue or rehearsal space also helps artists to deliver a better performance.

Physical changes - such as diffusers and suspended ceilings - can be detrimental to the character of the sound, which is why electronic solutions like Yamaha’s latest Active Field Control system - AFC3 - are a better solution. AFC3 is an acoustic conditioning system which adjusts and enhances the acoustic characteristics of a space, while preserving its natural features. It achieves this by creating feedback loops using microphones and speakers located in the reverberant field of the room to ‘recycle’ the reverberant energy, thus extending the reverb time. Yamaha has produced acoustic conditioning systems for over 20 years, but earlier systems were high in both cost and technical complexity, as well as only being available for venues in Japan and the USA. Modern DSP processing has allowed the design and implementation process to be much more cost efficient. Together with advanced automated functions - which mean local acousticians can participate in the tuning process - AFC3 is within reach of much smaller concert halls, auditoria, theatres and churches… and available in Europe.

Gäddviken Rehearsal Hall is the rehearsal venue for the Stockholm Royal Opera House. Its 625 sq metres floor area and 17-metres ceiling height provide enough space to accommodate an orchestra, choir, soloists and complete opera set. To minimise unwanted reflections, the walls and ceiling had been treated with absorbent material, but this delivered an unnaturally dry sound for such a large space.

“The room is used daily for staging and setting up full sets as required,” said LarsGöran Ehn, the Royal Swedish Opera’s Senior Sound Engineer. “However, in 2013 it has also been turned into a ‘black box’ style venue to allow opera performances without the restrictions of the auditorium in the Opera House. Changing from musical rehearsal to staging shows needs to be fast, manageable by a small group of people and, in certain circumstances, we need to be able to turn the acoustics off completely.”

Designed by Takayuki Watanabe from Yamaha’s Spatial Audio division in Japan, in close collaboration with Lars-Göran and Mikael Collin, owner of Stockholm-based Audile Electroacoustics, Yamaha’s AFC3 system loudspeakers and microphones have been specified at the venue. AFC3 is an acoustic conditioning system which

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adjusts and enhances the acoustic characteristics of a space, while preserving its natural features. It achieves this by creating feedback loops using microphones and speakers located in the reverberant field of the room to ‘recycle’ the reverberant energy, thus extending the reverb time. The AFC3 system loudspeakers and microphones are placed at least 8.5-metres above the floor to allow full opera stage sets to be housed in the multi-purpose space.

A total of 16 mobile SMT S-wing diffuser panels are also employed as a complementary solution during orchestral rehearsals to support very early reflections although, for most installations with less extraordinary height requirements, early reflections would be handled solely by the AFC3 system. The completed system includes 44 Yamaha IF2205 full range loudspeakers and four IS118 18-inch subwoofers, all flown from the ceiling or mounted on the balcony. While 12 3-Zigma SD-C cardioid microphones are mounted in three rows of four at 8.5-metres high - eight above the rehearsal area are used for the system’s rehearsal presets, or four above the front of the rehearsal area and four above the audience area for the concert presets.

A 19-inch rack houses three AFC3-FIR DSP units, two AD8HR A/D converters with microphone pre-amps, six IPA8200 power amplifiers to drive the full range speakers and two PC6501N power amplifiers for the subwoofers. A CP4SW control panel provides day-to-day control, its four settings allowing the selection of ‘off’, ‘rehearsal short’, ‘rehearsal long’ and ‘concert long’ presets. More comprehensive control is provided by an ICP1 panel, with access to the independent levels of the diffuse reverberation field and of the early reflections. It is password protected, so that only authorised staff can access those settings.

“Having the full orchestra to help us set up the system allowed very detailed tuning to be done. Conductor Laurens Renes was very important at this stage, providing us with feedback to ensure the overall response didn’t deviate too much from the orchestra pit at the Royal Opera House,” said Ron Bakker, Systems Marketing Manager at Yamaha.

“The ease of basic tuning and hardware setup allows you to focus on what’s really important - how it sounds. It’s amazing to work with a system that allows you to tune it to such a fine level that even 0.25dB makes a difference. And the system behaved exactly as planned, which is vital when it comes to the predictability of such designs,” added Mikael.

Lars-Göran was under considerable pressure to ensure the AFC3 system delivered everything that was required, but he is very happy with the result.

“Acoustics are critical when working with musicians and singers at this level and we knew that the demands of its sonic quality would be very high. Moreover, using microphones and loudspeakers for acoustic correction still encounters a lot of scepticism, raising the critical listening levels even higher. The truth is that we turned a room considered pointless for our musicians to rehearse in into a hall where they now enjoy making music.” www.yamahaproaudio.com

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056 REPORT

HURRICANES GRILL Company: BSS, JBL, Crown Location: Sydney, Australia Looking to provide a comprehensive audio solution with the necessary power and flexibility for a full-service restaurant, systems integrator Constant Technology recommended an all-Harman solution for Australian’s latest Hurricanes Grill location. Local Harman distributor, Jands, provided all the components utilised in the installation.

The system had to be high-performance yet cost-effective. It was also essential the speakers would not be visible while still delivering quality sound and distribution throughout the restaurant. The venue consists of six audio zones that are powered by a range of Crown amplifiers. Six black JBL Control 47LP ceiling speakers cover the entry zone and four ceiling mounted JBL Control 52 speakers cover the main bar zone. Seven JBL Control 47LP ceiling speakers and a pair of JBL Control 40CS/T ceiling subwoofers cover the dining area. Six JBL Control 25AV Surface mount speakers, filled out with stainless steal grilles that provide an IP5 weather rating, cover the veranda zone.

Con Constantinou, Managing Director of Constant Technology said: “It sounds great and the sound distribution works really well. The client was initially surprised by the amount of speakers we wanted to install but it was necessary to ensure there were no dead spots.”

The system is controlled by a BSS BLU-100 networked signal processor. To eliminate the need for BSS wall controllers, the BSS software was customised and loaded onto the venue’s computers. “We loaded a custom interface onto their PC’s so that they can control all the zones, inputs and volume from every point of sale terminal and managers PC,” concluded Con. www.harman.com

NU TERA S Company: Powersoft Location: Istanbul, Turkey

The Mars Entertainment Group, renowned as one of the most luxurious entertainment brands in Turkey, chose Powersoft distributor Asimetrik Sound, Lighting & Visual Systems to provide a professional solution for the rooftop nightclub venue Nu Teras, in the Taksim area of Istanbul.

“In terms of location and operation Nu Teras sits right at the very top,” said Görkem Çelikbilek, Electrical & Electronics Engineer and VP of Asimetrik. “Consequently, this is a great reference installation for us and a large step towards improving Turkey’s vision of professional audio systems. We invested maximum effort in designing a system that can only be described as world class.” However, operating in the open air and being positioned between residential buildings, created a significant challenge: to design a system that sounded fantastic but at the same time caused minimum noise pollution.

“The installation therefore required the highest quality components, and so we chose a solution using products from Powersoft and EAW. The resulting sound experience is magnificent.”

Powersoft was an obvious choice, he said. “First of all we needed plenty of power, as we had to deliver the most efficient signal to the speakers at all times. Reliability was the second reason. We sometimes get power variances in Istanbul and the Powersoft amplifiers make it safe for the loudspeakers, as it provides protection against voltage drops from the power grid.”

The system solution consists of several Powersoft K2 and K10 amplifiers with onboard DSP, powering EAW JFL210, JF80, JF10 and SB250 cabinets. Early evening the system delivers hi-fidelity chillout music as an ambient soundscape for the diners, but after midnight this transforms into full-on house music. This transition is carefully managed in the Powersoft environment, Görkem said: “The DSP and flexibility of the system enable us to deliver perfect filtering, EQ, and sound quality while providing the speaker with sufficient non-stop power.”

And while Powersoft’s advanced DSP helps the venue deliver homogenous sound inside the venue, the flexibility of the loudspeaker dispersion angles made it possible to avoid sound leakage to the surrounding environment. Görkem concluded: “We can compare this place’s sound quality with anywhere we have visited. The resident DJs, guest DJs and guests are constantly complimenting us on the sound.” www.powersoft-audio.com

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THE FLYING ELK Company: Genelec Location: Stockholm, Sweden The Flying Elk is a newly opened gastro pub in Stockholm developed by the owners of Frantzen-Lindeberg, the multi-award winning Stockholm restaurant. Built at a cost of £2.5m the development incorporates three venues: the Flying Elk pub; Gaston, a small wine bar; and the Corner Club, a chic cocktail bar. Music is a central part of the entertainment in all three venues, and Genelec 4030/4040 and 8040/8030 Series loudspeakers ensure first-class sound reproduction in this challenging audio environment.

Located in Stockholm old town, The Flying Elk is close to the original two Michelin star Frantzen-Lindeberg restaurant, which, with its renowned blend of Nordic and Asian cuisine, is one of Scandinavia’s leading culinary establishments. An extensive refurbishment was carried out to create the three separate areas with a complete redesign of layout and interior gives each area a distinct and unique identity.

Jouni Niemi of 08 Audio, a Stockholm-based audio installation specialist, was able to design an audio scheme that blends excellent sound reproduction in all areas, with user-friendly operation and performance. With a background in studio and club music, Jouni was already familiar with Genelec speakers, having worked with them for a number of years. One of the main benefits of using Genelec on this project, alongside the audio performance, was the Genelec active monitor concept. With integral amplifiers, the Genelec 4040 and 4030 were able to overcome the lack of room needed for rack space, and the associated thermal management challenges, which are common to many audio-visual installations.

Furthermore, with their installation-friendly features and excellent sound reproduction, the 4000 Series were the ideal products to deliver the playback quality demanded by the owners.

“In any hospitality establishment, floor space is a valuable commodity and every square foot possible needs to be customer facing,” said Jouni. “By using Genelec monitors we were able to cut back on rack space and not have to deal with the ventilation challenges a large rack presents. Also the owners wanted to establish the Flying Elk as a must-visit establishment in as shorter time as possible. Good music offering is a great way to differentiate from the competition and pull in the crowds. With Genelec, playback is top quality with no unwelcome resonances when you turn the volume up high. Although the Flying Elk has just opened, it has already established itself on the Stockholm social circuit.”

08 Audio installed 1,400 metres of Klotz XLR Cable throughout the three separate venues and the system is tied together by two Biamp Nexia SP digital signal processors. Music is streamed to the three venues with separate Spotfy playlists set up to reflect the individual identity of each venue and can be controlled via an iPad. www.genelec.com

058 REPORT

S PORT & CO NCE R T C E N T RE Company: Next Pro Audio Location: Kursk, Russia The city of Kursk in Russia has recently added to its sporting infrastructure with The Sports and Concert Centre. The new venue comprises twelve sports halls, including a large hall for public events designed with more than 3,000 seats.

They are all equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and sports gear for practicing various sports including basketball, boxing, aerobics, dance sports, weightlifting, and powerlifting. The building is also home to a billiard room, a restaurant, a dining room, and several bars.

Moscow based Light Sound Consulting was tasked with the comprehensive design of the Kursk arena including sport lighting, art lighting, sound equipment, truss

constructions, hoist mechanisms and a state-of-the-art sound control system.

For the sound system, Light Sound Consulting specified a solution from Next Pro Audio which comprises 20 NEXT CXH64 point source loudspeakers, two NSound P15mA monitor loudspeakers, four NSound P15 two-way loudspeakers, four NSound P12mA monitor loudspeakers, nine NEXT CXL 151 self-powered bass units and four NEXT PXA 8000 power racks.

“I’ve seen a lot of similar venues, but this Sports and Concert Centre is wonderful and functional, it will serve both the elite sport and the local community, because it is a beautiful concert venue,” said Pavel Novikov, the Deputy Minister of Sports in Russia.

Kursk’s Regional Governor, Alexander Mikhailov continued: “This is a great gift for Kursk athletes, and the city and region as a whole. The venue will be the base for both team sports and other events.” www.next-proaudio.com

IN FOCUS EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA MILTON COURT, LONDON AURA, ZURICH POLSKI THEATRE, WROCLAW VERONA DI ARENA, VERONA NAIF DISCOTEQUE, PRATO

ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA THE AUSSIE FILES, SYDNEY / MELBOURNE GATEWAY TO INDIA, MUMBAI / DELHI

The venues covered in the EMEA section this issue have somewhat of a cultural feel to them. From Milton Court - a multi-purpose venue, associated with the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, to event space Aura, in Zurich, which features 360º projection surfaces and 3D audio. Then we head on to the Polski Theatre in Poland, and open air arena Verona Di Arena in Italy, before concluding the section with Naif Discoteque, found in the picturesque Italian region of Prato, Tuscany.

The APAC section provides us with not one, but two round-ups this issue following Rachael and Helen’s travels to the East. Two visits to Sydney, Australia provided us with a plethora of venues for your enjoyment and from India we have venues from Mumbai and Delhi.

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Image Š Morley von Sternberg

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MILTON COURT THE GUILDHALL SCHOOL OF MUSIC & DRAMA OPENED A NEW £89M CONCERT HALL, THEATRE, STUDIO SPACE, REHEARSAL AND FACILITIES COMPLEX IN SEPTEMBER. SIMON DUFF REPORTS ON THE HIGHLY AMBITIOUS NEW BUILD.

london, UK

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA Milton Court has been designed as a world class facility and an important addition to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Designed by David Walker Architects and RHWL Art Team, acoustics are by Arup, and consultant for the project Theatre Projects while Stage Electrics, Delstar and Stage Technologies carried out the equipment installation.

Founded in 1880, the Guildhall is one of the world’s leading conservatoires and drama schools. Situated in the heart of the city of London, next to the Barbican Centre, it currently has over 800 students, with around 700 undergraduate and postgraduate music students and about 135 studying on the acting and technical theatre courses. Alumni include Guy Chambers, Sir James Galway, Tasmin Little, Sir George Martin, Daniel Craig, Alistair McGowan, Thomas Ades, Ewan McGregor, Simon Russell Beale and Jacqueline du Pré. It regards itself as a truly global leader and prides itself on its contribution to the cultural life of the city and its ties with the Barbican Centre, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Royal Opera House, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

The most significant investment in the Guildhall’s future was opened in September with an £89m redevelopment of the neighbouring Milton Court, situated just down the road from the existing Silk Street. The original site was built in 1977 for 300 students so Milton Court offers much needed new training and performance space.

With state-of-the-art-facilities the new complex houses three new

performance spaces. At the heart of the building is a beautiful, Sapele wood clad 608 seat concert hall, complemented by a 223 seat theatre and three main rehearsal rooms, with sprung floors, mirrors and technical facilities. In addition, further rehearsal space, TV studios, teaching and administration spaces. The concert hall promises to be a major addition to London’s music venues with 25% of its use given over to professional performances in association with the Barbican Centre and Guildhall’s other partners.

Following David Walker Architects’ original concept for the building, RHWL Arts Team was appointed architect and designer for Milton Court, working with specialist consultant Theatre Projects.

Milton Court forms the lower floors of The Heron, comprising 285 apartments over 36 floors, with both elements developed

by Heron International. The construction project, which began in July 2010, was completed in July 2013. The benefits of the new complex for the Guildhall School are numerous. Barry Pritchard, Principal Director of RHWL Arts Team, commented: “Our aim has been to create a building with the characteristics and functional arrangements of a professional concert hall and an intimate, yet technically sophisticated, performing arts centre. Milton Court is a place where students can learn and perform in facilities that emulate the professional world they will soon become part of, but also where world class artists can give recitals and master classes and discerning audiences can enjoy first class performances.”

Arup was appointed in 2006 at an early stage of the design

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“Milton Court is a bit of a 3D jigsaw puzzle, with performance and rehearsal spaces in intimate proximity to each other.”

Image © Julie Harper

process. Philip Wright, Director at Arup and lead acoustician on the project worked with colleagues Ian Knowles and Luke Roberston.

Philip explained some of their early challenges: “The first challenge was to ensure that - in the concert hall and theatre especially - the overall proportions and internal volumes were right. This had to be done before any detailed modelling could be carried out, and a lot of the design flowed from that point. So it can’t be undone, and those early judgements were critical. And, similarly, one has to rationalise the sound insulation and mechanical servicing strategy.

“Milton Court is a bit of a 3D jigsaw puzzle, with performance and rehearsal spaces in intimate proximity to each other, a consequence of the imperative to make the absolute most of a confined central London site. Sound insulation between spaces must be extremely high within the smallest possible dimensions. We needed to allow for a high level of amplified sound in the studio theatre at the same time as the quietest pianissimo in the concert hall, which is directly above it.

“The site itself is close to a number of underground train lines which cause audible rumble in nearby buildings - not what you want in a concert hall - so we had to isolate it,” continued Philip. “At the same time we needed to allow large zones for air ducts so that velocities are low enough to ensure a silent system. We needed to rationalise all this early on without adding more cost or taking more space than absolutely necessary.”

During early acoustic design work an outline proposal for the form of the wooden clad hall was arrived at from knowledge of the best approach to achieving an ideal balance of clarity and reverberance. The team did rough calculations at that point, to establish the basic sense of the design and approximate values for acoustic parameters. But as soon as the feasibility of the form was established they constructed a computer model, and that was an important tool for refining the design. “Computer modelling allowed us to establish the effect of significant geometrical features, and how these should be refined and optimised,” said Philip. “For example our colleague, Luca Dellatore, wrote a smart optimisation routine which allowed us to fine-tune the angle of the side balcony fronts, ensuring clarity is maintained in the rear balcony and it is our measurements confirmed it.”

The team also used the Arup SoundLab to listen to and evaluate the hall during the design. The SoundLab produces a highly realistic 3D aural rendering of the spatial characteristics of a space. So they could get a tangible sense of what the hall would really sound like, the effect of potential refinements or architectural proposals, and how it compared with other halls. “That’s not to say that acoustic design is fully amenable to computer simulation: far from it,” continued Philip. “It’s still critical to exercise informed judgements and bring to bear one’s aural memory of other spaces. For me, it is vital to visit many halls and to listen critically to them, to understand what works and what doesn’t.”

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Image © Julie Harper

The acoustic design process essentially concluded with a very detailed set of specifications of building elements, system components and materials which mirrored the detailed architectural, structural and mechanical drawings. In the concert hall with a full audience reverb time is 1.6 seconds, which will reduce down to around 1.1 seconds with all variable absorbent elements deployed.

Theatre Projects led by John Riddell and his team were involved at every stage of the Milton Court project. From early conceptual and schematic design of the auditorium and stages, which RHWL Arts Team then developed and designed further into the venue that audiences can see today, to designing and specifying all the theatre equipment systems in every performance space in the building. The completed building that the audience sees today, cleverly brings the design forward while keeping the original theatrical intent.

The concert hall was conceived as training experience for music students, but also for use as a professional venue. Building on links with the Barbican, the Milton Court concert hall fills a gap in the offer between smaller recital rooms and bigger concert venues and also as a rehearsal and possible recording space for a full orchestra.

There was a requirement to make it quick and simple to turnaround between different formats for orchestral / recital, jazz and rock, film screening, so the space might be used for rehearsal in the morning, a lunchtime recital and an evening jazz gig. Consequently, Theatre Projects designed a system of elevators and seating wagons that

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allow a platform depth from 6.5-metres up to over 12-metres.

The largest is not likely to be used in performance, but provides a comfortable rehearsal platform for a large orchestra.

The audio inventory in the concert hall includes a PA consisting of a Meyer Sound M’elodie line array. The L-R hang each comprise of nine Meyer Sound M’elodie RMS ultra compact line array speakers, combined with one Meyer Sound 600HP RMS subwoofer per side. John commented: “We have a technically aware user client in Milton Court and the choice of equipment was made in discussion with the School and the Barbican. The Meyer M’elodie line array system was chosen as the most appropriate system to build on the fine natural acoustic of the room. Flown from a travelling beam, left and right arrays can track up or down stage to ensure they are set to the optimum positions for the required platform depth. Additional monitor loudspeakers are available for use as needed.”

A Yamaha M7CL is the console of choice. “Initially there was an

analogue mixing console planned, but the decision was made to move to Yamaha digital desks with the M7CL and the many onboard facilities. Consequently there is a digital cable network, but we retained mic and audio tie lines to keep maximum flexibility. In addition dedicated recording mic lines are routed to the recording room and a soundfield recording mic is routed back to the same room.”

All video infrastructure is HD and the video show relay is provided from remote PTZF HD Panasonic camera heads. Additional heads have been supplied along with remote mixing capability so the school can put extra cameras into any venue and record the show to HDD raid arrays. Installed ring intercom and complementary wireless cans complete the package along with Stage Manager and Concert Manager desks designed by Stage Electrics in close collaboration with Theatre Projects and school staff. Installed AMX control panels in the desks give the user an exceptional level of

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064 VENUE

of loose cables, multicores and stage boxes for each discipline.

All production cabling in the concert hall is installed in segregated containment, with lighting and sound / audiovisual containment being kept apart from each other and other services. Sound containment is internally segregated to ensure separation of highly sensitive mic and tie line cables from, loudspeaker wiring, data and fibre, and sound power.

The theatre, with a reverb time of around 0.7 seconds, has a proscenium opening with elevators allowing for an optional forestage or orchestra pit. There is a central trapped area in one metre square units with the auditorium on three levels and a technical gallery above. Technical provision includes 30 lines of fully automated power flying nine point hoists and six spot winches. In terms of sound equipment chosen, Theatre Projects’ John explained: “As with the concert hall the school was very aware of its requirements and had preferred equipment in mind. The d&b audiotechnik E Series loudspeaker system chosen is intended to be rigged according to the specific needs of each production and can be configured as the sound designer chooses. The mixing console is Yamaha again with the LS9-32 as the chosen surface. The same mix of copper, data and fibre gives flexibility for use and training in different systems.”

The ETC Sensor dimmer always formed part of the school’s vision for the theatre. Late in the project the decision was made to change from Sensor 2 to Sensor 3 with a number of Thru Power modules being swapped for standard dimmer or switch modules. This gives the school great flexibility at opening, and the possibility to expand on the number of Thru Power modules in the future if desired. The control surface is the ETC Gio in both drama theatre and studio theatre, having changed late in the project from Eos and Ion. Two desks are provided for each space to allow for full tracking back-up and redundancy and providing additional control surfaces for student training.

John was keen to stress that it was not easy separate the design

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Image © Julie Harper

control over installed equipment including lighting, audio, video and remote cameras.

ETC Matrix Sine Wave dimming was chosen to control all the production and house lighting fixtures in the concert hall. This ‘silent’ dimming approach was chosen to help meet the Arup’s criteria for the room. Linked with an ETC Unison Paradigm, system control can be given to users via a lighting console, AMX panels and local Unison controls. With such a variable platform depth, light and design associates chose ETC Source Four Pars for both the house lights and concert platform lights, ensuring that the same overhead lighting conditions could be created in any platform set up.

The houselights, worklights, concert platform lights and effect lights share the same five overhead lighting trusses with some additional house and worklight in three acoustic reflectors. ADB Lighting Warp M moving heads and scrollers are used to provide controllable front specials from the lighting trusses, chosen for their quiet movement and, crucially, lack of onboard fans. Martin Professional MAC TW1 tungsten washlights and Martin Professional MAC 700 profiles supplement the ADB Lighting kit to provide a flexible fixed rig. A further stock of generic fixtures including Robert Juliat profiles and ADB Lighting fresnels can be added to the trusses, balcony front lx bars or flown from additional trussing on Stage Technologies Ch:i variable speed chain hoists. Two MA Lighting grandMA 2 Lite consoles can be run together in full tracking back up. This gives the user lots of flexibility and confidence in the event of console failure.

MA Lighting kit supplements the ETC desks seen elsewhere in the buildings giving students exposure to most relevant equipment in use at present.

The cabling infrastructure in the concert hall includes installed wiring from racks to facility panel outlets at key locations and an array

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CONCERT HALL LIGHTING: 6 x Robert Juliat 611SX lighting fixture; 12 x Robert Juliat 614SX lighting fixture; 6 x Robert Juliat 613SX lighting fixture; 2 x Robert Juliat Super Korrigan HMI lighting fixture; 12 x ETC Source Four PAR follow spot; 5 x ADB Lighting Warp/M 12º-30º lighting fixture; 8 x ADB Lighting Warp/M 22º-50º lighting fixture; 6 x Martin Professional MAC 700 profile lighting fixture; 12 x Martin Professional MAC TW1 wash light; 1 x MA Lighting grandMA2 lighting console; 1 x ETC SineWave distributed dimming; 1 x Christie L2K1500 LCD 2K projector SOUND: 18 x Meyer Sound M’elodie line array loudspeaker; 2 x Meyer Sound 600-HP subwoofer; 1 x Yamaha M7CL digital mixing console DRAMA THEATRE LIGHTING: 50 x ETC Source 4 lighting fixture with varying beam angle; 12 x ETC Source 4 Revolution lighting fixture; 24 x ETC Source 4 PAR lighting fixture; 12 x Robert Juliat 611SX lighting fixture; 12 x Robert Juliat 614SX lighting fixture; 12 x Robert Juliat 613SX lighting fixture; 2 x Robert Juliat Lucy HMI follow spot; 24 x ADB Lighting F101 fresnel; 12 x ADB Lighting F201 fresnel; 12 x ADB Lighting C103 lighting fixture; 12 x ADB Lighting C203 lighting fixture; 4 x ARRI Studio Fresnel; 24 x Selecon Lui 4 cell baton; 20 x Rainbow 8-inch Scroller; 6 x Rainbow 12-inch Scroller; 12 x Martin Professional MAC TW1 wash light; 24 x PAR Can 64; 12 x PAR Can; 1 x ETC Sensor3 power control system; 2 x ETC Gio lighting console SOUND: 2 x d&b audiotechnik E12-D loudspeaker; 2 x d&b audiotechnik E12 loudspeaker; 10 x d&b audiotechnik E8 loudspeaker; 2 x d&b audiotechnik E15X subwoofer; 8 x d&b audiotechnik E0 loudspeaker; 18 x Martin Audio WT15 loudspeaker; 5 x d&b audiotechnik D12 amplifier; 3 x d&b audiotechnik D6 amplifier; 1 x Yamaha LS9-16 digital mixing console; Yamaha DME and associated AES-EBU networks www.gsmd.ac.uk

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FRANÇAIS

L’école « The Guildhall School of Music & Drama » a ouvert un complexe de 89 millions de Livres comprenant une salle de concerts, un théâtre, une aire de studio et de répétitions au mois de septembre : le Milton Court. Conçue par la firme David Walker Architects et RHWL Art Team comme une installation de classe mondiale et constituant une importante addition à l’école, l’accoustique est d’Arup, avec Theatre Projects Consultants comme consultant pour le projet tandis que Stage Electrics, Delstar et Stage Technologies ont procédé à l’installation de l’équipement. À l’origine, Milton Court a été construit en 1977 pour 300 étudiants et par conséquent nécessite grandement d’un nouvel espace d’entraînement et de représentations. Avec des installations à la fine pointe, le nouveau complexe héberge trois nouveaux espaces de représentations. Au cœur du bâtiment se trouve une splendide salle de concert recouverte de bois de Sapele de 608 sièges, complétée par un théâtre de 223 sièges et trois salles de repetitions principales, avec des parquets flottants, des miroirs et des installations techniques.

L’inventaire audio de la salle de concert comprend une rampe de microphones ultra compacte Meyer Sound M’elodie RMS, neuf par côté, combine à un haut-parleur d’extêmes basses Meyer Sound 600HP RMS par côté. L’inventaire d’éclairage est constitué d’équipements de ADB Lighting, ETC, Robert Juliat et Martin Professional.

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Image © Morley von Sternberg

from the construction phase. “For us, much of our work is done post contract. We spend a lot of time in educating the main contractor and sub-contractors. Key to this is the cooperation of and collaboration with the technical specialists. In this case Stage Electrics, Delstar and Stage Technologies took an active role in taking the design to the next level of detail.”

Philip summed up his feelings on the project: “What I am most pleased about is that the hall sounds the way I wanted it to sound.

It’s generous, full and warm, supporting all the registers of the instruments, yet at the same time it’s extremely clear and one can easily follow each line. Those two aspects have both been remarked on. I am told that Thomas Ades looked in on one of our tests and likened the lower registers to the Vienna Musikverein, while David Walker thought the hall was very Japanese because of its analytical clarity. Jonathan Vaughan, Head of Music at the Guildhall School, enthused about the string tone when the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra played, because that’s traditionally such a marker of really high-class orchestras.”

Barry Ife, Principle at the Guildhall added: “The acoustics are crystal clear in the concert hall and the theatre and I am delighted with the work Arup has done. From a design perspective each space was designed to complement what we already have in the cultural quarter at the Barbican, LSO St Luke’s and the school’s existing buildings and I think we have achieved that.”

The Guildhall Symphony Orchestra Chorus conducted by James Gaffigan gave the first public performance in the concert hall. The programme included Elgar’s ‘Cockaigne Overture,’ Beethoven’s Symphony No 9, ‘Choral’ and a world premiere by the Guildhall School’s Head of Composition Julian Philips ‘Come Forth to Play.’

A five minute fanfare that experimented with the natural acoustic properties of the hall. Scored for two brass sections of 11 players each, displaced around the hall and a central pool of performers, including organ and percussion, placed on stage. The title comes from Milton’s poem ‘L’Allegro.’ Philip concluded: “It seemed a fitting image for the notion of new generations of performers coming forth to play at Milton Court written specially to demonstrate the acoustic.

The concert hall offers a remarkable new performance platform for contemporary composition. The acoustics are so fine and responsive. I feel sure that this will focus, lift and inspire Guildhall student composers.”

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Die Guildhall Schule für Musik & Schauspiel öffnete einen neuen £89m Konzerthallen-, Theater-, Studio-, Proben-, und Anlagenkomplex im September – Milton Court. Designt wurde er von David Walker Architekten und dem RHWL Kunstteam als eine Einrichtung von Weltklasse und wichtige Erweiterung der Schule, mit Akustik von Arup und Theatre Projects Consultants als Beratern des Projekts, während Stage Electrics, Delstar und Stage Technologies die Ausrüstung installierten. Milton Court wurde ursprünglich 1977 für 300 Schüler gebaut und bietet so eine dringend benötigte neue Übungs- und Vorführungsfläche.

Im Herzen des Gebäudes ist ein wunderschöner, mit Sapeli-Holz verkleideter, 608-Plätze Konzertsaal, ergänzt von einem 223-Plätze Theater und drei Haupt-Probenräumen, mit Schwingböden, Spiegeln und technischen Einrichtungen. Die Audioausstattung im Konzertsaal beinhaltet eine PA bestehend aus einem Meyer Sound M’elodie Line Array. Die hängenden L/R bestehen aus neun Meyer Sound M’elodie RMS ultra compact Line Array Lautsprechern pro Seite, kombiniert mit jeweils einem Meyer Sound 600HP RMS Subwoofer pro Seite. Die Beleuchtungseinrichtungen setzen sich aus ADB Lighting, ETC, Robert Juliat und Martin Professional zusammen.

ITALIANO

Milton Court, è un nuovo complesso che la scuola di Musica e Teatro Guildhall ha inaugurato a settembre, costituito da una sala concerti, un teatro, uno spazio studio, uno spazio prove e strutture di sostegno del valore totale di 89 milioni di sterline.

La costruzione è stata progettata dallo Studio d’Architettura David Walker e da RWHL Art Team come struttura di livello mondiale nonché importante arricchimento della scuola. La fornitura dell’impianto acustico è stata curata da Arup, i consulenti del progetto sono la Theatre Projects Consultants, mentre la Stage Electrics, Delstar e Stage Technologies hanno realizzato l’installazione delle forniture. Milton Court fu inizialmente costruita nel 1977 per ospitare 300 studenti ed è evidente quanto fosse diventato necessario offrire nuovi spazi per la formazione e per gli spettacoli. Con strutture create su misura, il nuovo complesso ospita ben tre nuovi spazi per spettacoli. Al centro dell’edificio si trova una sala concerti di 608 posti a sedere interamente rivestita di legno Sapele, affiancata da uno spazio teatrale di 223 posti a sedere completo di tre vaste sale prova caratterizzate da pavimenti mobili, specchi e attrezzature tecniche. La fornitura audio presente nella sala consiste in un PA (public address system – sistema di amplificazione del suono) a schieramento allineato Sound M’elodie della Meyer. Il sistema volante sinistra/ destra è costituito da altoparlanti ultracompatti in linea Sound M’elodie RMS della Meyer, nove per lato, in combinazione con due altoparlanti Sound 600HP RMS ai lati. L’equipaggiamento di illuminazione è fornito dalla ADB Lighting, ETC, Robert Juliat e dalla Martin Professional.

ESPAÑOL

La Guildhall School of Music & Drama inauguró en Septiembre un nuevo complejo con hall para conciertos, teatro, estudio y espacio para ensayos de £89 millones - Milton Court. Diseñado por David Walker Architects y RHWL Art Team, como un sitio de primera clase y un importante agregado a la escuela, los acústicos son de Arup, con los consultores para el proyecto, Theatre Projects Consultants, mientras que los encargados de llevar a cabo la instalación del equipamiento fueron Stage Electrics, Delstar y Stage Technologies. Milton Court fue construido originalmente en 1977 para 300 alumnos por lo que necesitaba un nuevo espacio para capacitación y performance. Con instalaciones de última generación, el nuevo complejo alberga tres nuevos espacios para performances. En el corazón del edificio se encuentra un hermoso hall para conciertos de 608 asientos vestido en caoba de Guinea, complementado por un teatro de 223 asientos y tres salas de ensayo principales, con suelos con amortiguación, espejos e instalaciones técnicas. El inventario en cuanto al audio en el hall de conciertos incluye un PA compuesto de una formación en línea Meyer Sound M’elodie. La fijación I/D está compuesta por un parlante de formación en línea ultra compacto Meyer Sound M’elodie RMS, nueve para cada lado, combinado con un subwoofer Meyer Sound 600HP RMS por lado. El inventario de la iluminación está integrado por ADB Lighting, ETC, Robert Juliat y Martin Professional.Discotheque Tours Services, y Robe Scan 575 XT’s, Martin Professional MAC 250 de Kryton y de Showtec Sunstrip. Los apliques se controlan mediante un Lightjockey II de Martin Professional.

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AURA ZURICH, SWITZERLAND

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA Set among the Paradeplatz business district in downtown Zurich is a unique, breath-taking event space, offering versatility beyond imagination. Aura is a dynamic venue, which boasts a fine dining restaurant serving sumptuous European cuisine, a bar and smoker’s lounge featuring chic and stylish interiors and a multi-functional event hall stretching across 450 sq metres, which benefits from nine metre high ceilings and exceptional technical facilities that encompass 360º projections and 3D sound.

Aura was realised by Zurich gastronome, Philippe Haussener of Aura Group, after he won a competition to convert an existing building in the famous Paradeplatz square with his design for a modern multipurpose event venue using cutting edge technology. Philippe had a

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clear vision from the beginning, a 360º projection system would be the central focus, while the audio, lighting and video content would work in harmony.

Philippe appointed Marcel Widmer of Piso to head up the installation team, who in turn approached Plusmusic to supply the equipment, as CEO Stefano Trevisan explained: “Our brief was to deliver a completely synchronised audio, lighting and 360° video system with interactive capabilities. Live compositing and real time rendering of the projected video content was also a necessity, and start-up, shutdown and settings of the system, the architectural lighting and basic settings all needed to be controllable by several touch panels.”

Knowing it was the stand out feature at Aura, Marcel and Philippe considered the visual dimensions of the space first and decided to install six metre high projection screens around the perimeter of the room, covering 80-metres in length. Marcel continued: “Philippe’s idea was to give to the audience a truly immersive experience. In

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AURA IN ZURICH IS FLEXIBLE EVENT SPACE WITH A JAM PACKED SCHEDULE THANKS TO ITS BLANK CANVAS DESIGN. ITS 360Âş VIDEO PROJECTION AND 3D SOUND SYSTEM WILL FULLY EMBRACE THE AUDIENCE BY TRANSFORMING THE SPACE INTO ANY DESIRED ENVIRONMENT.

addition, the free positioning of pictures, videos and audio content provides further possibilities for certain applications such as corporate events.�

In order to bring the projection screens to life Marcel ordered four coolux Pandoras Box Dual Server Pro multi-purpose media servers, one coolux Pandoras Box Manager software package for real-time editing and playback control,, and one coolux Widget Designer Ultimate interactive application builder. The coolux system manages, composes, controls and outputs the visual content to eight Barco RLM-W12 three-chip DLP projectors, which offer exceptional transmission quality across a whole range of applications.

The space is suitable for corporate events, banquets, gala dinners, conferences, seminars, product launches, weddings, and birthday celebrations and content for the screen can be tailored in line with the occasion. Aura has a library of themes including Forest, Metropolis, Underwater World - that can be called upon to create different

moods or atmospheres, but customised content can also be created as required.

In addition to the coolux Pandoras Box system, control units from e:cue have also been specified. Two e:cue Lighting Control Engine 2 (LCE2) high performance servers with integrated Lighting Application Suite (LAS) software, orchestrate both the visual and lighting elements during any event. These are assisted by two e:cue Butler XT2 DMX/RDM engines and one e:cue Glass Touch T6 software package. The lighting rig itself comprises 26 DTS Nick NRG 1201 Washes, four DTS Jack compact moving heads, 16 Briteq BT-Beam 60 LED moving heads and four SGM X-5 strobes. These are used in conjunction with the projection screens to enhance the visual performance. A Jands Vista T2 lighting console featuring a 15-inch screen, precision encoders and shortcut buttons makes controlling the lighting fixtures for live events quick and easy.

Once the eyes were satisfied, it was time to turn the attention to the

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ears. The aim was to create a 3D sound environment using a Sonic Emotions Sonic Wave I Madi HD 24/64 processor, which allows all the loudspeakers to benefit from the unit’s algorithms based on wave field synthesis. Pre-programmed presets allow the use of either all loudspeaker systems together, or any combination of them dependent on the application: live performance, live with 3D surround sound, club or 7.1 surround sound.

Stefano explained the 3D technology further: “The Sonic Wave I processor enlarges the listening zone of conventional surround sound and enables perfect audio imaging for all listeners. The Sonic Wave I controls all the loudspeakers in a room to reproduce sound sources that are virtually outside the room. If these sound sources are placed far away, the characteristics of plane waves can be reproduced. With plane waves, the angle at which someone perceives a sound source remains the same everywhere, enlarging the sweet spot to the entire room and enabling a spatial sound experience for all listeners. Reproduced sound sources can be moved around allowing the production of creative sound designs. In Aura all of the system’s capabilities to reproduce either plane waves or point sources and moving sources are used.”

At Aura, Marcel and Stefano specified 54 KV2 ESD 10 compact, full-range loudspeakers, mounted on dampers behind the screen where acoustic treatments have been applied to reduce reverb

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“Our brief was to deliver a completely synchronised audio, lighting and 360° video system with interactive capabilities.”

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time. While a total of 16 KV2 ESD 1.12 12-inch passive subwoofers have been placed along the length of the sidewalls. “The KV2 ESD 10’s have a smooth and even roll-off in the horizontal plane which complements the sonic emotion processing.”

The KV2 loudspeakers are coupled with five Outline Doppia II 9075 full range three-way loudspeakers, which act as the main sound system for stage-based live performances and five Outline DBS 18-2 high efficiency subwoofers provide the front subwoofer system.

Another two Outline Doppia II 9075’s are used as back speakers.

All of the loudspeakers - with the exception of the Outline Doppia II 9075’s which are processed by Lake LM26 controllers fed by the Sound Emotions Sonic Wave I processor - are controlled directly by the Sound Emotions Sonic Wave I processor that provides EQ, limiters and delay to each of the 64 outputs.

Power for the loudspeakers at Aura is provided by a combination of RAM Audio amplifiers, Marcel specified these for their good price to performance ratio. There are seven Ram Audio T2408 amplifiers each offering eight channels with 300W per channel, five amplifiers from the S Series that are housed in 2RU enclosures and five from

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“The Sonic Wave I processor enlarges the listening zone of conventional surround sound and enables perfect audio imaging for all listeners.”

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FRANÇAIS

Aura est un emplacement dynamique du centre-ville de Zurich, qui s’enorgueillit d’un restaurant distingué servant une cuisine européenne somptueuse, un bar et un salon offrant des intérieurs chics et stylés ainsi qu’une salle d’activités multi-fonctions couvrant 450 mètres carrés, jouissant de plafonds d’une hauteur de neuf mètres et des installations techniques exceptionnelles qui peuvent accomoder des projections sur 360° et le son en 3D. Aura a été réalisé par le gastronome zurichois Philippe Haussener du Groupe Aura, qui avait une vision claire dès le début. Le système de projection sur 360° serait l’objectif premier, tandis que l’ensemble audio, d’éclairage et de vidéo fonctionnerait en harmonie. Il a installé des écrans de projection de six mètres de hauteur autour du périmètre de la salle qui s’étend sur 80 mètres. Afin que les écrans de projection deviennent une réalité, Stefano Trevisan, Président-directeur général de Plus Music a fourni le système Coolux pour gérer, contrôler, composer et amener le contenu visuel aux huit projecteurs Barco RLM-W12 DLP à trois puces. La plateforme d’éclairage d’Aura comprend des rampes de DTS, Briteq et SGM et sont toutes contrôlées par la console d’éclairage Jands Vista T2. Pour l’audio, l’objectif était de créer un environnement en 3D en utilisant un processeur Sonic Emotions Sonic Wave I Madi HD 24/64 conjointement avec des haut-parleurs KV2 ESD 10, des caissons d’extrêmes basses KV2 ESD 1.12 et des amplificateurs Ram Audio.

DEUTSCH

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the V Series, which offer heavy duty amplifier capabilities.

When mixing functionalities are required a Pioneer DJM-900nexus DJ mixer is available for club applications or a Roland MX-200i can be used as a live console for smaller events.

Stefano concluded by describing how all the elements at Aura work together: “A sound to video touch interface created in the coolux Widget Designer Ultimate provides automated or live control of any projected video objects. Almost every parameter of a video object can be made to react to the sound and video controls. You can change size, shape, colour of the video objects, the object itself and its quantity to name a few.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION VISUAL 4 x coolux Pandoras Box Dual Server Pro multi-purpose media server; 1 x coolux Pandoras Box Manager software package; 1 x coolux Widget Designer Ultimate interactive application builder; 8 x Barco RLM-W12 three-chip DLP projector lighting 2 x e:cue Lighting Control Engine 2 high performance server; 2 x e:cue Butler XT2 DMX/RDM engine; 1 x e:cue Glass Touch T6 software package; 26 x DTS Nick NRG 1201 Wash moving head; 4 x DTS Jack compact moving head; 16 x Briteq BT-Beam 60 LED moving head; 4 x SGM X-5 strobe; 1 x Jands Vista T2 lighting console sound 54 x KV2 ESD 10 compact loudspeaker; 16 x KV2 ESD 1.12 passive subwoofer; 7 x Outline Doppia 9075 loudspeaker; 5 x Outline DBS 18-2 subwoofer; 7 x Ram Audio T2408 amplifier; 2 x Ram-Audio S6004 amplifier; 1 x Ram-Audio S2000 amplifier; 1 x Ram-Audio S3000 amplifier; 1 x Ram-Audio S4000 amplifier; 1 x Ram-Audio V9004 amplifier; 1 x Ram-Audio V9044 amplifier; 1 x Ram-Audio V12004 amplifier; 2 x Ram-Audio V12044 amplifier; 1 x Sonic Emotions Sonic Wave I Madi HD 24/64 processor; 4 x Lake LM26 loudspeaker processor; 1 x Yamaha DME 24 digital mixing engine DJ: 2 x KV2 EX 10 DJ monitor; 2 x KV2 EX 12 live monitor; 2 x KV2 EX 2.5 live monitor; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-2000nexus CD player; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900nexus DJ mixer; 2 x Technics SL-1210 Mk5 turntable; 1 x Roland MX-200i digital mixer; 1 x Allen & Heath ZED-12FX console www.aura-zurich.ch

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Aura ist ein dynamischer Ort in der Innenstadt von Zürich, der sich eines Restaurants mit gehobener Küche rühmt, welches eine opulente europäische Cuisine serviert. Ergänzt wird dies von einer Bar mit Smokers Lounge, geprägt von eleganter und stilvoller Einrichtung und einem multifunktionalen Event-Saal, der sich über 450m² erstreckt und von neun Meter hohen Decken und außerordentlichen technischen Einrichtungen profitiert, die 360° Projektionen und 3D Sound beinhalten.

Aura wurde vom Züricher Gastronomen Philippe Haussener der Aura Gruppe realisiert, der von Anfang an über eine klare Vision verfügte.

Das 360° Projektionssystem sollte den primären Fokus bilden, während Audio, Beleuchtung und Video harmonisch zusammenarbeiten sollten. Er installierte sechs Meter hohe Projektionsschirme an den Seiten des Raumes, welche 80 Meter Länge abdecken. Um die Projektionsschirme zum Leben zu erwecken stellte Stefano Trevisan, CEO von Plus Music, ein Coolux System bereit um visuelle Inhalte zu verwalten, zusammenzustellen, kontrollieren und mittels 8 Barco RLM-W12 three-Chip DLP Projektoren wiederzugeben. Die Lichtanlage von Aura beinhaltet Zubehör von DTS, Briteq und SGM, welches von einer Jands Vista T2 Beleuchtungskonsole kontrolliert wird. Für die Audio-Wiedergabe war das Ziel, eine 3D Klangumgebung erschaffen. Hierfür wurde ein Sonic Emotions Sonic Wave I Madi HD 24/64 Prozessor in Verbindung mit KV2 ESD 10 Lautsprechern und KV2 ESD 1.12 Subwoofern und Ram Audio-Verstärkern verwendet.

ITALIANO

Aura è un dinamico ritrovo al centro di Zurigo che si fa vanto di un raffinato ristorante capace di proporre una sontuosa cucina europea, di una bar e una sala fumatori caratterizzati da un elegante arredamento alla moda e di un vasto salone multifunzionale da 450 mq che sfrutta la dinamica di soffitti posti a nove metri d’altezza da terra. La sala presenta inoltre delle eccezionali installazioni tecniche comprendenti un sistema di proiezione a 360° ed il suono 3D. Aura è stata realizzata dal gastronomo Philippe Haussener di Zurigo, dell’Aura Group il quale fin dall’inizio ha immaginato con chiarezza il ruolo preminente del sistema di proiezione a 360°, considerando gli ulteriori elementi: audio, di illuminazione e video, un complemento armonico del primo.

E’ stata dunque richiesta l’installazione di schermi da sei metri in altezza posizionati lungo tutto il perimetro della stanza il quale raggiunge in tutto gli 80 metri di lunghezza. Per permettere l’avvio della proiezione sugli schermi, Stefano Trevisan, amministratore delegato della Plus Music, ha fornito un sistema coolux in grado di direzionare, comporre, controllare e inviare il contenuto video ad otto proiettori DLP Barco RLM-W12 da tre chip. L’attrezzatura di illuminazione ad Aura comprende installazioni della DTS, Briteq e SGM, tutti controllate da una consolle per illuminazione Janda Vista T2.

Per l’audio, lo scopo era quello di creare un ambiente del suono 3D usando un processore Sonic Emotions Sonic Wave I Madi HD 24/64 insieme a delle casse KV2 ESD 10, a degli altoparlanti KV2 ESD 1.12 e a degli amplificatori Ram Audio.

ESPAÑOL

Aura es un lugar dinámico en el centro de Zúrich, el cual se jacta de contar con un refinado restaurante que sirve suntuosa cocina europea, un bar y lounge para fumadores que presentan interiores chic y de estilo y un hall de eventos multifuncional que se despliega a lo largo de 450 metros cuadrados, el cual se beneficia de cielorrasos de nueve metros de altura y de excepcionales instalaciones técnicas que abarcan proyecciones en 360º y sonido 3D. Aura fue llevado a cabo por el gastrónomo de Zúrich, Philippe Haussener de Aura Group, quien tuvo una clara visión desde el comienzo. El sistema de proyección en 360º sería el foco principal, mientras que el contenido de audio, iluminación y video trabajan en armonía. Él instaló pantallas de seis metros de altura para la proyección alrededor del perímetro del salón, el cual cubre 80 metros a lo largo. Para darle vida a las pantallas para proyección, Stefano Trevisan, CEO de Plus Music, suministró un sistema coolux para manejar, componer, controlar y dar salida al contenido visual hacia ocho proyectores Barco RLM-W12 de tres-chips DLP. El equipo de iluminación en Aura incluye artefactos de DTS, Briteq y SGM, todos ellos controlados por una consola de iluminación Jands Vista T2. Para el audio, el objetivo era crear un entorno de sonido 3D utilizando un procesador Sonic Emotions Sonic Wave I Madi HD 24/64 junto con altoparlantes KV2 ESD 10, subwoofers KV2 ESD 1.12 y amplificadores Ram Audio.

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POLSKI THEATRE WROCLAW, POLAND

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA If you’ve yet to visit Poland, it’s high time to put it on your ‘to do’ list.

It’s full of rich heritage, beautiful country, friendly people and great bars - a mass of culture. The Polish Theatre in Wrocław, south-west Poland, is composed of three physically separate but close-knit venues: the Small Stage on Widnicka Street, the NaŚWiebodzkim Stage, situated inside the Wiebodzki train station building at Lwowskich Square, and the large Jerzy Grzegorzewski Stage, which is the theatre’s main building on Zapolska Street. All are within a few minutes walk of each other. In Wrocław some of the physical scars of World War 2 remain, but it’s a thoroughly modern city, aided by the multiple infrastructure benefits that EU membership has brought to

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the country.

The main building (Zapolska Street), funded by Wrocław merchant Paul Auerbach, was designed by Berlin architect Walter Hentschel and completed in 1909. For the standards of the time it was already technically advanced and by the early 1930’s the theatre, with the biggest stage in Wroclaw, functioned as a musical theatre, focusing on operetta. The end of World War 2 saw the building damaged by gunfire and bombs.

Reconstructed in 1950, it reopened with the play ‘A Thousand Brave Men’ by architect Jan Rojewski - but more calamity would follow.

In January 1994 a fire gutted the auditorium; the theatre was once again rebuilt, this time to a design by Witold Jackiewicz. The opening ceremony on 20 May, 1996, featured the Wroclaw Improvisations, staged by film director Andrzej Wajda.

SInce then, yet another reincarnation has taken place. Lukasz

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Tobola, of Renkus-Heinz Poland distributor and audio integrator M.Ostrowski, explained how the the most recent rennovation of the main theatre has created a 700-seat auditorium floor, with a second balcony that’s brought into play for larger productions. M.Ostrowski was project coordinator, and supplied audio, communications and stage machinery while fellow Polish firm LTT integrated lighting and video systems. Stage machinery is from Dutch specialists Trekwerk some 27 automated winches in all.

Lukasz explained that the audio system in the main auditorium is based on Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers and audio distribution over a fully Dante system based on a pair of Yamaha’s new CL5 and CL3 mixing consoles, using Cisco switches. Liberal quantities of wall panels allow for connecting the signal all over the stage as well as patching and routing to the rack and signal to the rack console input.

The next link in the chain is the loudspeaker processing, again using

a combination of Yamaha DME64, CobraNet and Dante cards. From there it’s digital all the way to the Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers, including the high power units and compact PN Series, the majority of them self-powered.

“We have double Renkus-Heinz self-powered ST4/94 active loudspeakers for the left and the right proscenium arch clusters; a double active Renkus-Heinz ST4/44 for the central cluster; and Renkus-Heinz ST4LR and ST5LR units,” said Lukasz. “The ST4L loudspeakers on the rear walls on the stage are for horizontal plane effects.”

There’s also a large complement of Renkus-Heinz PN Series compact loudspeakers - a total of 10 PN121M/12R and PN121M/12 stage monitors and a line-up of 18 PN82/12R active cabinets, 12 PNX82/12 passive loudspeakers and eight TRX151 passive stage monitors.

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Image (and image on previous spread) courtesy of LTT Lighting & Stage Tech, Piotr Piekut

The PN Series cabinets - each an easy one-man lift with the mid high boxes designed for portability via pole mounting on the subwoofers - feature the company’s Complex Conic waveguides to deliver tight directivity and high power from compact boxes. These cover a variety of the theatre’s areas from front fills, balconies to the foyer and other spaces. “It means we can maintain identical sound quality throughout the theatre,” said Lukasz, “as Renkus-Heinz applies the same acoustic techniques and qualities to each type of cabinet it designs, whether large or small, active or passive.”

Audio distribution is headed by Focusrite RedNet A-D/D-A interface equipment for its audio networking system, while M.Ostrowski provided the Dante-MADI conversion. The company also provided a comprehensive Riedel digital intercom matrix / stage management system using Artist 5000 and 2100 series intercom panels.

The networking set-up also allows for console positioning at the stage or back of house for maximum flexibility. The control end is entirely Yamaha based, with a pair of CL5 digital consoles - and a pair of iPads - feeding three Rio 3224-D and two Rio 1608-D digital stageboxes, a DME64N digital mixing processor, a Klark Teknik DN9652 dual network bridge, as well as 14 Yamaha P5000S and P7000S power amplifiers for the passive loudspeakers.

Unusually, the main control position is on-stage, although there is a more conventional back-of-house position with an openable window for greater sonic clarity.

Lukasz’s partner in the audio installation, Marcin Łab dzki, noted the

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rack room is the heart of the distribution of audio, visual and power amplifiers too. “We have two stage racks for the Yamaha amplifiers, and dual Dante converters as it’s a redundant network; and there’s the separate one CobraNet set-up for loudspeaker distribution. It’s combined with the intercom video distribution and video amplifiers.”

The microphone complement is from Shure - eight UR4D wireless dual channel diversity receivers, 12 UR1M bodypack transmitters and four Shure UR2 handheld transmitters.

Marcin commented: “After the new system was installed we had an actors’ song interpretation festival here. A comment from one of the top sound engineers was that the FOH loudspeakers are really good; they didn’t need any other equipment or any other extra loudspeakers for shows right up to rock concert levels; there were also some other sound engineers from all over the world who said that our system has been set up to world standards - needless to say, we were rather pleased about that.”

“While we coordinated all the elements our partners from Warsaw, LTT and Promont, dealt specifically with the lighting and stage machinery integration, and supplied the stage machinery from TrekWerk,” said Lukasz. “The whole rig is designed for maximum versatility.”

The lighting control is Compulite based with a Vector Blue in place as the main console, a Vector Green as back-up, and two Ultra-Violets for the auditorium and foyer. Dimmers emanate from the same company and include three CompuRACKs with 24 channels allowing 0.5kW of power per channel, one CompuRACK equipped with 12

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channels producing 5kW of power per channel - all for regulated circuits - plus another six CompuRACKs for relays.

Meanwhile, to enable portable lighting productions in the other areas of the theatre complex, there are mobile dimmers in the shape of an MA Lighting Digital-Dimmer Rack - three sets of 24 channels with 3.7kW per channel, four sets of 12 channels with 5.7kW per channel, and 10 Electron’s Repack 616A units.

Wireless DMX communications are provided by four sets - one transmitter and four receivers per set - of LumenRadio CRMX Nova, along with 16 Ethernet / DMX e-port 41 converters.

The moving head rig is rather extensive and is made up of a variety of products from Martin Professional. LTT specified 24 Martin Professional MAC III Performance high-ouput profiles, 10 Martin Professional MAC 2000 Profiles with a CMY colour mixing system, six Martin Professional MAC 2000 Wash XBs, 12 Martin Professional MAC Aura LED washlights and 20 Martin Professional MAC 101 compact moving heads.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

4 x Renkus-Heinz ST4/94R loudspeaker; 3 x Renkus-Heinz ST4/44R loudspeaker; 2 x Renkus-Heinz ST7/44R loudspeaker; 4 x Renkus-Heinz ST4LR subwoofer; 2 x Renkus-Heinz ST5RL subwoofer; 2 x Renkus-Heinz PN121MR loudspeaker; 8 x Renkus-Heinz PN121M loudspeaker; 3 x Renkus-Heinz PN82/12 loudspeaker; 3 x Renkus-Heinz PN82R/12 loudspeaker; 12 x Renkus-Heinz PNX82/12 loudspeaker; 8 x Renkus-Heinz TRX151 loudspeaker; 6 x Yamaha P5000S amplifier; 8 x Yamaha P7000S amplifier; 1 x Yamaha DME64N digital mixing processor; 2 x Yamaha CL5 digital mixing console; 3 x Yamaha Rio 3224-D digital stagebox; 2 x Yamaha Rio 1608-D digital stagebox; 4 x Yamaha MY16AUD Mini-YGDAI card; 1 x Riedel MFR-32+80 digital intercom matrix / stage management system; 7 x Riedel DCP-5008 intercom panel; 4 x Riedel DCP-5108 intercom rack panel; 1 x Riedel RCP-2116P4 intercom rack panel; 1 x Klark Teknik DN9652 dual network bridge; 1 x Focusrite REDNET2 A-D / D-A interface; 2 x Apple iPad; Shure microphones

LIGHTING

24 x Martin Professional MAC III Performance moving head; 10 x Martin Professional MAC 2000 Profile moving head; 6 x Martin Professional MAC 2000 Wash XB moving head; 12 x Martin Professional MAC Aura moving head; 20 x Martin Professional MAC 101 luminaire; 48 x Robert Juliat 611SX lighting fixture; 24 x Robert Juliat 613SX lighting fixture; 12 x Robert Juliat 614SX lighitng fixture; 16 x Pulsar Lighting ChromaBatten 200 lighting fixture; 2 x LDR Canto 1200 msr Mk2 followspot; 160 x PAR64 par can; 8 x ARRI True Blue T5 fresnel; 2 x ARRI Compact HMI 4000 theatre fresnel; 2 x ARRI Compact HMI 2500 theatre fresnel; 4 x Martin Professional JEM Magnum 2000 smoke machine; 2 x Martin Professional JEM Compact Hazer Pro hazer; Glaciator smoke machines; WYSWIG visualisation software; 1 x coolux Pandoras Box media server; 1 x Compulite Vector Blue lighting console; 1 x Compulite Vector Green lighting console; 2 x Compulite Ultra-Violet lighting console; 3 x Compulite CompuRACK 24 dimmer; 1 x Compulite CompuRACK 12 dimmer; 6 x Compulite CompuRACK 12 13 A relay; 4 x LumenRadio CRMX Nova wireless communication www.teatrpolski.waw.pl

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04-10-13 08:59

082 VENUE

FRANÇAIS

Le théâtre polonais de Wrocław, au sud-ouest de la Pologne, comprend trois emplacements séparés physiquement mais collaborant de façon étroite : la Petite scène, sur la rue Widnicka, la scène Na Wiebodzkim, située à l’intérieur du bâtiment de la gare ferroviaire sur le square Lwowskich, et la grande scène Jerzy Grzegorzewski, qui constitue le bâtiment principal du théâtre sur la rue Zapolska. Le grand auditorium du théâtre principal est équipé de haut-parleurs Renkus-Heinz et la diffusion audio est assurée par un système Dante complet appuyé par une paire des nouvelles consoles de mixage Yamaha CL5 et CL3, utilisant des commutateurs Cisco. Le maillon suivant de la chaîne consiste en un processeur de haut-parleur, là encore utilisant une combinaison de cartes Yamaha DME64, CobraNet et Dante. À partir de ce point-là, tout est digital vers les haut-parleurs Renkus-Heinz, y compris les unités de grande puissance et les séries compactes PN, dont la plupart sont auto-alimentées. Les têtes mobiles sont toutes fournies par Martin Professional, tandis que les rampes de profilage viennent de chez Robert Julia. Des projecteurs de Pulsar Lighting’s ChromoBatten série 200 sont également utilisés et complétés par des rampes LDR, ARRI fresnels.

La fumée et les effets spéciaux sont produits les dispositifs de fumée Jem Magnum Pro 2000 de chez Martin Professional, c o n j o i n t e m e n t a v e c u n e p a i r e d e J e m C o m p a c t H a z e r, P r o h a z e r e t l e s m a c h i n e s à f u m é e i n t e n s e G l a c i a t o r.

DEUTSCH

Das polnische Theater in Wrocław, im südwestlichen Polen, besteht aus drei physisch getrennten aber eng verbundenen Orten: der Kleinen Bühne an der Widnicka-Straße, der Na Wiebodzkim Bühne innerhalb des Wiebodzki Bahnhofsgebäudes am Lwowskich-Platz und der großen Jerzy Grzegorzewski Bühne, welche das Hauptgebäude des Theaters an der Zapolska-Straße ist. Das Audiosystem im Hauptsaal des Haupttheaters basiert auf Renkus-Heinz Lautsprechern und einer Klangverteilung über ein reines Dante System, basierend auf einem Paar der neuen Yamaha CL5 und CL3 Mischpulte unter Verwendung von Cisco Switches. Das nächste Glied der Kette bildet der Lautsprecher-Prozessor, wiederum eine Kombination von Yamaha DME64, CobraNet und Dante Karten. Von hier aus geht es digital zu den Renkus-Heinz Lautsprechern, darunter die Hochleistungseinheiten und die kompakte PN-Serie, der Großteil davon selbst mit Strom versorgt. Moving Heads stammen ausschließlich von Martin Professional, wohingegen Profilscheinwerfer von Robert Juliat kommen. Pulsar Lightings ChromaBatten 200 Series Flutlichter werden ebenfalls genutzt und von ARRI fresnel LED-Strahlern komplementiert. Rauch und Effekte entstammen Martin Professional Jem Magnum Pro 2000 Nebelmaschinen, in Verbindung mit einem Paar Martin Professional Jem Compact Hazer Pro Hazer und schweren Nebelmaschinen von Glaciator.

ITALIANO Image courtesy of LTT Lighting & Stage Tech, Piotr Piekut

In the category of more traditional theatrical fixtures, Robert Juilat took centre stage, the line-up includes 48 Robert Juliat 611SX short throw zoom profiles, 24 Robert Juliat 613SX tungsten fixtures and 12 Robert Juliat 614SX medium throw theatre profile spots. Alongside these, sit two LDR Canto 1200 followspots featuring a Philips MSR lamp. These fixtures have a minimum beam angle of 8° - with a three-metre beam diameter - enabling them to produce almost 2,500 lux at 30-metres. A total of 16 Pulsar ChromaBatten 200 Series floodlights complete the lighting inventory.

For any production requiring visuals at Polski Theatre, there are two Christie WU12K-M projectors, which can be fed either by a coolux Pandoras Box media server or WYSWIG’s visualisation software.

And for special effects LTT turned back to Martin Professional for some Jem Magnum Pro 2000 smoke machines and a pair of Martin Professional Jem Compact Hazer Pro hazers alongside Glaciator heavy smoke machines.

The stage mechanisation included complete renovation and modernisation of everything above the stage floor, including the floor itself.

23 fly bars were installed for decoration, with two lateral fly bars for décor, 10 lighting fly bars, two lighting bridges, a portal bridge, two portal towers - one of them mobile.

Completing the stage system are 12 point hoists, two décor line hoists above the proscenium area, four loudspeaker winches in the auditorium area, a curtain fly bar and two lighting winches for the proscenium area. Mechanics are based on proven TrekWerk solutions, including the control system.

Lukasz concluded: “It is a privilege to work on this beautiful theatre, which gives Wroclaw a theatre facility of the highest technical quality.”

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Il Teatro Polacco di Wrocław, situata nella parte sud-ovest della Polonia, è composto da tre località separate ma strettamente correlate: il Piccolo Palcoscenico in Via Widnicka, Il Palcoscenico Na Wiebodzkim, situato all’interno della stazione ferroviaria di Wiebodzki in piazza Lwowskich e il grande Palcoscenico Jerzy Grzegorzewski, il principale edificio del Teatro, in via Zapolska. Il sistema audio dell’auditorium principale del teatro centrale è basato su altoparlanti Renkus-Heinz e su una distribuzione del suono che si avvale di un sistema Dante completo, su due consolle di missaggio del nuovo tipo Yamaha CL5 e CL3, che utilizzano interruttori Cisco. La successiva apparecchiatura della serie è il processore di altoparlanti il quale usa ancora una volta una combinazione dello Yamaha DME64, il CobraNet e le carte Dante. Da quel punto in poi tutta l’installazione è completamente digitale fino agli altoparlanti RenkusHeinz, inclusi gli elementi ad alto potenziale e le serie compact PN, la maggior parte dei quali auto-alimentati. I proiettori mobili sono tutti forniti dalla Martin Professional, mentre i sagomatori sono di Robert Juliat. Per la diffusione su superficie vasta sono anche utilizzati i fasci Pulsar Lighting ChromaBatten Serie 200, in combinazione con le installazioni LDR e con le lenti ARRI. Effetto fumo ed altri effetti sono realizzati dalle macchine per fumo Jem Magnum Pro 2000 della Martin Professional, oltre agli effetti nebbia Jem Compact Hazer Pro sempre della Martin Professional e alle macchine Glaciator per la realizzazione dell’effetto cortina di fumo.

ESPAÑOL

El Teatro Polaco en Wrocław, en el sudoeste de Polonia, está compuesto de tres lugares separados físicamente pero estrechamente unidos: el Small Stage en la calle Widnicka, el Na Wiebodzkim Stage, situado dentro de la estación ferroviaria de Wiebodzki en la plaza Lwowskich y el gran Jerzy Grzegorzewski Stage, principal edificio del teatro en la calle Zapolska. El sistema de audio en el auditorio del teatro principal está basado en parlantes Renkus-Heinz y la distribución del audio en un completo sistema Dante compuesto de un par de nuevas consolas de mezcla Yamaha CL5 y CL3, con interruptores Cisco. El próximo eslabón de la cadena es el procesador de parlantes, nuevamente, usando una combinación de tarjetas Yamaha DME64, CobraNet y Dante. Desde allí, todo el trayecto hasta los parlantes Renkus-Heinz es digital, incluyendo las unidades de alta potencia y la Serie PN compacta, la mayoría de ellas, auto abastecidas. Los cabezales móviles son todos de Martin Professional, mientras que las luces de recortes son de Robert Juliat. Los reflectores Serie ChromaBatten 200 de Pulsar Lighting también son utilizados y complementados por artefactos LDR, lentes fresnel ARRI. El humo y los efectos provienen de las máquinas de humo Jem Magnum Pro 2000 de Martin Professional, junto con un par de máquinas de humo Jem Compact Hazer Pro de Martin Professional y máquinas de humo pesado Glaciator.

084 VENUE

ARENA DI VERONA VERNONA, ITALY

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA With its huge dimensions of 140-metres in length and 110-metres wide, the Roman arena in Verona, Italy, is internationally renowned for its large-scale opera and theatre performances. With a capacity of 15,000 the open-air arena has featured many of the world’s most notable opera singers attracting over 500,000 people to watch productions of popular operas every year.

2010 marked a pivotal year in the arena’s open-air opera when electronic sound reinforcement from Italian manufacturer K-array was installed - up until this point, opera productions had not used any microphones or loudspeakers at the arena. Speaking with K-array’s

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President Alex Tatini and K-array Product Specialist, Francesco Maffei, who were both heavily involved in the creation and implementation of the system at Arena di Verona, mondo*dr discovered how the addition of the Anakonda loudspeaker at the beginning of 2013 moved the PA system on one step further, while at the same time, not interfering with the atmosphere of the arena.

If we go back to the initial implementation of the system in 2010, the need for a better quality of sound had been noticeable for some time at Arena di Verona as there were naturally acoustic problems that are associated with an open-air arena, such as problems with sound and

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frequency loss in the terraces surrounding the arena - but problems that could be easily resolved by amplifying the voices and instruments.

K-array, along with production company Musical Box Rent, which manages the technical services during the festival season, was asked to provide the first ever sound system to be used in the arena. The PA needed to have transparent sound reinforcement, increasing intelligibility and perception of detail, without detracting from the natural operatic performance, and so the K-array OS-1 was born, a system so delicate that it could achieve this goal.

“Musical Box Rent asked us to provide a system that would be

invisible,” Alex told mondo*dr. “There had to be no obvious change in the sound - so the experience was the same as if it were an acoustic performance - for example, when the performer’s back is turned away from the audience, the cue needs to change so the audience experiences this change in position. At the same time however, the system needed to at least double the sound level so that every seat has a good acoustical experience.”

A total of 128 K-array KK50 loudspeakers, from the Kobra series, were planted at the foot of the stage each connected to a Sennheiser ME 36 condenser microphone, along with 32 K-array KU36 ultra

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086 VENUE

slim, high power subwoofers installed to provide the bass frequency.

The system is powered by a K-array KA1-1 amplifier, which was been specifically customised for the arena. The system picks up the sound from the part of the stage nearest to the speaker while recreating the atmosphere and acoustics without artificially increasing the sound pressure. At FOH there is a DigiDesign mixing desk (now known under the Avid brand) and processing is taken care of by three Lake LM 44 processors, two Yamaha DME64N processors, and an Optocore DD32E processor.

“We tried to replicate what Roman architect, writer and engineer Vitruvius did but with today’s technology,” said Mario Di Cola, the the Designer and Sound Engineer involved in the engineering of the system. “The result is a sound system that you can hear, but not see.

The sound reinforcement is not perceptible in terms of volume, only in terms of intelligibility, providing a transparent reinforcement of the acoustic sound coming from the stage.”

With discreet K-array loudspeaker technology, which can be easily programmed thanks to DSP, the timber and direction of the sound remains faithful to the sound on-stage, adding only reinforcement and extended coverage, so that the sound quality is the same in all parts of the theatre. With the use of DSP, Mario is able to program each loudspeaker to send sound waves directly to a precise section of the audience, meaning every part of the arena now benefits from full, natural resonance straight from the stage.

“The system has been designed to naturally recreate, piece by piece, the area on the stage,” said Alex. “We have more than 500 channels of power amplifiers and more than 120 channels of DSP. You can’t see any of the system unless you know it is there and are really looking for it. The microphone for example, is a 10cm wide, black line on the stage and the loudspeakers at the front of the stage look to be

“From the very beginning the objective has been to give Italian opera lovers immeasurable pleasure from a lyrical and scenography stand point.” one continuous black panel, that is just 60cm high.”

At the beginning of this year 16 modules of K-array’s bendable Anakonda KAN200 loudspeaker, together with 10 K-array KK200 loudspeakers and five K-array KA10 amplifiers, were added to the system, along with 10 K-array KP102 loudspeakers, from the Python series, taking the PA system to the next level. The K-array Anakonda KAN200 is designed for use in situations where traditional loudspeaker boxes cannot be used, but where good intelligibility, ultra-reliability and a sleek design are required, making it the ideal solution for Arena Di Verona as Mario explained: “The Anakonda KAN200 quite literally offers a flexible approach for getting sound into interesting places. Although the amphitheatre is over 2,000 years old, its customised PA system needs to continue to reflect the coupling of art and avant-garde technology and the Anakonda KAN200 is the first bendable loudspeaker to ever be produced.”

The system is the only one of its kind in the world, designed with the Arena Di Verona specifically in mind and is completely different to most PA systems, as Francesco explained: “The Anakonda has increased the sensation of sound throughout the whole arena and has created an environment where the audio is so clear that you feel as though you could be listening to the performance in your own

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088 VENUE

FRANÇAIS

Les arènes romaines de Vérone, en Italie, sont reputées mondialement pour leur opéra de grande envergure et ses pièces de théâtre. Avec une capacité de 15 000 les arènes d’opéra en plein air ont pu accueillir de nombreux chanteurs d’opéra les plus célèbres du monde, attirant chaque année plus de 500 000 personnes pour assister aux représentations d’opéras populaires chaque année. 2010 a été une année pivot dans l’opéra d’arènes en plein air lorsque le support du son électronique du fabricant italien K-array a été installé ; jusqu’alors, les représentations d’opéra n’utilisaient aucun micro ni haut-parleurs dans l’enceinte des arènes. En parlant avec Alex Tatini, président de K-array et Francesco Maffei, le spécialiste en produits chez K-array, qui ont tous deux été largement impliqués dans la création et dans la mise en œuvre du système des Arènes de Vérone, mondo*dr a pu découvrir comment l’addition du haut-parleur Anakonda au début de l’année 2013 a mené le système de sonorisation un pas plus loin, sans pour autant interférer avec l’ambiance des arènes. K-array, conjointement avec la société de production Musical Box Rent, qui gère les services technique pendant la saison des festivals, s’est vue confier la tâche de réaliser le premier système de sonorisation a être jamais utilisé dans les arènes. Il devait être à même de posséder un renforcement du son transparent, en accroissant la compréhension et la perception des détails, sans s’éloigner de la performance naturelle de l’opéra, et c’est ainsi qu’est né le OS-1 K-array.

DEUTSCH

Die römische Arena in Verona, Italien, ist international bekannt für ihre großangelegten Opern und Theateraufführungen. Mit einer Kapazität von 15000 Plätzen bot die Open-Air Arena bereits vielen der bemerkenswertesten Opernsänger weltweit eine Bühne und zieht jährlich mehr als 500.000 Besucher an, welche Produktionen populärer Opern ansehen. 2010 war ein entscheidendes Jahr für die Open-Air Oper der Arena, da eine elektronische Klangverstärkung des italienischen Herstellers K-array installiert wurde – bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatten Opernproduktionen keinerlei Mikrophone oder Lautsprecher in der Arena genutzt. Im Gespräch mit K-arrays Präsident Alex Tatini und Francesco Maffei, einem Produktspezialist von K-array, die beide intensiv in die Erstellung und Einführung des Systems in der Arena von Verona eingebunden waren, entdeckte mondo*dr, wie die Erweiterung um den Anakonda Lautsprecher zu Beginn von 2013 das PA System einen Schritt nach vorn brachte, ohne mit der Atmosphäre der Arena zu interferieren. K-array wurde, gemeinsam mit der Produktionsfirma Musical Box Rent, welche die technischen Systeme während der Festsaison betreut, beauftragt, das erste jemals in der Arena genutzte Soundsystem bereitzustellen. Es musste über transparente Klangverstärkung verfügen,Verständlichkeit und Detailwahrnehmung erhöhen, ohne dabei von der natürlichen Operndarbietung abzulenken und so war das K-array OS-1 geboren.

ITALIANO living room. It has allowed the patrons to feel the music and opera in a more natural way.

“The concept of amplifying the stage in this way is really difficult and we are really happy we have been able to achieve what we have. We already had products from our catalogue in mind for the system and thanks to our existing partnership with Sennheiser, the microphones were taken care of. We did need to make slight adjustments to some of the kit to suit the venue, but we didn’t want to make customised products that can take a lot of time and money to produce as this also makes it difficult to expand the system in the future should the client wish to do so. It had to be a flexible system with room for growth.”

“From the very beginning the objective has been to give Italian opera lovers immeasurable pleasure from a lyrical and scenography stand point,” concluded Francesco Girondini, Superintendent at the Arena di Verona. “K-array loudspeakers have succeeded in something which had never been attempted in a lyrical theatre before - providing a true-to-theatre sound coverage to an entire outdoor arena.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 128 x K-array Kobra KK50 loudspeaker; 10 x K-array Python KP102 loudspeaker; 16 x K-array Anakonda KAN200 loudspeaker; 10 x K-array KK200 loudspeaker; 32 x K-array KU36 subwoofer; 5 x K-array K10 amplifier; 1 x K-array KA1-1 amplifier; 2 x Yamaha DME64N processor; 3 x Lake LM 44 processor; 1 x Optocore DD32E processor; 128 x Sennheiser ME 36 condenser microphone www.arena.it

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L’Arena di Verona, Italia, è una costruzione di epoca romana nota a livello internazionale per gli spettacoli teatrali e per le opere liriche che vi vengono realizzati su larga scala. L’Arena, un vero e proprio teatro all’aperto che può ospitare 15.000 spettatori, ha presentato i maggiori cantanti lirici di fama internazionale provenienti da tutto il mondo nell’esecuzione delle più note opere, raggiungendo la partecipazione di 500.000 spettatori all’anno.

Nel 2010, e per la prima volta nel settore dell’acustica di questo teatro all’aperto, sono stati realizzati importanti cambiamenti, quali l’installazione di potenziatori elettronici del suono curati dalla ditta italiana K-array.

Fino a quel momento le produzioni teatrali non avevano mai utilizzato microfoni o altoparlanti all’interno dell’Arena di Verona. Parlando con il Presidente della K-array Alex Tatini e con lo specialista di prodotto Francesco Maffei, che hanno entrambi ricoperto un ruolo chiave nella creazione e nell’ammodernamento del sistema acustico dell’Arena di Verona, mondo*dr ha potuto verificare quanto l’aggiunta dell’altoparlante Anaconda all’inizio del 2013, abbia portato l’impianto di diffusione sonora ad un livello superiore pur senza interferire con l’atmosfera dell’Arena.

K-array, insieme alla ditta di produzione Musical Box Rent, responsabile dei servizi tecnici durante la stagione del festival, ha ricevuto l’incarico di creare nell’Arena il primo impianto sonoro mai realizzato in questa cornice.

Era necessario proporre una maggiore limpidezza nella resa del suono, un aumento nell’intelligibilità del dialogo ed estrema cura per il dettaglio, senza diminuirne la naturale esecuzione operativa. Ciò ha dato vita a K-array OS-1.

ESPAÑOL

El estadio Romano en Verona, Italia, es reconocido internacionalmente por sus performances de ópera y teatro a gran escala. Con una capacidad para 15.000 personas, el estadio al aire libre ha presentado a muchos de los cantantes de ópera más notables del mundo atrayendo cada año a más de 500.000 personas para ver producciones de óperas populares. El año 2010 marcó un año crucial en la ópera del estadio abierto cuando se instaló un refuerzo de sonido electrónico del fabricante Italiano K-array - hasta ese punto, las producciones de ópera no habían utilizado ningún tipo de micrófono o altoparlante en el estadio. Hablando con el Presidente de K-array Alex Tatini y con el Especialista en Producto de K-array, Francesco Maffei, quienes estuvieron fuertemente involucrados en la creación e implementación del sistema en el Arena di Verona, mondo*dr descubrió cómo el haber agregado el altoparlante Anakonda a comienzos de 2013 colocó al sistema PA un paso más adelante, al mismo tiempo, sin interferir con la atmósfera del estadio. Se le solicitó a K-array, junto con la productora Musical Box Rent, la cual maneja los servicios técnicos durante la temporada de festivales, que proveyeran el primer sistema de sonido para ser utilizado en el estadio. Necesitaba tener un refuerzo de sonido transparente, aumentando la inteligibilidad y percepción del detalle, sin distraerse de la performance natural de la ópera. Así fue que nació el K-array OS-1.

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A MANIFEST TO INNOVATION

090 VENUE

NAIF DISCOTEQUE PRATO, ITALY

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

PROMO VIDEO

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When Red Lighting was called in to assist in turning the once alternative rock club ‘Siddharta’ into a sophisticated lounge bar and nightclub, there was one main aim for the lighting company, to create an innovative and sophisticated space, one that would mirror the new look and feel of the club.

Naif Discoteque, as the venue is now known, can be found in the idyllic setting of Prato, Tuscany, in Italy, and hosts a range of electronic dance music (EDM) club nights throughout the week, attracting a diverse clientele. The venue’s owners Mauro Panichi and Massimiliano Persico brought in Red Lighting’s Franco Natali and Gherardo Flaccomio Nardi Dei to work with architect Luca Bono on

the project, which had to be completed in just a matter of months.

“When we started work on the project the venue was a completely empty space,” said Franco, “it had been completely striped and the entire interior was being Redesigned, including the lighting system and so we worked closely with the architect from the very beginning.

This approach allowed us to anticipate any potential problems that might be associated with the lighting installation.

“For example, Luca designed a metal net wall for one side of the space - he wanted this illuminated, but also wanted to create a tactile sensation of something that was alive and capable of change, not only in colour but also the look of it, while avoiding compromising the overall lighting effect.”

To obtain this effect Red Lighting LED Quadro L16 bars, that use three-in-one LEDs for even and smooth colour mixing effects, are

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Red Lighting Classe LS40 moving heads, featuring a 20W LED CT 6,500K lamp and 12 control channels. Both models of moving heads also feature 265º tilt movement, seven interchangeable, rotating indexable gobos, a 14º beam angle, eight pre-built programs to choose from and a four digit LED display. There are also four Quadro L24 LED bars around the dancefloor, featuring three in one LED, three operational modes, and strobe effect, along with an internal calendar for specific programming, colour mixing and rainbow effects.

Four LED strobes featuring adjustable frequency are also installed.

All lighting control is handled by Red Lighting’s RedMX lighting desk - intuitive and ergonomically designed with high performance levels.

According to Franco, the desk is popular with professionals in the industry because it is compact and simple to handle, with a user-orientated design and easy to understand controls. “The RedMX has been designed and developed in Italy using the best components,” said Franco. “Six DMX universes are used on the controller, 3,072 channels are freely configurable, it features a powerful graphics interface for easy programming and control of up to 576 cue lists and it also had 12 keys for direct access to playback and programming functions. A 7-inch colour, touchscreen display, LCD digital keys and four encoder wheels are just some of the other features of the desk.”

On the audio side, a new PA system has been installed and uses Audiocenter and D.A.S Audio equipment. There are 10 D.A.S. Audio Arco 24 loudspeakers distributed throughout the main club area, to take care of the high frequencies, while bass is provided by two Audiocenter double 18-inch SW Series subwoofers, which produce deep, punchy bass down to 30Hz. Reinforcement comes from Audiocenter’s PF115B+ 700W loudspeaker, of which there are four. There are also two dBTechnologies DVA S10DP subwoofers, equipped with a single 18-inch woofer and driven by a 1,000W digital power amplifier. The PA system is poweRed by Lab.gruppen, while processing is taken care of by an XTA DP444 processor. In the DJ booth there are two Pioneer CDJ-2000nexus digital CD player and a Pioneer DJM-900nexus mixer.

When asked to sum up what was the most enjoyable part of this project, Franco told mondo*dr: “The way everyone worked together was great, we had to rely on everyone to do their bit and pull together - from the architect, owners, and installers. When one person had a good idea, someone else would come in with a plan of action on how to put it into practice. We always work hard to make sure the client’s needs have been satisfied and I feel we achieved this at Naif - you don’t always need lots of equipment to make spectacular effects, sometimes less is more.” hidden behind the metal net so clubbers cannot see the lights directly, just the colour effect. These light sources also feature a 15º beam angle, three operational modes, and strobe effect with 1-25 flashes per second and pulse effect.

“The difficulty we had with this feature was the placement of the LED bars. We had to make sure they weren’t visible to the crowd, but without compromising the overall effect. We overcame this by lowering the false ceiling and creating trapdoors so we could access the system easily,” continued Franco.

The overall brief for the lighting system was to make sure the right atmosphere could be created by the club’s lighting designer no matter what the club night, as well as choreographing (in a sense) the music. “The lighting fixtures had to be versatile and easy-to-manage with a compact design and have excellent performance levels,” said Franco, “so they had to softly illuminate the aperitif and dinner area while being able to create the classic disco lighting effects that become an integral part of the experience.”

Eight Red Lighting Classe LS60 moving heads, which feature an 80W LED CT 6,500K lamp and 14 control channels, have been installed around the main dancefloor area of Naif, along with four

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING 8 x Red Lighting Classe LS 60 moving head; 4 x Red Lighting Classe LS 40 moving head; 10 x Red Lighting Quadro L16 LED bar; 4 x Red Lighting Quadro L24 LED bar; 4 x Red Lighting LED Strobe; 1 x Red Lighting RedMX lighting desk SOUND 10 x D.A.S. Audio Arco 24 loudspeaker; 2 x two Audiocenter SW Series subwoofer; 4 x Audiocenter PF115B+ loudspeaker; 2 x dBTechnologies DVA S10DP subwoofer; 6 x Lab.gruppen amplifier; 1 x XTA DP444 processor; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-2000nexus digital CD player; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900nexus DJ mixer www.naifdisco.com

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092 VENUE

THE AUSSIE FILES SYDNEY/MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA

DOLTONE HOUSE Located in a prestigious area of Sydney’s central business district with stunning views of Hyde Park is a multi-purpose event space that has been finished to the highest standard. Doltone House is situated on level three of the Tattersalls Club, which guests arrive at via a sweeping staircase of double stitched black leather, gold mirrors and detailed tiling, which creates a luxurious ambiance ahead of the fusion of modern and old-world glamour in The Hyde Park Ballroom, the main event space at Doltone House.

The ballroom benefits from heritage features such as grand arched windows and three beautiful sandstone fireplaces. It can be used as one large function space or can be divided into as many as four sections - via moveable walls - as required. Aside from the main ballroom there are also the Manhattan and Avenue rooms, which are generally used for smaller conferences and meetings or as a pre-function room.

With in-house audiovisual partnerships already in place at Doltone House in Jones Bay Wharf and Darling Island Wharf, Microhire was also asked to tender for the new space and successfully won the contract. The brief was to install a flown system so that floor space was not reduced and to select a PA that would be adaptable to a large number of applications. Projection screens were also needed in every available spot, as well as a selection of intelligent lighting for

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events.

General Manager for Mircohire, Thomas Armati said: “I initially spoke to Jands, which I typically engage for audio products. The company put me onto another contact, which was Fredon. The design in terms of CAD work was carried out by Fredon, in conjunction with Jands specifying the lighting bars and then Show Technology advised me on the lighting products that would work best in the space.”

There are 16 JBL PRX412M two-way monitor loudspeakers installed around the main ballroom for front of house. The cabinets have been split into eight pairs, each of which flank a Panasonic PT-DZ6710U projector and a Screen Technics 150-inch 16:9 motorised screen. “Added to that are 44 JBL Control 47LP in ceiling speakers for background music typically used for weddings. There are also provisions for powered subwoofers if required with four of them on site. It can certainly kick along quite well,” said Nick Orsatti, General Manager at Fredon.

There are eight Shure ULXD4Q digital quad wireless receivers that are used for radio microphones throughout the venue, they have been coupled with an antennae distribution system meaning any one of them can be turned on in any space and it’ll route to the desired room. Nick continued: “I’m really stoked with the Shure ULXD4Qs. They’re a really simple system to use and you get heaps of channels which is important when there’s not much spectrum available. They’re a really nice package and I expect to see a lot more hire companies start using them. We’re putting heaps of them in everywhere.”

For system processing and power, Thomas and Nick selected two

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BOTH RACHAEL ROGERSON AND HELEN FLETCHER HAVE MADE A TRIP DOWN UNDER RECENTLY. WHILST THERE, THEY WE TREATED TO AN INSIGHT ABOUT A NUMBER OF NEW VENUES, FROM EVENT AND PERFOMRANCE SPACES TO RESTAURANTS AND STADIA.

BSS Soundweb London BLU-160 digital signal processors and two BSS Soundweb London BLU-120 I/O extenders and Crown’s ComTech DriveCore CT4150 amplifiers for the ceiling speakers and Crown’s XTi 4002 amplifiers for the front of house system.

On the lighting front, Thomas was happy to leave the specification to distribution company, Show Technology. Mark McInnes, National Sales and Marketing Manager at Show Technology said: “Working with Microhire is always a pleasure. When supplying equipment for its venues Microhire look for good quality equipment, which performs well and provides a good ROI over the entire lifespan of the gear.”

Mark supplied 14 Martin Professional MAC Aura LED moving head washlights and 14 Clay Paky Alpha Spot 300 spotlights for Hyde Park’s Doltone House. He said of his choice: “The Clay Paky Alpha Spot 300’s excellent colour range (CMY), small size and huge 300W output made them an easy choice. Washlights were a more open affair, in the end Thomas and I chose the Martin Professional Auras for their reliability and as they are positioned so close to the audience we thought the ‘aura’ effect of a homogenous coloured ‘lens’ more appropriate than the large pixel look of some of the other ‘dinner plate’ style of LED washes which are available.”

The lighting fixtures have been mounted on 16 Jands JLX Lite lighting bars, which are all wired back from the traditional 240V circuits to Jands WM 72-way wall patches and Jands wall mount dimmers. For lighting control of basic events a pre-programmed iPad is used and can be operated by any member of staff. However, for larger events an MA Lighting grandMA onPC Command Wing supplied by Show Technology is used. This is in line with other

Microhire venues, therefore making the control the same for the operators. Thomas said: “We’ve been going down the MA Lighting route for a long time and we like it, we train people on it, and we are happy with the results.”

Doltone House is building quite a name for itself in Sydney, with its total outlets now standing at five. With the newest venture combining picturesque views, original charm and a modern twist, it’s sure to become a favourite in no time at all.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 16 x JBL PRX412M monitor loudspeaker; 4 x JBL PRS 618S subwoofer; 1 x 44 JBL Control L47LP in-ceiling speaker; 8 x Shure ULXD4Q digital quad wireless receiver; 2 x BSS Soundweb London BLU-160 digital signal processor; 2 x BSS Soundweb London BLU-120 I/O extender; Crown ComTech DriveCore CT4150 amplifiers; Crown XTi 4002 amplifiers LIGHTING 14 x Martin Professional MAC Aura LED moving head washlight; 14 x Clay Paky Alpha Spot 300 spotlight; 16 x Jands JLX Lite lighting bar VISUAL 8 x Panasonic PT-DZ6710U projector; 8 x Screen Technics 150-inch 16:9 motorised screen www.doltonehouse.com.au

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094 VENUE

Meat & Wine Co, Sydney

Meat & Wine Co, Melbourne

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MEAT & WINE CO The Meat & Wine Co is a chain of premium steakhouse restaurants in Australia, which was established back in 2000 to provide an exclusive dining experience. The restaurants are famous for their range of fine quality beef - but also serve seafood, chicken and game - perfectly complemented by a high-class wine selection, which is unique to each Meat & Wine Co location.

The décor at the different outlets - located at Darling Harbour and Circular Quay in Sydney and Southbank and Hawthorn East in Melbourne - have also been individually styled but all feature sumptuous furnishings boasting rich colours and textures. As well as chic interiors, two of the four restaurants have recently undergone an audio upgrade - with the other two scheduled for a refurbishment in the near future - with the aim of encouraging diners to extend their evening at Meat & Wine Co. The owner of the restaurant chain made contact with Ambient Technology, a distribution and installation company based in Melbourne with plenty of experience in the entertainment business.

Founder Adam Nevzat explained how he got the gig: “The owner came across us and we gave him a demo of the Outline IS8 and DVS 8 loudspeakers coupled with the Eidos 108S subwoofers, he was very impressed in comparison to any other system he’d heard before. We started on the fit out in the first venue and he noticed people staying longer for drinks after a meal and I presume that’s down to the nicer environment, the better feeling and the better ambiance throughout the whole venue.”

A total of 16 Outline IS8 compact two-way loudspeakers and eight Outline IS6T high fidelity, full range loudspeakers have been installed at Meat & Wine Co located in the lobby of the iconic InterContinental Hotel, Sydney at Circular Quay. The loudspeakers have been integrated discreetly to blend in with the original arched windows and rustic wooden walls, lavish leather seating and

Meat & Wine Co, Melbourne

stone features of the heritage-listed hotel. The IS Series cabinets are supplemented four Outline Eidos 108S subwoofers, which can take care of frequencies down to 36Hz with a peak SPL of 126dB making them the ideal choice to provide low-frequency reinforcement for the venue’s distributed sound system.

The sound system is powered by four Kind Audio KQX 22.4 amplifiers. “Similar to the Outline products, these amplifiers are also hand-made in Italy, it’s another range of boutique products that the company has sourced. I’m finding that I’m moving away from the huge labels in favour of hand crafted products like Outline, Kind and Jocavi,” continued Adam.

Jocavi acoustic panels are a new product line for Ambient Technology and all the Meat & Wine Co venues that are being remodelled will be acoustically treated with this panelling. Adam said: “We find that in most of the venues we walk into, first we need to fix the environment and make it acoustically perfect and then we can put in these great sound systems, so its a good marriage between the two products.”

Now that Meat & Wine Co at Circular Quay, Sydney and Southbank, Melbourne have been infused with Italian charm and have witnessed an increase in after dinner drinks, Adam and his team are making plans to roll out similar designs at the other outlets.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 16 x Outline IS8 loudspeaker; 8 x Outline IS6T loudspeaker; 4 x Outline Eidos 108S subwoofer; 4 x Kind Audio KQX 22.4 amplifier themeatandwineco.com

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Before B-EYE there were only drones

B_EYE_Mondo_235x330_EN.indd 1

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096 VENUE

WYNDHAM CULTURAL CENTRE For any town in the outskirts of a major city, a cultural centre can hold an important place in the heart of the community, providing a hub for the local people to utilise. Wyndham is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, in the outer south-western suburbs of Melbourne. With a population of over 160,000 this is a thriving community that has Wyndham Cultural Centre (WCC) as its heart.

Opened to the public in 2001, the building houses the Tattersall’s Theatre, two exhibition galleries, the CBD library, Visitor Information Centre and café.

With a major upgrade now complete, the community is now reaping the rewards of a Tannoy sound system for WCC’s auditorium

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 4 x Tannoy VX 12HP loudspeaker; 1 x Tannoy VX 12Q loudspeaker; 4 x Tannoy VX 5.2 loudspeaker; 4 x Tannoy VX 8 stage monitor; 2 x Tannoy VSX 18DR subwoofer; 3 x Powersoft M50Q amplifier; 2 x Powersoft M28Q amplifier; BSS Soundweb London processors www.wyncc.com.au

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performance space, based around the manufacturer’s VX Series.

However, from the outset, a certain approach to construction meant there were problems with the building as Gavin Hulme, Director of MultiTek Solutions, explained: “The venue had some troubling times during the original construction. The theatrical infrastructure was lumped in with the general electrical scope of works with many things done in a non-industry standard way.

“This made the venue very hard to use when it first opened in 2001.

However, the current technical managers and technicians have really done a great job in bringing the venue up to a great standard by methodically fixing all the errors made during the construction.”

MultiTek Solutions has had a long association with the WCC, from the initial post venue construction fix of the cabling infrastructure to ongoing preventative maintenance and equipment supply, so when the time came for an upgrade of the sound system in the auditorium, it was a job it approached with some careful considerations in mind.

“As a regional arts centre it hosts the full gamut of shows, from the professional touring theatre company to the high school musical and Callisthenics production, along with the all important end of year dance school extravaganzas,” said Gavin. “They get it all. So the system has to cater for all the specific requirements. Whatever solution we put in place, it had to improve the overall coverage of the system throughout the venue, specifically the front few rows and the extreme rear. We also had to tidy up the sight lines and mount the subwoofers out of the way. As well as that, one of the criteria was to increase the headroom of the system and provide some image steering for musicals.”

These numerous considerations led Gavin to choose Tannoy for the installation, he explained his reasoning: “I have used Tannoy for many years as a venue technician and love the coherency of a point source. In the end we went through the new ranges and chose the right models based on the overall dispersion pattern and power handling capability.”

Two Tannoy VX 12HP loudspeakers were mounted either side of the arch and another pair from the lighting bridge for delay. A single Tannoy VX 12Q loudspeaker was mounted in the centre above the stage to help fill in the front row and also provide some image steering for musicals. Four Tannoy VX 5.2 loudspeakers were employed across the front lip of the stage for those occasions when there is an orchestra in the pit, but MultiTek attached these using custom mounts to facilitate easy removal when not required. There are also four Tannoy VX 8 loudspeakers used as stage monitors.

Tannoy VSX 18DR subwoofers are flown above the proscenium walls, giving a more aesthetically pleasing look to the stage overall.

With an expanded range of enclosures and transducer complements, Tannoy’s VX Series combines next-generation Dual Concentric driver technology with smart, ergonomic, portable and install-friendly cabinet designs, enhanced build quality, and carefully thought-out functionality. The VX Series aims to gives installer, systems designers and engineers that critical advantage, as was the case at the WCC. The amplifier racks were also rebuilt, using Powersoft amplification, as well as using multiple BSS Soundweb London processors for full DSP processing. Gavin commented: “This provides the users with the flexibility of being able to address the system in different ways depending on the event. They are able to send just left and right to the system right up to being able to send multiple outputs from their console to each element of the system if required.”

Reflecting on the overall success of the project, Gavin concluded: “Now that the system is installed and the venue is up and running again, the overall response has been very positive - we have achieved the requirements set out at the beginning of the project.

They now have a fantastic venue for the people of Werribee and beyond to enjoy for many years to come.”

SIMONDS STADIUM Home of the Geelong Cats, Simonds Stadium has become one of the biggest and most successful multi-purpose venues in Victoria, Australia. Building on this success, the stadium recently underwent a three-stage renovation project, adding a new southern grandstand and increasing its seating capacity to over 35,000.

As part of the renovation project, Australia-based Total Events was called upon to design, supply and install the PA system for the new grandstand choosing JBL AWC all weather loudspeakers for the grandstand, JBL Control 25 loudspeakers for the walkways and JBL Control 24CT ceiling loudspeakers into the functions spaces, the stadium was also the first venue in Australia to receive a BSS Soundweb London BLU-805 audio-video bridging system.

“We installed 14 JBL AWC129 loudspeakers and 16 JBL AWC82 loudspeakers for the seating bowl and under balcony fills,” said Bill Busbridge, Managing Director of Total Events. “We chose them as they are robust, high powered and totally suitable for the application. They also fitted in well with the architects aesthetic requirements.”

The BSS London Soundweb BLU-805 AVB installed allows 64 incoming AVB channels and 64 outgoing AVB channels at 48kHz or 32 incoming AVB channels and 32 outgoing AVB channels at 96kHz. Configuration, control and monitoring is provided by HiQnet London Architect. The audio is fed from the BSS Soundweb London boxes via BLU-Link to the Crown CTs amplifiers in various rack rooms which drive the loudspeaker system.

“The main audio feed is derived from the existing system control which is about 300-metres away from the new racks, so we used AVB to link from that system via fibre through to the new zone,” explained Bill. “The BLU-805 picked up its feeds nicely. The BLU-805 also controls three function spaces and it certainly made our job a lot easier. I’ve been back a couple of times to tweak the system and it is really simple to patch back in and make changes on the fly.”

Bill also commented on the support received during the design and implementation of the system

by Harman distributor Jands saying: “Jands brought David Bradshaw to the stadium during the implementation to assist with the set up and programming. David also did the basic set up and programming of units before they were dispatched from the Sydney warehouse to us. They arrived preconfigured and it was almost plug ‘n’ play at our end.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 30 x JBL Control 24CT loudspeaker; 6 x JBL Control 25 loudspeaker; 14 x JBL AWC129 loudspeaker; 16 x JBL AWC82 loudspeaker; 4 x Crown CTs 3000 amplifier; 3 x Crown CTs 1200 amplifier; 1 x Crown CTs 8200 amplifier; 1 x BSS Soundweb London BLU-805 processor; 1 x BSS Soundweb London BLU-325 processor; 3 x BSS Soundweb London BLU-BIB input expander; 3 x BSS Soundweb London BLU-8v2 wall controller www.geelongaustralia.com.au/simondsstadium

098 VENUE

GATEWAY TO INDIA new delhi / mumbai, india ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA

PANGAEA With roots dating back to the ‘90s, Pangaea is a brand that has made a name for itself internationally as an ultra lounge boasting sophisticated design elements, generally of African influence.

Establishments baring the name already exist in the US, the UK and other European destinations, as well as Singapore but founder and operator Michael Ault of The Ault Group is always on the lookout for opportunities in new markets.

When he was approached by The Spice Group’s Dr BK Modi, who had a raw space crying out for a new purpose at the Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi, Michael seized the moment and broadened The Ault Group’s horizons. “A majority of our top customers at Pangaea Singapore are extremely influential Indians, including a great many billionaires,” explained Michael. “They were very frank with us, and felt sure that Pangaea would be a big hit in either Bombay or New Delhi.”

Due to an enforced closing time of 12.30am, The Ault Group decided only to participate on a consultancy basis - which involved designing, branding, building, training, publicising, marketing, promoting, booking talent, setting up systems and controls, and opening the venue - and then The Spice Group would take over the

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venue operation.

After outlining a design he deemed would produce one of the most stunning nightclubs in India, Michael and his Project Manager, Garry Lawrence began to search for an installation company that would be able to realise their vision. White Eagle Entertainment won the contract to supply and install the audio, lighting and laser equipment at Pangaea and the team was headed up by Managing Director, Arun Kalra.

Arun explained the design brief: “I was told to specify a system with high energy sound that would encourage everyone to dance and ensure that the artwork on the wall remained a focal point.”

Arun favoured Outline as a loudspeaker manufacturer and used the company’s Open Array software to determine the optimum configuration and mounting positions.

The main system comprises six Outline Doppia II 9075P three-way loudspeakers, four Outline DVS 15 wide range loudspeakers, two Outline DVS 12 high efficiency loudspeakers and two Outline Eidos 10 two-way loudspeakers, all of which are equipped with passive low-loss crossover to cater for the mid-high frequencies. These are supplemented by six Outline DBS 18-2 subwoofers that extend the low frequency response and two Outline Eidos 118 S subwoofers, which offer deep low frequencies - with peak SPLs of 135dB at one metre - in a compact enclosure.

Arun opted to continue with the Italian theme, turning to Outline to supply the system’s power too. A total of nine amplifiers drive the loudspeaker cabinets, a combination of five Outline T Five and two

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WHEN CONSIDERING NIGHTLIFE HOTSPOTS ON A GLOBAL LEVEL, INDIA DOESN’T NATURALLY SPRING TO MIND, YET MORE AND MORE ENTERTAINMENT OUTLETS ARE OPENING ALL THE TIME, MANY OF WHICH HAVE BEEN KITTED OUT WITH HIGH-END TECHOLOGY.

Outline T Eleven switch mode amplifiers from the T Series and two Outline DPA 1004 digitally processed amplifiers. While for mixing capabilities a Yamaha LS9 digital console is at home at Pangaea.

The desk is fitted with gating, compression, and equalisation functionalities, as well as a built-in USB memory recorder / player that can be used for playback and recordings.

For the lighting design at Pangaea, Michael and Garry drafted in experienced personnel from the Singapore outlet. Martin Professional and Griven were chosen as the preferred suppliers thanks to their impressive product ranges and the level of service they were able to offer to the project.

A total of 10 Martin Professional MAC 350 Entour profiles featuring seven high-power LEDs and 12 Martin Professional MAC 101 compact washlights have been mounted on two-inch pipes, which run along the venue ceiling. While 30 Griven Parade X-RGBW-48 linear LED modules that provide uniform colour coverage have been installed as highlighting battens in and around the space.

Two Martin Professional Magnum 2000 fog machines and two Laserworld CS-1000 RGB lasers are also in place for added special effects.

Chosen for its state-of-the-art features and reliability, the High End Systems Road Hog 4 console takes care of lighting control at the venue. The desk features an unlimited number of simultaneous crossfades, 10 playback faders, as well as four fixed universes of DMX 512 and up to eight universes of DMX 512 over ArtNet or sACN making it a user-friendly and flexible interface.

Michael concluded by expressing his delight: “I can’t stress enough, how proud I am of our team. The room was finished below budget and ahead of schedule, and is unquestionably one of the most beautiful clubs I have ever seen. It’s the first time that any nightclub in India has received such massive media attention on a global basis. It was covered with extensive articles and segments by the world’s most famous publications and TV networks.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 6 x Outline Doppia II 9075P loudspeaker; 4 x Outline DVS 15 loudspeaker; 2 x Outline DVS 12 loudspeaker; 2 x Outline Eidos 10 loudspeaker; 6 x Outline DBS 18-2 subwoofer; 2 x Outline Eidos 118 S subwoofer; 5 x Outline T Five switch mode amplifier; 2 x Outline T Eleven switch mode amplifier; 2 x Outline DPA 1004 digitally processed amplifier; 1 x Master Audio GE215 graphic equaliser LIGHTING 10 x Martin Professional MAC 350 Entour profile; 12 x Martin Professional MAC 101 compact washlight; 30 x Griven Parade X-RGBW-48 linear LED module; 2 x Martin Professional Magnum 2000 fog machine; 2 x Laserworld CS-1000 RGB laser; 1 x High End Systems Road Hog 4 console www.facebook.com/PangaeaDelhi

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100 VENUE

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CAFE LUDUS Nightlife in New Delhi is something that takes on many guises and for the new venue located on the second floor of the MGF Mall, Café Ludus, it is most certainly the case.

As its name suggests the space has been decked out with caféstyle interiors, yet has been fused with the idea of capturing the nostalgia of school life and reinventing how the city views food and beverages.

“The name Ludus is the Latin translation for ‘a place to learn’,” said Narinder Pal Singh, Director of Audio Jewellers, the company brought in to add audio and lighting equipment to this eccentric venue. “What the owners are basically trying to do here is put in elements of school. So there’s a library section, which acts as a VIP area and the bar has been designed to look like a chemistry lab.”

This design is in stark contrast to the previous outlet that occupied the space and that was a decisive choice. The main reason for the former closure was SPL spillage, which angered the surrounding neighbours so Narinder’s first task was to address this. “When I took over the project I decided that the loud part of the club would be inside, and outside would be kept as a dining and chill out lounge,” he said.

Preparation began with soundproofing the interior room, mainly through doubling up doors and selecting the most appropriate soundproofing material. Next came the specification of the PA and for this Narinder turned to UK-based Tannoy. The main system comprises two Tannoy VXP 15HP self-powered loudspeakers hung within the main space supplemented by two Tannoy VNET 218DR subwoofers that have been floor mounted. Four Tannoy VX 12 passive loudspeakers act as the surround system - which is powered by a Lab.gruppen E8:2 amplifier - and extends the audio coverage. Outside, Narinder selected four Tannoy Di 5t outdoor loudspeakers, he said: ““As a result of the acoustics, very little

bass travels outside, so I chose to put a 90 millisecond delay on the outdoor loudspeakers, meaning the sound actually comes in sync with the bass, producing a much warmer sound overall in the outdoor area.” A single dbx DriveRack 4800 unit is in place for loudspeaker management. While DJ kit includes one Pioneer DJM900nexus DJ mixer, two Pioneer CDJ-2000nexus CD players and a Smithson Martin Emulator multi-touch DJ surface.

Lighting at Café Ludus had to ooze flexibility so the venue can literally be transformed from daytime to night time, café to nightclub with the flick of a switch. For this reason, Narinder simply selected some architectural LED fixtures, which are controlled via a Dynalite interface on an iPad. The control platform has a number of presets built-in to create different moods and colour effects.

Since opening, Café Ludus has welcomed a number of international DJs including FunkAgenda, Swanky Tunes, Moguai, Andy Duguid, CASPA, Daddy’s Groove and MAT ZO - for which Narinder added projection mapping as a special feature - and is proving itself to be a highlight on the Delhi nightlife scene.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 2 x Tannoy VXP 15HP loudspeaker; 2 x Tannoy VNET 218DR subwoofer; 4 x Tannoy VX 12 loudspeaker; 4 x Tannoy Di 5t outdoor loudspeaker; 2 x Lab.gruppen E8:2 amplifier; 1 x dbx DriveRack 4800 loudspeaker management system; 1 x Smithson Martin Emulator multi-touch midi controller PC software; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900nexus DJ mixer; 2 x Pioneer CDJ2000nexus CD player www.facebook.com/cafeludus

102 VENUE

BAROKE Located within the Krishna Palace Hotel in south Mumbai, Baroke exudes all the elements expected from a venue, which takes it name from the early 17th Century period. Baroke aims to transport its guests into a world of elaborate and exaggerated style, which in turn produceS an effect of drama, exuberance and grandeur through the medium of furnishings, music and atmosphere.

As Baroke is located within a hotel building - that is also home to commercial tenants - and resides in a fairly residential area, the biggest task was to design the venue as a shell that would contain the sound yet not compromise on the experience. In light of this, it might have been expected to opt for more of a lounge-style, however, the young, entrepreneurial owner, Saurabh Shetty was adamant he wanted a high-energy nightclub.

Milind Raorane of Soundframe was brought in to complete the sound design and installation. He said: “Firstly, I conducted an analysis of the structure and assessed the behaviour of the sound leakage, this enabled me to design the entire shell, which included floating wall and floating floors.”

Once the soundproofing was in position, Milind turned his attention to the sound system. He took Saurabh to other nightclubs in the area to get an idea of the kind of system he wanted. This established, Milind then organised a shootout and d&b audiotechnik was chosen as the preferred system. “The White range had just launched so I specified it for Baroke. Everything in the design was bought and installed, which is quite unusual as often audio is not always considerED top priority but it was here,” said Milind.

The d&b audiotechnik kit was supplied by the manufacturer’s Indian distributor, Digital Advantage. On the dancefloor four d&b audiotechnik 12S-TOP two-way loudspeakers have been installed alongside three d&b audiotechnik 27S-SUB cardioid subwoofers,

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one of which is reverse mounted on the ceiling. The system is extended into the peripheral areas through the use of another two d&b audiotechnik 12S-TOP passive loudspeakers and two d&b audiotechnik B4-SUB actively driven powered subwoofers, which again are ceiling mounted. And for the VIP area, Milind opted for six d&b audiotechnik 5S coaxial loudspeakers supplemented by another d&b audiotechnik B4-SUB subwoofer.

As is usual with all d&b audiotechnik systems, it is powered and controlled by the company’s D6 amplifiers, eight of them in total.

DJ equipment at Baroke adheres to rider favourite, Pioneer, the venue is equipped with one Pioneer CDJ-2000 CD player and one Pioneer DJM-900 mixer, both of which were supplied by Rivera International.

Audio is important to the owner because, “he doesn’t have another parameter, the interiors are great but in a dark club, there’s only really one thing that’s going to stand out and that’s the audio,” commented Milind. That said, the brief about sound leakage was met, so much so that the club can stay open into the early hours of the morning yet remain unnoticed.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 6 x d&b audiotechnik 12S-TOP loudspeaker; 6 x d&b audiotechnik 5S loudspeaker; 3 x d&b audiotechnik 27S-SUB subwoofer; 3 x d&b audiotechnik B4-SUB subwoofer; 1 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 CD player; 1 x Pioneer DJM-900 mixer www.facebook.com/pages/Baroke

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IN BUSINE S S INTEGRATE, SYDNEY ATTENDED BY HELEN FLETCHER

EXPO MUSIC & LIGHTING WEEK, SAO PAULO ATTENDED BY RACHAEL ROGERSON

PLASA, LONDON ATTENDED BY THE MONDO*DR TEAM

PROLIGHT+SOUND, SHANGHAI ATTENDED BY RACHAEL ROGERSON & JAMIE DIXON

GUIDE LIGHTING CONTROL

PRODUCT DIRECTORY The mondo*dr team has been globe-trotting again and brings your four show reports from all corners of the globe this issue. First up its Integrate in Sydney, which saw Helen make her first trip to Australia, lose her mind to jet lag, and get an introduction to the Aussie pro audiovisual industry. While Helen travelled East, Rachael went West for just the second time in her mondo*dr career and attended Expo Music & Lighting Week in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Helen then spent her birthday in Amsterdam for a Bose product launch and an evening of fine-dining and entertainment, before heading down to London with the rest of the team for the PLASA show. Rachael and Jamie Dixon then made the trip over to Shanghai for Prolight+Sound, leaving Helen and Justin to man the fort in London... Phew, all in a day’s work!

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1. Graeme Stevenson of Production Audio Video Technology. 2. Bryan Davidson of Bosch Australia. 3. Eddie Welsh of Jands. 4. Richard McMullen, Juliana Tong and Ken Wheatley of Christie.

5. Chris Smith of Syntec International. 6. The UlA team: Marcel Takac, Con Biviano, Blair Terrace, Justin Knox, John Buchanan, Tony Lukeman and Lenka Satankova. 7. Rohan Smith presented Mackie’s new range of products on the CMI Music & Audio stand.

INTEGRATE SYDNEY

This year’s Integrate show attracted 50 new exhibitors and 4,800 visitors from more than 20 countries, representing a 22% increase on last year’s event and a 45% increase compared with 2011 - a sign perhaps, that Australia has got itself a well established event that is catering for the specific needs of the sector.

While the majority of the show’s exhibitors focused their attention on equipment just outside of mondo*dr’s readership, there was definitely a some crossover and a number of audiovisual products were making their Australian debut.

The exhibition’s association with InfoComm International and now CEDIA proved to be a positive move, with both facilitating a range of training and certification programs throughout the three-day exhibition, providing industry professionals with hands-on training and seminars covering various topics.

Some of the show’s highlights for mondo*dr included the Bosch Plena Matrix

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VIDEO ROUND-UP digital sound system, which received an official launch party at the Hard Rock Café following the first day of the show. Also displayed on the Bosch stand was the Dynacord Pro Matrix system, presented in a number of applications on the stand to showcase its versatility.

On the Audio Products Group stand, Biamp’s Audia and Tesira digital audio networking products were on show, while over on the Audio Visual Distributors’ stand, Barco’s ClickShare, a wireless presentation system, suitable for corporate boardroom scenarios and compatible with Android and iOS operating systems, was presented.

Christie took the opportunity to introduce four new products to the Australian market - the 60Hz 84-inch Quad HD display; an interactive wall; a control room solution with content management system; and a fully weatherproof digital signage

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8. Craig Saunders of Barco on the Audio Visual Distributors stand. 9. Bignesh Dayal of Crestron 10. Thomas Kelly of Hills SVL Group 11. Jim Seretis of Audio Products Group.

solution - the Christie WeatherAll FHD551-W. CMI Music & Audio held a press conference on the first day of the show to introduce a number of Mackie products - the Mackie VLZ4 Series of mixers; the Mackie Mark 3 Series of loudspeaker; and the Mackie SRM Series of loudspeakers.

Over on the Jands stand the Stage CL, 12-channel LED control console, which is a cost-effective solution suitable for small lighting installations, was on display. The lighting control console has been available on the international market for eight months now.

L-Acoustics’ Kara range of loudspeakers was shown, alongside the LA4X amplifier controller, on the Hills SVL stand for the first time this year, following a new distribution agreement between the two companies in March.

Sennheiser’s new LSP 500 Pro PA wireless loudspeaker system was showcased for the first time in Australia on the Syntec stand, following its launch at Infocomm Orlando two months before.

EAW’s Anya sound system was the main focus of the Technical Audio Group’s stand. A complex system comprising acoustical, electrical, mechanical, and software elements, users can use just one module to build arrays with up to 360º coverage in both the vertical and horizontal planes.

With this year’s Entech having taken place just a month earlier, comparisons were naturally being made between the two shows, with some companies having chosen to exhibit at Integrate over Entech and vice versa. This is not to say that one show outweighs the other in importance, but it is more a reflection of the different markets the two shows serve and what best suits the manufacturers’ and distributors’ areas of business. Should the shows run at the same time? Will they make this move? For those companies who see worth in both, then the answer would most definitely be yes. But while the two continue to cater to such specific markets, maybe there is an argument for keeping them as separate identities, as some suppliers are seemingly already choosing one show over the other when it comes to exhibiting.

Integrate 2014 will take place from 26-28 August at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park. For more information go to: www.inte-

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EXPO MUSIC & LIGHTING WEEK SAO PAULO For a number of you who live or work in the Far East, my face will be a familiar sight at local tradeshows, so when I boarded a flight travelling west for only the second time in my Mondiale career it’s fair to say it felt somewhat unusual. My destination was Sao Paulo, Brazil.

With my head full of preconceptions I tried to be vigilant and alert from the moment I touched down and although there were a couple of unnerving incidents, the people I met with from ‘our world’ couldn’t have been more welcoming.

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My visit to Sao Paulo comprised of some company visits (more news in the next issue) as well as attending Expo Music and Lighting Week Brazil. The two shows ran concurrently at the Expo Center Norte on 18-22 September, with Lighting Week running for just the first three days.

Expo Music celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, while Lighting Week returned for a second time to co-locate with Brazil’s well-established event for audio, lighting, MI and accessories. After a fallout over certain attributes of Expo Music,

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1. Rosani Gomes and Pablo Paschoaletto of Star Lighting Division. 2. The Pioneer DJ booth. 3. HPL distributes FBT, Qube and Litec in the Brazilian market. 4. Peter Hald and Mark Ravenhill of GLP flank Fabio Cruz of Trusst. 5. Renkus-Heinz, Symetrix, Elation and High End Systems were represented by AMI Music. 6. Paola Abreguj, Harry von den Stemmen, Guillermo Traverso and Francisco O.Pinheiro on the Robe stand. 7. Andre Correia of Next Pro Audio with Vinicius Rodrigues of Studio Brazil. 8. Vladimir de Souza of ProShows. 9. Guillermo Distefano of Decomac with d&b audiotechnik’s Christian Stumpp. 10. The Harman team. 11. The team on the SGM stand line up. 12. HPL had two stands at the show, the lighting booth was showcasing products from LSC and DTS. 13. Edinei Lima and Esteban Risso of Gobos Do Brasil.

Lighting Week was formed as a breakaway show and took place at a different venue but still in September.

However, after struggling to attract enough exhibitors and visitors for two years, the show came back under the Expo Music umbrella but retained its Lighting Week identity.

Similarly to last year, the two events were separated by a partition wall and separate entrances, which in some ways is a hindrance rather than an advantage. It does not prevent sound leakage from the MI stands in the main hall - one of the reasons the lighting manufacturers opted to create their own show - and although footfall is better overall for Lighting Week in comparison to when it was a standalone show, the wall still effectively acts as a barrier so visitors are not openly encouraged to move between the two exhibitions.

On the main show floor of 34,000 sq metres - which boasted 200 exhibitors - there were quite a lot of MI stands and after speaking to a number of exhibitors, which had attended the show on previous occasions it appears the presence of professional audio may have decreased over the last couple of years. This year brands on show included Powersoft, Midas, Renkus-Heinz, D.A.S. Audio, d&b audiotechnik, Lab.gruppen, RCF, K-array, FBT and Next Pro Audio.

In the Lighting Week section, it’s clamed there were 40 brands on show, but in fact there were just six stands in total showcasing brands such as SGM, Robe, DTS, LDR and Red Lighting. Other lighting manufacturers were present at the show but had chosen to exhibit in the Expo Music hall instead.

As far as the Brazilian market goes, it was very different from anything I’ve experienced before and therefore I was listening to what the experts - those who work in the market on a daily basis - had to say for an insight.

Before 1990 it was virtually impossible to import any kind of products or equipment due to Government regulations so in one respect the amount of distributors with high-end international brands on display - when even now import taxes can be up to 80% - is quite an impressive sight. The full picture is obviously much more complex though.

Latin America in general is a part of the world that should be watched closely as there is huge potential for growth, I’m certainly looking forward to a revisit. The show itself was not a bad introduction but if you’re looking for a more in-depth knowledge of the market, you’ll need to immerse yourself within it.

Expo Music will return to the Expo Center Norte on 17-21 September 2014. For more information go to: www.expomusic.com.br Dates for Lighting Week Brazil in 2014 are yet to be confirmed. For more information go to: www. lwbr.com.br

VISIT US AT LDI, TING AC LIGH 1833 STAND

PERMANENT PRICE DROP S & B SERIES TRUSS NOW 25% CHEAPER FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT: PROLYTE.COM/SANDB

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1. Over 650 European industry professionals were invited to the Bose product launch. 2. New models added to the RoomMatch line were introduced. 3. Demonstrations were held throughout the two-day event. 4. A new line of ControlSpace ESP engineered sound processors.

BOSE EXPANDS RANGE AMSTERDAM

Having launched its RoomMatch range of array module loudspeakers last year, Bose Professional is continuing its push forward in the installation market with the introduction of 22 new models with horizontally asymmetrical coverage patterns. Introduced to more than 650 European industry professionals, along with members of the press, at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in September, the addition of these asymmetrical array modules sees the RoomMatch series now include 42 unique coverage patterns providing system designers with unprecendeted coverage control and scalability for venues including auditoriums, performing arts centres and sports arenas.

The asymmetrical pattern modules improve sound quality in many room shapes by reducing side-wall reflections, helping to improve consistency of sound quality, seatto-seat, without the need for ‘yaw in’ array aiming. The asymmetrical pattern modules also improve stereo soundstage effects when used either in left / right pairs or in L-C-R array configurations. The modules also feature the industry’s only large-format asymetrical waveguides, with pattern control down to 800Hz, improving vocal clarity by reducing room reflections in the critical 1-4kHz vocal intelligibility range.

Also introduced, was the RoomMatch Utility RMU208 small-format sound-reinforcement loudspeaker, designed for use in high quality, foreground music, under-balcony, zone fill and vocal-range floor monitor. Featuring a single Bose EMB2 compression driver to provide mid / high frequency voicing similar to the RoomMatch full-range array modules. The EMB2 driver features a patented phase plug that lowers distortion and allows the use of a lower crossover frequency to improve vocal sound quality.

Dual Bose LF 8-inch subwoofers provide full-range output down to 80Hz while a 90º by 60º constant directivity high-frequency horn provides wide, even coverage and may be rotated 90º in the enclosure.

A new subwoofer has also been added to the line - the RMS218 VLF module, designed to integrate with Bose RoomMatch Progressive Directivity Array systems that

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require top-class sound quality with program material that extends down to 25Hz, allowing use in the most demanding performing arts centres, clubs and auditoriums.

It features dual Bose LF18 18-inch high-excursion, 4.5-inch voice coil, neodymium-magnet transducers that increase power handling and reduce power consumption. The v-baffle design features a large centre port to reduce airflow turbulence and distortion, while minimising enclosure width to allow integration with all RoomMatch modules.

A new line of ControlSpace ESP engineered sound processors completes the new introductions in Amsterdam. Consisting of three models of networkable digital signal processors, each is configured, controlled and monitored using Bose’s ControlSpace Designer software. With over 115dB dynamic range and ultra-low noise / distortion, single-rack ControlSpace ESP engineered sound processors deliver studio-quality analogue and digital audio to the installed sound marketplace.

I would like to personally thank the Bose team for their hospitality across the two-day event, which included a beautiful three-course meal at the Silver Mirror restaurant. http://pro.bose.com For more details on all the products launched at the event, scan the QR code to be taken to the mondo*dr website.

PRODUCT INFO

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1. Aviv Shukrun and Yahuda Shukrun of Compulite with Andrew Stone of Drama By Design. 2. The Doughty stand. 3. Fraser Conolly and Wayne Howell of Artistic Licence. 4. Derk Hagedorn of Avid. 5. Joan Lyman Melzig and Gil Densham, President of Cast. 6. Toon Servaes and Agnes Wojewoda of arKaos. 7. Steve Warren and Koy Neminathan during the Avolites press conference.

PLASA LONDON

The move to ExCeL was always going to be surrounded by skepticism. A new venue and new dates, which now means the show clashes with Prolight+Sound in Shanghai, China, was never going to sit comfortably with those in the routine of heading to London’s Earls Court every September.

Negativity around the move has hung in the air for the best part of a year, if not longer, with many in the industry questioning whether the show’s organiser could pull it off and attract those much needed international visitors. As one of the longest reigning shows however, there is still a lot of love for PLASA and people want to see it succeed, they want to believe it still holds a place in the industry, and for many it still does.

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PLASA LAUNCHES ExCeL itself is a big improvement on Earls Court, it is a purpose-built venue with accessible loading facilities, onsite accommodation and more importantly, free WiFi! And while there had been considerable concern over its location, a number of overseas exhibitors mondo*dr spoke to had actually found it easier to get to than Earls Court, flying straight into London City airport, although there had been a fair few grumbles at the cost of a taxi from Heathrow and Gatwick airports too.

While the show was undeniably smaller, with the pro audio sector seemingly turning its back on PLASA for this year at least, having walked the show for the entire four days, generally I found it to be a busy and successful show with a positive feel to it. There was a lean towards the live industry over installation, but Monday was

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8. Luigi Paoloni, Mark Parkhouse and Roberto Mataloni of FBT. 9. Mark Ravenhill, President of GLP. 10. Cristiano Giavedoni, Marketing and Business Director and Steve Fowler, Product Marketing Specialist at Kinesys. 11. The Laserworld team. 12. Fabiano Besiro of LDR and David Catterall of Cooper Controls (Eation). 13. Fabio Prada, Managing Director of Litec. 14.

Kirsten Eicher of Look Solutions. 15. Anders Ekvall, Bullen Lagerbielke and Ulf Sandstrom on the ETC stand. 16. Dan Holme, Director Entertainment Division and Ric Nuttall, Entertainment & Industrial Sales at LTM. 17. Daniela Titze of LTH and colleague. 18. Mike Walker, UK Sales Director at Martin Professional. 19. Soren Storm, the newly appointed International Business Development Manager and Josef Valchar CEO of Robe.

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1. The Roe stand. 2. Mark Millar, Media & PR Executive, Martin Andersson, Product Manager - Touring and newly titled Vice President of Marketing - Touring and Install, Mark Flannigan of TC Group, along with a suspicious looking photo-bomber in the background. 3. Bjoern Gaentzsch of MA Lighting. 4. Jip Van Krieken, Sales Manager at MagicFX. 5. Joshua Alemany and Laurie Giraudeau of Rosco. 6. The Pioneer Europe team including Alex Barrand (centre) the brains behind Pioneer’s new professional loudspeaker range. 7. Hans Lau director of OEM (second from the right) with the rest of the Lumen Radio team. 8. Martin Elsner, Technical Support and Peter Rieck, Key Account & Distribution Manager for Sommer Cable. 9. XTA’s Waring Hayes poses for the camera while colleague Richard Flemming strikes out in the background. 10. The Wireless Solutions team, including International Sales & Marketing Manager Niclas Arvidsson second from left.

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“My favourite Rosco colour is GAM 841, Diamond Blue.”

Cindy Limauro, a designer for theatre, opera, dance, and architecture, chooses GAM 841 because of its versatility. “Diamond Blue blends nicely with lavenders to create sunset flowing into evening. Or as a nighttime sky colour, it provides a perfect contrast to warm torch or candle lit scenes, sculpting the actors and set pieces. I love it as a sidelight! ”

In this production of The Magic Flute, GAM 841 creates a beautiful moonlight cutting through the darker blue surround.

Cindy Limauro is a Design Partner at C & C Lighting and a Professor of Lighting Design at Carnegie Mellon University in the Schools of Drama and Architecture. She is a member of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and was named a Fellow of the Institute by USITT for Outstanding Contribution to the Theatre.

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definitely a key day for all those involved and saw the aisles at their busiest.

The lighting sector came out in full force, with all major brands represented, either directly or through a distributor, however only a handful of audio brands such as Martin Audio, FBT, TC Group, Roland and Pioneer Europe chose to exhibit and while they appeared to be relatively happy with the visitor traffic, with Martin Audio’s Director of Marketing James King saying: “We enjoyed a very good show, with anyone that was interested in pro audio flocking to our stand,” the general consensus seems to be that for 2014, the jury is still out, as questions remain over who will attend next year. PLASA did try and cater to those interested in audio through the AudioLab Arena, which aimed to offer demonstrations and shoot-outs of the latest technology, but the feedback mondo*dr received suggests it was less than successful and major improvements are needed to move it forward.

Official figures were still subject to ABC audit when mondo*dr went to press, but it appears this year’s show attracted over 11,000 visitors, of whom over 3,000 attended on multiple days. Last year’s show attracted 11,500 visitors across the four days. In the run up to the show there had also been some doubt as to whether PLASA could pull in the international community this year, with the new location being blamed for the route of the problem. Last year’s figures reported that 25% of the 11,500 visitors were from overseas, representing 2,875 international visitors.

Official figures for this year’s show report that 2,200 visitors from 84 countries attended, which could suggest a drop in numbers.

Positive comment for the show came from Robe’s Mick Hannaford, Managing Director in the UK, he said: “The venue is a massive improvement - the outside space and cafes by the river were paramount to the overall feeling of the show and

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the customer experience, and visitors also commented on the accessibility. The show floor looked really good, it was easy to navigate and signage was much more concise, there was a constant stream of people to the booth.”

I would have to agree with him on all points. Yes, while London Docklands isn’t the most desirable of places, in that it took me an hour to get there on the tube from Wimbledon (but doesn’t everywhere in London take an hour to get to!), it does make a refreshing change to step outside an exhibition centre and be greeted with views of the Thames rather than inhaling a lung full of smog in central London. The layout also made the show a lot easier to navigate and resulted in my time being used more effectively, so from a visitor stand point ExCeL wins hands down.

What the future holds for PLASA is anyone’s guess and unfortunately I don’t have a magic ball. I went to the show expecting the worst, I expected negativity at every turn but this wasn’t the case. Yes, there were a few grumbles relating to the venue itself but you get that at the majority of shows, you are never going to please everyone, all of the time. Moving forward its organiser needs to concentrate on listening to its exhibitors. What is it they want from a show? Do they want more seminars and education programs? Do they want more networking opportunities out of show hours? Whatever it is, for the show to succeed the team behind PLASA needs to listen to what people want and deliver, as ultimately, like the audio sector has done this year, the industry will vote with its feet.

For all the products showcased at this year’s PLASA show please scan the QR code to be taken directly to our website.

PLASA 2014 will take place at ExCeL Exhibition Centre from 5 - 8 October.

For more information visit www.plasashow.com

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14 1. Gary Fails of City Theatrical. 2. Michael Brooksbank and Adina Arhire of Chauvet Professional. 3. Davide Barbetta and Renato Ferrari of Clay Paky. 4. Helmut Protte of coolux. 5. Judith Hornman, Marketing Coordinator at d3 Technologies. 6. Juan Jose Vila of Equipson. 7. Eric Loder and Dirk Kast of Elation. 8. Mercedes Stev達o-Boase of Green Hippo, with colleague. 9. Stephanie Walloner of JB Lighting. 10. Peter Johansen of SGM. 11. Tuomo Tulonen, Manager - Pro Audio Group at Shure Distribution UK. 12. George Slaney, Sales Manager at State Automation with owner Chris Bishop and Technical Director Qunying Yao. 13. The WhiteLight team. 14. The Martin Audio team.

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PROLIGHT+SOUND SHANGHAI Prolight+Sound, Shanghai (PL+S Shanghai) returned to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) on 10-13 October for its eleventh edition. This year, there was a clash in the tradeshow calendar due to the PLASA Show in London moving to ExCeL and consequently having to move its dates from September to October. For mondo*dr at least, this meant splitting our team in half in order to attend both exhibitions.

The four-day event invited visitors to browse the 35,000 sq metres of exhibition space spread across three halls - one more than last year - to see what the 500 companies exhibiting from 17 countries have to offer. PL+S Shanghai - similar

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to its larger sibling in Germany - runs concurrently with a MI counterpart, Music China.

Alongside the exhibition there was an education schedule which included a Stage Art Design and Technology forum, a Lighting and Visual Design for TV Production seminar, a Nightspace and Stage Lighting forum, an Applications of AV Systems in Hotels seminar, as well as a number of product presentations by FBT, Superlux, EAD and the AVSL Group. Outside, the organiser arranged an audio shootout area, companies which participated at the international concert sound arena included TW Audio, KV2, FBT, Clair Brothers and Turbosound. While the domestic

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1. The Weifa team. 2. Lefedv’s Maggie He with Dataton’s Fredrik Svahnberg. 3. Jack Lee of Global Truss. 4. The SAE team including new Market Development Manager, Josep M. Sans (right). 5. Studiomaster’s Patrick Almond and colleague. 6. The DJ Power team.

7. Markus Augenstein of Audiocenter. 8. KV2 took part in the outdoor audio shootout. 9.

Showtacle’s Marian Fridrich. 10. FBT’s Remo Orsoni and Roberto Mataloni flank Derek Liu. 11. The team on the Omarte stand. 12. Vianney Bourjot of Chromateq. 13. The Martin Professional stand.

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distributors worldwide outdoor stage welcomed demonstrations from SAE, Tasso, ZSound, DE Acoustics, Regal, iBO and WAVK. On the show floor, there was generally a good mixture of international and local brands, however, what is quite apparent at this show is that it’s not always the same international brands that are on show year after year. For example the likes of ADJ Group, Alcons Audio, Klotz and VXCO were present in 2012 but not in 2013. Another noticeable absentee was Sennheiser China, an exhibitor that has been a long time supporter of the show. The company decided to try a different approach this year, holding its own mini tradeshow

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1. MRT distribute DiGiCo, L-Acoustics, and Antari in the Chinese market. 2. Paul Li and colleague flank Nicolas Kirsch of Nexo and LuYou of Haoyun Audio & Video Equipment. 3. The Acme stand.

4. Adelto’s Dirk Linnenweber and Cary Yang. 5. Yu Lizang and Trista Chan on the LAX stand. 6. The Zobo team, which represents Montarbo. 7. The team on the Ruisheng stand line-up.

alongside the Shanghai Jazz Festival in September - an event Sennheiser is heavily involved with - and invited a selection of hand-picked customers. On the flip side of this argument, there were companies which didn’t take a stand last year that did this time around, brands in this bracket included Dataton and Montarbo.

From those companies that mondo*dr spoke to there were a number that were pleased with the overall outcome of the show, although these were generally companies that had chosen one of the additional options beyond a stand space. While the most common negative comment was the lack of footfall, some companies measured this by the amount of leads gathered that they deemed would convert into sales in comparison to last year. The first day was definitely the busiest, whereas over the subsequent days the aisles just didn’t feel as full.

There are a number of possible reasons for this. Firstly, the other tradeshows that were taking place in the same period - Infocomm India, PLASA, Music Moscow, Infocomm MEA - make visitors choose one over the others. Secondly, the change in international exhibitors from year to year, but thirdly and probably most importantly, is the increase in popularity of the two tradeshows in Guangzhou that take place in the first quarter of the year. Guangzhou has a draw because many

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manufacturers are based there or close by in southern China, this offers a number of advantages.

It is common knowledge that co-organiser of PL+S Shanghai, Messe Frankfurt recently purchased the larger of the two shows, Prosound & Light and have renamed it in line with its other shows Prolight+Sound, Guangzhou and this is a smart move but it’ll need to be clever to keep exhibitors on side for both shows.

There is obviously still the question over Palm Beijing too, what was once considered the front runner for Chinese tradeshows for the industry has suffered in the last couple of years and has lost some long term supporters.

While there is a constant grumble within our industry about too many tradeshows in general, the Chinese market - or to widen it further, the Asian market - is a crucial one for most manufacturers at the moment, so arguably we do need a tradeshow that services the market well in this region. Unfortunately, it appeaars none are really fitting the bill right now so the title is up for grabs.

Prolight+Sound, Shanghai will return in 2014 to the Shanghai New International Expo Centre on 8-11 October. For more information go to: www. messefrankfurt.com.hk

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QUALITY AVAILABILITY RELIABILITY INNOVATION GLOBAL TRUSS IS COPYRIGHTING ITS CONNECTORS Today, with more and more Global Truss copies coming to the market, it is important to strengthen the high quality originals and keep users from harm from unsafe and poor quality imitations. In order to illustrate the proven Global Truss safety and reliability, the connectors and the Global Truss logo are clearly knurled on the trusses. But not only a visual differentiator is introduced - the knurling gives the connectors a better grip, which makes the assembly and disassembly, as well as carrying much easier and above all enjoyable. By this new copyrighted finishing the user can easily differentiate between a copy and an original. Of course, the new connector is compatible with the previous version.

www.GlobalTruss.cn | phone: +886-2-27209866

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International distribution Germany: Europe: Americas: S.E.Asia: Japan:

www.globaltruss.de www.globaltruss.de www.cosmictruss.com www.globaltruss-sea.com www.soundhouse.co.jp

France: Spain: Australia: Singapore: Taiwan:

www.globaltruss.fr www.fenixlt.es www.dq.com.au www.excelsingapore.com www.ezstage.com.tw

Chile: India: India:

www.valook.cl www.fb.com/stardimensionsindia www.modernstageservice.in

Lebanon: Dubai:

skypub17@hotmail.com www.desertbeat.com

122 GUIDE - LIGHTING CONTROL

ADB LIGHTING | IMAGO www.adblighting.com

Imago adds a compact portable USB interface to ADB’s intuitive, powerful and state-of-the-art lighting software, Hathor. Reliable, fast and intuitive, the Hathor software is designed to handle all forms of visual media - conventionals, moving lights and video media. It allows the import of shows recorded in ISIS, ASCII, Safari and Congo formats. Imago has been designed with cost, size and ergonomics in mind.

Based on a keypad, a sequential crossfade and 12 playbacks, it offers all essential elements. Imago comes with four push-button wheels and dedicated keys, allowing operators to efficiently control fixture parameters. Imago also includes two DMX outputs and one DMX input for additional physical subfaders, as well as the possibility to send up to 32 universes via Ethernet. With a USB connection and a PC, Imago can be used as a back-up, client or standalone console, or can operate (without a PC) as a hardware extension for Liberty, Freedom and Rack PC unit.

AVOLITES | TITAN MOBILE & FADER WING www.avolites.com

The Titan Mobile and Fader Wing binds the power of Titan software in compact and lightweight units that connect to the user’s laptop to produce a fully featured moving light control system. Live playbacks, solo and flash buttons, user programmable buttons and attribute controllers enable fast and accurate show programming with direct output of four fully isolated DMX universes, to help protect the Titan Mobile and Laptop against power surges on a DMX lINE, and up to 16 DMX universes output via ArtNet. The Titan Fader Wing expands user’s hands-on playback access, to control cues, lists, and chasers with flash, swop, latch or go. The 30 user programmable executors also allow control or selection of cues, lists, palettes, groups or user programmable macros. The unit includes 20 smooth, playback faders local, independent paging control and is USB powered.

CHROMATEQ | PRO DMX www.chromateq.com

The Pro DMX software from Chromateq is a lighting controller for live performances and video, sound to stage lighting synchronisation.

Fully compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and Linux systems it can manage up to 32 DMX or ArtNet universes and includes plenty of easy and quick live controls to create a show within minimum time. Users can play with lights and take control immediately because the Pro DMX generates automatically powerful RGBW and XY effects when users add a fixture profile. It includes an accurate audio, video and lighting timeline (unlimited lines) for media synchronisation. It can fade manually or automatically between several sequences and users can personalise the live controls, generate additional global effects and create new customised cursors for real time group access and instant fixture group commands. It is also possible to create, in real time, additional scenes with the DMX cut off not effective while the show is playing something else.

CHROMLECH | GLEAMER www.chromlech.com

Featuring nine channels in a compact, half-rack case, Gleamer drives any set of low-voltage, high-power lamps from six to 28V (max 12 amps each) to give accurate independent, or matrix, control without the usual transformer or serial connection. Output channels can be paralleled for even more power - up to 2,700W - while powered from a single 230V / 16A plug. By making use of the latest DSP, Gleamer offers real-time, true 8bit+ dimming over the full user-programmable output range. Its specific high-frequency energy conversion stage allows for radical noise reduction, while sustaining the strong inrush current levels required by this type of light source. Low-voltage lighting yields high light efficiency, while allowing a light and beam quality output which LED cannot yet match.

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COMPULITE | VIBE www.compulite.com

Vibe integrates conventional buttons and wheels with an innovative and dynamic touchscreen graphical user interface incorporating the latest computer and touchscreen technology in an ergonomic and adjustable control surface. Vibe is syntax free and will prompt the user to enter any information they have missed. It has the minimum amount physical buttons with the touchscreen environment giving the user the flexibility to layout their desktop exactly how they want it with buttons, display windows and playbacks wherever they want them. Different desktops can be configured for different parts of the show or for different users. There are no theoretical limits to the number of playbacks of desktop layouts, the user is not constrained by conventional physical hardware, and they can design their own control surface to suit the needs of the show and their creativity.

ELECTRON | MINI ARLIC www.electron.gr

The Mini Arlic lighting control system is ideal in small installations or applications where cost is a crucial factor. Features include: control panels of six or 18 scenarios / analogue input interface, connectivity to the system’s other control panels such as 0-10V, 1-10V rheostats, single push buttons, up-down push buttons, presence detectors and relay contacts. Mains voltage (230V AC) input interface, to connect to the system common motion detectors, wall mounted switches (230V AC), as well as to have mains voltage monitoring for emergency functions / infrared remote control / lighting programmer. The Mini Arlic lighting control system can manage up to 60 DMX channels and can control up to 32 scenarios with up to 48 nodes (16 control panels, 16 analogue and 16 high voltage interfaces). Also, emergency lighting conditions are supported by the system.

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EQUIPSON | LM 5 www.equipson.es LM 5 has been designed to put lighting control, but also audio control, within everyone’s reach. It is possible to manage audio, lighting and videos at the same time and for several zones of an installation. The overall installation can be controlled with a smartphone, a tablet or a computer.

It is very intuitive so everyone can use it without any technical knowledge. Thanks to the OSC open protocol it is suitable for mobile devices using iOS and Android and PC and Mac computers - LM 5 turns a user’s smartphone / tablet / computer into an intuitive console for audio and lighting purposes. Users can edit layouts and create their own interface, totally adapted to the characteristics of their installations. LM 5 also includes an internal memory to store 99 cues (with independent speed and fade time) and 24 cue lists, with up to 512 DMX channels. It is also a fully compatible ArtNet node (Ethernet to DMX interface) and it can be controlled by OSC to create DMX data. LM 5 is now also available with a built-in WiFi access point (LM 5W).

ETC | EOS TITANIUM www.etcconnect.com Eos Titanium is ETC’s flagship lighting control desk, with powerful hardware, easy-to-navigate software, and the right tools to realise art within the tight timetable of professional productions. Ti speaks the language of light, with no complicated command syntax to get in the way of a design.

Ti features large-format, articulating multi-touch displays with substantial programming surface. It also offers a dedicated multitouch encoder display, 20 user-definable buttons, a backlit keyboard, motorised faders, multiple USB and video ports. With Ti, users can work from either an abstract concept of a design to a straightforward command sequence. The command line is fully integrated with direct selects and magic sheets, allowing users to work seamlessly from the keypad and the touchscreen controls.

HIGH END SYSTEMS | HOG 4 www.highend.com High End Systems’ Hog 4 console is joined by the all new Full Boar 4, Road Hog 4, Nano Hog 4 and Hog 4PC, creating a broad range of control products suitable for any size of show, from productions in a local theatre or high school to the largest arena and stadium tours. All of the consoles feature wide screen displays, solid state hard drives, all new user keys, a unified Hog 4 operating system and extremely fast boot and show load times. The Road Hog 4 also comes with a 22-inch multi-touch wide screen display and is High End’s most competitively priced Hog ever. This console is able to network, expand and grow with users’ needs. High End Systems now truly has a product for every market and size of show. With compatibility key; Hog 3OS shows will load into Hog 4OS platforms seamlessly, and all current Hog 3 peripherals are compatible with the Hog 4 family of products.

JANDS | VISTA SERIES www.jands.com The Vista is a simple, visual interface bringing speed, ease of use and intuitiveness to the art of lighting. The Vista is fundamentally different to existing consoles in three major ways. First, it introduces a timeline that provides a complete picture and total control of lighting events. Secondly, it takes a totally new approach to the user interface making the Vista incredibly easy to use. Thirdly, the Vista uses a generic fixture model that takes all the hassle out of changing fixtures and makes programming fully transportable.

JB LIGHTING | LICON 2X www.jblighting.com Available from summer 2014, the Licon 2X is a lighting console for live-application characterised by a clear structure, easy handling and operation and adequate hardware. The two capacitive multi-touchscreens ensure easy and fast programming. A total of 24 motor faders and a large number of buttons are available and can be configured freely. For current users, it is easy to switch from the Licon 1X to the Licon 2X as both consoles have a very similar operating philosophy. However, the advantage of the Licon 2X is that it can be configured more freely and has more channels.

As a result, the Licon 2X offers comfortable control of a great number of LED fixtures in combination with moving lights and dimmers.

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LIGHT CONVERSE | ONBOARD CONTROLLER www.lightconverse.net LightConverse software and hardware solutions have been developed for controlling, visualising and integrating multiple show related disciplines such as lighting, video, 3D mapping, laser, water effects, pyrotechnics and moving objects such as trussing and staging - all within in a photo-realistic, real-time, 3D view. The PC-based LightConverse Onboard Controller is a part of the main LightConverse 3D show platform software and can work in conjunction with the 3D visualiser or as a stand alone controller. When used with the 3D visualiser, the user can design, program and execute shows using one complete software solution. The control software is very flexible and allows for programming and playback for any type of event, including theatre, concert, corporate, club and architectural applications.

Up to 1,536 fixtures within 96 DMX universes can be controlled with direct output via ArtNet and sACN protocols. For DMX output, a LightConverse DMX hardware interface is available. Programming and memory elements of the onboard controller include scenes, tracks (48 playbacks), groups and shows.

Other features include manual beam (follow-mode) pan / tilt positioning, a pan / tilt shape generator, MIDI input and user assigned hot-keys for programming and playback functions.

LSC | LX CONSOLES www.lsclighting.com

The LX consoles are available in three models. The flagship LX900 comes with two banks of 15 motorised playbacks, 10 touchscreens, tilting top panel, dual colour backlit control surface, and can control 16,384 DMX slots. The mid range LX600 has the same features set, with one bank of 15 motorised playbacks, nine touchscreens, and control of 8,192 DMX slots. The LX300 is the smallest console in the range, yet still includes the same backlit control surface, 15 playbacks, 11 mini touchscreens and control of 4,096 DMX slots. All the LX consoles run v2 of the Clarity lighting control software.

Ergonomics were a major design consideration with the LX consoles. Specialist industrial designers with extensive human machine interface experience were brought in to create the control surface. The relative height, size, spacing and even the shape of the keys, encoders and faders were optimised to allow free movement around the control surface.

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LUMINEX | LUMINET MONITOR V2 www.luminex.be

LumiNet Monitor V2 is a free cross platform application to monitor and manage all Luminex and ArtNet devices on the network, designed to give users an overview of the complete configuration / routing of the luminex Ethernet-DMX nodes. It offers a basic monitoring of any ArtNet compliant source and the software is composed of several modules that can be enabled /disabled, or moved to offer the user a greater display experience (dual monitor view for instance). Each module runs a different process, and offers important information related to its task. The application embeds the following modules: ArtNet universes; flicker finder; generator; ArtNet log; network devices; RDM control; lamp library. Coupled with the luminex Ethernet-DMX converters, the software becomes the central management of the lighting control network.

MA LIGHTING | MA onPC www.malighting.com

The MA onPC command wing paves the way for mobile use of the grandMA2 control system. In combination with the free of charge grandMA2 onPC software, the MA onPC command wing is a portable 2,048 parameter control solution that can be used in nearly any location.

It offers two built-in DMX ports as well as the possibility to send two additional DMX universes via Ethernet protocols with grandMA2 onPC. Designed as the perfect hardware expansion to the grandMA2 onPC software, the MA onPC command wing enables the look and feel of the software to be as close to a real grandMA2 console as possible. With a simple USB connection between the MA onPC command wing and the computer running the grandMA2 onPC software, all inputs and outputs of a grandMA2 console are available to the user. DMX, midi, timecode and analogue remote are all on hand directly at the MA onPC command wing.

MARTIN PROFESSIONAL | M6 www.martin.com

The M6 is designed to control everything from conventional and moving lights to the most advanced media server and has been designed for today’s demanding multimedia shows and tomorrow’s challenges. Based on the M-Series software platform, the M6 provides users the ultimate control surface for fast programming and extensive playback control all from one console. Incorporating the latest available technologies with an industrial multi-core processor, solid-state drives and custom-designed high-brightness touchscreens, the M6 is capable of delivering up to 64 DMX universes directly from the console’s network ports without using costly external processors. Advanced features include a live blender T-Bar, fast dial rotary encoders, paired payback buttons and BriteTouch display. It also offers 44 playbacks, including dual main go sections, 10 motorised faders and 12 additional faders, as well as 17 encoders for parameter access.

NICOLAUDIE GROUP | EASYREMOTE www.nicolaudie.com

The Nicolaudie Group’s smartphone and tablet software company LightingSoft AG has introduced EasyRemote - a smartphone and tablet App which allows designers to remotely control a wide range of DMX lighting software packages over a local network. A customised screen including buttons, faders, dials, XY grids and colour wheels can be built using a designer included with the lighting control software or with the EasyRemote app. When the app is started, all compatible software instances are detected over a WiFi network and the screen is automatically built. The EasyRemote app is compatible with iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and Android smartphones and tablets. Supported lighting control software packages include Easy Stand Alone 2, Sunlite Suite 2, LumiDesk and Daslight Virtual Controller 3.

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PROLED WALLWASHERS DMX PROLED BAR TRILED DMX The PROLED TRILED DMX BARS are ideal for the illumination of large surfaces, e.g. buildings or walls in outdoor areas. They are also suitable for ambient lighting in indoor applications. Because of the RGB 3-in-1 high power LEDs (3 Watt) the TRILED DMX BARS offer homogeneous colormixing.

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The PROLED WALLWASHER XL RGBW is ideal for the illumination of large surfaces, e.g. buildings or walls in outdoor areas.

Because of the RGBW high power LEDs (10 Watt) the RGBW WALLWASHER XL offers homogeneous colormixing and clean natural white.

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STRAND | PALETTE VL www.strandlighting.com

The Palette VL console features an integral trackball, moving light encoders and direct action attribute keys to extend its power, and it is also available with 500 to 8,000 channels, two DMX ports with 1,024 outputs, a USB key library storage, and now offers an optional second video display to present more information to console operators, including an advanced moving light control screen.

SWEETLIGHT | LIGHTING SOFTWARE www.sweetlight-controller.com

SweetLight offers the possibility to control simple par cans to the most complex moving lights. The SweetLight package comes with software and a DMX interface. The software is powerful and easy to use and is available for Windows and Mac OS computers. The DMX interfaces have different standalone abilities, adapted to the various lighting applications and the software can be controlled from iPhone and Android smartphones.

VISUAL PRODUCTIONS | CUELUX PRO www.visualproductions.nl CueluxPro is an advanced and scalable lighting control application from Dutch manufacturer Visual Productions. The software is designed to control medium to large lighting installations, for both architectural and live-entertainment situations. CueluxPro works in combination with the CueCore and IoCore as its DMX and IO interfaces and with the B-Station user-interface. CueluxPro is cross-platformed for Windows, Mac or Ubuntu Linux andworks with an industry-standard Cuelist system and is 100% touchscreen compatible, it is also a scalable system.

Users can start by using a single CueCore and expand up to 10 CueCores, several IoCores and multiple B-Stations. All hardware peripherals are connected via Ethernet. The software’s matrix control, a pixel mapper for controlling LED matrices, is a feature deeply embedded within the operation of CueluxPro. It is very intuitive to control the matrix in unison with the other fixture types. In fact, multiple matrices can be controlled from CueluxPro using a variety of internal effects or external graphical content. CueluxPro features a timeline editor for programming accurate light shows. The timeline can be synchronised by time-code protocols like SMPTE and MTC. The CueluxPro software supports many protocols including DMX-512, ArtNet, Midi, UDP, OSC, MTC, SMPTE, RS-232 and GPI. The protocols can be used for triggering events within the software or for converting into one of the other signals.

ZERO 88 | ORB FX www.zero88.com

The ORB XF features 60 multi-function faders, along with theatrical syntax providing intuitive control of both generic dimmers and moving lights. Operating on the ZerOS family software platform, ORB XF lets users make dynamic ‘on the fly’ adjustments to cues, supports advanced tracking functionality and enables creation of powerful effects. For theatrical playback, there are 1,000 cue stacks of up to 1,000 cues addressable through the two playback masters or via the multi-function faders. Software features include an onscreen colour picker, gobo image display and a sleek, clear user interface placing the latest in lighting control technology at the user’s fingertips. A familiar programming interface gives ORB XF users the flexibility of customising displays and default settings, making the desk their own.

As part of the ZerOS family of consoles, show files can be shared and modified by any console including the off-line editor and PC backup. An internal fixture library of more than 3,100 fixtures makes it easy to swap between fixture types, maintaining flexibility.

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ACME | SAPER SPEED www.acme.com.cn The Saber Speed (AE-710 Beam / AE-720 Beam) provides light output up to 24,800 lux at 20-metres and a powerful beam via a Philips MSD Platinum 2R lamp and OSRAM 132W lamp for selected and built-in programs. The Saber Speed features a 3° beam angle and has been specially designed with triple eight facet prisms and trapezoid facet prisms to offer different projecting effects, while 17 static gobos deliver various high quality and sharp gobo shapes.

Additionally, smooth dimming from 0 to 100% among 14 dichroic colours allow more colour options.

ADJ | DOTZ MATRIX www.adj.com The Dotz Matrix is a colour wash / blinder / matrix panel, powered by advanced chip on board (COB) LED technology. This 13.75-inch x 6.75-inch x 14.75inch panel features 16 x 30W tri-colour COB LEDs, which differ from their predecessors in that multiple LED diodes are mounted directly onto the circuit board as one lighting module. This new technology creates a more powerful LED engine in less space, with shorter interconnection lengths, resulting in a super-charged output and more vibrant colours. The Dotz Matrix has the ability to perform as three different types of effects: an RGB colour wash, an audience blinder, or a pixel matrix effect. Its tri-colour LEDs provide smooth colour blending and rich, robust palettes. Users can control individual pixels in 48-channel and 52-channel DMX modes, and there are four pixel flip options for changing pixel orientation. It has a 430W output and a 60° beam angle and features 0-100% electronic dimming, five selectable dim curves, a strobe / pulse effect, built-in preset colours and programs, and a variety of operational modes.

ALCONS AUDIO | CRS8 www.alconsaudio.com The CRS8 is a two-way passive-filtered full range loudspeaker, combining high clarity and intelligibility with low distortion and a high dynamic range. The CRS8 system configuration consists of one RBN401 pro-ribbon driver for MHF and a vented reference quality eight-inch mid-bass for LF reproduction. The RBN401 driver is a proprietary-designed and multiple-patented pro-ribbon mid / high frequency transducer. Due to the low weight moving mass, this transducer reproduces sound with up to 90% less distortion than compression driver designs. As a result of the ‘direct-drive’ principle of the pro-ribbon transducer (without a compression mechanism), the system has a linear response, with the same tonal balance at lowest as well as highest sound pressure levels. In addition, the 800W peak power handling of the RBN401 pro-ribbon driver offers a 1:16 RMS-to-peak power ratio, enabling true digital cinema dynamics from 1kHz to 20kHz. By utilising the exact same RBN401 transducer as featured in Alcons’ pro-ribbon screen systems, a unique voicing matching between screen- and surround system is realised, resulting in a wide and deep sound stage throughout the entire listening area.

ALLEN & HEATH | GLD EDITOR www.allen-heath.com Allen & Heath has launched GLD Editor, a free, computer-based control suite offering all of the key facilities of the GLD digital mixer with the capability to display multiple information panels simultaneously. Available for PC and Mac, GLD Editor has the advantage of a GUI simulation of the mixer surface, offering users an onscreen representation that reflects the physical surface. Similar to the popular iLive Editor software, the program enables users to easily configure show settings or make changes to existing shows online or offline to save and upload later. TCP / IP connectivity makes live mixing and processing possible over CAT5 or WiFi so different tasks can be managed in the Editor software and the GLD mixer surface simultaneously. For example, monitors can be tweaked on stage using a wireless laptop while another engineer runs the FOH sound check from the mixer. Also, as it is possible to connect up to 16 devices to a GLD system, users can attach multiple computers running Editor and multiple iPads running the existing GLD Remote app at the same time.

ARKAOS | GRANDVJ2 www.arkaos.net ArKaos has launched the GrandVJ 2, the latest version of the arKaos GrandVJ software for VJs, DJs, clubs and musicians. The new software brings features that answer the demands of customers in the forefront of the action. Two versions are available: GrandVJ 2 and GrandVJ XT which includes a VideoMapper feature. GrandVJ 2 comes with a new interface, making it more user friendly and straightforward, while integrating all the new functionality. Simple colour coding (orange for layers, blue for cells) makes editing faster and more intuitive. Existing features, such as panel locks, have been moved and grouped under the mixer for convenience. Powerful and user-friendly, GrandVJ XT is an ‘extended’ version of GrandVJ 2 which adds a new level of expertise with the introduction of the VideoMapper extension. This allows projection mapping and advanced management of multiple displays. GrandVJ XT sends the output of layers or cells to virtual ‘surfaces’ which can be scaled, manipulated and assigned to any video output or display. A single output can display a fullscreen visual, or a composite of several mapped visuals, to create complex visual compositions.

ARTISTIC LICENCE | ESENSE www.artisticlicence.com eSense from Artistic Licence incorporates RDM monitoring, data storage and sophisticated display functionality and unlocks the potential of RDM for smart monitoring and automated maintenance applications. RDM can be used for many monitoring applications, such as reporting water ingress or determining which LEDs are non-functional in an array of thousands. While RDM is increasingly offered in lighting controllers, it is usually incorporated as a secondary function, which becomes very inefficient as channel count rises. eSense solves this problem by offloading the RDM functionality to a dedicated machine, freeing up bandwidth at the lighting controller. eSense captures RDM data from an Ethernet network using ArtNet, and stores the information in a SQL database for analysis and publication. Crucially, eSense not only harvests information, but also delivers it in various formats. This could be a customised browser interface or, for example, an email that triggers when a multiple fault condition occurs.

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AVID | S6 www.avid.com The Avid S6 desk enables mixers to quickly turn around complex projects while swiftly handling last-minute changes. With its ability to simultaneously control multiple Pro Tools and other Eucon-enabled DAWs over simple Ethernet, S6 also speeds up workflows and enables network collaboration on a single integrated platform. The control surface can be customised with the addition of the modules needed to match current workflow, while a traditional, familiar console layout allows easy transition from previous systems.

BARCO LIVEDOTS | V14M www.barco.com

The V14m from Barco LiveDots is a 14mm pixel pitch transparent LED display with 4,300 nits brightness and a contrast of 6,000:1. This lightweight LED display is easy and safe to set up thanks to its special magnetic V-lock, which enable a single technician to safely install the 800 by 800 tile on their own. The V14m can be used for indoor as well as outdoor stages.

BRITEQ | BTX-180LS www.briteq-lighting.com The BTX-180LS is a bright moving head projector based on a 180W LED engine. The use of advanced 16째 optics ensures a bright output of 182,100 lux at one-metre. The moving head is completely silent thanks to heat-pipe cooling technology, while the fast pan / tilt movements (540째/270째) assure dynamic show programming (three-phase motors). Other features include eight or 16-bit resolution pan / tilt resolution with X / Y position correction and pan / tilt speed channel. The moving head uses 17 DMX channels for a range of possibilities and specs: DMX-controlled electronic focus, DMX-controlled iris, two gobo wheels, two colour wheels, electronic dimmer / shutter, prism, and many more. An effect channel is also added: remote lamp on / off control, different blackout functions and so on. The moving head is also equipped with omega brackets for fast installation.

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BOSE | ROOM MATCH ASYMMETRICAL ARRAY http://pro.bose.com The new RoomMatch asymmetrical array modules add to existing RoomMatch full-range modules to provide 22 modules with horizontally asymmetrical coverage patterns. All RoomMatch full-range modules utilise six Bose EMB2 extended-midrange compression drivers with two-inch voice coils for the high frequencies and dual Bose LF10 high-excursion, 10-inch woofers with three-inch voice coils for the low frequencies. The new asymmetrical modules offer all the benefits of the original 20 RoomMatch array module loudspeakers. The RoomMatch Series now includes 42 unique coverage patterns providing system designers with unprecedented coverage control and scalability for venues including houses of worship, auditoriums, performing arts centres and sports arenas.

BOSE | ROOM MATCH UTILITY RMU208 http://pro.bose.com The RoomMatch Utility RMU208 small-format sound reinforcement loudspeaker is intended for use in high-quality foreground music, under-balcony, zone fill and vocal-range floor monitor applications. The design features a single Bose EMB2 compression driver to provide mid / high frequency voicing similar to that of RoomMatch full-range array modules. Dual eight-inch woofers provide full-range output and a multi-angle enclosure increases mounting flexibility. The multi-angle cabinet design allows for flexible use in varied applications, and the system includes a U-bracket and four additional M8 threaded inserts on the enclosure’s rear surface to provide additional mounting flexibility. The new RoomMatch Utility RMU208 small format loudspeakers can be powered by Bose PowerMatch amplifiers or any professional amplifier with the appropriate power rating.

CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL | EPIX STRIP www.chauvetlighting.com

Epix Strip from Chauvet Professional is a one-pixel wide strip light, designed for video and pixel mapping applications with numerous layout options. Its 40 SMD LEDs receive power and real-time data directly from the Epix Drive 640 via an RJ45 connection. Epix Drive 640 can automatically configure up to 16 units for rapidly composing a large pixel-mapping video system. PowerCON in / out facilitates connections.

CITY THEATRICAL | AUTOYOKE SOURCE FOUR LED www.citytheatrical.com The AutoYoke Source Four LED from City Theatrical combines the quiet operation, accuracy, reliability, and quality of the AutoYoke, with the brightness, built in colour changing, energy efficiency, and long life of the Source Four LED, and is the solution for converting ETC’s Source Four LED into a full featured moving light. Smooth, precise, and quiet, the AutoYoke Source Four LED’s DMX control allows users to pan and tilt the unit, as well as adjust the iris, and change the focus (sharpness of the beam). Since Source Four LED lighting fixtures have colour changing capabilities, there is no need for colour scrollers, and no dimmer is required.

CLAY PAKY | A.LEDA B-EYE www.claypaky.it A.leda B-Eye is an innovative, versatile, creative lighting tool. Firstly it is a washlight, with great colours and 6° to 70° zoom. The beam however, can be closed further down to as little as 4°, switching the light from wash diffusion into a parallel beam, turning it into a beam-light for aerial effects. It generates a pulsating bundle of individually controllable micro-beams, each with its own colours and shades. A.leda B-Eye also introduces a totally unseen feature, as the front lens can be rotated and numerous small beams are created that can be unfolded or closed like petals. Adding colours and dynamic patterns, A.leda B-Eye turns into a unique effect light, generating countless kaleidoscopic projections.

COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL | R-SERIES www.communitypro.com Community Professional Loudspeakers has introduced eight new models to its R-Series line, with new performance dimensions that expand the applications of the loudspeaker range. Three new compact models, the R.15COAX, R.35COAX, and R.35-3896, give systems designers increased flexibility by offering vastly improved music playback, additional coverage patterns and higher output. Five new R-MAX products, the R.5-66MAX, R.5-96MAX, R2-64MAX, R266MAX, and R2-94MAX, provide the most well behaved, flattest musical response loudspeakers ever offered in the R-Series.

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D.T.S | MAX www.dts-lighting.com Max features a unique optical group that enables four different types of projection with a single moving head - beam, spot, wash, and studio. The long excursion motorised zoom allows any application from long-throw projections to large wall washes. The beam projection combines high light efficiency (100,000 lux / five-metres) with a very narrow beam angle (1.5°), meaning it is able to project a tight, very concentrated beam of light over long distances. A variety of gobos for unique ‘air’ effects is also available. The spot projection offers a versatile and creative combination of sharp overlapping gobo projections, plus animation wheel and eye-catching dynamic effects. Max delivers striking razor-sharp projections with gobos perfectly focused at any distance; it also projects an intense wash of light, capable of illuminating backdrops, objects and large surfaces with a limitless variety of colours. An insertable frost filter guarantees uniformly diffused projection. Studio mode enables Max to be used as a dedicated theatre or TV studio’ fixture.

ELATION | PLATINUM BEAM 5R www.elationlighting.com Elation’s Platinum Beam 5R extreme moving head features three phase motors. Propelled by these engines, the Platinum Beam 5R Extreme’s effects aim to generate even greater impact and excitement. Thanks to advances in its optical design, the Platinum Beam 5R Extreme also achieves new levels of brightness and output. Its narrow 3° beam produces 100K lux at 15-metres. The improved optics, combined with the unit’s added remote focus, also produce razor-sharp extreme ACL projections.

GLP | VOLKSLICHT SPOT www.glp.de The Volkslicht is aimed at a wider fixed installation and rental customer base. Featuring a single fixed beam of 15º it is able to maintain a powerful output thanks to its 300W RGB LED engine, which offers high output through an efficient optical system with clear gobo projection, even field distribution and smooth dimming without any colour shift - all contained in a spot fixture format. Other features include a motorised iris, rotating gobo wheel with seven positions plus open, a static gobo wheel with nine positions plus open, a rotating prism, motorised focus, pan / tilt movement and electronic shutter - all within a small body so that it can be rigged discretely and in any orientation.

GREEN HIPPO | RACKOON www.green-hippo.com Rackoon is a power-packed addition to the Hippotizer server range. This 1U rackmount gives six layers of full 1080p HD playback, while boasting all of the usual features of Hippotizer’s software. Rackoon integrates with all other Green Hippo servers seamlessly and features an unrestricted output resolution, full HippoNet compatibility and all the software usability of its bigger relatives. Additional features include full geometry control and support for integration into almost any setup via a host of native protocols, plus all the renowned Hippotizer tools for video-mapping and multi-server, while built-in timeline functionality and scheduling features make Rackoon a powerful stand-alone playback device too. Pixel map multiple universes via Ethernet, or even display composite video inputs, such as cameras or players on any or all of its six layers.

HOELLSTERN | KONFIGURATOR 2 www.hoellstern.com The Konfigurator2 loudspeaker library of Hoellstern amplifiers has extended its DSP set-ups for use with the d&b audiotechnik V Series, L-Acoustics V-DOSC, Kara and others. For example, one Hoellstern DELTA13.4-DSP four in, four out amplifier can replace up to four two-channel amplifiers or up to two four-channel amplifiers, while the open DSP platform combined with Hoellstern’s premium DSP set-up service provides other practical benefits. For 10 years Hoellstern amplifiers has been making audiophile high-performance amplifiers with up to 82% efficiency and a full six-year ’Made in Germany’ warranty. With the two in, two out and four in, four out models, a built-in digital DSP loudspeaker management provides a universal, global platform for all loudspeaker manufacturers worldwide. The DSP amplifiers are configured and monitored via the Konfigurator2 remote software.

JBL | 9320 http://jblpro.com JBL has introduced the 9320 Cinema Surround loudspeaker, designed for high power handling, extended bass response and wide dynamic range in professional cinema applications. The two-way JBL 9320 features a 12-inch MB12-8 low-frequency driver and 2408H-1 high-frequency compression driver.

The large JBL Progressive Transition rotatable waveguide ensures 120º by 60º coverage and smooth frequency response with the loudspeaker mounted horizontally or vertically. The high-excursion, heavy-duty MB12-8 low-frequency driver provides high power-handling capability and bass extension. The 2408H-1 high-frequency compression driver delivers clarity and resolution and is mated with JBL’s Progressive Transition Waveguide, which provides constant beam width and directivity across a 120º horizontal / 60º vertical coverage pattern, along with smoother frequency response and a more seamless blend with the subwoofer. The waveguide is rotatable, enabling the 9320 to be used a vertical or horizontal mounting position. The JBL 9320 enclosure is fitted with M10 threaded mounting points on the top and on the sides to facilitate U-bracket mounting. In addition, four M10 mounting points are located at the rear, arranged in a standard pattern to accept a variety of multi-mount brackets. The speaker terminals are located on top of the cabinet for easy access.

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LASERWORLD | PROLINE SERIES www.laserworld.com The Proline Series fills the gap between the Club Series and the Pure Micro Series from Laserworld. Two power levels are provided - the PRO-700 RGB with up to 700mW power, and the PRO-1300 RGB with up to 1,300mW power. The units come with the bright 637nm red, which increases overall visibility. The Proline Systems come with fast and angle stable 30Kpps scanners. An upgrade to XScan50S is possible to increase scan speed - these advanced versions of the Proline lasers also have full analogue modulation on all colours and can create smooth colour fades and beam effects. Similar to an optical bench these systems are equipped with three additional grating effects that can easily be switched through DMX. The Proline Series units can be fully controlled through ILDA, DMX, sound to light and stand-alone operation. If ran in ILDA mode, the additional effects can easily be selected through DMX - or simply change continuously.

LEADER LIGHT | LL STAGE CYC 6C www.leaderlight.eu

Leader Light’s LL stage CYC 6C is a compact six colour cyclorama specially designed for TV studios, concerts, theatres for back stage lighting or soft front lighting with high CRI (>95). It provides uniform light distribution, dynamic colour changing and its lifetime is 75,000 hours.

LITEC | EXE-RISE www.litectruss.com The Exe-Rise chain hoists from Litec complies with BGV-D8 and igvw SQ P2 codes of practice and is new product line is equipped with a 24V low voltage control system in accordance with European directive 2006 / 95/ CE. The direction signal is transmitted along an additional cable, which uses contactors inside the motor and the limit switch can be adjusted according to customer requirements. Main technical features includeuse protection for the primary coil (0.8A). A secondary coil is not required. Limit switch regulation using ring nuts with an endless screw. Up to 60-metre chain to the limit switch (30-metres if double chain). LVC Exe-Rise is available in the BGV D8 620kg, 1,120kg and 2,000kg versions; and in the BGV D8+ 310kg, 560kg and 1,000kg models.

LTH | MEPHISTO 200W www.lth-lighting.com The Mephisto 200W fully motorised fresnel and newest member of the SquareLED series offers full control of pan, tilt and beam angles. The unit is equipped with a single chip LED module and a high quality 200mm fresnel lens. Main features include high illumination, outstanding clear image making, low distortion, while both spot and profile adapt the aspherical multi-layer film coated lens. The rotating system can realise the most accurate of rotating positions; dimming PWM frequency is up to 29kHz, flicker free. Built-in DMX512 signal digital control with ArtNet port is included.

MACKIE | MASTER FADER V2.0 www.mackie.com The Master Fader v2.0, the latest update for the Mackie DL Series of digital live sound mixers, delivers new features including: input channel linking; aux send channel linking; mute groups; view groups; pre-DSP aux source; quick access panel; improved compressor / limiter graph UI; option for independent channel aux mute for each aux send; main mute; other navigation enhancements; and iOS7 support. The new features of Master Fader v2.0 are wide ranging; from small performance and workflow updates to items that will change how people use the app.

MDG FOG | APS / MAX E-SERIES www.mdgfog.com MDG has released the e-series of Atmosphere APS Series haze generator and Max APS Series fog generator, bringing increased efficiency and total electronic control. The Atmosphere ATMe and MAX M3e models each have an identical power consumption and footprint to their predecessors yet offer a significantly increased output, which make the ATMe and the M3e the most efficient yet. The new models demonstrate enhanced control via in-built RDM / DMX, which allows precise remote control over the flow of the output. The control enables the operator to change the flow from a fine haze to a rolling fog from the comfort and convenience of the control desk. The e-series is easy to control and energy efficient.

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NEXT PRO AUDIO | LA212X www.next-proaudio.com The LA212X is three-way fully horn-loaded, axially symmetric, line array element, capable of producing clear, detailed and powerful audio performance over distance, with a 90° horizontal constant dispersion control. The bass section makes use of two 12-inch speakers with three-inch voice coils strategically placed on either side of the loudspeaker in a dipolar horn arrangement. The horn-loaded mid and high frequency sections are coaxially mounted in the centre of the cabinet. The mid frequency horn uses a 10-inch driver, while the high frequency section comprises two 1.4-inch exit HF compression drivers with 2.5inch voice coils mounted to a dedicated wave-shaping device. The loudspeaker transducers employed are exclusively made by B&C Speakers. Two Neutric NL8 connectors wired in parallel are mounted at the rear.

ON POINT AUDIO | OPA-8 NP www.onpointaudio.com The OPA-8 NP is a high-output, highly intelligible eight-inch two-way system that’s only 242.5 mm tall by 183 mm wide. Its ultra-miniature size is made possible by On Point Audio’s Narrow-Profile driver, which combines a standard-sized eight-inch cone with a 1.35-inch pure titanium compression driver, a new surround design and a rectangular frame to create a driver that’s only 172.7mm / 6.8-inches wide. It provides 150W continuous, 600W peak power handling with a 90º conical coverage pattern, which delivers wide coverage in near-field applications, but also has impressive projection capability. The enclosure is equipped with 16 M8 rigging points (including two rear-mounted pull-ups) and it may be suspended using forged-shoulder eyebolts, a U-Bracket or a unique pan / tilt bracket that is perfect for ceiling mounting. The system’s input connector is a four-pin barrier strip and its grille-mounted logo is easily rotatable or removable, depending on venue requirements.

PEAVEY | HISYS RANGE www.peavey.com The new and compact HIsys range comes in five guises: three full-range satellites (H10, H12 and H15) and two subwoofers (H15 and H18), all of which have been designed to be as lightweight and versatile as possible, to create an easy-to-manage high performance system. The 10-inch, 12-inch and 15-inch satellites share a turntable horn and symmetrical design, perfect for monitor use as well as standard applications utilising a one-inch driver as well as 40-bit, 96kHz DSP for optimum performance. Each has four comprehensive presets: standard, indoor, monitor and low cut, the latter of which allows the enclosure to ‘match’ to one of the HIsys subwoofers. The 15-inch and 18-inch subwoofers are equipped with analogue processing and thanks to a stereo input no external processing is needed when matching a subwoofer to a satellite and have a selectable crossover switch (80kHz or 125kHz), a switch for the selection of the 0º - or 180º phase, and a volume potentiometer. The H15 reaches 133dB and the H18 subwoofer peaks at 135dB.

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ROBE | MINIME www.robe.cz

Ideal for bars, clubs, restaurants and retail lighting, the MiniMe is an effects lighting luminaire with the addition of full video output. This small, neat, fast moving fixture is LED driven with a 20,000 hour lifetime light source. Colours, gobos and beam shapes are all digitally generated by the on-board micro media server.

Custom artwork, still photographs and video can also be simply uploaded for projection, whilst live video can be streamed through the HDMI input.

ROLAND | M-200I www.roland.com/professional Designed for use with the iPad, the M-200i is a compact 32-channel professional digital mixing console. The free to download app enables remote control of all key features including pre-amp control, pan, high pass filters and PEQ and GEQ control; store and recall scenes, adjust compressors and gates, sends on faders and effect editing and to control the mix away from the console. The M-200i features 17 motorised faders, eight aux, four matrix, eight DCA’s and 24 inputs and 14 outputs on the console itself (expandable up to 64 by 54 via the REAC port and the Roland Digital Snake technology) and can mix in audio sources from a USB key. ‘Touch and turn’ allows you to touch a particular parameter on the iPad and control it with a physical knob on the console. Without an iPad the console is fully controllable via the built in LCD screen.

ROSCO | MIRO CUBE www.rosco.com/mirocube The Miro Cube Series of LED wash lights pack 48W outputting more than 3,000 lumens into a compact and portable four-inch cube. Available in units that offer full colour mixing (Miro Cube 4C), tuneable colour temperature white light (Miro Cube WNC) or even high powered ultra-violet light for stunning black-light effect (Miro Cube UV), these luminaires have a clean, uncluttered geometric design making them rugged and durable. The Miro Cube is at home in museums, on track light systems, in high style stores and boutiques or built into sets, truss and lighting rigs for productions.

A NEW GENERATION OF LIGHTING STANDS

w e N Patents pending

R Series lighting stands Automatic safety system

Aluminium design No cable - 2,4 to 5,2 m - 100 to 200 kg - Heavy duty - Ideal for rental

Rack and pinion technology: No cable

Protection cover

Wheels Ă˜160 Automatic adjustment Talbot Lifting & Security Europe Ltd - Block A, First floor, Parkview house, Beech Hill Office Campus, Beaver Row, Dublin 4, Ireland - sales@goliath-studio.com

R serie Mondo 1310.indd 1

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SOMMERCABLE | HICON FIBER www.sommercable.com Sommer Cable is following the current trend towards digital transmission technology by delivering fibre-solutions through its own brand, Hicon. The roadproof Hicon Fiber plug connector system is based on four standard LC fibreglass connectors protected by a compact all-metal housing. It comprises a cable plug, a universal panel socket plus various adapters to other connecting systems. The socket HI-FIBER4-FD in D-flange format can be used as a panel coupling or as a universal cable coupling for extensions and cascading purposes. It can be linked with up to four conventional LC-Simplex or two LC-Duplex connectors as well as with the matching cable plug HI-FIBER4-MC. Integration into existing systems is therefore very easy. The cable plug HI-FIBER4-MC can be fitted with up to four LC connectors which are assembled and pushed into the quad fixture after inserting the cable. The cable plug is locked onto the socket via Push Pull mating design and corresponds to IP68 safety standard when plugged in. Sommer Cable also delivers the matching cables for installation or mobile applications.

STEINIGKE | FUTURELIGHT DMH-32 http://eshop.steinigke.de/ The Futurelight DMH-32 is a quad colour LED moving head featuring a very special colour effect prism. Inside the gobos, you can see a colour gradient, the five facets shine in white and green or in blue and purple, which makes this fixture unique. The DMH-32’s quad colour LEDs include red, green, blue and white. The measurements of the spot are 24cm x 20cm x 34cm, it weighs just 7kg, and thanks to its three-phase motors it is also capable of very quick movements.

WIRELESS SOLUTIONS | G4S www.wirelessdmx.com The new W-DMX G4S software from Wireless Solutions is a step change in the G4 software, packing improvements across the board. From smarter adaptive frequency hopping to greater resiliency, it keeps even the most demanding show running. G4S also brings new RDM functionality as standard in the entire transceiver line (F-models), with full, tested compatibility with the W-DMX BlueBox RDM controller and all other leading brands. Use RDM to monitor your lighting rig, set-up DMX addresses and personalities, and much more. With custom RDM commands, users can check signal strength, configure frequency parameters and output power all remotely from a laptop. G4S is available as a free upgrade to all existing users of W-DMX G4.

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...A new era of large format point source systems could change the current concert sound system trend of line array.

DAVID CROXTON

FOUNDE R O F E NTE R TA I N M E N T T E C H N O LO GY A U STR ALIA How did you first become involved in the professional audiovisual industry?

As a child I was always playing around with old radios and record players. At 14 I got my first electric guitar, joined a band and saw myself bound for musical stardom… Unfortunately my band never made it out of the garage, but some friends asked if I would do the mix one night for their band. I knew nothing about sound engineering, but after a quick 10 minutes of training on a basic desk, I was into my first gig. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing people enjoying themselves to music that sounds good.

some guys from SGM Lighting and was impressed by their products and philosophy. I saw a real opportunity in Australia with the SGM brand and had already been talking with the Australian KV2 distributor, David Williams about the possibility of taking on new lines to help grow his market share. When mixer brand Cadac also became available, it seemed like an ideal opportunity to develop a new distribution company and ETA was born. There are a number of partners assisting in the operation of this new identity and I hope to be able to steer ETA in a way that will best serve these brands and the Australian market.

What has been your biggest achievement during your career?

I worked my way up through the band scene in the early ‘80s before heading to Sydney where I started working with Jands Concert Productions, and I helped put the first Turbosound TMS3 system together. I was part of the crew that took that system out on the Dire Straits’ ‘Brothers in Arms’ tour in Australia and New Zealand. It was at that point I met my wife Sue and needed to decide whether to stay on the road or look for a job that kept me home more than one day a month! I landed a job with Village Roadshow, selling pro audio equipment nationally.

After a few years I set up a hire company and retail outlet in Sydney and started travelling to the US looking for new products. In 1991 I picked up mixer brand, Mackie, which led to the opening of my first distribution company Australian Audio Supplies.

How have you seen the market change?

When I first started, the market was built on the strength of brands that had good reputations in the US and Europe. With the move to China by many manufacturers, we have a seen a big drop in the cost of equipment. This tied in with the growth of the internet, means that every aspect of the distribution process has to be streamlined to maintain viability.

We are now competing with companies worldwide.

What do you hope to achieve through new venture Entertainment Technology Australia?

During a visit to Indonesia representing KV2, I met

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If you had to predict ‘the next big thing’ what would it be?

A new era of large format point source systems could change the current concert sound system trend of line array. Once someone does this right it will stand out as huge step forward in covering large areas with high level, highly intelligible sound. It will also result in major savings of power consumption and the amount of equipment needed to achieve suitable SPL for concert audiences. Also, my involvement with SGM is certainly opening my eyes to the huge advances in LED lighting and how that will become a big part of

entertainment technology in the future, both through reduced power consumption and incredible new programmability. Creative lighting is being utilised in so many areas now and is definitely a growth market.

What is your biggest passion in life?

Music and I truly hope the art form is not lost to the deficiencies of digital audio. There will always be compromises when it comes to recorded audio but I don’t think people realise that at many live shows today they are listening to the band at something similar to CD quality via a digital desk or processor.

In my experience live music sounds far better than any CD reproduction and this is a real injustice to both the performer and the audience. Sampling rates are getting higher, however, most people I have spoken to in the industry believe that 96kHz is good enough for live audio. A lot of the argument regarding the differences between analogue and digital have related to frequency response and dynamic range but is actually a time-based issue. My hope would be that innovation will continue to improve digital audio quality. This will probably have to be led by advances in the consumer market as the current MP3 standard has lowered people’s expectations greatly. As more high-resolution formats become available I hope this will be reflected by a raising of standards for audio quality in professional applications as it has gone backwards over the last decade. Like most things digital, we have traded quality for convenience.

And lastly, sweet or savoury?

I am going to have to say savoury, you can’t sample a good red wine without a bowl of olives and some nice cheese.