mondo*dr 24.5

JULY / AUGUST 2014 | 24.5

the international publication for technology in entertainment

july / august 2014

EUROPE & AMERICAS EDITION

or bicul ar fascination er ic lo ader • s t adia mov ing heads

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mondo*dr 24.5 July / August 2014

ON THE COVER Kazan Arena, Russia Photo by Oleg Ishutov, Laser-Kinetics Multimedia

General Manager Justin Gawne / j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk Editor Rachael Rogerson / r.rogerson@mondiale.co.uk Deputy Editor Helen Fletcher / h.fletcher@mondiale.co.uk Advertising Manager Jamie Dixon / j.dixon@mondiale.co.uk Advertising Sales Laura Iles / l.iles@mondiale.co.uk Editorial Intern Megan Hughes / intern@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

The July / August issue marks the launch of some exciting new features in mondo*dr, which I believe opens up even more opportunities for you to get involved. First up, is a new section within the Product Guide. In addition to our usual product listings of the chosen category, we’ll now be incorporating a dictionary definition of the selected product and a quote from each of our three regions - EMEA, APAC and The Americas - from industry professionals who work with the technology on a day-to-day basis. Look ahead in our media pack to see what categories are coming up and if you’d like to nominate someone to provide a quote, please get in touch.

Secondly, in response to demand for a larger platform to showcase new technology, we’re introducing a new product feature called In Detail, which will give manufacturers the opportunity to submit an in depth product description of up to 400 words and three product photos. Again, for more details please get in touch.

Elsewhere in our In Business section, you’ll see that we’ve been out and about quite a lot recently, five tradeshows in five weeks to be exact! And while we have a little bit of time off from such events over the next couple of months - with the exception of Entech Connect in Melbourne - by the time September comes around the exhibition frenzy will begin all over again.

One show in particular I’d like to draw your attention to is PRO - taking place at the Birmingham NEC from 13-15 September alongside BPM - since Mondiale Publishing announced its investment in the show, this is obviously an important event in our calendar. This year, Mondiale will have its own central bar and we’ll be inviting and encouraging many of you to come along and take a look, especially if you’re looking for something a little bit different in a UK show! Registration for the show is now open and it’s free for trade visitors. To pre-order your ticket log onto: www.visitpro.co.uk/register

StageDex LinLine deck

LiteStructures XU30D

INTRODUCING NEW PRODUCTS Prolyte Group is dedicated to product innovation and product development. Prolyte consistently creates products that offer the certainty of a flawless performance. Experience our products live at:

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

Rachael Rogerson | Editor

WWW.PROLYTE.COM

CONTENT S 014

in brief

IN DEP T H 024

INTERVIEW

036

REPORT

014

ERIC LOADER

stadia

IN FO CUS 036

036

060

090

060

THE VENUE, JOHANNESBURG

068

EGG, LONDON

074

Morjana, Dubai

080

Epic Sana, Lisbon

086

013, Tilburg

090

Linate Airport, Milan

092

E11EVEN, Miami

100

Club 8, night hotel, Dallas

106

Academy, Canberra

IN BUSINE S S

080

100

112

112

Lightpower Open Days

114

Koba, Seoul

118

Palm Expo China, Beijing

122

Palm Expo India, Mumbai

126

Infocomm, Las Vegas

133

PRODUCT GUIDE

142

133

146

146

Moving Heads

PRODUCT DIRECTORY LAST PAGE INTERVIEW steve hutt - 18 sound

012 AD INDEX

FRANÇAIS

DEUTSCH

Les fidèles lecteurs de mondo*dr avec nous depuis nos début ou ceux portant un vif intérêt à notre histoire se rappelleront que lorsque nous avons démarré en 1990, notre lectorat cible était principalement celui du club de nuit.

Toutefois, en 2009 mondo*dr a intégré tous les types d’installations de conférence sous l’égide du divertissement. Personnellement, je pense que le panachage de différents types de lieux représente mieux le marché du divertissement mondial actuel, bien que j’ai dû récemment revenir sur les jours d’antan à cause du regain d’intérêt pour la musique de danse électronique. Vous êtes sans doute au courant que Mondiale Publishing, la société mère de mondo*dr, a récemment investi dans des spectacles BPM (électro) et PRO au Royaume-Uni. Le BPM est un spectacle de DJ qui connait une croissance importante depuis quelques années, tandis que le PRO sort tout juste en 2014 et vise à attirer les fabricants opérant sur le marché professionnel.

Nous offrirons nos connaissances et notre expertise en terme de contenu et de gestion afin de développer ces événements. Même si mondo*dr n’a pas l’intention de revenir en arrière, il y a définitivement quelque chose qui se passe dans le monde du club de nuit et pour ma part, je serai curieux de voir comment tout ça va se développer.

Die treuen Leser von mondo*dr, die uns seit Beginn begleiten, oder solche mit einem lebhaften Interesse an unserer Geschichte werden sich bewusst sein, dass wir uns zu Beginn 1990 als Zielpublikum an die Nachtclubwelt gerichtet haben. Wie auch immer, das Aufgabengebiet von mondo*dr wurde 2009 erweitert und gliederte alle Arten von TreffInstallationen unter dem Entertainment-Schirm ein. Ich persönlich bin der Auffassung, dass der Mix differenzierender Treffs für den globalen Entertainmentmarkt von heute beispielhafter ist, obwohl ich erst kürzlich wegen des wachsenden Interesses an EDM Grund hatte, über die vergangenen Tage nachzudenken. Vielleicht wissen Sie, dass das Partnerunternehmen von mondo*dr, Mondiale Publishing, kürzlich in die BPM und PRO Shows in GB investiert hat.

Erstere ist eine DJ-Show, die in den letzten Jahren ein bedeutendes Wachstum verzeichnet hat, während die PRO ein Neuzugang für 2014 ist und beabsichtigt, Hersteller anzuziehen, die auf dem professionellen Markt tätig sind.

Wir bieten unser Fachwissen und unsere Erfahrung, damit diese Events sowohl in Bezug auf Inhalt wie auch auf Ausrichtung anwachsen können. Auch wenn mondo*dr nicht auf seinen ehemaligen Weg zurückkehren wird, so ist definitiv etwas in der Clubbing-Welt in Bewegung geraten und ich zum Beispiel bin gespannt, wie sich diese Entwicklung fortsetzen wird.

Adamson................................73 ADB Lighting..........................63 ADJ Europe..........................115 Antari.. ..................................2,3 Audac.. .............................44,45 Audiocenter ...........81, 107, 127 Camco. ..................................17 Chauvet Professional..............79 Coherent ...............................41 Community Professional.........51 d&b audiotechnik ...................29 D.A.S. Audio. .......................103 Daslight..................................12 DiGiCo .................................67 Digital Projection ....................89 Duratruss ...............................93 EAW ......................................55

Elation..................................141 Electro-Voice ..........................49 Entech .................................113 FBT .......................................19 Full Fat Audio ........................99 Funktion One .........................95 Genelec ................................83 Global Truss China...... ........117 GTD Lighting / Truss....... .........7 FINE Art...................................5 FDL China ...............................4 Havells Sylvania Europe..........87 K-array ...................................13 Kind Audio ...........................143 Kling & Freitag .......................53 KV2 Audio ...........................135 Light Sky Fly Dragon ................6

ITALIANO

ESPAÑOL

Gli affezionati lettori di Mondo*dr che sono stati con noi fin dall’inizio o quelli che hanno mostrato un forte interesse per la nostra storia saranno ben consapevoli che quando abbiamo iniziato, nel 1990, il nostro target di riferimento era il mondo dei nightclub. Tuttavia, nel 2009 Mondo*dr si è voluto estendere per includere tutti i tipi di impianti nel settore dell’ intrattenimento.

Personalmente, sento che la commistione di posti diversi nel mercato dell’intrattenimento globale di oggi sia più esemplare, anche se di recente ho avuto motivo di riflettere sul passato per un maggiore interesse per EDM. Vi posso mettere al corrente del fatto che la madre di Mondo*dr, Mondiale Publishing, ha recentemente investito negli spettacoli BPM e PRO che hanno sede nel Regno Unito. Il primo è uno spettacolo di DJ, che ha registrato una crescita significativa negli ultimi anni, mentre il lato PRO è nuovo per il 2014 e si propone di attrarre i produttori che operano nel mercato professionale. Offriremo la nostra conoscenza ed esperienza per far crescere gli eventi sia nel contenuto che nella direzione.

Mentre Mondo*dr non ritornerà alle sue vecchie abitudini, c’è sicuramente qualcosa di storto nel mondo dei locali e io per primo sarò interessato a vedere come si evolverà.

Los fieles lectores de mondo*dr que han estado junto a nosotros desde el comienzo o aquellos con un marcado interés en nuestra historia sabrán que, cuando nos lanzamos en 1990, la audiencia a la que apuntábamos era la del mundo de las discotecas. Sin embargo, en 2009, el ámbito de mondo*dr se expandió para incorporar todo tipo de instalaciones de sitios que se encuentran bajo el paraguas del entretenimiento. Personalmente, siento que la mezcla de lugares diferentes es más ilustrativa del mercado global del entretenimiento de hoy en día, a pesar de que recientemente he tenido razón para reflexionar acerca del pasado debido a un ataque de interés en EDM. Como seguramente sabrán, la casa matriz de mondo*dr, Mondiale Publishing, invirtió recientemente en las muestras BPM y PRO con base en el Reino Unido. La primera es una muestra para DJ, que ha experimentado un importante crecimiento en los últimos años, mientras que PRO es una nueva del 2014 y apunta a atraer a fabricantes que operan en el mercado profesional. Nosotros estaremos ofreciendo nuestro conocimiento y experiencia para ayudar a que los eventos crezcan, no solo en contenido, sino también hacia dónde van. A pesar de que mondo*dr no volverá a sus viejos caminos, definitivamente existe algo a la deriva en el mundo de las discotecas y yo tendré interés en ver cómo se desarrolla.

Look Solutions .....................119 LTM .......................................76 Martin Audio ........................ BC Martin Professional ................97 MBN .................................63,65 Music & Lights ..................61,87 NEXT-proaudio .......................89 One Systems ......................113 Outline ................................131 Pioneer Professional Audio..... 35 PLASA.................................110 Powersoft ..............................77 PR-Lighting ............................15 PRO ......................................22 Pulsar Light ............................31 Rane ......................................33 RCF.......................................85

Renkus-Heinz .........................65 Robe ......................................10 Soundcraft ...........................121 Spark .......................................6 Starway .................................71 Steinigke ......................105,123 Studio Due ...........................147 Sunlite Nicolaudie ....................8 Symetrix .................................54 Lab.gruppen ........................145 Tarm ......................................69 The GET Show ......................58 TW Audio ..............................27 VMB ......................................57 XTA .......................................47

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014 in brief - europe/middle east/africa

IN BRIEF SENNHEISER E Q UIP S H AMBURG C IN E M A The Abaton - a small independent cinema rich in tradition was recently equipped with the latest streaming technology

by Sennheiser. Two of the theatre’s screening rooms have now put the CinemaConnect system into operation. Together with an app that bears the same name, the audio specialist is bringing inclusive assistive listening and audio description to cinemas.

F IV E S TA R LASE R SHOW I N H A LK IDIK I The luxurious five-star Pomegranate Spa Hotel is located on the Greek peninsula in Halkidiki. Recently renovated, the hotel celebrated the re-opening with a spectacular celebration, which Germany laser company, LPSLasersysteme helped to realise, through the use of 19 high-end laser show systems from the LPS-Bax Series.

The permanently installed multimedia feature consists of sound, fire, water fountains and the multicolour laser shows.

AIRSTAR H IGHL IGHTS CL ASSIC CA RS Airstar was recently called on to animate the iconic and majestic nave of the Grand Palais in Paris with dramatic lighting for the 23rd edition of the Tour Auto Optic 2ooo.

Over 5,000 visitors queued up to admire 250 classic racing cars registered for this legendary race, which recalled the golden age of BMW, Ford, Porsche and Jaguar to name a few. An impressive 15 lighting balloons from Airstar’s Lunix range were deployed and used for various purposes including decoration, space filling, lighting and signage.

www.mondodr.com

016 in brief - asia/PACIFIC/OCeania

WYSIWYG M AKES L IG HT O F MACAU’S ‘RH YTHM O F LIF E ’ CEL EBRATION Commissioned by the Macau Cultural Institute and under the artistic direction of Lebigre & Roger, ‘The Rhythm of Life’ celebrates the Latin heritage of Macau. Featuring dozens of performers wearing traditional painted faces, the parade is inspired by the great carnival of Viareggio in Tuscany, and was brought to life using Cast’s wysiwyg pre-visualisation solution to enable a unique and creative event.

E T E R N A L L I GHT Darlinghurst Theatre Company, The City of Sydney and architect, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer recently set about renovating and repurposing Darlinghurst’s Burton St Tabernacle as The Eternity Playhouse.

With the Tabernacle’s heritage came incredible beauty and workmanship, including the amazing decorative timber ceiling, but Jands Staging came up with an out-of-the-box solution - a see-through grid. Slingco, a cabling and rigging company headquartered in the UK, makes a product called Cablenet; a tension wire grid platform that Jands used to create a seethrough ‘virtual ceiling’. Installed above the audience’s head, Cablenet carries the load of both lighting and technicians with complete safety, all without compromising the LD’s vision or the audience’s enjoyment of the heritage ceiling.

BEIJING CEL EBRATES WITH K - A RRAY Sennheiser China has supplied a K-array audio system for the opening ceremony of Beijing’s 2014 International Akhal-Teke Horse Association Special Conference. The ceremony took place at The Imperial Ancestral Temple in Beijing’s Working People’s Cultural Palace.

For the landmark occasion, an audience of 10,000 people witnessed Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhavedov present a Ferghana Horse to China’s Xi Jinping as a gesture of their strong relationship. The presentation was followed by a colourful performance, with sound reinforcement provided by K-array KR402 and KR202 column line array speakers, and KK52 hormonal line-array elements positioned at either end of the arena.

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018 in brief - the americas

Images by Jin Lee

E LE CT R O S O N I C FOR N ATI ON AL SEPTEMBER 11 M EMORIAL & M USEUM The National September 11 Memorial & Museum has opened in the footprints of the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, USA. Electrosonic provided the audiovisual systems for the museum, which is primarily located about 70ft below ground and offers a unique and moving visitor experience.

The museum building was designed by Davis Brody Bond, with exhibit designs by Thinc Design and Layman Design. It is accessed by an entry pavilion designed by Snøhetta.

MOMENT FACTORY C O LLA BO RATE S WITH OAKL EY’S F LAG SHIP STO RE Moment Factory has created a stunning multimedia installation for Oakley’s new flagship store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, USA. The project follows Moment Factory’s successful participation in the launch of Oakley’s ‘Disruptive by Design’ campaign. Through this new global marketing initiative, Oakley aims to celebrate its legacy and culture of disruption, and set out its blueprint for future innovation. In response to this new brand direction, Moment Factory created a living, breathing installation that embodies the renegade spirit of Oakley’s design ethos.

R E N K U S - H EI N Z HE LPS B RI N G INTREPID M US E U M ’ S LE GE N D S TO LI FE In a city with no shortage of museums, the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum is truly one of a kind. Founded in 1982 as a final home for the historic aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the museum’s treasures now include the world’s fastest commercial jetliner, the British Airways Concorde; the first space shuttle, Enterprise; and the USS Growler, the only American dieselpowered strategic missile submarine open to the public.

Needless to say each of these grand machines on display has a rich story to tell. But the logistics of telling those stories within the museum’s daunting acoustics is no easy feat.

The Space Shuttle Pavilion is covered by 10 Renkus-Heinz CFX81 two-way eight-inch systems, with five loudspeakers hung, facing each other, on each of the long walls. A pair of Biamp MCA 8150 amplifiers power the system, bridged to provide approximately 300W per pair. A Symetrix Jupiter provides signal delays and processing.

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EXPO DIARY 2014 ENTECH CONNECT

PROLIGHT+SOUND RUSSIA

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA 23-24 JULY 2014 www.entechshow.com.au

MOSCOW, RUSSIA 11-13 SEPTEMBER 2014 www.prolight.messefrankfurt.ru

PALMM

IBC

MANILA, PHILIPPINES 14-16 AUGUST 2014 www.globallinkmp.com

AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS 12-16 SEPTEMBER 2014 www.ibc.org

INFOCOMM MEXICO

BPM & PRO

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO 20-22 AUGUST 2014 www.infocomm.org

BIRMINGHAM, UK 13-15 SEPTEMBER 2014 www.visitbpm.co.uk

INTEGRATE

INFOCOMM INDIA

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA 26-28 AUGUST 2014 www.integrate-expo.com

MUMBAI, INDIA 17-19 SEPTEMBER 2014 www.infocomm-india.com

www.mondodr.com EXPO MUSIC

PROLIGHT+SOUND SHANGHAI

Sﾃグ PAULO, BRAZIL 17-21 SEPTEMBER 2014 www.expomusic.com.br

SHANGHAI, CHINA 8-11 OCTOBER 2014 www.prolight-sound.com

LIGHTING WEEK

INFOCOMM MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA

18-20 Sﾃグ PAULO, BRAZIL SEPTEMBER 2014 www.lwbr.com.br

13-16 DUBAI, UAE OCTOBER 2013 www.infocomm-mea.com

PALM EXPO INDIA

BROADCAST INDIA

NEW DELHI, INDIA 18-21 SEPTEMBER 2014 www.palmexpo.in

MUMBAI, INDIA 15-17 OCTOBER 2014 www.broadcastindiashow.com

PLASA

JAPEX

LONDON, UK 5-8 OCTOBER 2014 www.plasashow.com

JARKARTA, INDONESIA 29 OCTOBER - 2 NOVEMBER 2014 www.jiexpo.com

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

13-15 SEPTEMBER 2014 THE NEC BIRMINGHAM REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

AUDIO AND LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY SHOW Launching in 2014, alongside the established BPM DJ show, PRO is a new exhibition focused on professional audio, lighting and video technology.

The event will provide a showcase of the latest equipment, a programme of interesting and informative educational content, as well as a productive meeting place for industry professionals.

REGISTER FOR YOUR FREE TRADE TICKETS ONLINE www.visitpro.co.uk/register In addition to complimentary entry to the event, trade visitors are invited to attend the exclusive VIP Preview hour from 10am on Saturday & Sunday This offer is only open to genuine entertainment technology professionals (audio, lighting or video technicians / designers / specifiers / architects / installers / distributors / manufacturers). Proof of status may be required before tickets are dispatched.

OUR PARTNERS

WHO IS PRO FOR? • Professional sound and lighting users • Late night venues • Production / rental companies • Event companies • Freelance technicians

WHAT WILL BE EXHIBITED AT PRO? • Audio systems • Lighting fixtures • Laser systems • Trussing and staging • Pyros and effects

www.visitpro.co.uk #visitpro

IN DEP TH

INTERVIEW ERIC LOADER

REPORT STADIA

This month’s Interview is with Elation’s Eric Loader. Helen Fletcher caught up with the man steering the lighting company forward to find out what makes him tick and how his experiences in life have formed the basis of the man he is today.

The Report section this issue focuses on Stadia and is introduced

by Scott Willsallen of Auditoria, who discusses the importance of increasing the performance criteria of stadium audio systems in order to deliver high performance sound for every stadium event.

024 INTERVIEW

“FRIENDSHIPS AND THE SATISFACTION OF WORKING ALONGSIDE MY COLLEAGUES IS THE PART OF MY JOB THAT MEANS THE WORLD TO ME.” ERIC LOADER Growing up, a career in tennis was his dream, but thanks to an untimely sporting injury, Eric Loader’s aspiritations of a US Open were crushed.

Helen Fletcher caught up with the man keeping Elation shining bright to discuss career moves, gold Cadillacs and DJ-ing to meet girls...

www.mondodr.com

INTERVIEW 025

www.mondodr.com

026 INTERVIEW

Eric with wife Mea and daughter Makena.

Eric is still close to his ‘Big Brother’ Greg.

Once said Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

A statement that is arguably fitting for Eric Loader’s childhood who, as a young boy, was “taught the many key values” he still holds today by his ‘Big Brother’ and mentor Greg.

Brought up in a single-parent household from the age of two, in the foothills of Oakland, California, US, Eric’s mother knew the importance of a male role model in her son’s life from an early age and so whedn he turned eight, enrolled him in the Big Brother programme.

This, for Eric was a turning point: “To this day I am close friends with Greg, who helped me become a man, kept me out of trouble and kept me focussed on working hard, striving for success and enjoying life along the way.”

As we chat, Eric’s fondness for Greg is clear, as he describes a man whom he has great memories of: “He had a gold Cadillac - he always had fancy cars. He would roll up to my house and the car horn would be playing the USC (University of Southern California) fight song, I would hear him halfway down the street.

He wasn’t a big spender, almost frugal in fact, but cars were kind of his thing.

He lived, but saved a lot of money too and I think this is what made such a big impression on me.

“He had a big influence on me and played a big part in me becoming who I am today. My mom did a great job of raising me on her own for many years with the support of our family, but having that male influence was huge. It was just one weekend a month to begin with - we’d go and play softball, or go camping, or we’d go to a baseball or football game - just hang out and be guys. He owned a chain of rental TV stores back then and was a successful bachelor. I got to hang out with him and see how he ran his business and I think this definitely helped me learn all about being successful in business and what I wanted to achieve in life. He was a good role model.”

Eric’s family emigrated to the US in the late 1950s from Herentals, Belgium, after his grandfather - who was in the US Army - passed away while serving in Germany. Having only been married to Eric’s grandmother for a few years, he left behind two daughters Danielle (Eric’s mother) and Denise and so the brave decision to move to the US was made. Once there and settled into life in Oakland, Eric’s grandmother remarried and opened a beauty shop, with his mother and aunt Denise following in her footsteps - becoming beauticians themselves.

By the time Eric was 17, his mother had remarried and had two more children, www.mondodr.com

“More than anything I love being home with my family and spending quality time with them. I love golf and tennis and am doing my best to get my daughter into one.” but he was ready to fly the nest and make his mark on the ‘real world’. After graduating high school, Eric moved to southern California to study Business / Marketing at CSUN (California State University Northridge), but quickly became interested in developing his career and “making money”, meaning his college stint was short lived after some quick advancements in his career.

“As a kid I’d always wanted to play tennis for a career, but an injury at 15 sidelined me,” Eric told me. “A buddy of mine was a DJ and I followed his lead, doing small parties and school discos - mainly to meet girls! It was fun and helped me become one of the ‘cool kids’, you know? I played at a few clubs when I was at college as well.

“My first job was at Pegasus Productions in San Lorenzo, California, working for Steve Siglin doing DJ setups, taking care of the showroom, transferring records to tapes for the DJ audio systems, as well as some sales for the club and DJ gear.”

But a career in lighting was calling… “I can still remember a lighting salesman called Paul Twist coming into Pegasus with the Meteor Mobile demo lighting showroom truck and it blew me away what a programmed lighting show can do,” said Eric. “Back then it was controlled manually on the ‘Talcon’ Series controller of switches and touch pads. I quickly wanted to do anything that was related to lighting and while I could hook up a sound system… Lighting sucked me in. This is a big reason I still push for our showrooms and choreographed lightshows on our tradeshow booths - it inspires and moves people in our industry.”

Eric’s passion for lighting was further infused when he got a job at Towards

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028 INTERVIEW

“At Towards 2000 I worked alongside Richard Rutherford.

Doing club installs and production gigs on the weekends gave me the grassroots industry education I needed.”

Enjoying one of his favourite past times.

2000 and was introduced to brands from Europe that he’d never seen before. “I quickly did all I could to grow my role there,” he said. “I worked alongside Richard Rutherford who was doing all the big clubs and productions. I learned a tonne from him and doing club installs and production gigs on the weekends gave me the grassroots industry education I needed.”

Having recently established Light Force, Towards 2000’s import / distribution company, Eric moved over to this new side of the business and quickly learnt more about wholesale sales, distribution, purchasing, importation and so on. “I got thrown in, ‘sink or swim’ when Laurie Taylor Duncan left to pursue his passion for IT. I became the Light Force Sales Manager at the age of 20 and attended my first SIB Rimini and PLASA London shows that year… Wow! I had been to NAMM and LDI the year before, but these European shows were the pinnacle of our industry back then, this was where I saw and sourced, new technology for Light Force to bring to the US market.”

So, it was the late ‘80s and Eric was now running Light Force, importing products from Lampo, FAL, Programsisteme, Pulsar, Mode Electronics, and JEM. At this time, High End Systems (HES) was a competitive importer and had developed a series of its own products, starting with Laser Chorus, Color Pro, Intellabeam and Dataflash. Eric ‘encouraged’ Mark Rowlands, Owner of Towards 2000, to open up a HES dealership and he did, with an order of Color Pros and soon thereafter Intellibeams - before becoming a key distributor and one of the largest, for HES on the west coast.

It was during this time that Eric was approached by Chuck Davies of American DJ to go and work with them and help grow their sales. “They had plans for bringing more European products to the US - Abstract AV and GLP - and needed someone with experience such as mine. Since Towards’ focus was moving over to production and sales, and I was tired of doing gigs and more interested in the wholesale / distribution side of the business, I took an inside sales job at American DJ in 1991.”

Eric worked hard to grow sales for American DJ’s moving light products, he even spent a lot of time programming light shows on a PC-based time code controller, “this was a lot fun and I really enjoyed making the shows for our booths and showroom,” he said. www.mondodr.com

Eric was at American DJ for just three years before he was head hunted by Marcel Fairbairn and Gerard Cohen of Tracomann - Martin Professional distributor for the US - who wanted Eric to head up the new LA branch, as part of the company’s grand expansion plans. “This really was another breakthrough moment in my career as the opportunity to run an office at the age of 23 was golden,” he said.

“I couldn’t pass it up - Chuck, Scott and Toby who ran American DJ back then understood and we parted on good terms.”

Running the LA office quickly fuelled Eric’s workaholic mentality: “Martin Professional had big plans for growth - and grow we did. Moving lights were being bought up by production companies that couldn’t previously purchase this type of technology and Martin grew from a DJ / club lighting manufacturer to a professional lighting supplier, seemingly overnight.”

Tracoman was purchased by Martin Professional in 1995 and in 1997 Eric moved to the Florida headquarters where he was promoted to Sales Director for the US. Shortly after, Eric met his wife Mea - marrying in 2001, with their daughter Makena born in 2004.

“It was certainly a rollercoaster ride during my 12 years at Martin. New products were coming out of Denmark at lightning speed and customers were buying anything and everything we came out with - some good, some bad.

“The first four years I had six different bosses so it wasn’t easy in the beginning running the sales department; but when Troels Volver came along to run Martin US the chemistry between us helped stabilise the team and gave confidence to our customer base and the market - allowing the growth to continue. Troels sadly passed away last year - he was a big influence on me.

“Frank Montero was another great influence during my time at Martin. We worked together for many years and he was actually best man at my wedding - we’ve become very close over the years. Then there’s Peter Johansen, he was also great fun to work with.

“Martin Professional was an amazing time in my life due to the support that Troels and Kristian Kolding gave me and this allowed us to really take a leading position in the US market. The sales team we built was certainly a cast of characters, but together we were hard to beat as were our products with the MAC 500 / 600 / 2000 range… The rest as they say, is history.”

Visual unobtrusiveness Large and high ceilings

www.dbaudio.com

The challenges remain consistent, but seldom appear independently. The d&b columns, however, are new and corrective; a unique combination of waveguides and damped ports create a cardioid pattern with a constant horizontal directivity of 90째, whilst the tight vertical dispersion tilts downwards in the low to mid range and is adjustable in the high frequencies. Handy for those who like to comprehend word for word in long, large, high, reverberant spaces with impediments to intelligibility. The d&b xC-Series: positions text clearly.

Highly reflective surfaces

Huge room volumes

Extremely reverberant spaces Parallel wall mounting

030 INTERVIEW

Kam at PLASA 09

Eric surrounded by his Elation friends and colleagues.

When Eric joined Elation eight years ago, it was already doing well to establish its place in the market, but wanted to further grow the brand and product line in the professional market. “For me, this was almost like de ja vu since Martin’s strength was in the DJ / club market when I started and we developed into the pro market.

I had seen this move already so-to-speak, so I knew what to expect and how to help Elation reach its goals.

“Having worked for the ADJ Group 12 years before, I had the full support of the ownership to do what was needed to enter the pro market. I was impressed how the company had been built up and how much the product had improved. But what was also nice, was the warm welcome back I received - there were a lot of familiar, friendly faces when I returned since it is more of a family environment and they didn’t have a high turnover of staff, which gave me and my family a sense of security in making the move back to California.”

By the time Eric returned to ADJ, Elation had partnered with a couple of new, state-of-the-art contract manufacturers in China, which were making products at a very high level. Elation wasn’t however, just putting a sticker on an OEM product and calling it good - it was innovating features and technology performance into products, offering a distinct advantage to the customer.

“It took a couple of years to set the foundation for support and fine tune the products, but we continued to grow along the way and quickly built up the support team fast, excelling in the pro market.”

And as they say, timing is everything, all of this was happening during a time when economic conditions were tough, and where value and performance meant even more to production companies and venues, as they all struggled to increase their ROI and get more for their investment.

“Buying $10,000 moving lights just wasn’t a viable option for mid-size rental companies and manufacturers were halving the number of employees they had and the turnover was going in the same direction,” said Eric. “Rental companies could buy a $1,500 moving light and rent it for about the same price they could the $10,000 moving light, and more frequently. This was a golden opportunity for Elation to bring its products to the mid-level rental companies.

“The market has improved since and is back to levels we saw before, but the previous years had been a tough survival mode for the top end companies - while the likes of Elation have seen steady growth in market share. Now, the top end rental companies need Elation products to improve their ROI.” For Eric, LED technology has also given the industry a boost, he commented: “When I came to Elation, there were already quite a few LED products and www.mondodr.com

“A buddy of mine was a DJ and I followed his lead, doing small parties and school discos - mainly to meet girls! It was fun and helped me become one of the ‘cool kids’, you know? ”

Lighting without limits.

In use: Pulsar ChromaStrip X3 ‘t Walletje Business Complex - Lighting by Magic Monkey

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+44 (0) 1223 403 500 sales@pulsarlight.com www.pulsarlight.com 16/05/2014 17:07

032 INTERVIEW

Marquee at The Cosmpolitan, Las Vegas. Elation lighting was recently used as part of a Steve Lieberman redesign.

they were fabulous! There was a whole line of architectural LED products called Acclaim - I was asked if I’d be interested in heading this up as well. Of course, I said yes and took the bull by the horns and I learned fast how those products worked and the markets they were intended for.

“The appeal of LED is the energy efficiency and the ability to mix colours easily - this has been huge because customers could now take out 50 lights and plug them into a wall outlet. You can hang 12 LED Pars and have a light show - this was huge, it saved a lot of power and cable costs. The LED sector is still developing today - they’re getting bigger, brighter and more affordable. It was expensive technology in the beginning, but as with anything, the volume goes up and the price goes down.”

Over the past couple of years Elation has begun to step away from ADJ, standing on its own two feet more and more. For Eric, it has always been about focus. “You have to focus on your customer in order to maximise your efforts,” he said. “By having our sales and product team focused on this it has allowed us to meet our customers’ needs faster. Elation has a wide product range because we sell into a variety of markets - but all are in what I consider the pro lighting market, whether it is a concert, corporate event, TV studio, cruise ship, nightclub or house of worship - these are all top level events or productions that need high performance and reliable products, and most of all total support.

“Both companies I would say have benefitted from this strategy. With Elation being a separately held company - yet part of the ADJ Group ownership - we have been able to focus our message and product offerings to a different customer group.

We have also been able to help ADJ improve its quality, bringing it up with us, so to speak and ADJ’s volume on certain key components has helped keep Elation’s costs down.

“ADJ is more retail / consumer end-user and mid-level installation market focused while Elation is a more lighting designer and installation based product line. www.mondodr.com

“We have a philosophy that we just want to do better and keep a solid company for our employees and stable growth. We really want to be a global brand and I think we’re well on our way to doing that.”

034 INTERVIEW

Elation lighting looking spectacular at Coachella.

Diversification of the group is key to our growth and survival during tough economic times, which is why you see other large companies doing the same - either by organic efforts or acquisition.”

With such a long history in the lighting industry, there have of course been some key moments for Eric. More than anything, you get the sense that he is happiest when he is helping companies to grow, by not only working within the culture of the company, but then building on that to fit the market needs, he said: “There are so many amazing projects I’ve worked on over the years, but the friendships I have developed and satisfaction I get from working alongside my colleagues is the part of my job that means the world to me. My time at Martin was an amazing experience - where you could say, I earned my MBA. The people I worked with taught me so much and how to be a strong leader.”

In the eight years Eric has been at Elation, he has seen the company benefit from amazing growth, thanks to the support of its distribution partners in more than 80 countries. “Our European office, based in The Netherlands, has followed our lead in separation from ADJ and is growing fast too,” he said. “With products being designed and developed here in California and key contract manufacturing partners in Asia based on 20+ year relationships, we have a solid foundation to continue to grow and support our customers for many years to come.”

Looking forward, both personally and professionally, for Eric it’s a case of “just keep doing what we’re doing.” Professionally, “we’re having a great time right now, we’re very fortunate. We have a philosophy that we just want to do better and keep a solid company for our employees and stable growth. We really want to be a global brand and I think we’re well on our way to doing that. Our expansion in Europe over the last few years has really helped us.”

And, for the self-confessed workaholic, what about home life? Will this pay the price for global domination? “I travel a lot because you have to be out there and see what’s going on, but I don’t spend more time on the road than I have to. More than anything I love being home with my family and spending quality time with them. I love golf and tennis and am doing my best to get my daughter into one of these now that she’s nine. I still love my music and still have a lot of my records and a set of turntables… Albeit a bit dusty. www.mondodr.com

SONIC IMMERSION

learn more about our installations at ibiza venues BOOOM!, USHUAïA TOWER, PIKES & KM5. www.pioneerproaudio.com

GS-WAVE and XY series professional CLUB sound system The progeny of Pioneer and Gary Stewart Audio (GSA), Pioneer’s flagship club speakers reproduce the ultimate club sound you can feel. Ibiza’s iconic venues are already enjoying the system’s pure, powerful sound that envelops and exhilarates at the same time.

The Pioneer Pro Audio flagship system comprises the GS-Wave series 3-meter dance floor stack with GSA technology and the XY series in-fill speakers, all powered by Powersoft’s high-performance K-Series amps with built-in DSP. This comprehensive line up guarantees versatile installations that deliver optimum sound and complete coverage throughout venues of every shape and size.

www.Pioneerproaudio.com

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24/01/2014 09:22

036 REPORT

STADIA

Introduced by Scott Willsallen, Audio Director and Sound Designer at Auditoria, Australia.

Flying in to an unfamiliar city for the first time is so much more interesting if it’s on a clear day and the flight path takes you for a brief scenic tour. At 1,000 metres above the ground, it’s difficult to make out much of the detail other than suburban areas, parklands and business precincts. However one type of building has the scale and shape that makes it easy to spot, the stadium.

On my first trip to Dublin, Ireland, a few weeks ago, my flight landed around noon on a cool clear day. It’s a beautiful city from the air, lots of green, lots of water, but from this altitude, houses look like houses, buildings look like buildings. Then Croke Park stadium comes into view and its size and shape are familiar enough to us all, to know what it is and what happens in there.

Stadium, from Stadion, was the Greek measure of the length of a running race; either 185-metres or 192-metres depending on what you read. The length of the race determined the geometry of the venues and a breathtaking example of such geometry is the host venue for the 1896 Olympic Games, the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens.

Zoom ahead to today, where 19 year-olds are paid millions to skillfully kick a ball around, venue geometry has changed to keep up with the popularity of football and other rectangular pitch sports.

Those venues lucky enough to also host cricket, are faced with the difficult challenge of providing an engaging audience experience for both oval and rectangular fields of play. This challenge has seen some very clever engineering feats such as ANZ Stadium in Sydney with its moving stands; 1,500 tonnes of reinforced concrete gently moving 15-metres closer to the sideline for rectangular sports, and retreating for cricket and AFL (an odd sport involving kicking, lots of kicking).

A TOUGH JOB I’ve spent quite a bit of time on sporting events over the years, and witnessed the evolution of how sport is presented to the live and television audiences. In Australia, the various sporting codes make a special effort to add an entertainment package to major events, such as grand finals and international fixtures. These packages have involved everything from helicopters to hovercrafts, international bands and folk heroes.

In recent years entertainment packages have become part of most typical club games to make more of an occasion of every game. In addition to specific prematch entertainment, the presentation of the sport itself has also evolved.

Sports presentation is of real importance to sporting clubs in creating culture and brand. It is the coordination and delivery of the event information to the live audience. Using music, commentary, replays and video packages, sports presentation aims to build the drama before and during an event.

The combined growth of both sports presentation and entertainment has seen venues upgrade their facilities, with the addition of LED screens and audio systems to provide a better audience experience.

Possibly the toughest job for the management team of a stadium is making the business sustainable and profitable, particularly with such high maintenance costs and relatively few events. Venues compete for business and work hard to provide facilities that meet the diverse range of requirements of their clients.

A stadium with higher performance and more flexible facilities have an advantage, as it can fill the quiet periods between seasons with other events. Ultimately the venue that can provide efficiency, scalability, flexibility and an excellent fan experience will succeed.

WHAT’S SOUND GOT TO DO WITH IT? The fan experience consists of many things but the two most significant are what they see and what they hear. In my experience, historically most regular stadium punters will expect the audio in a stadium to be bad. The typical experience is low intelligibility and narrow bandwidth.

We are finally in a situation where the audience is expecting high performance sound, the sporting codes and stadium hirers are expecting and will make use of high performance sound. It’s time the performance criteria of stadium audio systems increased to meet these demands and provide stadium operators with the right facilities to compete.

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My process of designing an audio system for a stadium begins with the loudspeaker system, mainly because this system will require the greatest coordination effort with the architect and the electrical, structural and mechanical consultants.

The loudspeaker system sketch design is simply an exercise in geometry using the building plans to determine the approximate number of loudspeaker clusters / arrays and section drawings to assess the vertical requirements for each array. This process is repeated for every loudspeaker product that I am considering for the project, to yield a rough starting point for the detailed design.

The designer must have a strong understanding of the performance characteristics of the products under consideration, and understand how the various products in an array will interact. I’m not just referring to the nominal dispersion of a product; it’s about understanding the fundamentals of waveguides, direct radiators and the complex interaction of multiple sources.

The designer should be able to imagine the three-dimensional coverage of each array and how that will work in the venue geometry. In my case, this is a process of becoming comfortable with the design of each array, and if it doesn’t feel right, I know I’ve made an error and must keep working on it.

Once I’m comfortable with the individual array design, then the interaction between multiple arrays is considered. This process leads to modifications to the horizontal details of each array to increase or reduce interactions in the horizontal plane.

Once each design has passed the comfort test, it is then modelled using EASE software. The building model should be as detailed as it needs to be; that means that all surfaces of acoustical significance are included and all other details are excluded.

The loudspeaker system designs are precisely added to the model and saved as a unique file for ongoing calculations, simulations and editing.

The modelling will answer any question you ask of it, however errors can be made when the wrong questions are asked or simply not enough questions are asked.

Third-octave band coverage mapping is interesting, but is only the first stage in what must be a multi-stage modelling process to understand the performance of the system. The time domain should receive as much, if not more attention than the frequency domain.

This long and detailed process reduces the number of designs down to only those manufacturers which have a set of products that match the venue geometry and deliver the required performance at the right price. There are various methods to reach the final decision; my preferred is a listening test and physical inspection in the venue whereby the venue staff can get involved in the decision.

The control system design is typically in two parts: the bowl system, which has a mixing console, and the back-of-house and ticketing systems, which are automated.

The bowl system is simplistic when compared to the back-of-house system. The mixing console(s) connect to a digital audio network - be it Dante, Optocore, Ethersound or another - that connects to the amplifiers, either directly or via conversion to AES or analogue.

Most loudspeaker systems use DSP within the amplifiers, so DSP within the signal transport for the bowl system is less important, but can be handy, especially if the proprietary amplification does not allow for user EQ. There is some I/O and DSP in the control room to interface with the stadium video systems and the media, as well as some clever routing and distribution for the corporate boxes. This is an area where there are quite a few alternatives to consider.

The important factors beyond functionality are redundancy and sound quality.

An 80,000 seat stadium must be agile in terms of scale to provide a good experience for a 40,000 or 30,000 capacity event. The audio system design must support this agility and provide operational modes that deactivate the parts of the system that are not needed, without sacrificing the performance.

Muting unrequired loudspeakers will likely improve the intelligibility due to the reduced reverberation, however the reduced number of sources will affect the dispersion characteristics of each array. This must be understood in the design process and optimised during the commissioning of the system.

Don’t underestimate the requirements of the mixing console and the announcer microphone(s). In the right hands these two items can make the difference between average and amazing, intelligible and engaging.

The available dynamic range in a stadium is quite narrow, juggling poorly mixed

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video packages with announcements and a noisy audience is difficult, high quality compression and EQ is vital, be it outboard, built-in or plug-in.

THE FUTURE Over the last decade my profession has taken me to loads of stadia all over the world; some of which had just been completed, some recently refurbished. Most of the installed systems I come across seem to be designed to meet a performance expectation which is best described as suitable for speech and low level music.

This level of performance is not what current and future sports presentation require, nor does it consider how the audio system can support the diversification of the venue in its ability to host non-sport events.

The audience expectation has grown, the performance expectation of stadium hirers has increased, stadium operators need high performance and flexible facilities to compete, and it’s time stadium audio systems caught up.

In June 2013, I completed the upgrade of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Stadium, now known as ANZ Stadium. The project ignored the accepted standards for stadium audio performance, and aimed to raise the bar both locally and internationally.

The audience experience has improved dramatically from multiple complaints every event to positive comments about the sound. Event producers responsible for sports presentation and game-day entertainment have increased their programs to make better use of the system and deliver a more engaging experience.

The audio system is one of the many elements of stadium technology. It is not something that belongs buried within the electrical specification for a new stadium construction project, it belongs on the same page as the LED screens, WiFi connectivity and all other elements of the fan experience.

The world is serious about an engaging and exciting fan experience, sound owns a large percentage of creating that experience, and it is time the audio system designs responded to this. www.auditoria.com.au

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038 REPORT

KAZAN ARE NA Company: Outline Location: Kazan, Russia After a failed first attempt to hold the Summer Universiade in 2011, the Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin and the President of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov were successful two years later in their bid for the 2013 Summer Universiade in the Kazan Arena. Kazan-based construction company, Komis won the tender to design, supply, install and set up the audio system within the stadium.

The Kazan Arena has not only played host to the 2013 Summer Universiade, but will be the location of several high-profile matches during the 2018 World Cup in Russia, so the audio set-up needed to adhere to all of FIFA’s technical parametres and specifications.

KS Engineering was subcontracted by Komis to design the audio configuration; the company’s Andrey Smirnov used the floor plans of the stadium to make a 3D model with EASE software. “A design engineer from Komis called me to tell me that they were trying to get the contract to design the pro audio system for the

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Kazan Arena. They asked me if my company could provide technical solutions and support should they get the contract,” explained Andrey. “After the first design was made, we seNt it to the Outline representative in Russia, who reviewed the system, corrected some weak points in loudspeaker connections and checkED the specifications.”

According to Sergey Chernitsyn, Project Director at Komis, there were two manufacturers to choose between for the audio system. Using Andrey’s designs, the team tried out the loudspeaker set-ups from both manufacturers. The decision to opt for Outline was motivated by the satisfactory SPL levels and even coverage the loudspeakers produced.

“Outline amplifiers were chosen simply because the input and output characteristics, and the parametres of the amplifiers and the cabinets, had been set up and verified,” Sergey explained. “Outline products were optimal for this installation because of their excellent technical and power parameters to price ratio.”

The design process was a lengthy one, largely because the Kazan Arena was one of the first on such a scale in Russia. During this phase, and even after the audio system had been chosen, fundamental changes were made to the architecture of the venue. When the VIP boxes and storey layout had to be adapted during the

REPORT 039

stadium’s construction, Komis were forced to recalculate the suspensions and winch loads to re-assess the acoustic parameters within the space.

The original design specified chain suspensions for the Outline cabinets, but this set-up had to be abandoned because the winch loads were too heavy for the cabinets flown at two to four metres from the suspension points. Outline’s representative in Russia, Alexander Klinushkin, suggested fitting the cabinets into a custom rigging construction made with metal plates and bars. The whole construction was then hung by chains from the girders and the purlins.

The audio configuration within the Kazan Arena comprised a combination of Outline and TOA products. Komis installed 24 Outline Spectra II 9075 wide-range, two-way active loudspeakers and 48 Outline Tripla II 9075 full-range, three-way active loudspeakers powered by 31 Outline T Nine amplifiers with KAESOP Ethernet card, all connected to five Outline Genius M412 matrices.

Furthermore, three TOA D-2000 rack-mounted digital mixing processor units work in combination with two TOA D-2012C remote console units with fader panels, one housed in the control room and the other is for remote use in the stands. Also from TOA was an SX-2000 system, which consisted in a single SX-2000AI audio input unit, four SX-2000AO audio output units and an SX-2000SM System Manager.

The weather conditions also posed considerable problems for the installation of the audio system, which took place in late autumn, when the temperature varies between 3º and -15º in Kazan. Komis had to work out a high-altitude method of rigging the cabinets in these conditions, a process made particularly complex by the stands in the Kazan Arena, which vary in height between 43-metres and 52 metres.

Another problem posed during the installation process was maintaining the hanging altitude and step of the loudspeakers as specified in the original design.

In practice, the height of the girders and purlins varied from the measurements in the initial plan; engineers had to measure the girders, the purlins and the hanging points of the brackets to geometrically recalculate the optimum set-up.

According to Komis’ Sergey, the completion of the audio system is a significant achievement for the company: “This installation will go down in our company’s history and in that of Outline as well, since the system has been installed at Kazan Arena, the first stadium built in Russia that will host the Football World Championship in 2018.” www.outline.it

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040 REPORT

Image courtesy of Laser-Kinetics

KAZAN A R E NA

Company: Coherent, Laser-Kinetics Multimedia Location: Kazan, Russia

The largest of several sports venues purpose-built for the 2013 Summer Universiade, the Kazan Arena mainly hosted football matches during the competition. It was also the setting for the Universiade’s opening and closing ceremonies, which featured live music and visual effects, including a ‘magic sphere’ centrepiece with laser effects projected from the inside of a transparent PVC sphere.

With their unmatched ability to project a bright beam and multi-coloured graphics over large distances, lasers are ideal for use as part of vivid audio-visual shows in large indoor arenas and outdoor sports stadiums. The opening ceremony of the 2013 Summer Universiade in the newly constructed Kazan Arena was designed to be a spectacle where lasers played a key visual role.

The multimedia show was created by Moscow-based Laser-Kinetics, one of the few Russian-based companies with experience in both laser projection and water effects, particularly for larger venues. Compared to smaller installations, big stadiums need bigger audiovisual elements; at the heart of the 2013 Summer Universiade’s Opening Ceremony was a large, eight-metre diameter PVC sphere, referred to as the ‘magic sphere’.

Located at the centre of the show, the sphere was suspended in a way that allowed it to move and rotate during the ceremony. Eight laser projectors from LaserAnimation were set inside a three-metre diameter sphere, which was itself placed within this larger sphere. The lasers were arranged to project their beams radially out towards the inner surface of the spheres. The purpose of this unique setup, a concept concieved by Laser-Kinetics, was to create the brightest possible graphics on the sphere by having light directed out towards the audience. Equally important from a safety perspective, by scattering the light on both the inner and outer spheres, as well as carefully focusing the laser, Laser-Kinetics was able to

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eliminate any risk of laser beams directly reaching the audience.

Four of the projectors used were LaserAnimation Blitz Basics, each equipped with two Coherent Taipan lasers rated at 10W each. The other four projectors were also LaserAnimation Blitz Basics, but these were each powered by a single 10W Coherent Taipan laser. Although Taipan lasers are available with a full choice of colours, in red, green, blue and yellow, all of the lasers used in this project were at the same green 532nm wavelength.

Green lasers were chosen for their ability to emphasise spectacularly intense levels of brightness, with 120W of single-colour laser power rather than full-colour laser effects. In addition to all of these lasers, Laser-Kinetics also relied on its water-effect expertise to incorporate 70 single jet water fountains, a combination of 30 Kollektor-type ‘effect’ fountains and 10 ‘special’ fountains, all driven by a massive 440kW water pump system.

Coherent Taipan lasers are based on third-generation, optically pumped semiconductor laser (OPSL) technology, which is characterised by all solid-state reliability as well as high electrical efficiency. Such efficiency is important because it minimises the heat loading produced by each laser head; in first generation light show lasers, over 99% of electrical power was converted into heat. With all the laser projectors confined to a closed plastic sphere measuring only three metres in diameter, heat loading was an even more important consideration than in typical displays, where the lasers are operated in an open environment.

According to Laser-Kinetics, the Blitz projector and Taipan laser combination provided three key benefits for the high-profile show, namely reliability, compact packaging, and electrical efficiency. “Laser reliability is very important in any light show, but unlike at an amusement park where occasional glitches may be accepted, reliability is absolutely vital in one time events like this opening ceremony. You only get one chance to do it right, so 100% reliability is needed; even 99.9% is not good enough.” www.coherent.com / www.lk-media.ru

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042 REPORT

S O CH I 2014 WINT E R OLY M PI C GAMES Company: Avolites, Avolites Media Location: Sochi, Russia Featuring 7,000 performers, the Closing Ceremony at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics was directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca. It took place in the Fisht Olympic Stadium, under an ‘LED Forest of Light’ made up of 204 12-metre LED tubes and powered by an Avolites Ai S6 server and Tiger Touch II console.

All of the LED tubes, designed and custom-built by Tait Technologies, boasted a 360º viewing angle, which enabled both the 46,000 spectators and the global television audience to see the same effect; when a countdown to mark the end of the Games, which appeared on the screens above the stands, hit zero, everybody could see the LED Forest explode into bright colours.

Content creator Immersive programmed and pixel-mapped the 240 individual LED rods, utilising Ai’s 3D stage interface to visualise the installation. Lead operator for the project was Avolites Media’s, Ciaran Abrams, supported by Martin Harvey from Immersive.

“The 204 moving LED tubes required an incredible amount of raw computing power from the S6 Server, and it performed flawlessly,” said Ciaran. “The fact that one single machine was able to power the whole forest and deal with a multitude of tasks is still quite astonishing.

Ciaran and his team generated new model, texture and fixture data for every frame, processed information about column position and manipulated how the

Company: DiGiCo Location: Sochi, Russia Director of Auditoria, Scott Willsallen was Audio Director and Designer for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in which DiGiCo played a part, at the 40,000-seat Fisht Olympic Stadium.

For the primary stages of planning, Scott was engaged by the Ceremonies Staging Agency. CSA contracted Five Currents to deliver the Olympic Ceremonies and World Wide Shows to deliver the Paralympics, who then brought Scott in for the

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video was portrayed on the forest for each individual tube, a process which had to be repeated 204 times.

“This amount of processing power would not have been possible on a lesser machine, we were really pushing the boundaries of what a computer can do,” added Ciaran. Suppliers Tait Technologies employed the Ai S6 server for the project.

“Access to the S6 server was a massive help, not only in Sochi, but also when using for pre-visualisation in London, where the creative team were able to see and experiment with all content before the event,” continued Ciaran. “When using it for pre-visualisation we were using four or five outputs to give the content team the best understanding of how the forest could look and what we could do to facilitate their creative ideas.”

With the Ai server controlling all of the content and volumetric distribution, the Avolites Tiger Touch II console’s cue list was able to control playback of video clips and ArtNet levels assigned to playback faders, allowing manual control of video effects. Additionally, the Tiger Touch II gave instant adjustment of fixture intensity to balance levels for the events live cameras.

Immersive’s Mark Calvert concurred: “The Ai visualiser enabled the show designers, content houses, programmers and technicians to work remotely on the project and still see the installation within the same 3D model of the stadium. The 3D visualiser enabled ideas to evolve in a real-time 3D space and in a number of cases has helped visualise and deliver some world-first achievements. The visualiser makes realising a design a tactile, easy to navigate, real-time experience.” www.avolites.com / www.avolitesmedia.com

delivery stage of the project.

Italian company Agorà of L’Aquila won the bid to provide the audio equipment and 34-strong team of specialists, who would install and manage the set-up, including nine containers of equipment. No newcomer to Olympic events, Agorà previously supplied equipment, logistic support and technical staff for similar ceremonies at the 2006 Turin Olympics.

“The console network at Sochi was quite similar to London 2012. FOH, monitors and main broadcast each had a pair of mirrored SD7 consoles, one of which was connected to the Optocore network via Madi, the other to DiGiCo SD Racks, also via Madi,” Scott explained. “Using Madi as the connectivity for all consoles makes mirroring the SD7s really easy and ensures 100% fail-safety not only on the mixing systems, but also the signal transport networks.”

Manned by Richard Sharrat, the FOH consoles were at the northern end of the show control rooms on Level Five. The monitor consoles were located adjacent to the patch room on Level Three, under the control of Agorà’s Umberto Polidori.

Next door to the Olympic Broadcast Service trucks, Andy Rose headed up the broadcast facility. Griff Hewis, who controlled two mirrored SD11 consoles, connected to the network, also looked after the ‘atmos’ sub-mix - the 5.1 audio was mixed with stereo crowd mixes to obtain the sonic environment of the venue.

Auditoria’s, Justin Arthur configured the consoles’ audio and data networking, while Daniele Tramontani acted as Agorà’s Senior System Engineer at both ceremonies. Audio Consultant Bobby Aitken worked with Scott to EQ the Olympics’ system, along with Richard Sharratt, who was EQing stems received from the music department. Seven SD11 surfaces were deployed alongside the main consoles and used as a monitoring interface for the replay team, patch engineer and RF engineer.

“One big issue faced was the transportation of the broadcast audio facility, which was unable to be freighted directly from Rome to Sochi, so we had a very brief period to dismantle the truck, pack the equipment for air freight and build the facility into portable cabins, which were acoustically treated on-site while the equipment was being pushed through customs,” Scott said, talking about the challenges faced in organising such a big event. “This was accomplished in just three days - a great job by all concerned!” www.digico.biz

REPORT 043

Company: Optocore Location: Sochi, Russia The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games drew to an end with a spectacular Closing ceremony in Sochi’s newly constructed, 42,500-capacity Fisht Olympic Stadium.

Auditoria’s Scott Willsallen, Audio Director of Opening and Closing Ceremonies, designed the technological infrastructure for both spectacles. Auditoria also provided the design and operational team, as well as Audio Consultant Bobby Aitken.

Scott placed all of the transmission onto a 24-node Optocore dual redundant ring, working with two different creative teams to fulfil different objectives. Where the Opening Ceremony, designed by Konstantic Ernst and directed by Andrei Boltenko, was operatic and cultural, the Closing Ceremony, directed by Italian Daniele Finzi Pasca, was lively and festive, featuring nearly 800 performers to represent centuries of Russian history.

Touring specialists Agorà, under Project Manager Giulio Rovelli, were chosen by Scott to design the routing topography, including separate networks for broadcast and live. They purchased large quantities of energy-efficient Optocore R Series AES-EBU and Madi interfaces from Italian distributors Audiosales, adding Optocore devices including the DD32R-FX, DD4MR-FX, X6R-FX and TP, and X6P/X6 AD/DA converters to their inventory. This connectivity formed the hub of an audio infrastructure which, in addition to the fibre signal transport, involved custom RF solutions and LAN networking across a coverage area measuring up to 4,200-metres.

Optocore was able to matrix a high channel count over such a distance, owing to the dual redundancy and robustness that makes it reliable; the company’s 2.21 protocol enabled 2GB bandwidth operation, and was crucial to meeting the requirement of a high channel count. By using all 24 IDs, Agorà could exploit the maximum capacity of the fibre ring. The deployment of TP (Twisted Pair) devices provided a Cat5 extension to expand the I/O of the field nodes as required.

Auditoria’s, Justin Arthur, Senior Systems Engineer for both the London and Sochi Olympic ceremonies, adopted a similar approach to the one taken in 2012. The exception to this was fielding the new L-Acoustics K2 system; Optocore sent AES feeds to 230 of the new enclosures, arranged in different hangs, as part of a massive L-Acoustics PA deployment.

Company: Renkus-Heinz Location: Sochi, Russia For the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, a dozen new world-class venues had been specially erected and outfitted with high-performance audio, video and lighting systems.

Moscow’s Avallon designed and installed multiple Renkus-Heinz systems in five Olympic venues, including the Iceberg Stadium, home to the figure skating and short track competitions. As Avallon President, Sergey Vashchenko explained, it was the most challenging of the installations.

“Since music is such an important part of the performance, figure skating competitions have some of the most stringent sound requirements,” said Sergey. “Even after working with the building’s designers to reduce the reverb time from 7.5 to

The field nodes were all analogue in / AES out and control nodes were Madi I/O at the FOH console, where Richard Sharratt mixed the sound. Field inputs were passively split into A (Optocore) and B (analogue) networks. DiGiCo consoles output via Madi to Optocore with full analogue back-up.

DiGiCo SD7s at FOH and monitors were duplicated on the B network, which featured SD7B and SD11B broadcast desks. The broadcast ring tied the main system to the OB truck of Delta Media, another Optocore partner, for all necessary I/O. They also delivered downstream mixes of playback, live and atmos microphones for the broadcast of the Ceremonies to OBS (Olympic Broadcast Services), with Andy Rose mixing the broadcast sound.

“As for the creative teams I try and understand the different needs for each show.

Both Andrei Boltenko and Konstantin Ernst were very clear in what they wanted and were straightforward in expressing it.” Some of the more complex work had involved providing discreet speaker system for a 21-second sound effect to accompany the entrance of a train and mechanical horse, and then for a seven second high impact sound effect to add theatricality on another occasion. “It was this attention to detail that was important,” he said. www.optocore.com

3.2 seconds, we still knew we needed to create a system with great performance and tight pattern control to keep the reflections under control.”

Eight Renkus-Heinz CEM61 and CEM62 high power, mid-high modules cover the audience seating, with eight CE-3TLO subwoofers covering low frequency reinforcement. The systems are hung around a central Media-LCD display, while 10 CT7M TRAP boxes provide music to the skaters on the ice.

“During the EASE acoustic modeling phase, we looked at a number of options, including more traditional line arrays,” Sergey continued. “But we were not happy with the difference in sound quality between the audience and the ice. Moreover, there was some concern that a line array might block the sightlines for some of the upper-level seating. The optimal solution was to mount all the loudspeakers on the video screen frameworks, and the Renkus-Heinz CEM and CT series speakers offered coverage patterns that suited this arrangement very well.”

Power and signal processing for the systems was provided by Dynacord DSA-series multichannel amplifiers and P64 matrix processors. Amplifiers and DSP were located within the signage frameworks to reduce cable runs and assure low impedance. Audio signal was fed via fibre from the Stage Tec Auratux 16-T2Z digital console. “We assembled the entire system within the framework while it was on the ground, which made things a bit easier,” added Sergey.

Consultant Yury Indlin from ADI carried out acoustical measurements, while Sergey designed the system, and Avallon’s Vladislav Azarov took control of installation and commissioning. “During the competition, sound levels are limited to 85-87dB,” said Sergey. “But during testing we were able to achieve levels of 103dB, with even coverage across the entire facility.”

In the Fisht Stadium, home of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Avallon installed six Iconyx IC7-II mechanically steered array systems in the VIP lobby, as well as a pair of PNX-82 two-way complex conic loudspeakers in the press centre.

Elsewhere, the training centres for hockey and figure skating were both outfitted with multiple TRX151 two-way systems. www.renkus-heinz.com

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044 REPORT

ESTÁDIO M I NEI R ÃO Company: Community Professional Location: Minas Gerais, Brazil Community Professional loudspeaker systems were installed in three stadia for the FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, including the Estádio Mineirão. Soundvision Engineering, the largest professional audio and video contract integrator in Brazil, was commissioned to design and install the audio systems by Emílio Miranda of Johnson Controls Brazil, the contract holder for Estádio Mineirão.

Antonio Tadeu Torquato and Leandro Freire, respectively CEO and New Business Manager at Soundvision, carried out an extensive evaluation of loudspeaker systems that would provide the best solution for the arena. They concluded that Community’s loudspeakers, proven for all-weather reliability, well-defined coverage and high intelligibility, were ideal.

Post-installation performance analysis measurements made in the arena by Fer-

Image © BARTKRESA Design

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nando Gargantini, Soundvision’s Systems Manager, and Dave Howden, Community’s Technical Director, showed that the system performance met specification and provided good coverage.

The main system configuration consisted of 24 clusters, each featuring four or five R2 loudspeakers. In total, the system uses 24 Community R2-52s, 24 R2-694s, six R2-94s, four R2-77s and 48 R2-474 loudspeakers. Fed by processors and amplifiers located in five technical room, these units communicate through CobraNet with D-link redundancy and BSS-BLU processors. The system is connected to the arena’s fire alarm system, enabling the distribution of live and pre-recorded messages for mass notification or emergency evacuation.

Following the success of the Estádio Mineirão sound system, Soundvision was appointed for two further World Cup stadia, Arena de Sao Paulo and Arena Amazonia, which were also fitted with Community R-Series loudspeaker systems.

Arena de Sao Paulo is located in Carmosina, Sao Paulo. Anibal Coutinho, the Main Architect, designed the stadium specifically for this year’s FIFA World Cup. The local organising committee specified a seating capacity of 65,000; during the World Cup, 21,160 temporary seats supplemented the normal capacity of 48,234 to satisfy these requirements.

To provide coverage for Arena de Sao Paulo, Soundvision completed the design and installation of a system using 16 Community R2-94s, 16 R2-694s and 16 R2-77 loudspeakers.

Arena Amazonia, formerly the Estadio Vivaldao, is located in the city of Manaus in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. A sustainable stadium project, it will provide an important legacy for the region and play its part in helping to preserve the diversity of the Amazonian rainforest.

As well as seating for 42,377 spectators, the Arena Amazonia is served by dedicated bus and monorail services, and features restaurants and underground parking. Soundvision provided the system within the Arena, using 64 Community R2-474s and 76 R.25-94T loudspeakers. By hosting cultural events and concerts, the stadiums aims to attract tourists after the tournament. www.communitypro.com

REPORT 045

MADISO N SQUA R E GA RD E N Company: Daktronics Location: New York, USA Madison Square Garden, New York’s iconic indoor arena, has recently completed a three-year, US$1bn transformation undertaken to provide fans with an improved experience. Central to the upgrade is a centre-hung GardenVision multimedia display from Daktronics, which serves as the centrepiece of the arena’s LED video display system.

Among the many technological advancements in the arena, is a new one-of-a-kind GardenVision system, featuring the industry’s most dynamic multimedia display with a unique circular design and stunning image clarity, guaranteeing fans all around the arena will get to experience the magic and excitement of The Garden up-close and in high-definition.

The GardenVision unit comprises 24 individual HD LED displays, which are curved to mirror the circular design of the Garden and provide maximum visibility to all seating positions. The scoreboard features LED displays on the inside-bottom for those seated in the lower sections. The main video displays are capable of showing one large image to highlight live video and instant replays, and can be divided into separate screens, to show a variety of vivid graphics, colourful animations, up-tothe-minute statistics, scoring information and promotional videos.

“The curvature of the main video displays offers Madison Square Garden something that’s never really been done before in this type of application,” Jay Parker, Vice President of Daktronics Live Events, explained. “It’s very unique and fitting for this venue. The underside displays serve as additional space for any form of content and really exemplify how different this display system is from every other venue in the United States.”

The four main video displays measure 4.8-metres tall by 8.5-metres wide, and are situated beneath four auxiliary video displays measuring two-metres by 8.8-me-

tres wide. The corners of GardenVision contain four curved displays matching the height of the main video displays, along with four more curved displays matching the height of the auxiliary displays to create a full circular video board.

The inside-bottom screens will provide the latest statistics and game information, as well as replays. The top of GardenVision contains an ID ring consisting of a backlit LED panel that is more than half a metre tall and circles the entire top of the structure. The scoreboard can also be lowered and expanded for different events.

“Stadia must compete with the at home experience,” Lane Munson, Daktronics Product Manager, pointed out. “This immersive solution provides the entertainment and information that fans have come to expect in their own homes but it also adds the unmatched excitement of attending the game in person.”

The GardenVision system includes three LED displays on both the north and south end of the new Chase Bridges, featuring a combination of video and game statistics, as well as four long, curved ribbon displays on two different levels of the seating bowl. For basketball games, there will be seven sections of LED table displays on the sidelines, which can be connected to showcase further statistics, marketing partners, and to promote upcoming events. www.daktronics.com

PANDIT JAWA H A R L A L N E H RU S TA D I U M Company: Dataton Location: Goa, India The third edition of the Lusofonia Games, or Portuguese Commonwealth Games, brought 12 Portuguese-speaking countries together in sporting competition. Projection Designer, Bart Kresa of Bartkresa Design, made use of visuals to electrify the event’s opening ceremony. The show made use of 40 Christie projectors and 18 Watchout servers across the arena floor.

Bartkresa Design collaborated with Audio Design and sister company Video Design, Dataton’s partner in India, for the opening ceremony at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa. The Watchout system, technical support and expertise was provided by Video Design, whilst Audio Design sourced the 40 20K Christie projectors. Along with large-scale projection mapping, spectators enjoyed live performances, laser and lighting effects, and fireworks.

“The opening ceremony received rave reviews all round, with the Times of India

calling it a glittering and rollicking start to the Games,” commented Vijay Sabhlok, Managing Director at Video Design. “This is the biggest projection staged in India and was seen by a capacity crowd of 22,000 in the stadium. We could not have wished for a more appreciative and enthusiastic audience.”

The visuals were displayed on six towers of projectors installed around the stadium to cover the vast projection area. “Creating the projections in Goa was very challenging but with the full support of Video Design and Vijay in particular, together we have created something special,” said Bart.

“We know that Watchout is a great product and this just underscores what it can do when you add outstanding creativity and technical knowhow to the equation,” said Lars Sandlund, COO at Dataton. “Hats off to all the people, companies and technology involved in this amazing event.” www.dataton.com

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046 REPORT

RO GE RS A RE N A Company: L-Acoustics Location: Vancouver, Canada The installation at 18,890-capacity Rogers Arena needed to be set up to an extremely tight deadline, just prior to the start of Vancouver’s NHL season home opening match. It also had to be agile enough to cover a planned architectural expansion. SoundVision allowed the system rigging to be implemented and fully documented ahead of time. At the same time, the system was zoned to provide coverage for the new press box seating and expansion zones.

The audio system in the Rogers Arena comprises 78 L-Acoustics dV-Dosc WST line arrays in combination with 12 L-Acoustics dV-SUB and 16 L-Acoustics SB28 subwoofers, all of which are powered by 23 L-Acoustics LA8 amplifiers.

System tuning and alignment using the advanced preset library was incredibly fast using LA8 controlled amplifiers and LA Network Manager software. The system, including rigging, cabling, and amplifier racks, was installed over a three-day period. System commissioning on day four was completed in time for the NHL Season opener, and the results were dramatic. The new system has provided a high level of impact suitable for sports and other events. www.l-acoustics.com

SWISS P O R A R E NA Company: AD-Systems Location: Luzern, Switzerland The Swisspor Arena is a newly constructed football stadium in Luzern, Switzerland, and the new home of local football club FC Luzern. The venue accommodates 16,000 people for international matches and can admit 20,000 for concerts. As a multipurpose event location, reverberation time within the arena was optimised using constructive measures to ensure that the Swisspor Arena is technically and architecturally on par with latest standards and fulfills the A+ Classifications of FIFA, which is the highest international requirement for stadiums of its kind.

The technical part of the sound reinforcement system and the stadium screen was handled by John Lay Solutions, while Avidec played a key role in the audio side of the installation.

After consulting the opinion of independent experts, the final concept was developed, in which the AD-Systems Stium was specified. The product was at this point brand new, and thus made its international debut in the stadium.

“We had a good acoustic environment owing to the architectonical optimisations which had been undertaken, so we needed a loudspeaker system with an absolute accurate dispersion and a very high sensitivity,” explained Jörg Steiger, General Manager of Avidec. “We found both characteristics in the AD-Systems Stium,

www.mondodr.com

and we are pleased to say that all FIFA regulations in regards to headroom and coverage have been met and exceeded. The result is an absolute even coverage, with an STI up to 0.68.”

A long-time AD-Systems partner, Promedias took care of the delivery of the Stiums and the subsequent support for Avidec and John Lay Productions. “The owner of the arena asked for the loudspeakers to be painted a special colour in order to match the architecture. Despite the tight schedule, AD-Systems was able to satisfy these demands within a short period of time,” he continued.

On the straights and curves of the stadium, Avidec AG installed 70 Stium hornloaded high-power loudspeaker. Since the VIP area is equipped with a large glass surface, 19 pieces of AD Systems’ iFlex10 direct radiating loudspeakers were implemented to supplement the main system. This part of the sound system can be individually levelled to give VIP guests their own customised audio experience.

Two 4X700 and 10 4X1400 multichannel amplifiers from Bittner Audio powered the system in concert with four Bittner Audio SXL II line-monitoring interfaces and five Audiomatrix ne8800mc digital signal processors from Ashly Audio. Cabling was supplied by Promedias, and comprised 7km of SP215FE180, 4904m of SP216FE180 and 1050m of SP260FRNC speaker cable, as well as 1km of MIK1P2022FRNC microphone cable. The installed speaker system will be also used for evacuation announcements, while the whole system adheres to Norm EN60849 and EN54 standards. www.ad-systems.com

REPORT 047

BAN G B O N SPO R TS C E N T RE Company: FBT Location: Bangkok, Thailand

FBT’s Thai distributor, Star Electronic Sales & Service, has recently completed an installation in the Bang Bon Sports Centre, which includes several sporting facilities, including a swimming pool, gym and football terrain.

For the pool, six FBT Shadow 112CT and eight Shadow 108CT all-weather loudspeakers, and two FBT Jolly 5RA powered loudspeakers have been installed.

These are controlled by two FBT DLM 26 digital loudspeaker management units, and powered by three FBT Symbol 12000 and three Kempton KA802 amplifiers.

The gym space was covered by two more FBT DLM 26s to take care of loudspeaker processing, controlling 12 FBT Shadow 108CT and two FBT Jolly 5RA loudspeakers, with power coming from four Kempton KA802 amplifiers.

“This sport complex is the first sport project that the Bangkok Metropolitan Management (BMB) has built the young people to allow them to exercise in the outskirts of Bangkok,” explained Mr Saengchai Chavanaittinant, Senior Vice President of Marketing.

FBT products were also used to adequately equip the football stadium. Powered by another four FBT Symbol 12000’s, in tandem with four FBT Symbol 18000 amplifiers, are eight FBT Shadow 142L, four FBT Shadow 112HC, FBT Shadow 112CT loudspeakers. Along with these, two FBT Jolly RA loudspeakers were installed, and all of these were run through another two FBT DLM 26 digital loudspeaker management units.

“The BMB plans to build few more sport complexes in other areas of Bangkok during this year, and we will be able to propose FBT equipment to install in the new coming projects, because the quality of FBT sound has proved to be satisfactory for the management of BMB Group,” concluded Saengchai. www.fbt.it

HAZ ZA B I N ZAY E D STA D I U M Company: LSI International Location: Al Ain City, UAE During the construction of the new Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, LSI International was selected to develop the stadium’s façade lighting solution. The arena, which can seat 25,000 and covers an area of 45,000 sq metres, is one of the tallest structures in Al Ain City.

The outer shell of the stadium is comprised of over 600 individual panels designed to resemble the trunk of the palm tree. Each panel is illuminated using a custom version of the LSI International shockwave video lighting system. The lighting of each panel can be independently controlled, and can display different colours and design patterns to reflect the ambience of special events; recently, the external façade displayed colours re-creating the UAE flag.

“LSI International designed a custom interface that allows the venue to interact with specific events like goals, halftime, and other events; essentially the video lighting allows the Stadium to express itself by creating beautiful colours, patterns and movement,” explained Jonathan Labbee, COO of LSI International.

LSI International worked alongside a great team of professional companies such as Pattern Design, BAM International, and ETA to bring the vision of the Hazza Bin Zayed stadium to life. www.lsii.com #33015 - DS8000 Ad Mondo_Layout 02/07/2013 09:56 Page 1

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048 REPORT

AL L IANZ R I V I E R A Company: Electro-Voice, Dynacord Location: Nice, France The new Allianz Riviera arena in Nice is the first stadium in Europe to comply in full with the new EN 54 standard, which is mandatory in France. The 35,000-seater stadium, which is one of the venues scheduled to host the European Football Championship in 2016, has been equipped with certified audio equipment from Electro-Voice, Dynacord and Bosch. French system integration experts Manganelli Technology performed the installation.

“The invitation to tender for the Allianz Riviera installation stipulated that the sound reinforcement needs of the stadium - from voice alarm to live concerts - should be satisfied by an integrated system complying with EN 54,” said Jean Marandet, Product and Service Manager with EVI Audio France.

The intelligibility levels prescribed by the system norms and stadium standards had to be met and homogeneous sound pressure levels achieved throughout the stadium. In the planning phase, using simulation software and a three-dimensional spatial model, all the required parameters of the sound reinforcement system were calculated and the installation planned accordingly with Electro-Voice loudspeakers from the EV-Innovation series.

“The greatest challenge was the programming of all safety-relevant aspects via the IRIS-Net software platform. The assistance provided by Technical Support in the Straubing headquarters of Bosch Communications Systems was of enormous help to us in this task,” explained Jean, emphasising that “IRIS-Net is the nerve centre of the installation: without the unbelievable programming possibilities it offers, it would have been impossible to implement such a complex sound reinforcement solution.”

The solution involves dividing up the Allianz Riviera into a total of 26 zones: six for the grandstands, one for the pitch and the rest for the indoor areas. The loud-

DALIAN STA D I UM Company: Ledika Location: Liaoning province, China The National People’s Games were held at the Dalian Stadium, located in Liaoning Province, China. For the event, Ledika equipped the stadium with an aluminium lighting truss, 200 metres of 76cm by 96cm aluminium screw plate truss, and 145 metres of 30cm by 30cm screw truss. They also installed three identical ceiling structures of 32.95 metres by 17.73 metres, one in each of the basketball, tennis hall and training hall spaces.

According to preliminary design, an iron structure truss would be placed in the stadium, but recommended beam stress parametres set out by the Sports Venue Design Institute suggested that this structure could be a safety concern. Ledika recommended that the stadium’s planning team implement an aluminium structure truss, which is dramatically lighter weight, which would enable the team to adhere to safety recommendations.

Each section of customised aluminium screw plate truss, which is 200 metres in length, is U-shaped and can withstand more than 1,800kg, providing a hanging weight sufficient enough to satisfy the venue’s needs. The aluminium frame has 19 hanging points, each of which features a five-tonne electric hoist.

The 19 lifting hoists are all connected to a central controller, which is capable of single leveling as well as synchronous lifting. The controller features switch protection that provides a simple and safe operation. www.ledika.com

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speaker systems are fed at five different points by one main and four sub-racks containing the digital matrices and multi-channel amplifiers. All the racks are linked with one another via two redundant fibre-optic networks. These boast a ‘turbo ring’ feature designed to ensure that in the event of a connection failure between two racks, the integrity of the network will be restored in less than 20 milliseconds.

EVH loudspeakers, which are already performing in a number of stadiums worldwide, were chosen for the stadium. Thanks to the wide variety of available models, with their differing coverage patterns, EVH loudspeakers are designed to adapt to the sound reinforcement demands of the installation in question. Their coaxial, horn-loaded system design allows them to achieve at the same time high sound pressure levels and good intelligibility.

Away from the playing area, loudspeakers from Electro-Voice and Bosch provide for optimal sound. 35 Electro-Voice ZX1i-100T loudspeakers cover the surrounds and approaches to the stadium. In the passages, changing rooms and bars, over 450 Bosch LC1-WM06E8 ceiling loudspeakers and 400 Bosch LP1-UC10 unidirectional sound projectors set the tone.

Digital signal processing is provided by N8000 digital matrices from Electro-Voice.

The whole installation is powered by 19 CPS 4.10 and 15 CPS 8.5 amplifiers from Electro-Voice, all equipped with RCM-810 remote control modules. In the lounge areas of the stadium, six PWS-4 wall panels from Electro-Voice allow users to select at the push of a button between different sources, such as mobile CD players, wireless microphones and mixing consoles.

For the evacuation system, which is connected, Jean and his team again relied on equipment from Bosch Communications Systems. They selected one Dynacord ProMatrix 8016 digital matrix and five Dynacord DPC 8015 paging consoles, along with two DPC 8120 paging console extensions. Seven DCS 400 base units, capable of hosting a control module or several relay modules, cater to the sound reinforcement needs of the new stadium in case of emergency. www.electrovoice.com

“I LOVE FOOTBALL” (MARIO TITO, STADIUM ANNOUNCER)

AND EV-INNOVATION LOUDSPEAKERS HELP TO ENJOY THE GAME

MARIO TITO HAS ONE MISSION: ENTERTAINMENT. THE ANNOUNCER GETS SPECTATORS FIRED UP AT THE ITAIPAVA ARENA FONTE NOVA IN SALVADOR DE BAHIA, BRAZIL. TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE CAN HEAR HIM AND ENJOY THE STADIUM SPIRIT, MARIO HAS TO RELY ON HIS LOUDSPEAKERS. The EV-Innovation family of loudspeakers was specifically designed to meet the diverse requirements of installed sound systems. Four distinct product lines provide system designers with complementary building blocks to address the needs of a wide range of venues and acoustical challenges. Proven in thousands of installations around the world, the EV-Innovation family of loudspeakers is one of the most comprehensive in the industry.

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Discover Mario’s whole story: www.bosch.com/en/brazil Learn more: www.electrovoice.com/evinnovation

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050 REPORT

HDI ARE NA Company: Kling & Freitag Location: Hannover, Germany Over the past months, football club Hannover 96 has upgraded the old sound system in the HDI Arena to be one of the most powerful and most modern in the entire Bundesliga.

The project was launched in the summer of 2013, together with the Hanover-based loudspeaker manufacturer Kling & Freitag. Following an intensive planning phase, the first sound systems were installed in November on the east stand of the HDI Arena. Over the next few months, all of the other loudspeakers and amplifiers in the 49,000-seat home stadium of Hanover were gradually replaced.

The upgrade means the step up from a pure voice system, which was primarily designed for making security announcements, to a quality event sound system with optimised music quality and speech intelligibility.

“The result is really worth listening to and will certainly be loved by the Hannover 96 fans,” said Christian Martin, Technical Director of the HDI Arena, who was responsible for the project at Hannover 96. “With the upgrade, we very much hope that we can contribute to making the atmosphere during our home games, which

is already great, that bit better. Our special thanks go to the colleagues at Kling & Freitag for the very good, trustworthy and highly professional collaboration.”

The Hanover manufacturer provided a total of 43 Kling & Freitag Sequenza 10 line array systems for the lower tier, as well as 74 Kling & Freitag Sequenza 5 line array systems for the upper tier. The modern line array elements - which were actually designed for live concerts - were slightly modified for continuous operation at the stadium.

Kling & Freitag products have promised high quality standards since even before Expo 2000 and the Bregenz Festival. “We are particularly pleased with the smooth progress in implementing the sound concept, which was mainly distinguished through the high degree of cooperation and perfect interaction of all those involved,” concluded Lars Heinrich, Sales & Marketing Manager at Kling & Freitag.

www.kling-freitag.biz

F U E N T E S A N LUIS Company: Lynx Pro Audio Location: Valencia, Spain The final of this year’s basketball Eurocup, between Russia’s Unics Kazan and Spain’s Valencia Basketball, took place over two legs and featured a Lynx Pro Audio LX-V8 v-configuration, front-loaded line array system. Fuente San Luis in Valencia, where the first leg was played, was full to its 9,000-person capacity for the game. The audio equipment was flown under the centre marker, where six LX-V8’s were hung around an aluminium frame. Each of the LX-V8 boxes have the capacity for Ethernet control, meaning the OCS control software could regulate the settings in each zone. In total, 20 LX-V8 units were used in the pavilion for the sound reinforcement. The LX-V8 enclosure is a compact, two-way line array, which is self-powered by a Class-D switch mode power supply. It uses two eight-inch neodymium transducers with Nomex cones, along with two one-inch, high-frequency neodymium magnet drivers with titanium diaphragm and individual wave guide. It is DSP-controlled, via FIR technology, with a 1.5kW amplification and 134db SPL, while each box also includes a built-in inclinometer.

Guillermo Tébar, Sound Rngineer for Sonovideo, the company which carried out the installation, talked about his experience with the Lynx line array: “This is possibly the best sound we’ve done in Fuente San Luis for this type of event.

“Not only is this true for the general sound of the system, but for real-time management, as well as the incredible coverage achieved for such a small amount of cabinets. We were able to control levels independently per box, allowing us to adjust them to cover corresponding seating, covering all areas of the pavilion with a crisp and uniform sound.” www.lynxproaudio.com

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052 REPORT

Image courtesy of Tour Photographer Marcello Ambriz

LANXESS A R ENA Company: Robert Juliat Location: Cologne, Germany Robert Juliat’s Lancelot followspots have been chosen to illuminate a prestigious international venue in Germany’s Lanxess Arena, in Cologne, which recently acquired four of the fixtures.

The 20,000-seat Lanxess Arena is Europe’s largest contemporary, multi-functional indoor arena and is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, which was reinforced by the purchase of Robert Juliat 4kW HTI Lancelot followspots provided

by Robert Juliat’s long-term German distributor, Lightpower.

The arena has played host to a string of top international performers that include Paul McCartney, Sting, Whitney Houston, Eric Clapton and Luciano Pavarotti, and staged spectacular large-scale shows like Holiday on Ice, Carmen, Nabucco and Riverdance. It has also been the scene of a number of sporting events.

Robert Juliat’s Lancelot followspot offers 4kW of crisp, flat beam, along with a narrow 2°-5° variable zoom, and an extremely powerful output. As well as ergo-

nomic features, designed with the operator in mind, the fixture provides good heat management and modular accessories including progressive effect and colour changing, diffusion and colour correction, and an optional gobo changer.

“When Lanxess approached us with their requirements, we knew that Lancelot was the obvious choice for this multi-purpose, high profile venue,” explained Lightpower’s, Bjoern Gaentzsch. “Lancelot has the muscle to cover the distance, the reliability always to put in a top performance and the flexibility to do whatever is required of it.”

Performances from Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue, Michael Bublé and Bryan Adams are some of the shows lined up at Lanxess for later this year that will benefit from the new fixtures.

S TADE A M A H O R O

Located in Eastern Kigali, the Stade Amahoro is the largest stadium in Rwanda.

It is a multi-purpose venue, which hosts major sporting events and concerts throughout the year. The stadium also provides the country with a place to congregate for all-important football matches and public meetings. In 2011, the government embarked upon a multi-year renovation to the stadium; by 2016, the seating will increase from 30,000 to 50,000. As a part of the renovation, the stadium required a permanent full-range audio system for speeches, announcements and foreground music. ProSound, a professional audio and lighting distribution company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, was called upon to design and install a new system that would meet specific requirements, including acoustic performance, a weatherproof design that would provide longevity in a tropical climate and the ability to meet the budget, which was limited. Long-time users of One Systems direct weather loudspeaker systems, ProSound decided to install a distributed system consisting of 112IM full weather loudspeakers.

“One Systems loudspeakers sound great - using them in this application was a no-brainer,” explained Terry Acres, Prosound Founder. “They have a proven track record with our organisation and we knew that would get the job done for years to come.”

The north, east and south grandstands are open, while the west grandstand comprises two covered areas on either side of a central covered presidential and VIP stand. In total, 32 One Systems 112IM 12-inch two-way loudspeakers were installed throughout the stadium. The open grandstands feature 112IMs mounted at the bottom lip playing up and out, while the roofed stands had speakers placed at approximately 10m firing down.

“The advantage of this distributed design is that we have loudspeakers close to the listeners, so SPL levels do not need to overwhelm patrons, and the speakers that fire from the inside out make speeches on the field and the VIP podium highly intelligible,” Acres concluded. “Everyone is extremely happy with final design and outcome.” www.onesystems.com

Company: One Systems Location: Kigali, Rwanda

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www.robertjuliat.com

REPORT 053

PEPS I C E NTE R Company: JBL, Crown, BSS Location: Denver, Colorado Known to Denver denizens as ‘The Can’, the 20,000-capacity Pepsi Center is home of the NBA Denver Nuggets, NHL Colorado Avalanche and the National Lacrosse League Colorado Mammoth, and is also host to concerts and special events. The arena opened in 1999 and had been in continuous use since then, as had its original sound system. When the Pepsi Center decided to upgrade to a massive new state-of-the-art scoreboard, management determined it would also be a good time to replace the venue’s audio system from top to bottom.

Colorado Springs-based sound contractor LVW Electronics and Dallas-based system designer Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams (WJHW) had installed the original system. They were brought back in to perform the upgrade using Harman BSS Audio, Crown, and JBL components.

LVW and WJHW chose a JBL loudspeaker system comprised of six columns of 10 JBL VLA901-MF-16 line array loudspeakers, hung around the perimetre of

the arena. The VLA901-MF-16 was chosen for its ability to provide high-volume sound reinforcement at throw distances beyond the reach of traditional loudspeaker designs. Each loudspeaker is equipped with dual 15-inch subwoofers, dual eight-inch cone midrange compression drivers and three 1.5-inch high-frequency compression drivers. In addition, four JBL ASB6128V dual 18-inch subwoofers are hung directly behind the each of the 10 main line arrays. The loudspeakers and subwoofers are powered by 44 Crown I-Tech 4x3500HD amplifiers, along with 11 Crown CTs 2000 amplifiers, which drive additional loudspeakers at the back of the arena.

“JBL’s VLA line has been a strong choice for us in arenas for the past few years.

The overall sound quality is excellent and they provide higher output and increased intelligibility,” said Mark Graham, Associate for WJHW. “We paired the VLA loudspeakers with the four-channel Crown amplifiers, which we chose based on previous successes and the overall strong reliability reputation of the I-Tech HD line.”

The system is networked using four BSS Audio Soundweb London BLU-806 signal processors and six BLU-326 I/O expanders, both Dante-enabled products. Control for the entire Pepsi Center audio system is provided by Harman’s HiQnet Audio Architect software, a common control platform for all devices from microphone to loudspeaker. “Using Audio Architect was a big deal,” Mark noted.

“Considering how new the software was at the time we did this installation. It paid off though - it’s a great way to control the system and its audio management capabilities are extensive. The venue’s owner was very pleased when he saw we had the capability to put everything onto one software platform.”

“This installation turned out to be fantastic in terms of equal coverage to every area of the arena,” said LVW CEO, Rusty Griffith. “The performance of the VLA loudspeakers and the subwoofers is so consistent that there’s very little seat-toseat variation. The Pepsi Center project turned out to be one of the best examples of this I have heard.”

In addition to its capability as a full stand-alone sound reinforcement system, the new system is designed so it can be used along with a tour sound system for concerts and other events. If a band or a convention comes to town and their rental system doesn’t have enough coverage, they can readily connect to the Pepsi Center system to supplement the audio. www.jblpro.com / www.crownaudio.com / bssaudio.com

Perfect performance: the new GRAVIS fullrange systems Experience the new compact, lightweight, high performance speaker in a multifunctional housing. The K&F GRAVIS has been completed with GRAVIS 8 and GRAVIS 15. Less weight is a pleasure for everybody.

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054 REPORT

GR AN ÅS EN SK I STA D I U M Company: Symetrix Location: Trondheim, Norway In advance of the combined ski-jump and cross-country FIS World Cup Championships, it was decided that the audio set-up at the Granåsen cross-country skiing stadium in Trondheim needed an upgrade. Following on from the deployment of a Symetrix processing solution at the adjacent ski-jumping facility, it was decided that the cross-country stadium should be equipped with a Symetrix SymNet Radius 12x8 open-architecture Dante scalable DSP. A Denon DN-500C CD player to provide background music, a Sennheiser ew300 G3 wireless microphone system for announcements, and a separate digital mixer are among the inputs to the Radius 12x8, which was fitted alongside one ARCK1e and two ARC-EX4e modular wall panel remotes in February.

The installation was carried out by Nordic and Baltic IT/AV supplier, and long-term Symetrix user, Atea. “The aim was to provide a system capable of processing multiple inputs and one that could be easily used by both trained personnel and less knowledgeable staff. I believe we have succeeded in this objective,” said André Dominic Schorr, AV Senior Consultant and Programmer at Atea.

The new equipment has essentially been deployed in what André describes as a “set, select, volume configuration.” By way of example, he points to the ability to “control one zone in the stadium, so depending on the event we can trigger different inputs, turn on and turn off the amplifiers in the cellar, and so on. It’s fast and flexible - just what was needed.”

The recent phase of work is only part one of a projected deployment that will likely see the ski-jump and cross-country processing systems brought together via Symetrix’s support for the Audinate Dante media networking solution. “The idea is that the stadium and the ski arena can and will eventually be connected together via Dante and a fibre optic cable that has already been fitted.”

Such developments could be some way off in the future yet. For now, André reported: “I have only heard good feedback about the Symetrix installation so far. It’s easy to use and sounds great.” www.symetrix.co

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LP Field, home to the Tennessee Titans, has a distributed speaker system consisting of 84 QX500 Series and other EAW weather-protected loudspeakers. The system allows for adjustments of specific levels and sections within the stadium, and throughout the concourse and gate entrances.

The QX Series delivers high output, broadband pattern control and exceptional fidelity for a wide range of permanently installed applications. Its high output level make it appropriate for long throws in stadiums and arenas or for high-energy applications like live music venues and dance clubs. Its broadband pattern control also lets it tame hostile acoustical environments like cathedrals or highly reverberant public spaces. And its exceptional fidelity pleases the most critical listeners in concert halls and performing arts centers.

Learn more about the QX Series and other EAW products at eaw.com.

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056 REPORT

VÉLODROM E NATI O NA L Company: Bosch Location: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France At the heart of the magnificent new cycling complex in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines - south west of Paris - is the Vélodrome National - a 4,000-sq metre multi-function hall with a cycle track. In addition to major national and international sporting events, the 4,800-seater hall is also designed to host for trade fairs, conventions and concerts.

The sound reinforcement system had to be able to cater for all these different functions and must satisfy the criteria for EN54 certification in line with French legislation. A combination of Bosch, Electro-Voice, and Dynacord products was selected as the optimum solution, these were installed by Tech Audio, based in St Denis, France.

In the original invitation to tender, the Vélodrome’s technicians wanted two separate systems - and alongside the evacuation system, specifically a line array to meet the pro sound needs of the stadium. This plan, however, was altered after various discussions with acoustic engineers and instead after extensive EASE room simulations.

For the sound distribution system serving the passageways, lounges, offices and various restaurants in the new sports complex, the team from Tech Audio, which led the installation and was headed up MD Joel Giazzi relied upon equipment from Bosch. In the offices alone, there are some 246 LC1-WM06E8 ceiling loudspeakers with a further 14 serving the lounge area. “These 6W ceiling loudspeakers offer excellent reproduction of both music and the spoken word,” said Jean. “As well as being very easy to install.”

Tech Audio installed 56 LBC3018 metal cabinet loudspeakers in the sanitary areas and a further 10 in the circular galleries. The installation also included 70 LP1UC20E unidirectional sound projectors from Bosch: 50 for the galleries and 20 for the changing rooms. “Their speech and music reproduction are both excellent,” explained Jean. “Whilst their tightly controlled dispersion makes them ideal for acoustically difficult environments.” For the dissemination of digitally recorded announcements, a Bosch LBB 1965/00 Plena Message Manager is used. This versatile device can manage up to 12 different messages and 12 trigger inputs as well as being able to download messages in WAV format from a PC. The rest of the sound reinforcement system comprises 32 horn-loaded EVF speaker systems from Electro-Voice’s Innovation series. “This series is ideally suited to such installations,” said Jean Marandet, Product & Service Manager with the French distributor, EVI Audio France. “And by choosing loudspeakers with the optimal dispersion characteristics, it is possible even in acoustically problematic rooms to achieve homogeneous coverage and minimise the impact of room reflections.” A total of 18 Electro-Voice loudspeakers in the Vélodrome National cover the grandstands and 14 Electro-Voice loudspeakers serve the interior.

“The installation has surpassed the expectations of the customer,” concluded Jean.

“The speakers combine outstanding intelligibility when delivering announcements with all the sound pressure required for music reproduction - not just in the arena but throughout the entire complex.” www.boschcommunications.com

M A RACA N Ã S TA D IU M Company: WSDG Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil WSDG ’s European team collaborated on the development of four extraordinary 1,054 sq ft video wall installations for Rio’s Maracanã Stadium. The largest video displays built for any 2014 World Cup Stadium, each of these giant, three-story high screens is comprised of 50 individual 50-inch LCD screens and weighs 11 tonnes -including custom built mounting structures, access ramps and interior staircases to permit service. The installation process took three months, and required the individual calibration of each individual 50-inch module. Audio and video are totally synchronised, and the system is configured with four encoders for future expansion and to allow multiple signals to be distributed around the stadium, for example satellite, an internal video channel and two additional sources such as cable TV, DVD and /or internet video. The decision to install four huge video walls was based on FIFA’s requirement that eight lines of on-screen text be legible for fans in seats as far as 200-metres from the screens. www.wsdg.com

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VELTIN S A R ENA

Company: igus Location: Gelenkirchen, Germany

Veltins Arena in Gelenkirchen, Germany, is home to football team FC Shalke, and also plays host to other events including motorcycle speedway racing and music concerts. In order to cope with these varied demands, the pitch at the arena is fairly unique; it can be fully retracted, protecting it from damage and freeing up the whole of the central area of the arena for non-football use. The special cable carriers and cables that underpin the retraction system were designed and supplied by igus, the European moving cable systems expert.

To make retraction possible, the turf of the playing surface is bedded in a 118-metre long by 79-metre tray, which is supported on 16 steel rails embedded in the arena’s secondary floor. When the pitch is not being used, the tray, which weighs 11,000 tonnes, can be moved 170-metres in either direction to leave the arena’s central area clear. In this way, the sensitive turf can be moved to a location where its growing conditions can be readily optimised.

The tray containing the pitch is moved by four hydraulic jacks, which push it forward at a rate of 1.5-metres every minute. At intervals, electric motors demount the jacks, move them further along the steel rails in the secondary floor and remount them again. This cycle is repeated until the tray has moved the full distance required - a process that takes between 3.5 and four hours.

A key requirement for the success of this project was to devise a dependable way of supplying power to the motors, which would not only cater for the regular movement of the pitch, but would also operate reliably in all weather conditions. The solution, developed and implemented by igus, was the use of energy chain cable carriers in conjunction with chainflex cables.

Originally developed to protect cables in long-distance and high-speed applications, Rol E-Chain was selected to satisfy these requirements, rather than the standard igus E-Chain. The decision to opt for Rol E-Chain was inspired by the need to cope with adverse weather conditions, and to handle large loads moving over long travel distances; it features integrated rollers, which reduce the power needed to drive it by up to 75%. This feature also entails reduced wear, while the use of rollers prevents the upper run from freezing to the lower run in cold weather.

Special igus chainflex cables were used inside the Rol-e-chain carriers as they are optimised for use with energy chains, and have been rigorously tested under the most demanding conditions at the igus technical facility. The cables are suitable for indoor and outdoor applications, remaining flexible down to -35°C and functional at temperatures of over 100°C. The retractable pitch at the Veltins Arena has now been in use for several seasons, and the cable system has proved to be completely reliable, despite being called upon to operate in weather conditions of all kinds, over a wide range of ambient temperatures. www.igus.co.uk

IN FOCUS EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA THE VENUE, JOHANNESBURG EGG, LONDON MORJANA, DUBAI EPIC SANA, LISBON 013, TILBURG LINATE AIRPORT, MILAN

THE AMERICAS E11EVEN, MIAMI CLUB 8, NIGHT HOTEL, DALLAS

ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA ACADEMY, CANBERRA

Our July / August issue features an array of venues for you to cast your beady eyes over, from live music venues featuring some of the best audio equipment available on the market and airports making good use of clear audio in the EMEA section; to stylish clubs featuring lavish lighting design The Americas; and eco-friendly audiovisual designs at Academy in Australia’s capital city of Canberra, we’ve got just about everything covered. Enjoy the read!

060 VENUE

THE VENUE JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

To be clear, Tony Raciti’s The Venue in Melrose Arch is not a club. It is so much more, which is exactly what has made its longevity in the business, and its reputation for comprehensive event solutions, a key part of the company’s ethos and legacy.

The Venue prides itself as a one-stop-shop events location with very little, if not any need for outside assistance. This is something the owners are very passionate about because for them, it’s all about meeting their client’s needs to the highest degree.

“We are a corporate functions venue,” said Marijana Abt, Sales and Function Director at The Venue. “The key elements here are versatility, turnkey solutions and that we offer in-house technical support.

It’s all already here so that if you come to The Venue and you host a function you shouldn’t have to bring anything in at all.”

Following this philosophy, a recent and comprehensive overhaul of the entire venue took place including the sound, lighting and video systems, which was paramount in tackling the future at The Venue.

The renovation was completed earleir this year.

Local audio equipment supplier, Tadco has a long standing relation-

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ship with The Venue going back many years so when Tony Raciti contacted his old friend and owner of Tadco, Simon Oates, he was more than happy for to oversee the upgrade of the technical systems. Tadco brought in Andi Rodgers of Fifty South System Integrators - another long standing friend - to help with the installation which was by and large designed and facilitated by Tadco. Tadco supplied and configured the audio systems while DWR supplied the lighting and Electrosonic the video control equipment.

The previous audio system at The Venue was completely analogue so to bring the venue into 2014, a fully digital migration was facilitated

by Tadco under the auspices of Kyle Robson, Head of Operational Support, while Rodgers performed the bulk of the installation.

Starting with loudspeakers, the original stage system consisted of four Nexo PS15’s, two Nexo PS15B bass extenders and four Nexo LS1200 subwoofers. All of these cabinets were re-coned and refoamed, bringing them back to like-new condition. Additionally, new rigging frames were installed and re-aligned to maximise coverage, and to lessen slap back on the stage that was previously experienced off the overhanging wall of the mezzanine, which is now fully covered in sound absorbent material. This change also caused the fortuitous knock-on effect of reducing feedback issues on stage and virtually eliminated the slap back.

A number of Quest Engineering HPI5 loudspeakers were installed in various zones throughout the venue to ensure even coverage. These are controlled by a Quest Engineering Q Matrix 88 switcher, which is also connected in tandem to a Symetrix SymNet audio matrix.

The goal here was to create seamless intelligibility regardless of the listener’s position; the main points of concern being underneath the balcony, the mezzanine areas to the rear and left side of the venue, the cigar lounge, and the pre-conference area. The mezzanine is an L-shaped balcony that extends from the back of the room around to the left side, past the pre-conference area and onwards to the cigar lounge which is situated behind the stage, one floor up.

While Andi physically installed the Quest Engineering HPI5’s, Kyle was the man who configured and time aligned the zones to tie in with the main PA and adjacent zones. The result was a smooth and seamless coverage of the entire venue.

Tony was ecstatic about the discretely installed loudspeakers in the zones and commented that he was blown away by the clarity of an on-stage loudspeaker at a recent event, particularly in the mezzanine zones. When The Venue is handling corporate events and conferences, being heard is of paramount importance and the properly configured Quest Engineering HPI5’s deliver fantastically. Furthermore, increased flexibility in the zones was afforded by the installation of

062 VENUE

Quest Engineering control panels.

Kyle commented: “This system has its own control panel - Quest QT IWML Remote Control - to select on the spot what they would prefer to listen to. On top of that they could plug a microphone or any line in source and run it from there.”

The main conference system received Quest Engineering 2040 ceiling loudspeakers to remain discrete and for even distribution.

This system also has its own Quest Engineering QT IWML Remote Control wall mounted panel. These panels include source select toggle switches, a stereo line input and source, music and mic level controls.

“This is mainly meant to set-up a little mixing console, which feeds into the wall panel enabling conference clients to run a private show without interfering with any other room,” said Kyle.

The foyer maintained the Quest Engineering MS801 loudspeakers that were previously installed there. However, they are hidden in the roof to supply ambient source material upon entering The Venue. It too has a wall mount control panel that accepts a variety of inputs and offers source selection. The toilet speakers were also plugged into the Quest Engineering matrix for additional zone control.

An interesting aspect of this installation is the inclusion of a paging system that feeds into the change rooms. Ceiling loudspeakers were installed, which are fed directly from the console’s talkback facility and multiple communication points were installed for calling shows.

This is helpful in maintaining a smooth program and works well for The Venue.

The hub of this digital system is a DiGiCo SD11, all input sources are fed to the console which, in turn, feeds the audio matrix. The stage received an accompanying DiGiCo SD-rack for 32 inputs and eight outputs, along with a mobile PS10 monitor rack that offers two on-stage mixes. The monitor rack consists of a single Crown MA3600VZ and a controller.

“The reason for making the PS20 monitor rack mobile, is in case

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there needs to be a chunkier PA in the venue, clients would be able to set it up; in the conference room for example,” said Kyle.

“The brain is the SD11 so all inputs get fed through there. There are a couple of feeds that go directly to the matrix such as the radio, or background music. Whatever is happening in the conference area is also fed directly to the matrix, so any zone you go to you can select what you want to hear. You can split the conference over the venue or you can split the stage mix over the entire building.”

In the rack, there is a combination of new and existing kit. As mentioned, a Quest Engineering Q Matrix 88 switcher was employed to manage zones and various inputs. The existing Symetrix SymNet 8x8 was tied in with the Quest Engineering Q Matrix 88 for loudspeaker zone management while a Symetrix eight-in DSP and a Symetrix eight-out DSP were employed to receive feeds from the matrix and send to the amplifiers, respectively.

A Nexo NX242 digital controller was then installed to turn the system over to an ‘active’ state, supplying crossover, sensed-amplifier control and system alignment acoustically matched to each Nexo component. Meanwhile, a Nexo PS15 TD controller was used as a crossover for the Nexo LS12000 subwoofers.

For amplification, the pre-existing Crown amplifiers were used along with some new additions. A Crown MT-2400 was utilised for the high frequency drivers of the Nexo PS15’s while four Crown MA3600VZs were used for the Nexo PS15’s, the Nexo PS15Bs and the Nexo LS1200’s. Three Crown CH1 amplifiers were used for the ceiling mounted loudspeakers in the conference, foyer and toilet areas. Finally, three Quest Engineering QA3004 amplifiers were used for all the Quest Engineering HPI5’s in the building.

Forming part of the digital migration at The Venue is a booth installed next to the main seating area in front of the stage, that includes tie lines from the stage to both the booth and the upstairs control room.

A Cat5 cable runs from the booth to the stage for any video, audio or lighting requirements in this digital era.

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064 VENUE

“Whatever is happening in the conference area is also fed directly to the matrix, so any zone you go to you can select what you want to hear. You can split the conference over the venue or you can split the stage mix over the entire building.”

Phase one of the new lighting system at The Venue was supplied by DWR through Schalk Botha and installed by Kevin Stannett and Ken Crossley under sub-contract to Fifty South.

The new additions included a combination of Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam moving heads, Robe Robin 300 LEDWash fixtures, Philips Selecon PL1 LED luminaires and Longman F4 high power LED parcans. An Avolites Titan Mobile lighting console and LSC MDR DMX splitters were also supplied to cater for the distribution system.

Phase two of the installation will see a further six Philips Selecon PL1 RGBW Zoom Profiles installed into the roof of the mezzanine overhang.

One of the motivations behind choosing the Avolites Titan Mobile console is that it is easy to operate and poses no threat to any clients who bring their own technical crew. This was of paramount importance to The Venue as the vision was to create a system that can be utilised by both novices and professionals.

Rigged above the audience, the Robe Robin 300 LED Washes create soft ambient light on the tables for seated guests however, should there be a need, they can also swivel toward the stage for front lighting. The Robe Robin 100 LEDBeams, on the other hand, are used for effects and beam work. Notably, the Philips Selecon PL1LED luminaires are the first light sources that can deliver full control of the beam colour composition despite the chosen intensity.

Schalk commented: “On behalf of everyone at DWR, it was a pleasure to be part of this sale and we wish The Venue all of the best.”

The video system at The Venue, supplied by Electrosonic and

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installed by Andi, is all digitally distributed by a Kramer KRAVS88HN 8x8 matrix on Cat6 cable. The goal here, like the audio, was to send any available source anywhere in the building, whether it’s menus, conferencing, corporate, promotional or informational material.

Andi explained: “The video system is quite simple actually. The Kramer 8x8 matrix has got eight inputs and everything runs off of Cat6 splitters. They’re all discrete sends so they can be split physically if needed. You can put something different on every screen and projector and there are also four outlets for roving screens. Everything can go anywhere, and that’s the point.”

A Sanyo PLC-XP200L projector was installed in the main room while a Sony VPL-FX40 projector was installed in the conference room.

Seven Samsung 32-inch flat panel displays were installed at the bars and two 55-inch flat panel plasmas were installed on the proscenium.

A further four 42-inch plasmas were supplied for mobile use by plugging into any of the various Cat6 wall sockets installed throughout the venue, allowing optimal flexibility when displaying client material is concerned.

To transmit the signals from the switcher over Cat6 to the displays, Kramer TP-573 HDMI, bi-directional RS−232 & IR over twisted pair transmitters and TP-574 receivers were employed.

Regarding the versatility of the system, Andi said: “You can do HDMI over Cat6 from the stage; you can do VGA which up-converts to HDMI. We’ve got composite inputs that upscale to HDMI as well.

But that’s emergency stuff for when someone brings something really weird in or wants to play off an old video camera or VHS machine.

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066 VENUE

FRANÇAIS

Soyons clairs ; « The Venue » de Tony Raciti à Melrose Arch n’est pas un club. C’est tellement plus, et c’est exactement ce qui a assuré sa longévité dans le milieu et sa réputation de lieu offrant des solutions complètes d’événements ; une partie clé de la philosophie et de l’héritage de l’entreprise. Honorant cette philosophie, une récente et entière révision de l’ensemble du site a eu lieu, supervisée par l’entreprise Tadco, qui a fait appel à Andi Rodgers de chez Fifty South System Integrators pour l’installation. Tadco a fourni et configuré les systèmes audio, tandis que DWR s’occupa de l’éclairage et Electrosonic de l’équipement de contrôle vidéo. Le système audio comprend des produits de chez Nexo, Quest, DiGiCo, Crown et Symetrix, tandis que l’éclairage est assuré par Robe, Philips, LSC et Avolites. Un peu d’effort peut mener très loin, et l’attention au détail est ce qui sépare l’excellence de la médiocrité.

Tous les systèmes nouvellement installés au club The Venue furent conçus dans cet esprit parce que Tony Raciti et son équipe, ainsi que tous ceux impliqués dans le réaménagement du club, comprennent que le client prime. Du son à l’éclairage, jusqu’à la vidéo, The Venue est un endroit accueillant pour presque n’importe quel client à la recherche d’une expérience de qualité, et comme pour le reste de leurs services, l’équipe du club répond à pratiquement toutes les demandes techniques.

DEUTSCH

So everything ends up in an HD format, regardless of input.”

This was a very specific vision on Tony’s part. “If you go to a function and order, you don’t know what’s on tab or what’s not on tab. This is what the screens are for,” said Tony. “If the client chooses a beverage list, we put it up there. That’s the core of the idea. If they want to put their logos up, we can do that too. It gives a bit of comfort to the client.”

A little goes a long way and attention to detail is what separates excellent service from the mediocre. All the newly installed systems at The Venue have been designed with this in mind because what Tony Raciti and his team understand, like everyone else involved in the upgrade, is that the client comes first. From the audio, to the lighting, to the video, The Venue is a welcoming place for almost any client looking for a quality experience and, just like the rest of their departments, they cater to almost any technical need.

Article courtesy of Pro-Systems News Africa.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

4 x Nexo PS15 loudspeaker; 2 x Nexo PS15B bass extender; 4 x Nexo LS1200 subwoofer; 1 x Nexo NX242 digital controller; 1 x Nexo PS15 controller; 14 x Quest HPI5 loudspeaker; 1 x Quest Q Matrix 88 matrix switcher; 10 x Quest 2040 ceiling loudspeaker; 2 x Quest QT IWML Remote Control wall mounted panel; 3 x Quest QA3004 amplifier;1 x Symetrix SymNet 8x8 audio matrix; 1 x Symetrix eight-in DSP; 1 x Symetrix eight-out DSP; 1 x DiGiCo SD11 mixing console; 1 x DiGiCo SD Rack; 5 x Crown MA-3600VZ amplifier; 1 x Crown MT-2400 amplifier; 3 x Crown CH1 amplifier

LIGHTING

4 x Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam moving head; 16 x Robe Robin 300 LEDWash moving head; 6 x Philips Selecon PL1LED luminaire; 6 x Philips Selecon PL1 RGBW zoom profiles; 6 x Longman F4 high power LED par cans; 1 x Avolites Titan Mobile lighting console; 1 x LSC Lighting MDR DMX splitter

VIDEO

1 x Kramer KRAVS88HN 8x8 matrix; 1 x Sanyo PLC-XP200L projector; 1 x Sony VPL-FX40 projector; 7 x Samsung 32-inch flat panel display; Kramer TP-573 transmitters; Kramer TP-574 receivers www.thevenue.co.za

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Vorweg gesagt, ‘The Venue’ in Melrose Arch von Tony Raciti ist kein Club. Er ist so viel mehr und ebendies macht seine Langlebigkeit im Geschäft aus, sowie seinen guten Ruf für umfassende Event-Lösungen als Schlüsselteil der Gesinnung und des Erbes des Unternehmens.

Gemäß dieser Philosophie erfolgte kürzlich eine gründliche Renovierung des gesamten Treffs, unter Leitung von Tadco, der Andi Rodgers von Fifty South System Integrators zur Unterstützung der Installation hinzuzog.

Tadco lieferte und konfigurierte die Audiosysteme, während DWR die Beleuchtung und Electrosonic die Videosteuerung bereitstellte. Das Audiosystem umfasste Produkte von Nexo, Quest, DiGiCo, Crown und Symetrix, während auf der Beleuchtungsseite Robe, Philips, LSC und Avolites im Mittelpunkt standen. Kleine Taten, große Wirkung sowie ein besonderes Augenmerk fürs Detail ist das, was den Unterschied ausmacht zwischen Mittelmäßigkeit und hervorragendem Service.

Alle neu installierten Systeme im The Venue wurden mit diesem Hintergedanken entworfen, denn was Tony Raciti und sein Team verstehen, so wie jeder, der an dieser Aufrüstung beteiligt war, ist, dass der Kunde König ist. Von Audio bis Beleuchtung und Video, The Venue ist ein angenehmer Schauplatz für alle Gäste, die eine qualitativ hochwertige Erfahrung machen möchten und ganz wie der Rest ihrer Branchen erfüllen sie beinahe jeden technischen Bedarf.

ITALIANO

Per essere chiari, il The Venue di Tony Raciti, situato in Melrose Arch, non è un club ma è molto di più. E’ ciò che ha reso esattamente la sua longevità nel business e la sua reputazione per soluzioni complete di eventi, una parte fondamentale dell’atmosfera e dell’eredità della società. Seguendo questa filosofia, è stata apportata una revisione recente e completa dell’intero locale, il tutto supervisionato da Tadco che ha portato Andi Rodgers, della società Fifty South System Integrators, come supporto per l’installazione. Tadco ha fornito e configurato i sistemi audio, mentre DWR ha fornito l’illuminazione ed Electrosonic le apparecchiature di controllo video. Il sistema audio comprendeva i prodotti della Nexo, Quest, DiGiCo, Crown e Symetrix, mentre per ciò che concerne l’illuminazione, Robe, Philips, LSC e Avolites hanno avuto la meglio. Ciò che distingue un servizio eccellente da uno mediocre è proprio l’esperienza e l’attenzione ai dettagli. Tutti i sistemi appena installati presso il The Venue sono stati progettati seguendo questi criteri, poiché quello che Tony Raciti e la sua squadra comprendono, come tutti gli altri coinvolti nell’ampliamento, è che il cliente viene prima di tutto. Dall’ audio all’illuminazione al video, il The Venue è un locale accogliente per quasi tutti i clienti alla ricerca di un’esperienza di qualità e, proprio come il resto dei servizi, risponde a qualsiasi esigenza tecnica.

ESPAÑOL

Para ser claros, The Venue, de Tony Raciti en Melrose Arch, no es una disco. Es mucho más; es exactamente lo que ha hecho que su longevidad en el negocio y su reputación para la solución completa de eventos sea una parte clave de los valores y el legado de la empresa. Siguiendo esta filosofía, tuvo lugar una reciente reparación completa de todo el lugar, supervisada por Tadco, que trajo a Andi Rodgers de Fifty South System Integrators para ayudar con la instalación. Tadco suministró y configuró los sistemas de audio mientras que DWR aportó la iluminación y Electrosonic el equipamiento para el control de video. El sistema de audio está compuesto por productos de Nexo, Quest, DiGiCo, Crown y Symetrix, mientras que del lado de la iluminación tomaron partido Robe, Philips, LSC y Avolites. El hecho de que un poco rinde mucho y tener atención al detalle, son lo que separa un servicio excelente de uno mediocre. Todos los sistemas nuevos instalados en The Venue han sido diseñados teniendo esta premisa en mente, porque lo que Tony Raciti y su equipo entienden, como todos los demás que están involucrados en esta mejora, es que el cliente está en primer lugar. Desde el audio, hasta la iluminación y el video, The Venue es un lugar de bienvenida para casi cualquier cliente que busca una experiencia de calidad, y como el resto de sus departamentos, satisfacen casi cualquier necesidad técnica.

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068 VENUE

EGG london, UK

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA By audio industry standards, a two-year-old company is still considered a newbie. Born out of a lifelong friendship, Flipside - a company truly dedicated to sound - is the brainchild of audio veterans James Cooper and Michael Layton. And despite the company being in its infancy, the duo has already managed to secure a flagship install in their home city of London, UK. Built on an ethos of ‘providing promoters, festivals and club-goers with levels of sonic perfection that make every night, a night to remember’ to quote the company website, Flipside is driven by the people, all of whom have an incredible passion for music. When the company was contacted by EGG nightclub in London, which had an issue with its existing sound system, Flipside was confident it could provide a suitable replacement.

James explained: “Initially we put in two prototype FS-218 Mk I subwoofers - designed by Michael Arena of Arena LSD out in Australia then two original 12-inch ‘porn horns’ and a pair of Faital Pro loaded vitavox cellular horns to complete the stack all running off some Lab. gruppen FP+ amplifiers and a Klark Teknik DN9848 digital controller.

The long and short of it is that those units ended up staying for quite

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a while, we put a few FS subwoofers around to fill in the gaps where we needed too.

“While the prototypes were in place we invested in a few designs and developed them into the original FS-218, FS-215 and FS-121.

Pretty much as soon as they were ready for production Managing Director of EGG, Laurence Malice asked us to provide a system on lease for the new main room.”

The aim of the new system was to ensure balanced coverage throughout the space and to equip the DJ booth with technology that would allow DJs to really connect with the crowds on the dancefloor.

Besides purely selecting equipment that would cater to the requirements, James redesigned the placement of the loudspeakers - so that most of them were flown - assessed the SPLs and clarity of sound that the new system would produce and took EGG’s music policy into account.

Complex bass lines feature heavily in house music, so it was important that the new audio set up could effectively reproduce loud and clear outputs in the low frequency range. The solution was a fully active four-way sound system including a left and right main stack each

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comprising two Flipside FS-121 mid / high horn loaded loudspeakers, two Flipside FS-218 twin 18-inch sub-bass loudspeakers and one Flipside FS-215 twin 15-inch kick-bass loudspeakers, all built to order, loaded with Precision Devices components, and tailored for this particular installation.

“The FS-121’s have a pretty narrow coverage of 60º by 40º, meaning we needed more boxes to cover the space than if we had moved towards the more common, wider dispersion approach of box design.

“A pair of FS-215’s bridged the gap perfectly between the tops and sub. The design is one we commissioned from an extremely adept and insightful designer called Ian Fryer from Element 5 Systems.

Those things have a beautifully clear and decisive kick and can play

d Ma

remarkably high if needed.”

James said of his configuration choice: “Imposing stacks have a certain intimacy to them, they are a physical presence that clubbers can connect with.” And of the drivers which have been used to built the stacks, he said: “Precision Devices are about the best people we could have ever hoped to work with. It’s not just their designs it’s also their vision and philosophy as a company. We have been working very closely with the team there and they truly understand what we want to achieve.”

The monitor system extends the sound beyond the dancefloor and into the DJ booth; making use of the same products, James specified two Flipside FS-121 mid / high horn cluster loudspeakers and one Flipside FS-215 twin 15-inch kick-bass loudspeaker. “The booth in EGG’s main room is an exciting place to be, there’s no barrier between the DJ and the dancefloor, sonically speaking that is,” continued James. Completing the loudspeaker line-up at EGG are a further two Flipside FS-121 mid / high horn cluster loudspeakers for rear fill.

To drive the cabinets James required amplifiers that would provide plenty of power and reliability for the system. After carrying out some research into which amplifiers would equip the Precision Devices loaded bass units with enough “grunt”, James felt there was only one choice, Lab.gruppen. “With the Lab.gruppen amplifiers, having that power available there is amazing, and it’s a really clean, transparent sound that comes through them, there’s none of the colouring or tainting that you might get from other amplifiers which don’t have the same kind of dynamic range as Lab.gruppen. The first amplifiers we got were an FP 10000Q and an FP 14000, and once we started using them we didn’t really look back. We were won over by them.

The sound that comes out of them is superb,” said James.

The EGG system comprises six Lab.gruppen FP+ Series amplifiers - two FP 14000’s, three FP 10,000Qs and one FP 6000Q - that

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070 VENUE

can develop a potential of 59kW if required, meaning the 12.8kW (RMS) front of house system and the 2kW booth system both receive their peak demand of 30kW without any strain. “Club sound is a bit more dangerous in a way, a bit edgier and rougher,” continued James.

“The way you run a sound system in a club is to run it to its physical limit. Having something you can rely on is completely and utterly essential. The Lab.gruppen amplifiers sound awesome and they’re simply bullet proof. In EGG, they run for about 11 hours, right at the upper limit. I’ve been checking the amplifier temperatures and I don’t even think I’ve managed to get up to 20% on the temperature read out, and that is pounding, running two PD1850 drivers per subwoofer. They are power hungry little drivers, and they don’t even blink!

The rack we have got there just shrugs its shoulders and powers on, whenever we run it.”

Processing was also provided by TC Group in the form of Lake. A single Lake LM 44 processor was installed in the DJ booth allowing the artists’ signal to be transmitted to the amplifier room where a further three Lake LM 26 units provide the DSP for the system. There is no compression or traditional limiting needed anywhere along the signal path, RMS limiters within the Lake’s software mean that every band and every box is adequately protected, while still keeping all the dynamic range from the original music source.

James said: “The convertors in the Lake processors are unbelievable, the addition of Dante means that we could reduce analogue signal runs down to a few metres in total, linking the booth mixer to the am-

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plifier rack with a single TourCat. It’s just unbelievably clean. On top of that the way that the unit’s limit is a revelation. There’s unbelievable dynamic range even under extreme conditions.”

Alongside the LM 44 in the DJ booth and completing the audio lineup is a Midas XL88 matrix mixer. Being able to handle two or more main / booth mixes from the DJ mixers into four channels to feed the system, was the requirement for a mixer and the Midas XL88 fulfilled that need. “There’s no need for EQ, pre amps and all the other circuitry involved with most other mixers. You just want a clean signal path with routing and a bit of attenuation,” explained James.

Concluding on the audio upgrade, James added: “A huge recognition has to go to Threshold Forrester [the in-house technician at the time of installation], MD Laurence Malice and Manager, Spencer Wyatt for having the vision to see beyond brand status and marketing. We understand that at that point in time we were a completely unknown brand with no real portfolio. We earned their trust by providing a system and a service that exceeded their expectations and showed them what could be achieved.”

In line with the audio upgrade, EGG was also treated to a significant lighting make-over. In-house Head of Lighting, Kyle Evans took on the challenge. “The lights in the venue were chosen carefully after looking at and trying out various fixtures throughout the venue. As the venue does not have very high ceilings it was a pretty tough job to choose but at the moment the club looks great, however, we are constantly updating in order to try and stay ahead in regards to

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072 VENUE

FRANÇAIS

Circus curator, international DJ and in-form producer Yousef and James Cooper of Flipside.

technology,” he said.

The most recent additions to the main room at EGG include nine Clay Paky Alpha Spot 300 moving heads, which are compact and have an extremely quiet operational mode. “We thought these lights were perfect for the room as they are lightweight and their possibilities are endless in comparison to the other lights we tried,” said Kyle. These are accompanied by two Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobes for additional effects and two LED screens - supplied by Emto Digital - one in front and one behind the DJ booth.

While upstairs, on the middle level Kyle opted for eight Robe Scan 575 XT scanners, as he believes they are the best available on today’s market. “They are really bright meaning you can use darker colours and still have the impact you need,” he commented. A further two Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobes are at home here and another LED screen too.

On the top floor, which offers clubbers a slightly more relaxed atmosphere, German lighting manufacturer, GLP takes centre stage. Six GLP impression 90 LED moving heads sit alongside two Clay Paky Sharpys, which wash the entire room in colour.

Kyle continued: “We are constantly changing at EGG, therefore every week is potentially a different installation on top of the equipment we already have in the venue. One of the main challenges is getting everything up and running on time for an event. Luckily, we have a team of six people who are employed just for lighting therefore we are able to meet tight schedules.”

Lighting control at EGG comes courtesy of two sources, ArKaos and Avolites. ArKaos media servers take control of the LED screen content, while an Avolites Titan Mobile console and Tiger Touch console look after the intelligent lighting rigs.

Kyle concluded: “I have been at EGG for over five years and it is great to work with a team, which is always looking forward and embracing change. I would find it hard working with the same lights week in week out, I always like to mix things about and try new products, thanks to the venue, I can.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION sound 8 x Flipside FS-121 mid/hi horn loaded loudspeaker; 3 x Flipside FS-215 twin 15-inch kick-bass loudspeaker; 4 x Flipside FS-218 twin 18-inch sub-bass; 2 x Lab.gruppen FP 14000 amplifier; 3 x Lab.gruppen FP 10,000Q amplifier; 1 x Lab.gruppen FP 6000Q amplifier; 1 x Lake LM 44 processor; 3 x Lake LM 26 processor; 1 x Midas XL88 matrix mixer lighting & visual 9 x Clay Paky Alpha Spot 300 moving head; 2 x Clay Paky Sharpy moving head; 4 x Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobe; 6 x GLP impression 90 moving head; 8 x Robe Scan 575 XT scanner; 2 x Avolites Titan Mobile lighting console; 1 x Avolites Tiger Touch lighting console; 4 x Emto Digital LED screen; 2 x ArKaos media server www.egglondon.net

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Selon les normes de l’industrie audio, une entreprise de deux ans est toujours considérée comme novice. Flipside est le fruit d’une longue amitié entre deux vétérans de l’audiovisuel, James Cooper et Michael Layton. Lorsque leur société fut contactée par le club EGG à Londres, qui avait un problème avec son système sonore, Flipside était convaincue de pouvoir fournir une solution de remplacement adéquate. Un système de son très performant à quatre voies paraissait logique ; deux empilements principaux, un à gauche et un à droite, avec chacun deux haut-parleurs à pavillon de moyenne à forte puissance Flipside FS-121, deux doubles enceintes de sous-graves de 18 pouces Flipside FS-218 et un hautparleur double « kickbass » de 15 pouces Flipside FS-215, tous construits sur mesure et bourrés de composants de précision adaptés à l’installation en question. Le système du EGG est alimenté par six amplificateurs Lab.gruppen FP+ Séries, dont deux FP 14000, trois FP 10000Q et un FP 6000Q, et le Groupe TC a également fourni le traitement à l’aide de produits Lake. EGG a aussi profité d’un relookage significatif de son système d’éclairage. L’éclairagiste en chef, Kyle Evans, a relevé ce défi. Parmi les plus récents ajouts à la salle principale du EGG, l’on retrouve des produits de chez Clay Paky, Martin Professional, Emto Digital, Robe et GLP, tandis que les serveurs médias ArKaos gèrent le contenu de l’écran DEL et les consoles Titan Mobile et Tiger Touch de chez Avolites accompagnent les systèmes d’éclairage intelligents.

DEUTSCH

Nach den Standards der Audioindustrie gilt ein vor zwei Jahren gegründetes Unternehmen noch immer als Neuling. Flipside entstammt einer lebenslangen Freundschaft und ist die Idee der Audio-Veteranen James Cooper und Michael Layton. Als das Unternehmen von EGG in London kontaktiert wurde, das ein Problem mit seinem bestehenden Soundsystem hatte, war sich Flipside sicher, einen passenden Ersatz beschaffen zu können. Die Lösung war ein voll aktives Vier-WegeSoundsystem mit einer linken und rechten Hauptsäule, jeweils mit zwei Flipside FS-121 mittleren / hohen horngeladenen Lautsprechern, zwei Flipside FS-218 Twin 18-Inch-Subbass-Lautsprechern und einem Flipside FS-215 Twin 15-Inch Kickbass-Lautsprecher, alle nach Kundenwünschen angefertigt, beschickt mit Bauteilen für Präzisionsgeräte und für die spezielle Installation zugeschnitten. Das EGG-System wird durch sechs Lab.gruppen FP+ Serien-Verstärker gepowert - zwei FP 14000s, drei FP 10,000Qs und ein FP 6000Q - und Processing erfolgt durch TC Group in Form von Lake. EGG übernahm ebenfalls eine bedeutende Beleuchtungs-Überarbeitung. Der hauseigene Beleuchtungsexperte Kyle Evans hat diese Herausforderung angenommen. Zu den neuesten Ergänzungen im Hauptraum von EGG gehören Produkte von Clay Paky, Martin Professional, Emto Digital, Robe und GLP, während ArKaos Medienserver die Kontrolle des LED-Bildschirminhalts übernehmen und ein Avolites Titan Mobile und Tiger Touch versorgen die intelligenten Beleuchtungsausrüstungen.

ITALIANO

Per gli standard del settore audio, una compagnia di due anni è ancora considerata una novizia. Nato da una lunga amicizia, il marchio Flipside è il frutto dei veterani dell’audio James Cooper e Michael Layton. Quando l’azienda è stata contattata da EGG a Londra, a causa di un problema con il suo sistema audio già esistente, Flipside era sicuro che avrebbe potuto fornire un sostituto adeguato. La soluzione era un sistema audio a quattro vie completamente attivo tra cui una pila principale, sia a sinistra che a destra, comprendenti ciascuno due altoparlanti caricati a tromba Flipside FS-121 con medie e alte frequenze, due altoparlanti subwoofer gemelli con basse frequenze Flipside FS-218 da 18 pollici e un altoparlante gemello dai bassi potenti Flipside FS-215 da 15 pollici, tutti costruiti da ordinare carichi, con componenti della Precision Devices, e su misura per questa particolare installazione. Il sistema EGG è alimentato da sei amplificatori Lab.gruppen FP + Series (due FP 14000, tre FP 10.000Qs e uno FP 6000Q) e l’elaborazione è stata fornita anche da TC Group nelle vesti della Lake. EGG si è anche occupato di un significativo cambiamento del sistema luci affidandosi al loro capo progetto Kyle Evans che ha accettato la sfida. Tra le più recenti aggiunte alla sala principale, presso EGG, sono stati utilizzati i prodotti di Clay Paky, Martin Professional, Emto Digital, Robe e GLP, mentre il media server ArKaos prende il controllo del contenuto dello schermo a LED e un Avolites Titan Mobile e Tiger touch guardano oltre gli impianti di illuminazione intelligente.

ESPAÑOL

Según los estándares de la industria del audio, una empresa de dos años de antigüedad es aún considerada como novata. Nacida de una amistad de toda la vida, Flipside es la creación de una empresa de audio de los veteranos James Cooper y Michael Layton. Cuando la empresa fue contactada por EGG en Londres, que tenía un problema con su sistema de sonido existente, Flipside confió en que podría brindarle un reemplazo acorde. La solución fue un sistema de sonido completamente activo de cuatro vías que incluía una torre principal izquierda y derecha cada una compuesta de dos parlantes Flipside FS-121 con cajas acústicas medias/altas, dos parlantes iguales de sub-bajos de 18 pulgadas Flipside FS-218 y un par de parlantes iguales de bombos de 15 pulgadas Flipside FS-215, todo construido para los componentes de Precision Devices y a medida para esta instalación particular. El sistema EGG está potenciado por seis amplificadores Lab.gruppen FP+ Series - dos FP 14000s, tres FP 10,000Qs y un FP 6000Q - y el procesamiento también fue suministrado por TC Group en la forma de Lake. EGG también fue sometida a una importante renovación de la iluminación. El Jefe de Iluminación interno, Kyle Evans se hizo cargo del desafío. Entre los agregados más recientes al salón principal en EGG hay productos de Clay Paky, Martin Professional, Emto Digital, Robe y GLP, a la vez que los servidores media ArKaos controlan el contenido de la pantalla LED y que un Avolites Titan Mobile and Tiger Touch están a cargo de las plataformas de iluminación inteligente.

074 VENUE

MORJANA DUBAI, UAE

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA Morjana Club, housed at the Radisson Blu Hotel, brings a one-ofa-kind clubbing experience to Dubai. Owned by Mohamad Kraidiye - who also runs Diablo Club and is also known as DJ Cowboy - the 800-capacity venue offers a deep-sea themed clubbing experience complete with mermaids and treasure.

Working alongside Jaafar Daher, architect and owner of JD Design, Joe Chidiac and Rami Haber of Pulse Middle East carried out the design, integration and installation of all the audio, lighting and video equipment at Morjana, while Mathew Carter was brought onboard as Acoustic Consultant for the project.

The plan was to deliver fast-fit, high-end sound, light and LED

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screens at a sensible budget. “We have worked with Mohamad on previous projects, he likes to work with us as he trusts our vision and the designs that we provide,� said Joe. For the PA system, following demonstrations from different audio brands, a TW Audio / Powersoft combination was decided upon, all supplied by Pro Lab Trading, which also provided the lighting and video equipment installed.

There are 12 TW Audio T24 P dual 12-inch horn loaded loudspeakers installed, which have been custom made and painted in white; alongside 14 TW Audio B30 dual 15-inch band pass subwoofers; four TW Audio B15 15-inch front loaded subwoofers; and one TW Audio BSX dual 21-inch infra subwoofer. There are also two TW Audio C15 15-inch coaxial full range loudspeakers and two TW Audio B15 15-inch front loaded subwoofers used in the DJ booth.

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“With the TW Audio PA system we particularly wanted to improve the quality of low-resolution Arabic music sound files,” said Joe. “In the past it has been difficult to find a system that can handle these challenges and perform well in such circumstances. Mohamad couldn’t believe that such a compact cabinet could produce 143dB while remaining very clear and not distorted.”

The venue did however, struggle with sufficient available power to feed all the audiovisual and lighting equipment installed and so came the decision to use Italian manufacturer Powersoft and its K3 DSP+AESOP digital channel power amplifiers. There are 12 K3 DSP+AESOP amplifiers used at Morjana.

“Mohamad couldn’t believe that the K3 could produce and handle so much power in just 1RU - even driven at two ohms,” said Joe. “From an installation point of view, this makes the benefits of using Power-

soft very straightforward. A 12U rack size, holding 12 K3 DSP+AESOP amplifiers can comfortably produce 70,000W of pure sound using TW Audio factory presets, routed and controlled by Armonia Pro Audio Suite 2.4.1 software.

“All the amplifiers have a built-in DSP, so all we had to do was link the amplifiers together in stereo mode, back to the DJ booth without going through any external processors. Each K3 can be controlled individually and the complete sound processing tailored without getting limited to a specific control mode.

“Thanks to Powersoft, just a quarter rack size could power up a massive installation,” continued Joe. “It saved us a lot of time during the installation process, rack commissioning and building of the rack unit.

Once we downloaded the presets and the identity for each cabinet installed in the club, we were good to go.”

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Photography Ms.Vania Attieh

Naturally, in Dubai, ventilation of any kit is always a consideration, but as Joe explained, thanks to the K3’s unique cabinet design and the latest technology, the amplifiers stayed cool even while stacked on top of each other, as they have been specifically designed to work this way.

“The TW Audio sound system delivers 130dB live, but with the use of the Powersoft K3 DSP+AESOP only 50% of the power capacity is being used,” said Joe. “Getting such a high level of quality and result on a project of such scale is the dream of any integrator or installer.

The combination of TW Audio and Powersoft resulted in true peace of mind for myself and my team - as well as the club owner.”

Karl Kahlau, Powersoft Regional Manager - EMEA, also commented: “We are seeing more and more installations where factors such as extreme power-density, reliability and manageability are getting more and more important. These are areas where the Powersoft K Series will excel; just considering the sheer cost for attractive venue locations in metropolitan areas and the need to minimise gear footprint driving venue equipment becomes significant.

“Using the K Series amplifiers we actually managed to reduce the size of the equipment rack by over 65% going from 35 rack-units for a standard amplifier solution to a mere 12 rack-units. In terms of the number of equipment racks, this means going from three full-sized racks taking up a complete room to only one single rack.

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“With Powersoft K Series built-in DSP-engine in each amplifier, we enjoy the possibility to control the power from the amplifiers at the sheer core, monitoring all critical parameters,” continued Karl. “This advantage is only available when using internal DSP-controllers within the amplifiers and adds yet again to reliability and cost-efficiency of the system as well as to the entire installation.”

Every club needs a strong lighting design to create that must have ambience; and as such a single brand was chosen for each section Vision for the lighting, video screens and lasers; DJ Power for special effects, and Plus Truss Rigging for the lighting truss.

There are 25 Vision VPL5R-B Beam moving heads; 25 Vision VPR5R-S Spot moving heads; 25 Vision VPR 360-Z LED Wash moving heads; and 25 Vision VPR 108-B LED Mini Beam moving heads mounted on a star-shaped truss hung on the ceiling. The truss has been lined with Vision LED Sun Strip in order to create the effect of a shooting star. There are four DJ Power DFZ 700 haze units and eight DJ Power X4 CO² jet with LED cannisters providing special effects, along with two Vision 8W 3D green lasers; all of the intelligent lighting is controlled by a ChamSys MQ60 lighting console.

“The Beam 200’s were installed on the edge of each star from the outer and inner side to help create the scene of a submarine or diver holding a big narrow flash light to discover the sea - looking for mermaids and treasure,” said Joe. “After going through all of these

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FRANÇAIS

Le Club Morjana de l’Hôtel Radisson Blu apporte une expérience du night-club unique en son genre à Dubaï. Propriété de Mohamad Kraidiye, ce lieu peut accueillir 800 personnes et offre une expérience nocturne autour d’un thème marin, entouré de sirènes et de trésors de navigateurs.

Travaillant aux côtés de Jaafar Daher, l’architecte et propriétaire de JD Design, Joe Chidiac et Rami Haber de chez Pulse Middle East ont mis à exécution la conception, l’intégration et l’installation de tous les systèmes audio, éclairage et vidéo du Morjana, tandis que Mathew Carter fut invité en tant que consultant acoustique pour le projet. L’idée était de fournir un son, un éclairage et des écrans DEL haut de gamme à montage rapide, en respectant un budget raisonnable. Pour ce qui est du système de sonorisation, et suite aux démos de différentes marques audio, un duo TW Audio/Powersoft a été choisi, le tout fourni par Pro Lab Trading, ayant également installé le matériel d’éclairage et de vidéo. Chaque club exige un éclairage conceptuel fort afin de créer une ambiance assurée et c’est la raison pour laquelle une marque unique a été choisie pour chaque section ; Vision pour l’éclairage, les écrans vidéo et les lasers ; ChamSys pour le contrôle de l’éclairage intelligent ; DJ Power pour les effets spéciaux et Plus Truss Rigging pour le pont d’éclairage. En résumé, Joe conclut, « Nous avons travaillé avec Jaafar sur différents projets dans le passé et nous savons comment les uns les autres travaillent. Ceci nous a permis d’obtenir le meilleur résultat possible pour ce projet et pour notre client. »

DEUTSCH

details we looked to the ceiling and installed eight circular motorised, changing colour LED balls, DMX controlled, which aim to give the effect of a jelly fish.”

With such a specific design and theme Joe and his team had to approach the project with a different viewpoint and way of thinking. “We couldn’t deliver or design a regular system with the standard lighting effects you’d see in a club,” said Joe. “It was a challenge, but one that took us beyond our imagination to create a full story from the audiovisual and lighting side that fits in with the concept.”

As is the case with any project, there are always going to be placement issues and battles between design and functionality. “In an ideal world I would have liked a higher ceiling to work with as we would have been able to create different types of programming and expand the use of the lighting fixtures, which come to life more when they are placed higher,” continued Joe. “It’s a common struggle between architect and installation company, where the two parties are trying to deliver the best they can - no one wants to sacrifice any of the available space in the venue if it might affect their design. But this wasn’t the case at Morjana, as we have worked with Jaafar on projects in the past and know how each other works - this enabled us to deliver the best result possible for the project and the client.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

14 x TW Audio T24 P loudspeaker; 2 x TW Audio C15 loudspeaker; 14 x TW Audio B30 subwoofer; 6 x TW Audio B15 subwoofer; 1 x TW Audio BSX subwoofer; 12 x Powersoft K3 DSP+AESOP digital power amplifier

LIGHTING

25 x Vision VPL5R-B Beam moving head; 25 x Vision VPRFR-S Spot moving head; 25 x Vision VPR 360-Z LED was moving light; 25 x Vision VPR 108-B LED Mini Beam moving head; 80 x Vision LED Sun Strip batten; 8 x Vision B35 LED motorised ball; 2 x Vision LED green laser; 60 sq metres of Vision P7.62mm LED screen; 4 x DJ Power DFZ 700 haze machine; 8 x DJ Power X4 C0² Jet; 1 x Chamsys MQ60 lighting console; truss from Plus Truss www.pulse-me.co

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Morjana Club im Radisson Blu Hotel verschafft Dubai ein einzigartiges Cluberlebnis. Der Treff mit seinen 800 Plätzen gehört Mohamad Kraidiye und bietet eine Cluberfahrung zum Thema Tiefsee, komplett mit Meerjungfrauen und Schatz. Der Architekt und Besitzer von JD Design Joe Chidiac und Rami Haber von Pulse Middle East haben in Zusammenarbeit mit Jaafar Daher den Entwurf, den Einbau und die Installation der gesamten Audio-, Beleuchtungs- und Videoausrüstung im Morjana durchgeführt, während Mathew Carter als Akustikberater für das Projekt eingestellt wurde. Ziel war es, Fast-Fit, High-End Sound, Beleuchtung und LED-Bildschirme in einem vernünftigen finanziellen Rahmen zu beschaffen. Für das Beschallungssystem wurde nach Demonstrationen verschiedener Radiomarken eine TW Audio / Powersoft Kombination ausgewählt, bereitgestellt von Pro Lab Trading, die ebenfalls die installierte Beleuchtungs- und Videoausrüstung lieferten. Jeder Club benötigt ein starkes Beleuchtungsdesign, um dieses Must-Have-Ambiente zu schaffen. Aus diesem Grund wurde für jeden Abschnitt eine einzige Marke ausgewählt - Vision für die Beleuchtung, Videobildschirme und Laser, ChamSys für die intelligente Beleuchtungssteuerung, DJ Power für Spezialeffekte und Plus Truss Rigging für die Lichtträger. Joe fasste zusammen: “Wir haben in der Vergangenheit mit Jaafar an Projekten gearbeitet und wissen, wie der andere arbeitet - somit konnten wir das bestmögliche Ergebnis für das Projekt und den Kunden bieten.”

ITALIANO

Il Morjana Club, situato nel Radisson Blu Hotel, porta un’esperienza unica nel settore dei club a Dubai. Di proprietà di Mohamad Kraidiye, il locale, con una capacità di 800 persone, offre un’esperienza profonda per ciò che concerne i locali a tema ed è completo di sirene e tesori. Lavorando fianco a fianco Jaafar Daher, architetto e proprietario di JD Design, Joe Chidiac e Rami Haber di Pulse Middle East hanno portato avanti la progettazione, l’integrazione e l’installazione di tutto il sistema audioluci e video del Morjana, mentre Mathew Carter è salito a bordo come consulente acustico per questo progetto. Il piano era quello di fornire un sistema audio-luci e schermi a LED ad-hoc e di fascia alta ad un budget ragionevole. Per il sistema PA, a seguito di dimostrazioni di diverse marche audio, è stata decisa al momento una combinazione TW Audio/Powersoft, il tutto fornito da Pro Lab Trading, che ha fornito anche l’illuminazione e le apparecchiature video che sono state installate. Ogni locale ha bisogno di un forte progetto di illuminazione per creare quell’atmosfera e come tale è stato scelto un unico marchio per ogni sezione: Vision per l’illuminazione, gli schermi video e i laser; ChamSys per il controllo di illuminazione intelligente; DJ Power per gli effetti speciali e Plus Truss Rigging per la struttura delle luci. Joe ha detto: “Abbiamo lavorato con Jaafar su dei progetti in passato e quindi sappiamo entrambi come lavoriamo; questo ci ha permesso di ottenere il miglior risultato possibile sia per la realizzazione del progetto che per la soddisfazione del cliente”.

ESPAÑOL

Morjana Club, ubicado en el Radisson Blu Hotel, le brinda a Dubai una experiencia de discoteca única en su tipo. Propiedad de Mohamad Kraidiye, el sitio con capacidad para 800 personas ofrece una experiencia con la temática de alta mar que se completa con sirenas y tesoros.

Trabajando en conjunto con Jaafar Daher, arquitecto y propietario de JD Design, Joe Chidiac y Rami Haber de Pulse Middle East llevaron a cabo el diseño, la integración y la instalación de todos los equipamientos de audio, iluminación y video en Morjana, mientras que Mathew Carter fue incorporado como Consultor Acústico para el proyecto. El plan era brindar una instalación rápida, sonido de alta calidad, iluminación y pantallas LED con un presupuesto sensato. Para el sistema PA, a la que le siguieron demostraciones de diferentes marcas de audio, se decidió por una combinación TW Audio / Powersoft, todo suministrado por Pro Lab Trading, que además proveyó el equipamiento de iluminación y video instalado. Toda discoteca necesita de un diseño de iluminación fuerte para crear el ambiente que debe tener; y se eligió una marca para cada sección - Vision para la iluminación, pantallas de video y lasers; ChamSys para el control inteligente de iluminación; DJ Power para los efectos especiales, y Plus Truss Rigging para el bastidor de la iluminación. Joe resumió: “En el pasado hemos trabajado en proyectos con Jaafar y conocemos cómo trabaja el otro - esto nos permitió entregar el mejor resultado posible para el proyecto y para el cliente.”

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EPIC SANA LISBON LISBON, PORTUGAL

EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA Part of the Azinor Group - an international trading company - Sana Hotels currently owns and operates a total of 13 hotels, one in Berlin, Germany, one in Luanda, Angola and the rest in Portugal.

Sana Hotels aims to offer guests a unique holiday experience with each one boasting a set of exclusive concepts and its own distinct personality.

One of the newest additions to the chain is Epic Sana Hotel in Portugal’s capital city of Lisbon. Located in a prime location, close by to Marquês de Pombal Square, Avenida da Liberdade and the Baixa District, the hotel includes 311 rooms and all the usual services and facilities you would expect to find at any five-star complex.

In line with the high-end finish of the hotel and the expected clientele, a state-of-the-art audio system was required. A discreet technology package was needed to provide public address facilities, as well as atmospheric audio to the bar and restaurant, the corporate rooms and the communal areas. Veteran supplier, Garrett Audiovisuais - which had an existing relationship with the hotel chain through supplying audiovisual equipment for previous hotels - was the

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obvious choice when it came to equipping Epic Sana Lisbon. Garrett Audiovisuais met with the hotel and technical directors to discuss ideas, before presenting a number of designs to the architectural department.

Commerical Director of Garrett Audiovisuais, Raul Fernandes explained the task: “Sana Hotels wanted a solution that would go beyond a traditional public address system. The equipment needed to be high quality in the communal areas of the hotel, as they would be frequently occupied by customers, and in addition the system needed to fulfil safety regulations. The new audio set up also had to have the ability to accept local radio inputs that would be broadcast in certain areas of the hotel, as well as have a central management point.”

Raul set about splitting the sound system for the hotel into zones, so that he and his team could focus on providing the best solution for each individual area. The public address system incorporates the lobby, the restaurant, the bar, the outdoor swimming pool, the well being spa, the lifts and the main access corridors, and these areas have been kitted out with a combination of in-ceiling loudspeakers and wall-mounted loudspeakers from Genelec and RCF. Genelec 4030A bi-amplified loudspeakers dominate the lobby and bar area, these loudspeakers are housed inside the company’s minimum diffraction enclosures, which thanks to their rounded edges and

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sleek curves are well equipped to produce a very smooth frequency response, while minimising cabinet edge diffraction at the same time.

Raul said of the Genelec products: “We use Genelec loudspeakers because of their sound quality, efficiency and reliability.”

A total of10 Genelec 8020A monitor loudspeakers are at home in spa and gym on level -2. “The choice of the equipment was partly on good performance within an installation, however, we also considered the programming of the system - taking into account networking, control, matrices and EQ - which had to be carried over a period of time including when the hotel was already open to the public,” continued Raul.

Elsewhere, in the ground level bar, are 14 Genelec AIC25 in-ceiling loudspeakers, which because of their carefully dimensioned en-

closures, allow ample control of bass reproduction. Pedro Santos, Technical Director at the hotel commented: “Being a five star hotel our customers are very demanding and they set us new challenges on a daily basis. We need to meet those challenges. The new sound system had to be up to the task, without compromising on quality or reliability, and be able to perform even under harsh conditions.”

The rest of the public address system is made up of loudspeakers from Italian manufacturer, RCF. A total of 30 RCF BD 2412EN bi-directional sound projectors and 61 RCF DM 61 two-way compact loudspeakers have been installed in the stair wells and parking area.

These sit alongside 353 RCF PL 8X coaxial ceiling loudspeakers, 311 RCF PL 40 flush mountable ceiling loudspeakers, 44 RCF MQ 50C lightweight ceiling loudspeakers, 27 RCF WS 620XT

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waterproof ceiling loudspeakers and 11 RCF PL 6X coaxial ceiling loudspeakers that have been installed along the room corridors, the spa and the event space foyer. “The systems are on 24/7 providing background music, but from Wednesday to Saturday we have bands, where the loudspeakers in the ceiling of the bar work as the main PA,” continued Pedro.

With the exception of the Genelec loudspeakers - which are self powered - Lab.gruppen’s C Series provides amplification for the RCF loudspeakers. A total of 11 Lab.gruppen C 10:8X eight channel amplifiers, five Lab.gruppen C 10:4X four channel amplifiers, a Lab. gruppen C 16:4 amplifier and a C 20:8X amplifier provide ample power. “These amplifiers provide high sound quality, can be remotely controlled, offer a five year warranty and are extremely reliable,” commented Raul.

For loudspeaker management control and DSP, Raul turned to Ateis’ LAP G2 network audio processors, which feature a DSP audio matrix for multizone audio routing, the idea tool for Epic Sana due to its number of audio zones.

Raul said: “We have used this brand in the past and achieved good results, mainly due to the constant evolvution of the brand. The last generation of products from Ateis has an excellent quality to price ratio.”

There are eight congress rooms and five corporate rooms at Epic Sana, which collectively cover an area of 1,760 sq metres. The rooms are spread across two floors and are easily adaptable for a

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND PUBLIC ADDRESS: 12 x Genelec 4030A bi-amplified loudspeaker; 10 x Genelec 8020A monitor loudspeaker; 14 Genelec AIC25 in-ceiling loudspeaker; 30 x RCF BD 2412EN bi-directional sound projector; 61 x RCF DM 61 two-way compact loudspeaker; 353 x RCF PL 8X coaxial ceiling loudspeaker; 311 x RCF PL 40 flush mountable ceiling loudspeaker; 44 x RCF MQ 50C lightweight ceiling loudspeaker; 27 x RCF WS 620XT waterproof ceiling loudspeaker; 11 x RCF PL 6X coaxial ceiling loudspeaker; 36 x Russound Acclaim 5B55 ceiling loudspeaker; 28 x Russound Acclaim 5C82 ceiling loudspeaker; 11 x Ateis LAP G2 network audio processor; 11 x Lab.gruppen C 10:8X amplifier; 5 x Lab.gruppen C 10:4X amplifier; 1 x Lab.gruppen C 16:4 amplifier; 1 x C 20:8X amplifier CONGRESS ROOMS: 71 x Genelec AIC25 in-ceiling loudspeaker; 5 x Ateis LAP G2 network audio processor CORPORATE ROOMS: 12 x Russound Acclaim 7C72 ceiling loudspeaker; 5 x ACM iCOM 2X20 amplifier VISUAL CONGRESS ROOMS/CORPORATE ROOMS: 9 x Samsung LED LCD screen; 10 x NEC NP-P420X video projector; 1 x Extron MVX 128 VGA A video matrix www.lisboa.epic.sanahotels.com

THE NEW GENELEC 4010 – AMAZING ACTIVE INSTALLATIONS

Key features of the Genelec 4010: 4 Exceptional sound quality in a compact package thanks to efficient Class D power amplifiers and proprietary drivers by Genelec 4 Controlled directivity allows installation in acoustically challenging environments 4 Ease of connection with balanced line input using a Phoenix-type connector 4 High reliability, both mechanically and sonically 4 Sustainability with Intelligent Signal Sensing™ (ISS) circuitry, Class D amplifiers and an enclosure made of recycled aluminium 4 Available in polar white and mystic black

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wide variety of events such as conferences, exhibitions, workshops, weddings and private parties. They are also flexible in size so can cater for almost any event capacity.

In the five corporate rooms 12 Russound Acclaim 7C72 ceiling loudspeakers are in place and are powered by five AMC iCOM 2X20 amplifiers. Perdro said: “The corporate rooms function according to the customer’s requests. Generally there are conferences during the day time, while at night it is usually dinners with some form of musical entertainment.” In the congress rooms more Genelec AIC25 in-ceiling loudspeakers and further Ateis’ LAP G2 network audio processors have been specified.

In terms of video equipment in the conference and congress rooms, Raul installed several 65-inch Samsung Professional LED LCD screens and10 NEC NP-P420X video projectors. The projectors are connected to an Extron MVX 128 VGA A video matrix plus Kramer VP728 scalers, and are integrated in touch panels that command each room. “The main challenge for the event space was to ensure that the room would feature a high quality multimedia system that was discreet when not in use, easy to activate and configure, user friendly and offer good performance in terms of sound and image quality,” explained Raul. All of this was achieved thanks to the selection of the flush mountable Genelec loudspeakers and building the screens and projectors into video lifts that can be moved out of sight when not in use.

The whole installation proved rather a challenge in itself, for a number of reasons, firstly, the sheer scale of the project and the amount of infrastructure required. Secondly, once the interior was complete, a fibre optic installation on the exterior had to take place. This was coupled with the fact that Raul and his team were working simultaneously on Epic Sana Algarve, which opened just one week later than the Lisbon hotel.

“This project was only possible due to the expertise and knowledge of Garrett Audiovisuais. The project was so complex and innovating, it has required their personal dedication, effort, and resilience to undertake and accomplish the task,” concluded Pedro.

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“We use Genelec loudspeakers because of their sound quality, efficiency and reliability.”

LIVE SOUND

PURE EMOTION

UNMATCHED SOUND

THE PERFECT PORTABLE&FIXED AUDIO SYSTEM IDEAL FOR DANCE CLUB AND DJSET The V-MAX speaker series included in this catalogue features some of RCF’s exclusive designs and technologies such as RCF Precision Hyper-vented Woofers and high power, low distortion neo compression drivers, “CMD” Coverage Matching Design horns providing consistent horizontal and vertical pattern control through the usable frequency range, RCF exclusive “LICC” Crossover Systems, matching amplification and control systems to fully optimise the high performance and long term reliability RCF is renowned for.

V35 15” high power, 4” VC hypervented woofers 3” high power titanium neo compression driver 132 dB max SPL, 900 Watt AES V45 2 x 15” high power, 4” VC hypervented woofers 4” high power titanium neo compression driver 137 dB max SPL, 1800 Watt AES

V45

V18-S 2 x 18” high power, 4” VC hypervented woofers 141 dB max SPL, 3000 Watt AES

V35 V18-S

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013 TILBURG, THE NETHERLANDS EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST/AFRICA

On the wave of a lively music scene, in 1998 three organisations Tilburg Noorderligt, Bat Cave and the Muziekkantenwinkel - came together to form a venue that would act as a professional space for live music, host concerts and dance activities, while also facilitating music production and education. Today, 013 - named after the Tilburg telephone area code - is one of the largest entertainment venues in The Netherlands and is made up of three concert halls: the Jupiler Hall, with a capacity of 2,000; the Small Hall, with a capacity of 325; and Stage01, with a capacity of 125, as well a number of practice rooms for musicians.

The various functions of the building, along with its design, make 013 unique in The Netherlands, with the most striking element being its exterior - its clad walls, not too dissimilar to that of a black quilted bedspread, along with the arrangement of CDs on the external walls, reflect the building’s character.

Over 15 years after it opened its doors for that very first performance, the time came to update 013’s PA system and, after a lengthy thought process, in 2013 four audio brands were invited to demonstrate their kit. The new PA system had to provide the best

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sound for the rooms, be rider friendly and provide a reliable service.

For Herbert van Sloun, Head of Production at 013, the new PA system also had to be able to cope with future extension plans, which will see the room’s capacity increase to 3,000 by the end of 2015 so it needed to be powerful enough to work within this virtual room.

Demos were undertaken led by the manufacturer’s local representatives, along with tests in real life conditions, where each system was used for several live shows in the venue. In 2014, Dutch distributor Sound & Light Import finally delivered an Adamson E15 system chosen for its clear and direct sound, paired with the warmth and low-end power of the 15-inch subwoofers.

Placement of the kit, so that it was in line with the geometry of the room, required careful consideration. The main PA system consists of 18 Adamson Energia E15 true line source enclosures, which are split evenly into two line arrays, hung left and right of the stage. The E15 is a three-way cabinet incorporating proprietary transducer and waveguide technology. Four Adamson SpekTrix three-way active cabinets - which have a vertical coverage pattern of 5º - join the E15’s for downfill purposes, again split evenly left and right, as do two Adamson SpekTrix Wave cabinets, which offer an increased vertical coverage pattern of 15º and can be amplified and processed in parallel with the 5º cabinets.

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There are 12 Adamson E218 subwoofers placed as two wide by three high blocks left and right of the stage. Front fills are provided by a further four Adamson SpekTrix loudspeakers. Outfills come from two Adamson Point 12 loudspeakers and optional lip fill is available through four Adamson Point Concentric 8 loudspeakers if required by the performance.

Power and loudspeaker management is a combination of Lab.gruppen and Lake, with eight Lab.gruppen PLM20000Q amplifiers with integrated Lake DSP, powering the E15 loudspeakers and the E218 subwoofers. There are then four Lab.gruppen PLM10000Q amplifiers, again with integrated Lake DSP, powering all of the SpekTrix and Point loudspeakers. Processing and matrixing is taken care of by two Lake LM 44 loudspeaker management systems, while signal distribution is via dual redundant Dante audio network with analogue backup, with three Cisco GB switches, one access point and one tablet computer for network infrastructure and system control.

Commenting on the placement of the kit, Adamson’s Jochen Sommer told mondo*dr: “The audience area has a rising main floor with steps and a stretched balcony with only a small amount of clearance between the two. This has resulted in the trim height of the main PA being rather low so that it properly reaches areas in the back, underneath the balcony.

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“The current placement of the subwoofers is dictated by available space but once the venue gets rebuilt the subwoofers will be placed underneath the stage. Front fill design had to be low profile and is able to cover the entire area in front of the stage not reached by the main PA. Lip fills are optional and deployed on request of the respective production.”

As part of ongoing refurbishment plans, the next step at 013 will be to update the intelligent lighting system currently used at the venue. Until then, the venue owners can rest assured they have a first class PA system worthy of any rider.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

18 x Adamson E15 loudspeaker; 8 x Adamson SpekTrix loudspeaker; 2 x Adamson SpekTrix Wave loudspeaker; 4 x Adamson Point Concentric 8 loudspeaker; 2 x Adamson Point 12 loudspeaker; 12 x Adamson E218 subwoofer; 8 x Lab. gruppen PLM20000Q amplifier; 4 x Lab.gruppen PLM10000Q amplifier; 2 x Lake LM 44 loudspeaker management system www.013.nl

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LINATE AIRPORT MILAN, ITALY

Europe/middle east/africa Officially named after Enrico Forlanini, the Italian aeronautical pioneer, Milan’s Linate Airport specialises in short-haul international flights linking the city with other European destinations. Since its conception in the 1930s, the airport has been entirely reconstructed twice, most recently 30 years ago, in order to cope with increasing numbers of tourists. Currently, the Linate Airport complex consists of a single terminal building, with 70,000 sq metres of space for passengers, along with two runways dealing with commercial traffic and aviation respectively, and 41 aircraft pitches.

When Nicola Teutonico, the airport’s Maintenance Manager, decided

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to install a new audio system, she looked no further than RCF, supplier of the existing system, which had been operating satisfactorily for 20 years. For Nicola, the enduring quality of the previous units was a testament to the reliability of the manufacturer’s products, and the standard of its after-sales service. According to Luca Artoni, Project Manager for the Engineering Support Group at RCF, the airport’s decision to do business with RCF once again, lay in its reputation for supplying “cutting-edge solutions”.

Linate Airport required an audio system capable of carrying out evacuation functions and pre-recorded messages - activated by the fire detection system - as well as broadcast emergency announcements from a digital microphone console, in around 20 areas of the building.

“Nicola got in touch with RCF initially to evaluate the project, asking us to use certified components that were in compliance with the en-

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forced standards concerning voice evacuation,” Luca told mondo*dr.

It was paramount that the new system be able to interface with Milan’s other airport, Malpensa, while able to receive and diffuse announcements automatically generated by the existing system. During the presentation stage, RCF developed several acoustic simulations.

“By using EASE 4.3 simulation software, we created a 3D model of the main areas of the airport and positioned the diffusers in order to obtain sound pressure levels and intelligibility values conforming to the parameters required by standards in force,” said Luca.

“Every area is served by two lines of diffusers in order to ensure sufficient audio coverage, even in the event of a fault on the line or of the amplifier,” continued Luca. “The entire audio system is controlled by an RCF MU 9186 digital matrix system, which manages and monitors all the system components - microphone console, pre-recorded messages, amplifiers, serial ports, inputs and outputs - and provides the audio processing of every input and output.”

The audio system installed is an RCF DXT 9000 digital system, which is certified in compliance with the EN 54-16 fire safety standard. There are 429 RCF PL 70EN in-ceiling loudspeakers, along with 28 RCF DP 1420EN aluminium sound projectors, which have been specifically designed for use in airports, train stations and other transport terminals. There are also 17 RCF BD 2412EN aluminium bi-directional sound projectors, nine RCF UP9502 power units and an RCF BM 9802 digital microphone console installed. The whole system is powered by nine RCF UP 9502 amplifiers, each equipped with two channels per 250W. “DXT 9000 is a user-friendly, fully digital scalable and expandable system,” said Luca. “The master, microphone and amplification units are connected by two or four-pair fire-resistant cables with a 0.8 sq mm cross-section, in compliance with the UNI 9795 fire detection and fire alarm standard.

“We created a 3D model of the main areas of the airport and positioned the diffusers in order to obtain sound pressure levels and intelligibility values conforming to the parametres required by standards in force.”

While the decision to use RCF might have been an easy one, the installation itself posed some challenges. Broadcasting clear evacuation and information messages throughout the national and international departure lounges was made problematic by the building’s high ceilings, which stand 10-metres off the ground. With this in mind, Luca and his team decided to use sound projectors, “which thanks to their directivity and efficiency, have allowed the sound to be conveyed to the listening area, thereby avoiding unwanted reflections and reaching travellers with a good sound pressure level,” explained Luca.

“The extensive configurability of the DXT 9000, together with its graphical user interface, has allowed us to implement a configuration that not only fully meets the requirements of airport authorities, but also enables us to carry out prompt diagnoses on every single component of the audio system.”

Asked what made RCF products ideal for this particular project, he concluded that staff at Linate Airport had made the right decision. “It is safe to say that every component of the RCF system, from electronic components to diffusers, meet’s the clients requirements.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 1 x RCF DXT 9000 digital audio system; 1 x RCF MU 9186 matrix master unit; 9 x RCF UP 9502 power amplifier; 1 x RCF digital microphone console; 1 x RCF PS 6048 emergency power supply; 429 x RCF PL 70EN in-ceiling loudspeaker; 28 x RCF DP 1420EN aluminium sound projector; 17 x RCF BD 2412EN aluminium bi-directional sound projector www.milanolinate-airport.com

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E11EVEN MIAMI, USA THE AMERICAS

In a prime spot of downtown Miami lies E11EVEN, a US$40m nightclub and international cabaret venue that is catapulting the clubbing scene in South Florida to new levels. State-of-the-art technology is combined with five-star hospitality at this 20,000 sq ft, 24-hour entertainment spot, featuring beautiful entertainers and theatrical performances from aerialists, contortionists and more over multiple

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stages.

Over 600 sq ft of LED video walls and intelligent lighting are combined with the latest Funktion One Resolution 6 sound system, brought to life by Miami-based iDesign and Sound Investment.

For E11EVEN’s owner, Dennis DeGori, it was imperative that a group of cutting edge designers were brought on board to bring his

vision to life. Consulting closely with Tom Telesco of Telesco Associates, an architectural firm based in Miami, and Michael Meacham of iDesign, Dennis came to the decision that there should be a central hydraulic stage in the round and for Michael, this is when everything fell into place: “I knew I wanted to design a major LED ceiling feature solely based around this circular centre stage. The general framework for the design and drawings all took shape quickly after that. “Once Tom had sketched the stage design I knew exactly what to base my feature design around

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Photo Credit: Chibi Moku

““The lighting and video content, along with the creative programming style gives the dramatic feel and exciting dance energy for atmospheric lighting for the entertainers.” and this is how the huge 40ft wide circle with 360º custom 1.5-metre LED strips was created. The three-metre centre inner diameter part of the circle allows for the performance rigging and a place to showcase eight Martin Professional MH3 Rush Beams with an additional eight Martin Rush MH3 Beams on the outer perimeter. The design never changed from the first clear moment, it was a definitive vision of exactly how this lighting and video was meant to be.”

With an ambitious opening date of just 10 months from demolition to completion, everyone involved had to move quickly to ensure the end date was met. Within four weeks the iDesign team, along with Project Manager Holmes Ives, had the custom ceiling rigging in place for the central feature. The 360º 1.5-metre LED strips had been fixed to the ceiling grid; four HD LED video walls were constructed plus 54 Martin Rush moving heads and eight SGM X-5 LED strobes were in place on the mezzanine pipes.

The moving heads at E11EVEN are a combination of 32 Martin Professional Rush MH1 Profiles, and 16 Rush MH3 Beams in the main room and a further six Rush MH1 Profiles in the day room. Unlike a typical venue E11EVEN is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week - a lot of stress for a discharge fixture. “The Rush MH 1 Profile has an LED engine so there was no need for lamp replacements,” said Michael, “plus it has a fantastic gobo and colour set. The Rush MH3 Beams make a big impact from the 22ft high ceiling in the circular orientation and are only used at night to save the lamp life.”

Under the mezzanine, there are eight SGM X5 highly effective bright LED strobes; for effects, there are two Martin Professional hazers in the main room plus one in the day room.

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With E11EVEN’s unique concept, Michael approached the lighting and video planning with a focus on a nightclub design including plenty of key light for the entertainers. E11EVEN has an incredibly talented crew of Cirque du Soleil style performers, contortionists and aerialists. The system is programmed to have the big theatrical lighting looks that add atmosphere and drama to the performances while having plenty of aggressive, dynamic nightclub programs too.

“The lighting and video content, along with the creative programming style gives the dramatic feel when there are Cirque style performances,” said Michael. “It provides exciting dance energy for the high-end clientele and atmospheric lighting for the entertainers.”

Lighting and video at E11EVEN is programmed using a MA Lighting grandMA Light console and grandMA Ultra Light console, along with an Avolites Media Ai media server, which was setup by Scott Chmiewlewski of DMD S7udios. Scott’s team also provided custom content for all the video screens. There are four custom HD LED walls ranging from 6mm to 10mm pixel pitch - positioned above the bar, on the front of the DJ booth, at the front entrance and on the day room wall as well as the LED centre feature.

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“Timecode for the feature performance acts runs on Q-lab software on a Mac Mini,” added Michael. “LTC (longitudinal timecode) is sent to both the grandMA and Ai media server using a Miff4 for frame accurate video playback.”

To complete the experience, a first class lighting system needs a first class sound system to go with it. Sound Investment’s Roly Aspuru talked mondo*dr through the installation: “From the very beginning Dennis knew exactly what he wanted from the sound system and he brought us in at the very beginning, meaning we were able to work closely with Tom and Michael and so it ended up being a great, cohesive collaboration between all parties. Every time Dennis had an idea we caught the vision and incorporated it into our craft - we are really proud of what we’ve achieved at E11EVEN.” While most projects have acoustic issues, the building that once stood where E11EVEN now resides was stripped down to its very foundations. So for all intent and purpose, the nightclub is a purpose-built venue and so, according to Roly, has very little in the way of acoustical issues.

“With large rooms such as E11EVEN there are always going to be

01 LIGHT IS THE IMMEDIATE MEDIA

LIGHT EMBRACES ARCHITECTURE GOOD ARCHITECTURE BRINGS OUT THE LIGHT IN PEOPLE

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some acoustic issues,” he said, “but the good thing is there is a lot of fabric and drapes. The owner realised early on our concerns and worked with us to address these. In the same breath there were times where we had to compromise with placement, but that was the beauty of this project, it was great to see how people can move and work together.”

The main dancefloor system chosen for E11EVEN is unique to the venue in South Florida and utilises four of the new Resolution 6 loudspeakers, one placed in each corner of the room, surrounding the central performance space - these take care of the mid / high frequencies. There are also four Funktion One F315 15-inch loudspeakers for the mid-bass; and four Funktion One F221 subwoofers, all powered by four Full Fat Audio FFA-10000 two-channel amplifiers and one Full Fat Audio FFA-6004 four-channel amplifier.

Surround sound in the main room comes from eight Funktion One F101 loudspeakers powered by a QSC RMX4050a amplifier and on the mezzanine level there are a further eight Funktion One F101 loudspeakers, again powered by a QSC RMX4050a amplifier.

The sound system in the day room consists of four Funktion One F1201 loudspeakers catering for the mid / high frequencies, which are driven by one QSC RMX4050a amplifier, along with two Funktion One BR218 dual 18-inch driver bass subwoofers, for which Crest Audio Pro9200 provides amplification. For the atrium and restaurant, two Funktion One F101 loudspeakers, powered by a QSC RMX1850HD amplifier and six Funktion One F81 loudspeakers, powered by a QSC RMX2450a amplifier are used respectively. On the outdoor patio, Sound Investment opted for16 QSC AD-S82H-WH loudspeakers, which are provided with ample power thanks to three QSC RMX1450a amplifiers. Processing for the entire venue is through a BSS BLU160 3AIx2AO networked digital signal processor. The DJ booth is a Pioneer set-up and features two CDJ-2000 multimedia players, with a DJM-900 Nexus mixer and two Rane SL-3 Serato scratch live units and four L-Acoustics used for monitors.

“E11EVEN is really taking advantage of the sound system we’ve installed,” said Roly. “Performers, DJs and the like really love it.

In South Florida building nightclubs and hotels is usually a difficult process - there are a lot of obstacles but this was definitely one of the more fun projects I’ve worked on. The level of foresight and intelligence on the ownership’s part was unbelievable. They knew the details from the very beginning and this made a real difference. All too many times people give us ‘grey ideas’ and we have to try and define what they mean but with E11EVEN it was black and white what was

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required. The ‘A team’ of South Florida worked on this project.”

“As we were getting closer to the end of the install there were several trades crossing over each other to meet the ambitious deadline,” said Michael. “This naturally caused a few delays, however Tom did an amazing job of coordinating all the trades and the project was delivered on time.”

Adding to this, Michael concluded: “The vision of Dennis DeGori to have an outstanding ‘show club’ venue allowed for iDesign to create a lighting and video system along with Sound Investment’s sound system that would visually elevate the orchestra of all elements. Being able to build this creation from the ground up, having a good budget to work with and thoroughly enjoying working with the E11EVEN management team made this a very special project for all of us.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING

38 x Martin Professional Rush MH1 Profile moving head; 16 x Martin Professional Rush MH3 Beam moving head; 8 x SGM X-5 strobe lighting fixture; 3 x Martin Professional hazer; 1 x MA Lighting grandMA Light console; 1 x grandMA Ultra Light console; 1 x Avolites Media Ai media server

VIDEO

1 x custom LED feature using 360º LED bars pixel resolution 672 x 672; 2 x 10mm LED wall; 1 x 6mm LED wall

AUDIO

4 x Funktion One Resolution 6 loudspeaker; 4 x Funktion One F315 loudspeaker; 18 x Funktion One F101 loudspeaker; 6 x Funktion One F81 loudspeaker; 4 x Funktion One F1201 loudspeaker; 4 x Funktion One F221 subwoofer; 2 x Funktion One BR218 subwoofer; 16 x QSC AD-S82H-WH loudspeaker; 2 x QSC K12 louspeaker; 2 x L-Acoustics DJ monitor; 4 x Full Fat Audio FFA-10000 amplifier; 1 x Full Fat Audio FFA-6004 amplifier; 2 x QSC RMX4050a amplifier; 1 x QSC RMX1850HD amplifier; 1 x QSC RMX2450a amplifier; 3 x QSC RMX1450a amplifier; 2 x Pioneer CDJ-2000 multimedia player; 1 x DJM900 Nexus mixer; 2 x Rane SL-3 Serato scratch unit; 1 x BSS BLU160 2AIx2AO digital signal processor www.11miami.com

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CLUB 8, NIGHT HOTEL DALLAS, USA THE AMERICAS

Inside the Night Hotel in Dallas, Texas, sits Club 8, created to revive the city’s nightlife and set a new standard in entertainment. Designed by architect designer, Jose Gonzales, together with Dark Couture Design Studio, Club 8 is a 10,000 sq foot space featuring 39 VIP tables, and is connected to a 7,000 sq ft pool area that has 10 VIP cabanas, and six circular lounge beds.

The audio experience at Club 8 aims to be the best in the city and as such, the DJ booth is equipped with Pioneer CDJ-900 multimedia

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players and Technic turntables, assisted by a Pioneer DJM-900 mixer. An existing relationship between installation company DJSL and Night Hotel’s General Manager Ross Edinboro, saw Kevin Deal of GC Pro chosen for the job of providing some of the very best audio equipment available, to Club 8.

With almost 20 years experience in the audio industry, Kevin has certifications in the live sound reinforcement and installation markets and chose to work with D.A.S. Audio for this particular project.

Commenting on his choice, he told mondo*dr: “I have always had great experiences with D.A.S. - I tend to look at three things when I consider a system for a venue: 1) Does the company show interest in

VENUE 101

assisting with planning and design. 2) What is the quality of the product I’m looking to install. 3) What is the support like after the sale.

D.A.S. assisted us with product selection, EASE design and even tuned the system. It’s really difficult to find a company with that level of support. There are several loudspeaker companies that make an excellent product, so with this in mind I have to look at aspects other than product quality to make my design stand apart from my competitors. Because of the superior support D.A.S. offers, it tends to make my job easier. I know it will be designed well, the product will sound great and my clients will be taken care of if an issue arises.”

In the main room Kevin installed 12 D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A powered

line array cabinets along with eight D.A.S. Audio LX218-CA dual 18inch powered arrayable subwoofers, while six D.A.S. Audio Convert 12A loudspeakers have been used for delays and four D.A.S. Audio Avant 15A’s for monitors in the DJ booth - all of which are processed by a D.A.S. Audio DSP-4080 processor.

The pool system comprises six D.A.S. Audio Convert 12A loudspeakers; four D.A.S. Audio Convert 18A subwoofers; two D.A.S. Audio Action 12A loudspeakers for monitors and processed by a D.A.S. Audio DSP-2040 processor unit.

A portable system is also available when needed and is made up of four D.A.S. Audio Convert 12A loudspeakers and two D.A.S. Audio

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LX218-CA dual 18-inch powered subwoofers.

Night has been transformed from a traditional hotel into a modern concept and with that came challenges, as Kevin explained: “The DJ booth and dancefloor reside where a pool used to be, which had to be taken out and plugged. We had some delays with our installation while we waited for the venue to be ready, but almost every project has delays of some kind, so this is nothing unusual and Club 8 still made its opening date.

“There are also gigantic columns in the main club that were a bit of a challenge to work around and when we originally put the design into EASE we were expecting the hang points for the main two clusters to be in a certain spot. When we actually got up in the rafters we found out that we had to move the clusters out a few feet. We ended up pointing them inward a bit more, towards the dancefloor and it sounds great.”

Acoustically, according to Kevin there weren’t any serious issues.

Behind the main stage there is a 60ft wide by 20ft tall glass window, but because the sound is aiming away from the window, acoustic challenges relating to this were minimal. “We deployed two D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A line array clusters, one either side of the main stage,” said Kevin. “About two-thirds of the way into the room, we put two more clusters of D.A.S. Audio Convert 12A loudspeakers.

“Although I am incredibly biased, I think that for the genre of music

LIGHTfaktor with the aim of merging architectural and entertainment lighting in high-end clubs.

“We created a ‘dream nightclub’ within the Night Hotel, where the hotel and nightclub experiences are merged by the integration of lighting and architecture throughout,” Wes told mondo*dr. “We created 32 sculpted metal chandeliers encased by hand strung crystals, but illuminated them with three zones of LED light, which is DMX controlled, thereby integrating the mood of the hotel and club.”

Club owner John Blomfield gave Wes and his team free reign to design the chandeliers. The shape is based on the Night Hotel logo, bringing in more of its ‘mystique’.

The concept of Night involves a nocturnal transformation, as John explained: “Our alter egos tend to come out at night. The Night Hotel is a business hotel by fay, but at night transforms into a unique nightclub, complete with pool parties, hookah bars and many other events.

Our philosophy is ‘we set the stage and we become the show’. In other words, it’s all about you, our individual customers are special we don’t have any VIPs.” For the intelligent lighting, John wanted to use High End Systems due to previous experience with the brand, and so Wes placed 12 DLV moving heads along with 12 Trackspot Bolt lighting fixtures; four SolaSpots and four SolaWash lighting fixtures throughout the main room of the club. Control comes from a High End Systems Road

“As I started programming I noticed how cool the lighting was, shining through the windows, so we moved the outdoor system inside to augment the club.”

Club 8 caters to, there’s not a better sounding system in the city,” continued Kevin. “The client gave me the freedom to do what I wanted because they recognised I am trying to help them accomplish their goal. Clubs often want gigantic stacks of boxes that look cool… I’ve found there are many loudspeaker manufacturers that call themselves ‘boutique’ but when I close my eyes, I don’t understand what the gigantic price tag attached to them is all about - it just seems like hype to me.

“While I realise that aesthetics are important, it’s always sound that I care about most and I’ve always been interested in doing a line array system in a club venue in Dallas. This venue is unique because it’s the only club in town that has a sound system of this calibre.”

The lighting at Club 8 was designed by LIGHTfaktor, based in Austin, Texas, and established by Wes Lane in 2008. Having worked at High End Systems as Chief Product Engineer for 10 years, Wes set up

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Hog 4 lighting console and a High End Systems DMX Processor 8000.

“I first worked with High End Systems in 1991,” said John. “The team there helped me with a small venue in Anchorage. I always aspired to do an upscale hotel with a dream nightclub. It took about 15 years to get enough capital and experience in the hotel industry to make that dream come true. So when it came down to it, High End Systems was the only choice.”

As highlighted by the audio installation, every project has its unique challenges. However, as this was a total remodel of the club area Wes and his team had a nice open and clear canvas to create on.

“John likes things set up in systems,” said Wes, “so he had us do the ballroom and nightclub with parallel lighting designs. The outdoor pool area doubles up as a dance area and the initial idea was to roll in a mobile system on the weekends when the club is open.

“As we started installing the first eight DLVs and eight Trackspot Bolts in the dancefloor area we looked at the backdrop to the DJ booth, which is a big wall of windows looking out to the pool area. As I started programming, I noticed how cool the lighting was, shining through the windows, so we moved the outdoor system inside to augment the club.

“We added four more DLVs and four more Trackspot Bolts. We really wanted to focus on LED products to fill the package and were already sold on the SolaSpots. At the same time the SolaWash was launching - we felt it was really going to complement the system. We still had the fast, automated lighting and beams but we could also do some amazing stuff with video and aerials. We went pretty extensive on the programming to make the best use of the DLV features some that people don’t even know exist.”

For Wes, each of the LED products brought their own synergy to

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FRANÇAIS

À l’intérieur du Night Hotel de Dallas au Texas se love le Club 8. Conçu par l’architecte José Gonzales et le Studio Dark Couture Design, le Club 8 souhaite devenir le meilleur de la ville et pour ce faire, la cabine du DJ est équipée de lecteurs multimédias Pioneer CDJ-900 et de platines Technic, soutenus par une table de mixage Pioneer DJM-900. Conséquence de la bonne entente entre la société d’installation DJSL et le directeur général du Night Hotel, Ross Edinboro, le choix de Kevin Deal de chez GC Pro était logique ; il installa pour le Club 8 certains des meilleurs équipements audio disponibles. Jouissant de près de 20 ans d’expérience dans l’industrie de l’audio, Kevin détient toutes les certifications nécessaires sur le marché pour l’installation et l’amplification du son « live », et il choisit de travailler avec le spécialiste D.A.S. Audio pour ce projet en particulier. L’entreprise LIGHTfaktor établie par Wes Lane en 2008 et basée à Austin au Texas conçut l’éclairage du club. Ayant travaillé chez High End Systems en tant qu’ingénieur en chef produit pendant 10 ans, Wes démarra LIGHTfaktor dans le but de fusionner l’éclairage architectural et celui du divertissement dans les clubs haut de gamme. « Les gens sont captivés par tous les éléments personnalisés intégrés et les idées de conception », conclut Wes. « Vous ressentez vraiment la cohésion, très remarquable. La vision et la connaissance du propriétaire ont créé une image d’ensemble, un processus et un objectif unifiés ».

DEUTSCH

the overall design. He told mondo*dr how the Trackspot Bolts look great in a line and the space in question really called for something like that over the DJ booth. “We needed a fast moving beam, so using a moving mirror fixture was a no-brainer,” said Wes. “We installed 12 Bolts in each space; eight shooting towards the crowd and the other four are right up on the window shooting into the pool area, but they bounce off the windows and back into the club so there are lots of great effects happening.”

Installation projects can often result in struggles between design over functionality, but in the instance of Club 8, all teams involved collaborated on all elements of the design from architecture, to lighting, to the furniture in both the nightclub and hotel, and this is evident in the results themselves, which really do stand out. “People are enthralled when they see all the integrated custom elements and design ideas,” concluded Wes. “You really get a cohesive feeling and it is very noticeable. The vision and knowledge of the owner created a unified vision, process and goal.”

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND

12 x D.A.S. Audio Aero 12A loudspeaker; 16 x D.A.S. Audio Convert 12A loudspeaker; 4 x D.A.S. Audio Avant 15A loudspeaker; 2 x D.A.S. Audio Action 12A loudspeaker; 10 x D.A.S. Audio LX218CA subwoofer; 4 x D.A.S. Audio Convert 18A subwoofer; 1 x D.A.S. Audio DSP4060 processor; 1 x D.A.S. Audio DSP2040 processor

LIGHTING

12 x High End Systems DLV moving head; 12 x High End Systems Trackspot Bolt lighting fixture; 4 x High End Systems SolaSpot moving head; 4 x High End Systems SolaWash moving head; 1 x High End Systems Road Hog 4 lighting desk; 1 x High End Systems Processor DSP 8000 www.club8dallas.com

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Im Night Hotel in Dallas, Texas, liegt der Club 8. Der Club 8 wurde durch den Architekten und Designer Jose Gonzales zusammen mit Dark Couture Design Studio konzipiert, mit dem Ziel, der beste der Stadt zu sein und aus diesem Grund ist das DJ-Pult mit Pioneer CDJ-900 Multimedia Players und Plattentellern von Technic ausgestattet, die von einem Pioneer DJM-900 Mixer unterstützt werden. Aufgrund einer bestehenden Beziehung zwischen dem Installationsunternehmen DJSL und dem Generalmanager des Night Hotels Ross Edinboro wurde Kevin Deal von GC Pro ausgewählt, um einige der besten Audio-Ausrüstungen, die der Markt zu bieten hat, für den Club 8 zu beschaffen. Kevin verfügt über fast 20 Jahre Erfahrung in der Audio-Industrie, hat Zertifizierungen für den Live-Beschallungs- und Installationsmarkt und entschied sich für D.A.S. Audio für dieses spezifische Projekt. Die Beleuchtung des Club 8 wurde durch LIGHTfaktor aus Austin, Texas, konzipiert und 2008 durch Wes Lane eingerichtet. Wes hat 10 Jahre lang bei High End Systems als leitender Produktingenieur gearbeitet und gründete LIGHTfaktor mit dem Ziel, architektonische und Entertainment-Beleuchtung in High End Clubs zu vereinen. “Die Leute sind begeistert, wenn sie all die integrierten kundenspezifischen Elemente und Designideen sehen’” so Wes. “Sie erhalten in der Tat ein kohäsives Gefühl und das ist sehr spürbar. Die Vorstellung und Kenntnisse des Besitzers schafften eine einheitliche Vision, einen einheitlichen Prozess und ein einheitliches Ziel.”

ITALIANO

Il Club 8 è situato all’interno del Night Hotel a Dallas, in Texas. Progettato dall’architetto progettista Jose Gonzales, insieme a Dark Couture Design Studio, il Club 8 si propone come il migliore in città e, come tale, la cabina del DJ è dotata di lettori multimediali Pioneer CDJ-900 e giradischi Technic che sono assistiti da un mixer Pioneer DJM-900. Un rapporto già esistente tra la società di installazione DJSL ed il direttore del Night Hotel Ross Edinboro ha fatto sì che Kevin Deal di GC Pro fosse scelto per il compito di fornire alcune delle migliori attrezzature audio disponibili per il Club 8. Con quasi 20 anni di esperienza nel settore audio, Kevin ha certificazioni nel mercato della sonorizzazione dal vivo ed installazione e ha scelto di lavorare con D.A.S. Audio per questo particolare progetto.

L’illuminazione al Club 8 è stata progettata da LIGHTfaktor, con sede ad Austin, in Texas, e stabilita da Wes Lane nel 2008. Avendo lavorato presso High End Systems come Ingegnere capo prodotto per 10 anni, Wes ha istituito LIGHTfaktor con l’obiettivo di fondere l’architettura e l’illuminazione da intrattenimento nei locali di fascia alta. “Le persone sono affascinate quando vedono tutti gli elementi personalizzati integrati alle idee di progettazione” ha concluso Wes. “Hai davvero una sensazione coesa e questo è molto evidente. Il fatto che conoscessimo il proprietario ha creato una visione, un processo ed un obiettivo uniformi”.

ESPAÑOL

Dentro del Night Hotel en Dallas, Texas, se encuentra Club 8. Diseñado por el diseñador y arquitecto José Gonzales, junto con Dark Couture Design Studio, Club 8 apunta a ser el mejor en la ciudad, y como tal, la cabina del DJ está equipada con reproductores multimedia Pioneer CDJ-900 y con platos Technic, asistidos por una mezcladora Pioneer DJM-900. Una relación ya existente entre la empresa de instalación, DJSL y el Gerente General del Night Hotel, Ross Edinboro, hizo que se eligiera a Kevin Deal de GC Pro para el trabajo de proveer algunos de los mejores equipamientos de audio disponibles para Club 8. Con casi 20 años de experiencia en la industria del audio, Kevin cuenta con certificaciones en el refuerzo del sonido en vivo y en el mercado de la instalación y eligió trabajar con D.A.S Audio para este proyecto particular. La iluminación en Club 8 fue diseñada por LIGHTfaktor, con base en Austin, Texas, y establecida por Wes Lane en 2008.

Habiendo trabajado en High End Systems como Director de Producto por 10 años, Wes fundó LIGHTfaktor con el objetivo de fusionar la iluminación arquitectónica y de entretenimiento en clubes de primer nivel. “La gente queda cautivada al ver todos los elementos a medida integrados y las ideas de diseño”, concluyó Wes. “Realmente tienes una sensación cohesiva y es muy evidente. La visión y el conocimiento del propietario crearon una visión, un proceso y una meta unificadas”.

SURFERS deLIGHT

One head, two bars, three LEDs each and something really special: the pan rotation of the two bars is one and the same, but the tilt movements can be controlled individually.

Thus originated images bring in a breeze of fresh air to the classic patterns and remind a little bit of wave motions, hence the product name.

Besides a very powerful cold-white version with six 20 watt LEDs, there is also a color version with 10 watt 4in1 LEDs – All beams have a beam angle of 2.5° and are perfectly suited for beam shows.

W W W. F U T U R E L I G H T. C O M

WAVE

COLOR WAVE

No. 51839000

No. 51839005

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ACADEMY Canberra, AUSTRALIA ASIA/PACIFIC/OCEANIA

Housed on a bustling shopping street, in an area that has recently undergone significant redevelopment as part of the AUS$6m Civic Cycle Loop project - which included the introduction of a bicycle path designed to circle the city centre and connect other paths leading into the Civic area - is Academy nightclub, located on Bunda Street in Australia’s capital city of Canberra.

Following the eco-friendly updates that took place in the surrounding area, the owners of Academy decided to fall in line and embark upon a new design and installation for the lighting and visual equipment at the club. In order to provide flexibility in terms of financial investment, as well as the reassurance of a full service package, the owners opted for a permanent rental solution. They turned to Canberra-based

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Elite Sound & Lighting to provide the design and specification of the new technology at Academy, with an aim of replenishing and revitalising the club. Managing Director of Elite Sound & Lighting, Darren Russell said: “The brief was to create a big impact, using current and future leading technology, while at the same time completely changing the feel and look of the club.

“The club offers a mix of DJ sets and live shows, so both eventualities needed to be considered, while providing for this, we also tried to develop a system design that meant a very different atmosphere could be created simply by programing a different style from night to night, rather than having to physically change fixture positions.”

With a commitment to providing turnkey solutions, Darren and his

team utilised some of the existing infrastructure at the club for the new design. A large truss grid suspended on Verlinde Stagemaker 0.5 tonne chain motors, provides ample rigging positions to light the front and back of the stage as well as the DJ booth. Its central location means it can offer even further lighting options for other areas of the room too.

Mounted on the main truss are four Robe Robin DLX Spot moving heads, which feature a versatile zoom of 10ยบ-45ยบ and produce a smooth, rich light output, all generated on an eco-friendly power consumption. This was a favourable attribute for the Academy owners, due to this installation increasing the number of moving lights at the club considerably. Also from Robe, are four Robin 600 LEDWash moving heads, which feature 37 10W LEDs arranged in three concentric rings to produce an even wash coverage. The DLX Spots and Robin 600 LEDWashes sit alongside eight Litecraft Xperior Sabre 5R spot moving heads, which add compact and punchy fixtures to the mix.

All of these intelligent lighting fixtures - along with another four Robe Robin 600 LEDWashes and two

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Robe Robin DLX Spots, which sit behind the bar, projecting out onto the main dancefloor - were supplied by ULA Group, which distributes both brands in Australia. Darren continued: “All of the Robe products used in this system are LED sources, this ensures very low running costs and ongoing maintenance costs, and their reliability is also outstanding in this environment. As the club is below ground level, it can get quite dusty down there, but we perform monthly servicing and have no problems with the fixtures.�

A further eight Martin Professional MAC 250 Entour moving heads from the original lighting rig also still feature, plus the addition of two Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobes for extra effects.

The lighting fixtures are controlled via a ChamSys MagicQ Maxi Wing. The in-house operator at Academy was already familiar with a smaller ChamSys surface, so upsizing to a larger desk was a natural step. The MagicQ Maxi Wing allows advanced show programming and playback through real faders, buttons and encoder wheels, as well as live show control through the 10 playback faders and cue stack control buttons.

On the visual front, Academy has once again up-cycled what was al-

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING & VISUAL

8 x Robe Robin DLX Spot moving head; 4 x Robe Robin 600 LEDWash moving head; 8 x Litecraft Xperior Sabre 5R spot moving head; 8 x Martin Professional MAC 250 Entour moving head; 2 x Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX strobe; 1 x ChamSys MagicQ Maxi Wing; 1 x Mac running ArKaos MediaMaster Pro software; 16 x Traxon 16PXL Module RGB board; 1 x Panasonic PT-DX800US projector www.academyclub.com.au

VENUE 109

FRANÇAIS

Installé dans une rue commerçante animée, dans une zone ayant récemment subi un réaménagement important de AUS 6 M$ dans le cadre du projet « Civic Cycle Loop » - comprenant la création d’une piste cyclable conçue pour faire le tour du centre-ville et relier d’autres pistes menant au domaine civique, se trouve le club de nuit Academy, situé sur la rue Bunda dans la capitale australienne de Canberra. Donnant suite aux aménagements écologiques des environs, les propriétaires du club ont décidé de suivre le courant et de revoir la conception et l’installation de l’éclairage et de l’équipement visuel du lieu. Ils s’adressèrent au groupe Elite Sound & Lighting basé à Canberra qui fournit la conception et les spécifications des nouvelles technologies de l’Academy, dans le but de revitaliser et de faire salle comble à nouveau. Le nouveau système d’éclairage comprend des appareils Robe & Litecraft fournit par le Groupe ULA, ainsi que quelques stroboscopes Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX. Ces appareils sont contrôlés par une console ChamSys MagicQ Maxi. Avant de devenir un club, le lieu abritait un cinéma et l’écran de projection d’origine situé à l’arrière de la scène et/ ou de la cabine du DJ est encore utilisé aujourd’hui avec un projecteur. Le contenu projeté est créé et géré par le logiciel ArKaos MediaMaster Pro.

DEUTSCH

Der Academy Nightclub in der Bunda Street in der australischen Hauptstadt Canberra befindet sich in einer geschäftigen Einkaufsstrasse, in einer Gegend, die kürzlich einer bedeutenden Sanierung als Teil des 9-Millionen AUS$ teuren „Civic Cycle Loop“ Projekts unterzogen wurde. Dieses Projekt umfasste die Einrichtung eines Radwegs in der Innenstadt und zwischen anderen Bürgerbereichen. Aufgrund der umweltfreundlichen Sanierungen im umliegenden Bereich beschlossen die Besitzer des Academy, diesem Trend zu folgen und mit einem Design und der Installation für Beleuchtung und für die visuelle Ausstattung im Club anzufangen. Sie wandten sich an das in Canberra ansässige Unternehmen Elite Sound & Lighting für die Bereitstellung des Designs und der Spezifizierung einer neuen Technologie im Academy, mit dem Ziel, den Club zu regenerieren und zu neuem Leben zu erwecken. Die neue Beleuchtungsausrüstung umfasst Einbauten von Robe and Litecraft - bereitgestellt von ULA Group – sowie einige Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX Stroboskope. Die Beleuchtungskörper werden über ein ChamSys MagicQ Maxi Wing gesteuert. Bevor der Treff ein Club war, beherbergte er ein Kino und die ursprüngliche Kinoleinwand, die sich im hinteren Teil der Bühne / des DJ-Pults befindet, wird zusammen mit einem Projektor noch immer benutzt. Der Inhalt der Projektionswand wird durch die ArKaos MediaMaster Pro Software erstellt und gemanagt.

ITALIANO

Ubicato su una vivace strada dello shopping, in una zona che recentemente ha subito significative ricostruzioni nell’ambito del progetto AUS$6m Civic Cycle Loop (che prevedeva l’introduzione di una pista ciclabile progettata per girare il centro della città e collegare altri percorsi che portano nell’area pedonale) troviamo il nightclub Academy, situato sulla Bunda Street nella capitale australiana di Canberra. Seguendo i rinnovamenti eco-friendly che sono stati apportati nella zona circostante, i proprietari dell’ Academy hanno deciso di mettersi in riga ed intraprendere un nuovo progetto con l’installazione di apparecchiature video-luci all’interno del locale. Essi si sono rivolti alla società di Canberra Elite Sound & Lighting per fornire la progettazione e le specifiche della nuova tecnologia presso l’Accademy, con l’obiettivo di completare e rivitalizzare il club. Il nuovo impianto di illuminazione comprende apparecchi della Robe e della Litecraft (forniti da ULA Group) così come un paio di luci stroboscopiche Martin Professional Atomic 3000 DMX. Le apparecchiature di illuminazione sono controllate tramite un ChamSys MagicQ Maxi Wing. Il locale ospitava un cinema prima che diventasse un club e lo schermo cinematografico originale era posizionato nella parte posteriore del palco / cabina del DJ ed è ancora oggi utilizzato insieme ad un proiettore. Il contenuto dello schermo di proiezione viene creato e gestito da un software ArKaos MediaMaster Pro.

ready in place. Before the venue was a club, it housed a cinema, and the original cinema screen positioned at the rear of the stage / DJ booth is still used today along with a Panasonic PT-DX800US projector. The content for the projection screen is created and managed

by ArKaos MediaMaster Pro software, which essentially turns the Mac running the software into a comprehensive media server. “The intergration of ChamSys with the ArKaos media server that provides the screen content is a huge plus as the two products work so well together,” said Darren.

Adding another dimension to the visual technology is a total of 16 Traxon 16PXL Module RGB boards, mounted on the ceiling, which provide a sleek matrix of light.

Darren concluded: “The lighting system has had rave reviews from night one, including much street press about how the club has reinvented itself and raised the bar at the same time. In fact, we’ve completed several other smaller projects in Canberra as spin offs, other venues needing to try and keep up and compete with Academy.”

In order to up the stakes even further, the audio system at Academy is next in line for an upgrade.

ESPAÑOL

Ubicado en una calle comercial desbordante de gente, en una zona que ha sido sometida recientemente a una importante remodelación como parte del proyecto Civic Cycle Loop de AUS$6 millones- que incluyó una senda para bicicletas diseñada para abarcar el centro de la ciudad y conectarse con otras sendas que llevan al centro Cívico - se encuentra la disco Academy, en la calle Bunda en la ciudad capital de Australia, Camberra. Continuando con las actualizaciones ecológicas que tuvieron lugar en las zonas aledañas, los propietarios de Academy decidieron seguir en esa línea y aventurarse hacia un nuevo diseño e instalación de equipamientos de iluminación y video en la disco. Se inclinaron por la empresa con base en Camberra, Elite Sound & Lighting, para que proporcionen el diseño y las especificaciones de la nueva tecnología en Academy, con el objetivo puesto en reponer y reavivar a la disco. La plataforma para la iluminación incluye artefactos de Robe and Litecraft suministrados por ULA Group – así como un par de luces estroboscópicas Atomic 3000 DMX de Martin Professional. Los artefactos de iluminación son controlados un ChamSys MagicQ Maxi Wing. Antes de que el lugar fuera una disco, albergaba a un cine y la pantalla original del cine, ubicada en la parte posterior del escenario / cabina del DJ, es utilizada aún hoy en día junto con un proyector. El contenido para la proyección es creado y administrado por el software de ArKaos MediaMaster Pro.

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5-8 OCTOBER 2014 - ExCeL

TECHNOLOGY. EXPERTISE. INFLUENCE.

PLASA London returns to ExCeL London from 5-8 October 2014.

The show will welcome the biggest names in lighting, audio, video and stage technology - and thousands of visitors from around the globe - to the most vibrant city in the world. It’s an iconic setting for an exhibition that, over its 37 years, has been at the heart of the entertainment technology industry its birth, growth and constant evolution.

Register now and be part of it too!

See website for details: b

plasashow.com facebook.com/PlasaShow @plasashow

IN BUSINE S S Lightpower Open Days, paderdorn ATTENDED BY PATRICK MCCUMISKEY

Koba, Seoul ATTENDED BY JUSTIN GAWNE

Palm Expo China, Beijing

ATTENDED BY RACHAEL ROGERSON & JAMIE DIXON

Palm Expo MUMBAI, Beijing

ATTENDED BY RACHAEL ROGERSON & LAURA ILES

INFOCOMM, LAS VEGAS

ATTENDED BY HELEN FLETCHER, JAMIE DIXON & LAURA ILES

PRODUCT GUIDE MOVING HEADS

PRODUCT DIRECTORY We have travelled far and wide for this issue’s in Business section.

TPi’s Patrick McCumiskey kicks things off with the Lightpower Open Days, held at the company’s HQ in Paderborn, Germany, while Justin headed out to Korea for the Koba show and Rachael and Jamie packed their bags for the Palm Expo China show in Beijing where they found a show in the shadow of its former glory. Rachael then headed to India where she met Laura for the Palm Expo Mumbai show and found a much more positive atmosphere and a market that’s growing.

Laura was only back in the office a week before she packed her suitcase once more to join Helen and Jamie for the Infocomm show in Las Vegas, which is proving itself as a strong contender in the American market.

Our Product Section this issue focuses on moving heads and be sure to look out for a couple of interesting new features we’ve added for this issue.

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1. Managing Director of Lightpower, Ralph-Jörg Wezorke with Giulia Calani from Lightpower’s marketing department, Andreas Witt, coordinator of the Neal Preston Exhibition and Jürgen Nordhoff of Lightpower’s sales department. 2. The foyer area of the Heinz Nixdorf Musuem Forum showcased products from Lightpower’s spectrum of brands including Clay Paky, Vari-Lite, Robert Juliat, DTS and MA Lighting.

LIGHTPOWER OPEN DAYS It’s 20 years since Lightpower - founded in 1978 organised its first Open Days event. The seventh such incarnation took place on 12-13 May this year in the company’s hometown of Paderborn, Germany. Once again, the event brought together over 700 lighting designers and professionals from all corners of the globe for two days of presentations, seminars and demonstrations.

Playing host at the Open Days, Managing Director of Lightpower, Ralph-Jörg Wezorke commented on the significance of the event: “Indeed, our industry is often called the ‘people industry’, but in reality we meet each other in person rather rarely. Just like nomads of the modern era, many of us are permanently touring across the globe. How nice it would be to have some kind of oasis where all of us can get together from time to time. This is exactly what the Open Days stand for: an international congress based around stage and show lighting and visuals, where all of us can meet with each other.”

The theme underpinning this year’s series of lectures was No Future Without Origin; the implication of this cryptogram became apparent during the course of the lectures. The first lecture of the day entitled Expressive Lighting Design was presented by esteemed musician, componist and Lighting Designer, Bertil Mark. In the lecture, Mark - having designed lighting for the likes of German indie band Sportfreunde Stille, attempted to convey to the audience his creative design process.

Lighting Designer, Peter Morse presented the second lecture of the day. In his entertaining Concert Touring lecture, Peter guided the audience through various projects throughout his 35-year history as a lighting designer; having designed complete lighting shows for

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the likes of Madonna, Michael Jackson and Prince.

It was certainly an eye-opening account of how show lighting has evolved through almost four decades of popular music.

For the evening’s entertainment, guests were invited to Paderborn’s Capitol Musiktheater for an evening of live music with Lilly Martin and her band; providing guests with an ideal opportunity to socialise and relax over a few drinks.

On the morning of the second day, Video Specialist, Matt Finke and Lighting Designer, Thomas Gerdon presented several light design case studies from live shows and corporate presentations. In addition, Matt led an all day interactive permanent presentation demonstrating how real time tracking can be realised via the PosiStageNet-Protocol and an MA Lighting grandMA2 console. For the final lecture, award-winning Theatre Director, Kay Voges offered an insight into the world of experimental theatre design, and put forward many strong arguments as to why the theatre is still relevant in 21st Century society - a fascinating opportunity for guests to reflect upon one of the many aspects of the lighting industry.

In addition to the four well-attended lectures, three seminars were on rotation throughout the two days.

George Masek, Vice President of ACT Lighting, treated guests to a session on How Technology Influences the Art of Lighting, in which he demonstrated how developments in LED technology have altered the manner in which lighting designers use light, and how audiences - armed with smartphones to record shows are becoming more conscious and critical with regards to the visual aspect of a show. Another seminar, Signal Distribution in Lighting Systems - Current Require-

ments and Challenges With More Complex Products, was led by Oliver Ditter and Sebastian Fecke, and tackled the increasingly complex nature of signal distribution systems in lighting. The final seminar led by Rene Berhorst and Ben Marquardt entitled Showlighting - From the Planning Stage to Realisation, offered an insightful deconstruction into the processes behind executing an entire show design.

In between lectures and seminars, guests could browse around the foyer area of the Heinz Nixdorf Musuem Forum where products from all across Lightpower’s spectrum of brands including Clay Paky, Vari-Lite, Robert Juliat, DTS and MA Lighting were displayed. In addition, a photography exhibition from Neal Preston - one of the most revered rock ‘n’ roll photographers of the 20th Century - displayed a selection of iconic images from key figures in recent music history from the likes of Iggy Pop, Brian Eno, David Bowie, Jimmy Page and Bob Dylan.

Perhaps most importantly, the emphasis of Open Days is in encouraging creativity and discussion in a continually developing industry. New developments in technology are, of course, important; but of what use is technology without the creativity of the individuals using it? With this in mind, the importance of Open Days is affirmed.

Ralph concluded: “We listen to interesting insiders’ lectures, expose ourselves to the latest innovations from some leading manufacturers and enjoy the time in between to network. Quite a few people describe this as like ‘coming home’. At the close of the event everybody was really pleased again. This is something that makes us not only feel proud but also very happy.” www.lightpower.de / www.opendays.de

ER ST GI RE

ENTECH CONNECT is the must attend event for audio visual, pro audio, staging, lighting, integration and broadcast professionals.

W NO

PRO AUDIO • AUDIO VISUAL • INTEGRATION • LIGHTING • STAGING

23-24 JULY 2014 Royal Exhibition Building | Melbourne Register online: entechshow.com.au/entechconnect

Don’t miss the session with international lighting designer LeRoy oy Bennett, who has worked with the world’s leading performance artists including Beyoncé, Madonna, Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Nine Inch Nails and Rihanna.

Show highlights: • Onsite training by ULA, National Audio Systems, Jands, Yamaha, BOSE, Sennheiser Australia & Show Technology • Comprehensive seminar program of over 40 sessions • Technicians Lunch Series • Live Audio Demo Zone • BOSE & SGM visitor networking evening • Riggers Forum – essential for rigging practitioners, production managers & policy makers

ALIA

Entertainment Rigging, Staging, Flying Effects, Automation, Technical & Uncommon Services

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1. Sama Prosound were picked as the launch company for the new Shure QLX-D digital wireless system. 2. Sunmo Kang of DasanSR with the EAW Anya system. 3. San Hyun Son of Hansam System with Niclas Arvidsson of Wireless Solution and Peng Ying Ru of GoldenSea Lighting. 4. Tsuneo Imai and Makato Yamazaki of PRG Japan with Tom Van Hemelryck of PRG and Sung-Gi Kang of Lugh Scape. 5. Harry Gladow of coolux with Jung kil Young of Hansam System and a colleague of Vari-Lite. 6. Claus Spreyer of Robert Juliat with Hwan-Soo Chung of C&C Lightway.

7. Kyungho Chun and Soonchang Kwon of Sovico flank Ian Wright of HH . 8. Morten Kristensen of SGM on the C&C Stand. 9. Rob Acough of Focusrite on the Soundcat stand. 10. Clean lines and bright colours, must be d&b. 11. Michel Brouard of K-array with Dea Jun Kwon of SoundUS. 12. Kim Kuk-Yeol, Gwak Byoung-B and Jang Duck-Ho of Korean lighting manufacturer Lumisia.

KOBA SEOUL

Taking place shortly after the Korean ferry disaster, KOBA paid its respects by cancelling the opening ceremony, but despite the nation still in a period of mourning and soul searching, as the truth behind the cause was revealed, the show had an upbeat vibe from both an exhibitor and visitor point of view.

With a history dating back to 1991, KOBA’s roots lie in the broadcast sector, but it has swiftly grown its entertainment technology side, to the extent of the pro audio and light section of the exhibition now occupying over one third of the show floor space.

Held from 20-23 May at the COEX exhibition centre in Gangnam - no not the song namesake - the exhibition covered a total of 27,997 sq metres and was split into two separate areas, the professional lighting and sound area occupying the ground floor space and the broadcast area, rather irritatingly, two floors of escalators up. This segregation does give the event the feeling of two completely separate shows, that just so happen to be going on a the same time, but it’s a minor point.

Talk at the show included the game of the musical chairs that appears to be taking

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place in the region. Brands such as Harman, Meyer Sound and Funktion One have all changed distributors.

Probably the most significant move was Harman shifting its brands from long time distributor Sovico, to TechData, a company with its roots in the IT domain.

This strategic shift possibly reflects the growh of merging sectors with the digital domain being so important to the pro audio industry. Losing out on Harman and its related turnover could be a major blow to some companies, but Sovico responded by taking on a number of new brands - including Meyer Sound - and have an impressive portfolio to suit all applications and budgets.

Bill Woods of Funktion One was over from the UK to support its new distributor, Architectural Audio Company Korea (AACK). With this new appointment, Funktion One is joining an already impressive list of companies distributed by AACK such as Peavey’s MediaMatrix, Biamp and Apart Audio.

Other notable events included Shure Asia picking the show and its distributor Sama ProSound for the Asian launch of its latest QLX-D digital wireless system and ShurePlus iOS app, which allows the monitoring of a range of Shure wireless

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13. Alfonso Takano of Martin Professional Singapore. 14. S. Joey Choi of Star with Stephan Geidel of Chainmaster. 15.

Dan Page of DiGiGrid. 16. Thomas Marcher and Rodney Houston flank new distributors Kim Hong Tae and Cheol Yoon of TechData. 17. A very happy Hong Lee of Sound Solution. 18. Jeoung Byung-Chul of Kevic with Kamal Mahtani of Klotz.

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1. Michael Kinzl of beyerdynamic. 2. Peter Kirkup from LumenRadio with Dae In Yoon of Art Tech. 3. Meyer Sound with new distributor, Sovico. 4. KyoungMo Kang of SoundUS with Ian Staddon of DiGiCo. 5. Distributor Tongsuh display its wares. 6. Funktion One’s Bill Woods with new distributor, AACK. 7. Danley Sound go clubbing on the Media House stand. 8. Choi Hae Yong of Dreamsound with Alvin Koh and David Cooper of L-Acoustics. 9. Jens Poehlker of MA Lighting with Kim Tae Han of Hansam Systems.

systems from Apple devices.

On the lighting side there are just a few distribution companies but they do represent nearly all the major lighting manufacturers worldwide, and unlike a lot of countries, this practice seems to be accepted as the norm, as there appears little shift in the distribution arrangements.

With the Asian Games scheduled to take place in Incheon in September 2014 there has been a flurry of activity in the stadium market. Contracts for new systems - in both new builds and upgrades - have been awarded. There is also plenty of preparation for the all important opening and closing ceremonies. The scale of this event meant suppliers such as PRG, were out in force on the Lugh Scape Co stand.

The post show report claims a total number of 893 companies participated, I counted roughly 300 stands, which really means 893 brands, not companies, but this does outline an idea of the scale of the event, for what is a single market. Though

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visitor numbers for the show are reported at 44,002, I consider that number to be extremely high over the four days. If the figure is at all true, then it is definitely made up of a large contingent of students, nothing wrong with that, I know it’s the future, but it does seem to be padding out exhibition statistics.

As an overview though KOBA is one of the few exhibitions on the global circuit that is both successful and growing. With all the talk of the BRIC countries, and the new acronym of the MINT states I always feel Korea is overlooked as a market, maybe it’s so developed it’s not seen as a market with growth potential, but as of 2011 it was the nineth largest economy in the world, so to me not a country to be overlooked.

KOBA will return to the Coex exhibition centre in Seoul on 19-22 May 2015.

For more info go to: www.kobashow.com

TRUSS YOU CAN TRUST

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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: Lebanon: Dubai:

www.valook.cl www.fb.com/stardimensionsindia www.modernstageservice.in skypub17@hotmail.com www.desertbeat.com

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1. FBT’s Roberto Mataloni with Mishka Chen and Shaolei Liu, owners of Beijing Oriental Prime Connections and Shanghai People Sound. Roberto presented Mishka and Shaolei with a gift to celebrate their 15th anniversary, which was also marked with the opening of their new offices, showroom and art gallery at the 798 Art District in Beijing. 2. Ellis and Carol of Acme. 3. Prolyte and Tri-Power truss shared a booth. 4. Chris Fish of dmt with Anthony Gofton of SSL. 5. Livio Grossi of Ciare with colleague 6. Fane’s Mark Oldroyd with Lion Audio’s Vincent Su. 7. On the ADJ stand - Toby Velazquez, Chuck Green, Jos Reulen and Ernesto Velazquez. 8. Nicolas Kirsch and Denis Baudier of Nexo with colleagues of Top Plot. 9. Marco D of EZ Pro. 10. Zhu Xhefeng of Yamaha. 11. The Spark laser team. 12. Dennis Q on the LAX stand. 13. Stanley Lee and Richie Wang of Real Music flank Next Pro Audio’s, Andre Correia.

PALM EXPO CHINA BEIJING

Ever since European Discotheque Review (EDR) became World Discotheque Review (WDR) - as mondo*dr was then known - in 1994, we’ve been exhibiting at Palm Expo Beijing. The show launched in 1991 and among the 23 editions that have taken place, many have been successful. However, in more recent years, that notion has dwindled, partly due to the fact that the Chinese market has changed significantly since the show’s inception, but also due to changes which have been implemented by the organiser.

Following the relocation in 2012, to a venue located by Beijing Airport - rather than

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in the city - for a second consecutive year, the event took place from 26-29 May at the New China International Exhibition Centre (CIEC) in Beijing. The reason for the move two years ago - from the downtown Beijing exhibition centre - was due to the show outgrowing the venue, so it is claimed. Ironically though, since the shift, the show has shrunk - despite what the figures say - in terms of its international appeal as there are notable gaps on both the exhibitor and visitor front.

For me, the move was the beginning of its demise, but the organiser decided to take that risk. Large Chinese distributors, which carry international brands were

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14. Tracey Pang and colleague of PR Lighting. 15. Michel Brouard of K-array with President of Sennheiser China, Marc Vincent. 16. Coda Audio’s International Sales Director, Paul Ward. 17. Dataton’s Watchout partner, Shanghai Lefedv photobombed by mondo*dr’s Jamie Dixon. 18. Hock Thang of Symetrix with Walson Wu of EZ Pro. 19. Kumika Jiang and Amy Fang of EK Lighting. 20. Dickey Kay, Alex Poon and Chris Wong on the d&b audiotechnik booth. 21. Dusan Navara of Kvant posed with a customer.

missing at this year’s show, while familiar Western faces that you can almost guarantee to see year on year, whether in support of their distribution partner or simply walking the show floor, were also absent.

Something beyond the organiser’s control though, yet has had a considerable effect on the show, is the surge in support for the professional audio and lighting tradeshows taking place in Guangzhou, southern China. The ProSound & Light show - as it used to been known - ran for 10 years under organiser, Guangdong International Science and Technology Exhibition (STE) - until 2013 when organiser, Messe Frankfurt formed a strategic partnership with STE to co-host the event. It was announced at the 2013 edition, the show would be renamed in line with Messe Frankfurt’s portfolio to Prolight+Sound Guangzhou. The GET Show, a breakaway event organised by SCEE, also takes place in Guangzhou - around the same time as Prolight+Sound Guangzhou - further strengthening reasons to invest in Guangzhou.

These shows affect Palm Expo Beijing so much because of costs, it is cheaper to exhibit in Guangzhou than Beijing, many Chinese manufacturers and distributors are based in the south - whether it be Guangzhou, Shenzhen or Hong Kong - meaning shipping and travel costs are lower, and with their factories and offices close by, the exhibitors have the opportunity to extend the visitors’ experience beyond the tradeshow floor.

Also, now that Messe Frankfurt is the driving force behind Prolight+Sound Guangzhou, companies have even more faith in the show due to the organiser’s worldwide reputation. Throw Infocomm Beijing into the mix again organised by a globally recognised association - and competition has never been fiercer.

The official post show report states that Palm Expo Beijing covered 100,000 sq metres of space, hosted more than 1,000 exhibitors and attracted over 62,000 visitors. Probably, the only highlight to note from the show floor was Martin Audio’s launch of Blackline 3. A series of two loudspeakers and two subwoofers, which feature patent pending DD-Coax technology - combining a coaxial driver and differential dispersion - and-

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1. The team on the Lavoce stand. 2. The Fly Dragon Lighting team line up. 3. The Pioneer stand. 4. AudioFocus of Belgium, which has a strong relationship with Italian manufactuer Powersoft exhibited at the show. 5. Thumbs up from the Zobo team. 6. President of Haona, King Kong with Giorgio Biffi of Outline. 7. Harman’s David McKinney and David Lu. 8. Danny Lau of Rightway Audio Consultants with Reiner Sassmann of Camco. 9. The Meyer Sound booth was looked after by its distributor, Shanghai Broad Future Electro Technology this year. 10. Alice of Trussing company, Tech Team (centre) with colleagues. 11. Photo call on the Martin Audio stand, shortly after the announcement of Blackline 3. 12. Global Truss, B&K Braun and Fenix shared a booth.

specifically for the Chinese market. Martin Audio has always been a strong player in the Chinese market, so the press conference did attract a good crowd and if you’re introducing a product that will only be available in China, then a Chinese show is the ideal platform.

Other international brands were on display, these included Coda Audio, Dataton, FBT, DiGiCo, L-Acoustics, Outline, Camco, Global Truss, Next Pro Audio and Kvant to name just a few, most showcased products that had been released earlier in the year. In addition to the halls, an outdoor line array demonstration and band contest were organised, but given the competitive nature of tradeshows in today’s market, this is simply not enough.

The evidence that something is strikingly amiss with the show comes in the form of the announcement made on the last day. Organiser, China Exhibition Technology Association (CETA) revealed it was parting ways with its long-standing organising partner, Informa (formerly IIR). CETA also announced that the event would relocate back to the original exhibition grounds in central Beijing, as well as split into two sections, which will not collocate. Despite no official PR on the changes being

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readily available online, I believe the MI section of the show will keep the existing slot of late May, while the professional audio and lighting element will be pushed back to August.

It will be interesting to see how CETA takes on this new challenge without the assistance of Informa. The latter was one of the first companies to pave the way for industry tradeshows in South East Asia, but rumour has it all shows have now be cancelled. Palme Thailand - due for its second edition this year - was canned a little while back, but both Palme Vietnam that has taken place a handful of times and the company’s signature show, Palme Asia have no future dates in place.

Drastic changes are needed, if there is any hope for the future of Palm Expo Beijing, and while the move back to the city centre might be favourable, it might be a case of too little, too late. This show has enjoyed its fair share of glory days but I think it’s time to pass the crown.

Both editions of Palm Expo Beijing are due to take place at the China International Exhibition Centre in central Beijing from 21-24 May and 19-22 August 2015. For more info go to: www.palmexpo.net

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1. Fernando Delgado of DiGiCo with Rajan Gupta and Humayun Atiq of Hi Tech Audio. 2. Franco Zaghini of DTS, Davinder Wadhwa of Modern Stage Service, Niclas Arvidsson of Wireless Solution, Varinder Wadhwa of Modern Stage Service, Avolites’ Koy Neminathan and DTS’ Stefano Barbieri. 3. Ankush Agarwal and Prashant Govindan of Harman India flank musician, Runa Rizvi at the Harman press conference, where it was announced that Runa will be endorsing AKG microphones. 4. Director of Beatbox, Suchit Ahuja with CEO of Lewitt, Roman Perschon. 5. Biplob Kumar Saha of Pro Visual Audio, which distributes QSC. 6. Constantinos Vonofakidis of High End Systems with Star Dimensions’ Ashish Mehta. 7. Arun Kalra of White Eagle Entertainment with Outline’s Giorgio Biffi .

PALM EXPO INDIA MUMBAI

Palm Expo India took place in Mumbai from 29-31 May, it was the third tradeshow in the APAC region in as many weeks. Having flown in from Palm Expo China in Beijing, to say there was a stark contrast between these two shows would be somewhat of an understatement.

Although some exhibitors at the Mumbai show felt the occupied floor space had decreased in comparison to previous years, in my opinion, the sophistication of the stands as far as design goes and the amount of brands on show, far surpassed the thought of a slight reduction in floor space coverage. This, coupled with the

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fact that there was so much more than just a tradeshow on offer, made Palm India Expo a worthwhile investment on many levels.

The Harman Live Arena proved a popular attraction as it has done in previous years, showcasing the talents of musicians such as Dhruv Ghanekar, Louis Banks and Mihir Joshi Band to name just a few. A usual, there was an MI section to the show that occupied halls 2B and 2C, and outside was the annual line array demonstration area - showcasing products from TW Audio, Outline and KV2 - plus a new feature, the Demo Qube. The key sponsors for this year’s Demo Qube

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One head, two bars, three LEDs each and something really special: the pan rotation of the two bars is one and the same, but the tilt movements can be controlled individually. All beams have a beam angle of 2,5° and are perfectly suited for beam shows.

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8. GM Audio’s G.M. Parvath, which distributes 18 Sound in India. 9. Stephen Baird-Smith and Koy Neminathan of Avolites flank Atul Sonpal of Jagmag Electric. 10. The IES team, which included representatives from Robe, Martin Audio and Lumen Radio. 11. Prashant Damle of Pandam Audio with Clifford Pereira of Sound Team, which distributes Genelec. 12. Lavoce’s Pierpaolo De Minicis and Kureti Venogopal Rao

W W W. F U T U R E L I G H T. C O M

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1. MD of Ansata, Leslie J Lean with Ben Millison of d&b audiotechnik. 2. Peter Owen of L-Acoustics with Rajan Gupta of Hi Tech Audio. 3. TOA’s Atsuya Ota and Mitsuhiro Ohmura. 4.

Demonstrations on the Bose booth. 5. The Acoustic Arts team, which distributes Tannoy, Lab.gruppen and TW Audio.

were Yamaha, Hi Tech Audio and RCF, each had its own cube, which was utilised for product demonstrations, seminars and intimate live performances. All of these features sat alongside a full seminar programme, as well as the Palm Sound & Light Awards and the Indian Recording Arts Awards.

On the show floor itself, some recent distribution changes were on display. Both DiGiCo and L-Acoustics are now distributed by Hi Tech Audio throughout India, while d&b audiotechnik has moved to Ansata, Beatbox has taken on Lewitt microphones and Star Dimensions is in charge of High End Systems products in the region.

The support from manufacturers towards their distributors was also very evident on the show floor, representatives from Avolites, DTS, Wireless Solution, Robe, Martin Audio, FBT, Meyer Sound, Adamson and D.A.S. Audio, to name check just a selection were all present, reaffirming the show’s importance on an international level.

Shure Asia held a press conference to reveal the new QLX-D Digital Wireless System to the Indian market, which had also been announced at KOBA in Seoul, Korea the previous week. Erik Vaveris, Wireless Category Director at Shure said: “QLX-D uses the same technology as our high end digital wireless systems in a

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more affordable package with a streamlined feature set.”

However, possibly the single, most striking occurrence at the show, which attracted huge crowds for each and every performance, was the Stereoscopic Environmental Projection at the Modern Stage Service booth. Award-winning projection designer Bart Kresa combined stereoscopic projection mapping with traditional projection, dome projection and a live dancer, using Christie projectors and Dataton’s Watchout software to create an amazing 3D immersive experience.

After speaking to many exhibitors, it seems the Indian market had taken a slight dip in the final quarter of 2013, however, many are now reporting big improvements and a number of high profile projects are in the pipeline in various cities across India. For some, contracts have been awarded and specification is beginning, while for others the tender is still up for grabs, indicative of the market’s steady recovery.

As part of BRIC - the acronym coined by Jim O’Neill almost 15 years ago to represent four countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) with huge potential for growth - India may well have been a little slow to begin with, but in terms of the entertainment industry at least, it’s now definitely going in the right direction and there is still room for further development too.

Now in its 14th consecutive year, Palm Expo India, organised by Diversified took

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6. Audiocenter distributor, Narain’s Director of Marketing, Rajesh N Motwani. 7. Quest Engineering’s Frank Andrewartha was busy giving demonstrations and answering questions throughout the show. 8. Madhav Jain and Puneet Kumar Kain on the Sennheiser stand. 9. Prolyte carried out educational seminars at the booth. 10. FBT’s Roberto Mataloni with Pooran Rawat of Delhi Light & Music Centre. 11. Santosh Kumar on the Electro-Voice stand. 12. The Aerons stand displayed products from Precision Devices and Fane. 13. Rajesh Sadaranagani of Rivera International, which, as well as suppying its own brand of moving heads, distributes Adamson, Kling & Freitag and Pioneer. 14. D.A.S. Audio’s Juan Luis García with Santana Davis of J David Pro Sound & Lighing. 15. The Premier stand displayed products from XTA, Apart Audio, Antari, Pulsar, Kind Audio, Celestion and B&C Speakers.

note of the acronym early - or perhaps it was just a coincidence - and this year reported its largest turnover to date. The overall attendance increased by 28% in comparison to last year, which took the closing head count to 20,966 trade visitors.

With an aim to build on the success in Mumbai, last year Diversified announced it would be taking on a second edition - in collaboration with Light India - which is scheduled to launch in New Delhi this September. While the organiser definitely has enough experience to pull off a second event, I’m not convinced the Indian market is large enough to support it, especially in such close proximity, date wise to the Mumbai show. Rival show, Infocomm India already occupies the September

calendar slot, closely followed by Broadcast India. Both of these shows take place in Mumbai.

Until it happens it’s difficult to make a judgement. However, I feel the general consensus among the industry on a global scale, is that we do not need to add to the already crowded tradeshow circuit, unless perhaps, a new show is going to offer both exhibitors and visitors something different.

Palm Expo New Delhi takes place from 18-21 September at Pragati Maidan exhibition centre. Palm Expo Mumbai will return to the same location next year on 28-30 May. For more info go to: www.palmexpo.in

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1. Jeff Laity of Tascam. 2. The Peavey stand. 3. The DPA Microphones stand. 4. Sennheiser announced the US launch of its ADN-W conference system. 5. Biamp released version 2.1 of Tesira.

6. The 18 Sound team. 7. Demos taking place on the SSL. 8. The Yamaha Commercial Audio booth. 9. The Harman stand was busy throughout. 10. Hakan Gustafsson and Mark Flanagan of TC Group. 11. D.A.S. Audio products on show. 12. Bill Spochak and Stephen Richards of Amphenol. 13. Rusty Waite (right) of EAW with Adam Shulman - EAW Product Manager and the new Otto subwoofer. 14. The TOA stand. 15. Ben Sinclair is flanked by colleagues Ethan and Paul of VMB. 16. Lars Sanderlund of Dataton and Molly Davis of Show Sage. 17. Gioia Molinari of RCF.

INFOCOMM LAS VEGAS

Infocomm found home among the bright lights of Las Vegas this year, swapping over, as it does every other year, from the humid heights of Orlando, Florida, to the beating heat of the Nevada desert. Whether you love it or hate it, Vegas provides rather fitting surroundings for a tradeshow that is focused on audiovisual technology for the entertainment sector and many of the products on display at the show, can be seen at their best in the endless nightclubs and bars on the Las Vegas Strip.

This year’s exhibitors certainly made the most of their surroundings, with numerous parties and events taking place after-hours during the three-day event. Adamson

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invited colleagues and clients aboard the High Roller wheel - a relatively new addition to ‘Sin City’; Digital Projection hosted a party complete with live band at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino; TOA celebrated its 80th anniversary with a drinks reception; and Bose showcased its latest products with a ‘Raiding the Rock Vault’ performance at LVH Theatre, the list of events could of course fill the page, but back to the tradeshow itself... This year’s event attracted 947 exhibitors, occupying more than 490,000 sq ft of exhibit and special events space and a reported 37,048 industry professionals, from more than 114 countries, attended representing a 5.5% increase on 2013. While it definitely felt as though the show carried

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18. Richard Flemming of XTA with the new APA Series. 19. Karl Winkler of Lectrosonics. 20. Nigel Sadler of Green Hippo.

21. Derk Hagedorn of Avid. 22. The Elation stand showcased some impressive lightshows. 23. The Audio-Technica stand.

24. The Taiden team working hard. 25. Santiago Alcala and Gerard Loret of Spanish manufacturer, Idea Pro Audio. 26. The Allen & Heath press conference. 27. Randall Lee of Revolabs. 28. The beyerdynamic USA stand. 29. Margie Ulm of Renkus Heinz. 30. Fred Morgenstern and Mark Boyadjian of Neutrik.

more weight this year, with stands mondo*dr visited, busy throughout, how accurate this figure is exactly, I’m unsure of, as there was no one scanning badges as you entered the hall. This leads me to assume, this figure has been generated through registration numbers - a true reflection of actual attendance? I’ll leave that for you to decide… So what was on show and who did we see?

Well, there were audio demo rooms aplenty - and after last year some manufacturers complained (to us at least) that visitors hadn’t been made aware that the demo rooms opened the day before the show, leading to a whole lot of people stood around doing nothing - the organisers seemed to have addressed this for 2014. And of the companies we spoke to, it would appear they had held successful demos across the four days. More than a dozen audio brands took a demo room including: Coda Audio, Community Professional, d&b audiotechnik, Danley Sound Labs, D.A.S. Audio, Electro-Voice, Harman Group, Klipsch, Martin Audio, Meyer Sound, Pioneer Professional Audio, PreSonus, RCF USA, Renkus-Heinz, TC Group Americas, and VUE audiotechnik.

Press calls came from the likes of DiGiCo, which showcased the MACH2 Software Suite for the SD7 - now

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1. The Lyntec stand. 2. Martin Audio held demos throughout the show. 3. The AboutShow team. 4. The A.C. Lighting stand. 5. Phil Sanchez of QSC. 6. Barco’s latest projector on display. 7.

The new MJF-210 from Meyer Sound. 8. Philippe Vitali of Analog Way. 9. Megan Clifford of Earthworks. 10. Paul Ward and Edgar Krueger of Coda Audio. 11. DiGiCo’s James Gordon and David ‘Webby’ Webster. 12. Chris Farnworth and Sean Roe of Soundtube. 13. Downson Yu of JTS. 14. The Pioneer Professional Audio stand. 15. James Godbehear and Richard Ferriday of Cadac. 16.

Mark Wadsworth of Digital Projection.

available on all new SD7 consoles; EAW, which introduced its new Otto subwoofer; Harman Group, which announced details of its AMX acquisition; TC Group Americas, which unveiled a new update to its CMS Series; and XTA, which introduced the new APA Series of amplifiers; as well as many others.

The general feeling around the show floor was one of a positive nature and while

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other US tradeshows definitely hold their worth, Infocomm appears to be gaining ground and becoming ‘the’ tradeshow that everyone is talking about and wanting to part of. Having visited clients in Miami following the show, mondo*dr also discovered companies that hadn’t exhibited this year, wishing they had.

The audio sector was strong, with a positive representation from a lot of the key

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17. Electro-Voice represented on the Bosch stand. 18. The Absen booth. 19. Matt Benson of Adamson strikes a pose. 20. Andrew Richardson of Faital Pro. 21. The Bose USA stand. 22. Kenneth Berger of VUE Audiotechnik. 23. The Chauvet Professional stand shining bright. 24. The Electrosonic team busy at work. 25. The OmniSistem stand. 26. Roland Systems Group took a large stand at the show. 27. Rane introduced the new HAL3s DSP. 28. Johan Wadston of Merging Technologies. 29. The PreSonus stand. 30. The guys from Robe USA line up. 31. Laura and Helen caught up with Bruce Jordhal. 32. The coolux booth. 133. Brent Eastwood and Steve Graves of Osram.

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1. The Ateis / Xavtel stand. 2. d&b audiotechnik took a stand as well as a demo room. 3. Julie Van Berg, Steve Goodwin , Grace Paoli and John Loufik of Community Professional. 4. Joe Fustolo, Robert Mataloni and Jamie Villarie one the FBT. 5. Christian Bockskopf on the Riedel stand. 6. L-Acoustics’ Dave Weidenhoffer (second from right) with the MGM Resorts audio team. 7. The Music Group stand. 8. The Shure USA stand. 9. Giorgio Biffi of Outline. 10. The ADJ stand looking busy. 11. Doug MacCallum of One Systems.

players. The only small niggle we heard from some, was the requirement from the organiser, to take a booth on the show floor in order to have a demo room, with some considering it a waste of resources.

On the lighting side, major brands including: Chauvet Professional, Elation, Martin Professional, and Robe all made their presence known, with some interesting lighting displays taking place throughout. Although not an area mondo*dr is all that often involved in, the digital signage section of Infocomm again took up a large proportion of the show floor and definitely brings in the crowds - this year probably

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more so for the booths broadcasting the World Cup! Looking ahead to next year’s show, which will once again take place in Orlando, it will be interesting to see if the east / west coast divide continues and whether the visitor numbers drop back down again - do people prefer to travel for casinos and 24-hour nightlife rather than roller coasters and killer whales?

InfoComm 2015 will be held on 17-19 June at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida. For more info visit: www.infocommshow.org

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moving heads

[moo-ving hedz] n.

Units tend to be of two types - the light beam is modulated by a moving mirror with the luminaire stationary, or, the luminaire moves to create motion.

A typical unit, usually powered by a small discharge lamp, will provide various control functions including: intensity, focus, iris, colour, gobo, rotating gobo, pan / tilt, speed control and reset.

PRODUCT GUIDE

MOVING HEADS EMEA | SONU A.B | SONU AB It has taken the lighting industry many years to excel in achieving the right tools for a lighting designer to create a world of imagination. From the use of candles to gas lamps - from a spotlight to intelligent lighting. During this process lots of amazing fixtures have been invented, including the Vari-lite VL1 and the Clay Paky Sharpy. Today, moving heads are not only much brighter but they also come with precise control over movement and colours, they are much faster and lightweight. In the last couple of years there’s been an increased demand for beam lighting, it’s a new tool, which is not only bright but also helps you achieve very bold scenarios. Also, with LEDs getting brighter moving forward, there will be a time when we move on to a new world of LEDs.

APAC | CLINT DULIEU | VILLAGE ROADSHOW THEME PARKS From both an economical point of view and in terms of physical space to hang fixtures there is simply no way we could achieve what we require without the use of moving heads in our shows. Both the ability to reposition the fixtures and the internal effects feature set allow me - as Lighting & Technology Supervisor - to create a multitude of lighting looks using minimal units. Moving mirrors are another option but there are much fewer models on the market these days.

THE AMERICAS | MICHAEL PEREIRA | STREAMLINE SYSTEMS Over the years I’ve built up a list of a few favourites, including the Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam. It is without doubt the smallest, lightest and fastest moving head I’ve ever used. Versatile enough to be used on tour with Armin van Buuren but still within budget for nightclubs in the Caribbean. Another favourite is the Robe MiniMe, a true Swiss army knife on an installation. Gone are the days of having a fixed set of gobos for a show, this baby keeps the venue truly dynamic. We simply upload any photos, artwork and even videos, using a standard USB stick and those images become your gobos either to be used for dramatic beam effects or custom artwork on the walls.

134 GUIDE - MOVING HEADS

A&O TECHNOLOGY | FALCON CMY LED-VIDEO www.ao-technology.com

A&O Technology’s xenon searchlight, the Falcon CMY LED-Video, based on the Falcon 6000 CMY in combination with the cost-effective LED video matrix, provides novel possibilities for lighting design. With good binning and a brightness of 3,500 nits, the LED video panel is designed to guarantee smooth colour transitions. Good contrast and a pixel pitch of 20mm offer a sharp display of graphic sequences like fonts. Each 24 by 32 pixel panel has a resolution of 768 pixels with 3-in-1 SMD LEDs. The DMX-controlled Falcon CMY LED-Video is for both indoor and outdoor use, and boasts a CMY colour changer with an extra scroller for special effects. Designed for both floor-mounted and suspended use, the Falcon CMY LED-Video is ideal for large events in stadia and other large places where the combination of xenon beam and video banner is desired.

ADB LIGHTING | WARP/M www.adblighting.com

The WARP/M is a motorised zoom profile for theatres, operas, concert halls and television studios. Designed to be the most silent automated light ever built, with no fans and low noise motors, along with the Teflon coating of several critical parts and high-precision mechanics, the WARP/M works soundlessly. Each individual shutter blade has a 360º endless rotation capability, which enables the creation of unique shapes. The unit’s 16-bit resolution ensures high levels of precision; pan and tilt can be positioned and reposition with an accuracy better than 0.1º. Offering great light output of 3,900 lux measured at 10 metres with a 12º field angle and an 800W halogen lamp, the automated and manual WARP/M spotlights feature identical photometric characteristics to allow homogenous lighting when both versions coexist in a rig, as well as colour matching. WARP/M is controlled via DMX512 or Ethernet (ArtNet) protocol, and is ACN and RDM ready, while data and 24V DC output are provided on XLR4 for scrollers or other DMX devices.

ADJ | 3 SIXTY 2R www.americandj.eu

The patent-pending, 3 Sixty 2R dual moving head delivers continuous 360º rotation. Powered by the brand new Phillips Platinum 2R 135W discharge lamp, which is rated at a long-lasting 6,000-hour lamp life, the 3 Sixty 2R offers three DMX channel modes (21, 24 and 32 channels), a 4º beam angle, 12 colours plus white and 14 rotating, fixed gobos, along with spot. Users can utilise the fixture’s razor-sharp 4º beams to scan a room, and beam effects will vary with the eight-facet prism to split the beam eight ways. A frost filter can also be used to turn the beam into a wash effect. There is a six-button control centre with a full colour display on the 3 Sixty 2R, and its total power consumption is at 400W. Each head’s colours, gobos and movement run independently from each other to enable the creation of unique light shows.

AYRTON | MAGICBLADE-R www.ayrton.eu

The MagicBlade-R is part of Ayrton’s new Radical Series, a range of fixtures developed to maximise the potential of each product. Each fixture exhibits a streamlined appearance, a narrow, intense beam, thermal management and an output which increases its scope to suit a variety of different-sized arenas. The MagicBlade-R offers continual double rotation on the pan and tilt axes, while three-phase stepper motors ensure dynamic and precise movements. A new generation of 32-bit circuit board allows comprehensive management of the many channels required for ‘point-by-point’ control, as well as of hundreds of fixtures within large-scale installations. The fixture’s seven RGBW LED sources are arranged in-line; when paired with the intensive 4.5º beam angle from the 67mm, this set-up creates light curtains with a good overall consistency. A unit that can be installed in any position, the MagicBlade-R benefits from good connectivity and can be controlled by DMX-RDM, ArtNet, KlingNet or via a LumenRadio DMX-RDM wireless connection.

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THE ULTIMATE CLUB SYSTEM

KV2 SL SERIES SLIMLINE WIDE DISPERSION SPEAKER SYSTEM

SL412

Slim and discreetly profiled the new SL Series incorporates KV2 Audio’s VHD Active Driven philosophy

CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL | LEGEND 330SR SPOT www.chauvetlighting.com

SL2.15

Extremely bright with crisp crystal clear optics, the Chauvet Professional Legend 330SR Spot is a leading fixture in output and gobo projection. Legend 330SR Spot is a quick and agile fixture with precise movement and a zoom range of 5° to 24°. Legend 330SR Spot’s 330W Osram Sirius lamp gives the fixture a powerful punch of 62,200 lux at five metres and a field that makes even the most complicated gobo interesting.

FULL & WIDE SOUND EXACTLY WHERE IT’S REQUIRED

CLAY PAKY | A.LEDA B-EYE K20 www.claypaky.it The A.leda B-Eye K20 is a high-performance washlight and beam light, which creates new and spectacular visual effects. The B-Eye is first and foremost a high-quality washlight, which makes the most of its light source to wash surfaces with colour at any distance. Thanks to its special optical unit with high lumen to watt ratio, designed and built by Clay Paky, the B-Eye is at least 20% brighter than any LEDwash with the same power rating. The zoom ranges from 4° to 60°, making it suitable for environments with low ceilings, such as small theatres and TV studios, as well as for shows in arenas or large environments. When the B-Eye beam is zoomed down to 4°, the wash light turns into a beam fixture; the B-Eye can act as a mid-air parallel effect light, capable of generating a pulsating beam of micro-rays, which may be controlled individually, each with its own colours and shades. Every parameter of each LED can be completely controlled. The B-Eye K20 also offers a novel feature in a front lens, which can be rotated to create several small bright compositions.

Just 300mm deep, the SL Series can be installed against a wall or in it...dramatically reducing the venue floorspace required.

The new KV2 SL412 and SL2.15 speakers incorporate an eye-catching, slim and stylish cabinet design. Using KV2’s VHD technology, the SL412 loudspeaker utilises 4 x 12” low mid-range components with a single 8” mid-range and 3” large format NPVD compression driver. The cabinet’s configuration keeps low mid frequencies in a controlled pattern, greatly reducing problem room resonances.

Cabinets can be designed and supplied with custom colors, grill templates and logos, offering a flexible and true designer-integrated product.

The system is driven by proprietary KV2 amplification. The KV2 SL3000 powers a pair of SL412s and the VHD3200 which can drive up to four SL2.15 subs.

SL Series - The Ultimate Club System

Maximum SPL: 137dB ______________________________________ Freq Resp +/- 3dB : SL2.15 40Hz - 500Hz, SL412 70Hz- 22kHz ______________________________________ Dispersion: H110° x V40° ______________________________________ Power: VHD3200 - 1600 Watts x2 ______________________________________ Power: SL3000 - Low 1000W x2, Mid 200W x2, High 100W x2 ______________________________________ Crossover Points: SL2.15 - 70Hz, SL412 - 400Hz & 2.5kHz ______________________________________ SL412 - H670mm (26.38”) W1080mm (42.52”) D300mm (11.81”) ______________________________________ Weight: SL412 - 60kg (132.28lbs)

Need more info? Want to locate your nearest KV2 Professional? uuWWW.KV2AUDIO.COM

136 GUIDE - MOVING HEADS

DTS | MAX www.dts-lighting.com

MAX is a brand new product from DTS’ range of high-power, compact moving heads. It is the most complete moving head package offered by DTS, designed to address any top-level application from concerts and special events to television studios and theatres. MAX’s wide excursion motorised zoom enables four types of projection in a single moving head, namely beam, spot, wash and studio, for the first time. The zoom also facilitates a variety of applications, from long-throw projections to large wall washing. The beam opening goes from 1.5º to 2º in beam projection mode, from 2º to 37º in spot projection mode, and from 10º to 60º in wash projection mode. MAX features the studio function with a beam opening of 4º to 40º, which is selectable via DMX, and projects a uniform, evenly-diffused beam. It also features CMY synthesis, linear CTO, animation wheel and the DTS-patented FPR system to allow limitless pan rotation in either direction.

ELATION | RAYZOR BEAM 2R www.elationlighting.com

The new Rayzor Beam 2R is a small, fast and precise moving head beam luminaire that houses the powerful yet efficient Platinum MSD 2R 132W lamp. It projects a sharp and ultra-narrow 3º beam which is powerful enough to work alongside larger fixtures and is surprisingly quick with super-fast three-phase motor movement. The Rayzor Beam 2R offers a wide variety of design possibilities with 13 dichroic colours and 14 gobos, as well as an eight-facet rotating prism and shutter / dimmer. With an average lamp life of 6,000 hours in an energy efficient package that consumes a maximum of 210W, it is ideal for both installations and productions. It also includes a host of other features to simplify operation, like DMX or RDM protocol, five-pin DMX in / out and PowerCon connectors, and universal power supply.

ETC | SOURCE FOUR REVOLUTION www.etcconnect.com

The ETC Source Four Revolution combines a high performance Source Four tungsten zoom profile spot with motorised pan, tilt, zoom, onboard dimming and a colour scroller. It also boasts QuietDrive motor control for low-noise performance, making it an ideal partner for conventional tungsten luminaires. Luminaires can be daisy-chained together with other moving lights and LEDs to ease rigging. Revolution’s two module bays are auto-sensing - they require no patching or internal configuration changes to the luminaire - and accept any two of the four optional beam-control modules. In addition to the standard gobo module, an indexing gobo module, shutter module and iris modules are also available. The product’s optical system with dichroic reflector makes use of a QXL 750W 77V tungsten lamp, rather than the HPL lamp used in regular Source Four luminaires, to boost output. The Revolution’s on-board electronic dimming saves more power than the traditional discharge lamps found on many moving lights. It comes complete with a 24-frame capacity colour scroller, based on Wybron’s industry-standard Coloram technology, to provide quick and accurate colour changes.

FINE ART | FINE II-1500 WASH SL en.fineart-light.com

The Fine II-1500 Wash SL is a moving head from Fine Art able to function as a soft light and an electronic strobe, which is designed to produce multiple effects in these capacities. Boasting all of the standard features of soft lighting fixtures, the Fine II-1500 Wash SL also proposes the strong stroboscopic effect provided by arc discharge light fixtures. The fixture will produce visual lighting effects for largescale performances, as well as providing a bright, pure beam. The strobe light comprises two 1.5kW pulse xenon lamps, a half circular and an arc shape, with a life span of 500 hours. The unit also features CMY colour mixing and CTO colour temperature control, along with two colour wheels, each boasting six different colours.

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GLP | IMPRESSION X4 SERIES www.glp.de

GLP’s popular impression X4 Series comprises the X4S, X4 and X4XL, and is proving increasingly popular with show designers around the world. The original X4 provided the template, featuring 19 15W high power RGBW LEDs, with a 7°-50° zoom range. The signature baseless design and small footprint are accompanied by a new optical system to deliver a well-defined beam, complete with hard edge in the lower zoom range, whilst remaining absolutely homogenous and soft edged at wider angles. RGBW colour mixing and variable CTO are standard in the impression X4 while individually controllable LEDs allow a range of looks and animations to be programmed on the fly, a feature unique to the X4 series. The smaller 12-inch, 12lbs X4S does not compromise on impact with seven identical 15W LEDs giving a homogenous output with the same 7°-50° zoom. It can be rigged in any orientation with 540° (pan) and 280° (tilt) and an elegant base design containing data and power connections. The new, super-bright X4 XL uses an array of 55 15W RGBW LEDs, coupled with a highly efficient 7°-50° zoom range, to produce a massive amount of light that will throw across extremely long distances.

HIGH END SYSTEMS | SHAPESHIFTER www.highend.com

Shapeshifter features 126 Cree XPE II LEDs arrayed into seven independently-controlled modules, housed in one moving fixture with a beam angle of 10º. Each independent module is capable of 36º of X / Y movement, while the fixture’s pan and tilt is ultra fast. For quick programming, Shapeshifter offers more than 140 module macros with speed and crossfade controls, along with total control of every parameter.

JB LIGHTING | VARYSCAN P8 www.jblighting.com

The Varyscan P8 is equipped with seven red, green and blue high-performance LEDs, with a maximum total power consumption of nearly 800W. The arrangement of the LEDs combined with the optical system ensures a comparatively compact construction as well as excellent illumination. RGB colour mixing allows smooth and homogenous colour change without the use of mechanical components. The effects unit consists of two gobo wheels each with seven rotatable, positionable and exchangeable gobos. An optional animation wheel is able to rotate horizontally and vertically in both directions. Four-facet rotating prism, iris and frost effect complete the effects palette, whilst the optical system is completed with zoom and focus. With the combination of Varyscan P8 and Washlight A8, a pair of LED moving lights is finally available that constitutes a high-quality replacement for conventional 700W discharge lamp moving lights, in colour up to 1.2kW.

LOBO | INFINITY BEAM www.lobo.de

With a reach of more than 60km, Lobo’s new Infinity Beam boasts an ultra-sharp TEM00-beam, which pierces through the night sky unlike any other. Based on the reference-class Coherent New Viper laser heads, Lobo’s revolutionary DCS system increases the already impressing real-life brightness of these lasers by up to 50 times on long distances. With up to four air-cooled Vipers inside, it is one of the brightest multi-colour outdoor lasers available on the market to date. The system alternatively can be operated with a special long-range scanning system for projections on large distances and even on mountains or with new beam optics, predestined to cross extraordinarily large distances. The system is available with advanced safety features, full DMX control option and a GPS-synchronisation system, making it possible to distribute these units around whole cities without any distance limitations.

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LPS LASERSYSTEME | GLP IMPRESSION LASER www.lps-laser.com

The GLP impression Laser has been developed through cooperation between two German companies, LPS-Lasersysteme and GLP. The GLP impression Laser is a moving head with an integrated pure diode laser show system, which boasts all of the necessary safety measures, including scanner safety. DMX is used to operate the moving head, whilst the laser output is controlled via ILDA. The moving head means that colour-intensive laser beam shows or animated laser graphics can be precisely positioned on any projection screen, and creativity in projection is facilitated by the professional multimedia laser show software LPS-RealTIME Pro. The GLP impression Laser is available in both a 3W RGB and a 6W RGB model, with an integrated graphic scanner boasting real 60 kpps, TEC cooling with optimised airflow and a PowerCON connector.

MARTIN PROFESSIONAL | MAC QUANTUM WASH www.martin.com

The MAC Quantum Wash features tight beams, wash fields, a varied colour palette and uniform mixing that combines to accommodate a range of demanding applications. The combination 750W of RGBW LED power with Martin Professional’s optical system ensures Quantum’s 1:5 zoom operates with maximum output and good performance. Featuring a compact form factor, easy handling, high-speed movements, low noise cooling and rugged construction, the MAC Quantum Wash is developed to be the workhorse in a professional lighting rig.

Martin Professional’s combination of technologies animates expressive projection and aerial looks.

MUSIC & LIGHTS | PRIME www.musiclights.it

Prime is a beam moving head featuring a lightweight and compact body, which is equipped with the new cutting-edge Philips Platinum 2R lamps 132W to allow a light output and performances comparable to the higher nominal power Platinum lamps. Powerful, lightweight and noiseless, this unit has been designed to generate a pure and highly-concentrated beam, halo free and parallel. Prime enables a new level of creativity freedom in the field of aerial lighting effects, offering 14 colours, 18 gobos, focus, rotating eight-facet circular and six-facet linear prism, strobe and shutter. Extreme speed and precision of movements is guaranteed by the lightweight chassis and by usage of three-step motors, allowing Prime to be as fast as the moving mirror of scanners in its movements.

NEO-NEON | GEMINI 72X www.neo-neon.com

The Gemini 72X is one of Neo-Neon newest additions to the moving head market, offering two of the airborn beam effects which are currently widely-used on in a variety of settings. The unit has two faces, each individually controllable and comprising 36 3W LEDs, and thus boasts 24 LEDs of each colour. The head can continually pan without stops or resets, a feature which works in concert with the tight 10º beam angle to enable original lighting effects. The Gemini 72X is designed for use in many different environments, from nightclubs and TV programs to festivals and stage shows.

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PR LIGHTING | XLED 2007 BEAM www.pr-lighting.com

PR Lighting has added the XLED 2007 Beam to its growing XLED LED range. The unit uses Osram Ostar, rated at 15W each, with 4-in-1 colour mixing. Each fixture houses seven of these light sources, rated at 50,000 hours lamp life; with power consumption of just 120W and 220V, the XLED 2007 Beam outputs close to 300W. Weighing in at just 4.36kg, the XLED 2007 Beam offers head movement of 720º (pan) or endless, and 270º (tilt) or endless. There is also a pan / tilt swap and invert function, auto-position correction and magnetic sensor positioning. Colour mixing is RGBW linear (with macro), with linear colour temperature correction from 2,700K to 10,000K. The XLED 2007 Beam also boasts 0-100% linearly adjustable dimming, electronic strobe (0-25 fps) and a lens angle of 6° with 12° dispersion angle, as well as dot-matrix control. Other functions of this DMX-controllable fixture include a touch button, an LCD display, with adjustable brightness and contrast, and sound operation under master / slave mode.

RED LIGHTING | LWB7E www.red-lighting.com

LWB7E by RED Lighting is a wash moving head projector with motorised optical zoom and seven 15W Full Colour REGBW LEDs. Compactness, precision and noiselessness are just some of the distinctive features of the LWB7E, which is a true LED beam with many colours and pixel effects. A unique characteristic is the light beam position, which adds a 360° effect with continuous rotation and variable speed to the classic pan/tilt working. The modern design and the wireless DMX receiver contribute to make this moving head projector unique for both the entertainment field and, more generally, high-level installations. For those who need an important progressive zoom, RED Lighting offers LWZ7E, which was presented alongside the LWB7E last March in Frankfurt. The LWZ7E is distinct from the LWB7E in its linear motorised zoom, from narrow to wide.

ROBE | ROBIN MINIME www.robe.cz

The Robe Robin MiniMe is an effects lighting luminaire which, with the addition of full video output, signals another step into the digital future for bar, club and retail lighting. The MiniMe is a small, neat, fast-moving LED, driven by a 20,000 hour lifetime source. Colours, gobos and beam shapes are 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.

SGM | G-SPOT sgmlight.com

SGM’s IP65-rated, all-weather LED G-Spot is impervious to sand, dirt, water and dust, dramatically reducing maintenance on optics, gobos and lamp units and is based on SGM’s revolutionary P-5 technology. Its 850W RGB LED engine generates a light beam comparable to the brightest discharge lamps - outperforming most 1.5kW conventional fixtures - while carrying all the advantages of LED. A unique framing system forms part of a fully featured zoom / gobo / beam-shaping package, with RFID, RDM and wireless DMX compatibility, all contained within a sleek chassis.

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STARWAY | SERVOZOOM 10R www.star-way.com

The best of two worlds in one projector, the ServoZoom 10R is more than just a spot projector. This moving head is a beam projector that is also capable of performing as a spot projector. Equipped with a 10R lamp, the ServoZoom 10R delivers a extremely hight output.

Packed with all advanced functionality including 17 fixed gobos, a rotating and indexable nine gobo wheel, a rotating and indexable three facet prism and a 14 gobo colour wheel.

STEINIGKE | FUTURELIGHT WAVE steinigke.de

The Futurelight Wave boasts one head, two bars, three LEDs and something really special: the pan rotation of the two bars is one and the same, but the tilt movements can be controlled individually. With its six LED beams, this moving head can create interesting effects.

The Futurelight Wave also offers the possibility of controlling each LED separately via DMX. All beams have a beam angle of 2.5º and are therefore ideal for beam shows. The pan angle can be switched between 540° and 630°, and power connection is achieved through a Neutrik PowerCon jack. Along with a powerful cold white version with six 20W LEDs, there is also a colour version of the Futurelight Wave, which has 4-in-1 10W LEDs (RGBW). The white version can assert itself on bigger stages, with the colour version having an impact in club installations or smaller events.

STUDIO DUE | XS 700 WASH/C www.studiodue.com

Studio Due’s Xs 700 wash/C is a washlight spot boasting an optic system that works in concert with a powerful HMI 700W/SE lamp to allow a uniform and intense beam light. Boasting a CYM colour management system, along with a seven-colour plus white wheel, with eight bi-colours, the Xs 700 wash/C can produce a rainbow effect. The unit’s motorised electronic zoom, from 15º to 35º, combines with its blackout and strobe effect capacities to produce numerous scenographies in a variety of environments. The Xs 700 wash/C also features a gobos wheel with four rotating gobos plus white and rainbow, 16-bit pan and tilt (540º and 270º respectively), 14 or 12 DMX channels and built-in microphones with LED display and buttons, along with an auto mode offering master and slave functions and music synchronisation via internal microphone.

VARI-LITE | VL4000 SPOT www.vari-lite.com

The VL4000 Spot luminaire from Philips Vari-Lite was created using state-of-the-art technology to bring new features and innovation to productions around the world. Based on a Philips 1.2kW Fast-Fit lamp, the luminaire achieves over 33,000 lumens of output and also includes the all new Infinity colour mix system, a 9-47º zoom, dual rotating gobo wheels, two adjustable animation wheels, framing shutters, an independent rotating prism with divergence control, variable frost and more. Additionally, a new selectable studio mode now allows designers and technicians to further reduce the noise level of the luminaire and operate with an output of 25,000 lumens when desired. With low ambient noise in both modes, high lumen output, high-quality optics and a full feature set, the VL4000 Spot has been built to redefine automated lighting.

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IN DETAIL LAB.GRUPPEN | D SERIES labgruppen.com

D Series represents the most advanced and capable install-dedicated platform ever conceived by Lab.gruppen. Total integration is the core ethos behind D Series, delivering what Lab.gruppen engineers describe as an amplifier platform that offers ‘genuinely open interoperability’ - a product that can integrate seamlessly with a wide range of digital audio and control protocols - bringing unique features and performance capabilities to virtually any high performance fixed-install project.

The D Series platform is available in two variants - one featuring Lake, the other featuring Tesira by Biamp Systems - each offering unique capabilities and advantages.

The Lake variant offers a well-established and proven package of Lake processing DSP with analogue, AES and a dual-redundant Dante network solution; supported by the development of new custom software to provide extensive integration potential with most key systems manufacturers. With the Tesira variant of D Series, comes a new collaboration between Lab.gruppen and Biamp Systems. This has resulted in dedicated models equipped with Tesira DSP, with AVB audio and control, to offer unheralded amplifier and DSP platform integration, designed to ensure seamless interoperability between respective systems. Available in three power configurations - 8,000W, 12,000W and 20,000W total power output - each available in either variant, D Series also heralds the debut of Lab.gruppen’s rational power management technology. Unlike other amplifiers where flexibility often involves compromise - for example reducing channel count or reducing the total power -RPM allows truly flexible power allocation across all channels to ensure the most efficient and rational use of total amplifier inventory.

At the heart of RPM, lies the unique ability for each model to deliver up to 5,000W output on any single channel, even on the lower power models, leaving the remaining available power to be allocated freely to the other channels. This enables more optimised system design, with each channel being tailored to the precise requirement of the load, rationalising the system to achieve most efficient use of the total amplifier inventory.

D Series reinforces Lab.gruppen’s position as a leader in ‘real’ green amplifier technology, having evolved from the tested and proven amplifier and patented power supply technology found in the company’s flagship PLM 20000Q, delivering best-in-class power factor correction and low peak mains current draw to power output ratio. Augmenting those green credentials is a new software suite calledConfiguring Amplifiers For the Environment (CAFE). In addition to providing full system surveillance capabilities as well as RPM configuration, CAFE also includes an innovative design aid in the form of Equipment Specification Predictor (ESP) that provides an optimised recommendation for specifying D Series into the project, including model and number of amplifiers, heat generated, channel distribution and current draw. All coming together to enable more accurate mains management, avoiding over-specification of UPS - where required, such as in mission-critical PA / VA applications - and installed cooling systems.

ANALOG WAY | LIVECORE www.analogway.com With new 4K resolution technology, the LiveCore Series of audiovisual switchers offers the latest generation of HDTV standards (UHD and DCI 4K). Three HDMI 4K inputs and two DVI 4K outputs are offered on the SmartMatriX Ultra, Ascender 32 and Ascender 48 models. The NeXtage 16 comes with two HDMI 4K inputs and a single DVI 4K output. Several frame rates are available as 4K/30P 4:4:4, 4K / 60P 4:2:0 or 4K / 60P 4:4:4, and the LiveCore Series also supports 3,840 by 2,160 (UHD) and 409 by 2,160 resolutions (native resolution for DCI-compliant 4K). The processing capabilities of the LiveCore Series enables the management of different 4K display combinations without losing the use of seamless layers. To ensure optimum efficiency, the LiveCore Series offers the ability to perfectly switch a 4K native background or 4K layers. Advanced layer management ensures the highest flexibility; when one output is disabled, its layers can be added to another output, resulting in up to 12 true seamless layers per output in 2K, or six layers in 4K. The LiveCore Output Expander adds up to four outputs to 12 by 4+1 LiveCore models, while custom monitoring will allow personalisation of the preview / monitoring output with the ability to display all sources in 4K.

BARCO | F50 www.barco.com With cutting-edge optics designed to deliver razor-sharp images, the F50 is a compact 120Hz, single-chip DLP processor that displays images with vivid and saturated colours, as well as rich contrast. Producing low noise levels, the F50 also features RealColor colour management, Smear Reduction Processing and high frame rates. The processor boasts four different digital input sources and a wide range of expansion modules and lenses. Designed for 24/7 operation, the F50’s total cost of ownership is reduced to a minimum by its reliable DLP technology, filtre-free design and low maintenance needs. The F50 also offers a selection of resolutions, including WQXGA, panorama, WUXGA and full HD.

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COMMUNITY PROFESSIONAL | I SERIES www.communitypro.com I Series features point-source, high-directivity, compact and floor-monitor models in multiple performance levels, providing modular scalability for any application requirement. A suite of matching-height subwoofers, in sizes ranging from compact single 12-inch models, to ground-shaking dual 18-inch models, complements the full-range I Series models with powerful low-frequency extension, while optional weather-resistant versions are available. Two-way models have large-format compression drivers, a choice of six rotatable horns and individually-voiced, beamwidth-matched crossovers with single or biamp operation. Three-way models offer a choice of three rotatable horn patterns and biamp or triamp operation and use a combination of large-format HF compression driver and Community’s M200HP midrange compression driver, both with ketone polymer diaphragms for exceptionally smooth and uniform sound quality.

I Series loudspeakers’ lightweight 15mm baltic birch cabinets are finished in black or white low-gloss textured paint, and their edge-to-edge wrap-around fabric-backed powder-coated steel grilles have no forward-facing logos, resulting in a clean appearance. These installation hardware systems improve aesthetics by keeping the brackets hidden above and behind the cabinets, while also reducing the vertical array height and minimising the number of suspension cables.

EAW | OTTO www.eaw.com Otto is the first subwoofer in EAW’s Adaptive Performance Series headlined by the award-winning Anya three-way full-range loudspeaker system. Loaded with two 18-inch subwoofers, each Otto module provides more than enough low frequency energy for most genres of music. With an output of 131 dB at one metre bolstered by response that extends all the way down to 22 Hz (-10 dB), Otto is designed to set a new standard in low frequency power and output.

Each Otto transducer is separately powered and processed, allowing multiple directivity patterns to be created from a single module. Like Anya, Otto modules can be readily combined in arrays to provide increased pattern control and output. EAW Resolution software generates DSP parameters to simultaneously adapt the complex 3D wavefront surface and optimise frequency response to match the requirements of any venue. The Otto G24 package supports two single columns of 12 Otto modules that can be suspended from a single flybar. The columns are joined by distribution racks flown adjacent to the flybar of each array, as well as full network redundancy in the form of primary and secondary networks connected to each module.

FBT | MODUS www.fbt.it Modus is a constant curvature line array system comprising two modules, the Modus 4805LA (5°V) and the Modus 4820LA (20°V). Each is equipped with four eight-inch neodymium magnet subwoofers and four one-inch neodymium magnet high frequency compression drivers. The system is designed to achieve a very uniform distribution of SPL in the listening area in both large and small venues thanks to its total modularity. The curvature overcomes the limitations of line arrays with variable angles, which inevitably create unmatched SPL between neighbouring enclosures at high frequencies. The Modus 215FSA is a dual 15-inch subwoofer with a band-pass design and push-pull configuration, delivering extended low frequency response despite its compact size. It is acoustically designed to support two or three Modus 4805 or 4820 modules. The Modus 118FSA is a single 18-inch subwoofer with a bass-reflex design and compact dimensions, which is designed to support one or two Modus 4805LA or 4820LA modules. Aesthetically similar to a 4805 module, the subwoofer can either be suspended above the line array modules or ground stacked. Additionally, the 118FSA can be used in conjunction with the 215FSA to further extend and reinforce low-end performance.

IDEA PRO AUDIO | BASSO SERIES ideaproaudio.com The R&D team at Idea Pro Audio has expanded, optimised and finalised the BASSO Series product family; it is now an extensive, versatile and coherent 12-piece subwoofer line to match both common and demanding applications, as well as a variety of configurations, tastes and budgets. The Series comprises 5th order band-pass and bass-reflex versions of single and dual 12-inch, 18-inch and 21-inch subwoofers. All the models in the series share common design solutions, performance philosophy and the same rugged finish, as well as common rigging and transport accessories. BASSO models, with direct radiating bass-reflex designs, focus on delivering maximum bandwidth, including ‘Infra’ capabilities, ease of acoustical integration and linearity. BASSO T 5th order Band-Pass design models focus on electro-acoustical efficiency and power density, with narrower bandwidth and good maximum SPL levels. Self-powered DSP active versions of many BASSO and BASSO T models will be launched in September 2014.

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LE MAITRE | SALAMANDER QUAD PRO www.lemaitreltd.com Le Maitre’s new Salamander Quad Pro four-canister flame unit, big brother to the successful Salamander, is now available. The Salamander’s flames, which come in natural, red or green, reach up to 8.5-metres when all four canisters are fired simultaneously, while canisters can also be fired individually to heights of between 3.5 and 4.5-metres. Each canister holds sufficient fluid for a 30-second continuous flame, or approximately 30 individual flame shots, providing 120 individual flame shots in total from all four canisters. A unique firing system eliminates the need for internal valves and accumulators, so gas never remains in the system once the canister has been removed. Safety is further enhanced by a tilt sensor and ignitor monitoring, while operation is via 5-channel DMX.

NEXT PROAUDIO | LA122A www.next-proaudio.com The LA122A active line array system is the powered version of the popular LA122. It incorporates advanced neodymium speakers, custom made by B&C, as well as a high performance DPA amplifier module, capable of generating 1650Wrms of high-definition power for a very high acoustic pressure for medium - to large-scale applications. The new system comprises three models, two line array elements, with different coverage angles (8º by 90º and 15º by 120º) and a companion subwoofer system. The band-pass subwoofer LAS118A, equipped with a long excursion, 18-inch neodymium subwoofer, is internally powered by a 2,200Wrms DPAmplifier module. Sharing the same rigging technology as the LA122A and LA122WA, the LA122A is ready for flexible integration, both on the ground or on the top of line arrays. The LAS118A is equipped with a top-mounted pole socket that can be used to mount satellite speakers equipped with standard 35mm pole sockets in ground stacked applications. The integrated DSP with A/D - D/A low noise converters provides eight selectable presets that can be accessed by an easy selector or real time edited by a PC, using the supplied Soundware software, via USB remote control.

ONE SYSTEMS | 108CIM www.onesystems.com The 108CIM is a lightweight copolymer based all-weather loudspeaker system designed for applications that require high vocal intelligibility and sonic accuracy. The loudspeaker is optimised for permanent installation use in outdoor applications such as sports venues, amusement parks, and outdoor retail and dining, as well as high ambient noise indoor applications that require a higher level of audio clarity. The coaxial design features a medium-format, high-frequency titanium-based compression driver that produces a nominal 70º conical radiation pattern making it easy to place it vertically or horizontally. The 108CIM has power handling of 200, 400 and 800W. The high grade copolymer enclosure is optimised for high UV exposure and long life in harsh environments. Its compact size provides a surprisingly high output. Availability in black or white makes it suitable for most venues. All internal and external rigging and suspension hardware, as well as the metal grille are stainless steel or high strength aluminum. All suspension points are also made using 304-grade stainless steel.

The input section consists of a five-pin barrier strip. A weather cover is provided with an integral gland nut connector for outdoor applications. The unit is available with pan and tilt, U-bracket and eyebolt rigging.

QSC | CXD-Q qsc.com Specifically for use with the Q-Sys network audio platform, the CXD-Q network amplifier line from QSC combines the Flexible Amplifier Summing Technology (FAST) found in the CXD / PLD amplifier platform with the same Q-Sys network connectivity and processing. CXD-Q models operate like other Q-Sys peripherals, utilising the same standard Layer 3 networking technology for audio streaming, control and monitoring. Redundant rear-panel Ethernet jacks on the amplifiers makes Q-Sys integration as simple as connecting a standard off-the-shelf Ethernet cable. Adding CXD-Q amplifiers to a new or existing Q-Sys design is easily done via the Q-Sys Designer Schematic Page. Housed in a 2U rack-mount configuration, CXD-Q network amplifiers feature new QSC proprietary class-D power devices, which enable multi-channel, high performance power. The CXD-Q lineup includes the CXD4.2Q, the CXD4.3Q and the CXD4.5Q, with the CXD4.3Q and CXD4.5Q able to direct drive 70V and 100V systems. The largest models are capable of up to 5kW continuous and peaks of up to 8kW. The rear panels feature four balanced Euroblock mic / line input connectors that are on ramps into the Q-Sys system, and four Euroblock touchproof loudspeaker connectors enabling integrators to terminate wiring before connecting to the amplifier, while GPIO connectors offer additional functionality.

RCF | IPS SERIES www.rcf.it The IPS Series is a range of two-way professional amplifiers that offer, in a compact lightweight two-rack unit space, the sound quality and the durability of traditional class AB and class H designs with the innovation of the latest power devices available. The amplifiers feature independent gain dials, signal / clip and fault LEDs, stereo XLR input and output link, 1.4V to 0.775V input sensitivity switch, mono / stereo / bridge switch, and powercon outputs. IPS Series amplifiers are protected against shorts and open circuits; extensive protective circuits ensure high reliability and operating safety. With a two unit 19-inch rack, the amplifiers are designed for easy transportation. They feature a fast response and low sound distortion, and are easy to configure in all three stereo, mono and bridge modes. IPS Series models also feature XLR input connectors and Speakon NL4 output connectors. The Series includes the IPS 700, IPS 1700, IPS 2700 and IPS 3700, all of which are two-channel power amplifiers designed for use in small - to medium-sized venues. The QPS 9600, also offered by RCF, is a four-channel amplifier design to handle exceptionally high power in a relatively compact and lightweight two-rack unit space.

XTA | APA SERIES www.audiocore.co.uk The APA-4E8 can fully monitor all aspects of an amplifier’s performance, from input XLR (or network port) to loudspeaker terminals. The APA-4E8 is a power and processing platform that tightly integrates with its power supply, featuring 96k analogue to digital converters not only on the analogue inputs - AES inputs standard, analogue and network audio inputs are factory options - but also directly at the loudspeaker outputs, monitoring voltage and current. Inputs and outputs are simultaneously processed by the DSP, along with data about the mains supply, allowing the APA to adapt and refine to keep maintain a high level of music quality. In addition to this adaptive processing, the unit still offers full control over a powerful suite of filtering and protection, including multiple bands of XTA’s dynamic EQ, FIR filtering and phase linearisation, ultra-transparent limiting, and all the classic crossover and EQ components traditionally used to set up these kinds of systems. Added to these features are a fully flexible matrix with the ability to source audio either locally from AES or analogue inputs, or via a networked audio connection (Dante / AVB). With native mac and PC remote software also available, the APA is engineered to be more than an amplifier with some DSP built in.

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...I started a small personal service sound company to supplement a meager musician’s income. I became enamored with point source systems.

STEVE HUTT R&D MA NAG E R , E I G H T E E N S O U N D How did your career in the audio industry begin?

I started a small personal service sound company to supplement a meager musician’s income. I became enamored with point source systems, but since none of the drivers accessible to me were powerful enough in a 30-litre box I figured I’d build my own. Beta testing on live gigs for years, my rental systems used drivers I designed. It was great fun and eventually I had a small loudspeaker manufacturing company, selling systems for installs all over the world.

Has audio been a lifelong passion?

I think I leaned into the audio industry rather than falling into it. I was driven by that loudspeaker size versus performance conundrum and developed a ‘need to know’. I set out on a quest and I’m still on it.

What is the best thing about working in audio?

Diversity. There are different segments of audio…

You have content creation technologies and on the playback side you have consumer, automotive, OEM and pro. Each is a distinct market with different technology expectations and requirements; they all have real engineers and physicists, musicians and sound guys. After my automotive stint I consulted in consumer and worked with suppliers in Asia.

Pro is where the santoprene hits the road and real contributions are respected. I’m very happy to be back in pro but generally, the best thing about working in audio is diversity.

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Tell me more about your role at Eighteen Sound?

My main R&D role is to manage the ‘D’, which is simple enough. Just take the project roadmap and organise the resources to make the development happen on schedule. The fun part is the ‘R’, we’re investing heavily in new FEA and measurement tools and expanding lab space with a new anechoic chamber that will elevate our engineering rigor.

What makes Eighteen Sound different?

Fearlessness. Since the beginning, we’ve built loudspeakers as good as they get with true value.

What sets us apart is a willingness to lead. We’ve just introduced a new coax motor topology with fourinch low frequency voice-coil and a four-inch compression driver that sets a new performance bar in this category.

How has the release of the ND4015Be four-inch Beryllium diaphragm driver pushed Eighteen Sound forward?

Diaphragm materials have a profound influence on the sound of loudspeakers, particularly mids and highs. Beryllium has properties that make it very effective in compression drivers but it’s not just the material, it’s how it is designed into the assembly, and then how production processes manage consistency.

The market response to this driver has been so amazing we’ve followed with a three-inch beryllium driver and of course, we are developing other

interesting driver materials.

Where would you like to see technology take the sector?

‘More from less’ is the true path forward. Not just to be green with a smaller footprint including truckload, but it is important for quality of sound. One way to get there is to improve coupling between the loudspeakers and electronics. Though we don’t manufacture electronics, this is a philosophy and opportunity that we are embracing by designing for the amplifier-loudspeaker union. Our latest foray in this direction is our iD Series. Going forward the Eighteen Sound technology roadmap carves out a path that continues to serve traditional interests while blazing an innovation trail where our target is not blindly bound to be a ‘status-quo’ transducer, but focuses solutions on the preferred outcome - sound in air.

Do you have any secret passions?

It would be fun to spend more time creating music. I haven’t really taken advantage of the digital recording tools that are so prevalent but the thought lingers in the back of my mind. How hard can it be?

What are the three things you can’t live without?

Family, a piano and humour.

Tell me something about yourself that might surprise people?

I am not very tall.

Uniting the audience Speech and music that stir the soul.

From the thrill of theatre to the celebration of worship to the inspiration of the auditorium.

It’s all about consistent audience coverage, front to back, whatever the acoustic challenges.

A shared experience they will never forget.

That’s the Martin Audio Experience.

Unite your audience at www.martin-audio.com

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08/01/2014 17:12