mondo*dr 30.3

MARCH / APRIL 2020 | 30.3

THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION FOR TECHNOLOGY IN ENTERTAINMENT

ANDY FARROW

Celestion’s Global Sales Director discusses his unique role in the company’s history.

THEATRES & CONCERT HALLS The latest projects from auditoriums across the globe.

MARCH / APRIL 2020

LASERS & SFX

A round-up of lasers and special effects for a range of installations.

THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION FOR TECHNOLOGY IN ENTERTAINMENT

A NEW ERA FOR KARA

KARA II: THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE K SERIES Thanks to a winning design and powerful output coupled with light weight and diminutive form factor, Kara is a perennial bestseller. With the addition of Panflex, Kara II inaugurates a new era of added flexibility and directivity control. Kara II is a powerhouse with four-in-one directivity: one box meets the needs of any audience geometry. Kara II morphs to fit any design, offering consistent coverage and SPL distribution where you want it – and only where you want it. www.l-acoustics.com

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ULTIMATE WIRELESS CONNECTION

(r)evolution Every once in a while, something comes along that tears up the rulebook and revolutionises an industry. This is one of those moments: the Satellite Modular Laser System from the Visionaries of the display industry – Digital Projection.

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7 LEADER

DESIGNATED

DRIVER Leading Pro Audio brands choose Celestion Innovation, performance and reliability make Celestion the drivers of choice for a growing number of professional audio manufacturers. Visit our website or contact us now to find out more about our comprehensive range.

FINANCE DIRECTOR Amanda Giles a.giles@mondiale.co.uk

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CEO Justin Gawne j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk

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DESIGN & PRODUCTION Mel Capper, Dan Seaton

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EVENTS MANAGER Sara Walker s.walker@mondiale.co.uk

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SAM HUGHES CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

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MONDO*DR 30.3 MARCH / APRIL 2020

We want to ensure that the mondo*dr Awards continues to recognise and celebrate the best installation projects from around the world.

With that in mind, we will be holding the EMEA & APAC Awards during InfoComm on June 17.

They will run alongside mondo*dr Awards Americas, making it a global awards ceremony.

Keep an eye out for an announcement on the venue soon. In the meantime, check out the EMEA & APAC shortlist on page 22-23. Don’t forget to submit your Americas entries, too.

N EO &

There’s no doubt that the industry is entering a period of uncertainty with the outbreak of Coronavirus. We’ve already seen tradeshows and events affected, with Music Inside Rimini and Prolight + Sound having been postponed.

The latter is something that we have had to take into serious consideration, with the mondo*dr Awards - EMEA & APAC due to be held in Frankfurt. Although we were looking forward to holding the event at Prolight + Sound, we have made the decision to reschedule. The health, safety and well-being of those in the industry is our number one priority - and we feel this is the best option in terms of the current situation.

M AGNE T,

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Sam Hughes s.hughes@mondiale.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR Emma Bilardi e.bilardi@mondiale.co.uk EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Emma Davidson e.davidson@mondiale.co.uk EDITORIAL INTERN Phoebe Walters SALES DIRECTOR Jamie Dixon j.dixon@mondiale.co.uk SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Laura Iles l.iles@mondiale.co.uk ACCOUNT MANAGER Fran Begaj f.begaj@mondiale.co.uk

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES (7 ISSUES) UK: £30.00 / Europe: £50.00 / Rest Of World: £65.00 Two year rates are available on request. Subscribe online at www.mondiale.co.uk or call +44 (0)161 476 5580 ISSN: 1476 4067

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MONDIALE PUBLISHING Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ , UK Tel: +44 161 476 8340 Fax: +44 161 429 7214

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EDITOR Rachael Rogerson-Thorley r.rogerson-thorley@mondiale.co.uk

GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh

NE I O & FERR

ON THE COVER Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels Image courtesy of Diagonale

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CREDIT CONTROL ar@mondiale.co.uk

, M AGNE T

Mondo DR (ISSN 1476 4067) is published in January, March, May, July, September, November and December by Mondiale Publishing Ltd, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK Subscription records are maintained at Mondiale Publishing Ltd, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK

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

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9 CONT ENTS

CONTENTS 14 IN DISCUSSION 18 INSIDE VIEW

26

IN DEPTH

ANDY FARROW Celestion’s Global Sales Director chatted to mondo*dr about his eventful career with the company.

26 INTERVIEW Andy Farrow - Celestion 38 REPORT Theatres & Concert Halls

IN FOCUS 76 SKALAR Amsterdam 78 FAIRFIELD HALLS London

84 MANALI LODGE NG Pro Audio have equipped the French Alps’ latest luxury lodge with an all new Danley sound system.

84 MANALI LODGE Courchevel 92 SKY2.0 Dubai 100 SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK Santa Cruz 102 AVALON THEATRE Maryland 108 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH California 114 NINE TREES ART CENTER Shanghai 116 ORIENTAL PEARL TOWER Shanghai

120

120 ALIEN•C Yinchuan

IN BUSINESS

ALIEN•C China’s superclub has recently been gifted a powerful PK Sound audio system to fully enhance its production.

126 SHOW PREVIEW: PROLIGHT & SOUND Frankfurt 128 NAMM California 134 ISE Amsterdam 152 COMPANY VISIT Powersoft 156 ANNIVERSARY Sonodyne 158 IN DETAIL CLF Lighting, Korg, NEXO

134 ISE Highlights from the show floor in Amsterdam.

www.mondodr.com

164 PRODUCT GUIDE Lasers & SFX 174 PRODUCT DIRECTORY 178 LAST PAGE INTERVIEW Anna Roberts - Tripleplay

10 AD INDEX

HIGHEST PERFORMING POSTS

Highlights from ISE, Amsterdam @mondodr

d&b GSL system installed at Chroma nightclub Elation Professional at the Olive Baptist Church

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Also find mondo*dr on

Advertising Index Absen 71 AC Lighting 49 Adam Hall 17 Adamson 95 ADJ 67 Amate 91 Analog Way 15 Antari 29 173 Area Four ASC 47 AVIXA 24 Bose 105 Celestion 7 Chauvet 107 Chromateq 169 Clear-Com 161 CLF 51 CODA Audio 159 D.A.S. Audio 163 Daslight 10 Dicolor 123 DiGiCo 61

Digital Projection 4 DJ Power 5 Doughty 111 DTS 151 Duratruss 169 Elation 33 Equipson 133 ETC 45 Eurotruss 123 FENIX Stage 12& 13 Flash-Butrym 65 Funktion-One 31 GDS 169 Genelec 149 GIS 57 Global Truss 35 Gloshine 81 GLP 165 Green Hippo 145 Harman 139 Harmonic Design 173 KOBA 72

KV2 175 Kvant 131 L-Acoustics 2 Laser Animation 143 Laserworld 155 Lawo 39 Lectrosonics 175 Link 63 85 Look Solutions LPS 124 Lucenti 41 Lynx 145 MADRIX 111 MBN 177 MDG 43 Modulo Pi 137 Mountain Productions 141 Neutrik 137 NEXO 141 NEXT-proaudio 133 Powersoft BC 87 PR Lighting

Pro AVL 74 Pro Tapes 71 RGBlink 55 Robe 37 SAE 165 Schnick Schnack Systems 83 SHOWVEN 147 Signify 53 Starway 179 Steinigke 89 & 97 Strictly FX 69 Sunlite 6 Syncronorm 59 TAF 91 Tasker 171 The One Studio 8 TW AUDiO 111 Unilumin 119 VMB 177 Void Acoustics 21 Wireless Solution 3 Yestech 11

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14 IN DISCUSSION

SUSTAINABILITY: NOT JUST A CHOICE, BUT AN IMPERATIVE. Genelec’s PR Director, Howard Jones, talks about the company’s approach to sustainability and what the audiovisual industry could be doing to reduce its carbon footprint.

At Genelec, our focus on running a sustainable, environmentally responsible business actually began with our founder, Ilpo Martikainen, long before he launched the company in 1978 with Topi Partanen.

Ilpo had grown up on a farm in his native Finland, so was familiar with the annual cycle of seeding, fertilising, weeding and harvesting, and he saw first-hand how the country’s huge timber industry constantly replenished its forests to ensure that the business was sustainable. Additionally, that tree cover absorbs huge amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere, so maintaining it was not only sensible business but was also kind to the environment. Ilpo himself became actively involved in tree planting programmes each year and his understanding of running a company in a holistic, sustainable way became embedded in his thinking.

And, so, with that in mind, all Genelec loudspeaker products, from the original S30 onwards, were built to provide longevity and reliability, even in tough, demanding professional environments – and coupled with a commitment to long

• Above Genelec founder, Ilpo Martikainen

term technical and spare parts support, we are still able to service and repair loudspeakers after many decades of use.

Fast forward to 2008, we entered a previously unwritten part of the company’s philosophy and heritage directly into our strategy, namely that environmental issues are just as important as profitability.

Since then, our efforts to follow this path have been unwavering. The heating of the Genelec factory transitioned from oil to renewable energy some years ago, and our most recent factory expansion in 2019 now brings solar energy to the mix courtesy of over 450 roof-mounted solar panels, which will supply 30% of our annual power. This decision to continue developing and manufacturing all of our products under the same roof in Iisalmi means we can guarantee the use of environmentally efficient solutions. In our own factory, we can ensure that the highest quality thresholds are maintained in terms of operations and products, and that spare parts are available to support our users for the long-term. Ultimately, our choice has helped us to view www.mondodr.com

productivity from a new and far more healthy perspective.

The use of recycled materials in our loudspeakers has also been a long term commitment. More than 80% of our professional two-way loudspeaker products use recycled aluminium, saving 95% of the energy required to produce the material compared with virgin aluminium, and after much research into the use of composites in injection moulding, we started a program in 2009 to develop loudspeaker enclosures which comprised of at least 50% mouldable wood fibres – which are recyclable and do not require painting.

When we implemented our Quality and Environmental Policy, we identified that sustainable development needed to be based on the following priorities, starting with the most desirable option: Prevent or minimise the creation of waste and use of energy, re-use waste for its original purpose whenever possible, recycle waste for other purposes, use waste for secondary purposes, and, only as a last resort – produce non-recyclable waste.

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16 IN DISCUSSION

Alongside compliance with RoHS and ErP directives, and our ISO14001 certification for environmental management, our entire R&D effort is always geared towards analysing the carbon footprint of new products and improving their power efficiency, modularity and packaging design.

Genelec’s Managing Director, Siamak Naghian, explains that: “Though every action has its environmental footprint, so every action taken to improve sustainability and to reduce that footprint is a step towards reducing the impact of our industry on our environment. The conservation of natural resources does not stop with the

use of recyclable natural materials, it continues throughout our efforts to create new innovations that will enrich the lives of our users. Genelec is committed to the pursuit of its ethical goals both now and in the future, when we believe that sustainability and profitability will go hand in hand.”

The current climate crisis is a daily reminder of the scale of the problems facing us globally, and our responsibility as an industry to play its role in being part of the solution. We would warmly encourage everyone in the audiovisual industry to put environmental responsibility at the very heart of their business, and join us in creating a better, more sustainable way of www.mondodr.com

• Above Genelec’s new factory in Iisalmi and the solar panels built on the roof to power every day operations

working.

Siamak thinks that we can learn much from other industries, and concludes that: “The last two decades have, sadly enough, demonstrated to us the self-evident need for us to save our planet for future generations. Sustainability has become not just a choice, but an imperative. For this reason, recent developments in the automobile industry, in biotechnology, and in power supply and consumption, are all warmly welcomed.”

The opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and not necessarily of mondo*dr magazine.

18 INSIDE VIEW

Team Lucenti Jeroen Carette, Brand Manager at Lucenti with company owner, Karel De Piere.

LUCENTI Founded in 2017, Lucenti, the brain child of Karel De Piere, is a Belgian lighting brand making waves in the professional lighting industry. With its products implemented in some incredible projects, Lucenti’s portfolio is ever expanding - illuminating festival stages, art installations and packed-out club environments worldwide. With an extensive list of brands under its belt and, with FACE bvba being its mother company, Lucenti is focussed on providing eye-catching light installations across the globe. www.lucenti.lighting FACE, also ran by Karel de Pierre, immediately appreciated the technology developed by the original team at Lucenti. So, from there, Lucenti started to put together a compact commercial lighting range, based on the collected feedback from customers throughout the years.

During the first initial year, the request from a highly demanding customer enabled Lucenti to run an extensive test on its first production range.

Tomorrowland, Boom, was the first project that required an exclusive, one-of-a-kind product, that was developed according to the philosophy of the festival: ‘we are the people of tomorrow’.

A Tomorrowland exclusive, the Pearl decorative bulb, was born. Thousands were used to light up the different stages and props all over the festival, over the innovative PixlBus protocol. The case gave Lucenti the opportunity to establish a quality range of real-life tested individually controllable and mappable bulbs, named the Vinci Series.

The Vinci Collection system was the first fully-

functional powerline festoon lighting system capable of receiving power and data commands using retrofit E27 bulbs on existing 230VAC wiring. Each bulb can be controlled individually through its reprogrammable ID. This new technology is capable of innovating existing RGBW lighting systems in the entertainment, holiday, architectural design and interior design markets. Furthermore, this collection introduces the first dimmable RGB + Flex LED Filament bulb, also manageable by the same controller.

Only two years later, and as a result of the successful cooperation developing the Pearl bulb, another opportunity came along for the company.

Belgian band ‘Blackwave’ and Tomorrowland, again, requested an affordable yet very flexible and easy to set up fixture. After careful thought and months of testing, the Blackwave Series was presented: a slimline, nice looking IP65 LED bar, that fits in any budget and can be controlled intuitively.

These bars unleashed a whole universe of creative www.mondodr.com

possibilities, any pixel can be fully controlled, in any shape, at any given time. Their lightweight but robust engineering, carried out in Belgium, is the result of light technicians, rental companies and light designers giving their extended feedback from real-life experiences.

The in-house developed Pixel bus data system

by Lucenti, ensures fluent RGBW colour mixing with smooth dimming and synchronisation between each pixel and driver. Combined with interchangeable filters it allows for strong vibrant saturated colours all the way to pastel tints. With 50 powerful pixels per metre, these bars give unparalleled output even during bright daylight without the need for smoke. Given that the BW100 and the BW50 are designed to be used in demanding environments like stages, festival decoration, club interiors and on the move with rental companies, Lucenti opted for a double chambered lightweight metal housing, providing enough strength to interlock multiple bars and resulting in an IP66 rating. Additionally, they

19 INSIDE VIEW

Labyrinth Club This concept, supplied by Lucenti, with five rows in width, 15 in length and four in height, resulted in an unparalleled 3D matrix effect throughout the venue.

Lucenti HQ Lucentiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s offices located in Boom, Belgium, where everything from the production and design of its products, to R&D takes place.

A2C5T This new light art installation, from ACTLD, combines video, lighting, scenography and content curation with the goal of expressing a visual and sensory message for all to experience and enjoy.

20 INSIDE VIEW

Festival work Lucenti’s lighting fixtures are popular in festival and club environments, creating unique and immersive productions worldwide.

Kara Savi stage Over 1,000 Blackwave bars turned it into an almost hypnotic 3D experience.

The inner LED bars provided an endless looking tunnel, creating a great feeling of depth in the stage.

also included a back rail to ensure easy mounting and a variety of hanging possibilities to fit any situation imaginable. Combined with sleek four pin bayoneted connectors and clickable sliding rigging accessories, it is possible to make unique variations of shapes and forms, while not limiting the creativity of a design.

With the success of its newly developed products, Lucenti started implementing them across a diverse range of installations. A2C5T is a new temporary light art experience from ACTLD, a Brussels-based lighting and experience design company. The installation was inspired by the core values of art, concept and technology, the three main pillars on which ACTLD was founded in 1995. These three values translated within the installation into three intersecting art pieces that lead to an awe-inspiring immersive experience.

This new light art installation that combines video, lighting, scenography and content curation with the goal of expressing a visual and sensory message for all to experience and enjoy - uses music collaboration and products from Lucenti.

Another project spearheaded by Lucenti was

Amelie Lens’ club night at Labyrinth Club, Waagnatie, Belgium. One would be hard pressed to find another artist whose meteoric rise parallels that of hers. She has, in a little more than a year, soared from relative anonymity to one of today’s most in-demand DJ/Producers the world over. The event ‘Amelie Lens All Night Long’ was organised by Labyrinth Club at Waagnatie Antwerp and the audiovisual production and concept was executed by Tom Pardon and his company Screenit. This concept with five rows in width, 15 in length and 4 in height, resulted in an unparalleled 3D matrix effect throughout the complete venue.

In 2020, the hyper flexible and small Lucenti team still operates from Belgium, and successfully launches their worldwide sales network of selected distribution partners. The product range will continue to expand within the Lucenti philosophy: easy to use, responsibly budgeted lighting fixtures, that respond to a real demand from the market. Lucenti too are people from tomorrow.

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IN DEPTH

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INTERVIEW ANDY FARROW CELESTION

REPORT THEATRES & CONCERT HALLS

Founded in 1924, Celestion is one of the world’s oldest and largest loudspeaker manufacturers. The British company’s innovation in low frequency and compression drivers places them right at the heart of the professional sound reinforcement industry, relied upon by many of the world’s leading manufacturers to deliver outstanding performances and cutting edge technology. Global Sales Director, Andy Farrow, sat down with mondo*dr to discuss his unique role in the company’s history and its future plans for global expansion.

28 INT ERVIEW

• Above The team at Celestion Ipswich, UK.

Andy Farrow has always been fascinated by how things work – with an inclination for anything to do with science, Andy was a kid who pulled things apart to put them back together. He credits his curiosity and natural ability to his Dad, an all-round maintenance man who was always fixing things.

Andy left school at 16, taking the engineering apprenticeship route to an eventual role as a Manufacturing Engineer at Ransome’s, a grass and farming technology manufacturer in Ipswich.

“Over the course of my time there, I got to see how the entire company worked.”

Andy recalled. “I did six months in accounts, six months in the foundry, six months in the machine shop, six months in research and development and six months in sales and marketing. By experiencing the different faculties of the business, I got to see how people interact

on different levels.”

Andy went on to attend Brunel University in West London, earning a bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering. “As much as I was focussed on the engineering side, as I grew older, the commercial side of business became something I was more interested in.”

Following graduation, Andy completed a further year as a Production Engineer at Ransomes, before transferring to Celestion.

Founded in 1924, Celestion has grown to become one of the world’s largest and most innovative manufacturers of loudspeakers, patenting one of the very first moving coil loudspeakers in the 1920s. Responsible for the first-ever dedicated guitar loudspeaker, the ‘Celestion Blue’, the company adapted their standard G12 radiogram loudspeaker to better withstand the modern valve amplifier circuits of the time, while

“Everybody’s schooled differently in the sales business, some people say it’s a science, but, for me, it’s all about focussing on people...”

30 INT ERVIEW

producing a much sought after tonal character. Soon after, Celestion’s place in musical instrument history was secured.

Innovation has been the cornerstone of Celestion’s approach and the company that has set great store in development technologies from laser interferometry to Finite Element Analysis. They were the first company to use metal dome tweeters in hi-fi, initially copper and later aluminium and titanium. At the turn of the millennium Celestion were already using super-lightweight neodymium magnets with professional audio loudspeakers, presaging a trend that continues to this day.

By the time Andy joined in the ’90s, the company had been acquired by new owners and were looking towards a future of large-scale volume manufacturing. As the majority of production was gradually moved to China, Andy found himself at a loose end.

“It became apparent that there was less of a role for me in the UK. I moved to Colchester to a company that made banknote counting machines. The Bank of England was one of its clients, as well as The Bank of Mexico and The Bank of Egypt. They called it pin and blade counting technology, these machines could count 2,500 notes per minute and double-check it

simultaneously. Like Celestion, they were a leader in their field and it was fun for a while. They had an opportunity in the sales department which I jumped at. They told me I’d never make it as a salesman,” he recalled with a laugh. “Well, that was like a red rag to a bull.”

Andy was 29 when he returned to Celestion, a serendipitous move he described as a “dream come true” at the time.

“I’d just got married and my wife had moved up north to Lancashire, she was working for a pharmaceutical company and, at that time, was the major breadwinner. We weren’t living together, so I was applying for various things hoping to join her. I’d had a few interesting offers but they were all in the Birmingham area – close, but not close enough.

“I must have had five job offers in six months, so I was doing something right.

I had offers from Triumph Motorcycles, Land Rover and Lucas. Good offers, but just not where I wanted to be,” he recalled.

Andy happened to be back in Ipswich around the festive period and, as he was still friends with a lot of the team at Celestion, a fortuitous invite saw him attend one of Celestion’s legendary Christmas parties.

“The General Manager at the time told me they were looking to fill two sales positions

• Above The Celestion Axi2050 AxiPeriodic Driver • An early photo of Andy Farrow

F1 ad_Mondo F5SB8_march2020.pdf

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Redefining Compact Audio

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32 INT ERVIEW

“As soon as we detached ourselves from building boxes we were no longer competing with our customers and that’s when we really took off.”

- and, since I knew the products really well, he said that I should consider it.” Andy, a little apprehensive from his previous experience in sales, almost talked himself out of the job. “It was definitely still in the back of my mind, but I said if there’s a training process I can be a part of I’d be happy to.”

Andy looked after UK OEM sales for six months and was then promoted to UK OEM Sales Manager, where he worked from home when he wasn’t travelling.

As it turns out, Andy excelled at sales and in just under two years, increased business by 45% in the UK. “Everybody’s schooled differently in the sales business, some people say it’s a science, but, for me, it’s all about focussing on people and bringing like-minded businesses together. It’s about making connections, that’s what I feel I bring to the table,” Andy added.

At home, business was booming for Celestion, no small feat in an already over-saturated market, but the company wasn’t doing so well stateside.

“We had a lot of customers in the United States but it wasn’t amounting to a big enough portion of the business,” Andy explained. “Our CEO was American, he was based in San Francisco and it was frustrating www.mondodr.com

for him that we weren’t winning more business there. We were trying to grow business in the US with a UK-based team - it just wasn’t working. So, in 2002, I volunteered to move my family to the US.” Celestion’s sister company, KEF, sponsored Andy’s move to their New Jersey office. “For the first 18 months, it was just me, I was there to support our distributor, Group One. They needed help selling our PA systems products and, after being there for six months, I realised it was a struggle. There are so many established brands in America and we were a reasonably small company trying to compete with the big boys. We had a good distributor and a well-known brand but America is a market where a brand is known for a particular thing and up to that point, we’d been a hi-fi company, a guitar loudspeaker company, a pro audio systems manufacturer and an OEM driver manufacturer.”

Celestion’s strategy was to streamline the business and focus solely on its strengths.

“We had to ask ourselves what are we best at? We knew we were best at making drivers, so the solution ultimately became obvious and we stopped producing finished goods to focus entirely on the design and manufacture of transducers.”

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34 INT ERVIEW

The company had already begun to move the production of hi-fi across to the KEF division. By 2006, under the direction of new General Manager, Nigel Wood, Celestion began to exit its PA systems business.

Andy played an instrumental part in the move, once again proving that businesses succeed when they listen to the demands of its clients. “As soon as we detached ourselves from building boxes we were no longer competing with our customers and that’s when we really took off,” he said.

After a decade and a half, the US now accounts for over 50% of Celestion’s business.

While large-scale manufacturing takes place at the company’s factory in Huizhou, China, the Ipswich headquarters handles many of the small-run, specialist products.

“We have people in our production facility that have been with us for years. It’s a great company to work for, filled with great people. We have engineers from five different countries in our company, all specialists in their fields. For example, we have one

of the leading experts in horn design. His PhD was in loudspeaker horn design and he’s just written a book called ‘High Quality Horn Loudspeaker Systems: History, Theory and Design’, detailing 100 year history of loudspeaker horn design which he’s been researching for nearly 20 years. There’s never been such a massive resource pulled together for this subject - this is the level of passion our engineers have for audio.”

About 85% of the company’s revenue comes from product manufactured in China right now, but the UK is seeing new growth, with some of the manufacturing moving back to Ipswich.

“We’re also developing new PA products where it just makes economic and logistical sense to build in the UK.” To that end, the company has recently committed significant resources to building further production lines at their Suffolk headquarters, specifically for building the newly developed professional audio product ranges.

First among these, and one of the products www.mondodr.com

the team is most proud of, is the Axi2050 “axiperiodic” compression driver. A high-power, high-output wideband compression driver able to reproduce a frequency range of up to 300-20,000 Hz without the need for a mid-band crossover, essentially performs the role of two loudspeakers in one.

“There are several co-axial high-frequency devices where you have two diaphragms to achieve the level of output you’re looking for across the frequency range - we’ve released a device with just one diaphragm to do the same thing, which is totally unique” Andy enthused. “It made sense to manufacture the Axi2050 where our engineers were based, the UK. At the time, we figured if a customer needed it to be made in Asia, we could look to move production.

We’ve got very good at moving products from one factory to another, using similar production methods in both.”

Now, a third factory is part of the mix, with the company having announced a

• Above Andy Farrow, Sales Director; Nigel Wood, Managing Director; John Paice; Marketing Communications/ Artist Relations, and Paul Cork; Head of Engineering.

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36 INT ERVIEW

• Above The Celestion Axi2050 Axiperiodic Driver shown with the Big Red Horn

joint venture with a facility in Bangkok, an important move toward capturing a bigger percentage of the growing Asian market.

“A lot of our business comes from Asia and a lot of the manufacturers we’re partnered with also manufacture in Asia, so having a presence in that region is key for us. The transfer of goods is much easier than just shipping everything across the world in containers and it’s much better for our carbon footprint.”

The company is currently developing a range of high-powered neo subwoofers, also to be built in the UK, which it is hoping will launch in the next year; a product Andy is very enthusiastic about: “There’s some really exciting technology in the motor design, we’re

force cooling them with a new motor structure we have developed that incorporates some clever air venting. We’re getting some unprecedented power levels now with the coil sizes we are working with. We’re making PA components that can really handle power.”

For a company so focussed on the future, the next four years is set to be an unusually reflective one, as Celestion’s 100-year anniversary fast approaches.

“It’s quite a novel place to be in our industry, I don’t believe any other loudspeaker manufacturers are quite as old as us. We’ve survived almost 10 decades and a world war. We’ve managed to reinvent ourselves continuously, while still staying true to the company’s roots.”

When asked what it is he likes to do outside of work, Andy’s answer reiter-

www.mondodr.com

ates his lifelong love of making things work.

At his core, he’s still very much the boy who likes to take things apart to put them back together.

“I love motorcycles, my father only had a motorcycle - he never owned a car.

I’ve been riding motorcycles since I was a teenager, I passed my motorcycle test a year before my driving test. Two wheels are my best form of stress relief to unwind from a busy work and travel schedule. I have an old two-stroke 350LC in the garage that I am doing a full nut and bolt restoration on. I’m trying to get my kids into engines and spannering - I never expected I’d encourage my children to follow a career in engineering, but I see a huge shortage of skilled engineers coming through in the UK, so it looks like it’s a good time to be an engineer again.”

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38 R E P ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

ORCH AR D T H E AT R E COMPANY: CHROMA Q LOCATION: DARTFORD, UK

One of the South East’s premier performing arts venues, The Orchard Theatre in Dartford, UK attracts leading West End musicals and other major touring productions, as well as hosting top comedians, bands, dramas, dance, opera and its popular annual pantomime.

As part of a £500,000 auditorium modernisation programme, the house lighting received a significant upgrade to enhance the audience experience, increase the venue’s energy efficiency, and enable it to widen the range of shows and events on offer - such as flat-floor conferences, banquets and other activities.

Following an on-site lighting shootout, Paul Seed, Group Operations Manager for HQ Theatres and Hos-

pitality, who operate the Orchard Theatre, specified the Chroma-Q Inspire RGB + W LED house light.

He commented: “We wanted to make a statement in the new auditorium. One of the key improvements was to facilitate flat floor events in a more effective way. With the Inspires we can effectively ‘colour up’ the main part of the flat floor auditorium.”

Due to the fixture’s RGB colour-mixing abilities alongside high-quality white lighting, the venue can now change the entire mood of the auditorium with the house lights. This creates a more immersive experience for audiences during shows and events.

Paul remarked: “This really adds a layer of flexibility, as www.mondodr.com

we can tune the colouring of the space to make the most of the new colour scheme and auditorium design.”

The venue is also enjoying the energy efficiency benefits of moving from a high-powered halogen light source that was becoming increasingly difficult to source. In addition, with no lamps to replace, the lighting is almost maintenance-free.

Paul concluded: “We’re really happy with the Inspires.

They were simple to set up, the build quality is excellent, and the output is second to none. The smooth dimming curve and colour rendering merge seamlessly with the utility lighting.”

Paul sourced the Inspire fixtures from Chroma-Q UK

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PLS dealer, A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET).

Andy Mahaffey handled the project, also overseeing supply of the data infrastructure for the entire installation. Other equipment included a Luminex GigaCore Ethernet switch, plus rigging and sound equipment.

Paul said: “With only seven weeks to deliver the refurbishment, Andy’s swift responses and ACET’s swift turnaround on orders, were a key factor in keeping the project on track. Andy’s product knowledge was also invaluable, and led to a system that plugged in and worked the first time.”

Other high-profile Theatres and Concert Halls,

that have adopted the multi-award-winning Chroma-Q Inspire house light product range around the world include the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Opera North’s Howard Assembly Room in the UK; the Conservatory of Music & Ballet in Slovenia; Sweden’s Västerås Concert Hall and Rondo Theatre Show Restaurant at Liseberg; and Stavanger Concert Hall’s Kuppelhallen space in Norway. www.chroma-q.com

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40 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

THE PABLO CENTER AT THE CONFLUENCE COMPANY: DANLEY SOUND LABS LOCATION: WISCONSIN, USA

The Pablo Center at the Confluence is a fine arts centre with grand aspirations. This 143,000 sq ft space includes a 1,200-seat proscenium theatre, the 400-seat JAMF black-box theatre, five flexible rehearsal rooms and galleries, and a light, sound, and video production lab, among many other rooms.

Green Bay-based, integration firm Camera Corner Connecting Point (CCCP) assisted in the design and installation of the centre’s audio and video systems, which include over 60 Danley Sound Labs loudspeakers and subwoofers powered by Danley’s multi-channel DNA amplifier/DSPs. “The practice specs didn’t have any particular loudspeaker manufacturer specified,” said Scott Tomashek, Director of audiovisual Design and Engineering for CCCP. “I knew that Danley would be a great option. Some people have this idea that Danley boxes are super expensive, but they’re not.

They deliver state-of-the-art performance at a price that allowed the Pablo Center to more than meet their performance specifications, which required both volume and critical-listening fidelity.”

Each of the five rehearsal spaces use four Danley SM96 loudspeakers - one in each corner - for mains and a single Danley TH112 subwoofer. Four-channel Danley DNA 10k4 Pro amplifiers drive the loudspeakers and subwoofers. “Using the Danley amplifiers made the setup and commissioning easier due to built-in DSP presets for the various Danley models,” Scott said. “The Danley hardware made it easy to hang the loudspeakers off the pipe grid in these spaces. I worked with local fabricators to make custom rigging plates to suspend the subwoofers from the pipe grid as well.”

The team from Threshold agreed with Scott’s suggestion to switch the JAMF black box theatre over to Danley as well. “Since it’s a black box theatre, we fitted the loudspeakers with clamps to allow them to be reconfigured for different shows and applications,” he said. “A total of eight Danley SM96s are dedicated to the JAMF along with four Danley TH112 subwoofers and four Danley SHMicros. All are powered with Danley DNA 10K4 Pro amplifiers.”

A Yamaha CL3 digital console serves as the system’s

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nerve centre and feeds the Danley amplifiers via Dante. Aaron Johnson, a consultant with Threshold Acoustics, tuned the system, starting from the Danley presets that come with the Danley amplifiers.

The Pablo Center’s light, sound, and video production lab include “more Danley boxes than would seem reasonable given its size,” in Scott’s words, a fact that reflects the flexibility necessary for such a space. There are four Danley SH60 loudspeakers, four Danley THmini subwoofers, and sixteen Danley SHMicros, all flexibly powered by six four-channel Danley DNA 10k4 Pro amplifiers. “They’re going to be teaching sound, lighting, and video design, and plenty more in the lab,” Scott said. “The DSP in the Danley amplifiers is extremely flexible and will allow them to make any scenario happen. All the Danley SHMicros can be used as effects loudspeakers, or really whatever they want. They could even do high-dimension surround sound systems.” www.danleysoundlabs.com

41 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

NOE L COWAR D T H E ATR E COMPANY: DISGUISE LOCATION: LONDON, UK

The Tony Award-winning Best Musical ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ opened in London in November 2019 at the Noel Coward Theatre with video projection comprising the show’s entire stage scenery.

Supplied by Stage Sound Services, three disguise vx 4 and four gx 1 servers powered projections for the show, highlighting the huge impact of social media on daily life and creating an immersive social media environment on stage for the actors.

“The cornerstone of the play is Evan and his interaction with the real world through a social media lens,” said Projection Designer, Peter Nigrini. “To successfully tell our story, social media needed to be a visceral part of the theatrical environment. After the set designer created a physical environment, my job was to bring this virtual world to life on stage and give it the emotional power that so many teenagers feel in their day to day lives.”

Every surface of the playing space can be covered by content. Display surfaces include a front projection system, a series of portals and tracking panels, flat-panel LCD monitors and the stage floor. Eight projectors and 32 monitors are deployed.

“Every piece of scenery that moves in the design is automated, and we can track it in real-time. In moving the show to London we were also able to pre-visualise the entire production in New York, as well as make decisions about automation and scenery in response to the changed dimensions of the London production,” Peter noted: “We were able to feed this back to other

departments so it could all be pre-programmed. Integration with automation is key in disguise.

“The nearest audience member is three metres from the stage, so the tolerances we needed to achieve for that level of proximity are different from an arena environment for touring. There is an incredible delicacy to it; in an arena production everything is in motion and at a distance, no one will see the imperfections, but in the most emotional moments of this production, when all is dark and quiet the technology must be flawless.

“Theatre pushes these boundaries and that demand for visual perfection ripples into the quality of the servers and software required.” disguise was chosen “to have precise control over where tiny fragments of image are mapped,” said Peter. “I’ve always skirted the edge of disguise’s capacity in my shows. It is a perverse inversion of scale you experience when working in the theatre - we are working in a tiny space but with 40 HD video channels, requiring the capacity of the vx 4 to deliver them.”

Cast rotation plays a central role in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’.

The company has 17 actors in total, with eight actors on stage at one time. With a changing cast for each performance, each of whom appear in pre-recorded video footage during the show, the disguise real-time workflow helps facilitate cast rotation and the live video effects.

“We program a file that has an image of Evan Hansen, and each of the actors who could play the role. Before the show, the stage manager tells us which actor will

play the role in that performance, and we set the footage for that actor. We can switch that footage in real-time and it ripples through the whole production saving a lot of time. We don’t leave disguise programmers on the show for its run, so this feature allows us to build a show with all of those pieces of content existing within the machine at any given time so it can be managed by those staff members who remain on-site.”

Cast rotation is also used with camera presets, Peter added: “The only character who isn’t pre-recorded has a live camera so now the camera preset we use is based on that lookup table, ensuring the camera shots are aligned with the actor’s height.”

James Paul, Senior Account Manager with Stage Sound Services, who was awarded the rental contract, explained further: “Throughout the prep and technical rehearsals we worked closely with the show’s video design and production teams to assist with any equipment alterations and could always rely on the disguise servers to perform every step along the way.

“Before the video system was finalised we were fortunate enough to be able to upgrade the original specification from disguise 4x4 pro servers to vx 4 servers, which played a big part in bringing the show’s demands to life.”

Tickets for the London run of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ are selling fast, and disguise is poised to help the audience favourite deliver an acclaimed production show after show. www.disguise.one

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42 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

STA ATST H E AT E R N Ü R N B E R G

Photos: © Staatstheater Nürnberg Theatre / Jesus Vallin

COMPANY: ROBERT JULIAT LOCATION: NUREMBERG, GERMANY

The Staatstheater Nürnberg is one of the largest multi-discipline theatres in Germany. Under the auspices of General Music Director, Jens-Daniel Herzog, 600 employees in the opera, drama, ballet and concert divisions currently facilitate more than 750 performances per season for almost 300,000 visitors. For the ballet ‘Sacre’ directed by Ballet Director, Goyo Montero, the Staatstheater Nürnberg used Robert Juliat SpotMe for the first time, in conjunction with a Robert Juliat Victor followspot and Robert Juliat Maestro server.

Robert Juliat SpotMe is a 3D tracking tool for followspots and the only tracking device for performers on the market that puts the followspot operator in control by enabling ‘slave’ lighting fixtures to follow the movements of a followspot.

Because movement is based on the position determined by the followspot, no cameras or sensors are necessary in the stage area, or on performers or objects.

Karl Wiedemann, Team Leader Lighting Opera, explained: “The requirement for this special production was to be able to control a ring of

40 moving lights hanging above the stage via a transmitter-receiver solution. We wanted to be able to track a dancer automatically with the moving lights so that he could be seen to ‘play’ with the light. The truss ring containing the spotlights was suspended from eight-point hoists and could, therefore, tilt in all axes.

“In order to use tracking at different positions of the traverse circle, we divided the 40 moving lights into four groups and assigned them several 3D positions,” Karl continued. “We were able to control these groups via Robert Juliat’s SpotMe device. As an interface to our lighting console, we used the Robert Juliat Maestro Server, which translates the PosiStageNet (PSN) signals”.

Robert Juliat SpotMe consists of a server and special sensors for turning and tilting movements, which are mounted on the followspot or on the tripod. Setting up SpotMe is quick and easy thanks to the sensors on the followspot and the server, which generates and transmits the high-quality position data via PosiStageNet (PSN) to suitable receivers. PSN is an open po-

sitioning data output format used for capturing, tracking and relaying position data of moving objects on stages. It was developed in cooperation between the companies VYV and MA Lighting, which means that grandMA2 consoles can also process this PSN data directly.

The Robert Juliat Maestro server played a key role at the Staatstheater Nürnberg, as the lighting console was not PSN compatible. Maestro extends the capabilities of SpotMe by enabling it to operate with any DMX lighting control console, so the complementary dedicated server allowed real-time calculation of the movements of all the moving heads, which were tracking the movements of the followspot.

SpotMe is suitable for all Robert Juliat Compact, Grand and Touring ranges of followspots, and can be easily delivered and retrofitted to all existing followspots.

Robert Juliat SpotMe was supplied to the Staatstheater Nürnberg by Lightpower, Robert Juliat’s exclusive distributor for Germany and Austria. www.robertjuliat.com

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44 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

Photo:George Simian

WAR NE R GRAN D T HEATRE COMPANY: ELATION LIGHTING LOCATION: CALIFORNIA, USA

The historic Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro, California, near Long Beach, is an opulent art deco venue that is moving into a new era of performance excellence with the help of Kinetic Lighting and Elation Professional’s theatrical-grade Artiste DaVinci LED moving head.

Originally opened in 1931 and listed on the National Historic Register, the 1,500-seat gem features a vaudeville-size proscenium stage with T-guided fly system that makes it an ideal venue for concerts, dance performances, multimedia presentations, film screenings or any cultural event.

Great strides have been made in recent years to restore the theatre, with a lighting upgrade the latest in a series of on-going improvements. Kinetic Lighting worked with the Warner Grand and the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs to convert the theatre from conventional lighting to an entirely LED-based system, assisted by Victor Prudeaux, Master Electrician at the theatre.

Seeking to achieve the technical sophistication of a contemporary performing arts venue while maintaining its historic integrity, a highlight of the new lighting package are Artiste DaVinci LED moving heads, full-featured spot luminaires and the first moving lights the theatre has ever owned.

Kinetic Lighting has been working with the War-

ner Grand Theatre on the project since October of 2018, assisting with site visits, demos, quoting, and specifying of equipment. “The theatre wanted an all-LED upgrade to get current with technology and be able to provide renters top-of-the-line, industry-standard equipment,” stated Kinetic Lighting’s Laura Green. “They were looking for an LED source moving light with colour-mixing and great gobo options, something that was lightweight and compact and the Artiste DaVinci met all the requirements. It provides stunningly bright and saturated colours and can be used for specials, gobo washes, effect lights, etc. They are versatile enough to be used for everything from theatre and dance to concerts and film shoots.”

Spread across box booms, the deck and overhead electrics, the award-winning DaVinci is an energy-efficient CMY and graphics luminaire with a 300W LED engine and 7° to 48° motorised zoom that powers out over 12,000 lumens. “They will be able to make more artistic choices now that they have not only the functionality of moving lights but colour-changing and gobo options that they didn’t have before. They don’t have to dedicate static fixtures to specials for certain colours/gobos anymore,” said Laura, adding, “They are thrilled with the results and so happy to have these new fixtures.” www.mondodr.com

Kinetic Lighting project-managed the install, designed a plot, installed, prepped, addressed and programmed the new lights, and provided training on the new fixtures. Other new fixtures in the upgrade include ellipsoidal, battens, par lights and followspots – all LED-based – along with a new lighting console. The LED upgrade has allowed the theatre to cut its power costs dramatically, while realising savings on both labour and lamp costs. The upgrade to colour-changing fixtures has eliminated the need to cut and use gels and the new moving lights allow fewer lights to be hung for specials.

The overhaul also means that clients booking events at the venue no longer need to bring in their own rental gear to ensure the use of top-end technology. And for shoots, the new fixtures are all camera-ready. “The lighting has brought a new life to our venue and we’re extremely grateful,” summed up the Warner Grand Theatre’s Technical Director, Mark King Sr. The lighting upgrade was completed in late November with a San Pedro City Ballet performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ this past holiday season the first performance using the new gear. www.elationlighting.com

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A ME R I CAN A IR LI N ES T H E ATE R COMPANY: CITY THEATRICAL LOCATION: NEW YORK, USA • 100-277 volt operating range For the current production of A Soldier’s Play on Broadway at the American Airlines TheatER in New York City, Lighting Designer, Allen Lee Hughes, used City Theatrical’s QuolorFLEX adjustable white LED tape for a key solution. At the end of the show, the walls of Scenic Designer, Derek McLane’s set, separate to reveal the entire back wall covered with a large American flag.

Allen didn’t have a lot of lighting options to evenly light the flag. “When Director, Kenny Leon, sought to leave the audience of A Soldier’s Play with the indelible image of an over-sized American flag, we needed to find a way to illuminate the cloth as the wooden panels of Derek McLane’s set parted in front of it,” explained Allen. “Finding a way to provide even front light proved challenging - with only 15-inches of clearance, traditional cyc lighting was not an option, and the set’s full-height wooden posts and raised wooden walkway prohibited lighting from FOH. Fortunately, two of the posts provided the perfect location to mount QolorFLEX Adjustable White LED Tape. Not only did the QolorFLEX LED Tape prove to be on-spec, with a predictable spread and consistent, tunable colour over the length of the flag, but pairing with QolorFLEX Dimmers allowed for a smooth reveal.” www.citytheatrical.com

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46 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

The world-renowned Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, has completed a major installation of the latest wireless communications solutions from Clear-Com. The systems, which feature the award-winning FreeSpeak II Digital Wireless System and the Agent-IC mobile app, were supplied and installed by Clear-Com’s regional partner, Oltbert Business Development Ltd. The Mariinsky Theatre is one of the world’s most prestigious theatres for opera and ballet, with a rich history intertwined with Russia’s political and cultural shifts over the last 150 years. It has seen the premieres of important stage works from Russian composers including Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, while many legends of the ballet such as Anna Pavlova, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Barishnikov began their careers at the Mariinsky Theatre’s ballet school.

The main Mariinsky Theatre building has undergone many reconstructions over the years and now seats over 1,600 guests. A second theatre building, the Mariinsky II, was built behind the original in 2013, with seven storeys above ground and three below, boasting an auditorium that can seat up to 2,000 people. Each building has a separate communication set-up; when it was built, the Mariinsky II installed a Clear-Com Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System, but production teams in the older building were relying on out-dated and unreliable walkie-talkies.

Recently, the theatre’s technical department began looking for a solution to update both buildings, harnessing the latest wireless technologies to improve communications.

“We were very happy with our Eclipse System in the Mariinsky II, so we were delighted to be able to integrate a FreeSpeak II Wireless System into it, giving us the same reliable intercom but with additional flexibility that allows staff to move freely around this large building,” said Alexander Logvinov, Leader of Mariinsky Sound and Video Department, Mariinsky II. “For the original theatre, we installed a new standalone FreeSpeak II system, which has transformed the way our production staff communicates.”

The original theatre’s new FreeSpeak II system has two E1 transceivers with eight beltpacks, and its existing Eclipse Matrix was upgraded to an Eclipse HX Digital Matrix System with the latest software that enables it to seamlessly integrate with IP communications, digital wireless solutions and other devices. The FreeSpeak II system in the Mariinsky II features six FreeSpeak II IP-T transceivers over AES67 PoE connection, with 16 beltpacks. The ClearCom Agent-IC mobile app on iOS or Android devices is also available to extend the system if visiting productions require additional clients. The systems enable virtually everyone in each theatre to communicate, including FOH, stage managers, lighting teams and production managers.

“Clear-Com offers us superior audio quality and incredible flexibility, with robust hardware that can withstand the rigours of busy theatre life,” said Alexander. “We also appreciate the local support we get from Clear-Com’s partner Oltbert, who are on hand in case we need assistance.”

Nicki Fisher, Sales Director, Europe at Clear-Com, said, “Theatre systems are in Clear-Com’s blood, but installations like this at such a historic venue are very special indeed. We are honoured that Clear-Com systems are helping to bring the next generation of legendary performances to life at the Mariinsky Theatre.” www.clearcom.com

MA R IIN S KY T H E AT R E COMPANY: CLEAR-COM LOCATION: ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA

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47 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

THE J N O OSA CO M M U N I TY THEATRE COMPANY: CLAIR BROTHERS LOCATION: NOOSA, AUSTRALIA

The J Noosa Community Theatre opened its doors in 2006 and quickly became a functional and versatile youth and commercial event space for the Noosa Community and the Sunshine Coast. Positioned perfectly in the heart of Noosa, The J offers flexible meeting spaces, conference rooms and facilities for hire, complimented by covered outdoor decks and stylish open foyers.

But the true soul of this place lies in The J Theatre, a multi-use auditorium and theatre space that highlights music and comedy festivals, full theatre productions, kids shows, musicals and concerts, dance and ballet performances, film, religious celebrations, business conventions, dinners and award ceremonies. It is here that the newly installed Clair Brothers kiTCurve12 system is outperforming expectations and giving The J a noteworthy boost to all of its live productions.

The project was commissioned and designed by Wayne Grosser, Clair Brothers’ expert audio consultant in Australia, who worked directly with preferred integrator Jason Howley from Distinct Audio & Production for the install. The complete upgraded system in the theatre’s 338-seat main floor and its 64-seat mezzanine section consists of four kiTCurve12s on the left and four on the right as mains, two CS218 floor subwoofers, four 5CX front-fills and two FF2-HX as delays for the mezzanine. The recent addition of another mezzanine seating area made the upgrade to that section

readily apparent, because, while the sound from the old PA was able to reach the mezzanine, coverage was poor, so reinforcement was required.

According to Guy Harrison, Technical Manager for The J, the new gear has definitely helped in a big way.

“There had never been adequate audio coverage for the front rows,” said Guy. “So installing the four 5CX’s as front fills massively improved this area. The mezzanine also was poorly covered and the two FF2-HX as delays have also sorted that problem out quite well.” Room aesthetics were a large part of the overall equation in the theatre, which meant that achieving optimal room coverage using the four-kiTCurve12 boxes per side was the goal. Guy continued, “Being that the venue is a theatre, massive hangs seem out of place in my opinion. When we have a musical or stage play, the idea is that the PA should disappear - a hard sell when you’ve got six or eight boxes hanging on each side. On the flip side of that, however, when we have a rock show, I get our lighting guy to light the P.A. so it has a slightly ominous look. It’s very Spinal Tap! I’m joking but you get my point!”

When Ottavio Iacobucci, who runs audio for the Hillsong Noosa local church service on Sundays at The J, was asked in what ways the new gear improved sound in the room he didn’t hesitate: “Every way!”

He said. “Now we have even consistency throughout.

Compared to the previous PA, which was like driving a vehicle where the performance is compromised because it was built without considering every detail.

There were holes in our previous audio system. With these kiTCurve12s, every detail has been carefully considered with the outcome being a full sounding performance - with no holes.” Added Cameron Elias, local FOH/System engineer who mixes regularly at The J and the person responsible for recommending Clair Brothers, “For anyone who’s attended shows before the kiTCurves were installed, the scale of improvement is unmistakable.”

According to those who live in the area, it’s been wellknown that Noosa is in need of a good entertainment venue. “The audio upgrade at The J is a purposeful effort to meet that demand,” pointed out Cameron.

“Noosa has long been a food and shopping destination, but with all the venue upgrades at The J it may well offer a level of theatre production that will bring a new style of tourist, while also satisfying local thespians and lovers of music and dance.” So far, so good. The Clair Brothers system is already wowing those who visit The J and shows no sign of letting up. “Honestly, I’m so glad it’s here. The whole system performs effortlessly, and the more I use it the more I realise how natural it sounds. Amazing!” www.clairbrothers.com

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48 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

CIV I C C E N T E R M U SIC HA L L COMPANY: GLP LOCATION: OKLAHOMA, USA

Multi-disciplined and award-winning Lighting Designer, David Grill has worked at the top level across the genres of theatre, dance, opera, TV, architectural and industrials which, he says, have taken him “from the Great Wall of China to the Great Stage of Radio City Music Hall.”

Most recently he has returned to GLP’s lighting portfolio to stage a new production of Michael Pink’s 1996 ballet Dracula - a reimagining of Bram Stoker’s horror classic story - at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City, USA. This was presented by the Oklahoma City Ballet.

“The production is rented to ballet companies throughout the world, and at each venue, I lay out the line sets and adapt the show to whatever I find there,” said David, explaining the background. “[GLP impression X4’s] are among fixtures that remain constant and the rest change depending on the venue.” He believes that the production plays better in theatres where the architecture is either more ornate or with darker woods, rather than the light grey ones that pull focus from the stage.

However, with the latest transfer, fixture availability forced him to replace the eight X4 devices generally deployed in the production with the same number of GLP’s larger X4 XL, which the Ballet sourced from local company, Toucan Productions. Containing 55 high-power RGBW LEDs (each rated at 15W), coupled with 7°-50°

zoom range, the output is intense.

The fact that the X4 XL uses the same optics featured in the impression X4 to deliver a similar well-defined beam, was the main reason David opted for an identical number of units. “Because they have a specific ‘focus’, cutting down the quantity was not an option,” he said.

While the designer was able to maintain the feel of the impression X4 in the darker scenes, both colour and levels needed to be backed off due to the increased brightness of the X4 XL. In the whiter scenes, however, it was a different story.

“I was very happy to have the brighter units as they now cut through the conventional units and made those scenes as I have always wished them to look ,” he admitted. “I had no need to fuss with the colour, as I thought might have been the case with the upgrade, and am very relieved that they transferred flawlessly between units.

“My only wish was that they had a ‘lime’ LED so that I could tone down the saturation of the blue LED’s a bit easier and more subtly.”

One review of an earlier show spoke of “purple and blue hues illuminating the stage, helping to create a spooky and unforgettable experience.”

Commenting on the review, David admitted: “It was the LED saturation that allowed all of this to happen. I also enjoy being able to have the same colour at varying intensities without the redshift that used to occur when using more conventional

PAR type units. There are a few hues I use in the show that represent Dracula and all that comes with his presence. The X4’s make treating the lacework of the scenes with this presence quite easy to do.”

Under his and Michael Pink’s stewardship, the production continually evolves, largely to deal with the size of the theatre or how the set fits into it. “Our own tastes are ever-evolving as well and we have new thoughts and ideas every time we revisit the production.”

The Oklahoma Civic Center Music Hall was no exception, and the transfer was “100% successful” according to the designer, retaining the same mood and feel as previously. “This gives me a new starting point for the next time we do the show.”

And there is no question that the GLP’s impression X4 family will again be in the toolbox— whenever that situation might occur.

“I find the dimming curve to be one of the best, if not the best in the industry for LED wash units,” he enthused, assessing the merits of the fixture.

“This, in conjunction with the rest of the GLP line of products and availability throughout the world, makes them a fantastic choice for me.

“Also, I think that the value and reliability make them an easy choice when requesting them from the various places that I light shows.” www.glp.de.

Orchard Theatre, UK

Petersfield Festival Hall, UK

Västerås Concert Hall, Sweden

Opera North’s Howard Assembly Room, UK

Royal Scottish National Orchestra, UK

Conservatory of Music & Ballet, Slovenia

© Marcus Ed-Wrigsell

© Mark McNulty

Stavanger Concert Hall’s Kuppelhallen Space, Norway

Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room, UK

Rondo Theatre Show Restaurant at Liseberg, Sweden

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50 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

MA RION OLI VE R MC CAW HA L L AT SE ATTL E C EN TER COMPANY: RADIO ACTIVE DESIGNS LOCATION: SEATTLE, USA

Marion Oliver McCaw Hall at Seattle Center, home to the world-class Pacific Northwest Ballet and Seattle Opera, upgraded their wireless intercoms with four Radio Active Designs (RAD) UV-1G base stations and 24 belt packs.

“When we heard about the frequency restack we immediately worked on getting ahead of it,” explained John Coulter, Audio/Video Technician, Seattle Center.

“We compared three to four different intercom systems but, in the end, the RAD units provided the frequency agility and signal latency our residents needed.”

McCaw Hall opened in 2003 after a $127 million renovation of the Seattle Opera House. The Hall is owned by the City of Seattle and operated by Seattle Center.

McCaw Hall is home to the 2,900-seat Susan Brotman Auditorium, the 380-seat Nesholm Family Lecture Hall, multiple lobbies and a public plaza that serves as entry into McCaw Hall and the Seattle Center campus.

“The RAD intercoms are in almost constant use,” added

John. “In addition to roughly 150 performances by the ballet and opera, the hall hosts music concerts, lectures, corporate meetings, festival performance and a variety of community and non-profit events. We typically check out up to 18 belt packs for each and keep one system free for whatever is coming and going. There are events squeezed in between ballet and opera performances regularly.”

The UV-1G base stations are unique in that they operate in a very small slice of the UHF spectrum 25 kHz) while the body packs operate solely in the VHF realm. This frees up considerable RF bandwidth for other wireless systems offering John the frequency agility McCaw Hall requires. Latency, or lack thereof, was another quality John was looking for.

“Almost 80% of our performances rely on live music conducted from the pit,” he explains. “With opera and ballet, everything must be in sync. Unfortunately, the latency with most digital intercom systems is significant, www.mondodr.com

which quickly eliminated them from the evaluation process.”

The four base stations are rack-mounted backstage with belt packs distributed from the control room stage left.

Two pairs of antennas distributed around the building allow seamless use of intercoms throughout.

The Center’s three system techs have several intercom configurations that work for different clients, easily flashing from one to another depending upon what is on the schedule. John noted that because the bodypacks can be used in two-wire or four-wire mode, it adds another level of convenience to their intercom setup.

“We have been extremely pleased with the RAD intercoms,” John concludes. “When T Mobile turned on last month, we didn’t even notice. This analogue system is rock-solid reliable and provides everything McCaw Hall needs and more.” www.radioactiverf.com

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T H E GRAN D LA DY O F M A R K E T STR E E T COMPANY: BIAMP LOCATION: DELAWARE, USA

The Grand Lady of Market Street has been a landmark in Wilmington, Delaware for nearly 150 years. Opened as the Grand Opera House in 1871, The Grand, as it is now referred to, has led a storied history hosting operas and symphonies, vaudeville and burlesque, movies and live performances. In its early years, performers including Ethel Barrymore, Buffalo Bill Cody and John Philip Sousa graced its stage. For most of the 20th century, the venue operated as a movie theatre, eventually falling into disrepair and closing its doors in 1967.

After an extensive restoration, The Grand reopened as a live performance venue. Featuring two event spaces, it has become a nexus for the city’s downtown revival. Copeland Hall is a 1,200-seat performance venue, while the smaller 300-seat Baby Grand next-door hosts more than 300 events per year, ranging from symphony orchestras and ballets to rock and contemporary artists, comedy, and performance art.

Like many theatres built during the late 1800s,

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The Grand’s architecture was designed to enhance the unamplified performances of the day.

However, those same acoustics can wreak havoc with modern music and proved to be a challenge for many of the auditorium’s high-volume shows.

To overcome these roadblocks, both rooms are outfitted with Community Professional loudspeakers.

In Copeland Hall, the main stage is covered by a pair of six-column-high Biamp Community’s E SERIES array loudspeakers to the left and right of the proscenium, each consisting of five ENT-FR three-way columns and one ENT-LF low frequency column. Also, from the Biamp portfolio, four VLF212 and four VLF218 subwoofers provide low-end power and punch, and multiple monitors are shared between the Copeland Hall and Baby Grand stages.

“The E SERIES loudspeakers sound fantastic, with full-fidelity all the way down to where the subwoofers take over,” said Howard Fulton, Assistant Technical Director for The Grand. “Horizon-

tal coverage is great, and it projects all the way to the farthest seats, 85ft away. And with the E SERIES’ low profile, even these 22ft tall columns virtually disappear from view, ending line-ofsight issues for any seat in the house.”

Next door, the smaller Baby Grand presented its own unique challenges. Because the room is wider than it is deep, coverage has always been spotty and uneven. For that reason, the room is outfitted with a pair of Biamp Community’s IV6 array loudspeakers, which deliver great sound coverage even to trickier areas.

“Biamp Community systems have made a world of difference in the sound of both rooms,” said Howard. “The intelligibility in the main room has dramatically improved, and the coverage in the Baby Grand is great to every seat in the house.” www.biamp.com

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52 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

M ONUME N TAL T H E ATR E COMPANY: GUIL LOCATION: MADRID, SPAIN

GUIL was the company chosen to carry out the design, manufacture and installation of the mobile tiered stage and the orchestra performance stage of the Monumental Theatre of Madrid, a national heritage building, which is the home of the Symphonic Orchestra of the RTVE (Spanish Television Radio Corporation) since 1970.

It was a very ambitious and specific project in which eight tiers with different heights and measurements were assembled. The whole construction had to be built into a limited area where very little free space was leftover; for this reason, modules of very special dimensions were required, manufactured and completely made-to-measure by GUIL. The hard part of this project was finding a manufacturer whose products met all safety standards and, at the same time, offered the possibility to customise them to the millimetre: eight-tier levels, special handrails, custom made stairs with 12 steps, leg braces, stage skirting with flame retardant fabric, conductorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s platforms, completely customised music stands and microphone stands and special ergonomic orchestra chairs.

GUIL used its TM440 platform model for this project, of both standard and special dimensions.

TM440 stage decks are certified for a load capacity of 1,200 kg / metre sq under the German standard DIN 15921 Entertainment Technology of 2015; having been tested with a load of 4680 kg per two-metre1by one-metre module.

The decks are made of reinforced extruded aluminium profiles and a 21mm thick, 100% birch wood, phenolic plywood panel, of the WISA brand from the Finnish manufacturer UPM Plywood Oy, with

fire resistance according to classification: Bfl â&#x20AC;&#x201C; s1 (standard DIN EN 13501-1).

The 21mm thick panel, with non-slip finish, is composed of 15 layers glued with weather and water-resistant phenolic resin (WBP). It is subjected to flame retardant and water repellent treatments and has sealed edges preventing moisture penetration.

These characteristics guarantee the highest strength and durability.

GUIL is a company that is very aware of environmental protection and that is why it only works with panels that have FSC and PEFC certificates (seals), which guarantee that the wood comes from sustainable forestry.

The project required different platform heights that could also be altered depending on the event, so GUIL used its telescopic legs with RARB system, which give the possibility of obtaining multiple heights, adjustable millimetre by millimetre.

The depth of the platforms of each level wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a standard size, which meant that the handrails required were also designed and made entirely to measure, as well as the leg bracing and other accessories.

An essential part of this project was to be able to adapt the seating for the musicians to the platforms since the space was so limited that standard musician chairs could not be used. The objective was to guarantee the comfort and ergonomic requirements of the musicians during events and GUIL achieved this by designing and manufacturing custom-built benches with a completely ergonomic design.

The reduced space on the platforms also meant that standard music stands and microphone stands could not be used in this project either, so special ones

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were manufactured. GUIL developed an ingenious design so that these accessories can be fixed to the multifunctional profile of the platform, removing the need for the base of the music stands and the mic. stands that usually take up a lot of space on the platforms. For the areas of the platforms where this solution was not viable, GUIL manufactured these stands with heights of up to two metres. This way the surface of the stage was left totally free of accessories, giving more room for the musicians of the symphony orchestra.

The platforms, as well as the rest of the components of the risers and stage: stairs, handrails, connectors and stage accessories are all fully certified, therefore they more than met the requirements of the project, at the same time meeting the necessary requirements set by national standards regarding strength, accessibility, ergonomics and fire resistance.

This structure, although initially designed and manufactured to be used exclusively in the Monumental Theatre in Madrid, has subsequently become a touring set-up, after expanding it with additional special stage modules to be used in other theatres and auditoriums.

For GUIL, it was an honour that an institution such as the Spanish Government selected them from all the national and international candidates. And they achieved this thanks to the quality that all its manufactured products are renowned for.

The project manager of the Monumental Theatre congratulated GUIL for the quality of the products received, for their execution in the set-up and for the unbeatable end-result. www.guil.es

VL5LED WASH V IE NN A STAT E OP E RA COMPANY: BROAMAN LOCATION: VIENNA, AUSTRIA

THE RETURN OF A LEGEND

Back in 2016, Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera) with its chief sound engineer, Athanasios Rovakis, started investigating the possibility of moving its audio and video distribution to fibre. At first, the Opera House modernised its audio system, purchasing a network fibre solution based around Optocore X6R-FX analogue devices and M8 MADI switch to bring together additional signal sources from distant places in the house and to share signals for broadcasting.

It was looking to expand its communications outreach, by the following year they were considering further options provided by Optocore’s partner company BroaMan. This resulted in them purchasing a point-to-point set of Mux22 multi-signal transmission devices, with the new FrameSync8 board. Offering a superior upgrade to traditional frame sync technologies it allowed sync distribution together with eight video channels, IP and serial data.

But the upgrade path was far from complete, and this year the State Opera invested in a complete BroaMan architecture, with a system based on 10 Repeat48WDM, which provide five point-to-point transport systems with 12 video channels, each transported on a single duplex fibre; a Repeat48 electrical-optical media converter, with six SDI-In and six SDI-Out; and six compact Repeat8-NANO to convert SDI to and from fibre. In a fairly unique deployment, all video is transported on multimode fibre.

When designing the system Athanasios had quickly realised that BroaMan devices were essential, as in view of the extreme transmission distances in the vast building copper was not an option, and fibre the only viable solution.

“The audio control room has been steadily upgraded over the past 70 years, with devices from many generations and manufacturers - all with their own unique formats, connections and protocols,” he said. “It is a major challenge for any new device that gets installed as it has to work with the old ones. But BroaMan’s Repeat48’s brings complete tunnelling to the entire Opera.”

He added that since the Opera is under a preservation order, new cables are difficult and expensive - therefore they have to work with a limited amount of space, channels and bandwidth. “This made multiplexing basically the only viable option.”

Athanasios said he had full confidence in specifying the BroaMan solution since the Optocore-BroaMan platform had been rock solid since first being installed in 2016.

He also saw its many advantages over similar systems. “In contrast to others, the Repeat48 has no boot-up time, which is vital for events with little prep time, and there is zero latency, which is equally important.”

Concluded BroaMan’s Technical Sales Manager, Maciek Janiszewski, “We have recently noticed a huge interest in our solutions for the installation market, specifically in concert halls and theatres. These venues require ultra-fast fibre transport with high flexibility and lower channel count than in broadcast.

“The BroaMan portfolio fits very well in that regard, offering simple and cost-efficient, yet extremely reliable solutions. The Vienna State Opera video system is based on point-to-point multichannel fibre transport between different locations in the building, and the Repeat48 family is a perfect match for that.” www.broadcastmanufactur.com

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SIGH T & S OU N D T HE ATR E COMPANY: OUTBOARD LOCATION: PENNSYLVANIA & MISSOURI, USA

For over 40 years, Sight & Sound Theatres have been bringing the bible to life for the American public through their live and epic-scale biblical productions. A unique aspect of the organisation is that their lavish productions are staged sequentially at two identical venues, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Branson. Missouri.

In both theatres an extra layer of vitality and sentience has been added to the storytelling with the introduction of TiMax spatial reinforcement and immersive audio.

Gary Parke, audio integrator for Sight & Sound, first evaluated the capabilities of TiMax on a production in the primary venue located in Lancaster, PA. The 2000-capacity theatre features a vast 92-metre wraparound stage and TiMax proved itself an invaluable remedial and creative tool.

Sight & Sound’s productions are developed on a huge scale. Unsurprisingly and to gain maximum value, every production that premieres at the Lancaster venue is also designed to travel to its sister theatre in Branson, Missouri to run the following season.

The audio system at the Missouri venue is as far as possible a duplicated version of the first venue.

This ensures show audio content and programming files can be sent on ready to mount the new production to ensure the simplest show transfer.

For this reason, Sight & Sound invested in a second TiMax SoundHub-S64 for the Branson venue.

Sight & Sound invested in a TiMax TrackerD4 performer tracking system first for the Pennsylvania venue, and soon afterwards into Missouri.

Extra credibility and enhancement are injected into the show’s shifting mise-en-scene with fully enveloping 3D ambience effects, with playback from both QLab and TiMax dynamically spatialised by TiMax with cues triggered from timecode.

Parke explains, “The timeline features and controlling the image definitions for our actors is a big benefit. TiMax has given us much greater flexibility in localising the actors’ mics in relation to their stage zones. The timecode triggered cues on TiMax move the different mic groups or channels to the different zones as the actors move around the stage.”

Typically, up to seventy channels of wireless microphones worn by the actors are fed via Dante

G DA Ń S K S H AKES P E A R E THEAT R E COMPANY: TOA LOCATION: GDAŃSK, POLAND

The Gdańsk Shakespeare Theatre is one of the most modern and extraordinary theatre buildings in the world. At the beginning of the 17th century, the first public theatre of the Kingdom of Poland was situated at the same spot, and Shakespeare’s work was performed here in his lifetime. The new building from 2008 continues this heritage. The interior is modelled after the Elizabethan theatre and the wooden stage and auditorium bring the audience back to the time where theatre pieces like Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet were written and played for the first time.

In terms of safety, the theatre strives for the most dependable technology. For this purpose, the security concept was revised in 2019 and TOA’s Voice Alarm System VX-3000 was installed. The system is prepared to sound a voice alarm in case of an emergency, guiding the spectators to safety in a short time and orderly way. It is also configured to broadcast background music applications if required.

Due to the experts at TOA, the theatre’s voice evacuation system now runs smoothly and provides reliable safety for the whole building. www.toa.co.uk

from a Studer Vista console to the 64-channel TiMax SoundHub, either direct or as groups.

TiMax Cues dynamically morph them between spatial image definition objects via the distributed house sound system, comprised of four hangs of QSC Wideline 10 with four Clair Brothers C8-i line arrays for the side surrounds and a further 27 full range speakers for overheads. Sub support is provided by a central cardioid array centre house of eight Clair CS218s with four EAW SB1000s positioned front on the stage floor.

Fill for the front and side stages is delivered via 26 EAW JF80s with six EAW full range speakers managing the rear surround on the main floor with a further four full range speakers attending to the raised seating area.

Speaking about the overall integration of TiMax into the production audio, Parke says, “It’s been a very positive. We’ve found the ease of programming and flexibility were a big benefit to using TiMax. The timeline is fantastic with a visual overview of the show programming; it makes it much easier to program the show.” www.outboard.co.uk

56 R EP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

TH E L IN B U RY T H E AT R E COMPANY: EM ACOUSTICS LOCATION: LONDON, UK

The Linbury Theatre has recently reopened following an ambitious three-year renovation project, which saw the original studio theatre completely gutted and refurbished. A key part of the renovation was the installation of a brand-new sound system from EM Acoustics, supplied and installed by Stage Electrics.

The decision to use EM Acoustics for the full PA system turned out to be quite straightforward as both Tom Thompson, Technical Manager of the Linbury Theatre, and Martin Adams, Technical Manager in charge of the redevelopment project, both have a long-standing relationship with EM and already knew the HALO-C compact line array system well. It was also important to them that EM Acoustics is a British brand. “A flagship British institution should use flagship British products, so EM is also ideal from that point of view,” said Tom. Tom describes the new setup with pride. “It’s a very flexible system that can be used in several ways, but the standard setup is two hangs of eight HALO-C boxes L-R with a separate set of ground-stackable HALO-Cs at stage level with two pairs of EMS118 subwoofers - one at stage level and one up high.”

“We’ve then got lots more boxes of different types around the space to fill in the little gaps underneath the circle overhangs and also to provide rear surround. They vary in size from EMS-41s and upwards depending on the use of the space. We also have a row of EMS-41s built into the front of the stage as front fills as well as a number of free-standing EMS-81s for foldback or anything else we might need.”

“The best aspect of the system is simply how smooth it is,” declared Tom. “The way the PA responds to the space is fantastic.” He also had a special mention for the newest - and tiniest- addition to the EMS range, the award-winning EMS-41. “The control they give us over the sound in the auditorium is excellent. We have them on just enough to pull the image into the right place, but you don’t notice any difference between the EMS-41s and the main PA. It’s seamless.”

Nick Manning, Head of Sound and Video for the Linbury Theatre, who is also an inveterate fan of EM Acoustics, is equally impressed with the new system. “What’s so impressive is the fact that although you have an L-R stereo pair of hangs, there is no sense of separation; it’s a completely smooth sound that just fills the entire space that loudspeakers are firing at. You can walk from one side of the auditorium to the other and there are no lumps or bumps, or areas where you’re getting more of some frequencies than others, it’s just completely flawless. Then when you combine those with the subwoofers and all the other loudspeakers around the space, it’s as though the whole system has come from the same DNA - it’s amazing.”

A total of 15 EM Acoustics DQ Series amplifiers are used to power the system, which is fully networked via Dante.

Nick said that reactions to the new system have been overwhelmingly positive, including from Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, who came to see and hear the system once it had been commissioned. “His reaction was pretty direct: ‘It’s great it sounds great - and that’s all I’ve got to say.’ You can’t ask for more than that really.” www.emacoustics.co.uk

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WOHN ST I F T AM T IE R G A RTE N COMPANY: BOSE LOCATION: NUREMBERG, GERMANY

The Wohnstift am Tiergarten was founded in 1972 and is located in an idyllic suburban location in the east of Nuremberg, close to the nature reserve Lorenzer Reichswald and the Nuremberg Zoo. The concept was to create a home for the elderly in which everyone can lead a largely independent life that would be enriched with additional entertainment and social services.

The cultural heart of the retirement home is its own 400-seat concert hall, which is an intrinsic part of life at Wohnstift for both residents and guests from the local area. In October 2019, the concert hall was reopened after a €3 million renovation. The result is a unique concept that is unparalleled among senior citizen residences in Germany. “We didn’t want to make any compromises in terms of technical equipment, acoustics and aesthetics,” emphasised Wolfgang Strittmatter, Chairman of the Board of Wohnstift am Tiergarten. “The cultural aspect is the supporting pillar of our philosophy and a unique selling point throughout Germany, even among the upmarket senior citizens’ residences.”

The audiovisual technology was supervised and planned by Soniek.com and installed by MEDIA|tek|gmbh. According to Guido Kacher, Managing Director at Soniek.com, the special thing about this project was that “everyone pulled together and in the same direction. It was construction in its purest form.”

The media technology includes a sound reinforcement, inductive listening loop and lighting solution for the stage, which provides the flexibility and reliability needed, and can be operated from the media control system by means of presets.

There is a selection of 50 loudspeakers that have been installed in the foyer and throughout the hall, with most of them so perfectly integrated into the interior design, they are virtually invisible. The only loudspeakers that are visible in the hall are the two-column units in front of the stage curtain, each mounted on the stairs and the ceiling. At six metres in length, these self-pow-

ered digital beam-steering loudspeakers are the longest Bose Professional Panaray MSA12X stacks in the industry and deliver impressive vocal intelligibility and tonal consistency. Three of them are sound-active and three passive (i.e. without electronics). One of the passive MSA12X loudspeakers was converted into a stage box with various connection options. Due to the beam-steering functionality, both stacks provide the concert hall with complete and even sound coverage. Before the upgrades with the Bose sound system, visitors often competed for the limited number of seats that provided the best audio experience, now the space is evenly lit in all rows and provides an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Additionally, six L-Acoustics X4i loudspeakers were installed in the steps, rounding out the audio coverage. To support the Bose MSA12X loudspeakers, there is a Bose MB210 compact subwoofer hanging in the stage area behind the curtain that allows for low-mid extension to each side, as well as a high-performance Bose ShowMatch SMS118 subwoofer wall mounted so they don’t slip or lose their time alignment.

The stage monitor loudspeakers are Bose RoomMatch Utility RMU108, located on each side, as well as one ShowMatch array as a centre cluster, consisting of one Bose ShowMatch SM5, SM10 and Bose SM20 with corresponding optimally aligned waveguides. All digital signal processing for the Bose loudspeakers are driven by a selection of Bose PowerMatch amplifiers (a single PM4250 and PM8500, plus two PM8250).

The SMS118 subwoofers are mainly used in cinema mode during cinematic events in the space.

To round out the experience, 18 Bose FreeSpace DS 100SE loudspeakers - almost undetectable to the eye—have been installed, guaranteeing firstclass surround sound. It is also important to mention that the loudspeakers were embedded into the individual wall panels, a small masterpiece by SEILER ARCHITEKTUR in Bamberg. The Christie D12HDH projector selected was accurately mounted and aligned by MEDIA|tek|gmbh. www.mondodr.com

There is additional seating available in the hall gallery should extra seating be required with a Panaray MSA12X loudspeaker inconspicuously installed to provide superior sound coverage.

The beam-steering was configured in such a way that consistent sound quality and coverage is guaranteed for every seat, both in terms of voice quality and during musical events. The directional coverage from the stage has also been optimally taken into account and thanks to the beam-steering technology of the MSA12X, an ideal coupling to the main sound system of the hall has been achieved.

In the foyer, you will find nine EdgeMax 180 loudspeakers discreetly mounted in the ceiling.

“From our point of view, this was the ideal loudspeaker because it does two things at once: it can be positioned in the corner area and it meets the requirements of distributing the sound evenly, towards the room. In this respect it differs massively from conventional recessed ceiling loudspeakers,” said Damià Carbonell Tena, Soniek.com.

Both acoustically and architecturally, the concert hall and its foyer are a masterpiece of visual design and acoustics. It was important that all those involved work hand in hand. Thomas Klug, Managing Director of MEDIA|tek|gmbh confirmed this: “After the completion of this project, we once again see that the cooperation between the planning office - as the basis for the realisation on the one hand - and our suppliers from the industry - in the implementation on the other hand - are important partners without whom such a high project quality could not be achieved!”

As the saying goes, the devil is in the details.

“Many integrative features are not immediately apparent. This is why countless discussions with the carpenter and locksmith were necessary, who had to work with high precision in order to realise the demands of the client, the architecture and us,” said Damià Carbonell Tena, Project Manager at Soniek.com, who personally strives for accuracy in every detail to guarantee the best results. pro.bose.com

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MUS I KVE R E I N COMPANY: ADAMSON SYSTEMS ENGINEERING LOCATION: VIENNA, AUSTRIA

The iconic Musikverein in Vienna, Austria is internationally heralded for the pristine natural acoustics in its main performance space, the Golden Hall. When administrators behind the storied venue decided to source a new sound reinforcement system for the room amidst its 150th anniversary celebrations, they sought a solution with an equally prestigious reputation.

Vienna-based production company X-Audio/ The Soundbakery was tasked with designing a portable system that could augment amplified performances as needed without obscuring the room’s opulent décor and stunning neoclassical architecture. Ultimately, they opted for a package primarily built around the tour-proven S-Series and versatile Point Series from Adamson Systems Engineering.

In its typical configuration, the system comprises a centre array of eight Adamson subcompact S10 two-way loudspeakers, full-range enclosures supported by two S10P point-source siblings per side. Rounding out the package are two Adamson Point 8P loudspeakers for outfill, two more 8Ps for backfill, four PC5s for front fill, and a pair of Point 12Ps for side fill. A suite of Lab. gruppen PLM 20K44, PLM 12K44, PLM 5K44, and IPD 2400 amplifiers powers the system, the components of which were all sourced through Adamson and Lab.gruppen’s Austrian distributor, GH Beschallung.

Martin Laumann is the principal behind X-Audio/The Soundbakery and the FOH engineer contracted by the Musikverein to mix its reinforced performances.

Musing about his choice of Adamson loudspeakers for this critical and high-profile application, Martin said: “Adamson offers simple, cleverly-designed solutions with a sonic performance that puts them in a league of their own.”

The Golden Hall has been trumpeted as one of the world’s finest concert halls since the Musikverein first opened its doors in 1870. It’s capable of hosting over 2,000 patrons for performances by the resident Vienna Philharmonic and visiting artists from every corner of the globe. Now, thanks to a custom-tailored audio reinforcement package, the venue is poised to welcome an increasingly diverse group of world-class performers to its illustrious stage for years to come. www.adamsonsystems.com

60 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

G L IV E LAB COMPANY: GENELEC LOCATION: TAMPERE, FINLAND

In the wake of the unmitigated success that is G Livelab Helsinki, the Finnish Musicians’ Union has opened a brand new – and bigger – venue in the vibrant city of Tampere, some 200km north of the Finnish capital. The same team was deployed to realise the Tampere project, which is built according to the same ‘music first’ philosophy as Helsinki.

The result is an extraordinary live music experience based on quality programming, modern design, and state-of-the-art Genelec audio systems including the groundbreaking new 4430 Smart IP loudspeaker.

Housed in a striking red brick building, which was formerly the boiler house of the Frenckell paper mill in the heart of the city, the venue hosts up to 250 people and offers a hugely varied programme including jazz, folk, world music, pop/rock, chamber music, electronic music and more. Akukon Oy designed the acoustics, electroacoustics, lighting, sound, video, communication systems and basic IT structure as well as the rigging systems, as they did for Helsinki, and leading Nordic audiovisual integrator, Bright – another key member of the Helsinki team – brought Akukon’s vision to life.

“Genelec was already a tried and tested solution with the first G Livelab project in Helsinki, which has had great reviews,” explained Bright’s Head of Installation, Santtu Sipilä. “People really liked what we achieved in Helsinki, so it was an obvious decision to equip the Tampere club with Genelec as well.”

The biggest difference between the two venues is the space – Tampere is much bigger with significantly higher ceilings. Although this posed certain challenges in terms of acoustic treatment, it also allowed greater freedom for the audio design. The second notable difference is the use of Genelec’s

4430 Smart IP loudspeakers, which weren’t available at the time of the Helsinki installation.

“We definitely wanted the new 4430s for easier cabling and added control; it’s opened up a world of possibilities for us,” admitted Santtu. “We have a fully networked system running on Dante - this includes the big loudspeakers used for the main PA - and any of the 4430s can take any signal from anywhere. This means that we can use the same loudspeakers for virtual acoustics, surround sound, background music, delays… the possibilities are endless, and it’s enabled us to considerably reduce the total amount of loudspeakers required in order to achieve what we wanted. We are able to make art with loudspeakers and we are not limited in any way in terms of how we can use the system.”

Tapio Ilomäki, the project manager for Akukon, agreed: “Our primary objective was the same as for Helsinki: to deliver a high-quality system with high musicality that serves the performer best.

However, the versatility of systems and spaces was a key element of the design; modern venues need to be multi-purpose and they have to be able to facilitate these changes as quickly and easily as possible, for optimum functionality and quick return on investment. The use of the 4430s plays an important role at this level as well as offering extremely musical sound with very low distortion.”

Santtu is also extremely impressed with the PoE (Power over Ethernet) capabilities of the 4430s.

“We were really surprised by the SPLs and sound quality from this size of loudspeaker over PoE. We honestly didn’t think it was possible, so yes, we’re very impressed. The ability to have everything delivered over just a single cable is every installer’s dream, so I think that Genelec’s Smart IP range will be figuring in a great many of our future

designs!”

In addition to the 4430s, the main PA system comprises a pair of 1236 SAM studio monitors, the flagship of the Genelec range, 17, S360s for surround and delay, a pair of 1238s as the first delay line, and finally a flown sub-array of nine 7380 subwoofers. “We didn’t have either the height or the space to include subwoofers in Helsinki, so this is a welcome addition in Tampere, which gives us some extra headroom in the system and helps add body and fullness to the sound,” continued Santtu.

Renowned Finnish singer/songwriter, Markus Nordenstreng of Tuomo & Markus and the Latebirds considers G Livelab as his favourite venue for intimate performances. “Some of the best music I have ever heard has been live, but sound quality is often let down by the venue, either through bad acoustic treatment or a sub-par sound system - or both. What you have here at G Livelab is just the opposite end of the scale – for me, it’s the ultimate live sound experience. When you come here to listen to live music, it will most likely sound even better than it did on the record – you can hear things you never heard before. It would be a great service to mankind if there was a G Livelab in every city around the world!”

The final word goes to Annamaija Saarela, CEO of G Livelab Tampere: “G Livelab isn’t just about the technology or the programming – it’s about the whole experience of enjoying live music, and I’m proud to say that in bringing together the best of everything and everyone involved, we have achieved a result that is even greater than the sum of the parts. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback since we opened, both from the public and musicians alike.” www.genelec.com

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62 R EP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

LUXOR HOT E L & CAS I N O THE ATR E COMPANY: POINT SOURCE AUDIO LOCATION: LAS VEGAS, USA

Robert Rodriguez isn’t the typical name you would associate with a Cirque du Soleil production, but then R.U.N isn’t a typical Cirque du Soleil kind of show. Shifting from the ethereal acrobatics that has defined Cirque, R.U.N is a stunt show with special effects that pulse with physicality you can hear and feel. The filmmaker wrote the show to be a live-action graphic novel with the audience totally immersed in the world that it creates.

Held at the Luxor Hotel & Casino, R.U.N is an extreme stunt stage spectacle featuring explosions, fistfights, car chases, catapulting motorcycles and even a torture scene, all set to an adrenaline-pumping soundtrack.

From the moment the audience step through the 350ft theatre entrance, they’re thrown into a world of seedy alleyways, illicit street races and revenge quests gone awry. On stage, groundbreaking special effects, with multi-layered 180° projections, seamlessly integrate live and filmed content to bring the graphic novel to life.

The task of creating a soundscape that could match

the action on stage fell to the globally renowned sound designer, Jonathan Deans. “R.U.N incorporates mini-movie clips and Tyler Bates’ tracks - meshed with thousands of sound effects - to lead the audience into the scenes,” he explained. Live sounds and recorded tracks are supplemented by a DJ onstage who triggers and sometimes manipulates sounds live, and a live guitarist.

While this setup is interesting in its own right, the main challenge with the sound design came from the live-action combat. “With dozens of people engaged in slamming, brawling action, live Foley is nearly impossible,” explained Jonathan. “It just can’t be predetermined down to a beat because they’d hurt themselves and no one would be ready.”

Jonathan said he had a lightbulb moment with Point Source Audio GO-8WM mouldable microphones, which can be easily shaped into collar, halo, or headset microphones. “We selected about eight artists and put the microphones on top of their heads,” he explained.

“They’re running around as microphone stands, if

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you like, with the microphones in close proximity to the physical noises – you know, the bang, punch, the ‘hunh!’” The miniature 3mm Omni capsules on the GO-8WMs discreetly pick up sounds all around the performers. “The sounds are natural because they’re actually fighting,” said Johnathan.

R.U.N features the furious, frenetic music of composer, guitarist, and producer Tyler Bates (Marilyn Manson, John Wick, 300), and Jonathan couldn’t be more delighted. “The music he writes very much speaks for a certain way of approaching the sound system,” he said. “It was very easy for me to lead the sound system to encapsulate his style of music and implement it into a Cirque show – knowing that this particular run is not a usual Cirque show.”

Jonathan said the GO-8WM microphones shine onstage with R.U.N for many reasons. First, they offer superior fidelity. “I need good quality,” he said. “I want to be able to capture the true sound of what’s going on.” In addition to this, GO-8WM mics are unconventionally malleable. “We could just shape them to what-

ever form we wanted, not knowing exactly how the performers’ moves would work and whether they would feel comfortable about how it would be best placed on them,” he explained. “Both the location of the transmitter and how the microphone gets to a place where we need them to capture the sounds – not just of the performers themselves, but the sound around them. I needed a microphone with some kind of rigidity that I could bend to whatever shape was needed, as opposed to a basic shape around the head.”

Finally, quite simply, Point Source GO-8WM microphones, like Cirque’s stunt artists, can take it. The GO-8WMs feature a proprietary Lemo-style connector and Jonathan appreciates that its rugged strain relief doesn’t snap like so many others. “It’s perfect,” he said.

“We’ve got these people doing all these physical things that are crazy for most people. I needed something that could withstand the

abuse the microphone and connector would be getting.”

Not to mention that Point Source GO8WM microphones are IP 57 waterproof rated. One Cirque performer went as far as to test that quality by putting the mic up his nose and miking the noises in the back of his throat, then placing it on a tip of a sword before swallowing the whole thing.

Jonathan said these experiments resulted in rather terrifying internal grumblings that speak to a whole new world of possibilities in theatre sound someday. Jonathan, in all his years with Cirque, is still challenged and still inspired. And thanks to Point Source microphones, he’s able to turn unorthodox miking ideas into reality. “That’s how we do it! We’re not trying to mic a singer or someone talking. It’s a completely unconventional way that we’re using microphones.” www.point-sourceaudio.com

64 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

DOMIN I ON T H E AT R E COMPANY: UNUSUAL RIGGING LOCATION: LONDON, UK

The Prince of Egypt opened this year at the Dominion Theatre, London. The musical recently announced a seven-week extension to its initial 32 week run with production manager Lloyd Thomas at the helm.

Lloyd, who was brought on board by Pyramid Theatre Productions for the show, quickly brought Unusual into the fold to support the rigging and engineering requirements of this all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza.

“Early in the design process it quickly became apparent that this production was going to be one of the biggest musicals of the year, and was going to present a number of complex challenges, pushing right to the edge of the comfort zone of many of the people involved, myself especially,” explained Lloyd. “With this in mind, it was vital for me to have a rigging company on-board that had the expertise and infrastructure to work with me in solving these challenges. I’ve worked with Unusual on many productions over the years and knew that their support would be invaluable.”

Emily Egleton, Design Engineer, Unusual Rigging said: “Unusual Rigging supplied all the infrastructure to hang the FOH environment, and also designed the system to make it all hang in the required positions.

Equally, onstage we supplied the truss, motors, ladder beam and so on. In total it’s about 800-metres of truss and over 100 motors.

The nature of some of the elements of the show was rather out of the ordinary. “One of the most complex pieces on the show is the floor piece, built by Brilliant Stages and Cardiff Theatrical Services (CTS),” said Lloyd. “This six-tonne piece rakes and tilts throughout the show as well as containing two lifts. While a floor piece might not normally fall under the remit of a rigging company, the install of this piece was quite complex due to the weight of the piece and the fact that we had to remove the theatre floor below the piece, to

enable us to use the substage space for the lift mechanism and the Serepid drives to enable the tilt motion.

“Unusual was instrumental in helping to devise a safe system of work for this process, and subsequently supplying the necessary temporary rigging and trussing required. It also helped that Unusual had recently supplied the new modular stage for the Dominion, so they already had a detailed understanding of the floor, and how to remove the floor and substructure safely and efficiently” He added: “The sky piece ended up being relatively simple in terms of its use in the show, although the process to get it in place required a lot of thought. The piece needed to be covered with a seamless painted canvas, but was too large to bring into the venue in one piece. Unusual, CTS and I all worked together to come up with a system of supporting the piece on temporary build trusses and custom dollies, to enable the piece to be canvassed face up on the stage, then flipped over using build motors, before being transferred onto Kinesys motors, also supplied by Unusual, which now enable the piece to be flown live during the show.

This system of work prevented the need for any of the canvasing to be done at height, which would have been very slow and potentially dangerous”.

“The FOH install was a real feat of both engineering and diplomacy, for want of a better word, in terms of trying to integrate so many needs into it – scenic, automation, lighting, video and sound, while also taking on board the structural limitations of the building.

The FOH environment expands further and wider into the auditorium than previous shows have done.

This meant we required additional rigging points to be installed, through the venue’s plaster ceiling. Unusual’s relationship with both Mike Jackson and Nederlander was instrumental in us being given permission to do this.”

www.mondodr.com

Emily added: “The major challenge with Prince of Egypt is the sheer size of it. Over stage there are several largest pieces that render large parts of the normal theatre flying system inoperable, so everything that must fly in around these has to be diverted in the grid onto temporary fly bars, or made “direct fly”. There are also lots of exciting effects in the show that require rigging support and so figuring out how to make these fit in the limited amount of space available was tricky.

Two very long curtain tracks follow a convoluted path from upstage to downstage, traversing over the top of the borders and the LX rig, which as you can imagine have posed some unique challenges”.

She continued: “In the auditorium, we are hanging almost nine tonnes of truss, lighting, sound and video equipment, scenery and SFX. The positioning of many of these items is critical to the design so it took weeks of drawings and calculations to enable it to all hang safely and effectively in the air.”

The additional complexity with the Dominion Theatre is that it is also home to Hillsong Church which holds its weekly Sunday services here. For Lloyd, this involves getting extra crew in on a Saturday night to clear everything away so that the church can continue with its Sunday worship as normal, then reinstate on a Monday morning.

He concluded: “A show of this scale on the timeframe we had, has pushed boundaries for everyone, but with the Unusual team on board, I know that I can trust them to solve any challenge thrown at them with professionalism and positivity. We had to add many night calls at short notice, and I knew Unusual would be capable of staffing these with top quality riggers. portions and the result is heavenly.” www.unusual.co.uk

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66 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

RUSSI AN AR CT I C CO N C E RT HA L L COMPANY: CLAY PAKY LOCATION: SALEKHARD, RUSSIA

An assortment of Claypaky lighting fixtures can now be found in The Russian Arctic Concert Hall.

Systems Engineer, Vladimir Spravtsev of DNK Corporation installed Claypaky Axcor Profile 600 HC, A.leda B-EYE K20, Axcor Spot 400 HC, Axcor Beam 300 and Stormy CC fixtures in the Cultural and Business Center at Salekhard, Russia, the only city in the world located directly on the Arctic Circle. Artem Bogatyrev was the Project Manager.

Vladimir was tasked with refurbishing the lighting in the concert hall portion of the building, known for its stunning architecture. “We needed to install fixtures that were multifunctional, that could be used for performances ranging from folk artists to classical music,” he explained. “We chose Claypaky lighting because we know Claypaky’s reputation as a

reliable manufacturer. The company’s products are in great demand for Russian show production.”

The Axcor Profiles 600 HC will act as front lights for shows in the concert hall while the A.leda B-EYE K20 and Axcor Spot 400 HC fixtures are mounted in the grid. Axcor Beam 300’s and Stormy CC’s will be used for lighting effects.

“The lights are working fine, and the customer is very satisfied,” Vladimir reported. “We are planning several theatre halls and plan to use Claypaky equipment in them as well.”

Artem gives kudos to Alexander Polovinkin, Technical Director of the Center, “for his support and faith” in the project. www.claypaky.it

www.mondodr.com

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VA LE N C I A S H OR ES COMPANY: FULCRUM ACOUSTIC LOCATION: FLORIDA, USA

Valencia Shores is a gated and planned community located in western Lake Worth, Florida. The community of 1,100 single-family homes was built by G.L. Homes, a builder with a solid reputation for creating exceptional communities and building superb homes in the most desirable locations throughout Florida.

Valencia Shores offers residents a range of amenities including an internet café, an arts and crafts gallery, billiard room, a resort-style pool, sandy lakeside beach and a 10,000 sq ft grand ballroom.

The ballroom hosts live concerts, lectures, and movies for the residents.

Over the last 20 years, various renovations to the sound system and to the room itself led to reverberant sound and intelligibility problems. This presented a significant obstacle for senior residents.

The addition of large mirrors and window repairs added reflective surfaces to the space, further degrading speech intelligibility. Additional loudspeakers were added in an attempt to improve coverage but instead created more reverberation.

PIE (Professionally Installed Electronix), based in Pompano Beach, Florida, chose Fulcrum’s FH full range coaxial horn to improve the intelligibility and overall fidelity. FH series loudspeakers combine smooth, natural sound character with extended directional control, an important attribute for maintaining intelligibility in reverberant spaces.

The ballroom, with its reflective surfaces and older population, required

precise pattern control to keep sound focused on the audience area. The CCX1265 coaxial cardioid loudspeakers were added for supplementary coverage where needed. Fulcrum’s Passive Cardioid TechnologyTM in the CCX1265 helps avoid energising reflective surfaces by controlling excessive rear low frequency radiation, thereby allowing for pristine clarity. Sub215 subwoofers supplement the main loudspeakers to provide full, rich sound for music in addition to spoken word.

“Using Fulcrum’s DSP settings, the system sounded great as soon as we turned it on for the first time,” said Installer, Eric Manev. “I have never experienced such a natural sound from an initial system before. Most loudspeakers seem to have a more unique character. These were so neutral I was a bit confused at first. Somehow the sound was just part of the room and did not seem to be coming from the loudspeakers at all. I will definitely be recommending solutions by Fulcrum Acoustic to more of my clients.”

Marcy Bader, Social Director at Valencia Shores, agreed: “I really did not believe we could have achieved such a clear, crisp, and balanced sound especially with the obstacles our room possesses,” she said. “Since then we have shown movies, lectures, concerts and all were met with very positive reviews.” www.fulcrum-acoustic.com

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70 REP ORT: T H EAT RES & CONCERT H ALLS

THÉÂ T R E ROYAL D E L A M O N N A IE COMPANY: RIEDEL COMMUNICATIONS LOCATION: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

The historic Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, also known as the De Munt Theatre, has upgraded its entire staff communications infrastructure based on intercom equipment from Riedel Communications. Consisting of the Artist digital matrix intercom, Bolero wireless intercom in both integrated and standalone modes, and SmartPanel multifunctional user interfaces, the Riedel solution surpasses the theatre’s requirements for highly flexible, reliable, high-quality, and future-proof intercom operations.

Located in the heart of Brussels at the Place de la Monnaie, the De Munt Theatre is one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world and the largest in Belgium, with more than 450 employees. Over its 300-year history, the theatre has survived a revolution, a fire, and two world wars, as well as the normal passage of time and evolution of technology. The Riedel upgrade was part of a massive renovation project that closed the De Munt Theatre for two years, beginning in 2016.

“We had several key requirements for a modern communications system that could meet the needs of our staff and crew. We needed seamless, high-quality coverage of the complete facility.

And because of the theatre’s historic designation, the installation would have to be as unobtrusive as possible with a minimum of antennas,” said Karl Ancia, Project Leader, Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie. “Another critical requirement was an integrated intercom solution that works over our IP network and also in standalone mode for performances outside the theatre, with wireless support for PCs and mobile devices. Riedel’s Bolero has exceeded our expectations on every single count.”

The new communications system spans two De Munt Theatre buildings and supports a staff of 180

crew members, including a 90-musician orchestra, set builders, costume and makeup personnel, and support and technical services. Equipped with AES67 cards, an Artist-128 matrix intercom mainframe enables a seamless AES67 connection over the theatre’s IP network to six rack-mounted 2300 SmartPanels and one desktop 2300 SmartPanel. The SmartPanels enable agile routing and control of all intercom signals transported over the network. In addition, SmartPanel ‘virtual panel apps enable up to 56 Mac, PC, Android, or iOS devices to communicate with the system.

The Bolero wireless intercom system, consisting of 48 beltpacks and 12 antennas, is also integrated with the Artist matrix via the AES67 cards. A total of seven of the antennas are installed permanently to provide full coverage for the entire facility, with four additional antennas available for standalone use at outside performances. Outside broadcaster, DB Video, has also installed Riedel’s Artist onboard its OB van for seamless production communications during live streaming of the theatre’s events.

Bolero’s exclusive Advanced DECT Receiver (ADR) technology is a critical element in the installation, given the building’s historic status, the thickness of the walls, and the spread-out nature of the facility. With ADR, not only does Bolero provide outstanding reception from every needed location, but it requires fewer antennas for a less intrusive installation.

In the performance hall, the new intercom is a great improvement over the previous static system. With the new system, since the virtual panels can be viewed from offices or a laptop, tablet, or smartphone, users can program intercom configurations of any size and create subgroups

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as needed. Ambient noise during a performance is no longer a problem since the beltpacks can be programmed to eliminate it. A large advantage in a performance setting, especially for music, is Bolero’s extremely low latency – between 35 milliseconds and 38 milliseconds.

Another key feature is Bolero’s Bluetooth functionality, which enables users to answer calls from a mobile phone directly via the headset of the beltpack. This makes the intercom system a valuable tool in an emergency situation when outside first responders need to be engaged.

Karl added: “I installed a Bolero Standalone system with 10 beltpacks in only 30 minutes – a fraction of the time I thought I would need. But not only is Bolero extremely easy to use, its ability to operate in both integrated and standalone modes, plus native IP technology, gives us greater flexibility than ever before. IP networks are the wave of the future for communications and signal transport; therefore, Bolero gives us a future-proof solution.”

Kristof Vanden Eynde, Riedel Belgium Sales Manager, commented, “The De Munt Theatre installation is a standout example of everything that is great about Bolero - seamless and crystal-clear communications in a large-scale and challenging environment, the flexibility to configure the intercom from any device, and the versatility to support any type of production, whether on-premises or at a remote location. We are honoured that Riedel solutions have played a key role in the modernisation of this landmark, historic, and truly stunning theatre – one of Belgium’s national treasures.” www.riedel.net

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EMEA SKALAR AMSTERDAM

FAIRFIELD HALLS LONDON

MANALI LODGE COURCHEVEL

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MARYLAND

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH CALIFORNIA

APAC NINE TREES ART CENTER SHANGHAI

ORIENTAL PEARL TOWER SHANGHAI

ALIEN•C YINCHUAN

28 - 30 JULY 2020

JIExpo, Kemayoran - Indonesia Indonesia's Premier Showcase of Entertainment, Professional Audio and Hospitality Technology Exhibition

PRO AVL INDONESIA

Indonesia’s International Showcase of Professional Audio, Visual, Lighting & Technology Exhibition

TOURISM TECHNOLOGY ASIA

Indonesia’s International Showcase of Hospitality & Tourism Technology Exhibition

BROADCAST & MEDIA TECH INDONESIA

Indonesia’s International Broadcast and Digital Media Technologies Exhibition

For more information, please contact : International : Matthew Ng Phone : +65 6702 3005 / +65 8685 8000 Email : matthew.ng@giec.biz Indonesia : Richardo Keni Phone : +62 21 634 5861 / +62 878 8337 8844 Email : richardo.keni@kristamedia.com Alfred Rubino Phone : +62 21 634 5861 / +62 878 8635 6216 Email : alfred@kristamedia.com

Organized By

Joint Organizers Supporting Ministry

Kementerian Perindustrian REPUBLIK INDONESIA

Supporting Associations

www.avl-indonesia.com

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SKALAR Lights up The Gashouder in Amsterdam

SKALAR, created by light artist/designer Christopher Bauder and composer/music producer Kangding Ray, has been reimagined for Amsterdam’s ‘The Gashouder’, presented by Audio Obscura.

Christopher is utilising Robe Pointes as light sources in this invigorating new space. The SKALAR 360, features 61 x double-sided mirrors with perimeter rings of 180 addressable pixels, which are suspended on 183 custom KINETIC LIGHTS motorised winches.

The charismatic circular chamber has an iron roof and was once at the hub of Amsterdam’s Westergasfabriek Gasworks Complex powering the city’s western suburbs.

With all the mirrors in the show, they already had strong circular elements involved, but the challenge was to create a new set of circular movement and lighting patterns and sequences that would work with the specific geometry.

Five circular trusses were installed in the roof with diameters of 5.6,10.6,

15.6, 21.2 and 33.7-metres respectively, radiating out from the centre all trimmed at approximately 10-metres and were fitted with varying quantities of mirrors – between 1 and 24 per trussing ring.

An outside circle of 24 individually flown ladders, approximately 5-metres from the perimeter wall of the Gashouder, each rigged with three Pointes which appear to be floating in air in the dark.

The three lighting totems on the floor also featured in the Berlin and Mexico versions. In Amsterdam, each is rigged with seven Pointes and positioned around the room just underneath the circle 2 overhead position.

Kangding also made some adaptations and additions to the soundscape to reflect the space and some of the new moves as well as they the fact that they have a sumptuous 12-channel surround sound system at the Gashouder, which lends itself perfectly to SKALAR’s immersive nature and juxtaposition of technology and imagination in an invigorating headspace.

The initial five SKALAR 360 live shows sold out so quickly that two more

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were added, where they manipulate and jam the sounds and visuals in realtime.

For the first time, they are also presenting a rave-style party as one of the additional live sessions, complete with trendy South Korean DJ/record producer Peggy Gou who will play beneath the installation, bringing a special club vibe for just one exclusive performance!

The Pointe’s frost and the strobing function with their adjustable frame rates are present in SKALAR 360, and several different Pointe functions are utilized for the looped show and live concerts.

The Pointe beams pierce the darkness effortlessly, paired with the mirrors gracefully gliding into different formations, occasionally startled by a belligerent white-out and backed by Kangding Ray’s mesmeric, rhythmic soundtrack that has such a hypnotic soothing effect.

The Pointes in Amsterdam are supplied by rental company Flashlight and all feature a special TV colour wheel with TV optimised colours like lavender,

skin tones and a selection of colour corrected whites, that Christopher has morphed into the show, giving a nice contrast and evolution.

DMX data signals for the Pointes are converted from Art-Net and integrated into the custom KINETIC LIGHTS proprietary KLC software platform controlling them and the winch movement.

The lighting treatments - stimulating the different emotions - are rendered as cues in real-time during playback and triggered by MIDI keys from the Ableton Live system running the master audio track during the looped SKALAR show.

Each mirror is physically controlled by three winches giving up/down movement plus pan/tilt, so they can move incredibly smoothly on XY and Z axes making their kinesis beautifully three-dimensional and fluid.

A technical crew from Christopher’s project company WHITEvoid, production managed by Florian Fink, completed the installation. www.robe.cz

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FAIRFIELD HALLS LONDON, UK EMEA

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Built on the site of Croydon’s historic Fair Field, the arts, entertainment and conference centre, Fairfield Halls, opened in 1962. Since its inception, it has been a major venue for live music, plays, musicals, stand-up comedy and classical music, as well as community events.

The concert hall within the Fairfield Halls has regularly been used for BBC television, radio and orchestral recordings, too.

In July 2016, the venue closed ahead of £30 £42.6m million redevelopment based on proposals by MICA Architects. Using a heritage-led approach, the architects sought to deliver a much-needed refurbishment, all while seeking to retain the buildings iconic features and ensuring a sustainable future.

The redevelopment has seen South London’s largest Arts Centre become a state-of-theart venue for the community. Fairfield Halls includes the world-class Phoenix Concert Hall, Ashcroft Playhouse and Arnhem Foyer, along

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• Above The newlyrefurbished Fairfield Halls.

with new spaces; The Recreational, Savvy Studio, John Whitgift Community Cube and The Talawa Studio.

The Phoenix Concert Hall was designed as a scaled-down version of the Royal Festival Hall. The 1850-seat venue is recognised internationally for its fine acoustics and will play host to the London Mozart players as resident Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra.

Now with an increased capacity of 800 seats, including improved accessible seating provision, the Ashcroft Playhouse will host plays, musicals and local events and performances from the community.

The Arnhem Foyer – a reference to Croydon’s twin town in the Netherlands – is an open-plan space which hosts free events throughout the year.

The new spaces at Fairfield Halls include

The Recreational, a 770-capacity gig venue and the John Whitgift Community Cube, a glass-fronted space at the front of the arts centre, which will be home to various community events and activities.

Also, the Talawa Theatre Company has taken up residence in Fairfield Halls, giving the UK’s primary Black theatre company a 200-seat studio and offices.

This is the first time since 1995 that Talawa’s headquarters have featured an on-site performance space. Talawa Studio operates as a central hub for Black artists, enabling Talawa to develop a community outreach programme, and create, develop and premiere new work.

The SAVVY Studio is designed for up to 80 seated guests, with accessibility at the heart of the area. SAVVY Theatre, an award-winning company, creating ambitious, inclusive productions and

theatre experiences that bring different groups of people together, will call the studio home.

With the perfect hub for arts, culture and creativity in place, the technology had to match – and it was Sound Space Vision (SSV) who the venue turned to when it came to the refurbishment. The company has been involved with the plans for the last decade – previously as Anne Minors Performance Consultants and Sound Space Design, before both companies joined forces in 2015. Back in 2011, the companies prepared an operation and acoustics report for the operator at the time, and this was subsequently used as the basis for the redevelopment – becoming the brief for MICA Architects and the original engineering team, Mott MacDonald, who were replaced by Max Fordham Engineers at a later stage.

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Michael Elliot, Director, SSV, takes up the story: “Sound Space Vision designed and specified the production lighting, sound, video and communications systems, which included new infrastructure throughout Fairfield Halls. We also designed and specified the new stage engineering systems within the performance spaces, including new motorised rigging integrated above the existing acoustic canopy in the concert hall. SSV’s brief, for both the Phoenix Concert Hall and the Ashcroft, was to refurbish the existing seating – replacing only where necessary. In the Ashcroft, the client challenged us to find additional seating capacity to better accommodate programming and additional revenue. By reconfiguring the stalls layout we were able to provide 50 additional seats, while improving access and a sense of intimacy.

“Where existing equipment could not be replaced, SSV specified the survey and necessary repairs to bring the systems to meet current health and safety regulations and integrate them into the modern control system. This included the orchestra risers in the Concert Hall and, in the Ashcroft, the forestage elevator, refurbished counterweight flying system, and a new fire safety curtain. Fixed pipe grids and perimeter drapes have been provided within both the Recreational and Talawa Studio, along with a fixed, internally wired lighting bar in the Arnhem Foyer, all of which have been carefully integrated with the architecture and engineering.

“Our role on the project was to maintain performance viability throughout. With the operations overseen by the Council and BH Live appointed as operators.”

As part of the refurbishment, SSV restored the canopy in the Phoenix Concert Hall, which is an important reflector and blender of the orchestral sound to the audience.

“Within the Phoenix Concert Hall’s refurbished canopy, SSV designed a completely new system of high-level rigging incorporating motorised

bars and future strong point positions for touring shows. The mother truss, which previously hung below the canopy, has now been replaced with a number of line sets that can be raised out of view,” Michael added.

SSV did some additional acoustic treatment within the concert hall, too, as Michael explained further: “Amplified sound requires a dead sound environment from the relatively quiet instruments for recitals and orchestras.

We specified new motorised acoustic banners, integrated along the side walls, to better absorb sound during amplified concerts to increase the programming flexibility and diversity.”

Stage Electrics won the tender outlined by SSV for the installation project, which Chris Brant, Technical Project Manager, Stage Electrics, puts down to the company’s strong relationship with Vinci Construction: “Vinci loved our approach to the design development, drawings packs and project management, along with the support we provided from start to finish. This coupled with our ability to work with the end user, venue owner/operator and consultant to manage requirements effectively and collaboratively.

“For 90% of the project, we stuck within the SSV specification, however, we did make some additions, too.”

A d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker system was installed in the concert hall back in 2014 under guidance from SSV, which had performed successfully and was, therefore, reinstated after the redevelopment, with the addition of IGUSeSpool cable reelers for the main flown arrays to give a tidier visual appearance. The loudspeaker system DSP was replaced to enable integration with the cinema loudspeaker system and to facilitate audio distribution over a Dante audio network, Michael from SSV added: “The loudspeaker arrays, which were previously dead hung, could now be raised above the canopy through motorised doors. These changes improve the

opportunity and flexibility for a greater variety of staged events and allow the technical equipment to be hidden, restoring the Pheonix Concert Hall to its original appearance for orchestral events.

“The existing concert hall loudspeaker DSP and routing equipment was re-installed in the Ashcroft and wiring outlets for future cinema screen and surround loudspeakers were included in the infrastructure, designed for future equipment.”

Existing d&b amplifiers were retained for the main PA system, while cinema surround amplifiers were replaced with QSC DPA series amplifiers to enable routing from the QSC DSP over QLAN. The existing cinema amplifiers were repurposed for stage monitors and for use in the other venues. A QSC Q-Sys Core 500i processor was chosen for its flexible and modular in/out capabilities and for the QLAN audio network for distribution to surround amplifiers located in the projection room, too.

A DiGiCo desk was chosen for the mixing console, as Michael explained: “DiGiCo SD12 had just been released and offered high channel count and powerful audio processing in a small footprint at a cost that fitted the budget. The inclusion of a DMI card slot on the rear of the console enabled Dante networking without the need for the separate orange box that other DiGiCo consoles require.”

Chris explained where Stage Electrics made some additions to the audio system at Fairfield Halls: “We further supplemented the d&b audiotechnik system with eight d&b 5S loudspeakers, 11 d&b E6 loudspeakers and two d&b B2 subwoofers.

On top of the d&b and QSC amplifiers, we added two DPA4.2Q and one each of the DPA4.3Q, DPA4.5Q and DPA4.2Q amplifiers – all from QSC.” When it came to the lighting setup for Fairfield Halls, the venue enlisted the help of GDS through Max Fordham, as Head of Production Rich Dyer of GDS explained: “Max Fordham

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approached GDS to supply the specified lighting design that had been proposed with Fairfield Halls. They were looking for a new custom lighting system to illuminate the dressing room areas, as well as a supporting range of retrofit products. It was important to ensure the lighting was efficiently converted to LED, whilst ensuring the aesthetics were in keeping with the period of the building.”

GDS manufactured 244 custom light fittings for Fairfield Halls, with 139 ETC ArcSystem Pro One-Cell fixtures used for the Phoenix Concert Hall.

“The reflector was removed and a high efficiency prismatic diffuser was added to the front of the One-Cell fitting, this allowed GDS to retrofit the product into the existing housing,” said Rich.

“Custom brass metal work was used to ensure the original features of the fitting were retained, and a new, energy efficient high CRI LED improved the light output, too.”

For the Ashcroft Playhouse, GDS provided 52

ETC ArcSystem Pro Four-Cell Round, 28 Pro Four-Cell Round 28 in custom white and 2 Pro Four-Cell Round emergency fixtures.

Rich added: “The Four-Cell Round was customised to include an adjustable yoke. The product customisation allowed the product to have a focussing function and ability to tilt the fitting.”

Along with the lighting fixtures for the performance spaces, GDS also custom built Mirror Lights for the dressing rooms and backstage areas.

Rich furthered: “There was nothing on the market that could provide the perfect solution needed for the dressing room areas, particularly for theatrical make up applications. The Mirror Light was designed to be dimmable and emit light with a low glare so that it was comfortable to use and sit in front of. An even distribution of light was essential in the product design, to guarantee there were no hard shadows. The Mirror Light is an excellent mimic for natural sunlight.

“Working with Max Fordham, we were able to collaboratively explore what the dressing room areas required. All of our design drawings and renders were regularly shared and discussed to ensure the best solution was manufactured for Fairfield Halls.

“The Mirror Light can be mounted to the surrounds of mirrors in dressing rooms and backstage areas. They have custom aluminium extrusion and an opal frosted diffusion with a high quality 90 CRI LED, with single and double emitter versions available. .”

Although the install was a huge success at Fairfield Halls, like most projects, it wasn’t without its challenges.

Michael said: “Many of the spaces contained asbestos which had to be removed prior to commencing the refurbishment works. The Ashcroft Playhouse was stripped back to its shell prior to reinstatement of new wall linings, ceilings and canopies.

“The new ventilation system was designed

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 20 x d&b audiotechnik Q1 loudspeaker; 8 x d&b audiotechnik 27A-Sub subwoofer; 3 x d&b audiotechnik Ti10L loudspeaker; 10 x d&b audiotechnik E8 loudspeaker; 13 x d&b audiotechnik E6 loudspeaker; 8 x d&b audiotechnik 5S loudspeaker; 2 x d&b audiotechnik B2SUB subwoofer; d&b audiotechnik D12 amplifiers; d&b audiotechnik D6 amplifiers; 2 x QSC DPA4.2Q amplifier; 1 x QSC DPA4.3Q amplifier; 1 x QSC DPA4.5Q amplifier; 2 x QSC DPA4.2Q amplifier; DiGiCo SD12 mixing console LIGHTING GDS CueLight system; ETC Net3 networked lighting system; ETC Gio lighting desk; 111 x ETC Source 4 fixtures; 4 x Chauvet COLORband PiX-M moving head; 139 x ETC ArcSystem Pro One-Cell fixture; 52 x ETC ArcSystem Pro Four-Cell Round fixure; 28 Pro Four-Cell Round custom white fixture; 2 x Pro Four-Cell Round emergency fixtures; 56 x GDS custom mirror lights COMMUNICATIONS C8 x ClearCom RS-702 dual channel belt packs www.fairfieldhalls.co.uk

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The Voice Kids 2020 to meet current standards. Careful modelling and use of acoustic attenuation were used to ensure that air velocities did not create unwanted noise in the space. Partial demolition was required to remove the existing services so that the new equipment could be accommodated within the existing building voids and risers.

“New external cladding was also needed to replace the existing failed precast, which had to achieve an equivalent acoustic performance and replicate the appearance of the existing cladding to this locally-listed building – all while providing a robust and low maintenance solution that enhanced the thermal properties of the building.”

Chris explained some of the challenges that Stage Electrics encountered on the project, too: “We encountered all the normal challenges associated with the programming and interfacing with other

trade contractors. Ensuring identified containment issues were addressed and participating in problem solving meetings to address the issues that arise in refurb projects, such as already congested service routes was imperative. We used a smaller team and agreed greater flexibility on workfaces with Vinci to enable us to progress the project despite delays in other areas of the building.”

With a revamped concert hall, expanded theatre, new creative spaces, a stateof-the-art audiovisual infrastructure, refurbished seating, acoustic banners and ventilation system, the various teams working on the Fairfield Halls project have delivered a truly impressive venue.

Perfectly merging the new technology with Fairfield Hall’s historical elements, it is a community space that will serve the area for years to come.

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MANALI LODGE

The idyllic French Alps, dusted with the dream-like chill of a childhood snow globe, is one of the most sought-after holiday destinations for budding skiers worldwide.

Home to the largest mountain chain in Europe, thousands flock to the destination each year in search of spirituality and serene relaxation.

A zen retreat is not complete without a cosy place to stay, and Alpine Residences, located in the very heart of the mountains, are specialists in luxury holiday rentals. With its new hotel residence, Manali Lodge, located in the Courchevel region of the Alps, and surrounded by poster friendly panoramic views, it provides the perfect place to unwind after a day of flying down the fluffy slopes with unique, high-end

COURCHEVEL, FRANCE EMEA

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• Above The Chic interior of Bistrot Manali

apartments and suites, as well as newly renovated restaurant ‘Bistrot Manali’ and bar/nightclub ‘Gaïa’, all installed by French-based NG Pro Audio.

The recent updates to Alpine Residences have offered another level of unrivalled hospitality, with both the lighting and audio systems undergoing a makeover. Spearheading the project was Gérald Mastromattéo of NG Pro Audio, who takes up the story: “The principal requirement at the beginning of the project was to create high-quality audio with minimum noise spillage and aesthetic impact.

As well as this, we had to make sure that it fit the customer’s budget and that the products we chose could withstand freezing temperatures and snow. The lighting also had to reflect the elegant aesthetic of the restaurant.”

Exploring the first installation at the Bistrot Manali restaurant, Gérald explained that two 2.1 loudspeaker systems were built on each principal part of the eatery. “This system was made out of smaller

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loudspeakers with subwoofers placed under seats, we have a stand-out performance, ultra-compact system that is virtually invisible, but gives smooth, consistent sound all over the restaurant, with the ability to reach 95db, if desired. We also needed to supply the outdoor DJ area with a powerful system that transformed the venue into a pseudo-dancefloor after hours.”

After careful consideration, Danley Sound Labs were the main choice for Gérald and the team at NG Pro Audio. Inside the restaurant, 14 of Danley’s Nano loudspeakers were installed, along with two Nano subwoofers with an eight-inch boomer in bass-reflex. In the bathrooms, eight MD50 Artsound ceiling loudspeakers carry the audio. Outside in the DJ/dancefloor area NG Pro Audio provided two Danley SM60F loudspeakers, two Danley TH118 subwoofers, four Danley Nano Cube loudspeakers with a 6.1-inch coaxial driver, and eight Danley Nano loudspeakers, similar to the interior of the restaurant, but with the ability to hold a crowd outside from 10am until five o’clock in the evening.

“The amplifiers that we used are also by Danley, but built by Linea Research. They offer the best quality, reliability and power in a compact size.

Danley provides pre-sets for its products, which are very useful for complex limiters. We also used NST Audio VMX88’s, which provided us with a no-compromise, powerful system. We also connected a VR1 remote control supply in POE by the VMX to control specific zone volume.

In the bathrooms, Lab.gruppen Lucia series

amplifiers power the ceiling loudspeakers with a little help from DSP inside,” said Gérald.

As the restaurant caters for a wide-range of events, including private dining and parties, the interior audio system was equipped with a tablet that uses Spotify in hi-fi mode for ease of use by bar staff. Outside Bistrot Manali, NG Pro Audio provided a Pioneer XDR-RX2 for the DJ booth and a Yamaha MG-12XU mixing desk for musicians and singers performing at the restaurant. “Installing a range of different mixing options was imperative as the restaurant offers such a diverse schedule. We had to make sure that DJs and musicians enjoyed playing at the venue with the set-up we installed,” Gérald explained.

The lighting inside the venue was also updated to complement the golden glow of the interior.

Going for a cosy but chic retro look, Gérald installed two RVE 500W LED dimmers, alongside four RVE 250W LED dimmers.

Fully implementing the laid-back aesthetic, Segula AR11 Ambient Dimming light bulbs were installed, as well as Segula MR16’s. “All lighting is controlled by a Stick-KE2 that we have programmed with several different atmospheric settings, which can be changed depending on the event or time of day. Each dimmer is distributed for each type of light source and zone, so we can reach the perfect atmosphere whenever needed,” furthered Gérald.

Outside, the lighting had to achieve a different kind of vibe. NG Pro Audio designed colour lighting made up of Nicols RGBW projectors

on the VIP platform and under the sixth-floor balcony. “The idea was to give a smooth amber atmosphere with the ability to programme different colour settings and colour chasers chosen by the user,” explained Gérald. “Here, six Nicols IP Wash 100’s were installed, along with two Nicols IP Wash 600’s to transform the outdoor area into an altogether different place to dance.”

The Gaïa restaurant/nightclub, located in the Manali Lodge, offers holiday makers a different kind of retreat. This restaurant and nightclub opens its doors from seven in the evening until the roguish early hours, providing fine dining and one-of-a-kind club experiences deep within the snowy blanket of the French Alps. Before installing the newest system, Gérald explained the detailed design process: “We spent a lot of time with the customer, asking questions and making sure that we knew exactly what they wanted.

Similar to the Bistrot Manali restaurant, the main requirements were high quality audio with minimum noise leakage as some of the bedrooms within the lodge are located only a couple of floors higher. We did a lot of location visits too, just so we were familiar with the venue.”

Again, Gérald and his team used Danley products to achieve the custom audio within the venue.

On the dancefloor, a 2.1 loudspeaker system consisting of four Danley Cube loudspeakers and a TH118 subwoofer were installed. “This works well because it’s a high-quality compact system that can reach full potential in a club

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• Above The Gaïa restaurant/ nightclub that is open for after hours fun

environment, without aggression on seats or disturbing the rooms above.

The acoustic treatment and decoration gives a perfect club environment that the customer is extremely happy with,” said Gérald.

Outside, the smoking area of the venue is made up of four Danely Nano loudspeakers on a 2.1 system, again, powered by a Danley Nano subwoofer in the ceiling. Six Artsound MD50

ceiling loudspeakers are implemented in the bathrooms of the club, and just like Bistrot Manali, are amplified by Lab.gruppen’s Lucia Series with DSP, giving full sound in even the most inconspicuous places. The amplifiers in the restaurant and the smoking area are also Danley, built by Linea Research.

“In terms of the mixing capabilities within the venue, the DJ works on a Pioneer XDR-RX2 desk and we provided

a Yamaha MG-12XU, alongside Shure Beta 58A and SM58 microphones, for musicians and singers performing inside the club,” explained Gérald.

The lighting had to stand-out to match the enigmatic interior of Gaïa. The venue is presented in a candle lit manner, a perfect location for an on-screen adaptation of an archaic Bram Stoker novel. Aware of the devilish interior, NG Pro Audio equipped the venue

TECHNICAL INFORMATION BISTROT MANALI SOUND: 22 x Danley Nano loudspeaker; 2 x Danley Nano subwoofer; 8 x Artsound MD50 ceiling loudspeaker; 2 x Danley SM60F loudspeaker; 2 x Danley TH118 subwoofer; 4 x Danley Nano Cube loudspeaker; NST Audio VMX88; NST Audio VR1; Danley 10K8C + 3K8PRO + 10K4PRO amplifier; Pioneer XDR-RX2 mixing console; Yamaha MG-12XU mixing console LIGHTING: 2 x RVE 500W LED dimmer; 4 x RVE 250W LED dimmer; 2 x Nichols IP WASH 600 & 6 x Nichols IP WASH 100 RGBW projectors, 1 x Nicolaudie Stick KE-2 GAIA SOUND: 4 x Danley Cube loudspeaker; 1 x Danley TH118 subwoofer; 14 Danley Nano loudspeaker; 1 x Danley Nano subwoofer; 8 x Artsound MD50 loudspeaker; Danley 3K8PRO + 10K4PRO amplifier; Lab.gruppen LUCIA amplifier; Pioneer XDR-RX2 mixing console; Yamaha MG-12XU mixing console; Shure Beta 58A microphone LIGHTING: 9 x RVE 250W LED dimmer; 2 x Showtec Phantom 50 LED spotlight; 2 x Nichols IP WASH 100 RGBW projectors, 1 x Nicolaudie Stick KE-2 www.alpineresidences.fr

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with layered, soft lighting made up of Segula AR111 and MR16 Ambient Dimming light bulbs. Also installed are two Showtec Phantom 50 LED spots to give colourful movement on the dancefloor when the venue is transformed after hours. “All light is controlled by a Stick-KE2 that has been programmed with several atmosphere settings. Depending on the hour of the evening the DJ can control the lighting via a PC with Sunlite software. Dimmers are distributed for each type of light source and zone, giving a smooth general lighting look. RGB projectors and moving heads give movement and colour, dressing the venue in a range of uniquely Gaïa atmospheres,” Gérald said.

A large-scale project like this is not without some minor difficulites, and for Gérald and the team, time constraints meant the project was completed in a smaller time frame than what they would usually work towards. However, after implementing new technology across three separate areas in the venue, NG Pro Audio were pleased with the end results. “We’ve done a lot of work throughout the entire venue, and, even though at the beginning the quick turnaround and the amount of work required proved difficult, the customer is pleased with the end result and the feedback has already been very postitive!” concluded Gérald.

Taking the French Alps to new heights with state-of-the-art lighting and audio, Manali Lodge can now provide the next level of holiday hospitality with unique dining and dancing capabilities.

Renowned mainly for winter sports, Courchevel is now providing adrenaline junkies with the perfect place to wind down after a day on the slopes, whether that be under the ambient tones of Bistrot Manali or the after-dark disco erupting in a quiet corner of the Alps.

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In the heart of Dubai’s ‘Design District’, known for its glitzy, avant-garde global fashion and design, sits SKY2.0, one of the latest luxury superclubs to appear in the Middle East. SKY2.0, the newest addition to Sky Management’s portfolio of premium hospitality venues, has been designed to plunge club goers into a completely immersive experience with a re-vamped audio system courtesy of Bose Professional.

Given the unique architecture of the venue, a spectacular stand-alone structure designed by French architect, Michelle Sarfati, it’s as though

SKY2.0 DUBAI, UAE EMEA

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• Above Inside SKY2.0 is an incredible array of audiovisual technology to stun guests.

SKY2.0 has just landed right in the desert from the realms of outer space. Its warped UFO design is as mind-boggling as the interior production and Saturday’s sell out DJ sets. The semi-open dome reveals several luminous outline spiralling metal volutes, and is punctuated with hundreds of carefully placed projectors attached to the structure, inundating the site with light beams.

The venue was a challenging and interesting project for its installers, Antaki Group, as it was imperative that

the audio portion of the experience, like the exterior of the building, would deliver beyond guest expectations. “The site itself is a semi-open dome internal structure, there are no ceilings or walls: everything is articulated in a curve. To ensure the architecture wasn’t negatively disturbed, it was important for the audio solution to be transparent in the aesthetic design of the club,” explained Toufic Malek, Head of Pro Division and Projects at Antaki. The technology used in the installation was an integrated audio solution from Bose

Professional, that had to match the visual delights, no matter where guests were inside the space.

Antaki Group worked closely with Bose Professional to design the new system using Bose Modeler Design software.

Pascal Vierdeel, Regional Sound Engineer at Bose Professional explained further: “This was certainly a challenge considering the unique design and shape of the venue. For the design of the sound system we divided the venue into two areas using blueprints, the main central

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area around the bar and the surrounding circular area. For the main central area, we decided to use four ShowMatch DeltaQ arrays. Each array is built with six ShowMatch modules to guarantee good coverage for the high and mid frequencies down to 65Hz. To complement, we added two double 18-inch subwoofers positioned beneath each array to extend the low-frequency response.”

To provide a chest-pounding club experience, the system used a carefully designed mix of Bose Professional ShowMatch loudspeakers.

In total, the system consisted of 24 ShowMatch array loudspeakers with DeltaQ technology.

Distributed in four main clusters and backed up with eight RoomMatch RMS218 VLF-subwoofers to extend the low frequency response in the club,

the venue was also equipped with 12 LT-Series loudspeakers featuring the Bose V2 Midrange Manifold, which sums the output of two 4.5-inch cone drivers to provide a smooth, natural vocal range response.

“I first heard the power from the ShowMatch DeltaQ array loudspeakers in Italy during an arranged demonstration of two different indoor and outdoor systems,” explained Chafic El Khazen, founder of Sky Management. “After hearing the systems capabilities, I knew I wanted it in SKY2.0. These particular Bose loudspeakers deliver consistent SPL from front to back and, also, its DeltaQ capability allows directivity in each array module to be adapted to match the listening area, directing more consistent sound to

the audience. They were perfect for the club as we wanted to blow people away with the sound, as well as everything else we have to offer!”

The entire club sound system is powered by six Powersoft X8 amplifiers and managed using Bose Professional’s ControlSpace EX1280C, this meant that the audio system could have separate volume controls. All audio signals also go through a fully redundant Dante network, the result enduring no acoustic dead-spots or reverb issues.

As the club is entirely unique in its architecture, Antaki Group did face some difficulties during the install. “Managing bass was difficult given the circular layout, the open ceilings and the multilevel landscaping throughout, so the locations of bass were not standard locations

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• Above The hypnotic SKY2.0 spaceship, designed

by French Architect, Michelle Sarfati.

and needed to be managed carefully to fill out the low frequency requirement.

We creatively integrated the bass under the landscaping to manage a complete surround low frequency affect.

“Tonality of the system was also critical, and since the venue utilises two major lines of Bose audio systems – ShowMatch loudspeakers and the LT-Series loudspeakers – it presented a complex opportunity to illustrate how these products could produce the power and experience SKY2.0 was after. This was managed through the development of custom programming on the ControlSpace EX1280C digital signal processors,” furthered Toufic.

The opening of SKY2.0 was hotly anticipated, as the sister of the globally renowned SKY BAR based in Beirut,

high expectations were set early on in the anticipation of its grand opening.

Every week the club hosts up to 2,500 guests across three different signature parties, each offering huge productions, amazing audiovisuals and magnificent performances from top international DJs. Consistent feedback from regular and guest DJs is that they are very impressed by the sound quality and performance of the system.

“The contribution and dedication of the Antaki team was one to be proud of knowing that the sound quality and performance is non-negotiable for me, I can vouch that Bose has delivered the best customer experience in our club. We are looking forward for a bright future together in this project and the upcoming ones,” concluded Chafic.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 16 x Bose ShowMatch SM5 DeltaQ Array loudspeaker; 4 x Bose ShowMatch SM10 DeltaQ Array loudspeaker; 4 x Bose ShowMatch SM20 DeltaQ Array loudspeaker; 4 x Bose ShowMatch SM20 WG12 Wave Guide loudspeaker; 8 x Bose RoomMatch RMS218 Subwoofer module loudspeaker; 12 x Bose LT 9403 Black ROHS; 6 x Powersoft X8 DSP+DANTE amplifiers; 1 x Bose ControlSpace EX‐1280C Conferencing signal processor; 1 x Bose ControlSpace CC‐64 Zone controller www.skydubai.com

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The Q-SYS Ecosystem is all Fun and Games at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has been a staple of family fun since 1907.

With an amusement park full of rides and games, two indoor arcades, a two-story miniature golf course, laser tag arena and bowling alley, there is no shortage of ways to spend a day by the beach. The parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s audiovisual team enlisted Q-SYS to deliver networked audio and software-based control throughout the park, alongside QSC loudspeakers and networked amplifiers.

The previous audiovisual system at the park consisted of disparate audiovisual and control components that were challenging to integrate and support. This upgrade presented an opportunity for the audiovisual team at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk to find a singular audiovisual platform that had the flexibility to meet the distinct requirements of each area, while providing a holistic audiovisual experience for each guest across the entire park.

The solution needed to support a wide variety of applications including

individual rides, arcade, laser tag arena and an event centre.

The system designers wanted hybrid processing architecture, using centralised processing for general, park-wide audiovisual functionality, while deploying dedicated processing in mission-critical areas of the park.

To meet those requirements, the in-house audiovisual team at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk deployed the Q-SYS Ecosystem for network audio and control, along with QSC loudspeakers and amplifiers.

Redundant Q-SYS Core 1100 Enterprise Core processors handle the background music, zone paging and software-based control for all generalpurpose zones. If the system detects a fault on the primary Core, the redundant Core processor would seamlessly assume full audio streaming and control communication of connected Q-SYS peripherals and thirdparty devices, ensuring that these functionalities remain uninterrupted throughout operating hours.

The primary Core 1100 also handles networked audio and control

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101 IN BRIEF - AMERICAS

processing for the Casino Arcade, which also includes an attached 3,500 sq ft laser tag arena. In the arcade, a Virtual Page Station component manages the zone paging throughout the facility, while command scheduling enables automated playback of pre-recorded announcements throughout the day.

In the laser tag arena, the team used the Q-SYS Scripting Engine to write custom Lua control scripts and design custom user interfaces for the game operators. Before a match starts, the operator selects a combination of colour and time remaining on a Q-SYS TSC Series touch screen controller.

The Cocoanut Grove event space hosts a variety of in-park corporate and private events. It includes an 8,500 sq ft ballroom along with a number of divisible meeting spaces. The team deployed the software-based room combiner component, which offers a simple and intuitive way to combine audio in divisible spaces. With Q-SYS UCI Editor, the team deployed custom user control interfaces (UCI) to Q-SYS touch screen controllers.

A number of high-impact locations throughout the park feature QSC

AcousticDesign Series loudspeakers. The team chose AcousticDesign Series because of the consistent acoustic properties shared across different enclosure types.

The audiovisual team also chose CXD-Q network amplifiers, which were built for the Q-SYS Ecosystem, to provide power throughout the park.

Q-SYS allows for full control and telemetry monitoring of the amplifiers.

The amplifiers also feature Intrinsic Correction, a QSC technology that works directly with QSC loudspeakers to provide uniquely optimised sonic performance.

“Q-SYS just seemed to be the perfect answer to our problems!” explained Kevin Grewohl, Audio Systems Supervisor at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

“First, it helped us deliver more functionality with less hardware. And because it’s software-based, it will be better prepared to support our future plans as we continue to add more features and capabilities down the line.” www.qsc.com

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THE AVALON THEATRE MARYLAND, USA AMERICAS

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The Avalon Theatre is a historic theatre located in downtown Easton, Maryland.

Originally built as a cinema in 1921, at the cost of $100,000, The Avalon Theatre immediately became, as one newspaper reporter proclaimed, the “Showplace of the Eastern Shore.” Visually spectacular, another newspaper reporter made the bold statement that “no house in the South will compare with all its detail.” Its detail included leaded glass doors at every theatre entrance, an 18-ft dome with 148 lights, a 300 pipe electric-pneumatic organ, an electric player piano, and a ballroom on the second floor.

In 1934, the Schine Chain Theatres purchased the theatre and renovated it with an art deco theme. It would become one of the most famous movie houses in the area, hosting three world premieres, including The First Kiss, starring Gary Cooper. The theatre eventually

• Above The interior of the historic Avalon Theatre.

fell into disrepair and closed its doors in 1985. In 1989, it was restored as a performing arts centre and then purchased in 1992 by the town of Easton.

The Avalon Foundation has operated the theatre since 1994, and almost a century after its completion remains a vibrant hub of community life for the nine-county Eastern Shore territory east of the Chesapeake Bay, hosting nationally known and local performers. The 423- seat venue presents a variety of musical and dramatic theatre, symphony orchestras and performances, but can also be configured for banquets and cabarets, exhibitions and ballroom dancing.

CEO of The Avalon Foundation, Al Bond, worked over a 10-year period to assemble all of the properties in the building and manage a major $2.1 million renovation of the entire venue.

Early on in the renovation process, The Avalon Foundation retained the Walter Storyk Design Group (WSDG) to complete a master plan study of the long-term renovations.

Those plans included theatre expansion, audiovisual upgrades and balcony reconstruction. “Originally we were hired to

create a sweeping master plan for proposed renovations to the theatre, including possible expansions, balcony rework, new bathrooms, new studio facilities, even down to very detailed technical upgrades to treatments, lighting and the playback system,” said Joshua A. Morris, COO Partner, WSDG. “The plan included working with the Avalon and its members on creating a package for review for the town permitting office as well as the historical committee. That plan allowed Avalon over the years to use its energy in the most efficient ways possible, be that reviewing expansion or renovating the balcony – which turned out to be the most effective direction.

At that point, we were brought back into the fold to help develop that approach, and we worked with Al and Jessica Bellis to create the balcony renovation design drawings.”

The brief for the balcony renovation was very specific, WSDG had to improve safety, sightlines and comfort, without decreasing the seat count. “Avalon was clear that those balcony seats often make the difference between a break-even show and a profitable one,” Joshua explained. “We could not simply go in and widen the very narrow and uncomfortable existing

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seats or remove and replace risers to increase our viewing angle over the balcony rail without making up for any lost seats. A huge aid to this effort was that we got approval to remove the original concrete projection booth, which freed up valuable seating.”

For better ergonomics, the balcony’s seats needed to be widened as much as possible and positioned to be focused on-stage performers, rather than a screen. Certain railings that obstructed the view of some seats needed to be replaced with better railings and improved lighting for visibility.

The balcony’s walkways also needed better tread depth and tread visibility, as well as height consistency. Finally, all the renovations needed to be aesthetically consistent with the Avalon Theatre’s beloved art deco motif.

Joshua and his team worked closely with Al and Jessica paying respect to the theatres aesthetic character. The rear of the balcony needed particular attention. The projection booth’s walls, door and floor were removed, as well as dimmer racks and exhaust ducts. Loudspeakers and other elements were relocated or reappointed.

WSDG helped to match the new balcony’s tin ceiling to the existing tin ceiling, and The Avalon Foundation selected the new chairs and carpet to enhance and harmonise the old. In the end, the team succeeded in increasing the newly designed

balcony’s seat count to 219, while increasing the width of each seat by two inches and maintaining the excellent acoustics.

“We were able to create a new balcony experience that is a quantum leap from what was there,” Joshua said. “It’s more comfortable, with better sightlines and more safety features.”

WSDG covered much more than the technical improvements, but their team evaluated these needs and provided recommendations for a way forward.

The theatre’s contracted technicians, Mid-South Audio (MSA) took the WSDG plan and finetuned it prior to a final purchase. “The Avalon is a venue used for a wide variety of applications from rock concerts to theatrical productions, to film screenings and community events, so the lighting upgrade needed to have the flexibility to meet all of these demands,” Al explained. “With these demands, MSA worked to find the best professional LED lighting products to meet those needs and provide the adaptability to handle all of the various uses of the space.”

The final lighting configuration consists of 12 Elation Colour 5 Profile LED Lekos mounted on the FOH truss and bars, three Elation Satura Profile LED moving heads on the FOH Truss, 18, Elation SIXPAR 200 LED pars mounted on Electrics one and two on stage, five Elation www.mondodr.com

SIXBAR 1000 LED bars mounted on Electric three on stage for curtain lighting, six Elation Artiste Davinci’s mounted on Electrics one and two on stage, while two Elation CUEPIX BLINDER WW4 are mounted on movable pipe and base on stage for audience blinders as needed. Two Antari Z-380 Fazers are also provided on stage for Haze to showcase lighting effects.

“The LED pars and bars are mounted on three electrics above the stage and provide the ability to make the stage virtually any colour wash including a UV effect for theatrical performances.

These electrics can then be lowered for band performances to allow for visible colour chases and other effects on stage,” Al said. “The LED Lekos are mounted on the main FOH truss and a couple on each side FOH bar for a full wash of the stage with the ability to adjust the colour temperature as needed for various events. These Lekos also have the ability to do a full range of colours for theatrical effects and have shutters for framing in areas of the stage. The FOH truss can be lowered from the ceiling over the balcony with an electric winch for ease of access. The LED moving head’s consist of six spot fixtures mounted on two electrics above the stage and have the ability to be placed on the floor of the stage as well. These lights provide the lighting

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designer with the ability to easily illuminate different areas of the stage and provided various gobo and other moving light effects for various performances. Three additional LED moving heads are mounted on the FOH truss - these are profile fixtures with framing shutters. These lights allow the lighting operator to spot any area on the stage without having to go up to the balcony and manually adjust a light. The system includes two blinder LED fixtures, which are used exclusively for standing room rock shows.”

Lighting control is handled by an Avolites Quartz lighting console with an Avolites Titan Mobile Wing. “The Avolites console is very user-friendly and has the ability to store multiple shows and configurations for all the different uses of the venue. It’s also a commonly accepted board with

travelling bands and theatre companies, allowing easy integration of pre-programmed lighting shows.”

The Avalon Foundation can now fully embrace its role as an economic and cultural catalyst in its community, the importance of which is not lost on the team at WSDG. “The stewards of The Avalon Theatre really care and are so passionate about their charge, they’re doing an amazing job for their community. We at WSDG could not be prouder to be involved.

With careful planning and a team that really cares, including a devoted contractor, Willow Construction and Architect Jake Laureska, these kinds of impactful changes really are possible on a large scale.” Joshua concluded.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING 6 x Elation EAD582 Artiste DaVinci Compact Pro LED spot moving head; 18 x Elation SIX054 SIXPAR 200 6-in-1 LED par; 5 x Elation SIX086 SIX BAR 1000 LED bar; 12 x Elation CLP001 Color 5 profile; 3 x Elation Satura profile www.avalonfoundation.org

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Photos: Brian Dowdle

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF STOCKTON CALIFORNIA, USA THE AMERICAS

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When the opportunity arose for the First Baptist Church in Stockton, CA to acquire a neighbouring building, they embraced it to create a dedicated space for their growing contemporary worship services. After diligent research, the church’s leadership worked with local supplier, Nor Cal Pro Audio, to specify a modern lighting system that would allow maximum flexibility for the space, allowing it to be used both for services and as a community centre.

Headed up by Jorge González, Nor Cal Pro Audio specialises in providing audio and lighting installation services to a wide variety of establishments – but especially churches – throughout the North California area. Having started out as a sound tech, Jorge spent 11 years working at a well-known high street musical equipment retailer. This led to an increasing number of requests for him to carry out local equipment installation projects in his spare time. Eventually, he became so in-

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• Above The interior of the First Baptist Church of Stockton, illuminated

by ADJ products.

demand as an installer that he decided to make it his full-time career and founded Nor Cal Pro Audio in 2013.

The company quickly grew and now works with a large number of churches across the area, covering everything from smaller equipment servicing and repair jobs, to complete installations such as the First Baptist Of Stockton project. Jorge puts this success primarily down to his focus on excellent customer service. “When it comes to serving churches,” he explained, “our business model is to really look after our customers. For example, if a church’s console goes down, we’ll lend them ours while it is being fixed or a new one is delivered, so that it doesn’t impact their meetings. We’ll also often be there for big services at churches where we’ve installed all the gear, to make sure everything is working properly and they are making full use of the equipment they have. I always feel that I am blessed when I bless these churches by helping them out.”

Having acquired the building next door to use for their modern worship services, the First Baptist Church of Stockton leadership were clear that their new facility would make the most of the latest technology. The senior pastors, together with Head Media Tech, Saul Bello, headed to the WFX tradeshow to find out what was available on the market. Following this fact-

finding trip, they worked with Jorge who helped them whittle down their ‘dream wish list’ into a specification that would allow them to achieve their vision on the available budget.

“To work out exactly the right moving head fixture for the job,” explained Jorge, “we organised a shoot-out at the church’s new building. I arranged for a number of different lighting manufacturers to bring along their products, and Saul and the pastors decided that the ADJ Vizi CMY300 was the option they wanted to go for. They particularly liked the smooth colour mixing it offered - it really wowed them. The LED source was another important factor, they were very clear that they wanted all LED lighting, to save money on power and to avoid having to replace blown lamps.”

The Vizi CMY300 is a feature-rich hybrid moving head luminaire that can be used interchangeably as a beam, spot or wash. Its specially-designed 300W cool white LED engine allows it to generate a massive output that is suitable for use in large venues and on big stages. Meanwhile its extensive collection of beam shaping tools – including CMY colour mixing, two gobo wheels and two rotating prisms, as well as motorised zoom, focus and iris – provides lighting designers with maximum creative potential.

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For the First Baptist Church of Stockton project, Jorge and his team installed six of the fixtures on an upstage truss. This allows them to project gobo patterns down onto the stage, create mid-air beam effects above it and also generate washes of colour anywhere they are required. In addition, two further Vizi CMY300s were installed on a FOH truss, which can serve as spotlights. These fixtures are also fitted with custom gobo’s of the church’s logo, which can be projected onto blank walls at the sides of the auditorium.

To add static colour washing to the stage, seven of ADJ’s popular COB Cannon Wash fixtures are mounted to the upstage truss between each of the moving heads. These potent units harness the power of a 150W RGBA COB (Chip On Board) LED to generate smooth colour mixing and a broad even wash with no hot spots or colour shadows. With an extremely wide native beam angle of 80°, the units are supplied with easy to fit lenses that can be used to reduce the beam angle to 40° or 50° if required. Jorge opted for the 40° lens option for the First Baptist Church of Stockton stage, to create concentrated splashes of colour.

In addition, eight of the COB Cannon Wash DW versions of the fixture, which feature variable colour temperature white LED sources – are used to provide in-fill washing for the stage. Six units are hung directly above to provide downlight, and the remaining two fixtures are mounted at either side of the stage to provide side-fill. These fixtures

are also fitted with the 40° lens, while Jorge opted to use the optional barn door accessory on the side units to prevent stage light straying into the eyes of the congregation.

As well as being ideal for stage washing, the COB Cannon Wash is also an extremely popular fixture to use for house lighting in modern churches.

With its wide beam angle and powerful output, it is capable of generating a warm whitewash that is perfect for when the house lights are ‘up’.

However, it’s full-colour mixing ability then provides creative lighting designers with the option of bringing the colour palette used on stage out into the auditorium to fully immerse worshippers during a service.

“When we took out the old fluorescent lights that had been in the building before, we realised that the COB Cannon Washes fit like a glove into the old recessed fittings that were already in the roof,” explained Jorge. “It made the install very easy, we just took out the old lights, dropped in the COB Cannons and strapped them down so they couldn’t get knocked out of place. The result is very impressive and was surprisingly affordable for the church. I researched what an electrician would charge to supply and fit a regular dimmable house light, and it wasn’t actually that much less than we charged for the COB Cannons.

And, of course, they wouldn’t have the RGBA colour mixing or DMX control.”

A total of 47 COB Cannon Wash units are installed across the ceiling to provide house

lighting for the large space. To help with running a DMX signal to all of them, Jorge utilised four of ADJ’s D6 Branch signal splitter/amplifiers.

Each of these compact and sturdy units takes an incoming DMX signal, boosts it, and outputs it via six output (+ one thru) three-pin sockets.

This extensive lighting installation is rounded out by eight of ADJ’s Dotz Par tri-colour COB wash fixtures. Two of these illuminate the drummer, housed in a sound-proof booth at the rear of the stage, while the remaining units serve as truss warmers. The large six-legged, floor-standing truss structure is constructed from 180ft of Global Truss America F34 truss and not only supports all of the on-stage lighting fixtures but also serves as an integral part of the stage set thanks to the vibrant coloured light provided by the Dotz Pars.

The completed project provides the church with a state-of-the-art worship facility that combines a flexible stage rig with a house lighting system, which serves the necessary practical function as well as allowing the atmospheric colours from the stage to be extended throughout the whole space.

Jorge reports that everything went very smoothly throughout the install and the church leadership were extremely pleased with the end result. So it seems that ADJ’s professional lighting products together with Nor Cal Pro Audio’s emphasis on great customer service proved to be a winning combination.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION LIGHTING 54 x ADJ COB cannon wash fixture; 8 x ADJ COB Cannon Wash DW fixture; 8 x ADJ COB cannon wash DW fixture; 8 x ADJ Vizi CMY300 moving head; 8 x ADJ Dotz Par; 4 x ADJ D6 Branch splitter www.fbcstockton.church

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Nine Trees Shanghai Future Art Center Equipped with Meyer Sound

Nine Trees Shanghai Future Art Center opened to the public in late 2019 and is the new crown jewel for arts and culture in China’s most popular city. Located in the city’s Fengxian district, and nestled deep in a forest preserve, the Center’s organically inspired structure houses three theatre spaces equipped with Meyer Sound audio reinforcement systems. The largest auditorium also claims the first Meyer Sound Constellation active acoustic system in China.

The task of designing and constructing venues suited to this brief was undertaken by Shanghai’s EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) Agency, led by General Counsel, Le Shengli, and with lead technical assistance from Zhu Shijie, Theatre Director for the EPC. The project principals narrowed their focus to Constellation and initiated consultations with Meyer Sound’s Chinese distributor, Shanghai Broad Future Electro-Technology, Ltd. “Constellation offers greater flexibility and convenience for future operations,” said Zhu Shijie. “And accommodates a broader spectrum of

show programs. Also, when comparing to the alternatives, we thought that Constellation could bring other purer and more involved listening experience, compared to what the others could offer.”

Le and Zhu travelled to the Meyer Sound headquarters in Berkeley, California to experience Constellation’s acoustical capabilities first-hand in the Pearson Theatre and also to see how Constellation’s software, hardware and human design elements are seamlessly integrated.

Constellation is installed in the main theatre, which accommodates 1,200 patrons on two levels. The balanced physical room acoustic, with a reverberation time of about 1.2 seconds, can be enhanced with times up to about seven seconds. In addition, adjusting the warmth, strength and brightness can alter the subtle characteristics of the reverberation envelope.

During commissioning and tuning, 11 presets were created for different performance requirements, with additional presets open for future needs.

The desired acoustical characteristics are created via a total of 160 selfpowered, full-range loudspeakers (Ashby-5C, Ashby-8C, UPM-1XP, and

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UPJunior-XP) mounted laterally and overhead, with the lowest octaves reproduced by 16 compact subwoofers (12 UMS-1XPSM and four MM-10XP). To capture the acoustic ambience, 56 miniature condenser microphones are distributed throughout the space. In between the microphones and loudspeaker output, a D-Mitri digital audio platform comprising 21 modules provides the sophisticated DSP and matrixing, with five modules - one for each reverberation zone - dedicated to hosting the patented VRAS acoustical algorithm.

For direct sound reinforcement, the main theatre provides a system anchored by dual arrays of 13-each LEOPARD line array loudspeakers, with deep bass from four 1100-LFC low frequency control elements. Also deployed as subsystems for fills, delays and foldback are a total of four UPQ-1P, two UPQ-2P, two UPM-1P and 14 MM-4XP loudspeakers along with six MJF-210 stage monitors. Mounted over the proscenium - concealed behind a scrim - is a L-C-R system configured with 12 JM-1P and four UPQ-1P loudspeakers for, respectively, far- and near-field coverage. Three GALAXY 816 processors

enable system drive and optimisation.

The two smaller venues in the complex are also furnished with Meyer Sound reinforcement systems. The 500-seat multi-functional theatre relies on a system based on 12 LINA line array loudspeakers and six 750-LFC lowfrequency control elements that can be flown or groundstacked as needed for the event at hand. Completing the system here are two UPA-1P loudspeakers, six MJF-210 stage monitors and a GALAXY 816 processor. The 300-seat theatre is covered by two CAL 64 loudspeakers with advanced beam steering for the main system, augmented by two 750-LFC elements, two UPJ-1P loudspeakers, six MJF-208 stage monitors and a GALAXY 816 processor.

Overall design of the entire Center was by the French firm Frederic Rolland International, with theatre design by Thomas Yee of San Franciscobased STUDIOS Architecture. Joseph Myers, president of the renowned Kierkegaard acoustical consulting firm, designed physical acoustics for the theatres. www.meyersound.com

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ORIENTAL PEARL RADIO AND TELEVISION TOWER SHANGHAI, CHINA APAC

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The Oriental Pearl Radio & Television Tower (OPT) is arguably the most recognisable feature of Shanghai’s world-famous skyline, so when the management decided to integrate a new design into what was already an iconic landmark, nothing was left to chance.

In 2019, plans were made to improve the experience for the thousands of visitors that pass through the OPT’s ground floor foyer each year by turning the inside of its lower ‘pearl’ into a single, 2,500 sq metre projection surface.

The content of this 12-minute display was intended to demonstrate the main strengths of Shanghai to its audience: the city’s improving infrastructure; its various cultural treasures; its playfulness; and - its status as a popular tourist destination. These four aspects would be represented by four characters, and the show would run permanently every night for the next five years.

In order to help realise this ambitious vision, the client first decided to bring in China’s premiere multimedia

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production company, Motion Magic, which in turn secured the services of Hungary-based projection mapping specialist, Maxin10sity.

Although the two companies had no prior experience of working together, the team from Motion Magic were so impressed by Maxin10sity’s extensive portfolio the decision was made on the strength of that alone.

“The entire process started with a storyboarding phase where four of us stayed in Shanghai for a month,” said Agnes Szentannai, Project Manager at Maxin10sity. “During this period, the client firstly had to approve each storyboard as a sketch version, then the second step was adding more colours and details. Every few weeks, we gave a presentation about the current state of the project and, based on the client’s feedback, we then modified some parts. Maintaining good communication, both internally and with the client, was essential during this process;

particularly as we were using cultural elements and symbolic patterns that had to be represented correctly.”

With tight deadlines, constant revisions, and a high bar to meet in terms of quality; the process was sometimes a difficult one.

“Even with the entire team working day and night, it was a slow process,” said Agnes. “During the evening tests, we found that certain elements had to be polished in order to perfectly reproduce the visual world we’d imagined. Even so, it was the spirit of teamwork and the enthusiasm to get the project off the ground that helped us through this initial phase.”

With the final design eventually agreed upon, it was time to proceed with the 3D aspect of the production. In order to help with this colossal undertaking, Maxin10sity hired two other collaborators - Ouchhh and Mindscape Studio, which meant there was now four different offices www.mondodr.com

working on the project, each with diverse working hours and methods.

“Both the dimensions and the shape of the surface brought us numerous challenges throughout this period,” said Agnes. “Mainly because the façade is huge, yet close enough to the audience to require high resolution content. We had to experiment a lot with the technical set-up, which forced us to think outside of the box sometimes. We also had to consider the different points of view for the animation, as the audience had access to see it from two levels, each of which offered different angles. We had to consider the best option to avoid the distortion as much as possible.”

After numerous meetings and consultations, it was up to Motion Magic to make the final choice in terms of the equipment that would be used to realise this project. The company opted for 30 Panasonic PT-RZ21K projectors to cover the entire 2,500 sq metre façade of the dome-shaped

118 VENUE - APAC

•Above One of the projections on the side of the iconic Oriental Pearl and Television Tower

ceiling of the ground level of OPT, all of which were operated by Watchout media servers.

Agnes said: “The design has been changing right up until the very last moment; so, while certain parts remained close to the concept idea, some other scenes changed drastically over the two months.

Tamás Vaspöri, Managing Director at Maxin10sity, concluded: “Ultimately, the client was very happy with the finished version. Firstly, because the projection

display is sure to drive even more visitors to the OPT, and secondly due to the fact that the collaboration has strengthened their international relationships.

Everyone was more than satisfied with the final content and Motion Magic have expressed their wishes to work with us again in the future. Since the project, we have also become an official international partner of the OPT. “This project was a huge experience for us. It provided numerous challenges but we had a strong and close

TECHNICAL INFORMATION VISUAL 30 x Panasonic PT-RZ21K projector www.orientalpearltower.com

www.mondodr.com

communication, which meant we were able to brainstorm for the most suitable yet fast solution. We not only reached the deadlines, we also kept the quality, therefore I believe the teamwork helped overcome the challenges.

In the end, we are happy to create a spectacle that entertains millions of people every year in the most iconic building in Shanghai. Projections on this scale are really enchanting, and we are so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of such a significant project.”

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120 VENUE - APAC

ALIEN•C

Located in Yinchuan - capital city of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in China, roughly 700 miles west of Beijing - ALIEN•C has become the first nightclub in a series of massive venues throughout the country to feature a full PK Sound loudspeaker system.

The 37,000 sq ft club features a roughly 11,000 sq ft main floor powered by two hangs of Trinity 10 line arrays, a separate VIP room, and several karaoke rooms - all of which are powered by PK. Distributed by Beijing-based Polar Audio, PK Sound loudspeakers have continued to deliver a top tier quality of sound since ALIEN•C

YINCHUAN, CHINA APAC

www.mondodr.com

121 VENUE - APAC

• Above The incredible interior of ALIEN•C nightclub

opened its doors on November 18, wowing local club-goers and visitors to the city alike, with sets accompanied by a stunning array of lights and onscreen visual displays.

When designing the club’s new audio system, Polar Audio worked closely with the club owners to determine what it was exactly that they wanted out of their new system and allowing them to be versatile with their design and choices.

“They have a huge visual component to this club, which needed to be taken into consideration when designing the sound system,” said Trevor Grenier, Senior Accounts Manager at PK Sound.

“We needed it to still sound amazing without hindering their impressive video display.

PK was a great choice because of our high SPL. It’s a giant nightclub, with a very large main room, so the Trinity 10 line array

was a good choice for that space to get coverage all the way to the back of the room. With the Trinity 10, we were able to put up a very compact, clean-looking PA system that didn’t bury their giant LED walls.”

Unlike many clubs in North America, Chinese mega-clubs like Yinchuan’s ALIEN•C design their sound systems to cover the entire length, from wall to wall, rather than focussing most of the sound on a relatively small dance floor in the middle.

“We had to have a consistent and even pattern all the way through the venue because everyone is generally sitting down or dancing at their tables,” Trevor said. “It’s quite an interesting scenario compared to a North American-style club, where you’re focussing all your energy on the 1,000 sq ft where everyone is hanging out.

122 VENUE - APAC

TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOUND 7 x PK Sound Trinity 10 line array; 4 x PK Sound CX800 subwoofer; 6 x PK Sound Klarity 12 loudspeaker; 4 x PK Sound Gravity 218 subwoofer; 4 x PK Sound CX215; 4 x PK Sound CX800 loudspeaker www.pksound.ca

• Above The DJ booth and dancefloor inside the club featuring PK Sound loudspeaker

“In these Chinese clubs, it’s literally front-to-back, side-to-side, top-tobottom - filled with people,” he added.

“They don’t move from their general locations very often, so it can be a bit of a challenge, but we were able to attain a good and consistent energy throughout at ALIEN•C.” In addition to the two main hangs, featuring seven Trinity 10 boxes per side, ALIEN•C fills out the sound using four CX800 and six Klarity 12 loudspeakers for delays throughout, as well as four Gravity 218 subwoofers. PK Sound also supplied ALIEN•C’s monitor system, which boasts Klarity 12 and Klarity 218 loudspeakers, as well as the VIP room’s four CX215 and four CX800 loudspeakers.

Polar Audio’s Hawking Yuan said that in addition to its mesmerising visual display,

the PK Sound loudspeaker system makes ALIEN•C stand out from other nightclubs in Yinchuan.

“The Trinity 10 line arrays sound clear, transparent, and aggressive, while the Gravity 218 subwoofers surround the audience with a full bass sound,” he said.

Trevor describes ALIEN•C as a “true sight to behold” as, in terms of production, the club is at the same level as a stage at Glastonbury or Coachella. The floor to ceiling covered LED panels create a hypnotic illusion that captivates onlookers and partygoers, immersing them in a one-of-a-kind club experience that China is close to pioneering. “I see night club technology going further and further across the west, with China’s desire for high-quality and over the top production leading the way. The effort given to www.mondodr.com

achieve a level of entertainment hasn’t come close to anywhere I’ve travelled so far. Everything lights up, everything makes sound, and everything is moving.

The machine and robotic technology is some of the most captivating parts of the installations. I think this trend of amazing production and high-quality venues will be more and more prevalent across the club industry,” concluded Trevor.

Now outfitted with a system capable of throwing sound from the main floor up to its 80 ft high ceilings, ALIEN•C entertains a packed house of partygoers on a nightly basis. With the success of this first club featuring PK Sound, Polar Audio looks forward to the next series of clubs they plan to outfit with PK Sound loudspeakers.

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SHOW PREVIEW: PROLIGHT & SOUND FRANKFURT

EXPO: NAMM CALIFORNIA

EXPO: ISE • Page 134

• Page 152

AMSTERDAM

COMPANY VISIT • Page 156

• Page 178

POWERSOFT

ANNIVERSARY SONODYNE

IN DETAIL CLF LIGHTING KORG VOID

PRODUCT GUIDE LASERS & SFX

PRODUCT DIRECTORY LAST PAGE INTERVIEW ANNA ROBERTS

126 SH OW P REVIEW - P ROLIGH T + SOUND

ADJ Lighting Hydro Wash X19

PROLIGHT + SOUND

www.adj.com/hydro-wash-x19

26 - 29 May Messe, Frankfurt

→ 19x Osram 40W RGBW (4-IN-1) LEDs → IP65 outdoor rated → ADJ’s WiFLY EXR Wireless DMX built-in → Control modes: DMX-512, KlingNet and Artnet → Motorised Zoom

Due to the increased spread of the coronavirus in Europe, Messe Frankfurt decided to postpone Prolight + Sound after intensive consultations.

The show will now take place from the 26th to the 29th May 2020.

Existing visitor tickets will also be valid in May 2020.

Amate Audio G7 Premium

Amate Audio X102FD

www.amateaudio.com

www.amateaudio.com → High performance, high SPL, lightweight, compact 2-inch by 10-inch full-range point source cabinet. → IMeasuring just 704 mm x 330 mm x 460 mm and weighing under 32 kg, with 136 dB constant program SPL and rotatable HF horn, the X102FD is the perfect alternative to the line array in demanding applications where it is impossible or impractical to deploy substantial flying infrastructure. → Truly multi-functional system is equally exceptional in main FOH, front-fill, out-fill and side-fill applications. → Touchscreen controlled onboard ACTIVE+ power and control technology, with advanced FIR/IIR filtering, 2400 + 600 W Class D amplification and multi-channel DSP system management. Multiple application specific control pre-sets for near-instantaneous system configuration in regularly encountered applications. → MEthernet / Wi-Fi remote control with DSPStudio3 app, and Dante AoIP.

→ Premium installation loudspeaker with unique, exclusive Amate Audio design, and exceptional sound quality and sonic performance from a loudspeaker of this configuration. → EN54-24 certifiable ABS plastic enclosure with easy install custom wall bracket and reworked connection panel. → Exceptional bass response delivered from the 6.5-inch LF driver – equivalent to that of an eight-inch driver – as a result of its advanced design and carbon-fiber membrane. → Neodymium tweeter with a one-inch titanium dome coupled to a 12dB frequency divider, provides exceptional linear response, high reliability and 120W (music program) power handling. → Available in low impedance (16 ohms/ 120 W) variant, or with 100 V line transformer and 5W /10W /20 W /40W selector; and in black, white and titanium colour schemes.

ROE Visual Helios Processing www.roevisual.com → The Helios LED processing platform re-imagines LED processing to support large-format LED displays for use in demanding projects, like events, broadcast touring or fixed installations. → Helios is compatible with video sources up to 8K resolution and utilizes the latest distribution infrastructure for the best performance and reliability. → The in- and outputs of the Helios processing platform utilise SFP+ ports, a compact, hot-pluggable network interface. No need

for fixed interfaces, your processor capacity can easily scale to your required needs with the use of the SFP+ modules, → Easy, real-time panel mapping allows for fast setup. Your mapping is automatically saved and you can see changes without the need to refresh the browser. → The Helios LED processing platform has been designed to work with the following ROE Visual LED panels: Sapphire, Diamond, Ruby, Black Quartz, Amber, Jasper

www.mondodr.com

127 SH OW P REVIEW - P ROLIGH T + SOUND

Harmonic Design www.harmonic-design.com → Passive coaxial speaker with 1x 12-ich N + 1x 1.4-inch N → Power handling 500 W / 2400 W (AES / peak) → Coverage 80° x 80° → Operation on any amplifier thanks to integrated XO → Optionally BI-AMP operation via toggle switch, operating angles 15°/ 32°/ 38°/45° via integrated riser, weight 16 kg

HOF 200-2 Grid Truss www.h-of.de

Schnick Schnack Systems LED-Strip C25-Cut

→ Can be used both as a hanging system or as a ground supported system, → Can be used in a horizontal as well as vertical direction, and also as an underconstruction for platforms or podiums. → Connectors have integrated hanging points for maximum 500kg each. → Several grid sizes or shapes can be made with 200-2 Grid Truss. → Thanks to its small size of 200x50mm it is a space saving truss when transported and looks great in every grid – at concerts and at exhibition booths.

www.schnick.schnack.systems → Comes with a standard length of 500mm. → Optimised for individual shaping: the strip can be ordered cut at every pixel from 10 to 20. → Automatic Addressing System (Smart Link) – no addressing at the board. → Equal brightness despite different lengths. → Compatible with the standard series from Schnick-Schnack-Systems and its control systems.

Truss Aluminium Factory Pre-Rig Truss www.trussaluminium.com → Available in two designs (PR1 & PR2). Both designs are engineered in two standard lengths (1,2m and 2,4m). → Male/female connector enables vertical/horizontal connection. → Advanced fork connector comes with profound threading that enables to pull out each connector up to 70mm from the tube and secure it with safety ring. → Therefore there is no need to use any additional corners or connection accessories in order to create angles 0°-14° with the PR2 trussing segments. → Easy stackability is ensured by pre-designed features at the dolleys and special profiles on the truss itself.

www.mondodr.com

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• Rob from Void Acoustics

• Luca from Powersoft with their new distributor

• Franco from Sagiter

• DiGiCo launch the new Quantum 338

• The EAW team

• The ADJ team

NAMM

• Darcy from Adamson

ANAHEIM / 16-19 JANUARY

This year, the show welcomed over 2,000 exhibitors, representing 7,000 brands, across all areas of the NAMM Show campus. Of the 115,888 attendees, international members accounted for almost 20% growth over two years.

“The NAMM Show is the ultimate opportunity for industry professionals to come together to share their passion for music, build relationships and learn from each other through the vast array of educational and networking opportunities that the Show has to offer,” said Chair of the NAMM Board of Directors, Chris Martin of C.F. Martin.

“It’s a place where we hold each other up, cheer each other on and strengthen the industry as a whole.”

Highlights from the show floor: ADJ was a significant presence at this year’s show, launching and debuting an array of new products, including its range of wireless LED • The Mountain Productions team

• Sunny California

uplighters, The Element ST HEX. Building on the success of ADJ’s popular Element Hex, the new model features an extremely compact design as well as a full-colour touch screen display for an easy setup and DMX addressing. The new Focus Spot 2X, was on show, building on the immense popularity of the original Focus Spot Two moving head fixture. The new fixture is now available with increased brightness thanks to its upgraded 100W LED engine.

Also featured was the MOD STQ, the latest addition to ADJ’s range of LED-powered parstyle wash fixtures. MDF (Magnetic Dance Floor) System, a robust, portable LED dance floor solution was introduced to the industry along with ADJ’s new Entour Chill, a high-output lowlying fog machine, which uses standard waterbased fog juice and ice cubes to generate an effect similar to that of dry ice.

Industry professionals experienced LD Systems’ • Alex from Presonus

www.mondodr.com

new product solutions and brand design at the Adam Hall Group booth. Highlights included the new active column PA system MAUI 44 G2 with 1,500W RMS, 130 dB Max. An SPL and cardioid loudspeaker configuration ideal for solo musicians, DJs, entertainers and permanent installations. Thanks to its DynX DSP technology the MAUI 44 G2 delivers a distortion-free sound at even maximum volumes. The new ICOA series active coaxial PA loudspeakers were on show, true all-rounders for full-range, satellite and monitor applications.

Previewed to a very positive response at Prolight+Sound last year, the new Alcons LR24 pro-ribbon line-array system made its global debut at NAMM. The LR24 is a three-way, biamped mid-size format line-array system; loaded with Alcons’ multiple-patented pro-ribbon technology for mid and high frequencies, the system features an unusually high dynamic range • Neutrik Stand

129 EX P O

• A busy Ashly Audio booth

• The AVID stand

• B&C Speakers booth

• The Audio-Technica stand

• The Lectrosonics booth

• The Martin Audio demo area

with a fast impulse response and up-to-90% less distortion. This results in an intuitive linear response, with optimal intelligibility and noncompressed identical tonal balance at any SPL. Allen & Heath offered a number of AES Academy live sound classes, with veteran FOH and monitor engineer Michael Bangs (Aerosmith, Eric Clapton, Katy Perry, et al.) The UK-based console brand hosted hands-on masterclass training, offering insight into mixing techniques for festivals, houses of worship, broadcast, and other live applications. Daily dLive certification courses rounded out Allen & Heath’s extensive AES Academy training offerings, with those enrolled earning CTS International Renewal Unit (RU) credits. A compact dLive Wings rig comprised of a C1500 control surface and DM48 MixRack was selected as the console of choice for the NAMM Loudspeaker System Showcase, mixing loudspeakers from 14 different companies in the Anaheim Convention Center Arena.

After a recent change in ownership, APBDynaSonics announced the relaunch of a range of its most popular products – the MixSwitch, ProRack-House and ProSpec lines. After APB has stocked its warehouse, attention will turn

• Cliff from Audix

• SBS and Brad from Avolites

• NST, Full Fat Audio and Funktion One

to producing updated versions of the desktop ProDesk-4, followed by the ProDesk-8. In addition, it was announced that a new version of MixSwitch is in design that will include digital, analog, and Dante inputs and outputs with an expanded feature set making the unit more usable in a wider variety of touring and fixed install applications.

Ashly Audio debuted seven new loudspeaker models, these included column loudspeakers, a passive subwoofer, passive all-weather loudspeakers and passive all-weather loudspeakers with built-in transformer.

Audinate released a major update to Dante Domain Manager at this year’s show. Version 1.1 brings key improvements and new features to users and integrators, new flexible installation options can be expected, along with improved email alerts and notifications, support for SMPTE 2110 devices and secure access to LDAP and SMTP servers.

Audio-Technica announced the expansion of its acclaimed 3000 Series. The ATW-R3210N receiver, which received its NAMM debut this year, now allows network control and monitoring along with the same easy setup, www.mondodr.com

versatile operation and rock-solid, richly detailed high-fidelity sound as standard 3000 Series components.

Countryman Associates introduced the portable Phantom Power Supply. Countryman’s characteristic combination of uncompromising high audio performance, flexible settings, and rugged build sets their new Phantom Power Supply apart from other devices which transmit DC electric power through microphone cables.

With its combination of standout features, the Countryman Phantom Power Supply is poised to be an invaluable audio tool in both live and studio recording settings.

D.A.S. Audio celebrated its 25th Anniversary at the show by launching two important new product lines: The Icon Series and E11EVEN Sound. The E11EVEN SOUND series has been specifically designed to cover all the needs of nightclub installations, bringing sound back to the forefront of the nightclub sensory experience. dBTechnologies unveiled a forward-thinking generation of new VIO loudspeakers that promises to expand the product line’s usability.

Built upon a newly-engineered and entirely different platform that marries the best attributes

130 EX P O

• The RCF team

of a traditional line array system with those of a point-source system, the enclosures are a hybrid amalgamation of technology that draws upon the same audio and build quality the industry has come to expect of VIO products, all while delivering much more in terms of scalability and flexibility.

DiGiCo debuted its new Quantum 5 console, following on from the huge success of DiGiCo’s flagship Quantum 7. As with Quantum 7, the Quantum 5 engine slots neatly into the existing SD5 frame and, with its 37 faders and three 15-inch full-colour TFT touchscreens, provides Quantum processing features, power and connectivity in both new and existing hardware.

Dpa Microphones were on location highlighting the newest versions of its 6000 Series, including the lightweight, one-size-fits-all 6066 CORE Headset. The 6060 and 6061 CORE Lavaliers also have new colour offerings - brown and white, as well as a white eight-way clip.

Elation showcased its new range of lighting products, including the Smarty MAX, an extreme-output spot/beam/wash hybrid moving head featuring a new Platinum FLEX 400 lamp rated at 480W with up to 4,000 hours of smart lamp life. Fuze SFX, a new concept LED Spot FX fixture was also on show. The SFX is capable of projecting tight beams to wide washes using a highly efficient optical design, while providing over 12,000 lumens of output from its 300W white LED engine. Three new fixtures in Elation’s Paladin series of blinder/strobe/wash lights were

• The Renkus-Heinz team

• The Focusrite and Novation press call

on display - the Paladin Cube, Paladin Brick and Paladin Panel - all with IP65 protection. These compact and powerful outdoor floodlights are useful for a wide variety of applications and can flexibly be used from either a floor or truss position.

Showing alongside the new lighting products were the brand-new Magmatic range, as well as the latest lighting control products from Obsidian Control Systems.

Electro-Voice launched the EVOLVE 30M compact column loudspeaker with onboard mixer, DSP and effects. Equipped with the most complete feature set in its class, including an eight-channel digital mixer, studio-quality onboard effects, and remote control of all audio, effects and mix functions via the next-generation Electro-Voice QuickSmart Mobile application.

The fully configurable app has an intuitive, easyto-read user interface and utilises Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) technology for the adjustment and monitoring of all parameters of up to six EVOLVE 30M systems simultaneously, ideal for smaller venues.

The Focusrite Group, which is composed of the brands Focusrite, Focusrite Pro, Novation, Ampify Music (software and sounds) and ADAM Audio, united under the theme ‘Removing Barriers to Creativity.’ The featured technology aimed to enrich lives through music by encouraging and facilitating creative work. Showcasing interfaces, midi controllers, synths, music creation apps, loudspeakers and

• The Mega Systems team

www.mondodr.com

headphones.

Genelec expanded The Ones series of ultimatepoint source monitors to bring uncompromised precision listening to a much wider range of room sizes, listening distances and SPL requirements. The announcement of the new 8351B and 8361A coaxial three-way monitors alongside the complementary W371A Adaptive Woofer System means that The Ones family now delivers uniquely uncoloured and neutral reference monitoring performance - from ultranearfield through to mastering-calibre and main monitor applications.

Innovox showed its Architectural and Flex Video line of products, including Micro Focus, a Flex Focus line-array solution housed in a very slim-profile form factor. Two made-to-measure vertical line arrays match the exact height of the customer’s video display, while the LF module and system electronics are wall-mounted behind the display for high-performance audio with a discreet design.

JBL launched its IRX Series -a brand new addition to its iconic line-up of portable PA loudspeakers, while the JBL EON ONE Compact - the latest entry into the EON ONE family of portable PA’s, made its debut at the show.

L-Acoustics debuted the new Kara II modular line source. Kara II morphs to fit any design, offering consistent coverage and SPL distribution with precise focus in four different directivity patterns: 70° or 110° symmetrical and 90° asymmetrical, steering to either the left or right.

132 EX P O

• The TW AUDiO booth

In its 70° configuration, Kara II packs a full 2 dB more than in 110°.

Exhibiting for the first time and already nominated for a NAMM TEC Award, MERGING+ANUBIS unveiled a new virtual audio compatible with later Mojave 10.14.5/10.14.6 and the new Catalina 10.15.x OS. The ability to control the PreAmps remotely from any web browser is also a major convenience for many Anubis users and is available on the latest version of firmware.

Meyer Sound booked its largest-ever exhibit space for this year’s NAMM. The booth fronted an adjacent, spacious demo room fully stocked with the latest additions to Meyer Sound’s line of self-powered loudspeakers.

The booth featured the ULTRA-X40 point source loudspeaker displayed in multiple rigging and array configurations, demonstrating its versatility across a broad spectrum of main and fill applications.

Following the success of its inaugural Loudspeaker System Showcase at the 2019 NAMM show, Crest Audio, a Peavey Commercial Audio brand, flew in for round two with its Versarray PRO powered line array system in tow. The Loudspeaker System Showcase offered attendees a unique opportunity to hear the Versarray PRO in the real-world environment of the Anaheim Convention Center Arena.

Powersoft announced the latest update to its audio system management software ArmoníaPlus.

HealthPlus, which replaces the software’s previous ‘Events’ tab, gives sound engineers a streamlined monitoring environment of all

• Ross from Solid State Logic

• The Shure booth

• Rusty and colleague from K-Array

elements in a given sound system with improved communication, control and reporting to ensure even better performance than ever before.

HealthPlus’s updated display gives engineers a complete suite of system diagnostic controls to monitor the health and effectiveness of any sound system in real-time, so can be used with a touring PA or in fixed installations like cinemas, airports or theme parks.

RCF reworked the NX 10-A platform, developing a new transducer, new amplifier technology and a new cabinet shape, with FiRPHASE included.

The NX 10-A II is a flexible tool for deploying high power and pristine audio, whether as a stand-alone loudspeaker, with subwoofer extension or a stage monitor. It is also the perfect complement to the high-powered HDL systems or NXL arrays, while it incorporates much of the power and accessories of TT+.

Renkus-Heinz showcased the scientific advantage of digitally steerable solutions at NAMM by highlighting the DC12/2 and the ICLive X Series.

The DC12/2 is the first digitally steered array with control via smartphone or tablet. This means integrators can install quickly and strategically use several pre-defined presets through an iOS or Android device to tailor the system for the specific environment. The ICLive X series is a complete system, designed from the ground up, consisting of two freely combinable, steerablearray modules, the ICLX and ICLXL, and a matching subwoofer, the ICLX-118S. RTS launched the BTR-30N two-channel narrow-band UHF/VHF wireless system, the latest addition to its extensive professional

• Alex from Void

www.mondodr.com

• Rich from XTA

intercom portfolio. The BTR-30N frequencyagile base station supports up to four TR-30N (dual channel) or TR-32N (dual-channel stereo) frequency-agile beltpacks. The system’s hybrid dual-band UHF/VHF design makes it a flexible and user-friendly choice for today’s changing and shrinking RF environment - reliable, highperformance, high-fidelity communications delivered with minimum spectrum usage. It is ideal for a wide range of everyday wireless intercom applications, including, event production, hotels/cruise ships, houses of worship, theatres and more.

VUE offered an immersive demo with Dante audio using e-351POE’s SystemVUE 3.8.X, a preview of the new release of its network control software dropping publicly soon.

Yamaha launched new white models of its flagship DZR/CZR series and DXS XLF/ CXS XLF loudspeakers/subwoofers. Since its introduction in 2018, the black models of these loudspeaker systems have established a reputation for exceptional accuracy and signature sound, proving popular in a wide variety of applications, from touring artists and DJs to live venues and multi-purpose spaces. All DZR/CZR and DXS XLF/CXS XLF models will be available in the new white finish, providing more options for a greater variety of uses, such as hotel banquets, houses of worship and auditoriums, where a high-quality audio system needs to blend into the interior space.

The NAMM Show 2021 returns to Anaheim on 21 - 24 January 2021.

For more information, go to: www.namm.org

• The Sennheiser stand

134 EX P O

• Rob from Meyer Sound

• VUE Audiotechnik and SE Audiotechnik booths

• The Belden team

• The DiGiCo team

• The Powersoft team

• Lightlink

ISE

AMSTERDAM / 11-14 FEBRUARY

ISE was back at the RAI in Amsterdam this year, welcoming some of the biggest names from the audiovisual world across four busy days. Completing its 15-year stay in the city, ISE delivered a vibrant exhibition floor and compelling programme of content that included conferences, keynotes and a host of training sessions.

While attendance at the show was understandably down this year due the Coronavirus chaos, crowds still flocked to the event, seeing the 2020 exhibition reach a cumulative total of 116,599 visitors. Looking to ISE 2021 and warmer climes in Barcelona, over 950 exhibitors have already booked stands, with over 61,968 sq metres of stand space sold by the end of the 2020 show.

• Neil from Dicolor with Jamie from mondo*dr and Judy Wang from WWFM

Highlights from the show floor at this year’s ISE included: Absen’s booth, which stretched across an impressive 324 sq metres of floor space, representing the company’s largest ever presence at the show. It showcased its latest range of MiniLED products for the fixed installation and rental markets. These products are ultra-fine pixel pitch LED panels, incorporating four-in-one pixel configuration and common cathode technology. These boast superior visual performance, flatness and contrast, making them 2.5 times stronger than standard SMD LED – not to mention 20% more energy efficient.

AED Group launched its own loudspeaker brand, AED Audio, at this year’s ISE. A

• The Audinate team

www.mondodr.com

number of its new products were on show including the FLEX6 loudspeaker, a multi-use product suitable for a range of installations, the SOLID15 subwoofer that packs a powerful punch, and also the SOLID28 powered subwoofer, a double 18-inch band pass product with a 3,000W RMS robust amplifier module, giving a huge output of 137 SPL. Amate Audio launched two new products, the X212AF active programmable line array and the X218WF subwoofer. Ideal for larger applications, the X212AF has large sound production capabilities. The two, 12-inch low frequency, four six-inch mid frequency, dual three-inch high frequency, full-range, totally phase coherent design raises the bar for efficiency in a line array system. The

• Anna and Stephanie from Tripleplay

135 EX P O

• Fran from mondo*dr with Petra from Adam Hall

• Tony from Funktion-One

• Geert from AED

• Carina from Optoma

• Waring from XTA

• David from RAM Audio

• Nicki and Amy from VOID Acoustics with Emma D from mondo*dr

• Juan from Equipson

• A member of the Biamp team

• The Holoplot team

• Jerome and Alexander from MAG Audio

136 EX P O

• Frauke from Speaker Trade

• The K-Array press call

• Robin from Harmonic Design

combination of two 18-inch subwoofers with a four-inch long excursion voice coil, 5,000W amplification, in-built DSP with F.I.R filters and Dante networking, makes the X218WF very advanced subwoofers.

Atlona expanded its HDVS Series of PTZ cameras at this year’s show. The new models offer HDBaseT and HDMI outputs, providing integrators with flexible options to build systems for conferencing and other applications inside meeting spaces, training rooms and classrooms, among other audiovisual environments. The AT-HDVSCAM-HDMI features HDMI outputs plus a USB 2.0 interface for video and camera

• Noel from Ashly Audio

• Brian from LEA Professional

• Steve from Kling & Freitag

control. The AT-HDVS-CAM-HDMI adds value by enabling multi-usage applications for live presentation, recording, streaming and conferencing. The company also announced the second generation Volocity AV Control Platform, the industry’s first fully IP enabled control solution, continuing to lead in scalability, reliability and ROI. Avonic returned to ISE 2020 premiering the benefits of its new IP-based software upgrades for the CM44 Series of PTZ Cameras. With the new software upgrade, the range has now become even more versatile and interoperable than before. With full HD 1080p30 image output, delivered by a 1/2.8-inch high-quality,

• The Unilumin conference in full swing

• Mike from EM Acoustics

• The Outline team

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138 EX P O

• Cat and colleague from ETC

• An Amate Audio team member

2.07 megapixel CMOS sensor, the CM44 is able to combine digital noise reduction techniques to deliver exceptional clarity, even in low light conditions. The CM70 was also a key feature of the booth, the range enables optimised IP streaming, and offers significant IP advantages by utilising upgraded encoding engines and by being highly interoperable with third-party applications.

Barix released IP Former, the company’s newest innovation for adding IP networking capabilities to new or existing loudspeaker designs. Replacing the 70/100V transformer traditionally used with analogue loudspeakers, the PoE-powered IP former provides an IP network interface, audio stream decoder and amplifier front-end for any two- to eight-ohm loudspeaker.

BenQ unveiled the DuoBoard at ISE, the new platform-agnostic interactive flat panel (IFP).

As well as this advancement, it introduced the CS-series that enhances collaboration by providing fluid transition between applications to make meetings more efficient. BenQ also demonstrated the latest addition to its wireless presentation device series, InstaShow WDC20C, which now provides users with a USB-C compatible solution. Two new models were introduced into its stretch display range, including the BH3801D, a double sided 38inch stretch display, as well as the BH2401T, a 24-inch stretch display with touch capabilities.

ISE 2020 saw beyerdynamic launch its UNITE communication system. The new full-duplex mode allows the UNITE access point to be used as a four channel receiver with an individual return channel for wireless microphone scenarios. The integrated DSPs in the transmitters compensate voices of varying volume or speaking distances and background noise can be suppressed. The latest update

• NOVASTAR

• Link’s vibrant stand at this year’s show

and the introduction of the request-to-talk function provides flexibility, because the guide controls the conversation directly by assigning or deleting all microphones. The new Sidetone function allows active monitoring, with which the user’s own voice can be played back through the headphones.

Biamp held an AVIXA FlashTrack session at the show, led by Jim Seretis, Consultant Liaison and Business Development Manager for Australia and New Zealand at Biamp. The session explored the barriers of traditional microphone technology when used in live events. As well as this, Biamp also presented a number of new installation solutions from across its portfolio.

At ISE 2020, Black Box showcased highperformance solutions for modern, IPbased and 4K audiovisual visualisation and distribution. Products on display included the iCOMPEL digital signage platform and the MCM multimedia management system, a new multimedia distribution and management system that takes advantage of SDVoE and modern 10 GbE infrastructure to allow audiovisual and data payloads to exist on the same IT networks. As well as this, Black Box showcased its Radian Flex software-based video wall processing platform and Emerald Unified KVM platform - designed for seamless flexibility and network security.

Brompton Technology gave the first European showing of its Dynamic Calibration technology and launched its latest LED processor, the Tessera S8, on its largest ever stand. Dynamic Calibration takes a unique and revolutionary approach to maintaining uniformity, while unlocking the full potential of LEDs to achieve outstanding levels of brightness and colour saturation. The new Tessera S8 LED processor, meanwhile, is a

• Josef from Robe

www.mondodr.com

• Yorick from Broaman

• A member of the BenQ team

• The Shure team

140 EX P O

• The Cadac press conference

• The TOA Audio team

• The Prolights stand this year

• Kristine Fowler with colleague from QSC

• Michaela and colleague from Sagitter

• The Clair Brothers team

• Matteo from Eighteen Sound

• The Solid State Logic booth

cost-effective solution for high profile projects that do not require the large output capacity of the Tessera SX40 processor, but still want to benefit from the flexibility of Brompton’s Tessera feature set and easy-to-use software.

Bose Professional announced Bose Work, which includes the new Bose Videobar VB1 all-in-one USB conference device, the new Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 UC and ControlSpace EX components. From desktop and mobile conferencing products to all-in-one huddle space devices and fully integrated meeting rooms systems, Bose Work delivers

• A colleague from Renkus Heinz at its 2020 booth

consistent performance, making interactions more natural and productive, while helping people feel more connected and engaged in work environments.

The Christie experience at ISE this year included MicroTiles LED with 3D capabilities, a full lineup of tiled and discrete LCD panels, the Crimson 31 laser projector, and the debut of both the Christie Roadie 4K40-RGB and the Christie Mirage SST projector. At the heart of the booth, using four Christie D20WUHS Series projectors, was a 360º 3D projection mapping display with augmented reality. Managing booth visuals was the Christie Spyder X80,

• Dom from Martin Audio

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142 EX P O

• Solveig from Schnick Shnack Systems

• The Lightware team

the Christie Mystique for automated 3D camera-based alignment, Christie Pandoras Box in 64-bit, and Terra SDVoE AV- over-IP solutions.

Clear-Com focussed on its awardwinning FreeSpeak Edge System. The latest edition to the FreeSpeak family of digital wireless intercom solutions operates in the 5GHz band and delivers the clearest 12kHz audio quality with ultra-low latency and advanced RF performance, even in high multi-path environments.

This year’s ISE saw Datapath announce the new flagship fx4-HDR, the latest addition to its award-winning x-Series range of video processors. Building on the success of its Fx4 and x4 predecessors, the Datapath Fx4-HDR brings superb HDR 10-bit colour clarity, 4K60 resolution, as well as audio support into the mix. Supporting a choice of HDMI 2.0 and two additional 1.4 inputs, the Fx4-HDR is fully HDCP2.2 capable and supports a high bandwidth loop-through for daisy-chaining multiple devices and creating large video walls.

Digital Projection returned to Amsterdam with the first European showing of its Satellite Modular Laser System. This new technology offers a small number of simple building blocks that allows users to address a wide range of applications, from single projector installs to complex, multichannel domes, caves and simulators.

•Paul from Apex Audio

• Richi Rosaz and Jamie from mondo*dr

• Christie’s kalaedoscopic stand

Digital Projection also demonstrated two of its MultiView VR systems, which are based around the company’s INSIGHT 4K HFR 360 projectors.

With Multi-View 3D projection, a single projector, with ultra-fast frame rates can accommodate multiple viewers, each being tracked and each having a view of the image that remains appropriate to their changing position.

DPA Microphones unveiled a host of new microphone products at ISE. New colour options for its awardwinning Subminiature Headset microphones, as well as its 6060 and 6061 Lavaller Microphones were on display. DPA had the new 4560 CORE Binaural Headset Microphone too, which is specifically targeted at sound designers, podcasters, vloggers, film makers and other content creators who want to capture authentic immersive audio for their projects. Other highlights included the new 2028 Vocal Microphone and, completing the line up, is the 4097 CORE Supercardioid Choir Mic, which is expertly tailored to capture dynamic choir sound.

Dan Dugan Sound Design had a host of its products on display including the Dugan Model N, which offers full Dante functionality with AES67 compatibility; the Dugan Model M, with MADI I/O, both optical and copper and the Dugan E-3A, providing 16 channels of AES I/O

• The Gloshine booth

• The Neutrik stand

• dB Technolgies stand at this year’s show

www.mondodr.com

• The Peavy team

• Lauren from Bose

• Emilio from Alfalite

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144 EX P O

• The Focusrite team

•The AOTO stand

and an additional 16 channels of ADAT I/O. Also, Sound Devices, announced the addition of Dugan Automixing to its new Scorpio premium portable mixer-recorder. The Dugan Speech System algorithm incorporated in the Scorpio gives users maximum flexibility for management of multiple live microphones in the field.

EM Acoustics previewed the new Reference Series loudspeakers at ISE this year. The Series is a breed of low profile, high-quality, full range point source loudspeakers, possessing extraordinarily flat frequency and phase responses. The products offer a range of exceptionally powerful tools for audio professionals seeking high performance in a compact form factor. Also at ISE, 16 years on from the EMS Series launch, EM Acoustics has completely revamped the range, enhancing the look and feel with a number of aesthetic changes, and augmented the series with the addition of a highly-anticipated 10-inch model, the EMS-101X. Exterity launched an array of new products this year including the new AvediaPlayer m9605 media player with the ability to integrate both 4K video and smooth, highly detailed 4K 60fps graphics and animations into digital signage. Additionally, the new AvediaPlayer m9400 has been designed specifically for use with ArtioGuest, Exterity’s

• Sonodyne’s stand

• The D.A.S. Audio booth

hospitality middleware. A new ArtioFlow workflow app enables the creation of timesaving workflows by simply dragging a series of actions across the IPTV system – such as power on, set volume or channel change – to create action sequences. The New Pro:Idiom Gateway supports content-protected live TV and radio from satellite sources and streams it securely across an IP network, and lastly the launch of the new g4401 IP-IP Gateway means that two paired Exterity gateways can send and receive secure and reliable video streams over the internet using the SRT protocol.

FENIX stage announced at ISE the appointment of Product Design Specialist, Jacob Garcia. He will be involved in the development of new products as well as enhancing the existing ones, seeking for new features and applications, with a strong emphasis on security. Jacob will also take part at international trade shows where FENIX Stage will exhibit as well as visiting customers around the world to give them support and assistance on-site.

Genelec announced the growth of its loudspeaker range at ISE. The 4420 and 4430 loudspeakers combine both exceptional sound quality with single cable convenience, and their onboard Smart IP technology provides scalable power, audio and loudspeaker configuration, supervision and calibration

• The CREATELED booth

• Florian from NEXO

features via a standard CAT cable. Smart IP therefore offers system designers, integrators and installers an easy and powerful solution for guaranteeing enjoyable, high-quality audio across entire installations.

Just Add Power highlighted a range of solutions designed to simplify multiroom video installations in residential and commercial spaces around the world. These included the new Warp Engine transmitter/ receiver, VBIS-HDIP-707WP2 thin two-gang HDMI wall plate transmitter, 3G 708POE transmitter, and instant install application - all making their international debut - in addition to the 3G+ 767DSS Dante enhanced sound system transmitter.

K-array announced KSCAPE, a combination of its innovative audio with high-end lighting technology to create a unique installation solution in a new division called KSCAPE, which aims to harmonise multiple functions in one product to provide architects and designers with a single solution that merges senses. The first KSCAPE product is RAIL: a 1.2 metre line of warm, homogeneous LED with full range cone drivers. The LED, supplied by NICHIA from Japan, is mounted directly on K-array’s custom PCB and delivers >90 CRI. The RAIL comes with a host of options to adapt to a variety of needs and applications such as contemporary offices,

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146 EX P O

• Udo Bloms from Ledcon

• A member of the d&b audiotechnik team

hotels and retail.

Kramer’s K-SPIDER made its ISE debut. The multi-format plug-and-play adapter cable brings convenience to collaborative environments, with a single multi-head cable, which provides a single multi-format adapter solution for full 4K at 60Hz digital video. Kramer also had its new KDS-10, high-performance, end-to-end 4K60 (4:4:4) transceiver that delivers flawless streaming, flexibility and multiview functionalities, such as picture-in-picture. It also provides extreme flexibility with its user-controlled H.264 / H.265 compression switching and multiple protocols, further extending options for audiovisual and IT professionals. Lastly in the Kramer ISE portfolio is the KIT-400, an all-in-one 4K receiver/transceiver that brings lots of benefits to the end user.

Legrand showcased how its brands work together to provide an application-focussed collection of solutions for corporate, education, broadcast and more. It also announced the addition of Luxul and C2G to its collection of brands, with Luxul offering easy to deploy IP networking solutions and C2G offering industry leading highperformance cabling and connectivity solutions.

Macnica demonstrated value proposition for audiovisual over IP Transport over 1GB Networks at ISE 2020. The company showcased its MPA1000, a full-stack module that brings lowlatency IP video transport to OEM manufacturers and an array of professional audiovisual products.

Macnica will introduce a new web user interface for the MPA1000 at ISE to better empower product developers. As well as this, Macnica featured three demonstrations to showcase the performance and benefits of the module.

Martin Audio announced five new ceiling

loudspeakers at ISE. The ADORN series has now been expanded to bring leading performance and reliability to a wide range of commercial sound installations - from retail outlets, bars and restaurants to corporate offices. With Martin Audio’s signature sound characteristics, the ADORN series is an ideal choice for background and foreground systems which require superior sound quality from visually discreet, ultracompact enclosures. They also provide a seamless sonic transition within a multi-zone complex using larger Martin Audio systems such as CDD or BlacklineX. Maverick unveiled a new concept exploring future trends for meeting rooms. ‘Bring, Join and Select’ will take users through technology solutions designed to access video conferencing platforms seamlessly, including Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Zoom. Championing the intuitive ‘walk up and use’ meeting room, the Maverick team also showcased its best practice in smart meetings and system design for the future workplace.

Meyer Sound debuted new products and technology demonstrations at ISE 2020. The ULTRA X-20 loudspeaker and USW-112P subwoofer incorporate the latest generation of Meyer Sound advances in driver configuration, transducer design, amplifier technology and mounting/rigging hardware. Other recently debuted products on display at the booth included the ULTRA-X40, a LINA ground stack with companion 750-LFC subwoofer and a LEOPARD ground stack with companion 900-LFC subwoofer.

Modulo Pi was pleased to announce the full compatibility between its Modulo Kinetic media server and L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound

• The Yes Tech stand

• The Astera Booth

• Genelec’s Aki Mäkivirta at the company’s ISE press conference

• The CLF Lighting team

148 EX P O

• Peter from LEDBLADE

technology by L-Acoustics at this year’s show. The company also exhibited the server alongside its Modulo Player, both fully designed to create stunning visual experiences in a variety of applications. Modulo Pi also announced the official and immediate release of KineMotion, its new optical tracking module. The tracking module is exclusive to Modulo Kinetic, the all-in-one media server solution designed for the most challenging projects.

MSolutions introduced and demonstrated new audiovisual over IP testing capabilities that address emerging signal and infrastructure test needs in audiovisual environments.

MSolutions also demonstrated its specialised HDMI Cable Tester module, which allows integrators to efficiently perform bandwidth and physical layer quality tests, to ISE audiences for the first time.

Navori Labs announced a new innovation for BrightSign digital signage media players that brings its flexible, feature-rich software to BrightSign customers worldwide. Navori’s QL Player for BrightSign is designed for BrightSign’s 4K and HD digital signage media players, leveraging Navori’s proven in-house, proprietary software and operating system on a common SD card. The software is available for new BrightSign shipments or as a field upgrade for existing players from

• ADJ’s amazing stand

• Emma D from mondo*dr with Darcy from Adamson

• The Amina booth

2016 forward, bringing Navori innovations for player synchronisation, dynamic data feeds, conditional triggering and more to digital signage networks everywhere.

NewTek demonstrated an array of products at ISE 2020 including the NewTek VMC1 digital media production system, TriCaster TC1 with 16 source inputs, TriCaster Mini, an all-new 4K system, TalkShow VS4000 – a multi-channel video calling, broadcast-quality production control, and the MediaDS – giving the ability to stream direct to viewers, with or without the Internet.

Panasonic unveiled a host of new products at its impressive ISE booth. These included the 1-Chip DLP laser projector range, the PT-RZ790 series for museums and exhibition spaces, and the PT-FRZ60 series for higher education. These will provide high levels of brightness along with system flexibility.

The three-chip DLP laser projector range, including the PT-RQ35K (4K) and PT-RZ34K (WUXGA), which provide high brightness and improved colour with faster and easier projector installation. And, finally, the 4K professional display line-up has had a revamp to include the new SQ1H Series and SQE1 Series, which are higher brightness models, suitable for signage and smart retail applications.

QSC introduced the AD-P.HALO, an

• The Alcons Audio booth

www.mondodr.com

integrated SUB/SAT pendant loudspeaker system as part of the AcousticDesign Series featuring an integrated 6.5-inch subwoofer and four 2.75-inch transducers in a single enclosure. This purpose-built system is ready to install right out the box, eliminating the need for complex and time-consuming assembly of multiple hardware components.

The AD-P.HALO provides integrators with a hassle-free design that greatly expedites the installation process and reduces overall labour costs.

ISE 2020 saw Revolution Acoustics demonstrate its RevNet Series of amplifiers.

Ideal for a wide range of applications including sound masking, corporate audiovisual, hospitality, retail and other uses, four RevNet amplifiers are available covering two main models – The 2140 Series and the 2140-D. Also on display were the RevNet PoE++ amplifiers, offering a choice of low-impedance or constant-voltage output. The company have also redesigned the Pendant360 , bringing the advantages and super sound of the company’s immersive audio technology to open space rooms.

ROE Visual introduced a range of new products at ISE, setting the standard for LED. The Ruby 2.3 panels are a new generation of LED panels equipped with features that are beneficial from build to performance. This

• The Sixty82 stand

Power to the speaker.

Power to the installer.

Our Smart IP loudspeakers combine exceptional sound quality with single cable convenience. With PoE, AES67 and Dante compatibility plus sophisticated loudspeaker management all supported via a standard CAT cable, Smart IP enables you to deliver class-leading audio, while saving you time and money.

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150 EX P O

•Danny from Datapath with Stuart from Beez Buzz

LED type is stronger, has less reflection and more contrast, due to an optimised black body. The second product on show, the Black Quartz 3.9, 4.6 is an all-in-one LED solution that is designed as a fast-building, full-fledged LED screen appliance, with an integrated wind-bracing system.

Sennheiser focussed on campus-wide audio at ISE, showcasing the latest generation of its MobileConnect assistive listening system.

Consisting of the MobileConnect Station, MobileConnect Manager and the MobileConnect App, the streaming solution provides students with a fully inclusive and individually adaptable listening experience. In addition, Sennheiser’s successful SpeechLine Digital Wireless microphone system has been expanded by a new multi-channel receiver, whose form and function recommends it to modern IT infrastructures.

SiliconCore introduced the Lotus 0.83mm at ISE. The LED display features SiliconCore’s latest innovation, LISA - a proprietary encapsulation process that guards the high density LEDs and ensures colour uniformity and a long lifetime.

It’s cool surface is dust and water resistant, which makes it durable and suitable for touch and custom install applications. The specialised optical coating does not obscure the visual properties of the LED’s and improves upon the contrast ratio providing a more realistic image and no glare.

ISE 2020 saw SixEye show new features for systems integrators including its latest software rollout that includes a new task scheduling feature, a highly flexible function that allows recurrences and time masking. The latest software update introduces the ability to schedule tasks to run automatically. This feature is already being used in preview by installations in the USA to schedule lighting effects on bridges and building façades. Schedules are highly flexible and allow

• The Lawo stand

• A member of the LianTronics team

recurrences and time masking, with astronomical scheduling due for release in Q1 2020. Multiple schedules can be added to a task, and it is straightforward to set custom permission settings for who can edit schedules.

Stealth Acoustics provided visitors with a European debut of its new StingRay 83 outdoor loudspeaker, for outdoor audio quality in residential, commercial and marine applications, producing a deep, natural bass. Alongside this was a selection of invisible loudspeakers and subwoofers from the LRG and LRX product lines.

Vivitek showcased its popular NovoConnect Solution range, which presents a powerful way to share knowledge, ideas and information, quickly and easily. Vivitek also introduced three new exciting additions to its existing visual display and collaboration solutions. Debuted at ISE 2020, the new additions include: NovoDisplay – an all-inone collaboration/signage display; NovoProjector – a collaboration projector, and the NovoTouch EK Series collaborative touch panel for Education.

Void Acoustics launched new products at the show this year, the Bias Q1 joins the Bias family of Void Acoustics amplifiers. It is a four channel DSP+Dante amplifier and has been adapted with smaller dimensions and is lighter in weight than the Bias Q5. And also, the Airten V3 which is an upgrade of the Airten V2. Having made significant enhancements to the futuristic-styled composite loudspeaker, the Airten V3 offers improved performance and is the perfect solution for the exacting demands of high-end venue operators and integrators.

ISE 2021 will take place from the 2-5 February 2021 at the Gran Via complex, Fira de Barcelona.

For more information, go to: www.iseeurope.org

• Gtek’s ISE booth

• The HK Audio soundmakers

www.mondodr.com

• The Tasker stand

• Highlite’s glittering ISE stand

2020

NEVER STOP EVOLVING

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1980 DTS celebrates 40 years of innovation in the lighting industry by launching the Synergy 7 Profile, a new projector that, thanks to its power and elegance, has become “The Stallion” in our family of moving heads.

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A unique product for unique needs

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04/03/2020 10:28:18

152 COMPANY VISIT

POWERSOFT | COMPANY VISIT Famed for its culture and beauty, Florence attracts millions of tourists each year, thanks to its stunning architecture and high-end fashion – not to mention some of the world’s most iconic artworks. It’s not exactly a city where you’d expect a plucky technology company to thrive. However, for the past 25 years, Powersoft has established itself as one of the leading names in power amplification, with the company’s boxes now powering loudspeaker systems across the globe – via both its own brand and OEM work.

Once you scratch the surface, it’s clear to see that there is so much more going on under the Powersoft roof than first meets the eye, with an unprecedented level of technological innovation reaching much further than amplification. During mondo*dr’s visit, we got to speak to the three co-founders of the company: brothers Luca and Claudio Lastrucci, along with mutual childhood friend, Antonio Peruch.

“Although the company has existed for 25 years, to understand the history of Powersoft, you have to go back to our school days,” said Luca, the company’s CEO. “We were always working on projects together – a passion that lead us all to pursue careers in electrical engineering at

university.”

With the trio’s educational pursuits complete, they began working on a selection of software projects from an apartment in central Florence.

“Our first real success was in the development of software for busses, which was used in Milan,” said Luca. “We launched the product in 2000 and the idea was to create flexible bus routes that would create the most efficient route to pick up passengers – think of it like an early version of UberPool.”

Although getting its first real break in software development, the three men’s passion for pro audio soon became the company’s main focus.

“The idea of power amplification was quite a new concept when we started to look into the sector,” said Luca. “Once we got the patent for our first product, we started speaking to various companies in Italy to generate some interest.”

It was around this time that Luca’s father, Carlo – who to this day is Chairman of Powersoft – introduced the young men to a business acquaintance of his who allocated them some space at an upcoming trade show in Milan to showcase their first amplifier. It was during that first show that the Powersoft team formed its long-running www.mondodr.com

connection with Outline. “Off the back of that show, we got an order for 30 units – all of which we built on our kitchen table,” chuckled Luca.

Since that first order, the company has gone from strength to strength. This came to a head at the end of 2018 when Powersoft floated on the stock exchange. “This move was important to take Powersoft to the next level, moving it from the family organisation to one we can take into the future,” Luca commented.

“The changing mentally has meant we have attracted more talent and resources from outside the company as well as giving us the option for growth via a potential merger or acquisition.

The fact that we are listed means that all of our information is clear and public.”

The duty of overseeing the manufacturing process at Powersoft falls to Antonio Peruch. Having witnessed the move from the kitchen table to automated work benches, Antonio has fine-tuned the Powersoft manufacturing process every step of the way.

“We have made a real effort in recent years to bring the majority of the in-house manufacturing to our Florence base,” said Antonio. “We have the chassis of the amplifier at the start of our

153 COMPANY VISIT

production line then, 15-metres along, we have a finalised product.”

Antonio explained that bringing everything in-house has been helpful for two reasons: “First, it gives us the flexibility to meet the demands of the market,” he said. “Second, it means we are the last point of contact before the client opens the box, so we can ensure everything meets our standards.”

Walking through the warehouse, we experienced first-hand the meticulous build process each Powersoft amplifier goes through – from bolts to box. In the past few years, Antonio and the team has made significant investment in automation on the production line, as well as testing software to ensure that each product – which is made up of approximately 16,000 individual components – is in perfect working order. Antonio reported that each production line is able to produce 100 pieces in a single shift, every day without fail.

It was an exciting time to be discussing the Powersoft manufacturing process, as the company has recently purchased a new plot of land to

begin developing its new HQ. This will mean the entire facility, which currently comprises five buildings, will move under one roof – something the company hopes to complete in the next two years. Antonio was also keen to outline the wider network of service centres across the globe. “We have 31 service providers worldwide that can help our customers with any issues they might have. Some of these service centres are distributors, while some are independent facilities. We invest a great deal of time and resources on training courses to certify each facility and constantly keep them updated as and when new products or updates are created. We also have an individual who is continually checking in with each facility to ensure everything is up to code.”

Admittedly, up until this point in mondo*dr’s visit to Powersoft, our focus had been on the company’s work within power amplifiers. However, this is only part of the story of the Italian tech innovators. Enter, Claudio Lastrucci – the company’s R&D Director. As well as being responsible for leading the R&D team in the creation of www.mondodr.com

its latest products – such as the X4L four-channel high-performance amplifier platform that was released last year – the R&D Director also leads the team that works in Ideofarm; Powersoft’s innovation hub where ideas and concepts are explored.

“Close to 20% of our workforce works in our R&D department,” said Claudio. He went on to explain that, in broad terms, his R&D team work on two types of projects. “The first is very much driven by market demand,” he explained. “The goal is to produce a product that we don’t have or are looking to renew. When it comes to these projects, we also ensure we add our own ‘spice’ so we are not creating a ‘me too’ product.” The other type of product innovation comes outside of market demand. “You can’t ask a customer for the future of audio, as they need to focus on the demands of today,” stated Claudio.

A good example of setting its products apart from the crowd has been with M-System. Comprising of the M-Force, Powersoft’s moving magnet linear motor structure and the M-Drive amplifier

154 COMPANY VISIT

module, M-System was originally launched in 2013 then updated in 2018. “M-Force is a good case study of producing a product and then proving its benefit of application,” explained Claudio.

“It’s a product that will take some time to breach the market fully as it’s a change in the mindset with the hope to abolish the bottleneck produced by more standard transducers.”

Claudio continued to make the distinction between the two branches of Powersoft’s R&D departments. “Over the years, we have created products that have not been led by demand, but off the back of exploring new technology to hopefully push the market into new directions.

This is why we keep the R&D department and Ideofarm quite separate, with Ideofarm focussing purely on innovation over market demand.”

One of the most recent successes from Ideofarm’s drawing board – shown at last year’s ISE and InfoComm – is Mover. Utilising moving magnet linear motor technology, similar to the one found in M-Force, Powersoft created a small cube that allows audiences to experience the sound through haptic perception by vibrating the surrounding environment.

You might expect applications for this product

would be confined to the likes of 4D cinemas and theme parks, however, Claudio explained that Mover had a chance to help enhance the live events sector.

“An issue we often see in Europe is venues facing closure due to noise complaints from surrounding residential areas,” he outlined. “Mover has the ability to give an intense live experience without having to reach high dB levels. People were not asking for this product, but it offers a solution to a real problem within live events.”

It was clear from these two examples of Powersoft’s innovation that there is much more going on behind the doors of its R&D facility. Despite some gentle probing from mondo*dr, Luca Lastrucci, Claudio Lastrucci and Antonio Peruch remained tight-lipped on what could be coming next.

Aptly, for a company situated in a city associated with the Renaissance, Powersoft is very much pushing its technological output into the future.

The company is constantly refining its flagship products, while keeping a weather eye on the horizon for how new technologies may shape the events of tomorrow. www.powersoft-audio.com www.mondodr.com

The New Generation of Lighting Effects

Any professional laser system of

can be controlled with any DMX/ArtNET lighting desk

Setup-and-Store Mode:

learn more: www.laserworld.com/shownet

Create projection zones, SAFETY zones, geometric corrections and color balance right on your desk and safely store the settings to the laser.

EASY and SAFE and DMX

156 ANNIVERSARY

SONODYNE | TURNS 50 Since its inception in the early 70s, Sonodyne is a company that has been at the forefront of the innovative Indian professional audio market for an impressive 50 years. Starting off in a small suburb of Kolkata, Sonodyne has grown into a well-established, leading player in the home audio and professional market, and is continually expanding its vision to give Indian sound innovation a global reach.

“When we started Sonodyne, we were one of the only companies in independent India to produce electronics,” explained Anindya, Managing Director at Sonodyne. “Our founder, my father, had been studying at a premier technical university and had a drive to start his own business, so the company first started with radio, and then moved onto exploring hi-fi and other electronics.”

Spearheading the company was Anindya’s father, Ashoke Mukherjee, who originally set up the business to produce battery eliminators. He soon moved into exploring and manufacturing hi-fi electronics, record turntables and loudspeakers, which was what Sonodyne was most famously recognised for in the 70s and 80s.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Sonodyne is reflective and proud of its journey

so far. Back in what Anindya considers the ‘glory days’, during the 70s and 80s, Sonodyne took advantage of the technical advancements of the time and pioneered the audio movement in India. During the 90s, larger companies, including Samsung and Sony, started to appear on the audio scene and, while Sonodyne remained in the consumer space, it started to migrate into the professional audio space, strategically following in the footsteps of the wider industry.

“The professional audio market in India just didn’t exist back then. It felt natural to establish our own position here and, even now, the sector has only really been in India for less than two decades, whereas the UK and US have been advancing for way longer,” said Anindya.

Quickly changing its position, Sonodyne started to branch out into cinema, studio and install in India in the early 2000s. “We have five verticals now, which include; residential, live, cinema, studio and installation. All these five verticals are very strong in India. We do very well in retail and hospitality, with one of our major customers being the Reliance group, who use our products in a number of their installations. We also have products in international branded outlets such as www.mondodr.com

Chillys, M&S, Hamleys and H&M stores across the world, which is something, as a company, we’re really very proud of,” furthered Anindya.

Another expanding market for Sonodyne, and one they have again seemed to dominate in India, is education. India has a population of 1.3 billion and, at the moment, there are not enough schools and universities to cater for the vast amount of young people looking to further their education. With the introduction of studio hub schools in India, Sonodyne has been enthusiastic and supportive, supplying technology for this new type of teaching facility. “It is essentially a studio where people teach, and schools are then collectively connected online. In every school, there’s a microphone and a couple of loudspeakers, so we have thousands of loudspeakers manufactured by us for this application. So that’s a major product for us, it’s distance learning programming in India, and that is something we’re passionate about,” he explained.

‘Innovation’ is the key term that Anindya uses to describe the Sonodyne journey so far. With the Indian market being a tough one to tackle, Sonodyne has always been at the top of its game, looking to improve products with innovation at

157 ANNIVERSARY

the heart of every decision made. “There are only a handful of branded audio companies in India, which have survived. So, for us, surviving alone has been one of our biggest achievements. To continuously innovate, we’ve had to think outside of the box and that’s not just with technology, it’s price innovation and source innovation at every level, too. We’ve managed to retain a premium position in India, and we intend to stay there.”

Looking back over the past 50 years, Anindya focussed on industry changes and the introduction of the internet in being a driving force for change and adaptation, not only within Sonodyne, but the wider industry. “The internet has changed everything. You will see now, while it has been around for the last seven to 10 years, that IP has completely exploded. Unless you are IP or Dante enabled, or have user interfaces with DSP, you are obsolete. Internet enabled audio, in the production or distribution process, is something that we are constantly exploring and trying to better to

see what we’re really capable of. “Our strengths at Sonodyne have mainly been that we’ve kept up with every major change that has been thrown at us, we ensure that our products work alongside latest technologies and constantly work to better ourselves.”

Sonodyne’s main focus at the moment is to work to establish a leadership in the powered loudspeaker market. As well as recruiting more young engineers in India, and giving them a platform to grow into a creative, well-educated role, Sonodyne is hopeful that the next 50 years will be just as momentous for the company, with clear growth plans charted for the next five years. “Going forward, I think all of our products are going to have that premium sound that people know Sonodyne for, with all new digital functionalities and user interfaces.

“The powered loudspeaker market currently consists of our own branded products, and I’m positive that they will soon revolutionise the www.mondodr.com

market. At the moment, your music source is either Netflix, Spotify or Amazon. The quality of producing from home and listening to things at home is going to get better and better and better.

So, if your music is going to be online, you only need a powered loudspeaker at the end of the day.

That is really our drive in the export space, we want to have a leadership position in the powered loudspeaker market,” concluded Anindya.

After a very successful 50 years, Sonodyne can proudly say that the position they hold, not only in the Indian audio market, but now internationally, is reflective of their passion and drive for the industry. Revolutionising not only loudspeaker technology, but also implementing audio for educational purposes and family homes in India, has proved that Sonodyne is dedicated to premium products that provide personal advancements for a wide range of installations. www.sonodyne.com

158 IN DETAIL

CLF LIGHTING | ODIN

The Odin combines cutting-edge LED technology, excellent light quality and sturdy outdoor housing.

Designed for high-demanding applications it comes with an outstanding optical system, which ensures even light and colour projection. The fixture comes with a fast and accurate zoom function, which ranges from 11° to 50°. The IP65 rating makes it suitable for indoor and outdoor usage.

The RGB+Lime LED engine generates a rich colour set, from vivid and saturated colours to subtle pastels. Adding lime fills the gaps between red, green, blue and enhances the colour spectrum

of the fixture. It also adds beautiful white tones to the feature set. High-performance LEDs deliver high CRI and R9 values.

Packed in a signature CLF housing, the Odin combines convection cooling with an ultra-quiet intelligent fan. The fixture can be aimed easily by using the one button test function. The fixture can also be configured for exhibition applications by using the definable user modes. All in all, it is the ultimate workhorse for applications where superior lighting quality is required. www.clf-lighting.com

www.mondodr.com

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160 IN DETAIL

KORG | MW1608 & MW2408

Korg has collaborated with legendary mixer design team, Greg Mackie and Peter Watts, to create hybrid/analogue mixing consoles that make creative mixing easy. Both the 24- and 16-channel models give users instant analogue control for live mixing with stunning sound quality and more musician-friendly features than the competition - paired with the power of highquality digital where it counts.

The MW1608 and MW2408 are hybrid/analogue mixers that contain the new HiVolt mic preamps.

Promising a warm and musical sound similar to that generated by the Peter Watts-designed preamps from the legendary Trident mixing console, these are said to give users more headroom than on any similarly-priced analogue or digital mixer.

The mixers feature the Unique Musicianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Phones Monitor Section for a fast, one-knob boost of musicians mix without having to change aux or

main mix and the eight-bus configuration makes SoundLink perfect for recording and live mixes.

As well as this, the MW1608 and MW2408 have super-useful touches such as a feedback control system, all-XLR loudspeaker outputs, 31-band Spectrum Analyzer and enhanced break system.

Other tell-tale signs of SoundLinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s illustrious pedigree include the presence of mute groups, which instantly let you call up different combinations of channels.

Korg, meanwhile, has used its expertise to contribute a new proprietary custom chip that delivers 24 digital effects, including six reverbs.

These are easily accessed and can be tweaked to taste. www.korg.com

www.mondodr.com

Step to the of intercom technology. â&#x201E;˘ FreeSpeak Edge works in the 5GHz bandwidthâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; beyond what you know about wireless intercom.

It extends the entire FreeSpeak range, giving you the freedom to think bigger.

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162 IN DETAIL

VOID ACOUSTICS | BIAS Q1 & AIRTEN V3

The Bias Q1 joins the Bias family of Void Acoustics amplifiers. It is a four-channel DSP+Dante amplifier that has been adapted with smaller dimensions and is lighter in weight than the Bias Q5. While operating from the same amplifier platform the Bias Q1 is still durable and maintains the impressive sound quality which end-users have come to expect from Void Acoustics. It is multi-application and the ideal

product for use in bars, clubs, for corporate and live music venues as well as large-scale outdoor events and touring. The Bias Q1 is the ideal amplifier where large amounts of lower powered loudspeakers are being used.

The Airten V3 release has been eagerly anticipated and is the latest addition to the iconic Void Acoustics Air Series. The Airten V3 continues the reputation Void Acoustics products www.mondodr.com

have for setting design elegance alongside robust product quality and is an upgrade of the Airten V2. Having made significant enhancements to the futuristic-styled composite loudspeaker, the Airten V3 offers improved performance and is the perfect solution for the exacting demands of high-end venue operators and integrators. www.voidacoustics.com

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DuraTruss B.V. Junostraat 2 6468 EW Kerkrade The Netherlands Tel. +31 45 546 85 81 info@duratruss.com

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164 P RODUCT GUIDE

la•sers•special•effects

[ley-zers spesh-uhl ih-fekts] n.

Machines that create atmospheric effects including lasers, fog, smoke, haze, pyrotechnics, snow and confetti to enhance the theatrical or musical performance experience for the audience.

PRODUCT GUIDE

LASERS & SPECIAL EFFECTS SPONSORED BY

The Laserworld Group manufactures laser light systems from entry level to top-end, catering for every need.

Laserworld recently released a new laser mainboard generation, that all professional laser systems have in common. It allows for laser control via computer software, and also makes lasers easily controllable via DMX on a professional level- just like moving heads. It is even possible to program many features of these lasers via the DMX console including safety zones, and storing settings to the mainboard. www.laserworld.com/shownet

www.mondodr.com

Lighting Design: HELL

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166 P RODUCT GUIDE - LASERS & SP ECIAL EFFECTS

ADJ Jolt 300 The Jolt 300 is ADJ’s new multi-functional LED-powered strobe fixture.

Featuring a central strip of cool white LEDs surrounded on both sides by arrays of multi-coloured RGB LEDs, the Jolt 300 provides lighting designers with a wealth of creative potential. It allows strikingly bright white strobe effects, vibrant colour washes and ‘eye candy’ chase effects from one compact fixture.

The Jolt 300’s central white strobe section is made up from 144 0.5W LEDs, which, when lit together, generate an extremely bright blaze of light that can be used as a mesmerising strobe or stunning blinder. The LEDs are arranged into three independently controllable zones, which allows for strobe chase effects to also be created. A total of 144 1.5W RGB LEDs provide the colour-washing element of the Jolt 300 effect, which are also arranged into three independently controllable zones split above and below the white LED segments. The red, blue and green elements of these LEDs can be smoothly mixed to allow the creation of a wide gamut of vibrant colours. These can be used for static washing or to create ‘eye candy’ chase effects.

The coloured LEDs also offer variable-speed strobing, which allows the unit to create coloured, as well as white, strobe effects. www.adj.com

Antari M-9 The M-9 RGBAW is Antari’s most advanced CO2 effect simulator.

A new specially designed and patented high-pressure heater block allows the M-9 to produce a CO2 simulated blast as high as 10 metres (over 30ft), without the need of dangerous and cumbersome CO2 tanks.

The M-9 comes equipped with high-powered five-in-one RGBAW LEDs to create a colourful cloud in the widest colour spectrum possible. Versatile case design allows the unit to be mounted vertically, horizontally, or inverted without fear of leaking or dripping thanks to Antari’s specially designed fluid transfer system.

The M-9’s versatile control options include a built-in electronic timer, DMX with RDM, stand-alone operation, and built-in wireless remote. The units also come with eight preprogrammed coloured chase effects and 25 colour macros for quick and easy programming. www.antari.com

CHAUVET Professional Cloud 9 CHAUVET Professional Cloud 9 is an impressive, low-lying fogger that creates thick, cloud-like effects with a high-impact output, ideal for use on large-scale stages, theatres, live performances and theme parks. The robust unit has a best in class heat-up time of three minutes and no dry ice or CO2 is needed, which means no special licensing/training is required. Because it works without a special coolant or compressor, only water and fog fluid is needed for continuous output. The powerful unit weighs in at 121.3lb (55 kg) and is equipped with several handy transport features such as its road case housing, metal handles and wheels to easily glide across any stage. Controlled via LCD display or via DMX. www.chauvetprofessional.com

Coherent Genesis Taipan Genesis Taipan is a family of high power lasers for light show applications from 460-nanometres to 577 nanometres.

Based on Coherent’s unique Optically Pumped Semiconductor Laser (OPSL) architecture, these lasers have the ability to deliver high output powers at unique wavelengths. www.coherent.com

www.mondodr.com

167 P RODUCT GUIDE - LASERS & SP ECIAL EFFECTS

Flash-Butrym Bubble Machine 100 Bubble Machine 100 is equipped with two fans, two separate bubble outlets and wireless remote control. Characterised by a high-efficiency and blowout force, which translates into the possibility of covering a large area with bubbles in a short time. A properly directed air stream allows the bubbles to be released over a long distance. Therefore, the machine can be placed in a convenient place, without the need for additional fans. The wireless remote control provides complete freedom even from a distance of up to 100-metres.

The device is equivalent to 100W bubble machines. www.flash-butrym.pl

Genius Laser GENLAS GENLAS offers the latest, state-of-the-art, highpowered diode laser technology. Capable of producing incredible full-colour RGB atmospheric effects as well as sharp text, logos, graphics and animations.

All GENLAS laser projectors come standard with Pangolin FB4 hardware, which gives the user the flexibility to control the lasers via Pangolin Quick show, Pangolin Beyond, Artnet, DMX 512 or standalone modes. www.geniuslaser.com

Haze Base Base*Prime With 3000W of fog power, base*prime is known as the quiet beast, thanks to its fine nozzles. Base*prime can be conveniently configured using its fully graphic touchscreen.

Control options include DMX, Art-Net, sACN, analog (0-10V), manual, timer operation. www.hazebase.de

Kvant Clubmax 6800 FB4 The Clubmax 6800 FB4 is a next-generation laser display system with integrated FB4 control interface.

Its robust and sturdy design makes it an ideal laser system for permanent installations, touring and hire.

Red laser is now 30% more powerful than in the CM-6000 FB4 model, which results in stronger pure-white and other mixed colours.

The Clubmax 6800 FB4 offers Integrated Pangolin FB4 control interface with network switch for professional control and easy daisychaining, featuring a sophisticated scan-fail and system safety with advanced power supply monitoring and DMR, Clubmax FB4 can be also controlled directly from most major lighting desks over the ArtNet. Once Colour Balance display mode is enabled, the colours outputted by laser will correspond to those seen on the computer screen, without the need for colour palette calibration in the software.

These colour settings are stored in an internal system memory of Clubmax FB4, meaning users always get the same colours from all Clubmax lasers, no matter what control interface they use. www.kvantlasers.co.uk

168 P RODUCT GUIDE - LASERS & SP ECIAL EFFECTS

Laser Animation AVB2ILDA AVB is a protocol for the transmission of time-sensitive data via Ethernet, with it, analogue cable setups could be replaced by a much more comfortable and flexible AVB network hardware.

Using the AVB2ILDA converter makes it possible to set projector-specific and location-specific parameters in one device. For each projector with no internal colour correction, users can easily adjust the colour balance.

Furthermore, the safety interlock of each AVB2ILDA converter can be controlled by one or more laser disable buttons without the need for additional interlock cables. This allows the user to disable the laser output over the Ethernet network. By using the included electronic masking, users can limit the laser output for multiple areas to set up public or safety areas for cameras. The plus? Show programming errors will not affect the electronic masking.

The AVB2ILDA converter includes digital geometric correction.

The projection image can easily be corrected and used for setups without integrated DGC - all those functions are also controllable via the Open Sound Control protocol. www.laseranimation.com

Laserworld tarm 5 The tarm 5 show laser projector is a pure diode solution with analog colour modulation and a guaranteed output power of 5,000 mW. The tarm 5 (ShowNET) units have a built-in network DAC for Showcontroller and Showeditor, but can also be controlled with any ILDA laser control software such as Pangolin Quickshow, Pangolin Beyond, LSX, Lasergraph DSP, etc. via external ILDA interface (e.g. FB3), they also have a built-in memory with preset patterns that can be easily triggered through DMX, automatic mode.

The tarm 5 (ShowNET) comes with integrated ShowNET network interface and free laser show software.

Benefits include: 5,000 mW guaranteed output power, a maximum scan speed of 45 kpps@8° ILDA for graphics projection.

High-precision diode arrays provide an excellent beam divergence of less than 0.9 mrad for a low beam diameter. www.laserworld.com

Le Maitre HazeMaster Le Maitre hazers are designed and developed to be extremely high on output and quality of haze, yet extremely low on energy and fluid consumption, and Le Maitre’s specially formulated, sugar-based PureHaze fluid is so safe you really can breathe easy, both on and off stage.

HazeMaster is Le Maitre’s most advanced and powerful hazer yet and makes a class act out of being green. It features award-winning S.T.A.R technology, which uses a two-stage low mass heat exchanger technique to produce a fine, dry, pure and consistent haze that is very long-lasting.

Two variable speed high-power fans can be used to control the projection and direction of the haze stream, and output can be adjusted in increments over a 0-99% display range giving the operator ultimate control. All this adds up to some of the best haze for lighting operators providing high definition to aerial beams and adding impact and drama to lighting.

HazeMaster is user-friendly too with a highly intuitive user panel and easy to manipulate controls. www.lemaitreltd.com

Lightline Lasertechnik Excellent HD Compared to the already very good beam quality of the Coherent Taipan, the new Excellent HD-version features a TEM00 beam profile, meaning the best profile is achieved with lowest divergence and diameter.

Excellent HD offers increased brightness with a factor of up to 1,8+ and is available in multiple colours, this increase of brightness is achieved by the TEM00 laser source together with the special optics installed by LIGHTLINE. www.lightline.de

www.mondodr.com

THE SHAPE

PE

17 0 P RODUCT GUIDE - LASERS & SP ECIAL EFFECTS

MBN F-630

LPS-Lasersysteme Laser Array Beam BarPlus (LABB)

The MBN F-630 is perfect for large clubs, halls and open-air events. With a foam performance of 250,000 litres of foam per minute (theoretical foaming volume), the MBN F-630 is the largest foam generator produced in series. The MBN F-630 can be operated standing or installed in a hanging position by three built-in flying eyes. The F-630 comes with an adjustable pump, a two-metre hose (tank to pump) and a 15-metre hose (pump to foam generator).

The unit is delivered complete and ready to install.

For operation, an additional tank and foam fluid is required. www.mbn-eventproducts.com

One of the most popular laser beam bars from LPS is the Laser Array Beam BarPlus (LABB) With its individually controllable eight laser beams, each in RGB (multicolour) and eight white LEDs, it is perfectly designed for all kind of staging and architectural design. Available with 3.3K (3.3W) in RGB and with powerful and colourful laser beams. Users can operate beams, LEDs or both together.

The LPS Laser Array Beam BarPlus is controllable via DMX512 with 11 or 43 channels and is suitable for each light controller.

Modified by LPS LABB offers a smart design for rough use on stage, festivals and theatres. www.lps-laser.com

MDG theONE theONE is the first atmospheric generator with networking capabilities.

It can be controlled through its DMX/RDM connector or RJ45 node (Pathport embedded, ACN, ART-Net, ETCNet 2 & 3 and SHOWNet protocols).

When running at full intensity theONE generates 308 hours of haze and 20 hours of fog from its 20-litre fluid container.

Specially designed to give maximum, consecutive, nonstop hours of haze/fog without interruption, theONE automatically refills its internal fluid reservoir from the external container of MDG Neutral fluid as required. theONE offers automatic detection of universal voltage rating from 100-250 VAC, 50/60 Hz, single phase. www.mdgfog.com

Prolight Concept Group Equinox Arcus 2000 The Arcus low fog machine produces a thick, low-lying cloud, without the need for dry ice, that hugs the floor and dissipates slowly. The aluminium block heats up fast and the ultrasonic agitator transforms distilled water into a thin mist. The supplied flexible output hose is quickly fitted and removed by a quick-release clip. On-board control features include DMX, along with a digital display providing versatile and intuitive operation.

An optional flight case is available to ensure protection from the rigours of the road and is fitted with wheels to conveniently transport the unit. www.prolight.co.uk

Ray Technologies RTI Semiconductor Laser (RSL) module The RTI Semiconductor Laser (RSL) module is a new generation of laser module that has been developed by Ray Technologies (RTI), the well-known German manufacturer of high-end show laser light systems.

Competing products currently use a common module setup that results in a rectangular or elliptical shaped laser beam spot with different divergence values for x- and y-axis. This leads to different colour shades the longer the projection distance is, which negatively influences on the quality of the projection or chosen colour. The new RSL modules are designed in a way to keep laser beam spot size as well as divergence equal on both x- and y-axis. This is significantly advantageous over solutions used in standard knife-edge diode modules creating higher visibility and great, even colour mixing.

The RSL modules are built in a way that there is no need for re-alignment anymore, each module is built encapsulated and sealed, so they are completely maintenance-free. The form factor is standardised, like with the well-known Coherent OPSL heads, and can easily be combined and fit into slot-type housings.

Due to their size, they fit into the currently more common OPSL head-sized slots. www.raytechnologies.com/rsl

17 1 P RODUCT GUIDE - LASERS & SP ECIAL EFFECTS

RGB Laser System Galaxy 300 Galaxy 300 is a uniquely fast and high accuracy closed-loop multi-effect RGB laser beam moving head. For standalone use or additional effect next to laser projectors. It can also be used for fun and creative activity games.

It consists of a 300mW RGB module in a moving head design.

The user can define safety zones and due to the closed-loop movement, the laser switches off in case of loss of position. It also features key switch and remote interlock.

Its main features include: 540° pan movement, 240° tilt movement, 0.7 second/360° with 16-bit resolution. Controlled by ArtNET. www.rgblasersystem.com

Rock Solid Technologies LaserLink LaserLink is a stand-alone ILDA-media server allowing lighting designers to control laser projectors directly from their console via DMX or Art-Net in real-time. The plug-and-play device is designed to provide lighting professionals with a familiar and intuitive programming environment.

Custom patterns can be uploaded via the network port. It’s unique duallayer-output feature allowing one laser outputting two individual layers simultaneously, where every layer can output individual patterns. All main functions such as movement, zoom and rotations work in 16-bit to allow maximum precision. LaserLink has been designed in collaboration with leading lighting designers and laser professionals, allowing maximum creativity and flexibility in short programming times and without the need for additional control devices. The hardware is equipped with PowerCon True1 power input, and two, three-inch colour touchscreen, integrated touch pen, DMX In/Out, an etherCon network port as well as two independent ILDA-outputs.

Furthermore, it has several mounting options. LaserLink works with any professional laser and offers extensive calibration options that get the best out of every laser projector. www.rocksolid-technologies.com

SFAT Industrie Energy Dream The Energy Dream is a silent machine for confetti laying, which has to be installed in height. During its triggering, it creates an enchanting rain effect of stage confetti, its operation is almost instantaneous by direct electrical impulse 22 V or by means of a power block to ensure a regulation adapted to the desired stage effect. Its tank has a capacity of about 1 to 2 kg of stage confetti. This machine can also be used with paper snow. The ideal installation height is about six-metres to allow a drop-off surface on the order of five to six metres in diameter.

Energy Dream is ideal for theatres, TV shows and event services requiring silent applications.

www.sfat-industrie.fr

17 2 P RODUCT GUIDE - LASERS & SP ECIAL EFFECTS

Showtacle Moncha Box Moncha Box laser controller combines the best attributes from both consoles.

The mainboard is set into a small, compact box, which saves a lot of space and is ready to use anytime.

Moncha Box is the right solution for users who don’t want to install their controller directly into the laser. Simply plugin and go display and control features are, naturally, included.

Unlike Moncha Lite this console contains a small display and all of the old control features, which enables users to set configurations directly on the controller.

Moncha Box supports the following interfaces: DMX in/out, Ethernet, ILDA out and SD-card. www.showtacle.com

SHOWVEN SPARKULAR Cyclone SPARKULAR Cyclone is based on the SPARKULAR technology platform, which contains no explosive contents, no odour and no flames compared to traditional fireworks. It can generate impressive 10-metre SPARKULAR effects, effect height can be adjusted both on the machine as well as controlled with different consumable types. The built-in auto-braking system and superior system design ensure fast response of the machine, the firing time can be as short as 0.8 seconds, immediate stop even in max output.

The panels of SPARKULAR Cyclone are made of reinforced and high strength stainless steel, ensuring durability and reliability for long time use. www.showven.cn

Smoke Factory Carpet Crawler The Smoke Factory Carpet Crawler is a CO2 based fog cooler, which can also be supplied as a ready-to-use touring combo including a Data II fog machine.

Equipped as standard with five-pin DMX512 inputs/outputs and an analog three-pin connection, the Carpet Crawler can be controlled via DMX, radio remote control or cable remote control. In addition, the Carpet Crawler has an Ethernet port, which the device can be controlled with ArtNet or sACN. The three necessary channels can be set intuitively via the touch display and the fogging process can be started very easily. All settings for the personal profiles, the timer or the addressing of the DMX 512 channel, the ArtNet or sACN interface can also be easily set via the display.

Like all Smoke Factory devices, the Carpet Crawler has a quick release system that allows the canister to be changed within seconds.

The Carpet Crawler is available as a solo cooler unit, can be delivered in a case, if a fog machine is already available, or as a complete set with a Data II fog machine installed in the case. www.smoke-factory.de

TOPCAT WP-4 TOPCAT WP-4 is a newly launched professional bubble fog machine for big stages and event halls. The four-nozzle design can help produce a huge amount of bubbles with fog-filled inside. Innovative, patented, Jet-design ensures fog being trapped inside bubbles avoids too much fog dispersing in the air. The height and distance of the bubble fog can be adjusted through changing the air outlet angle.

Bubble fluid is well stored and sealed in the tank without going bad even after a long time to ensure high-quality show. www.djpower.cn

X Laser Skywriter HPX M-2 The Skywriter HPX M-2 is the lower-power, lower-cost sibling of X Laser’s most popular projector, the Skywriter HPX M-5.

The Skywriter HPX M-2 is ideal for small and medium-sized productions where vibrant laser effects can stand out on their own, or be used to complement other effect lighting. Lighting professionals can easily integrate the M-2 into their lighting rigs, and control it in unison with the rest of their lighting, from just about any major console or lighting controller.

The Skywriter HPX M-2 has 2W of full RGB laser power and can be used indoors or outdoors, in venues with audiences of up to 1,000 guests.

The lower cost of the Skywriter HPX M-2 combined with X Laser’s Mercury control system allows for large arrays of lasers with incredible capabilities, all controlled from a lighting console to create amazing cascading movement, dimmer and colour chases. www.x-laser.us

www.mondodr.com

Truss, staging and rigging manufacturer

Manufacturer:

Milos Spindlerova 286 Roudnice nad Labem 413 01 Czech Republic Tel: +420 416 837 846 info@milos.cz www.milossystems.com Distributors:

Area Four Industries UK Unit 5-6 Beechwood Estate, Cattle Dyke Gorefield Wisbech Cambridgeshire PE13 4NR Tel: +44 (0)1945 410700 info@areafourindustries.co.uk www.areafourindustries.co.uk

Dynamic, reliable, affordable

Area Four Industries Germany Johann-Krane-Weg 27 48149 MĂźnster Germany Tel: +49 251 2024014-0 info@areafourindustries.de www.areafourindustries.de Area Four Industries America 5421 N. National Dr. Knoxville, TN 37914

Solution for Events & Exhibitions, Pro-rentals, DJs & Bands, Access

950 Lawrence Dr. Suite B Thousand Oaks, CA 91320 USA Tel: 1-800-411-0065 info@areafourindustries.us www.areafourindustries.us

www.milossystems.com

SHApe your Sound.

Amsterdam Hall 14 Stand H140

hd Beamforming TechnologY AdvAnced directivity OptimizAtiOn. ScAlAble & AdAptAble.

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174 DIRECTORY

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1. ADJ Vision Series

3. Elation Artiste Rembrandt

The new ‘VS’ Vision Series of LED video panels offers a versatile modular solution that has been developed to make life easier for video professionals installing LED walls on either a temporary or permanent basis. Each panel in the range features four individual modules, which are front serviceable, making it ideal for temporary hanging as well as permanent installation. Across the range, the modules are all mounted to the same frame, allowing panels of different resolutions to be used together, meaning that the same rigging bar and other accessories can be used for all VS models. www.adj.com

The Artiste Rembrandt LED Wash, is a powerful companion washlight to the popular Artiste Monet LED Profile, with superior output, colour and a package of design options that includes an innovative wash texture concept. The high-quality fresnel lens optics and hotspot LED engine provide an optimised wash field and high centre intensity that make it an ideal wash solution for high output applications. This robust moving head uses the same efficient 950W 6,500K bright white LED engine as the Monet to power out up to 51,000 lumens of superior wash output. With a fast zoom range from 8° to 72° and an impressive 180mm front lens, the Rembrandt has the power to cut through at even great distances in arena touring environments or large TV or theatre stages. www.elationlighting.com

2. Chromateq CQSA-E The new CQSA-E device has completed the Chromateq range of USB to DMX controllers.

Its Ethernet communication brings lots of new possibilities to lighting projects, such as connection of several devices on local networks, long distance connections, stand-alone remote access of devices and memory, faster communication and the use of structured and existing local networks and access points. www.chromateq.com

4. EM Acoustics EMS-101X The EMX-101X incorporates a brand new low frequency driver, designed in large part

by EM Acoustics’ director of R&D, Ed Kinsella. The 10-inch full-range passive box sits perfectly between EM Acoustic’s eight-inch and 12-inch offering, both in physical size and output. One of the most significant improvements has been the introduction of a newly developed three-step polyurethane paint finish, which is exceptionally tough, inherently weather-resistant, and offers a sleeker, more modern look. For prolonged outdoor use, outdoor versions can also be supplied with stainless steel grilles and weather-resistant connectors. Other enhancements include a stylish new grille design and painless access to the rigging points. www.emacoustics.co.uk

www.mondodr.com

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1. Kramer AFM-20DSP The latest AFM-20DSP audio matrix from Kramer does not limit integrators with fixed and rigid ports, but rather offers total compliance with whatever the system requires.

The benefits of flexibility that Kramer brings to audio professionals cannot be overexaggerated. If a user had a 12x8 configuration and wants more inputs – no problem.

With the integrated Kramer Flex I/O technology, users can configure the device to 14 inputs and six outputs from the built-in web-based user interface and be up and running almost instantly. www.kramerav.com

3. Protapes Pro Spike Corners Pro Spike Corners is a die cut matte cloth tape with a rubber based adhesive system. The tape is used for marking and labeling equipment cases. High visibility colours prove useful for marking of stairs, exits or stages. Pro Spike Corners are also used to mark placement of set furniture. The product is made in the USA, is highly conformable, removes cleanly from most surfaces and is abrasion resistant. The matte finish also ensures no glare. www.protapes.com

4. Tasker Komby Cables

2. Magewell Pro Convert for NDI to HDMI 4K The new low-latency converter decodes input streams up to 4196 x 2160 at a full 60 frames per second for output to baseband monitors, projectors, production or distribution equipment via an HDMI 2.0 interface. Offering the high reliability, assured performance and compact size of dedicated hardware, compared to software-based stream playout, it is perfect for applications, including multi-site video distribution; image magnification (IMAG); video walls; digital signage; remote production; or bridging legacy and next-generation media infrastructures.

The Pro Convert for NDI to HDMI 4K can automatically optimise output parameters based on EDID metadata of the connected HDMI display, while FPGA-based video processing enables high-quality up/down-conversion between HD and 4K. The compact device measures just 3.97 by 2.4-inches with a height of 0.92 inches, and can be powered via an external adapter or PoE. Users can manage advanced features of the devices via on-unit controls, a browser-based interface, or connected keyboard or mouse. www.magewell.com

Tasker have announced a series of Komby Cables with cat. 7. The Tasker C747, which contains four cat. 7 S./F.T.P. stranded cables, that, thanks to the soft PVC sheath and external diameter of just 19mm is extremely soft and flexible. This cable is suitable for both mobile laying and the realisation of assembled cables to be used on cable drums.

The C744 is a 3x2 50mm² power cable, which is suitable for many applications but mainly advised to realise assembled cables for live events. The C743 contains in a single soft PVC sheath three Cat.7 S./F.T.P., two DMX and one 3x2 50mm² power cable. The C735 Super is composed by two Cat.7 cables and one 3x2 50mm² power cable. The C734 Super has only one Cat.7 S./F.T.P. and one 3x1 50mm² power cable. All of these items can be widely used for the high-speed data transmission, strictly needed in data centres or broadcast studios and all of them can be realised on demand, with LSZH or PUR sheath. www.tasker.it

www.mondodr.com

PROLED FLEX STRIPS DIGITAL + DiGidot C4 CONTROLLERS

The PROLED FLEX STRIPS DIGITAL are perfect for pixel applications. With the the DiGidot C4 controllers each LED can be controlled individually.

MBN GmbH Balthasar-Schaller-Str. 3 86316 Friedberg · Germany Phone +49.821.60099-0 Fax +49.821.60099-99

DiGidot C4

PROLED FLEX STRIPS DIGITAL

info@proled.com proled.com

178 LAST PAGE

“Another key aim of the business is for end-users and integration partners to understand Tripleplay as a key element in a wider ecosystem of technology.”

ANNA ROBERTS Group Marketing Manager, Tripleplay Can you give us a brief explanation about what Tripleplay do?

What is Tripleplay aiming for over the next few years?

Tripleplay is a comprehensive content management system, we deliver digital signage, IPTV and video streaming solutions within large venues, installations and arena environments. Tripleplay enables the distribution of engaging media content and live video.

It integrates with a system of technologies including display screen and media player manufacturers, EPOS systems, wayfinding solutions and venue management softwares. This allows for the display of different content types, ensuring flexibility for the end user.

2019 was a year of significant change for Tripleplay, mainly due to its acquisition by Uniguest and subsequent merger with digital signage and meeting room booking manufacturer ONELAN. This strengthens Tripleplay’s role as together with ONELAN it now becomes the largest Digital Signage and IPTV platform available in the audiovisual market and a true power-house within the industry.

Aim one is to unify the Tripleplay and ONELAN offering to deliver the world’s largest and most innovative digital signage, IPTV and video streaming platform.

This collaboration will strengthen the overall product suite that it can offer to clients, thus making sure end-users continue to receive the best-of-breed technology they come to expect when dealing with Tripleplay as an organisation.

Aim two is to promote the concept that Tripleplay is more than just a digital signage and IPTV product, it is a feature rich and comprehensive content management platform. Another key aim of the business is for end-users and integration partners to understand Tripleplay as a key element in a wider eco-system of technology that works harmoniously together to improve visitor experience and engagement within a venue.

What installation projects have you worked on recently?

The Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai. The venue is a new 17,000-capacity state-of-the-art, multipurpose indoor arena spanning 500,000 sq ft and is set to enhance Dubai’s leisure and entertainment offering and become the ‘go to’ venue for international music concerts, sports and entertainment events and large-scale functions.

More than 200 end-points of Tripleplay Digital Signage and IPTV will be delivered across the arena’s IP network utilising Tripleplay’s proven and reliable end-to-end solutions.

What have been your favourite projects to work on?

Twickenham Stadium, because of their innovative outlook and passion to deliver a truly connected stadium with the fans at the centre of the match day experience. Using Tripleplay technology, they integrated their digital menu boards powered by our digital signage and integrated PMS platform, enabling directional signage to appear when high number of transactions were monitored, moving people to quieter areas of the grounds and allowing them to be served much faster.

What do you believe is the next big thing in terms of technology for large venues?

I think, particularly in EMEA, large arenas and venues are looking to use engagement technology

www.mondodr.com

to follow the American model of fan interaction.

There is a real desire for venues to mirror the American fan experience, where dwell times at a stadium or concert are much longer, and the technology and venue is set up in such a way to maximise visitor enjoyment. This model provides venues with a greater likelihood of increasing revenue and generating a tangible return on investment and forces venues to prioritise their digital marketing strategy.

Another element that is a changing consideration for manufacturers approaching venues is the decision maker itself; for large projects the IT or AV team are now just a part of a wider network of people who select what technology they want to install. Large venues now look to their content and marketing teams as key stakeholder in the decision-making process, this focus instantly puts a much greater emphasis on the usability of a product. As these departments increasingly become more responsible for the day-to-day management and distribution of content, having a single platform solution with a number of integrated technologies, which is accessible and intuitive for a non-technical user is essential.

Having a content management system that integrates with a number of other venue technologies is now of paramount importance in order to create a truly connected stadium and will help more venues improve fan engagement and interaction.

Are there any exciting projects lined up for this year?

Unfortunately, I can’t reveal the names of potential clients until we have deployed our system on site. What I can say is that we have some exciting announcements coming up, both in the UK and across the globe as well.

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DINO & APERTA are the new generation of automatic LED moving heads. Twenty years after the introduction of Starway’s cult range Servo Spot 250, they inaugurate our new range of ultra compact and powerful projectors.

DINO reinvents the LED Spot: 8000 lumens, 11.5 kg for a height of 47 cm, linear zoom of 10 to 25°, wheel of 8 colors, wheel of 6 rotating and indexable gobos, wheel of 6 fixed gobos, 5-facet linear and 6-facet circular prism, frost.

www.star-way.com

APERTA revolutionizes the LED Beam: opening angle of 2.65°, 60,000 lux at 5 m, 13 kg for a height of 47 cm, infinite Pan / Tilt, ArtNet and KlingNet compatible, progressive frost, 14 fixed gobos, 6-facet linear rotating and indexable prism, 8-facet circular rotating and indexable prism.

Export Manager : Bruno Lerminiaux | blerminiaux@star-way.com

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