mondo*dr Awards Americas 2020 Supplement

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS

WELCOME Much like every other event in the industry, the mondo*dr Awards Americas 2020 hasn’t gone as we originally planned. We would’ve loved to have gone ahead with our full event at InfoComm Las Vegas, but, of course, the health and safety of the industry comes first.

However, we’ve all got to find way to adapt and overcome, which is why we decided to make this year’s awards an online event. Despite everything, we wanted to make sure that your incredible work gets the recognition it deserves. We’ve had some truly special projects submitted this year - it’s certainly been difficult for our judges.

We’d like to extend a huge congratulations to all the shortlisted venues and much-deserved category winners. Thank you to all of our supporters, everyone who submitted a project and our judging panel, too.

We’re planning to celebrate with 2020’s winners, as well as officially launch our 2021 plans at ISE, Barcelona in February - see you there!

Sam Hughes Editor

THE AWARDS IN NUMBERS mondo*dr Awards Americas 2020

TOTAL ENGAGEMENT: 70,000+ reached across all platforms

EDITOR: Sam Hughes: s.hughes@mondiale.co.uk ASSISTANT EDITOR: Emma Davidson: e.davidson@mondiale.co.uk DIGITAL EDITORIAL ASSISTANT: James Robertson: j.robertson@mondiale.co.uk SALES DIRECTOR: Jamie Dixon: j.dixon@mondiale.co.uk SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER: Laura Iles: l.iles@mondiale.co.uk EVENTS MANAGER: Sara Walker PRODUCTION: Mel Capper CEO: Justin Gawne FINANCE DIRECTOR: Amanda Giles CREDIT CONTROL: ar@mondiale.co.uk GROUP CHAIRMAN: Damian Walsh

Mondiale Publishing, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport SK1 3AZ, UK Tel: +44 161 476 8340 mondo*dr Awards supplement is published in July by Mondiale Publishing Limited, Strawberry Studios, Watson Square, Stockport, SK1 3AZ, UK | www.mondodrawards.com

THE CATEGORIES For the mondo*dr Awards Americas 2020, there are nine categories covering the entertainment installation market. There are four shortlisted entries, with one winner per category.

ARENA A venue for musical concerts and indoor sports, hosting games such as ice hockey, basketball, tennis and cycling.

BAR & RESTAURANT A drinking or eating establishment, usually with subtle background music in the daytime and evening, getting livelier as the evening progresses.

CONCERT HALL A performance venue for live music performances from philharmonic orchestras to rock bands.

HOUSE OF WORSHIP A place of worship for any religion.

MULTIPURPOSE VENUE A large complex, which might include hotels, conference centres, shopping centres, casinos and cinemas. This category also incorporates cruise ships.

NIGHTCLUB A club is generally open from late evening until the early hours of the morning. It has facilities such as a bar, a dancefloor and often a DJ or live performer.

PARKS & ATTRACTIONS A park with roller coasters or a water themed park, or a museum, midway or tourist site.

STADIUM A sporting venue, most commonly with an open / retractable roof. Home to sports such as football, rugby, cricket and athletics.

THEATRE An auditorium for spoken word plays and musicals.

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THE JUDGES For 2020, the judging process has evolved to include previous winners for the first round of reviews, which will create the shortlists. Each ceremony will have a dedicated judging panel from the associated geographical region, flexing their expertise in their given markets. The second round of judging for 2020 will give the panel an opportunity to explore the project entries in more depth that ever before.

MICHAEL NISHBALL

ROSANI GOMES

SCOTT WILLSALLEN

GASOLINE DESIGN

ARDENT

AUDITORIA

STEVE LIEBERMAN

TODD HENSLEY

GARETH COLLYER

OCTAVIUS RE

SCHULER SHOOK

MUNRO ACOUSTICS

JULY / AUGUST 2020 | 30.5

THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION FOR TECHNOLOGY IN ENTERTAINMENT

DANIEL & ANDREAS SENNHEISER

The brothers and co-CEOs discuss their core family values as Sennheiser reaches its 75th year.

HOUSES OF WORSHIP

We take a closer look at the impressive uses of technology in venues across the world.

JULY / AUGUST 2020

MOVING HEADS

A round-up of the latest lighting fixtures.

THE INTERNATIONAL PUBLICATION FOR TECHNOLOGY IN ENTERTAINMENT

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SHORTLISTED - ARENA CHASE CENTER Location: San Francisco, USA Manufacturers: Mountain Productions Submitted by: Mountain Productions For the building of the new Chase Center, home to the Golden State Warriors, Mountain Productions was sought after to provide its rigging expertise in the construction of this new arena.

With a 40-year history in the entertainment industry, Mountain Productions has become a go to installations provider when it comes to highly technical jobs such as the Chase Center. With this project, Mountain Productions installed the rigging and control for the sophisticated audio system, the courtside theatrical lighting system as well as the video corner boards.

For this installation project, custom fabricated rigging components were all designed and built in-house by the MTN engineering team at the company’s headquarters in PA, USA. Such components included custom designed loudspeaker frames and connecting hardware, beam clamps with the tightest tolerances possible, custom engineered cable management systems as well as proprietary MTN Chain Slides.

Mountain Productions is committed to staying at the forefront of all advancements in rigging technology by providing its teams with continuous education on the matter. Therefore, its custom designed

rigging components were combined with advanced control systems to provide state-of-the-art, highly technical structures. The MTN team coupled their CM D8+ hoists with custom fabricated components and a Soft Limit Control System, the central control system used for talking to each of the elements. It also implemented its MTN Targeted Positioning Control System that allowed for multi-layered control of the CM D8+ hoists located throughout the arena.

One of the most challenging aspects of this build related to the scoreboard and gantry system. The Chase Center has an incredibly large scoreboard and gantry system that closes under the scoreboard, causing specific spatial challenges for the elements that Mountain was contracted to rig. To overcome this challenge, the MTN engineering team used extremely sophisticated 3D modelling along with Mountain’s in-house virtual reality department to assist in highlighting the possible obstructions associated with the build, as well as helping to maintain the safety factor that Mountain is known for.

With the combination of unique skills and long-standing experience of the Mountain Production’s team, the company were able to bring the safest and most advanced rigging solution to the Chase Center, a hub for almost 200 events each year.

SHORTLISTED - ARENA

ARENA SPONSORED BY

DICKIES ARENA Location: Fort Worth, Texas Manufacturers: L-Acoustics Distributor: Electro-Acoustics Installer: Electro-Acoustics Acoustician: WJHW Submitted by: L-Acoustics The sound system is truly impressive, hanging from a dedicated 80 ft diameter motorised truss ring, encircling a massive centre video display. The system consists of eight main arrays, each configured with eight K2 enclosures and four Kara elements. A beefy subwoofer system features four arrays of five KS28 dual-18-inch subwoofers hung in a hypercardioid configuration and located in the cardinal positions.

Four A Series clusters (A15 Focus and A15 Wide) are integrated underneath the centre video display for floor coverage. The system was designed using L-Acoustics Soundvision 3D modeling software, and is powered and processed by 38 LA12X and eight LA4X amplified controllers. A P1 processor is used for AVB distribution to the amplified controllers and provides console switching for touring events and guest consoles; all managed via L-Acoustics' LA Network Manager software.

In addition to the main system, eight X12 short throw loudspeakers are on hand as floor monitor wedges and for multiuse sound reinforcement, powered by an LA12X, and the FOH position benefits from a pair of self-powered 108P monitors.

Dickies Arena also features a 10,500 sq ft space in Simmons Bank Pavilion, plus 86,865 sq ft of exhibit space that surrounds the Pavilion.

One array on each end of the Pavilion delivers blanketed coverage to the full space. Each array is comprised of three ARCS Focus and one ARCS Wide, under two SB18m, all powered by two LA12X amplified controllers.

After five years of planning and construction, Dickies Arena opened its doors on October 26 2019, ushering in a new era of sports and live events. As the home of the iconic Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, Dickies Arena will host NCAA basketball tournaments, gymnastics, collegiate and professional ice hockey, major concert events, family events, and more.

The technology centerpiece of this world-class sports and entertainment venue is the L-Acoustics sound system comprising K Series and A Series elements, combining into the single largest arena sound system in L-Acoustics history.

Two dedicated systems were integrated: one for the Dickies Arena Main Bowl, and one for the adjacent Simmons Bank Pavilion, a multiuse exhibition and meeting space. The systems were installed by Fort Worth-based AV systems integrator and L-Acoustics Certified Provider Electro-Acoustics. System design and oversight were provided by the AV design consultants at WJHW in collaboration with Dickies Arena ownership, Trail Drive

Management, and The Beck Group.

Bill Shaw, Assistant General Manager for Trail Drive Management Corp. at Dickies Arena, recalled the decision process around the venue’s sound system as critical. “This is intended to be a truly multipurpose venue, and our primary goal is to provide a premium experience, with audience engagement being the number one priority,” he explained.

“We were also designing the system around our main tenant, the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo, which will be doing 25 performances in 23 days every January to February, so we want them to be especially happy with the venue.”

Electro-Acoustics and WJHW conducted a bid for the venue’s sound equipment that included most of the industry’s widely regarded “riderready” systems. From that process, L-Acoustics emerged as the clear winner. “It was the best value and the best product,” said Bill Shaw. “It represented an increased level of investment on our part, but it was well worth it.”

The new Dickies Arena is located in the middle of Fort Worth’s growing cultural district, which also features world-class museums, including the Kimbell Art Museum, The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and many more.

“So the new arena also had to meet that world-class criteria,” said Electro-Acoustics President and Chief Steward Chris Jordan. “Fort Worth is ‘where the West starts,’ and the importance of this arena being the host to the rodeo can’t be understated, but we are also helping to fulfill Fort Worth’s ambition to be one of the most music-friendly cities in the world. The sound for Dickies Arena would have to cover a lot of bases, and cover them well, so we backed L-Acoustics.”

Chris said the diversity of the events at the new arena and the fact that each type will reconfigure its seating—for instance, it will hold 14,000 for concerts, 13,300 for basketball, and 9,300 for rodeo performances— meant that L-Acoustics was the perfect fit.

“The main concern was directivity and coverage, and the K2 arrays and cardioid-configured subwoofers are the best combination to assure that the sound stays on the seats, wherever they are,” he said. “And the sound levels are consistent from seat to seat, no matter where you are in the venue. Plus, the tonality of the system is just unbelievable. This venue truly picked a winner when it picked L-Acoustics.”

SHORTLISTED - ARENA

ARENA SPONSORED BY

PRUDENTIAL CENTER Location: Newmark, New Jersey Manufacturers: Riedel Submitted by: Riedel Prudential Center, the world-class sports and entertainment venue located in downtown Newark, New Jersey, has replaced its ageing signal and communications infrastructure with an all-new signal routing and intercom backbone based on Riedel solutions. Riedel’s MediorNet real-time signal transport, processing, and routing technology is integrated with an Artist digital matrix intercom mainframe and Bolero wireless intercom to enable seamless and high-quality communications throughout the facility.

Opened in 2007, Prudential Center has been the home arena for the NHL’s New Jersey Devils, the Seton Hall University Pirates men’s basketball team, and more than 175 concerts, family shows, and special events each year. Known by fans as ‘The Rock’, the arena seats 16,500 for hockey games and almost 19,000 for basketball.

The new Riedel solution replaces an intercom system that was original to Prudential Center and a router that had reached its end of life.

“When the time came to upgrade our routing and comms systems, we explored several vendors in both categories. Ultimately, Riedel was the perfect choice for our budget, the requirements of our facility, and the technical capabilities of MediorNet, Artist, and Bolero,” said Joe Kuchie, Senior Manager, Scoreboard and Live Production, Prudential Center. “In particular, we have been blown away by the outstanding voice quality and range of the Bolero

system when compared to tests we ran on other solutions. Other advantages are the integrated features of MediorNet and the flexibility to grow the system just by adding more nodes where needed, rather than having to buy a completely new router.”

Connecting Prudential Center’s control room to the arena floor, the new Artist- and Bolero-based intercom system powers communications for all in-arena productions. The MediorNet realtime network routes all video content and feeds from the control room to the scoreboard and monitors throughout the building, and also transports feeds to replay operators for all sporting events.

One especially valuable capability of the new Riedel intercom system is its point-to-point features, which allow individual crew members to speak directly with one another rather than having to share a crowded main channel during a game. With each Bolero beltpack acting as a wireless key panel integrated with Artist, users are able to place point-to-point calls whenever and wherever needed.

“With Bolero’s fantastic range, our game-day workflows have improved significantly. Now we are able to talk to our floor managers and camera operators wherever they are, instead of waiting for them to return within range,” Joe added. “With our newfound communication range, we have new opportunities for filming in-game features from various locations in our building, capturing live footage from angles that we previously couldn’t use, and generating unique, fan-engaging content that translates into new revenue potential.”

Photo by Claire P on Unsplash

A Ghostlight burns in empty theaters as a beacon against the dark and as a promise to soon retake the stage.

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We will all return to the stage. Until then, GLP will keep its own Ghostlight burning for all of you.

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WINNER

ARENA SPONSORED BY

ARENA

ESPORTS STADIUM ARLINGTON Location: Arlington, Texas Manufacturers: TSL Products Submitted by: TSL Products Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas needed to establish a broadcast workflow suitable for its modern, 100,000 sq ft event space. The stadium’s integrator suggested adding TSL Products’ advanced control system into the facility’s workflow to achieve a seamless, universal broadcast control surface.

“We needed an advanced and user-friendly system to transition between live hosts and various player cameras to help organise who should be live at each point of the event,” said Corey Dunn, VP of Broadcast for the stadium. “Operating with TSL’s advanced control system benefits both the production crew and on-camera talent.

From the hosts at the desk transitioning from camera-to-camera to our production crew knowing who is live and when – the integration of TSL into our workflow doesn’t just impact camera operators, but the entire production.”

The stadium uses TSL Products’ advanced control to significantly improve its workflow, especially with the multitude of camera angles required in esports productions. In addition to the sheer volume of inputs and potential places that the technical director needs to locate and select for preview/program, the fast-paced and everchanging ‘action movie’ nature of the environment also lends itself to a dedicated advanced control system. Additionally, many Esports workflows require interfacing a bevy of both traditional broadcast as well as IT and COTS equipment to run properly. Using Virtual Panel Interfaces, the stadium can create an easily configurable process to customise these operations with intuitive, drag-and-drop controls.

“TSL helped solve our biggest challenge: integrating the many different types of equipment and technology we have at the facility,” said Corey. “The system provided us with the opportunity to put on smooth shows on a consistent basis. Our integrator helped us make the best possible selection for the facility, and TSL continues to deliver.”

TSL’s intuitive control interface enables users to establish seamless broadcast communication on a single, unified layer. The system was initially built as a tally system, and therefore had to be independent,

universal, configurable and infinitely scalable. With over 2,000 installations worldwide, TSL can now manage complex control tasks, such as router control, studio failover and delegation. With TSL, customers can achieve interoperability between equipment routed through analog, IP or hybrid networks, regardless of differing manufacturers and format specifications. TSL’s Tallyman control system is a globally trusted and road-tested broadcast production control solution that bridges the gap between IP framework components and any broadcast or live presentation technical equipment.

“In traditional sports, the production has gameplay cameras – our gameplay cameras are our in-game observers,” added Corey. “This could be a console, PC and even a mobile observer. We even have tally lights for our observers. TSL has allowed us to expand our storytelling capabilities with its ability to control and interface with third party devices, which in this case is mainly Grass Valley cameras and multi-viewers.”

For esports applications, it’s important for the observer to have an advanced tally and control system because it helps to tie in the entire production ecosystem. Esports productions are very similar to traditional sports, but the potential for exponentially more inputs and sources to choose from in the production control room creates an even greater need for advanced control. In addition, there is an additional workflow challenge when working with game servers and video game consoles acting as inputs. Advanced control and tally systems, such as TSL’s solutions, can help bridge the gap for production personnel in order to achieve a smooth broadcast or live stream.

At 100,000 sq ft, Esports Stadium Arlington is the largest dedicated esports facility in North America. The facility serves as a turnkey solution for esports events and productions, and was built to serve the unique needs and demands of the esports community. Recent events held at the facility include Esports Championship Series – Season 6, the Super Smash Bros. ULTIMATUM regional tournament, the 2018 Collegiate Rocket League National Championship and the Guns of Boom Pro Series – Season 2.

SHORTLISTED - BAR & RESTAURANT

BAR & RESTAURANT SPONSORED BY

12 STORIES Location: Washington DC, USA Manufacturers: K-array Distributor: K-array USA Installer: Global Audio Solutions Submitted by: K-array The InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C.’s new billion-dollar residential and retail development, The Wharf, boasts a 3,500 sq ft rooftop cocktail spot, dubbed 12 Stories.

The drinking destination marks the D.C. debut for Gerber Group, the prominent owner-operator behind the trendiest bars and restaurants in New York, Atlanta and Santiago, Chile.

Designed by interior designers SLDesign, 12 Stories features modern artwork by Paige Smith, industrial-chic design touches like concrete flooring, wired pendulum lighting, velvet, marble, leather and wood furniture, and an expansive 26 ft NanaWall, opening up

onto an outdoor terrace.

The Gerber Group requested an audio system from longtime partner integrator Global Audio Systems – who had already found success installing K-array in Gerber Group’s Grand Central Station lounge, The Campbell – a system that could deliver a high SPL in a compact enclosure.

Together with hotel management, the team selected K-array’s Kayman-KY102 line array loudspeakers for its amazing horizontal coverage and its four-inch closely-spaced drivers that allow for better frequency response in the lower bandwidth.

Given its similar characteristics yet in a smaller frame, the PythonKP52 was also selected for distribution throughout the venue.

The Gerber Group and InterContinental Hotel were ecstatic with the sound and look of the final system, which is comprised of seven Kaymans and four Pythons.

SHORTLISTED - BAR & RESTAURANT

BAR & RESTAURANT SPONSORED BY

906 COCKTAIL & CIGAR LOUNGE Location: Fort Smith, Arkansas Manufacturers: Digital Projection Installer: DES Submitted by: Digital Projection Set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, the town of Fort Smith, Arkansas, offers residents the opportunity to enjoy the merging of new trends with classic Americana heritage. This energy is particularly felt on the Garrison Avenue Strip where historic locations meet modern businesses and nightlife. Within this melting pot lies the 906 Cocktail and Cigar Lounge, a sophisticated locale offering patrons the chance to unwind in a luxurious, yet welcoming environment. A major focal point of design for the one-of-a-kind lounge was the need for a large-scale display that would be unlike anything in the area. For that task, the 906 Lounge chose a Radiance LED Performance Series Video Wall from Digital Projection.

Set in a historic 80+ year-old building, the Lounge sits in a prime location for Fort Smith. Outfitted with large, comfortable leather chairs, chandeliers, a long, granite-top bar, and fully stocked humidor, the 906 Lounge is a classic environment reminiscent of the roaring 20s and 30s.

Co-owner, Sammy Fiori, had this to say about his vision for the Lounge: “We believe that Fort Smith deserves nice things, and so we tried hard to make this a great, unique place to come in and truly relax. In our bar area, if you can name the bourbon or scotch, we probably have it. We have cigars ranging from $8 to some of the highest-end brands in the world. There is a lobby area where you can hear some live blues and jazz on the weekends, and there’s a nice, comfy theater area with a big LED display. It’s almost like a country club, but you don’t need a membership – everyone is welcome!”

When designing the layout, Sammy wanted to expand his unique blend of elegant decor and cosy atmosphere by adding a large, high-end display for the Lounge’s rear theatre room. Tasked with integrating such a solution were the technology experts at DES. Matthew Lien, Vice President of Sales at DES: “When our team first discussed the client’s vision for the Lounge, we knew they wanted a premier solution. The Garrison Avenue location isn’t Fifth Avenue in NYC, but nevertheless, the owners spared no expense on making this place special; the chairs, the humidor, the beverages, and certainly the technology all resonate luxury.”

The team at DES chose a 1.2 pixel-pitch Radiance LED Video Wall as the preferred solution for this project. Matthew continued: “The original architectural plans called for a display using LCD video wall technology. We instead chose Digital Projection for two reasons; Radiance LED exceeded the technical specifications and improved the visual aesthetic of the original design, and the team at Digital Projection was able to quickly deliver and help us complete the project ahead of schedule. The end-result turned out even better than we had anticipated.”

The reactions from the Lounge and their guests have been exceptionally positive. Wall-mounted in a custom facade, the 165’’ diagonal LED wall is a multi-purpose, dynamic display that contributes to the myriad of events held at the 906 Lounge. Buddy Kell, General Manager for the 906 Lounge explained: “The Radiance LED Wall is a perfect addition to the place. We like to tell first time visitors to ‘be sure and check out our little TV around the corner’ – and their initial reaction is always shock and awe.” A new favourite spot for their clientele, the Lounge says the rear theatre room is also a sought-after place for fans of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks sports teams and fantasy sports aficionados.

Most importantly however, the Radiance LED display compliments the feel and attitude of the Lounge.

Sammy added: “What’s really special about the display is that it’s bold, bright, and seamless. We didn’t want lines separating the content like you would see in LCD monitors. All those panels together make up one big, beautiful picture, and people just have a lot of fun with it.

It’s so bright, some people have joked that they are getting tans while watching it!

“It really makes a difference – here you’re not inundated with smaller, lesser quality screens everywhere you look like at your normal sports-bar.

Here you have a much more comfortable and elevated experience – and we couldn’t be happier with it.”

SHORTLISTED - BAR & RESTAURANT

BAR & RESTAURANT SPONSORED BY

ELITE BK Location: Brooklyn, New York Manufacturers: Wac Lighting, Acclaim Lighting, Tirso Lighting Distributor: Tirso Lighting Lighting Designer: Tirso Pelaez Installer: Tirso Lighting Submitted by: Tirso Lighting Opened in summer 2019, Elite BK is a multi-level dining and nightlife experience based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Proudly Latin owned, ELITE offers an upscale lounge, restaurant and rooftop bar, making it a go-to venue.

The lounge, named Colbalt, is based beneath the restaurant at Elite BK, bringing the nightlife experience to the heart of the neighbourhood.

With drinks and dancing in an upscale, one-of-a-kind lounge, original vinyl records cover the ceilings and walls paying tribute to the legends of Brooklyn's music scene.

The Barranquito restaurant offers a relaxed atmosphere, with Peruvian cuisine on the menu – which is celebrated by the locals residents as one of New York’s best kept secrets.

Rising high above Metropolitan Avenue, La Terraza de Paz is an open-air, rooftop patio designed for drinks, music, food, and dancing.

Overlooking the centre of Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighbourhood. La Terraza is unmistakable, complete with the LOVE mural and WORLD PEACE wall, with original artwork by Renda Writer.

With an impressive venue in place, the lighting technology used had to be of the highest quality – fully enhancing the décor and atmosphere throughout the different areas of Elite BK. This is where Tirso Lighting, a New York-based innovative lighting design firm that prides itself on creating fresh and appealing designs, became involved. Tirso Lighting designed, supplied and installed a brand new lighting system at Elite BK. RGB LED lighting was used to create an ambient glow within the space - this was paired with track lighting to help with illuminate the rest of the venue.

One of the biggest challenges the Tirso Lighting team faced was the tight timeline for installation. In fact, the Elite BK project saw the team design and build the new lighting system within an impressive 120 days.

This project is a great example of how clean and simplistic lighting design can make a real, lasting impact on a venue.

WINNER

BAR & RESTAURANT MI COCINA – HIGHLAND PARK VILLAGE Location: Texas, USA Manufacturers: Symetrix Inc, Tannoy, Innovox, Fulcrum Acoustic Installer: AlleyCat AV Submitted by: Symetrix Mi Cocina Restaurant required audiophile quality sound processing and easy control of 12 different audio zones throughout the venue, including both indoor and outdoor spaces. The Dante networked audio system for the space is based on a Symetrix Prism 8×8 DSP, a Symetrix xOut 12 Dante-to-analog expander, ARC-WEB virtual user interface and ARC-3 wall control panels.

To serve the differing needs of the various spaces in the venue, multiple loudspeaker types were used, including Tannoy ceiling loudspeakers in the first floor entry, Fulcrum Acoustic loudspeakers with Innovox subwoofers in the main dining room, Tannoy outdoor loudspeakers on the rooftop balcony, and diverse fill-in loudspeakers in other locations. These wildly different loudspeaker types throughout the restaurant require careful programming of the Prism DSP in order to match level and tonality between areas at all volume levels. The Symetrix Prism DSP provides the flexibility to use standard processing such as EQs, crossovers, duckers, limiters and compressors as well as more specialised processing such as loudness management modules to ensure that Mi Cocina lives up to the audiophile expectations of the owners.

Easy-to-use control of the audio system is provided by five Symetrix ARC-3 wall panels in discrete locations around the restaurant while a Symetrix ARC-WEB virtual user interface allows complete, browserbased control from a mobile phone or tablet.

System Designer, Danny Salinas of AlleyCat AV, explained: “The owners wanted to be able to walk in with their phones and log into the system, and with ARC-WEB they can do that, If they want the sound a little louder or something like that, they can easily adjust it.”

Mi Cocina required audiophile quality sound processing, the ability to fully customise the loudness response of each zone in addition to traditional audio processing, and simple system control from both wall controls and virtual controls on handheld devices.

Symetrix manufactures the only DSPs capable of satisfying all these requirements and AlleyCat AV provided the expertise and craftsmanship necessary to turn the customers’ dreams into a fully realised, perfect system. This combination of meticulously designed hardware and software installed by talented professionals was the only way to provide a solution truly worthy of being part of the Mi Cocina experience.

BAR & RESTAURANT SPONSORED BY

SHORTLISTED - CONCERT HALL KAUFMANN CONCERT HALL Location: New York City, USA Manufacturers: L-Acoustics Distributor: See Factor Installer: Hudson Scenic Design Submitted by: L-Acoustics L-Acoustics designed a system comprising five arrays of Kiva II—with six enclosures per hang—across the width of the stage, and four SB15m subwoofers. This frontal system would solve a key issue in reinforcement: localisation. The ability to localise the reinforced sound to the source onstage became a key factor to improve intelligibility, creating a cohesive blend of live and reinforced sound.

For the immersive aspect of the system, a total of 20 X8 loudspeakers - four X8 coaxial loudspeakers per side and four in the rear for balcony and orchestra - allow the Kaufmann staff to use the entire venue to place sounds for cinema, or enhance the space using the L-ISA integrated Room Engine. Furthermore, 5XT under-balcony fills, six X4i ultra-compact coaxial frontfills on the lip of the stage, and two Syva colinear loudspeakers as proscenium nearfills complete the system, which is powered by 11 LA4X amplified controllers, fed via AVB from the FOH infrastructure. Finally, there are two L-ISA Processors (main and backup) located at FOH, and managed by the L-ISA Controller software, running on a Mac Mini.

Audio into the L-ISA system first starts at the console, a Yamaha Rivage PM10, which sends each audio channel post-fader and post-processing into the L-ISA Processors via a MADI stream. From there, the resulting objects are placed and layered in the L-ISA Controller—with the spatialised outputs sent to the corresponding loudspeakers.

The Kaufmann Concert Hall at the 92nd Street Y is a quintessential bit of classic New York City cultural history. The 92Y itself was opened in 1874 as the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) but evolved into an institution, serving people of all races and faiths, with education, social services and entertainment.

But this venerable space desperately needed an upgrade to its nearly 20-year-old audio system, which often worked against the naturally reverberant space and intimate programming of the hall. “The main challenge for this concert hall is that the interior is largely made of wood, and it’s very reverberant,” explained Kaufmann Concert Hall Technical Director, Sean Fogarty. “It was built in the 1920s and meant for classical music, so when we did amplified music, it could easily overwhelm the space.”

Enter L-Acoustics’ L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal technology, which was selected to solve these issues and bring the audio of the 905-seat Kaufmann Concert Hall into the 21st century. The technology has since reinvigorated the venue, bringing spacious, natural sound that is localised to the presenters onstage, while also blending into the notable architecture.

To match the historic venue, the L-ISA installation is in itself historic, marking the first US installation of L-ISA in a performing arts centre.

A true collaborative effort, the system was sold through local rental and integration mainstay See Factor, and installed by the Kaufmann Concert Hall’s IATSE Local One technical staff, with guidance from See Factor’s Alex Jones, L-Acoustics and Hudson Scenic Design.

As part of a broader update of the venue’s sound, which included the installation of a new digital FOH console and recording and broadcast infrastructure also supplied by See Factor, Sean and

his team, including house sound engineer, Anthony Lombard, reviewed all of the needs and challenges to design a system that would allow maximum flexibility and ease of use to handle the variety of events in the hall, while ensuring clear, intelligible, and exciting sound. The large network of systems had one overriding directive: integrating seamlessly and unobtrusively into the historic architecture of the venue.

The answer was L-ISA. A demo of the system, at See Factor’s Queens, New York facility across the East River from 92Y, provided ample evidence of how L-ISA could address all of those contingencies.

From the very first show, the L-ISA technology has performed flawlessly and proved its worth. In fact, that first show—a performance by Shinedown in September—well illustrated its capabilities as the band members discussed their music with the moderator, Chris Porter, followed by a three-song performance.

“L-ISA has really changed the way we hear music here,” added Sean.

Pieces of Heaven

At IAA 2019 in Frankfurt, thousands of LED-Tiles D50 illuminated the ceiling elements for Volkswagen.

#LEDmadeinGermany #LEDplayedinFrankfurt stay connected schnick.schnack.systems /SchnickSchnackSystems @schnick.schnack.systems Photo by Saskia Gaulke

SHORTLISTED - CONCERT HALL OCTAVE 9 Location: Seattle, Washington Manufacturer: Meyer Sound Architect: LMN Architects Lighting Designer: Belle & Wissell, Co. Acoustician: Jaffe Holden Submitted by: Meyer Sound Equipped with Meyer Sound’s Constellation active acoustics and Spacemap spatial sound, Octave 9 affords virtually limitless potential for exploring new ways to create, present and experience music from all genres and eras — from string quartets and vocal ensembles to contemporary electronic — in a richly immersive environment.

Constellation is a highly refined system of active acoustics. By applying DSP coupled to multiple ambient sensing microphones and an array of evenly distributed lateral and overhead loudspeakers, Constellation modifies the room’s acoustic characteristics by adding early reflections and/or reverberation to create the optimum acoustics for the event at hand. Acoustic characteristics are generated using the patented VRAS (Variable Room Acoustical System) algorithm.

As implemented at Octave 9, Constellation comprises 62 small full-range loudspeakers augmented by 10 compact subwoofers that extend the reverberation envelope through the deep bass frequencies. 28 miniature microphones are spread across the ceiling for ambient sensing. DSP is supplied by a D-Mitri digital audio platform with 13 modules, including two D-VRAS modules for separate control of early reflections and reverberation. Available system presets can instantly transform room acoustics to emulate a small room, medium room, large hall or cathedral.

The suite of Meyer Sound technologies also includes Spacemap, a software-based system for exploring three-dimensional spatial sound through the dynamic movement of discrete sounds around, over and through the audience.

Octave 9’s street-level space had been previously occupied by Soundbridge, a modest venue primarily devoted to educational programs. It had hosted small ensemble performances, but the room’s limited size and low ceiling provided limited and fixed acoustical support.

The architecture of the space, including the innovative ‘honeycomb’ acoustical ceiling, was designed by LMN Architects in Seattle working in collaboration with principal acoustical and AV consultant, Garth Hemphill of Jaffe Holden.

For a full sensory experience, the sonic effects of Constellation are complemented by equally advanced visual technologies as designed by Belle & Wissell, Co. of Seattle. Visual effects are displayed on moveable screens that can fully surround the space with images displayed on 10 ultra-short throw projectors.

Octave 9’s street-level space had been previously occupied by Soundbridge, a modest venue primarily devoted to educational programs. It had hosted small

ensemble performances, but the room’s limited size and low ceiling provided limited and fixed acoustical support.

Constellation comprises 62 small full-range loudspeakers augmented by 10 compact subwoofers that extend the reverberation envelope to the lowest bass frequencies. All loudspeakers are self-powered using Meyer Sound’s proprietary IntelligentDC technology. Twenty-eight miniature microphones are spread across the ceiling for ambient sensing.

Constellation is a flexible and highly refined system of active room acoustics. By applying digital signal processing coupled to multiple ambient sensing microphones and an array of evenly distributed lateral and overhead loudspeakers, Constellation extends or modifies the room’s reverberant characteristics to create the optimum acoustics for the event at hand. With Constellation, the same physical space can emulate the acoustics of an ideal classroom, chamber music hall, symphony hall or vast cathedral.

Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center is the first Constellation acoustic system in the state of Washington, incorporating the latest developments in advanced technologies for acoustic space emulation and dynamic spatial sound manipulation. It is the first Constellation system to be commissioned with an easy to use multi-touch interface that offers real-time manipulation of up to 32 independent, discrete sound sources using Spacemap. It has dedicated system presets to optimise acoustics for any type of event, with options for small room, medium room, large hall, and sacred space. Acoustic presets have been optimised for use with multiple screen configurations that will provide the room with both immersive visual and sonic possibilities.

SHORTLISTED - CONCERT HALL SONY HALL Location: New York, USA Manufacturers: d&b audiotechnik, Yamaha, Sony, Shure, BSS, Sennheiser, Electro-Voice, AKG, RF Venue, Martin, Elation, ETC, High End, Leprecon, NewTek, Draper, Kramer Distributor: d&b audiotechnik Corporation, Yamaha Corporation of America, Sony Corporation of America, JB&A, Comprehensive Connectivity Company, Draper, Starin, Shure Incorporated, Harman International, The Music People Architect: Blue Note Entertainment Group Lighting Designer: William Ellebracht (Lighting Designer) Installer: Peltrix, USA Acoustician: Amit Peleg (Audio and Video Designer - Peltrix) Submitted by: d&b audiotechnik GmbH & Co. KG Sony Hall produces events that load in and load out within a day. A sound engineer needs to walk up to the system with an understanding of how it works so they can accomplish their goal quickly. The workflow at Sony Hall facilitates that in the simplest of ways. Each console bus out connects with an input of Soundscape.

The engineer performs their sound check in the same manner they always do, with the enhancement of object placement utilising En-Scene. The stage layout for the band’s rider is matched with Soundscape and refined during the sound check, providing a cleaner sonic experience since the level and time arrival from the performer to each audience member is aligned with a simple graphical interface. This setup additionally allows room acoustics to be added with the convolution reverberation provided by En-Space at the flip of a switch, making the venue to sound less like a basement and

more like concert hall.

Blue Note Entertainment Group wanted a flexible and adaptable space that can suit the needs of many types of events. There were multiple design challenges due to the low ceilings and reluctance to renovate this historic space below the Paramount Hotel. With an installation timeline of 40 days between the first day in the venue to the first public audience, there was little room for error. The solution was to install a d&b Soundscape system. Sony has a proprietary immersive playback technology bypassing the Soundscape system, but most of the performances at Sony Hall use Soundscape in a variety of different ways: creating a four-corner system with objects for DJs, localising acoustic sources on stage with En-Scene, and creating effects with non-acoustic sources using En-Scene and EnSpace with the surround loudspeakers.

A new concert hall in the heart of New York City’s Times Square, Sony Hall, is the American venue that pioneered the Soundscape technology. This technology is able to create an expansive, immersive sonic experience and support a diverse range of artists from major hip-hop acts to rock n’ roll legends. So far, Sony Hall has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from artists, technicians, and audiences regarding their experience in front of a Soundscape system. Sony Hall proudly established its presence with the first Soundscape installation in North America making it a go-to performance venue, raising the bar on everyone’s expectations for installed sound systems in music venues. This complex idea and installation is achieved with simple execution and has led to artists and audiences wanting to return to this venue on a regular basis.

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WINNER CONCERT HALL CLEMENTINE

Location: Nashville, USA Manufacturers: ADJ Lighting Designer: Acclaim Lighting Installer: Corner Audio and Video Submitted by: ADJ Following a year-long renovation project, the former West Nashville United Methodist Church re-opened at the beginning of the summer as Clementine, a unique space for weddings as well as corporate, fundraising and music events. The venue offers a ‘blank canvas’ for hosting bespoke gatherings and that includes an expansive all-LED, all-ADJ lighting system which allows customcoloured illumination of every part of the space.

Owners Dan and Brenda Cook are no strangers to projects that involve breathing new life into previously closed historic buildings.

In 2011 they bought a shuttered church in the Hillsboro Village area of Nashville and lovingly restored it to create a boutique event venue they named Ruby. Since then the location has proved popular for a wide range of private functions, while Dan and Brenda have been on the look out for another suitable building to transform into a similar venue able to cater for larger events.

The venue is now comprised of two main areas. The former sanctuary has been named the ‘Adelaide Hall’ and features a large vaulted ceiling and two separate stage areas. Then behind it is a separate room, christened the ‘Little Bird Lounge’ in honor of Dan and Brenda’s daughter, which has a distinct feel and boasts a 20ft built-in black marble bar. In addition, there are no less than three dressing rooms available for performing artists as well as an intimate outdoor courtyard. The vision behind the facility is to provide a flexible space that can be easily adapted to events of all shapes and sizes.

This approach extends to the technical aspects of the venue, which have also been designed from the ground up to offer flexibility to the event organisers who will use the space.

The owners of Clementine brought in Corner Audio and Video, the same company they relied on to kit out Ruby. Headed up by Chief Systems Designer David Goon, it is the installation division of Corner Music, the retail company owned and founded by Larry Garris, which has been supplying the musicians of music city since 1976.

To deliver the level of complete flexibility that the owners wanted, Corner Audio and Video specified a grand total of 52 ADJ UB 9H one-metre linear LED wash fixtures to illuminate both the exposed

brick walls and the vaulted ceiling of the Adelaide Hall. Each of these compact battens feature nine 6W HEX LEDs allowing for colour washing using an almost unlimited palette of colours.

In addition, six of ADJ’s potent COB Cannon Wash fixtures were mounted to the rafters in the ceiling angled to point down at the floor. These serve as house lights for the room, allowing clients to not only dim the lighting but also change its colour to achieve the exact look they require. Each COB Cannon Wash unit features a powerful 150W quad-colour COB LED and offers a wide 80º beam angle, meaning that the six of them together are more than capable of filling the whole space with a uniform wash of bright light.

To provide flexible illumination across the venue’s two stages, David specified a combination of ADJ’s 12P HEX and PAR Z100 3K fixtures.

Each loaded with twelve 12W 6-in-1 HEX LEDs, the 12P HEX units fill the stage areas with vibrant colour washes. Meanwhile, the PAR Z100 3K units, with their 100W warm white COB LEDs, ensure that performers on stage can be clearly seen.

To visually link the main hall with the Little Bird Lounge behind it, Dan and Brenda decided to install a glass wall in the latter that provides a rear view of the organ. David then supplied a pair of ADJ’s 5P HEX LED par fixtures to sit inside this space and illuminate the vintage internal workings of the instrument. While installing the fixtures a member of the Corner Audio & Video team came across a ‘Recital Bulletin’ dated all the way back to 1924!

The combination of ingeniously-placed glass wall and ADJ LED illumination provides a unique feature to the Little Bird Lounge, while the organ itself serves as an impressive backdrop to one of the stages in the Adelaide Hall. However, the organ is more than an aesthetic feature of Clementine, it has been meticulously maintained – by the same company since the 1960s – and recently fully renovated so that it can still be played if an event requires authentic organ music.

Completing the impressive lighting installation, the Corner Audio & Video team fitted LED pixel tape, from ADJ’s sister company Acclaim Lighting, around the perimeter of a number of the venue’s steel gothic windows as well as the organ arch and coat closet. They also wired up the whole system using a pair of ADJ’s D6 Branch DMX splitters and set it up for control using ADJ’s myDMX 3 software.

The end result of the renovation project is a truly stunning venue that combines modern sensibilities with historic charm to provide a truly versatile venue that can be adapted to become the perfect venue for any event. The ADJ lighting system is a key part of this.

SHORTLISTED - HOUSE OF WORSHIP

HOUSE OF WORSHIP SPONSORED BY

MISSION CITY CHURCH Location: San Antonio, Texas Manufacturers: L-Acoustics, Allen & Heath, Clear-Com, Canon Installer: Skylark AV Submitted by: L-Acoustics Easter is a time of rebirth, and that’s what Easter 2018 was for Castle Hills Church, which reopened its sanctuary after two years of renovation and repair work in the wake of massive flooding and hail damage in 2016. At that time, San Antonio, Texas, experienced the largest hail that the United States had ever seen, which wrecked the glass peaked roof over the 1,000-plus-seat sanctuary, allowing wind and water to wreak havoc on the congregation’s main worship space.

As part of the rebirth of the church - which changed its name in January of this year to Mission City Church - a new L-Acoustics Kiva II-based sound system now provides the space with excellent speech intelligibility, while delivering full-range sound for the church’s contemporary worship team, as well as for Christian artists and bands that pass through the venue on tour.

“They spent the better part of two years focussed on reconstruction and rebuilding, so they only began to think about the sound system towards the end of that period,” recalled Steele Beaty, Operations Manager at Oklahoma City-based Skylark AV and the Project Manager for this installation. “We recommended that they look at the L-Acoustics equipment, and they immediately recognised the brand.

Once they realised that the system we could assemble and install for them was also affordable and attainable, they said, ‘Let’s do it!”

An L-Acoustics Kiva II line array is now arranged in a L-R configuration on either side of the stage, with 10 loudspeakers per side, backed by three flown SB15 subwoofers per side and buttressed by four ground-stacked subwoofers. Flanking the main stage are ARCS WiFo clusters as outfills for the stadium-type seating areas, using four boxes per side consisting of three ARCS Focus over one ARCS Wide enclosure. Along the tiered edges of the rectangular sanctuary seating area - uniquely designed with couches and stairwells between levels - ARCS WiFo hybrid arrays are perfect for complex geometries like these. In addition, two coaxial X8 front fills for spot

treatment sit in the front corners of the room.

All of the L-Acoustics loudspeakers were acoustically and mechanically modelled using the manufacturer’s Soundvision 3D simulation software. The sound systems are powered and processed by five LA4X amplified controllers, with one LA12X dedicated to the four ground-stacked KS28 subwoofers and another LA12X for the six flown SB15m subwoofers.

The systems were all installed by Skylark AV, which also integrated a full AVL package, including an Allen & Heath dLive mixing console, Canon cameras, Clear-Com intercoms, lights, projectors, and an updated video control room.

Steele said the Kiva II system is the most efficient and powerful Kiva design yet, so Kiva II offered the church more than enough SPL, and the Soundvision 3D simulation software assured that the system would cover the entire seating area.

“The coverage we’re getting between the Kiva II and the ARCS WiFo is simply awesome,” he said. “The church absolutely loves the system, because it gives them the power and intelligibility they wanted. We love it because L-Acoustics just sounds fantastic, and with tools like Soundvision, we know what it’s going to sound like before we hang the first loudspeaker.”

Don Long, Executive Pastor of Mission City Church, described the new sound system as “perfect, and that’s coming from someone who cares about sound quality from an audiophile perspective.”

He added that the music and entertainment shows that have been through the renovated sanctuary note that the L-Acoustics sound system is the same brand they specify on their tour riders.

“They’ll call their crew and say they’ll be using our system, no need to bring theirs,” he said. In fact, Long continues, the L-Acoustics system has worked out so well at the original church location that he’s already green-lighted Skylark AV to put the same system into the church’s planned second location, which will open in 2020, he estimated. “The new location will have about the same size sanctuary as we have here, so I told the folks at Skylark to do it all over again there, just like they did it here,” he said. “L-Acoustics has exceeded our expectations.”

SHORTLISTED - HOUSE OF WORSHIP

HOUSE OF WORSHIP SPONSORED BY

COAST BIBLE CHURCH Location: San Juan Capistrano, California Manufacturers: ADJ, Magmatic Distributor: Cinema Solutions Installer: Cinema Solutions Submitted by: ADJ A modern church lighting system not only allows worship to be enhanced with colour, movement and texture, but it also ensures that pastors, preachers and worship leaders can be seen clearly by their congregation as well as those watching via the increasingly popular and powerful medium of online streaming. That was the motivation behind the recent renovation of the lighting system at Coast Bible Church in California, which commissioned the installation of more than 30 ADJ moving head luminaires. This flexible new system not only vastly increased the church’s creative potential when it comes to lighting times of worship, but it also ensures that its new live-streaming initiative provides crystal clear video to those watching from home.

Known locally as ‘the church on the hill’, Coast Bible Church in South Orange County, CA was founded in 1967 and since then has grown into a thriving local church. Based from a modern purposebuilt sanctuary, the church had already invested heavily in highquality audio and video systems when, in early 2020, the leadership felt that it was the right time to bring their lighting system up to the same high standards.

To achieve this, the church brought in Bill Coblentz and his company Cinema Solutions. Established in 1998, the business provides audio visual design and installation services for both commercial and residential projects throughout Southern California.

A well-established ADJ dealer, Bill was confident that ADJ’s range of high quality, reliable and competitively-priced lighting fixtures would be ideal for the Coast Bible Church installation. He was also aware that a project of this scale would need a lighting specialist to create the design for the system and creatively program it to allow the church’s team of volunteer techs to make full use of its potential.

Bill reached out to ADJ’s sales team for advice on who to bring on board and they were quick to recommend ex-ADJ employee turned full-time freelance lighting designer and programmer Edgar Gonzalez.

Also based in California, Edgar was excited to take on the project as Bill was happy to give him creative freedom, so he drove to the church for a site visit and to meet with the church’s Lead Pastor, Tom Bennett. From there Edgar used the Capture software to create a design and produced still images and video clips of various lighting looks from its visualiser to present Tom and the rest of the church’s leadership team with a visual impression of what they could expect from the new system.

“The church’s primary concern when we discussed their requirements on the site visit was key lighting and flexibility,” explained Edgar. “Their previous system was outdated and basic, consisting of static washes with single-diode RGB LEDs. This meant that they were getting off-colour whites and the lighting was focussed on particular parts of the stage, so if a worship leader moved too far they’d hit a dark spot. They told me that nice warm white light for streaming services was important to them and they’d like the flexibility of being able to change focusses from service to service and even for different sections of the same service as the people on stage moved to different areas. It quickly

became clear that the obvious solution was ADJ’s Par Z Move. This offers the ability to zoom in and out as well as reposition on the fly, and also give that nice warm white colour temperature they were looking for.”

“As part of the presentation that I prepared for the church,” continued Edgar, “I included a video recorded from Capture that showed the CMY’s projecting large break-apart GOBOs that slowly rotated on the side walls, with the colour set to a custom golden hue, and I think that’s what ultimately sold them on the fixture. I gave the church the option of a lower-cost alternative, but they understood that having CMY colour mixing would give them greater flexibility to create any look they wanted.”

Bill carried out the installation and Edgar programmed the system during the weeks when the church’s congregation wasn’t able to meet in their building due to COVID-19 restrictions. This meant that it was ready to debut on the Sunday when easing of California’s lockdown meant that the church were able to meet together again in person for the first time. This joyous occasion was the perfect opportunity to introduce this new creative tool for worship, which was received extremely positively by church members and leaders alike.

“The people at the church were amazed by the finished system,” enthused Edgar, “and the complements I got from the pastor were great. He couldn’t believe how good it looked and how much of an experience it could create in their facility. They wanted to bring more of a concert-style feel to their services and also to be able to do more with their youth, but they also wanted to keep their older members happy. So it was important that the lighting didn’t distract from the existing feel of the space and from the worshipful nature of their services. I programmed some subtle looks that could be used to introduce lighting gradually to the main services, as well as some more full-on programs for concerts and youth events.”

That’s the beauty of a well-designed and implemented church lighting system, it is able to provide a worship team with creative tools to enhance the praise experience without detracting from the service or the aesthetics of the space. This is certainly what has been achieved at Coast Bible Church through a perfect synergy of Edgar’s design flair and Bill’s excellent installation work.

SHORTLISTED - HOUSE OF WORSHIP

HOUSE OF WORSHIP SPONSORED BY

CHURCH OF THE HIGHLANDS

Location: Grants Mill, Broadcast Campus Manufacturers: GLP, German Light Products USA, ROE Visual, Stagemaker, Motion Labs, Tyler Truss, Skjonberg Controls, TMB, Chroma-Q, Martin Professional Distributor: E2i Design Lighting Designer: Griffin McCravy Submitted by: GLP The use of the ROE Visual BO3 video panel system, made up of over 450 panels creates the backdrop, while a host of automated fixtures from German Light Products and Martin Professional, as well as fixed head fixtures by Chroma-Q, set the mood of the space. Adding in the Stagemaker motors, Tyler Truss systems, power distribution and more, GLP have provided a solution that exceeds all expectations and surpasses even the original vision of what we could accomplish in the space.

The challenge as it was presented was that the Church of the Highlands team wanted flexibility of design in an already constructed

worship facility. The overall concept of the space has ultimately been to provide a complete touring system within the walls of a permanent facility. The technical leadership wanted the ability to execute whatever design concept they could dream up, whenever they wanted to implement it, without limitations. The team put together a system made up of power distribution, motor controllers, motors, truss, etc. all in an effort to create that ultimate and unlimited flexibility.

This project was many years in the making and involved many different teams from Church of the Highlands, E2i Design, and all the manufacturers involved. Its phased implementation was successful and the end result has given the ministry something they never imagined could be possible. It is also one of the most unique systems being used on a week to week bases in a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;permanent installâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; worship venue as it is certainly not common to have this level of system. GLP are very proud of the work the ministry continues to do on a weekly basis as they maximise the potential this system has to offer with its nearly unlimited possibilities.

WINNER

HOUSE OF WORSHIP SPONSORED BY

HOUSE OF WORSHIP CATHEDRAL OF THE HOLY CROSS Location: Boston, USA Manufacturers: Powersoft, Innovox Architect: Patrick Keely Installer: Landry Audio Division Submitted by: Powersoft With roots dating back to the 19th Century, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston, USA, was designed by architect, Patrick Keely. After quickly outgrowing its first home on Franklin Street, work began on a new structure. It naturally suffered delays due to the American Civil War, but finally received its dedication in 1875.

The cathedral is the largest church of any faith in New England and has long served as an important gathering place and ‘Mother Church’ for Catholics living in the Archdiocese of Boston. It can seat almost 2,000 people and is also home to the largest, and arguably finest organ built by the world-renowned Hook and Hastings Company in 1875.

Despite being a very old building, little renovation work has been completed over the years, perhaps partly due to the local Roxbury puddingstone and grey limestone that was used for construction.

However, last year, it was decided that an extensive upgrade would take place now that the Gothic revival cathedral is 150-years-old.

This renovation included a full-scale overhaul of the cathedral’s sound system, which includes an Innovox Microbeam PA system powered by Powersoft amplifiers.

System integrator, Landry Audio Division, Commlink Integration Corporation designed and installed the new audio setup, with Landry Audio CTO and President, Evan Landry, heading up the project.

“The primary focus of the system acts as an acoustic anchor, so that all the sound, sounds like it’s coming from the chancel - the place where it looks like it’s coming from,” Evan said. “The purpose of this setup is to increase listener engagement, clarity and intelligibility.”

Due to dimensional limitations in the cathedral, a customised sound system was required, and Evan turned to Innovox for a solution.

According to its website, all Innovox loudspeakers are ‘designed using decades of multisensory research, and provide extraordinary speech intelligibility, precise musical detail and enhanced visual aesthetics’.

Evan settled on two Innovox MicroBeam 32 column loudspeakers, which serve as a focal point for the entire sound system. However, rather than featuring the usual 32 drivers in a continuous line array configuration, only 26 per array were used for this project. The customised arrays also make use of Powersoft’s D-Cell 504 module, which provides processing and power for the dipole spaced low frequency section and processed line level outputs.

The Innovox MicroBeam steerable line arrays use a total 26 active mid-/low-frequency elements (2.75-inch cone drivers), as well as 26 high-frequency elements (3.25-inch ribbon drivers). “Virtually everything Innovox does as a company uses either ribbon or AMT [Air Motion Transformer]-type high-frequency elements,” said Chris Oswood, owner of Innovox Audio. “We do this for the principle reason of improved transient response over conventional means,

and that has everything to do with delivering the speech chain to the listener without the degradation that results in loss of articulation.

We do that to keep the transient information present, and to optimise for speech clarity – but it has a kind of corollary benefit, which is clarity and detail in musical reproduction.

“We use the D-Cell modules in our MicroBeam designs primarily because of the sound quality of the processor and amplifier sections. Additional benefits that we find useful are the form factor, small physical size and power density of the modules. Many of our products are columnar in shape, and these modules are easily integrated as a result,” Chris continued.

In addition to the MicroBeam columns, a further 18 Innovox line arrays were installed as delays, to extend the coverage from the chancel to the rear of the nave, which covers 200ft. The line arrays are mounted on the support columns that run along the aisle.

For powering each of the support line arrays, an additional five channels of monitors, plus another loudspeaker acting as a mirror image of the acoustic anchor, Evan and Chris selected Powersoft Ottocanali 1204 amplifiers.

“We knew that we needed one discreet channel per loudspeaker in the column, because we needed to have them appropriately delayed from the perspective of the MicroBeam,” Evan said. “There are 18 columns that essentially have to have unique delay times, so we knew our channel count was going to be high, and we knew the amount of power we were going to need was going to be relatively low, since the column loudspeakers were just used for articulation extension. The Ottocanali 1204 had the combination of high channel count and low power channels, while maintaining the sound quality that we needed to make this a world-class installation.”

Chris said that it’s not just sound quality that keeps him using Powersoft amplifiers on other house of worship projects in which Evan installs his Innovox loudspeakers. “We certainly encourage the use of Powersoft,” he said. “The difference in sound quality between Powersoft and other manufacturers is significant, and - in my opinion - really under-appreciated in the industry.

“Build quality is also very high with the product, as well as the package density. Often various parties in projects really battle for rack unit real estate, and high-power density is really helpful on these projects. The efficiency of the product is not lost on us either, in terms of power consumption over time, cost to operate, and environmental considerations. That’s another area, of course, where Powersoft is leading – but the real driver for us is sound quality.”

And, to set up the system’s DSP, Chris used Powersoft Armonía software, which he now knows very well. “We use Armonía routinely in other products by Powersoft,” he said. “It’s a very easy-to-use platform, and it has a lot of flexibility. We’re kind of lumping together a number of things when we talk about sound quality, but that refers to the quality of the amplifier sections, as well as the sound quality of the DSP. And the quality of the Ottocanali DSP is very high.”

With a new state-of-the-art sound system in place, the Cathedral of the Holy Cross is ready and waiting to serve its parishioners for years and years to come.

SHORTLISTED - MULTIPURPOSE VENUE TULALIP RESORT CASINO

Location: Washington DC, USA Manufacturers: Kramer Submitted by: Kramer Opened in 2004, the Tulalip Resort Casino (TRC) is the largest of its kind in Washington state. Operated by the Tulalip Tribes of Washington, it houses a 192,000 sq ft casino, seven restaurants, extensive meeting facilities, an amphitheatre, and an impressive award-winning 12-story hotel with 370 rooms and suites.

Digital signage is prominent throughout the TRC, with monitors used to direct guests to events, display sports broadcasts and keep casino players informed of the latest promotions.

TRC has been steadily feeding a growing network of monitors using a cloud-based Kramer Control system. Built with drag-anddrop functionality, remote-control capabilities, and built-in system analytics, Kramer Control has made life easy for Aaron Jackson, who leads AV technical and integration support for TRC. “Set-up is straightforward with Kramer Control,” said Aaron, an AV pro with extensive programming experience. “That’s why we gravitated towards this system.

“Kramer has the ‘full-stack’ more than anyone else on the market, especially when it comes to the drivers being pre-written for Kramer Control. The TRC’s in-house IT staff also find Kramer Control simple to use. It’s easy to scale up when needed.”

However, the current level of digital signage at this dynamic casino is beyond what many hard-wired, switched matrix audiovisual systems can easily handle.

To move AV signals over IP, approximately 60 Kramer KDS-EN6 4K60 4:2:0 HDCP 2.2 video encoders were installed inside TRC’s Networks Operation Center. These send signals to hundreds of Kramer KDS-DEC6 4K60 4:2:0 HDCP 2.2 decoders that are connected to monitors throughout the TRC. This vastly increases the scalability, capacity, and flexibility of the TRC’s digital signage network, both in terms of the number of

playout channels being supported at any one time, as well as the groupings of monitors to which these signals can be sent.

Even though the TRC’s network capacity is 10 Gbps, the Kramer KDS-EN6 / KDS-DEC6 AV over IP distribution system is capable of supporting 4K60 4:2:0 (10.2 Gbps), ensuring that its digital signage system remains futureproof and won’t become overloaded.

What’s more, using Kramer Control and Kramer Network - a software-based AV over IP enterprise management solution - IT teams are provided with extensive levels of device monitoring and management, including flexible AV signal distribution, room automation and video wall management. All functions can be performed remotely using a secure, password protected web portal 24/7.

Moving to an AV over IP signal delivery system has given the Tulalip Resort Casino the headroom it needs to add extra monitors, expand its range of playout channels, and migrate to 4K content when the time seems right. The strategy adds value now and in the long term.

This is a level of flexibility that just wasn’t possible with the TRC’s former hard-wired/matrix-based AV distribution system.

“The fact that the Kramer encoders/decoders are 4K gives us some room to grow, especially since there isn’t much 4K content available today,” Aaron commented. “Right now, the cameras within the TRC are HD, as is most of the playout content, including a marketing video loop that runs when the digital signs are not showing dedicated content. But times are changing and 4K is coming.

Meanwhile, the fact that this is an AV over IP system means the TRC’s IT staff can easily change up the playout order and switch in new content as they see fit.”

Chris Kopin, VP of Technology at Kramer US, added: “When the Tulalip Resort Casino wanted to extend digital signage throughout its property, Kramer AV over IP was the only realistic solution. Today, the TRC has a high-performance AV over IP network that meets all of their digital signage needs - and then some.”

SHORTLISTED - MULTIPURPOSE VENUE

MULTIPURPOSE VENUE SPONSORED BY

70,000 TONS OF METAL Location: Lort Lauderdale, USA Manufacturers: Mountain Productions Submitted by: Mountain Productions For the best part of 10 years, Mountain Productions has been working in collaboration with Ultimate Music Cruises to bring 70,000 Tons of Metal, the World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise to life. This project, designed for Royal Caribbean’s Independent of the Seas, features over 60 live bands who perform at the Port of Fort Lauderdale over a 24-hour period.

70,000 Tons of Metal is both an amazing project and extremely tedious project from beginning to end. Mountain Production’s internal engineering staff work to ensure the highest level of safety for a show at sea along with calculating the most efficient structural format in the restricted confines of a cruise ship.

Following pre-production, the first priority load in is to ensure a clean customs process. With seven 53 ft trailers filled with an abundance of equipment, it is vital that the serial numbers and trailer numbers match up. If a single number is missing, that item will not pass customs and that is simply not an option.

Once all of the trailers have successfully passed customs, the crew must ensure that they are being unloaded in the correct order. The main reason for this being that some material must be used first in the set-up process. For example, the plywood, which is used to protect the ships flooring must be the first item to be picked

by the crane. If this is not the case, the whole project could be compromised.

The most challenging aspect of the project is the tight timeframe in which the structure must be built. The project requires a team of 24 MTN crew members along with 60 hands provided by the client.

The teams are restricted to a 30-hour window to ensure the structure is built. Load-in begins at 7:00am on the Thursday, however all equipment must first pass through the customs process. Following this, the crew can begin to use the crane to put the structure together. However, if there is bad weather, the crane cannot be used so every minute counts. With the show expected to start at 9:00am the following day there is no room for delays and the load in must be managed according to the methodical plan put in place by the Mountain Productions teams.

The total production includes four different stages in four different theatres. With all equipment located on the pool deck, the crew must then set out moving the 300 pieces of four ft x eight ft decking as well as trusses and bases to their required locations. This is a lengthy process as everything must be carried by hand to ensure the safety of the ships deck.

With the extremely short build time provided for this highly complex project, Mountain Productions have successfully delivered a fantastic user experience year on year for those aboard Royal Caribbean’s Independent of the Seas.

SHORTLISTED - MULTIPURPOSE VENUE TERMINAL 5 Location: New York, USA Manufacturers: Robe Distributor: BML-Blackbird Lighting Designer: Luciano Savedra Submitted by: Robe Needing a design that could accomplish a multitude of different lighting scenes based on the desires of the various artists and musicians performing at the venue, a combination of MegaPointe and Spiider luminaires from Robe Lighting were chosen for Terminal 5, for their broad range of lighting capabilities.

The system is wired for easy access to change fixture settings. By using RDM to access the fixtures remotely, the fixture modes can be quickly changed to suit the programming of any tour. Regardless if they want a simple wash fixture, or if they want more extensive control of each pixel, touring professionals can pick their position, which is a big help when cloning programming for each show.

During the installation, there were not many challenges at all. BMLBlackbirdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s installation of the new lighting system was fast and seamless, and they provided exceptional support throughout the whole process. With the broad range of looks now possible from the Robe MegaPointe and Spiider luminaires, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quite a simple system that is easily able to accommodate the needs of touring artists and musicians.

The installation of Robe MegaPointes and Spiiders allows for a wider spectrum of looks and designs at Terminal 5, crucial for a venue with a hugely diverse listing of visiting artists and musicians. The remote controllability of the moving lights via the RDM communicator means that fixture changes can be made quickly and easily to suit the needs of travelling lighting designers.

MULTIPURPOSE VENUE SPONSORED BY

WINNER

MULTIPURPOSE VENUE SPONSORED BY

MULTIPURPOSE VENUE THE DOME: MIAMI Location: Miami, Florida Manufacturers: VIOSO America, USA - Digital Projection, USA Broadwell Air Domes, USA Distributor: Lumen & Forge Installer: Lumen & Forge Submitted by: VIOSO The largest sporting event in the world garnered the largest projection dome in the world. Located just outside Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida, a 225 ft x 175 ft Broadwell inflatable dome was erected for some of the largest R&B and HipHop names and events. Lumen & Forge was tasked with projection mapping the 40,000 sq ft of projection surface using 24 Digital Projection M-Vision Laser 18k projectors. Together with VIOSO, it auto-calibrated the entire dome surface for mapping in a matter of an hour for a complete seamless image across the entire dome surface. With a custom Domemaster playback server, content was served as two 4K 60Hz feeds. The custom content was created by Lumen & Forge to be mapped on the dome as the unique ‘pill’ shape of the dome is very different than a standard hemispherical shape found at most venues. Since this installation was used for concerts and events, traditional media and videos wouldn’t have sufficed. Instead, the Lumen & Forge Domemaster server was used with VIOSO’s Blackbox software to perform the calibration and provide the warping and blending, which was then fed by the Lumen & Forge Mediaserver through the capture cards.

While many industry standard projection domes have a hemispherical shape, the one implemented for this project boasted a uniquely oval, or ‘pill’, shape. Created by Broadwell Air Domes USA, the colossal size of the structure was decided due to the use of the dome, which would host concerts and parties within: The pill shape would also allow for a higher capacity of visitors, while creating optimal placement for the 24 Digital Projection M-Vision Laser 18K projectors installed inside, in order to project the content on the inside without any interference or view restriction.

While advantageous from a capacity perspective, the unique shape had major bearings on both camera calibration and content creation.

After designing the dome in a 3D space, Lumen & Forge was able

to develop content that was placed into VR for testing. Using this method, the 16×9 content was modified to fit the shape of the dome.

The standard circular or ‘domemaster’ format for typical domes would have been severely distorted if used, so a customised format was created.

The shape of the dome didn’t end with the content but offered its own inherent challenges with the calibration. Using a camera calibration system was necessary for the time constraints the team was against.

Unfortunately, they don’t make an oval camera lens, so it had to move forward with the standard fisheye. Calibrating the dome with the fisheye lens created a final compound in this round format, however, using that same UV texture map that was created for the content production proved the solution here as well. VIOSO simply used the UV texture in its conversion format, with a little extra algorithmic math, and it was able to perfectly fit the compound to the ‘pill’ shaped dome without distortion or issues.

Creating solutions is something that all teams involved are exceedingly specialised at doing. The teams only had two months to design the projection study and specify the technical aspects, and by the set up time in late January, the construction of the dome was already ongoing and time was not on the team’s side. This meant that the team’s first opportunity to operate the calibration was a mere three days before opening. It could also only take place at night, as the field operations team was still completing the dome’s construction.

Every evening, the dome was about one or two-metres larger, making the calibration from the previous evening unusable. The relentless passion and efforts of the on-site teams made sure that this project was not only a success, but a feat of magnificence that would be used as a reference for projects to come. Many late nights were spent to be sure that all aspects were not only sufficient to the client, but were becoming precedents to the industry. This included flying in the development engineer from Germany to make sure that our math was not only correct on paper but also in real life. The dome was organic and dynamic, it was not a hard structure, so it was impacted by the elements, environment, and even the temperature.

The teams only had one night for the final calibration, in which the size, scope and shape of the dome would again need to be reconsidered.

By that final evening, they had expertly learned what worked with the live calibration and we perfected the ‘less than an hour’ full dome calibration. A huge success for all involved and an accomplishment for the ‘Worlds Largest Projection Dome’.

SHORTLISTED - NIGHTCLUB

NIGHTCLUB SPONSORED BY

KAOS NIGHTCLUB Location: Las Vegas, USA Manufacturers: GLP, German Light Products USA, SGPS, Green Hippo, GLLS, Anolis, MDG, Luminex, MA Lighting, Enttec, Martin Professional, Robe, Ayrton, Chauvet Distributor: SJ Lighting, USA Architect: Rockwell Design Group, USA Lighting Designer: SJ Lighting (Theatrical), Focus Lighting (Architectural), USA Installer: In House Productions, Bombard Electric, NTA, AES, SGPS, USA Acoustician: Sound Investment Audio Submitted by: GLP, German Light Products The JDC-1 were a standout fixture in GLPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design at Kaos. Typical strobe lighting effects are a set it and forget element, meaning you get one focus position until you climb up on a ladder or lift and refocus them. With the GLP product, it gave the ability to offer diversity to this effect. Not only did it give the ability to remote control the position, but the level of effects and the output of the fixtures is overwhelming.

KAOS presented many challenges during the installation process.

With over 100 points of motion, the installation of the automation

system was very complex. There are multiple areas with rotation on various axis, as well as video and lighting integrated into the custom chandeliers. Compound curved high resolution video screens adorn the ceiling and walls. A DJ booth located in the opening between the pool and the club is motorised to move in and out of the space to support nightclub and dayclub performances. Additionally, there is an outdoor stage, water cannons, exterior rated lasers, and moving lights strategically placed around the venue to ensure that there is perfect coverage for all the customers to have a world class experience. The entire theatrical lighting system is controlled via multiple MA3 consoles networked. Video is supported by a GreenHippo system with seven 4k outputs. The entire design and install team worked diligently to produce a magnificent project.

The level of ambition is paramount for this project. Stations Casino, Rockwell Design Group, Focus Lighting, SJ Lighting, Sound Investment, NTA, SGPS, Bombard, AES and In House productions worked closely together to bring this club to life. Aggressive schedules, difficult install procedures and custom features are the standard operating procedure at KAOS. In the end, the result was a world class venue that everyone involved with could be proud of.

Firenze-KH7 Digitally steerable, top-of-the-line slim line array elements | k-array.com

World renowned TAO Chicago Nightclub selected K-array to meet the multitude of aesthetic requirements to integrate with the design layout and to accommodate their performance demands for a reliable, powerful sound system providing a pleasing dining and club experience.

SHORTLISTED - NIGHTCLUB

NIGHTCLUB SPONSORED BY

DOBLE B Technical Details Location: Cancun, Mexico Manufacturers: ADJ Installer: Adimsa Submitted by: ADJ Doble B is the hottest new nightspot in the Mexican tourist trap of Cancun. Open for lunch and then dinner as a sleek restaurant, after hours the venue transforms into a nightclub with help from more than 40 of ADJ’s professional LED-powered lighting fixtures.

Attracting an up-market clientele looking for a sophisticated evening of dining, drinking and dancing, Doble B is the latest new venue to enhance Cancun’s vibrant nightlife scene. With an elegant interior design anchored by four custom-built chandeliers each featuring a myriad of tungsten-effect pixel-mapped lamps, the space features a large bar on one side and glass doors opening onto a terrace on the other. Accessible both from the road and a private boat dock, it offers a truly luxurious experience.

The well-established entertainment audio and lighting equipment installer Adimsa, headed up by Director General Edson Rivera, was contracted to specify and install a versatile lighting system for the venue. Edson and his team were recommended to the developers of Doble B, Christian and Oscar Rodriguez, by a previous satisfied client. The brief was to design a lighting system that would not detract from the space’s opulent décor during the day, but would be able to transform it into a vibrant nightclub after dark.

To achieve this goal, Edson selected four different models from ADJ’s extensive catalogue of entertainment lighting fixtures, two moving head wash luminaires and two static wash fixtures. These, combined with the pixel-mapped chandeliers and a considerable quantity of RGB pixel tape hidden in the ceiling alcoves, allow a complete change of atmosphere from when the venue opens as a restaurant in the day and transitions to a lounge bar in the evening. It then facilitates another change after 11pm when the music volume increases and drinking leads to dancing.

Integral to the lighting design is ADJ’s Vizi Hex Wash7 moving head fixture. This versatile unit packs in seven 15W six-in-one hex LEDs to allow lighting designers the ultimate in colour mixing flexibility, including UV-infused hot pinks and deep purples. In addition, the fixture offers a motorised zoom function allowing for a beam angle of between 5º and 55º.

The Adimsa team installed twelve of the units in the roof of Doble B’s main space, to allow for coverage throughout the whole venue.

During the early evening they have been programmed to set the mood through slow-moving wide colour washes, while later on they are used for more energetic moving beam effects to encourage dancing.

“We chose the Vizi Hex Wash7 moving head for this project because of its versatile functions,” explained Edson. “It has a powerful output and not only offers lots of colour choices, including UV, but also has a wide zoom range. This means that the same fixtures can be used to fill large areas of the venue with colour in the early evening and to create tight beam effects when the place becomes a club after 11pm.”

In addition, Edson also specified ADJ’s compact yet still powerful Inno Pocket Z4 fixture. This mini moving head wash features four 10W four-in-one quad colour LEDs and also offers a motorised zoom function with a range of between 10º and 60º. Ideal for use in venues with low ceilings, this pocket-sized mover is also perfect when a multitude of fixtures are required to create multi-beam

effects on a limited budget.

In Doble B, the Adimsa team installed 12 of the units in a tight line across the front of the venue’s main space, above the area that serves as a dancefloor after dark. Used in multiples, they create impressive effects both during the early evening with slow subtle movements and colour fades, and later on when fast movements and quick colour changes create an upbeat nightclub vibe.

“The Inno Pocket Z4 is incredibly compact,” enthused Edson, “but despite its small size it still generates an impressive output and is a versatile fixture with full colour mixing and motorised focus. It is very competitively-priced, which is why we were able to use a large quantity concentrated in one area on this project.”

To complement the moving heads, Edson also specified a variety of static washes to illuminate specific key areas throughout Doble B. Twelve of ADJ’s Ultra Hex Bar 12 linear fixtures provide vibrant downlighting, four of which are positioned above a textured wall located at the end of the main bar. Each of these units feature 12 10W six-in-one hex LEDs as well as ADJ’s patent-pending magnetic Quick Align end-locking system that allows for a seamless output of light with no breaks of colour when used in line.

Finally, Edson selected eight of ADJ’s heavy duty IP65-rated 12P HEX IP fixtures to provide colour washing on the outdoor terrace. These powerful units have a 30º beam angle and utilise the power of 12 12W six-in-one HEX LEDs to generate vibrant colour washes with an almost limitless palette. Fully sealed, and complete with IP-rated DMX sockets and powerCON True1 power connections, these fixtures are ideal for use outdoors in any climate.

Adimsa has a long history of installing ADJ equipment in nightclubs and bars across Mexico, and Edson is clear on why they continue to recommend the brand. “For us, the most important thing is the reliability of ADJ products. We can install them with confidence, knowing that they won’t cause any problems for our customers.

Delivery times from ADJ are also quick and their sales department provides great customer service.”

Doble B is yet another example of how ADJ’s range of innovative, reliable and affordable lighting fixtures are being used by installers on projects of all shapes and sizes to realize the visions of their clients. In this case, they seamlessly blend in with the venue’s sophisticated décor during the day and completely transform it when evening arrives.

The finished project is stunning and the venue has proved extremely popular with visitors and locals alike since it opened at the beginning of July.

Find us online /mondodr @mondodr

@mondo_dr

Contact us at subcriptions@mondiale.co.uk

SHORTLISTED - NIGHTCLUB

NIGHTCLUB SPONSORED BY

DANCE STUDIO VOL.1 Location: Chicago, IL, USA Manufacturers: Elation, ADJ, Chauvet, GLP, City Theatrical, Luxium, Aurora LED, GrandMA, Resolume, MADRIX, Interactive Technologies Distributor: JRLX, Pro Media Marketing, Aurora LED Architect: Studio BE Lighting Designer: Craft Lighting LLC Installer: Craft Lighting LLC Acoustician: Sound Investment Audio Ltd. Submitted by: Craft Lighting With Dance Studio Vol. 1, the client wanted to completely reimagine their space into a flexible 350-person venue that features live music, DJ’s and other ‘surprise entertainment’. They wanted to evoke feelings of nostalgia and pay homage to dance and nightlife of years past. Most of all, they wanted it to be a fun venue where patrons felt welcome and included without taking itself too seriously. Our lighting package was geared to suit those goals by being flexible enough to meet the needs of a variable space with many potential uses as well as accenting the environment in a visually rich and whimsical manner.

The project evolved in scope to encompass the alley entrance – the true beginning of a patron’s experience at Dance Studio – where Craft Lighting created an outdoor-rated discotheque, complete with a 40-inch mirror ball and a handful of CHAUVET Professional fixtures to start the party. The hallway that leads to the club’s entrance is also lined with dozens of fixtures to continue the mood, while the fully mirrored stairwell leading up to the nightclub is lined with GLP Neoflex for a trippy, neon-like visual experience.

Patrons then enter into the main room and are greeted by a dazzling 475-mirror ball installation.

The dance floor and atrium lighting packages consist of fixtures from Elation Professional with two rings of Dartz 360 surrounding the central mirror ball above the dance floor. Fuze Wash 120z complement the Dartz fixtures throughout the venue, giving true flexibility to suit the lighting needs of both private events and live entertainment. And of course, when combined with the mirror ball array, the lighting package enables the team and staff lighting operators to create a vast selection of fun, glitzy and unique looks for the nightclub.

Video was an element that was not originally in the spec for the renovation. After some consideration, two LED walls were added to the space. The first is a 12-inch wide 16:9 wall in the larger room opposite the main dance floor, which is in an ideal location for private event use. When they use their portable stage in this location, the LED wall provides a perfect full stage backdrop for DJ’s, small bands or presentations. The second wall is the centrepiece behind the dancefloor bar which features a 14-inch wide array that is recessed into a custom five-tiered brick archway that is trimmed on each tier with GLP Neonflex tube.

Both LED walls are housed behind a two-way mirror, allowing them to disappear and look like large mirrors when not in use. Combined with an excellent package of custom content and logo animations, the LED walls serve as a particularly stunning visual effect.

Time and a rapidly shifting project scope were the largest complicating factors for this project. Because both the LED walls and the mirror ball elements were added late in the process, it took a coordinated effort with the vendors, installation team and allied trades to bring these technically complex visual elements to life on an extremely accelerated timeline. 475 mirror balls don’t just show up or install themselves overnight!

This project presented Craft Lighting with creative and technical challenges that pushed its small team’s project management and procurement skills (see aforementioned mirror balls and video walls!) amidst a constantly shifting project scope. The project also gave us an opportunity to flex our theatrical design background, something our client really valued from the outset of the project. We’re proud to have created a unique and vibrant visual aesthetic for the venue that exceeded client expectations.

Finally, Craft Lighting’s company mission is to create positive experiences with lasting impact for its people, clients and their patrons.

It is committed to running an honest operation built upon transparency and communication. It supports its clients the way it supports its team with empathy, kindness and care. Craft Lighting also believes in having a positive impact on the world, through generosity and a commitment to the communities that we serve. In accordance with those values, 1% of the total project cost was donated to a worthy local charitable organisation in Chicago that serves our community.

We want to personally reach out to all in our entertainment technology and production community as we face this unprecedented health challenge.

All of us – manufacturers, rental companies, venues, broadcasters, festival and event organisers, production managers, artists and of course our vast pool of highly talented individuals, designers, engineers and creative freelancers – to everyone working in all disciplines and across every each sector making this incredible industry go round – we offer our solidarity, strength, thoughts and positive energy.

together our strength will shine.

We are all facing an incredibly tough few months ahead. Cooperation, empathy, humanity and mutual respect should be paramount and in the true spirit of this great industry … please be kind and considerate to others.

When we come through, we will be stronger and more united, and our industry will be more dynamic than ever.

Josef Valchar

#togetherwearestronger

Ladislav Petrek

Harry von den Stemmen

at the heart of our community

WINNER NIGHTCLUB DAER

Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida Manufacturers: Robe Distributor: SJ Lighting, California Architect: SJ Lighting, California Acoustician: Sound Investment Audio Ltd. Submitted by: Robe Over 100 Robe LED Beam 150s were specified by world-renowned lighting designer, Steve Lieberman, for Daer Nightclub, part of Daer Florida, an enormous 44,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor facility located at the iconic Guitar Hotel at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Robe LED beam 150s are installed on a custom system chandelier to create broad colour washes over the dancefloor. There is also a detail of LED beams around the entire perimeter of the club to support all the 2nd and 3rd tier seating areas. The result is that these fixtures elevate and enhance the stunning aesthetics of the world-class space, helping ensure that, “Daer will be a vibrant entertainment destination that will attract celebrities and guests from throughout the nation and around the globe,” said Hard Rock’s Vice President of Nightlife/Daylife, Matt Minichino.

Steve furthered: “Daer nightclub presented many challenges during the installation process. We designed a custom system comprised of five large format chandelier type elements. Each section is controlled by automated hoists to create dynamic looks. Additionally, there is LED neon edge detailing all our elements all of which is pixel mapped and controlled in tandem with the rest of the lighting system. A DJ booth located in the opening between the pool and the dancefloor the is setup to support nightclub and dayclub performances. High-resolution video screens are standout features behind the DJ booth on the interior and on the exterior wall to support dayclub and outside events.”

He concluded: “The Hard Rock Hotel project has quickly become an iconic feature. With the new tower in the shape of a guitar and the laser light show that can be seen for miles, this property has raised the bar for hotel resorts in the US. For Daer nightclub, the ownership and management put together a tremendous effort to bring together an extraordinarily strong group of experienced consultants and designers and it shows. The final results of everyone’s hard work are a world-class venue that is set up to captivate audiences for years to come.”

NIGHTCLUB SPONSORED BY

SHORTLISTED - PARKS & ATTRACTIONS

PARKS & ATTRACTIONS SPONSORED BY

SANTA CRUZ BEACH BOARDWALK Location: California, USA Manufacturers: QSC Submitted by: QSC 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 park’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

general-purpose 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 third-party devices, ensuring that these functionalities remain uninterrupted throughout operating hours.

The primary Core 1100 also handles networked audio and control 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 softwarebased 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.”

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SHORTLISTED - PARKS & ATTRACTIONS

PARKS & ATTRACTIONS SPONSORED BY

PACIFIC VISIONS AT THE AQUARIUM OF THE PACIFIC Location: Long Beach, California Manufacturers: Renkus-Heinz, Strong/MDI, Panasonic, Seventh Sense, Medalion, Blackmagic Design, Extron, QSC, Yamaha, Aurasound, CITC, Reel, SensoryCo Installer: Edwards Technologies, USA Submitted by: Renkus-Heinz The Aquarium of the Pacific, located near the waterfront in Long Beach, California, recently opened its ‘aquarium of the future’, called Pacific Visions, which features a breath-taking immersive theatre, multiple interactive art installations, and hands-on multimedia displays. Key to making the immersive component of the 300capacity theatre work is perfectly positioned sound provided by Renkus-Heinz.

The main challenge at The Aquarium of the Pacific was in the complexity of the ask: Bring immersiveness to a space using audio.

This is a growing demand in the AV space, and it is an opportunity which Renkus-Heinz is particularly suited to help integrators and end users fully realise.

Brian Edwards, Owner of Edwards Technologies, the integration firm that designed and installed the theatre’s audiovisual and FX system at Aquarium of the Pacific, said the project is an example of the future of both the AV industry and of storytelling as a whole.

“To create something that truly impresses people today you can’t install just one thing,” Brian said. “You need to understand the enabling technologies at play. You have to look at it from an IoT (Internet of Things) and network level, and you need to understand how the visual and audio components work together to create the memories people take with them when they leave the space.”

One critical component to achieving that experience, Brian said, is

the sound. To provide an immersive audio experience, the theatre installation features multiple Renkus-Heinz products – including 29 loudspeakers from the company’s cutting-edge ICLive X Series.

The ICLive X is Renkus-Heinz’ flexible and scalable solution for precision positioning of sound. The high-output, digitally steerable arrays can be arranged into combinations of up to 12 cabinets tall and feature RHAON II beam-steering and control.

The installation also features nine Renkus-Heinz loudspeakers from the company’s C Series. The result is sound placed where it belongs: on the audience.

Brian said he approaches all of his installations with the idea that stories - and the way they are told - are crucial to the human experience. A well told story, he said, spreads an idea, entertains, and inspires. For the Aquarium of the Pacific, the goal is to engage with visitors in a way that immerses them within the vision of a future where humanity has used innovation to address pressing environmental concerns.

Thanks to the combination of leading technologies that consider all senses - from sight to sound - those who attend a showing in the theatre leave with more than just textbook knowledge of what the future for our planet could be. Rather, they exit with an experience of what our future might look, sound and feel like.

“Telling stories today requires the use of tomorrow’s tools, and Renkus-Heinz is right at the forefront of that,” Brian said. “What you see at the aquarium is the application of tomorrow’s tools. Everyone is really happy with the result, and more than that, I believe this is the trend for AV and storytelling. This is where we’re going with technology, and everyone needs to be looking at it to see, and hear, how it can be done the right way.”

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KNOEBELS AMUSEMENT RESORT Location: Elysburg, Pennsylvania Manufacturers: Biamp Installer: Moyer Electronics Submitted by: Biamp Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, has completed the first phase of upgrading its park-wide audio systems. Located in the bottom of an abundantly green valley formed by two converging streams that flow through the very heart of the park, Knoebels is America’s largest free-admission amusement park, with over 60 rides, award winning food, swimming in its 900,000-gallon Crystal Pool, games, and gift shops. Visitors can also enjoy golf at Knoebels’ Three Ponds Golf Course.

Drew Kanaskie, Knoebels’ Audio Technician, was in charge of the project from conception to implementation, with design assistance provided by Moyer Electronics of Pottsville, PA. Drew explained, “The audio upgrade is planned for completion over several years of off-season projects. The first phase of the upgrade was to replace our aging 70-volt system, with a new system that has more comprehensive coverage and which provided an open platform that we can continue to expand. The 45-acre park began back in 1926 and has grown steadily ever since. Finding a way to reach thousands of park visitors today is a different puzzle to solve than it was just 10 years ago. Our goal is to be heard clearly, everywhere.”

After much research, followed by on-site evaluation, Kanaskie settled on Community E SERIES column-format line source and point source loudspeaker systems from Biamp. “We are able to create a canvas of sound using the advantage of E SERIES’ wide angle of coverage,” said Drew. “In the environment of an amusement park there is ambient sound coming from everywhere. To produce the clarity we wanted, it was decided to place a higher density of loudspeakers at locations closer to the listener.

By locating loudspeakers at 10 to 12 ft above ground level we were naturally closer to the listener’s ear. This meant that we could typically use the underside of a building’s roof overhang, or just below the glass fixture of a light pole. We hid many loudspeakers on poles with banners affixed to them; an easy solution with the slender profile of the E SERIES line. The coverage pattern of E SERIES meant that we weren’t wasting audio power up in the air and were getting the broadest coverage with fewer units. By selecting a variety of E SERIES models, we found that balancing the EQ for the total system was easy to accomplish. Once we had shaped the system for the smallest loudspeakers, we basically enjoyed more low-end from the larger models without having to EQ each model separately.”

The first phase of Knoebels’ upgrade comprised 54 Community ENT203 loudspeakers, seventy-four ENT206, eight ENT212 and two R SERIES R.35COAX from Biamp. Drew explained the distribution, “We chose ENT212 loudspeakers for large open areas that are required to reproduce voice and music. In the more intimate settings, below low roofs and in narrower corridors, we chose

ENT203, and for all other areas we used the ENT206. In one location, where we have free entertainment performances several times each day, we selected Community R SERIES R.35COAX loudspeakers from Biamp as ideal for the application. We have a fairly open space to fill and a concentrated crowd that is seated and facing one direction. The R.35COAX does a great job and is very efficient.”

The new sound system uses the existing fibre network. Drew commented: “Although the park already had a robust fibre network in place, a bit of additional work was necessary to make all of the equipment talk on the network. In a time of audio over fibre, it is essential to have a reliable, high quality network. The Knoebels IT team created and maintains a separate network dedicated only to park audio use, and this is largely responsible for keeping the pulse of the system running.”

Drew concluded: “The E SERIES system in use throughout the park has performed excellently. We have all the clarity we wished for and the discrete installation is almost unnoticed. We are able to reproduce music with great fidelity and voice that really stands out when paging.”

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PARKS & ATTRACTIONS SPONSORED BY

PARKS & ATTRACTIONS CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART â&#x20AC;&#x201C; NORTH FOREST LIGHTS Location: Arkansas, USA Manufacturers: Moment Factory Submitted by: Moment Factory When Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art wanted to bring a night time attraction to their mile-long North Forest trail, they asked Moment Factory to develop a concept that would highlight their unique surroundings. The resulting project, North Forest Lights, is an outdoor digital art exhibit composed of five installations grounded in the human relationship to nature.

Each piece is driven by locally inspired music and a rich colour palette that bring to light both the human and natural past of this site. Interactive technology lets visitors sing to a great red oak, while illuminated trees and a custom soundtrack invite everyone to tune in to the hidden wavelengths of the woods. From nature-inspired sculptural elements to immersive soundscapes and lighting design, each step of the experience allows people to deeply reconnect with the environment.

This project was conceived in close collaboration with the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team, who provided the guidance that inspired our collective of artists, and we were thrilled to bring our technical expertise and creative vision to this celebrated cultural institution.

SHORTLISTED - STADIUM ALLIANZ FIELD Location: Minnesota, USA Manufacturers: VITEC, Daktronics Installer: VITEC Submitted by: VITEC With VITEC’s EZ TV & Digital Signage Platform, Allianz Field, home to Minnesota United Football Club (MNUFC), delivers the very best experience to its fans as well as operators and advertising staff.

With the solution, staff can quickly, easily, and reliably distribute not only the game-day feed to every screen with the very best quality and ultra-low latency but also ensure attention-grabbing content is sent to every screen. It’s a complex job, but VITEC integrates all these capabilities into one user-friendly program. EZ TV exceeded MNUFC’s operational and technological IPTV vision and fit within the organisation’s budget. With the power of VITEC, Allianz Field is one of the best, most technologically advanced soccer stadiums in the world. It is inspiring a new wave of soccer venues where IPTV and digital signage streaming are paramount to the fan experience.

American soccer is fast becoming one of the favoured sports in the country, with Major League Soccer (MLS) reported to have experienced a 27% rise in popularity since 2012. For many soccer organisations across the nation, it’s meant the development of new stadiums specifically appointed for teams and their fans. Allianz Field in Saint Paul, Minnesota, home to the MNUFC, is the latest venue designed from ground up with the goal of delivering a vibrant experience fans can’t experience watching at home. The $250 million venue encompasses 32,144.5 sq-metres and has a seating capacity for 19,400 fans.

The new stadium is an icon for the city of Saint Paul as well as a dynamic venue boasting the most state-of-the-art video technology available. While Allianz Field features a stunning 6.7-metres x 35.4-metres videoboard that delivers all the expected action of the game to fans in the stadium, MNUFC wanted to go above and beyond the traditional visual features of a soccer stadium. With that in mind, the team needed an IPTV system capable of not only delivering a high-quality, ultra-low-latency live feed of the game to more than 200 displays installed in its premium hospitality clubs,

retail store, and concessions but also integrating digital signage capabilities. With digital signage tools, MNUFC would be able to achieve its digital advertising strategy and boost revenue. With such a large number of screens, the team also required an easy-touse platform that can be operated by one person, allowing them to power, control, and monitor the status of each screen.

Only with VITEC’s EZ TV platform and its extensive family of highperformance appliances did Allianz Field crush its visual challenges and set the visual technology bar in the soccer stadium market.

Any IPTV could deliver a stream to a display, but it was VITEC that went beyond all the team’s requirements for cost and functionality.

Fans enjoy a high-quality, broadcast-grade video feed of the game with low-latency distribution and flawless synchronisation between displays over its IP infrastructure. Suite holders enjoy an enhanced visual experience with access to additional cable channels, realtime updating of the electronic program guide, and video-ondemand content. Staff have an easy-to-use solution that not only allows them to quickly and efficiently manage and distribute a live feed of the game to 200 screens throughout the stadium but also access digital signage capabilities to create and display compelling creative content. EZ TV’s built-in digital signage creation tools enabled the organisation to achieve a dynamic digital signage strategy where they easily distribute targeted campaigns to specific displays throughout the venue.

Finally, with integration between VITEC and the Allianz Field Daktronics board Show Control System, the staff is able to trigger updates to signage for each screen during the games from the same Show Control System. The interoperability makes it effortless and simple for a single operator to change campaigns from pregame, to in-game, halftime, and post-show sponsorships during games. In addition, concession data from Appetize is combined with EZ TV’s sophisticated and automated food menu board capabilities, which will allow the organisation to easily create and update every menu board, based on inventory and demand. EZ TV & Digital Signage Platform is a winning combination of features that treats fans to an eye-catching experience while being seamlessly managed from one platform.

SHORTLISTED - STADIUM AT&T STADIUM Location: Texas, USA Manufacturers: ChyronHego, Electro-Voice Installer: WJHW Acoustician: Gary French Submitted by: Electro-Voice The AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, is home to the famous Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. Renowned for its retractable roof and ramped up rivalry matches, the stadium has recently been embracing the benefits of its new ChyronHego based arena graphics system, as well as an expansion of its audio system from Electro-Voice.

With the stadium holding events including the Superbowl, and also the most valuable team in the NFL, the new video and audio upgrade now has the ability to enhance even the smallest games.

Headlining the video project was Click Effects PRIME, ChyronHego’s integrated graphics toolset for delivering live arena and stadium based audiovisual presentations to any canvas size, with any number of outputs, in any resolution. Click Effects PRIME – together with the latest versions of ChyronHego’s Paint, and Virtual 1st – is ushering in a new era of 4K production on the LiveFX Endzone board at AT&T Stadium.

“We have one of the most complex shows in in-arena sports, so we don’t have one machine that fits all of our needs, we look for different specialists. We link remotes all throughout our Click Effects systems to create those immersive moments in games,” said Jake Kelso, Manager of Events Presentation for the Dallas Cowboys. “The paint telestration tool, especially, has brought a new dynamic that we can use for sponsorship, highlights and live playback, and that versatility is huge.”

The Cowboys’ first LED to display 4K content, and the team’s first Click Effects PRIME installation is the largest LiveFX Endzone board.

Used primarily for game support graphics such as replay videos and fan entertainment during breaks, the board went live with 4K video clips and graphics driven by Click Effects PRIME.

When the Dallas Cowboys opened AT&T Stadium in 2009, it boasted the world’s largest Electro-Voice sound system in a permanent installation, including over 240 line-array loudspeakers from the X-Line family. Gary French, Audio Engineer in charge of the Dallas Cowboys, explained how the AT&T Stadium wanted to ‘improve coverage, loudspeaker delay management and evaluate the performance possibilities inside the venue’ with the recently updated audio system.

The design team, spearheaded by Kevin Day of WJHW, selected Electro-Voice systems for their audio quality, reliability and depth of control provided by the IRIS-Net processing and monitoring platform. After enthusiastic approval from team owner Jerry Jones, Pro Media Audio Video was enlisted to help coordinate the challenging installation.

Fast-forward to 2019, noting that the many touring concert acts coming through the world’s largest domed stadium simply do not carry enough PA to provide adequate coverage for the upper seating areas, the audio team decided to take advantage of ElectroVoice’s scalability to address the challenge.

“We’re always working to improve the fan experience for all events, not just on game days,” said Gary. “Most concert tours augment their traveling systems with our Electro-Voice arrays as the delay system for the upper levels. We decided a little extra coverage would be a big upgrade for those events.”

The Cowboys’ audio team worked with System Programmer, Richard Bratcher, along with original design and installation partners including Kevin Day of WJHW, Head Engineer, Demetrius Palavos, and COO, Ted Leamy of Pro Media Audio Video, as well as the Electro-Voice engineering team. Together, they determined that the 14 XLCi127DVX compact three-way delay systems covering the upper level could be scaled up to produce smoother coverage with improved intelligibility.

SHORTLISTED -STADIUM LEVI’S STADIUM Location: California, USA Manufacturers: Foxconn Industrial Internet Submitted by: Foxconn Industrial internet The San Francisco 49ers and Foxconn industrial internet (Fii) recently announced a major, multi-year partnership that immediately rebrands several prominent locations within Levi’s Stadium and sets forth a multi-year plan to integrate ground-breaking technologies that will keep the venue at the forefront of fan-centric innovation.

While the 49ers and Fii are working to become the first partnership in the NFL to utilise 8K video production in the near future, the Fii brand will be omnipresent for fans at Levi’s Stadium beginning with Sunday’s home opener.

“The 49ers and Levi’s Stadium continue to strive to be one of the most innovative teams and venues in the world and courtesy of our partnership with Fii we will have the ability to be the first stadium to roll out 8K to our fans in a prominent fashion,” said Brent Schoeb, 49ers Chief Revenue Officer. “Their suite of brands and industry leading products will enable us to build on our innovative vision.”

Following updates completed during the offseason, the Fii name will serve as the presenting sponsor for the 49ers Museum presented

by Fii, the 49ers Press Room presented by Fii, and the Fii Club which was previously known as the East Field Club. The Fii brand will also be integrated into signage located on the main Levi’s Stadium videoboards located on the north and south ends of the stadium, the microphone flags in the 49ers Press Room presented by Fii, and wayfinding signage throughout the venue.

“The Fii team is passionate about the technologies we develop and the product we create that make everyone’s life more enjoyable,” said Fii Wisconsin President Foo-Ming Fu. “By adding our 8K and High Performance Computing expertise to the partnership, we now have the opportunity bring this experience directly to the 49ers fans.”

As a sponsor, Fii joins the 49ers as two organisations with winning brand histories looking to merge football knowledge with advanced technology expertise to enhance the fan experience.

Fii has a rich history in the development and application of 8K imagery, highperformance computing and 5G connectivity in diverse markets.

The partnership with the 49ers organisation creates an opportunity for Fii to enhance the game day experience for their dedicated fans through highperformance computing. The 49ers will begin leveraging Fii 8K technology this weekend when they record the team’s postgame press conferences using the mostadvanced Fii 8K camera available.

Both organisations have prioritised collaboration on the development of 8K video technology to provide 49ers fans with the highest quality video content possible.

The award-winning 49ers Studios team will play a lead role in that effort by testing Fii 8K technology throughout the development phase and share its expertise and best practices for capturing 49ers team content in 8K.

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WINNER STADIUM

STANFORD STADIUM Location: California, USA Manufacturers: Meyer Sound, DiGiCo, BSS Installer: Diversified, Stanford University Submitted by: Meyer Sound Located in California’s Bay Area, Stanford University (Stanford) is one of the world’s leading research universities. In addition to the leading scholar courses, Stanford is considered an athletics powerhouse boasting 36 varsity sports, 32 club sports and state-of-the-art recreational facilities and fitness programmes. And it’s some of these sporting venues that have received an audio upgrade in recent months to ensure the school remains at the top of its game. With more than 20 different venues, it’ll come as no surprise that the upgrade is taking place in stages. The first three in line for the renovation treatment were Stanford Stadium used for football matches, the Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium, which hosts softball and the Avery Aquatic Center.

The original Stanford Stadium was built in 1921 with a seating capacity of 85,000, but when the new dual-deck stadium was built in 2005 – completed in 2006 – a decision was made to decrease the capacity to 50,000 to create an intimate atmosphere during matches – a more up-close fan experience. Furthermore, as the sporting campus grew, extra space was needed to erect other buildings to cater for the expanding sports teams. The stadium has been host to a number of Olympic tournament games and World Cup games in its time, as well as the Super Bowl back in 1985.

With the old PA having been in place since the new stadium was completed, it was time to upgrade, the offerings from audio have significantly changed over the years, as well as the requirements of the PA. Most sporting venues are now not only used for sporting events, but also music concerts, so many such facilities look for a flexible and powerful audio system, nowadays.

Stanford Stadium – home to PAC-12 Cardinal football – was designed, engineered and installed by Diversified, a global technology solution provider. Meyer Sound Design Services collaborated during the design phase, with prominent sports venue consulting firm, WJHW providing oversight and guidance on the football stadium.

The in-house tech team at Stanford also assisted with the installation to ensure a smooth project delivery.

Assistant Athletics Director of Technical Operations at Stanford, Mackenzie Haynes said: “My knowledge of the venues and technical insight of professional audio gave me the experience to take on this project. While the Stanford Stadium project was vast, my experience in the industry was the crux between project management and technology that was needed to execute this.”

The brief for the new PA was that it must be aesthetically pleasing, as well as offer consistent and intelligible sound for each visitor at any sporting event. “We discussed multiple design options with our consultant, WJHW. With a limited budget, we needed to make sure we could get the best product for our stadium,” Mackenzie continued. “At one point, we discussed a point source solution from one of our videoboards. But, after stepping back to focus on the end-user experience we talked through a design that was the best solution instead of focussing on cost. From that point, we found that utilising the existing infrastructure could give us enough locations to create a seamless listening experience for each of our fans.”

With a clear brief in mind, the design team decided to rethink what was possible using the newest digital beam-shaping technology as incorporated in Meyer Sound’s self-powered column array loudspeakers. A total of 80 column array loudspeakers were installed at the stadium, using all three models in the series: the 10ft high CAL 96 – with 96 individually processed and amplified loudspeakers – as well as the smaller CAL 64 and CAL 32 models.

“The beam steering technology lets you put a loudspeaker in what otherwise wouldn’t be an optimal vertical location,” said Peter O’Neil, Director of Engineering at Diversified. “Horizontally it needs to be set in the right place, but in the vertical dimension you can use the beam steering to successfully cover the seating plane in a way often not otherwise possible.”

The extraordinary pattern control avoids problems often encountered in large stadium sound systems, explained WJHW Associate Principal Mark Graham. “One problem with distributed systems, when using long throw loudspeakers, is that if you don’t have the vertical control of the Meyer Sound column arrays, you can have sound from one side of the stadium leaking over to the other side. And if it’s loud

enough it will degrade intelligibility of the spoken word. But with the CALs and their narrow vertical pattern we can pretty much dictate exactly which seating areas each loudspeaker will cover and prevent that problem.”

Mark also noted how the slender profile of the column loudspeakers enables discreet coverage of problem areas of upper decks between lighting structures.

“With conventional solutions crossfiring into those areas you can have horrible problems with time arrivals. But with these column arrays, we simply add a small pole, which is fairly inexpensive and unobtrusive architecturally, and you can steer sound right down into that area.”

Although presenting a slender profile, the column array loudspeakers have ample power to punch through crowd excitement, according to Meyer Sound Director of Business Development, John Monitto. “Besides distributing the sound in an even, well-controlled manner, the CALs also give you very high peak output to deliver excellent intelligibility over crowd noise, even at high points of the game.”

To cover seating areas where a column array solution was not appropriate, Stanford Stadium system also incorporated 84 UPJunior and 10 UP-4XP loudspeakers.

Mackenzie is extremely pleased with the end result of the Meyer Sound CAL system.

He highlighted the ability to steer each beam of sound, so that the audio can focus on the exact seating area in front of each loudspeaker, as one of the reasons for selecting the CALs for this project. The fact that all Meyer Sound loudspeakers are active and powered was also a huge benefit because it reduced the previous rack space footprint from 21 full sized racks to just six racks.

For processing a series of BSS Soundweb London BLU-160 DSPs are used for minor processing and distribution throughout the stadium. After each BLU-160, the signal is distributed into a Meyer Galaxy 816 processor that is on the closed audio network and can be monitored during all games. For mixing requirement, an upgrade also took place, with the stadium moving from an analogue to a digital console – a DiGiCo SD9 with the D2 Rack was selected. Mackenzie continued: “The customisation of a digital console is something that was very much overdue for this venue. Additionally, the simplicity of use from the DiGiCo has been a great addition for our A1 on game days.”

Broadcasting from the stadium is also easy and straightforward with the truck dock being capable of handling two or three 53ft OB trucks with an uplink. The stadium is fitted with triax, fibre, and audio connections in dozens of locations throughout the stadium, which all run back to the truck dock I/O. Despite the sophisticated digital technology, Diversified’s Peter is fully confident in the new system’s long-term reliability. “It’s a proven solution,” he noted. “With a working base in other outdoor stadiums, including Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, which has been in use for several years. It holds up to the elements, and it also holds up to football games where you need the horsepower.”Next up for an audio renovation was the Avery Aquatic Center, here, two Meyer Sound CAL 96 loudspeakers and one CAL 64 loudspeaker centred above the scoreboard provide an elegant point source solution for grandstand seating accommodating up to 2,480 spectators.

“This was an interesting challenge because it’s an open facility with other pools around it, with practices scheduled at the same time as events,” continued John.

“They don’t want to be disturbed by what’s happening in the competition arena. So here CAL was a great point source solution, targeting a majority of the audience with only a minimum number of outfill loudspeakers needed.”

The fill systems comprise nine Meyer Sound MM-4XP and two UPJ-1XP loudspeakers. For events – such as synchronised swimming – that require high fidelity, full-bandwidth music, the system provides controlled deep bass through three 750-LFC low frequency control elements deployed in a cardioid configuration.

For the softball Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium, which features a scalable capacity from 1,500 up to 3,500, the new Meyer Sound system includes two CAL 64 column array loudspeakers along with four UPJunior-XP loudspeakers. Mackenzie furthered: “I worked directly with Meyer Sound and discussed the simplest and most efficient use of the seating areas. After visualising options using EASE modelling, we found the ideal locations for each loudspeaker. Once we had that, I worked with an electrical and installation group for cable pathway and specifications to ensure the system as a whole would function as needed.”

SHORTLISTED - THEATRE

THEATRE SPONSORED BY

AVALON THEATRE Location: Maryland, USA Manufacturers: Elation Installer: WSDG Submitted by: Elation 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 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.”

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.

WSDG covered much more than the technical

improvements, but their team evaluated these needs and provided recommendations for a way forward.

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 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 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 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.

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SHORTLISTED - THEATRE

THEATRE SPONSORED BY

TEATRO COLSUBSIDIO ROBERTO ARIAS PEREZ Location: Bogota, Colombia Manufacturers: Robe Distributor: AV Com Colombia Acoustician: Alfonso Ramos, Colombia Submitted by: Robe Teatro Colsubsidio Roberto Arias Perez is a 1,000-capacity venue opened in 1981 in central Bogota, Colombia’s vibrant capital city, that has established itself at the centre of quality live entertainment, culture and performing arts. It’s renowned for high production values and imaginative shows offering a lively mix of concerts, musicals and classical performances.

The theatre has recently purchased its first Robe moving lights – 10 Pointes and 10 Spiiders. Added to the house lighting rig, these have already started making a huge difference to how shows can be lit and presented.

The theatre is owned by a large commercial enterprise and independently run, and the new Robes were part of a general lighting upgrade that is ongoing to improve the technology and the levels of production on offer.

The theatre specifically wanted lights that would be ideal for lighting the concerts and musical theatre shows. When using the conventional rig, all that could essentially be done with the lighting was to create a bit of atmosphere, and for modern concerts and musicals, a whole lot

more is needed. Now, all that ‘base’ work can still be achieved, and several layers of lighting and effects can be added over the top.

Using these fixtures, Alfonso and his team can create a complete show with lots of drama and increased dynamics for both audiences and performers.

The very first Lighting Designer to use the venue’s new fixtures was Humberto Hernandez from AHH, a busy and influential lighting designer working in Colombia and internationally.

For Humberto and other LDs Spiiders are, “very flexible and useful for so many things like building atmosphere AND throwing in effects”, while the Pointes are super-fast and an excellent option for use as a beam and a spotlight as well as for numerous effects.

The main challenge was in initially finding moving lights that were adaptable, powerful and suited to the wide range of shows staged at the theatre.

The investment in Spiiders and Pointes has not only helped sustain Teatro Colsubsidio’s notability for high production value, but has also made a massive difference to how they can stage a show there.

Alfonso also mentioned that another benefit of the new moving lights is that they can turn shows around much quicker and more efficiently as it’s seriously reduced the amount of time consumed with focusing and gelling the previously primarily generic rig.

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WINNER

THEATRE SPONSORED BY

THEATRE SIGHT & SOUND

Location: Pennsylvania & Missouri, USA Manufacturers: Outboard, QSC, Clair Brothers, EAW Acoustician: Gary Parke Submitted by: Outboard 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 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.”

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