PSNE February 2018 by Future PLC

February 2018

www.psneurope.com

ISE

2018!

An in-depth look at pro audioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest growing trade show with MD Mike Blackman

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Welcome

PSNEUROPE Editor Daniel Gumble dgumble@nbmedia.com

Production Executive Jason Dowie jdowie@nbmedia.com

Staff Writer Tara Lepore tlepore@nbmedia.com

Group Commercial Manager, Music Ryan O’Donnell rodonnell@nbmedia.com

Content Director James McKeown jmckeown@nbmedia.com

Senior Account Manager Rian Zoll-Khan rzoll-khan@nbmedia.com

Designer Nikki Hargreaves nhargreaves@nbmedia.com

Sales Executive Mark Walsh mwalsh@nbmedia.com

P3 FEBRUARY 2018

DANIEL GUMBLE Editor

@PSNEurope

Contributors: Phil Ward, Kevin Hilton, Marc Maes, Mike Clark, Simon Duff PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS To subscribe to PSNEurope please go to www.psneurope.com/subscribe-tonewsletters-digital-editions should you have any questions please email subs@psneurope.com Please note that this is a controlled circulation title and subscription criteria will be strictly adhered to.

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is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media Europe Ltd, The Emerson Building, 4th Floor, 4-8 Emerson Street, London SE1 9DU www.psneurope.com

NewBay Media Europe Ltd is a member of the Periodical Publishers Association Copyright NewBay Media Europe Ltd 2018 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without the express prior written consent of the publisher. The contents of PSNEurope are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems. Printed by Pensord Press Ltd, NP12 2YA ISSN number 0269-4735 (print) 2052-238X (digital) Accreditations to memberships of industry associations and media partnerships

When you have finished reading this magazine please, why not give it to someone else to read, too? Or recycle it properly. Don’t just sling it in the bin. I mean, come on!

t the time of reading this, you’ll most likely have just returned from the sun-blasted boulevards of Los Angeles or gearing up for a few days in the icy climes of Amsterdam. Yes, we’re currently in that strange state of limbo between the year’s biggest pro audio trade shows, where inboxes are bursting at their digital seams with all manner of meeting requests, party invitations and press releases, and vast swathes of the industry are knocked out of action on account of transatlantic travelinduced malady. When going to press with this issue, many of you will have been en route to Anaheim for NAMM 2018, hence the absence of any post show coverage overleaf. However, you will find a pretty comprehensive ISE 2018 preview. In assembling this ISE 2018 special, we’ve engaged at length with not only the organisation’s esteemed managing director Mike Blackman, but also leading figures from across the spectrum of pro audio companies to get to the bottom of why this show is growing at such speed and, perhaps more importantly, where it goes next. And if the responses we’ve been met with are anything to go by, this is a show that, quite simply, is just going to keep on geting bigger and better. As the AV market continues to advance, so too does the need for top quality sound. In recent years, the focus from some businesses has been rather more weighted to the visual side of things. Now, the importance of audio is being given an equal footing, with pro audio firms traditionally rooted in the realm of touring increasingly expanding their activities into the install arena. And with NAMM and ISE both pledging a bigger push than ever on the pro audio front, the outlook for the industry is bright. All of which leaves me to bid you safe and pleasant travels. We look forward to seeing you on the road and reporting back on how these trade show juggernauts delivered on their promises when we return next month.

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P4 FEBRUARY 2018

In this issue... People P6

Frozen Fish Design A close-up look at the acclaimed studio solutions specialist

Report P13 ISE 2018 MIKE BLACKMAN, ISE MD, ON THE RISING PROMINENCE OF PRO AUDIO

P17 Why exhibit at ISE? Some of the industry’s big hitters tell us why the Amsterdam show is one of the most vital events on the trade show calendar

Interview

P32 Nexo and Yamaha: 10 years on We hear from two of the French firm’s directors, as they reflect upon 10 years since being acquired by Japanese giant Yamaha P34 Master class Studiomaster and Carlsbro chief Patrick Almond talks us through his plans for 2018 and how he’ll be looking to improve on a stellar 2017

Live

P38 Agent Of Change Artists and politicians discuss why the Agent Of Change bill could save countless grassroots venues across the UK

P26 THE BORNE ULTIMATUM CRANBORNE AUDIO ON RISING FROM THE ASHES OF SOUNDCRAFT

P52 Human touch A look behind the scenes at the visually and aurally ambitious Gorillaz Humanz tour

Studio

P57 Prism Sound We catch up with the company’s co-founder Graham Boswell as the audio specialist celebrates its 30th anniversary

P49 AWARDS SEASON A LOOK BACK ON 10 YEARS OF THE MPG AWARDS

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L-R: Glenn Haddock and Allan Frost

FEBRUARY 2018

Cool runnings Phil Ward recently paid a visit to Frozen Fish Design, a studio solutions team that knows how to cut corners…

hat do Goldfinger, Abbey Road, green motoring and The Teletubbies have in common? Don’t even bother trying. Naturally, it’s the innovative output of Frozen Fish Design (FFD), a Surrey-based consultancy beyond category. It has made: camouflaged loudspeakers for the lobby of a retro City of London luxury hotel, whose vault was used in a Bond movie; part of an interactive exhibition that illustrates how hydrogen can be used as motor fuel; a Tubby Car, a Tubby Spinny, a Tubby Uppy Downy and a Tubby Slidey for the set of the children’s TV favourite; and a bespoke mixing console for the famous recording studio. Plus, as we all know, Abbey Road is where Tinky-Winky, Dipsy, La-La and Po recorded Sgt Pepper. It makes sense, then, that FFD’s activities are divided by the company into the following broad areas of activity: collaborative display systems; promotional and interactive installations; film, TV and commercials; and mixing console customisation. These areas have to be broad, because this is a place where anything can happen. The co-founders’ sense of the surreal – the name refers to the partnership of Allan Frost and Glenn Haddock – must come in handy every day.

Hot property By the universal law of one thing leading to another, the mixing console customisation bit has emerged as a significant business for FFD. Specifically, relationships with Avid and AMS Neve have been established that enable and encourage the combining of their hardware

into hybrid chassis and surfaces, along with copious ancillary studio puzzle-solving and space management. The customer receives all the assistance needed on site to dovetail the chosen solution into each individual space, including any extra modifications needed to get square pegs into round holes, or even to create brand new studios based on the premise that mixing architecture from more than one single manufacturing brand can and will work to the most idiosyncratic specifications. The project is carried through by FFD all the way from design and drawings to assembly and finishes, and the industry is starting to notice. At the moment the FFD catalogue illustrates proven adaptations of AMS Neve DFC and Euphonix System 5 consoles to include Avid S6 control surface modules, but these might only be the beginning. The company also offers bespoke console accessories, extensions and other technical furniture that will enhance workflow in any shape or size of music recording or audio post-production facility. This includes many and varied gizmos, from removable module enclosures and shelving to mouse-and-keyboard platforms, mouseand-keyboard panels, screen sliders, static screen mounts, MIDI keyboard panels, support frames and legs. The workshop is not a million miles from Pinewood and Twickenham, and there is a heritage. Television provided an initial impetus for a previous generation: the site is where Allan Frost’s father ran his business as a set builder, for which the late, lamented and local Teddington Studios provided much TV work for Thames, the BBC, Channel 4 and many other broadcasters. The

walls vibrate with legacy, and it is no doubt a point of honour that Avid consoles are now re-fabricated in the same space as George & Mildred’s living room. Haddock and Frost met when each worked across this hinterland of facilities – also including Shepperton – with Haddock a prop maker and model builder, among other things, and Frost an early expert in CAD-assisted engineering projects for complex set design and hi-tech production. They saw a future in bespoke solutions for ever-more technical sets and props, and eight years ago decided to start an entirely different kind of agency. “In our different ways we were both being asked by more and more people if we could make totally unique and unusual things,” Haddock recounts, “not just in media production but also for exhibitions and other types of display. It began to make really good sense to start a company together and address all of these new demands directly.” FFD’s nimble genre-hopping has been helped by new generations of manufacturing technology, not the least of which is 3D printing. “Design and manufacturing has evolved easier ways to do things,” continues Haddock, “less labour-intensive ways of creating solutions, using software that exports files that other companies can read, and then pump the data into their laser cutting machines, 3D printers or CNC machines. “It means you don’t have to have every single machine in your workshop – almost like virtual manufacture. You model the ideas in CAD software, up to a complete shape and look, and when you’re happy with what it looks like and what it does you split it up

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Hard at work: The Frozen Fish team

into its component parts and send out those parts to the relevant out-source. All the different tolerances, finishes and paints are then combined into the final product.”

Cash for Gold Goldcrest Films provided early projects for FFD, as did Twickenham Studios despite its well-publicised difficulties. “Twickenham was about to be taken over by property developers,” Haddock remembers, “but the ‘Save Twickenham Studios’ campaign was successful and all the facilities were upgraded. Audio postproduction got a particularly extensive facelift, and we were called in to meet the project manager whom we’d already worked with at the Sky Academy Skills Studios in Richmond.” The reputation spread, and FFD’s signature solutions began to appear elsewhere in London – not least in a certain NW8 facility. “Some of the designs we did for Twickenham have also gone into Abbey Road,” adds Haddock, although the latter now boasts a unique AMS Neve/Avid hybrid that extends the FFD proposal to hitherto unrelated brands. One Amsterdam project – an advertising post house with smaller rooms and consoles – keeps it more ‘in the family’ by converting the facility’s Euphonix System 5 to accommodate an Avid S6 control surface, Avid having absorbed Euphonix into its DNA. “Either way, it saves having to junk your console,” as Haddock points out. “It’s a very modern and hi-tech piece of recycling! This hardware can become worthless very quickly, but it can be re-purposed. You don’t have to throw it away, or try to sell it on the open market for an ever-decreasing return on your investment.” The manufacturers themselves appear to support

FFD’s machinations wholeheartedly, and are only too happy to share the blueprints in order to lengthen the shelf life of one component or another. “Pro audio is almost like a global small business, in which despite the distances everyone knows one another,” says Haddock. “It feels like people in it are willing to share and contribute, and more often than not they’ve worked together at some point. There is competition, but there’s also a sense that businesses complement each other and share a good deal of respect. “What we’ve found with AMS Neve and Avid is that the benefits of our hybrid solutions are well appreciated. It opens up the market among facilities where they wouldn’t otherwise have had access, and provides a completely new upgrade path. It also re-invigorates interest in workflow. There’s no one, set way of doing anything these days and we’re going down paths no individual brand could take. “It also dramatically increases their attraction in the dry hire space, where rooms can be configured completely differently every time. You no longer have to search around for the fixed space that will accommodate you, or compromise on your choice of mixing platform, or be forced to start in one facility and finish in another. “We noticed very quickly that dubbing mixers and sound designers are becoming like rock stars – they’re Oscar-winning people! You need them on board if you want a film to be successful, and they now represent quite a powerful lobby. We got such a positive reaction from our initial work at Twickenham that I’m sure it gave the guys from AMS Neve and Avid the confidence to support what we do.”

Joint enterprise In practice, Frozen Fish Design represents a complementary sales and marketing effort. It’s only a matter of time before others notice the advantages of this strategy. “The principle could be applied to any architecturally compatible equipment,” says Haddock. “The S6 design is modular, so it’s perfect for this kind of adaptation. The DFC has modules, but each module is plugged into a circuit board mounted within the basket so it’s not quite as flexible. The S6 is state-of-the-art and very popular, so that’s the one we’re having success with when we apply this integrated approach. I’ve been asked to look at other consoles, including SSL, but the question is whether we can get an S6 to fit the chassis. People are beginning to make these enquiries, because they’re interested in using both systems.” And the limits to this jigsaw are purely physical, Haddock stresses. “Audient is another suggestion we’ll be looking at, and the S6 control surface remains the most viable option to date. We haven’t had requests for any other combinations yet, but who knows? There’s no reason why other consoles can’t be re-purposed to mix and match anyone’s favourite ingredients. It’s about dimensional constraints: if you’ve got a space that something needs to go into, does the chosen solution fit those dimensions? If loosely it does, the structure that supports it can be worked on to suit. It’s making people think about other ways of upgrading a facility or service. The ergonomics are being reinvented at the front end, not as the final piece of the equation, and you can really start considering building the console around the space rather than building the space around the console.” n

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Pro audio movers and shakers Stay in the loop with the latest job appointments and movements in the professional audio biz over the past month…

Italian manufacturer K-array promotes senior staff within commercial department

-array has revealed details of three senior promotions within its sales department. Stefano Zaccaria has moved to the position of VP of sales and marketing to work closely with president and co-founder, Alessandro Tatini. Zaccaria joined the company in October 2016 as a temporary manager, but since January 2017 has been tasked full-time with reaching long-term goals as strategic sales and business development manager. He told PSNEurope: “My goal is to bring the brand into the world of luxury because K-array has a lot of potential there. In fact, we are currently working on a product that fits perfectly into this world that will be unveiled at this year’s ISE show.” Daniel Strasserra has been promoted to the role of sales engineer at the company’s headquarters. Strasserra joined the company eight years ago, and will now be developing the brand in the nightlife sector. Strasserra commented: “In this new position, I hope to make an even bigger impact at K-array and look forward to connecting with many new clientele.” Lastly, Daniele Mochi has been named as the new project manager for the department.

Audiologic appoints Ben Spurgeon as application support engineer

Plasa names Adam Blaxill as new chair after seven years with Ed Pagett at helm

Ex-Renkus Heinz exec Margie Kirby joins Allied Professional Technologies

AV equipment provider Audiologic has appointed Ben Spurgeon to application support engineer. Spurgeon joins the company from Sound Technology and will be working alongside existing engineer Yavor ‘Max’ Yanakiev to strengthen the team in response to rising demand for in-house and onsite support from its growing customer base. He regularly revisits the University of Hertfordshire - where he achieved a first class degree in Audio Recording and Production - as a guest lecturer in the audio-visual field. Spurgeon told PSNEurope: “Joining Audiologic is a hugely exciting progression for me, giving me the opportunity to grow my experience across many brilliant brands. As well as the system design and technical aspects to my role, I’ll be closely involved in putting together our demo facility training calendar and conducting a host of courses from basic audio fundamentals to advanced networking.”

Plasa has announced changes to its elected board including the appointment of Adam Blaxill as the association’s new chair. Adam Blaxill originally joined the Plasa Board as the professional services representative in 2012 and was elected as vice chair in 2014. He has been voted as the new chair of Plasa through a majority vote. Blaxill takes over from Ed Pagett who has served as chair for seven years. During this time Pagett oversaw the demerger with ESTA with the support of an executive committee, which included Blaxill as vice chair and Martin Hawthorn as treasurer. His experience includes hire, sales, events, and installation, as well as testing and servicing operations at regional and national levels. Plasa MD Peter Heath says: “We are looking forward to having Adam as our chair and have faith in his knowledge and guidance. I would like to extend my thanks to Ed and we’re delighted he will continue to work with us in his new role as non-executive director.”

Margie Kirby, former marketing director at Renkus Heinz, has teamed up with husband Rik Kirby at US distributor Allied Professional Technologies in a senior marketing role. Boasting more than 28 years of industry experience, Kirby will be responsible for ramping up the company’s marketing activities. “I’m excited to start the next chapter in my career working with longtime industry friends and colleagues, and, of course, making new partnerships along the way,” said Kirby. Rik Kirby added: “We provide a flexible approach to US distribution which reflects the way the supply chain has changed over the last 10 years or so. Now with Margie joining us we’ll be able to offer our partners increased marketing services both in the USA and in support of their global businesses.” Based in Orange County, California, Allied ProTech is the US distributor for Linea Research. Read our interview with Kirby on pages 40-42

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Studio sexism under the spotlight at AIM conference Last month’s AIM Women In Music conference saw the subject of gender imbalance across all areas of the music industry discussed by leading engineers, producers and artists. PSNEurope was in attendance to report back from the event, where issues around working in a traditionally male-dominanted environment were highlighted during the Women In The Studio panel...

(L –R): Marta Salogni, Isabel Gracefield Grundy, Steph Marziano, Katie Tavini, Dr Mariana Lopez, Katia Isakoff, K-Minor

ondon’s City Hall provided the setting for the 2018 AIM (Association of Independent Music) Women In Music conference, as a programme of lively and impassioned panel sessions, keynote speeches and on-stage interviews played out before a vast audience comprised of figures from across the music industry. Kicking things off was a keynote address entitled ‘Diversity is Good For You’ from UK Music Diversity Taskforce co-chair Paulette Long OBE (Westbury Music), followed by an interview with former Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm conducted by Mark Sutherland, editor of PSNEurope sister title Music Week. In a conversation that covered her formative years with the Spice Girls and the 'girl power' phenomenon, through to her subsequent solo career and approach to working in the studio, Chisholm noted that while the number of successful female pop artists has risen significantly since her rise to prominence in the mid-‘90s, the number of women working in prominent studio or record label roles has remained negligible, with little sign of improvement.

The theme of male dominance in the studio sector was placed squarely under the spotlight by the Women In The Studio panel, in a session that saw speakers discuss some of the most pressing issues facing female studio professionals today. Speakers included producer and engineer Steph Marziano (Denai Moore, Mumford & Sons), Dr Mariana Lopez (lecturer in Sound Production and Post Production, University of York), engineer Isabel Gracefield Grundy (Emeli Sande, Tom Odell), mixer Marta Salogni (Bjork, Sampha), mastering engineer Katie Tavini, Women Produce Music founder Katia Isakoff and panel chair producer K-Minor. Highlighting the need for change in the sector, Salogni revealed that she still encounters sexism within the confines of that studio, calling on those who experience or witness such attitudes and behaviour to actively take a stand: “You need to call out sexism when you encounter it,” she stated. Meanwhile, fellow engineer Isabel Gracefield Grundy, suggested that there is now an opportunity for female studio professionals to gain recognition in their field

on account of the sector’s historical male dominance. “When people want to work with a woman - you’re not another Mark or John - you have a visibility that’s really advantageous,” she commented. Bringing proceedings to a close was the Female Entrepreneurship In Music panel, fronted by London Night Czar Amy Lamé and featuring female music business founders discussing why they established their own company and how they achieved success. Speaking to PSNEurope about the importance of events such as these, Lara Baker, marketing and events coordinator at AIM, said: “Improving diversity and inclusivity in the music business is a cause that myself and AIM are very passionate about, and our Women In Music conference and initiatives are a hugely important part of our work in this area. “It’s essential to have forums where young women can see female success stories and be inspired in their careers. And it’s encouraging that men attend the event and champion diversity too; we all need to work together towards a more balanced industry.” n

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Show time

On February 6, the Amsterdam RAI opens its doors for ISE 2018. And as the world prepares itself for what promises to be the annual trade show’s biggest outing yet, ISE managing director Mike Blackman tells PSNEurope why the industry’s fastest growing trade exhibition is incorporating pro audio like never before…

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hat ISE has achieved in 15 years is nothing short of staggering. When the AV tech event embarked upon its maiden voyage in the Swiss city of Geneva back in 2004, not even the most optimistic of trade show organisers could have predicted that by the year 2018 it would be cramming the aisles of the Amsterdam RAI’s 15 halls with in excess of 70,000 punters and over 1,400 exhibitors from across the globe, year in, year out. Let’s put that into perspective. ISE’s debut outing attracted a comparatively paltry 3,500 attendees and 120 exhibitors, while its floor space has rocketed from 2,800 square metres 15 years ago to 55,000 square metres in 2018. Sure, there are a clutch of other shows operating on a similar scale, but those audiences were nurtured and grown over the course of several decades. Compared to the likes of NAMM and Prolight + Sound,

ISE is very much a show in its infancy. One of key factors behind the seemingly inexorable rise of ISE over the past few years, particularly among the pro audio crowd, has been its ability to cater for all comers. It’s a bit like NAMM, in that respect, as it extends its reach into new areas of business and appeal to the masses without losing site of its trade obligations and neglecting its responsibilities to its regulars. The steady evolution of the show over the past decade and a half can be attributed largely to the foresight of its founder, managing director and self professed “tech enthusiast” Mike Blackman. From day one, it has been his ambition to create an event that not only excites audiences around the world from the AV, home tech and pro audio sectors year after year, but also one that succeeds in capturing his own imagination time and again. “I’m a huge technology fan, and walking around the

RAI during ISE, for me, is like being a kid in a giant toy shop,” he explains. “When people come to ISE they know they will see leading international companies, new product launches and senior technical and marketing personnel from a range of complementary technology sectors all under one roof. For four days, ISE is the de facto AV systems integration business. “An enduring factor in the show’s long-term appeal is the fact that we are always keen to innovate and embrace new market sectors that we feel are relevant to the broader AV market. Recently this includes areas such as education technology, smart building and virtual/augmented reality. With AVIXA, CEDIA and our media partners we have also worked hard to create a vibrant professional development and show day programme designed to attract leading industry executives and experts. Thought leadership becomes a greater priority when you are at venue capacity.

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ISE – A global destination for the AV industry The widespread appeal of ISE now sees attendees visiting from all four corners of the globe. Back in 2017, approximately 80% of visitors to the show were from Europe, whilst 20% had travelled in from various regions, including North America, South America, Asia and the Middle East. “This is now a global business, where product launches are not just once a year,” ISE managing director Mike Blackman explained. “There are events happening all over the world at different times, but they come to ours because they appreciate the importance of knowing and seeing for themselves what’s new in the industry.”

A record-breaking crowd is set to grace ISE 2018

“Our fundamental belief is that you must want to be at ISE because it will make a positive difference to you and your business.” The pro audio community has been quick to latch on to the burgeoning profile of the Amsterdam show since the turn of the decade. While several audio manufacturers exhibited at the RAI from its earliest outing, ISE has seen a sharp uptick in the number of pro audio companies either showcasing product at the show or upping their existing presence. In several cases, it has turned the heads of some who had previously committed their trade show budget for the year elsewhere. In Blackman’s view, the reason for this lies in the advancement of audio technology in the AV market. “Audio is playing an increasingly vital role in numerous areas of technology on display at ISE, from its use alongside digital displays in the retail marketplace to the latest boardroom unified communications system. Its role in ‘smart’ communications cannot

be underestimated,” he states. “What we seek to demonstrate is how audio is being used in the context of the wider AV business sector, not just its role in entertainment applications. ISE provides the opportunity for attendees to get a holistic snapshot of audio technology and solutions developed for use in the whole market rather than a single, niche area. “In Hall 7 we have consolidated lighting, audio and staging exhibitors in a dedicated area called Audio and Live Events Technology. Hall 7 had previously been called the Audio Hall and primarily focused on pro audio manufacturers. There will be other companies operating in these sectors exhibiting in other parts of the RAI Amsterdam, but Hall 7 is our focus.” With that in mind, what exactly can pro audio visitors expect from their trip to Amsterdam this month? According to Blackman, there’ll be something for all. “Primarily, attendees can expect to see the latest audio systems, acoustics, interpretation and processing technologies being showcased by the world’s leading manufacturers and service providers,” Blackman elaborates. “Exhibitors will have the opportunity to connect with a mix of AV ‘channel’ professionals (over 60% cite audio as being part of their business) and end users from a wide range of markets which includes education, corporate, healthcare and finance.” Looking to the future As technology across the board continues to advance, Blackman sees audio becoming an ever more intrinsic part of the ISE offering over the coming years. “I believe we will see more widespread integration of audio networks with IT network infrastructures,” he claims. “There will be increased adoption of immersive and object-based audio systems, sometimes as an accompaniment to 4K/UHD displays and/or video conferencing systems and the continuing consolidation among installed audio vendors as customers increasingly seek total solutions and therefore want ‘one-stop shops’. The competition to establish a networked audio standard will become clearer as the two main players vie for industry acceptance. Plus, I think that the focus for audio manufacturers will

No room for complacency Growth of ISE has not been achieved by chance or by luck, Blackman explained. No sooner is one event concluded, he and his team are immediately working hard in planning the next to ensure it remains at the forefront of what’s happening in the market and relevant to all. “Technology doesn’t stand still, and neither do we,” he said defiantly. “The worst thing we could do is ever become complacent. We need to be fresh and relevant at every event. The second we stop being relevant to exhibitors and our attendees, we may as well pack up and do something else.”

increasingly focus on new applications, aesthetics and the ease of installation and use.” And as to what the future holds for ISE as an organisation, Blackman believes that the opportunities are endless. “As ISE is co-owned by trade associations AVIXA and CEDIA the collective leverage we have is enormous,” he tells us. “At a macro level this allows us to develop global strategies to serve the AV market. On a micro level it allows us to introduce new areas and features into the ISE exhibition safe in the knowledge that the strength of the brand will ensure that people will come to it with a positive mindset. At ISE 2018 we are exploring the opportunities being created by companies specialising in virtual, augmented and mixed reality technology and solutions. Plus, we can work with partners such as RAI Amsterdam and Amsterdam Light Festival to produce The World Masters of Projection Mapping competition, which is taking place for the first time this year during ISE.” On the subject of challenges facing the annual event, Blackman is a little less specific, instead pointing towards the organisation’s collective efforts to simply up its game year after year. “Each year we raise the bar a little higher,” he tells us. “Our collective objective is to maintain the high standards we have set ourselves and to exceed them. As ISE grows, so do the aspirations and expectations of our exhibitors and attendees. We need to ensure at all times that we are working in sync with all our stakeholders to deliver common goals. “It is our opinion that ISE fulfils a unique place in the audio tradeshow calendar, complementing rather than directly competing with other established events. I believe that ISE is perfectly positioned to mirror the evolution of the audio industry. You can guarantee that we’ll be listening to what the market has to say.” Trade versus end user? While unquestionably a trade show at heart, those who have been attending or exhibiting at ISE since its formative years will be aware of a significant shift in shape of those passing through its doors these days.

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P17 FEBRUARY 2018 “Like a kid in a toy shop”: Blackman is looking forward to ISE 2018

As visitor figures have soared, so too has the number of end users making the trip to the RAI. A deliberate play on the part of Blackman and his team, the increasing end user element at the show is all part of the plan to appeal to as many groups as possible without alienating the traditionalists. “We have really pushed hard to get end users to our events and it’s an area which has continued to grow,” he offers. “Before, it used to be something like 90/10, trade versus end users. Now we are probably 65/35. It’s a huge growth area for us and we work tireless to ensure that we cater for everyone who attends, whatever industry they’re from. People take time out from work to attend our events, so it’s essential we ensure they return having learned something.” One of the key contributors behind ISE’s popularity with end users is the promise of access to new and existing technologies, which are relevant to them – but maybe didn’t know existed. While the reasons why this might be are manifold, Blackman suggests that many end users are often heavily influenced, or in some cases dictated to, by the integrator they work with. That integrator, he notes, may have an ulterior motive in selecting the technology they recommend. “We became very aware about 10 years ago that the manufacturers wanted to influence the end users directly,” he explains. “The danger is that an integrator may have a better relationship with one manufacturer over another, or perhaps they receive a better margin

with one over another. Manufacturers fear that and that’s why they want to be able to speak directly to the end users themselves. ISE provides that.” He continues: “End users can see what each manufacturer has to offer and not just rely on the person directly selling to them. It’s incredibly valuable from a knowledge and awareness perspective, but also ultimately for the benefit of the company they represent. On the flipside this can also benefit the integrator who can then discuss ideas that their customer has seen and may even get more business as a result. “If you want the broadest view of everything to do with AV for your organisation, we have it at ISE.” To predict yet another record breaking year for ISE is hardly a bold move. All indicators point to another outing of record high visitors and exhibitors from a record high number of nations. What is perhaps harder to predict is what its success means for the rest of the industry. At present, it seems Blackman and co can do no wrong, and one can’t help but feel that as its popularity rises, so too will the eyebrows of many a fellow expo organiser. Indeed, a competitive trade show landscape is the mark of an industry in rude health, and those helming shows with farther reaching roots in pro audio territory will no doubt be considering how they keep up with this relatively new kid on the block. For organisers and exhibitors, it may provide something of a headache. But for a sector to have such a wealth of options at its feet is something to be celebrated. n

ISE - a smart destination for architects ISE is investing heavily in boosting its appeal to professionals working in the design space, such as architects. Through collaboration with exhibitors, ISE has developed the ‘Smart Building Conference’ designed specifically to showcase technologies relevant to people working in that space. This takes place on the day before ISE begins. ISE has worked hard to bring exhibitors to the show, and this year, to help enhance its appeal further, world renowned Italian architect, engineer and inventor Carlo Ratti – famed for his use of AV within his designs - will be on-hand to speak to visitors at this year’s show. “We’d always struggled to get architects, building designers and people in that sector to come – so we said, let’s start a smart building conference. Something they’ll look at and think that’s relevant to me. I can learn about what’s new in building technology,” said Blackman. “It can be a bit of a chicken and egg scenario to begin with. An exhibitor isn’t going to want to exhibit if the audience they want isn’t there and the architect isn’t going to come if there are no exhibitors. We’ve done a lot of work and invested heavily in this space and the growth has been very pleasing.” Ratti commented: “I am delighted to be taking part in SBC and to be giving the Opening Address at ISE 2018. Social and technological developments in the evolution of smart cities and smart buildings are quickly shaping how we must plan to work and live in the future. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences with the ISE audience.”

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P18 FEBRUARY 2018

Why exhibit at ISE? The first major European trade show of the year is upon us, as Integrated Systems Europe opens its doors to crowds in Amsterdam on February 6-9. Traditionally an installation expo, the event is now drawing in more pro audio brands than ever before. PSNEurope asked some of the top audio exhibitors at ISE to explain the show’s relevance to today’s market… Audio-Technica marketing director Tim Page: ‘There are always opportunities for building relationships’ ISE is the fastest growing trade show in the industry – why do you think that is? The AV and installed audio markets are obviously very healthy, the show is at the right time of year and the location is ideal for a European audience. All of that plays a part in the success of the show. ISE represents a unique proposition in terms of both its scale and audience. It’s obviously a huge event these days, but that doesn’t really mean anything without the right kind of visitors – and ISE attracts a very informed, technology and market-aware audience. The show’s very much on the radar for installers, systems integrators, end-users and resellers, so it allows exhibitors to reach a variety of target audiences. In our experience, ISE delivers a very high quality of

visitor, not just high numbers. In Audio-Technica’s case, ISE allows a great opportunity to showcase conference systems, network audio products, flexible wireless solutions and so on to a discerning audience – it ticks a lot of boxes. We typically launch product at trade shows, so it’s the ideal platform for unveiling new developments – but it’s also become a must visit event for our distributors across Europe, so there are always opportunities for networking and building existing relationships. Why is ISE so important these days for the professional audio market? The range of visitors is one of the key things. Engaging with systems integrators and AV installers is very important. With advances in networked audio in the last few years, it’s crucial that we’re able to demonstrate and explain the benefits of employing products like our range of Dante-enabled microphones

to industry professionals. But end-users are also important and ISE allows us to reach these too. Increasing numbers of nonspecialist staff are involved in using AV technology, and giving them the chance to use things like our ATUC-50 digital discussion system – which is designed to be easy to use for non-technical staff – is very valuable. It helps demystify the products and raises brand awareness with those involved in budget decisions. From conversations we’ve had with end-user visitors over the last few years, ISE seems to be a very useful opportunity for them to speak directly to manufacturers, too. Having the chance to ask questions of those involved in designing conferencing products and delivering training goes down very well. In that situation, end-users can have confidence that they’re talking to very knowledgeable product specialists, outside of an overt sales environment. They seem to really appreciate that.

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P19 FEBRUARY 2018

Avid’s Tom Cordiner: ‘Expectations towards pro audio tech have risen’ experts to help find the best solution for each unique production environment. Adopting live sound equipment that can be both seamlessly integrated and deliver a diverse range of productions has become an increasingly popular priority. Attendees at ISE can discover the efficiency of Avid’s live sound technology which award-winning engineers and services rely on for shows and tours across the world.

AV TECHNOLOGY IS DEVELOPING FAST - WE’RE SEEING NEW SOLUTIONS EVERY DAY, AND ISE REFLECTS THIS

SAMI MAKINEN

How would you explain the fast growth of ISE? The AV technology market and industry is more complex than ever before. Technical boundaries are being pushed by live sound providers and engineers to cater for more diverse productions and installations. As these become bigger, braver, and more ambitious, the AV market has also become more progressive. Alongside this, virtualisation, remote production, and developments in system design are opening new opportunities for companies to update and modernise existing systems and add game-changing capabilities to their current AV setup. Attending ISE gives organisations a head start in acquiring the latest powerful, cutting-edge AV solutions – giving visitors the opportunity to engage with groundbreaking products and meet with

Why is this trade show becoming more important for pro audio brands? New innovations in audio processing and audio systems, coupled with shifting industry trends in production design and scale, have really brought the importance of companies’ pro audio offering to the fore. It’s more vital than ever to ensure that pro audio technology is not only durable and reliable, but is truly an asset to many workflows. Within the media and entertainment industry, people’s expectations towards pro audio technology have risen as productions become more demanding and ambitious. For live sound, it has become increasingly important for systems to meet every production requirement and deliver high-quality, sound seamlessly, regardless of the productions complexity. Trade shows are the go-to destination for those leading the pro audio market and spearheading the latest developments, as well as those looking to advance their pro audio offering. Keeping up with these developments can be challenging as the market becomes more crowded and competitive. By attending trade shows like ISE, customers can digest the vast amount of pro audio solutions available and choose a new AV system with confidence. It’s with this type of response and action that companies get the most out of their chosen AV system. Tom Cordiner is senior vice president of global sales at Avid.

Genelec AV business manager Sami Mäkinen: ‘Companies have realised that there’s vast potential in AV’ Can you explain the growth of ISE in recent years? ISE is successful because it represents all of the various professional AV business sectors, and also because professional AV is probably the fastest growing industry market sector at the moment. Exhibitors are satisfied because of the huge range of visitors; the show attracts everyone from small restaurant owners to managers of huge commercial installations and everything in between. Visitors are satisfied because they can see the latest technology from industry giants, such as Panasonic and Mitsubishi, to more specialised manufacturers such as ourselves. Also, AV technology is developing fast - we’re seeing new digital solutions and IP solutions being presented every day, and ISE reflects this. Visitors and exhibitors alike are constantly looking for new ideas and new technology. We all understand that our knowledge and experience have to keep pace with new developments to be able to run healthy and competitive businesses.

ISE runs a comprehensive educational programme in addition to what can be seen on the show floor, making it a very attractive proposition for anyone looking to increase their AV knowledge. Taking a specific example, the integration of audio and video has become a hot topic with the advent of new technologies. At Genelec, we believe that Audio-over-IP networking, and using systems that are fully compatible with open and global standards, is the way forward to address the future needs of the professional audio business, offering reliability, scalability, and interoperability. Why is ISE so important these days for the pro audio market? The world’s professional audio trade shows are shrinking, or at least they are struggling to attract new visitors. Traditional professional audio exhibitions are, in my opinion, becoming less and less relevant because they are now only addressing a shrinking sector of the market. Business possibilities between the pro audio and

AV industry are increasingly overlapping nowadays. Information technology (IT) is routinely included in projects of all kinds, not just AV. Basically, today’s most successful pro audio companies or integrators have realised that there is a vast potential for them to develop in AV, and if they want to tap into this potential, they will need to cast their nets wider than the boundaries of traditional pro audio markets. This means making new contacts, and having the vision to see how their products can be used in a different context, and even exploring ways in which their existing ranges can be adapted to make them more attractive to new markets. ISE is an ideal forum in which to make inroads into the AV market and develop the contacts necessary for this expansion. For Genelec, the business segment currently seeing the most growth is AV. In projects where the audio quality and the value of the investment are important, it is easy to find well-matched solutions from our AV speaker range. This is why the ISE show is now one of the most important fixtures on the trade show calendar for our company.

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P20 FEBRUARY 2018

K-array project manager Daniele Mochi: ‘ISE is not just a trade show - it’s a place for learning’ ISE is the fastest growing trade show in the industry – why do you think that is? In recent years, the audiovisual market has grown rapidly. Most progress has been seen in networked products, following the increasing demand of interconnected solutions. Today audio, video and lighting devices can communicate together to create complex architectures that behave like single entities. Being up to date on the latest products and technologies available in the AV market is the best way to make these architectures work fluently and effectively, and ISE in Amsterdam is a great opportunity to be immersed in the AV world surrounded by the leading industries of this market for a few days. The increasing participation of lighting companies in recent years has been much appreciated, thus completing the panorama of the systems integration. And it’s not just a trade show - ISE is also a place for learning, with so many interesting speakers, conferences and events on the subject of AV technologies and solutions. K-array has been present in some capacity since

THE INCREASING PARTICIPATION OF LIGHTING COMPANIES HAS BEEN WELCOME, COMPLETING THE PANORAMA OF SYSTEMS INTEGRATION

DANIELE MOCHI

2013 and the number of visitors at our stand has grown every year. In past editions of the show, we have introduced some unique products that have had much success in the market, like the flexible speaker AnakondaKAN200 or the moving head Owl-KW8. Similarly, this year we will be launching something that we think once again will surprise the industry, so be sure to stop by our booth X204 in Hall 7 to see what we have in store...

Martin Audio marketing director James King: ‘Installation is the largest growth area for any pro audio brand’

AS OTHER TRADE SHOWS SUFFER FROM A LACK OF DIRECTION, ISE HAS INCREASINGLY BECOME THE DEFAULT FOR MANY BRANDS

JAMES KING

ISE is the fastest growing trade show in the industry – why do you think that is? We’ve been in attendance at ISE since 2006 (the show’s third year) and as a top 50 exhibitor (out of 1,200), we

have been well placed to have witnessed its growth during that period from 3,500 visitors to 73,000. Our original participation was very much an experiment. Installation was a growing opportunity for Martin Audio, and increasingly most audio brands have seen installation become the majority of their business. Part of ISE’s success has been a mirror image of the importance of these related vertical markets superseding live sound for many AV companies. In recent years, we have seen a decline in Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt that has profited ISE. This is a result of a number of factors. Prolight + Sound has always had a stronger link to the live sound community, but as that market has plateaued the importance of installation has driven growth to ISE. The cost of exhibiting at both ISE and Prolight + Sound, with both taking place within two months of each other and on the same continent, has increasingly made exhibitors look at the relevant investments and returns, and subsequently move allegiances towards ISE. The fact that ISE occurs before Prolight + Sound is also a factor, as it gives slightly more time in the year for potential sales return payback. For the first time this year, we took the decision to only exhibit at ISE. The decline we’ve

seen at Plasa London over the past five years has also contributed to a push for ISE. However, ISE needs equally to be careful. It has a well-established and very successful points-based rebooking system that encourages and forces exhibitors to rebook early or risk being demoted to smaller and less prominent positions. Traditionally this takes place on the second day of the show with pre-bookings starting even before the show has commenced, making it nearly impossible to do a proper review of that given year before signing up for the next. No doubt this level of early commitment has helped the confidence of the show and has a positive impact on momentum and marketing, but this year there was an attempt by the organisers to force through bookings for 2019 by early January of this year, but there was no pricing being offered [to us], forcing exhibitors to agree to space blind of the cost. Thankfully, a number of exhibitors, including ourselves, complained about such practice and the organisers at the show listened and reverted back to normal procedures. But ISE needs to remember that things can change quickly in this arena and they should focus more on ensuring the success of the show rather than strongarming exhibitors. Why is ISE so important these days for the pro audio market? It’s simple really: permanent installation is the largest growth opportunity for any pro audio brand and for many already represents the majority of a given brand’s revenue. ISE is the default show catering for this marketplace in EMEA and its pull is now extending to Asia and even the US. As other trade shows have suffered from a lack of direction, ISE has increasingly become the default trade show for many brands.

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P21 FEBRUARY 2018

Meyer Sound’s John McMahon: ‘Drawing together multiple disciplines makes it an attractive show’ ISE is the fastest growing trade show in the industry – why do you think that is? The growth of the show really has been phenomenal. They have done an excellent job of filling a void as the wider audio market was not being well served by other trade shows in Europe. However, it seems there is now a genuine excitement building up to ISE. People look forward to going. ISE is similar to pro AV show Infocomm in that it draws together multiple disciplines, and I think that’s what makes it attractive to a wider group of people. For us, the number of new people we saw at ISE was completely different than what we were seeing at other shows in Europe. One thing I’ve noticed in recent years is that I see more people from creative production companies, those who work in themed entertainment, experience design and multimedia production. Out of all the trade shows I attend, I think I’m now seeing more of them at ISE, but you still get the technical people from the integrator side of the business, the nuts-and-bolts crowd. So, you get that breadth, from the conceptual creators through the people who design, engineer and install the systems. Another factor might be the timing. It’s the first major trade event of the year, and people like to kick off with a fresh beginning, to get a head start on projects planned for later in the year. The education programme is also first rate. There’s a lot for people to learn in the industry now with the advancements in technology in audio. That’s certainly an element that was well served by the European trade shows until ISE matured into what it is today.

THE EDUCATION PROGRAMME IS FIRST RATE. THERE IS A LOT FOR PEOPLE TO LEARN NOW WITH THE ADVANCEMENTS OF TECHNOLOGY IN AUDIO

JOHN MCMAHON

Why is ISE so important these days for the professional audio market? I think this is due in large part to the nature of the way the business is moving, with convergence of audio, video and IT. If you’re doing an immersive video experience, you are going to need sound to go with it, and if pro audio is not well represented the designers of that experience may not be aware of all the possibilities. So, it’s really important that all the capabilities across the pro audio market are fully represented. It just makes more sense, with the economies of scale. You have a duopoly of the winter and summer shows that balance out the year, and with those two investments you can reach nearly all your customers worldwide. It’s a very attractive package. John McMahon is vice president of solutions and strategy at Meyer Sound.

Sennheiser’s Andy Niemann: ‘ISE is the perfect platform to demonstrate the advances being made in pro AV’ ISE is the fastest growing trade show in the industry – why do you think that is? We believe that the rapid growth of the ISE trade show is due to the end users and decision makers understanding that pro AV solutions have a positive impact on the way they can realise their individual goals across all verticals, be it in the corporate, education, hospitality or government market. With easy access from anywhere, ISE is a perfect meeting place where end users, manufacturers, service providers and intermediaries come together to share information about the latest trends, experience the most recent offerings, and discuss challenges and requirements for releases planned in the future.

AUDIO IS AN INDISPENSABLE PART OF THE OVERALL EXPERIENCE OF AN AV SOLUTION. NOW IS THE TIME TO BRING NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO THE MARKET

ANDY NIEMANN

Why is ISE so important these days for the professional audio market? Everyone in the industry knows that the pro AV industry is dominated by the V, to a certain extent. A lot of technologies have come to the market in recent years, particularly in the video sector, which have led to massive improvements of the user experience. Now, it seems that there is an ever-increasing demand from the market to constantly improve audio solutions to bring the sound experience on par with the already very good visual experience. Audio is an indispensable part of the overall experience of an AV solution. After a period of relative quiet in terms of real innovation in pro audio, now is the time to bring new technologies to the market. On top of that, there is a strong need to simplify operation of, for instance, wireless audio gear. No one wants to dive into menus and sub-menus to make frequency adjustments anymore, especially not for multiple devices individually. More and more, endusers and decision makers value manufacturers like Sennheiser focusing not only on the product itself, but also on the efficient and cost-effective setup, management and maintenance of a fleet of products. This is why we are defining digital workflow as the focus topic for this year’s show. In brief: ISE for us is the perfect platform to demonstrate the advances that are being made in audio in all aspects of pro AV. Andy Niemann is director of business communication at Sennheiser.

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P23 FEBRUARY 2018

Setting up sustainably Sustainable living is all the rage right now, but have you ever considered your environmental impact at work? Crown Lane Studio co-director John Merriman has, so PSNEurope asked him to share his top tips for creating an eco-friendly studio space...

t’s 2018: plastic is the confirmed enemy and sustainable living is the new goal. But how does the professional audio industry measure up? The good news is, according to reports within the arts and creative sector, emissions are reducing, energy efficiency is improving and the industry is becoming more resilient. But, according to many experts, the change is not fast enough. South-west London’s Crown Lane Studio was set up in 2005 and has always had an ambition to be totally carbon-neutral. The studios use hydro electricity, timed lighting and have full insulation. From the largest multinationals to the smallest startups, there are things we can all do to move our sector closer towards being sustainable – here are some suggestions for the studio sector.

Measure your impact It’s important to be aware of the environmental effects of your business. London-based charity Julie’s Bicycle has a range of resources to help you measure your environmental impact, suitable for all kinds of businesses. The charity launched in 2007 to encourage creative enterprises to approach business in more environmentally friendly ways. It has since helped large venues create a sustainable business plan to tackle climate change. Go to their website for some ideas on how you can get started (www.juliesbicycle.com).

Shop around Could you lead development in using more sustainable materials? Could manufacturing be brought closer to home? Perhaps carbon-neutral delivery companies could be used? Genelec monitors, for example, use 95% recycled aluminium in their construction, and the company strives for sustainability in all stages of product development.

Take pride Consumers are waking up to sustainability and aren’t fooled by the greenwashing that unfortunately still occurs. At our studio in Morden, south-west London, the whole process is carbon-neutral, meaning that any band who rehearses, or any recording released is 100% carbon-neutral. Artists are proud of this, as we’ve made it easy for them to make a positive impact and spread the word.

Plan ahead Sustainability is a lifelong journey, but however small, it’s important to start. In time, develop a clear plan, and embed it into policy and handbooks so future decisions have a positive impact on our planet and sustainability becomes part of the culture.

Keep it simple Sometimes the simple decisions have the biggest

impact. Changing energy suppliers, or switching to a true green tariff can make huge changes.

Apply for a grant There are still many grants available for sustainable changes to your business. At Crown Lane, we regularly start by approaching both our local council [London Borough of Merton], and business support organisations [Merton Chamber of Commerce] to see what grants are available. Most recently, we received substantial support in upgrading all our air conditioning units and received a free sustainability survey.

Take initiative In 2016 we realised guitar string manufacturer D’Addario was recycling guitar strings, but only in the US. We approached them, and after a few phone calls, they offered to send a string recycling box to our studios in London, ahead of rolling out the scheme across Europe.

Be celebrated Although being sustainable benefits the planet, entering awards for your sustainable endeavours benefits everyone, as others are inspired and you reap the rewards. Crown Lane won the Best Green Business at the Merton Best Business Awards 2015. n www.crownlanestudio.co.uk

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P25 FEBRUARY 2018

Pay day

AED Group recently revealed its new Pay Per Use business model, whereby rental firms keep AED gear in their warehouses and only pay when the gear is rented out to clients. Marc Maes attended the Group’s annual customer get together to find out more...

n the occasion of the AED Group’s annual customer nights, held in December with some 1,200 professionals in attendance, CEO Glenn Roggeman revealed a new business model for the AV industry. In its 32 years of existence, AED Group has been pioneering in various domains to stimulate and facilitate the professional rental business: being the first AV material bankers worldwide, AED also premiered AED Lease, combining finance formulas with equipment expertise, currently adding up to some 500 lease contracts Europe-wide. “Today we are announcing the world premiere launch of AED ‘Pay Per Use,” said Roggeman. “We have been studying the model for five years, making it futureproof and viable. The key idea is that rental companies have AED-equipment in their warehouses, and only pay when the gear is rented out to their clients. The difference between the rates they charge and the net price invoiced by AED Group is the rental company’s profit. There’s no initial rental fee to be paid or investment to be made – rental companies can generate profit margins without investments. I believe this will be the industry’s future business model.” In addition to the client’s direct profit when equipment is rented out, Roggeman sees more advantages with Pay Per Use. “First of all, it’s a solution for our own warehouse capacity in Benelux, Germany, France and the UK,” he commented. “A second bonus is that we extend our

business reach: clients who sometimes drive 300km to pick up their gear in our AED-warehouses can now stock sufficient inventory without having to drive back and forth – they simply use the equipment when they need it for rental assignments.” In 2012, AED Group started developing dedicated software to administrate the Pay Per Use model. Roggeman explained that the idea was born with Barco’s HDF-W30 FLEX remotely controlled projectors. “The intensity and operating hours of these projectors can be controlled and monitored with specific software. Today, we are launching the prototype of a new platform which will fully automatise Pay Per Use activities and invoice them to our clients.” Roggeman said the Pay Per Use model stems from the financial world – it’s based on the difference between CAPEX (to acquire or upgrade physical assets such as property, industrial buildings or equipment) and OPEX (operational expenses a company pays to run its basic business). “And AED Group is the world’s first AV company introducing this model,” he stated. In September of last year, AED Group initiated tests with three major European rental companies, and in preparing the December announcement Roggeman explained: “The international launch will be accompanied by a huge toolbox campaign. Starting with our Customer Nights in Belgium, we present the new business models on our January customer nights in the Netherlands and Germany, the Open Days in the UK (February 21-22, at the AED premises in High Wycombe)

and the 2018 professional audio-visual trade fairs: we distribute some 10,000 AED toolbox-kits to our clients and business relations. Because that’s what we are: a toolbox company, unique in the world. We offer a variety of tools to the industry: sales, rental, lease, secondhand and now Pay Per Use. I’m convinced that finding the right balance between these tools can make any professional rental company profitable.” The Pay Per Use strategy will be implemented and rolled out by AED Group across 2018 and will encompass the following industry segments: audio (including the new QSC KS212C active subwoofer, which was presented at the AED customer night, the K12.2 and K8.2 active speakers and the KLA series powered line array speakers and subs), video, Prolyte trussing gear and lighting equipment. Commenting on the company’s focus for 2018 and beyond, Roggeman is taking a comprehensive view on the new strategy’s potential reach. “Lighting is a creative and rapidly evolving segment, and video requires more and more high quality equipment – very expensive and the ideal target for Pay Per Use,” he said. “In 2019 we will add amplifiers and hoists to the programme.” Clients take on maintenance of the equipment under the Pay Per Use terms. He also highlighted the ecological elements at play in the Pay Per Use formula. “We only use LED lighting equipment and by storing the gear with our clients they cut in transport energy – they can use their trucks more efficiently,” concluded Roggeman. n

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The Craft of great Sound

Phil Ward discovers Cranborne Audio - a new UK manufacturer made up of ex-Soundcraft staff - in a PSNEurope exclusive...

he phoenix is a rare bird, but has been spotted latterly over Europe. A nesting pair has settled in the Vienna suburb of Liesing, and there is a rumour that some eggs have been found in Regensdorf, Switzerland, possibly abandoned by the parents. Meanwhile, just north of London, a small flock has gathered and the conditions for healthy young are promising. The ashes that formed them have blown elsewhere. And with that metaphor out of the way, let’s meet Cranborne Audio: a manufacturing start-up made up of five like-minded audio professionals who were all colleagues – it just so happens – at Soundcraft. There’s more than a slight giveaway in the name: if the address Cranborne House, Cranborne Road rings a bell – part of Cranborne Industrial Estate – that’s because this is the Potters Bar site in Hertfordshire, UK that was the Soundcraft headquarters for almost 30 years.

Just as several former employees of AKG have formed Austrian Audio in Vienna – that’s right, birdspotters, in the suburb of Liesing – this group has seized upon the opportunities presented by Harman’s sweeping alterations to its global manufacturing and support footprint to set out on their own. Apart from the mundane motive of continued employment, in both cases there is the other more worthy goal of making some attempt to preserve the legacy and skills combined within their group mentality. It’s a kind of brand equity, rather like the formation of a new band following the break-up of the original, albeit with the rules of engagement re-written from the ground up. “There was a great team spirit and we worked with a lot of great people who really knew their stuff,” explains Cranborne Audio MD Sean Karpowicz, who has founded the company with director of engineering Edward Holmes after spending several years at Potters Bar

working on the Signature Series, among several other mixer concepts. The succession is pointed, and founded on a certain amount of defiance. “Brands are the people, the expertise,” Karpowicz says. “They can’t be found anywhere, just lying around, and I’m happy that we now have some of those people and some of that expertise.” Holmes was formerly project team leader for Soundcraft’s Si Impact and a true protégé of Graham Blyth. “Graham took a very young Ed under his wing – Ed is still only 29 – and really felt he had a natural successor who combined his own passions for circuitry, industrial design and music,” continues Karpowicz. “Ed worked with both the digital and analogue teams in Potters Bar and Regensdorf and also worked on the Signature Series, which was very close to my heart. For me, the legacy of Soundcraft analogue consoles is very special, and the Signature Series put a lot of time and effort into specifying the best of that legacy for the

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Borne again (l-r): An drew Pat, Edward Ho lmes, Sean Karpowic z,

modern age. Ed can get so much performance out of his components because he goes to that extra level of tuning and attention to detail every time.” Joining the team are creative director Andy Pat, mechanical engineer George Clark and product manager Elliott Thomas, who between them bring years of Soundcraft-honed expertise and experience in industrial design, mechanical engineering and product management. “George and Ed were always the last to leave the building,” recalls Karpowicz, “such was their dedication. And when I joined Soundcraft Elliott was a totally under-utilised 19-year old – I don’t think they realised what a talent they had on their hands. He does recording, live sound, plays guitar… knows his stuff inside out.” Both Karpowicz and Holmes avoided redundancy by leaving Soundcraft as soon as the future of Potters Bar was cast into doubt, but before establishing Cranborne Audio, Karpowicz spent time at James Young’s Aston Microphones. And one of the things that struck Karpowicz most forcibly at Aston was the principle of domestic build. “Unfortunately I don’t think remote manufacturing processes always enable you to deliver on your

Elliott Thomas

promises, at least not without considerable delays, which is one of the reasons why manufacturing in the UK is such a priority for Cranborne Audio,” he states. “Because we’re building to such exacting standards we really need to have control, to have tight reigns over production tests and quality control. “At Potters Bar we could go downstairs and inspect the SMT lines, the soldering joints, everything… problems could be ironed out right then and there. We want to have that kind of really close connection to our products. You can try with a distant supplier, but there is always a waiting time, some difficulty in giving instructions and other logistical compromises. It’s paramount that we avoid those setbacks.” The products will be contract-built near London – under the same roof as MunroSonic monitors and Aston Microphones – and the inaugural offer announces Cranborne Audio like a statement of intent: placing a signature signal path at the beginning of what is hoped will be a train of valuable goods. Three 500 series modules have just been launched at NAMM, right along the lines of API’s original system for mounting compact modules into a tabletop or rackmount chassis. These are: the Camden 500 mic-pre, a transformerless option with bonuses; the 500 R8 interface; and the 500 ADAT interface. “We’re starting with recording products because that’s all about precision and perfection,” explains Karpowicz, “and the 500 series is almost like the hot-rod automobile culture in the US, where you take the coolest, most powerful elements and then build your own solution.” Indeed, the Cranborne Audio mission statement is “a modern approach to vintage sound”, and the sense of

achieving the best of both worlds is palpable in the design philosophy. Karpowicz continues: “You can have ultra-clean mic-pres with amazing clarity, low noise floor, phase coherence… but no vibe; or a monster with loads of character that is what it is – with a great big piece of iron, loads of artefacts and distortion that may or may not be to your taste. We measured a wide range of models and the phase linearity on most transformerbased mic-pres is shocking – 90° out of phase at 50Hz and 12K! It makes a huge difference. “So we’re offering a choice. The Camden is ultraclean, but we’ve added what we call the Mojo Circuit: a variable analogue saturation, designed by Ed, that puts back in some of that transformer behaviour. We wanted to understand those ‘happy accidents’ and make them part of a discrete circuit over which the user has complete control. It’s tuneable, it’s expressive… and it’s a way of letting you ‘feel’ the sound, rather than relying on a GUI. You have to use your ears.” Eventually, Cranborne Audio may well address the in-the-moment, hands-on challenges of mixers for live sound, just as its instigators were put on this Earth to do. And, what’s more, don’t you dare suggest to Sean Karpowicz that the recording console doesn’t exist any more. “I’m not sure about that at all,” he quickly replies. “I just think that no one has done it correctly yet…” Soundcraft’s Cranborne House used to be signposted internally with affectionate Beatles references, such as corridors called ‘Penny Lane’ and ‘Abbey Road’. Whether or not the phoenix of Cranborne Audio can rise to similar heights remains to be seen. But it’s certainly got wings. n

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New subs for PG Sound Podgorica-based rental company PG Sound has been deploying its brand new d&b audiotechnik B22 subwoofers for a number of key applications of late, not least of which is a series of outdoor festivals and other events that make the most of the coastal country’s Adriatic climate. Phil Ward finds out how it’s been getting on...

n sun-drenched Budva, 65km from the capital and a booming seaside resort, celebrations to mark the 25th Anniversary of the Budva Tourist Board culminated in a series of free, open-air concerts in the shadow of the city’s walled and meticulously conserved Stari Grad, or Old Town. The concert featured several well-known Balkan artists, including Montenegro-born singer Vlado Georgiev and Serbian pop ensemble Neverne Bebe. To complement PG Sound’s 10-year old JBL VerTec system, technical chief Goran Djolevic added three B22-SUBs per side of the outdoor stage, groundstacked and garnering much praise from the engineer – who discovered them at ProLight+Sound. “They are the best I’ve ever heard,” he states. “We had a demo in Croatia, and they just made me smile! As soon as I heard them I knew we had to have them. It’s the combination of power and precision – just listen to the kick drum at around 20Hz-100Hz. You don’t need any EQ, compression or gating. As a result of this experience, we’re just about to add d&b’s J-SUBs to the inventory too.” Djolevic has worked for PG Sound for 18 years – since leaving school – and learned his trade on the road with a succession of trucks, trailers and pro audio gear. “I always had good ears – that was my training,” he says, “just finding the best kick, snare, guitar and vocal blend, like you do! It wasn’t that long ago but we were still using analogue mixers when I started, mostly by Soundcraft and Allen & Heath. “After 2004 we added Roland M4000 and Yamaha CL5 digital consoles, which led to a completely new understanding of how to connect the stage with the PA. We’re using Dante now, via a Yamaha Rio stagebox.” PG Sound was founded by general manager Obren Tosic in 1998 as the very first sound rental company of its kind in Montenegro, and today services clients not only here but also Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia with PA, backline, video, lighting, staging and trussing.

Goran Djolevic

There are now three rental companies based in Montenegro, but the biggest and longest established in the region as a whole is Belgrade’s Skymusic, led by its charismatic founder Milenko Skaric. The region’s many festivals include Spring Break,

Exit and Sea Dance, while among PG Sound’s regular outings are the Kotor Art Festival, A Tempo, Festival Tamburasa Bijelo Polje, the T-Mobile DJ Party and a water polo spectacular called Spektakularni Doček Evropskih Šampiona u Vaterpolu. n

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The Killers perform at the O2 on their Wonderful Wonderful tour

FEBRUARY 2018

In for the Kill

US indie rockers The Killers recently opted for Capital Sound’s Martin Audio MLA PA on their current world tour, with the UK leg concluding in two nights at London’s O2 Arena. PSNEurope hears from FOH engineer Kenny Kaiser to find out how it performed…

t the tail end of 2017, Las Vegas indie rock icons The Killers took in two nights at the O2 in London, bringing the curtain down on their stay on British soil in support of fifth studio album Wonderful Wonderful. Taking in arenas in cities up and down the country including Birmingham, Newcastle, Manchester, Belfast, Leeds,

Glasgow, Aberdeen, Nottingham and Sheffield, the UK leg of the tour had been met with acclaim from both critics and fans alike, with the show’s glam aesthetic and choir embellishment helping to breathe new life into classics from the deeper recesses of the band’s discography and ensuring the new material shone equally alongside.

Central to proceedings, of course, was the sound reinforcement system deployed by Capital Sound, which was centred around the firm’s MLA PA. Mixing duties for the two-night London stint were left in the capable hands of FOH engineer Kenny Kaiser and system tech Toby Donovan. The band played through a Martin Audio set-up

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comprising main hangs of 17 MLA elements plus two MLD Downfills per side, with side hangs consisting of 12 MLA plus one MLD Downfill per side. Also deployed were secondary side hangs of 10 MLA Compact enclosures on each flank. The purpose of this was to ensure that while the main side hangs provided coverage up to around 8ft-12ft upstage of the downstage edge, the secondary hangs would infill the complete side stage seats with deluxe audio coverage. Handling the low frequencies, five MLX subwoofers were flown on each side at a 45° angle between the main and side hangs, with a further 21 MLX set across the front in spaced 7 x 3 array ground stacks, with the bottom enclosure reversed. Completing the setup, six Martin Audio DD12s were used as front fills. Commenting on his fondness for MLA systems, Kaiser told PSNEurope: “I still feel that the MLX is the best sub on the market. Nothing comes close. The only way other subs could come close is if there was a 1 to 1 ratio with the flown PA to subs on the ground. They hit hard, and knock your chest. And the fact that MLA can throw for days is amazing thing when doing arenas or even festivals. We have not had to plug into any house delay systems, it feels really good not having to use in house systems that have been there for 20 to 30 years.

OUR MAIN AIM IS TO GET THE MIX TRANSLATING INTO EVERY VENUE AND FOR THE SOUND TO BE AS SIMILAR AS POSSIBLE IN EVERY SEAT, WHICH IS CHALLENGING, BUT THE MLA PA HELPS US ACHIEVE THOSE RESULTS TOBY DONOVAN Kaiser also highlighted the coverage capabilities of the system: “This box really throws — it’s insane. You can do any arena, you just put the system up and go. I’ve been sitting at 108dB — I had a peak at 112dB last night [at O2 Arena] so there’s tons of power in this thing and I’m barely tickling the green meters. “When we were in Dublin, the producer of the band’s new album, Jacknife Lee, came out and said it was one of the better shows that he’d heard in there. He actually walked around the room and commented that it was great coverage everywhere.” Kaiser was also keen to draw attention to efforts of the Capital Sound team on the tour.

“They’ve been absolutely awesome. The crew has been fantastic, super professional, and at the same time everyone gets to share a joke,” he said. Donovan concluded: “I just love working on The Killers tour. I’ve done it for quite a few years now in various positions such as audio crew chief, front of house technician at festivals, and as a systems engineer as I am now. Kenny is just a great front of house engineer, his mix has such impact so it’s a real pleasure to work with him because the results are really superb. “As the mix is rock-solid, our main aim was to get that translating into every venue and for the sound to be as similar as possible in every seat, which is challenging, but now we’ve got a PA system that helps us achieve those results. “We’re using the latest version of the DISPLAY software to generate the presets, which somewhat dictates the coverage the PA achieves through the venue — as well as other factors like SPL profile or if you want to achieve any particular avoidance areas of balcony front, or make the stage a bit quieter. We’re just allocating most of the DSP in order to achieve a decent smooth SPL profile through the venue.” n www.capital-sound.co.uk www.martin-audio.com

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The French evolution This year marks the 10th anniversary of French loudspeaker manufacturer Nexo’s acquisition by Yamaha. Daniel Gumble hopped aboard the Eurostar to find out what’s changed over the past decade and where the firm is headed next…

or the past 10 years, a quiet revolution has been taking place within the walls of Nexo HQ. Ensconced on the fringes of Paris, the sleepy town of Plailly to be precise, the company has been chipping away at the established order of the notoriously competitive high-end loudspeaker market for 25 years, positioning itself as one of the sector’s premier exponents. Its place among the familiar faces dominating this corner of the industry was, of course, forged long before it was acquired by Yamaha in 2008, but it is during the last decade that it has arguably made its most significant strides. With a couple of loudspeaker behemoths currently eating up the lion’s share of the market, the battle for supremacy among the remaining protagonists has not only been fierce, but has forced each to consistently up their game and ensure no stone is left unturned in their bids to provide top quality solutions and customer service to match. And while Nexo has traditionally delivered on these fronts, the acquisition has undoubtedly driven its overall offering up a level. As a Yamaha subsidiary, Nexo has been able to leverage the significant clout that comes with a major corporation without compromising the touchstones of what made it a force to be reckoned with in the

first place. All of the firm’s products continue to be designed and built in France with zero outsourcing or interference, while the Yamaha name has no doubt proved pivotal in pushing potential contracts over the line when pitching for large-scale projects. Indeed, the benefits are mutual; the association with a highly revered pro audio player provides Yamaha with a proverbial badge of honour and a gateway into one of the industry’s most exclusive sectors. And according to Nexo’s international sales director Denis Baudier, the pooling together of the pair’s resources gives it the best possible chance of taking on the market’s top players. “If you want to have any chance to fight against, say, the big Harman grouping, that has all manner of products and provides various solutions to the customer, you need to position yourself in the same way,” he explains. “So Yamaha had the top-end consoles, amplification and digital interfaces, but they didn’t have the high-end speakers that they now have with Nexo. “For us there were a lot of positive things that happened by being acquired by Yamaha. We are now part of a 26,000-person team with a very solid financial background. We have a lot of common points in the way we approach production - Nexo is not the most exclusive speaker manufacturer, but I think it offers

the best value for money. It doesn’t mean we make any compromise; the level of technology we have positions us as a company that doesn’t make any compromise on the quality of the products.” There were also some key distribution aspects to the acquisition. Following the dissolution of a Nexo subsidiary launched prior to 2008 aimed at serving the US market, distribution was subsequently handed to Yamaha, resulting in some hefty gains across the pond. “We took a lot of market share in the install market in the USA,” Baudier elaborates. “In the past we were probably 60% touring/40% installation, today we are more 50/50. The core of our install business is theatres, conference centres, and houses of worship, and we have a good market share in the sports arena. It’s something we developed when we launched the Geo S12. In France we had the European Cup two years ago when we equipped 10 stadiums, including the upgrade of the Nexo system in the Stade De France. In the UK, we have Glasgow Rangers and Wolverhampton Wanderers, with another three or four in the loop. “On the touring side, the market has polarised, which is not very good for the market because there are basically two brands. Historically the discussion was always about the quality of the service; today the

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discussion is primarily based on price.” The acquisition has also helped develop Nexo’s export business, which was already one of its strong points, with an increasingly healthy showing in the US, China and Japan bolstered by the presence of its parent company. What’s more, it is now starting to break into areas of the market that it previously hadn’t touched, while extending its reach further into those in which it was already well rooted. “If you look at the Nexo range we have the classic PS line, the GEO and STM Series,” explains Baudier. “The STM is a really high-end touring product, GEO is a workhorse touring design which lends itself to multi-purpose installation, and the PS is point source. We recently extended the range with the super-compact ID Series, which will allow us to start reaching shops, airports, train stations. The box is composite injected so we have a better IP range, meaning we can start moving into parts of the market where Nexo previously had no presence. It is perfect for the AV installation market, which is very fast growing.” He continues: “We are distributed almost everywhere in the world now. The biggest growth we had in the past 10 years was in Latin America because we had absolutely no presence before, and now we are perhaps

brand No.1 there.” In spite of all the above, it is arguable that the biggest asset Yamaha has brought to Nexo is its approach to service, as highlighted by the company’s director of engineering support François Deffarges, who told us: “Service in Japan is something that is taken extremely seriously. I’ve not been to any other country where you have this level of service. It’s unbelievable. Every time I go there… I don’t speak Japanese, but everything is made extremely easy for me. Yamaha is clearly a company that has this approach to service in its DNA. And there is absolutely no compromise in that. If there is a single problem with a single product, they will send as many engineers as required to fix that problem. “As a subsidiary of a company like this, creating a service department is great, because they really support us very strongly on such initiatives. I will not make apologies for saying this, but France is not renowned worldwide for the quality of its service! So to step up to the Japanese requirement is a big, big step.” The reinvigorated approach to service has resulted in Nexo implementing an infrastructure built to ensure the Japanese standard is available to its customer 24/7. “People contact us through the website for technical information and when that technical information

request is received, it goes to 10 people simultaneously,” Deffarges continues. “No one should wait more than 24 hours for a reply. If we don’t know how to answer, we acknowledge that we’ve received the request and that it may take a little bit of time for us to find the solution. We have people who call for support, for example, a French owner who bought a secondhand PS which is 20 years old, and he wants to know the reference of the diaphragm he should put there. We have to be top level on that. The guy must have the answer.” In a market where the gap between its biggest players is approximately the width of a cigarette paper, the minutiae of manufacturers has never been more scrutinised. Today, the demands of the industry stretch far beyond simply boasting a high quality product. As Nexo’s directors outlined during our stay in Plailly, a full package of supreme service and speedy and efficient provision of solutions is expected as par for the course. For the time being, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see any newcomers forcing their way into the loudspeaker business. What we are likely to see is a steady escalation of the technology and services offered by those at its fore. And with its pairing with Yamaha still in its relative infancy, the potential for yet further Nexo growth and innovation is boundless. n

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Patrick Almond

The Master plan British pro audio manufacturer Studiomaster had somewhat of a stonking year in 2017, finishing the year 55% up on 2016. Laura Barnes caught up with general manager Patrick Almond to talk about the importance of trade shows to the company, the success of its new digital mixing systems, and how the company aims to continue its success throughout 2018…

ith the launch of its digiLIVE16 hybrid digital mixer, a strong presence at numerous trades shows, and sponsorship with exciting events such as Bloodstock festival and Jagermeister’s Ice Cold Gigs, it’s safe to say 2017 was a busy year for British pro audio manufacturer Studiomaster. “In 2017, internationally, Studiomaster finished up

55% up on 2016,” general manager of Studiomaster and Carlsbro Patrick Almond tells PSNEurope. “Purely in the UK, we finished almost 90% up on 2016.” With a strong presence at trade shows throughout 2017, Studiomaster’s new mixers quickly found their feet in the market, something that Almond says has been “instrumental” in gaining new business throughout the year.

The flagship digiLivE16 mixer features 16 inputs, motorised faders, large touch screen, USB ports – basically everything you need for live mixing. The result of many years of R&D, the range is designed to appeal to those who need an easy-to-use system on the go. “Because it’s an entry-level digital mixer, if you’re a gigging musician using an analogue mixing console and you want to take a step to digital, using a digiLIVE is a

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“There are people that don’t want all the bells and whistles, they want products that give them what they need and are simple to use, that carry on working and have reliability, quality, the right features, and most importantly, the right price points.” So, how does the Christmas period affect an audio company that has a foot placed firmly in the MI market, which is more likely to see an increase in sales around the holiday season? Interestingly, it turns out that Studiomaster not only noticed a Christmas uplift in 2017, but the beginning of a new year can prove a pivotal sales period as well. “Although there might not be as big of a jump over the Christmas period as there would be with a purely consumer range, there is still an uplift in the last three months of the year. And also, the first three months of the year tend to have little peaks as well,” says Almond. “When you’re doing products that are suitable for the gigging musician, for the people that go out there and go to pubs to play gigs – and there is an increase of that happening in the Christmas period – there’s a lot of parties and events going on in that time. So people do get prepared for it and they want to buy new equipment for those performances. So we do see an increase in business over that time, probably for those reasons. “Then, after Christmas, people sometimes have a bit of extra money to spend and they want to go and replace all the bits that broke down over their busy gigging season.” Almond tells PSNEurope that the interest in its products from ‘non-pro’ users has been a “very organic” one: “What we produce is very much equipment that is used by musicians and, really, by the guys that are going out on the road and picking up their guitars and doing gigs. And that’s something that Studiomaster has been strong at, and good at, for 30-plus years.”

very easy way to take that first step. It’s probably one of the easiest digital platforms you can use. If you can use analogue, you can use digiLive,” says Almond. “It is also good for people taking their first step into mixing. We want to give the people what they want to use and what they can use, and not over complicate it.” As well as the new digital mixing offering being instrumental in gaining new business for Studiomaster, Almond says that the bulk of the firm’s business is still its core products, like analogue mixers and active and passive speaker cabinets. And those products have dramatically increased Studiomaster’s business over the past year. “We’re not a high-end audio company. We’re a low to mid-end audio company, with a firm positioning in the MI sector, as well as the entry points of the pro audio market. And there is still a strong market for traditional analogue audio products,” explains Almond.

Show business Despite a large consumer audience, Studiomaster still finds that trade shows are an essential part of the company’s plans. “We’re doing a number of shows this year, global and regional. In fact, we are expanding on exhibitions,” Almond tells us. “In particular, Prolight + Sound and NAMM are very relevant to us because our key objective at the exhibitions is to obviously show our products and launch new lines, but also to meet and greet all of our dealer and distributor network. “At both of those shows, we see all of our customers as all of our dealers go there.” Attending these shows, which are bursting at the seams with companies showing off the latest tech and innovations, also means the industry gets to have a peek at what their competitors are up to. “It’s nice to see what everybody else is doing and find out what new products are being launched,” admits Almond. “But we’re only a small company so our main goal is to focus on seeing all of our customers.”

Along with attending trade shows, Studiomaster has taken part in some interesting sponsorship projects over 2017, including Jagermeister’s notorious Ice Cold Gig, which last year saw the band Modestep perform on a space net suspended from two mountain peaks overlooking an icy cavern. Although Almond couldn’t reveal much in regards to what’s planned for this year’s extreme gig, he did say that Studiomaster would get involved again to do something “special and unique”. However, he did reveal that the firm will once again be sponsoring the UK’s biggest independent metal festival, Bloodsock, which takes place in Catton Park near Burton upon Trent every August. “We are supporting Bloodstock again, which we have done for the past few years. They’ve got Judas Priest headlining this year, so that’ll be a good one to be involved in. We’re looking forward to that.” In with the new With a raft of trade shows and the ever-increasing rate of technological improvements in the sector, Almond outlines what he’s hoping to see in the pro audio industry throughout 2018. “The things I’m hoping to see are more on the digital side. I’d like to see some lowercost digital networking systems coming out, as the main players are all premium price,” he says. “If we can see digital audio and digital networking come out at more affordable pricing, I think that would be something to really looking forward to in 2018.” From Studiomaster’s own corner of the market, Almond says that we can expect to see some additions to its digiLIVE series. “There will be some announcements on our digital mixing side. The digiLIVE series will be expanding,” he reveals. “At the moment, we’ve got a 16-input version available, but we are going to be doing both higher channel count versions as well as some compact digital mixing solutions.” We can expect to see an official launch of Studiomaster’s new digiLIVE solutions at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt from April 10-14. Looking ahead to what else Studiomaster has planned for 2018, Almond says that the firm is focussed on continuing the roaring success of 2017. “We’ve really made some in-roads in 2017 with the sales generated and the products we’ve launched. We’ve got some more interesting products coming through as we’re expanding the ranges. We’re also going to be tightening up our ranges so they all make a bit more sense,” he explains, adding that Studiomaster’s distribution base has dramatically changed over the past 18 months – something else the firm will continue expanding upon. “We’ve got some very big, very good international distribution partners now, and that’s something that’s going to be carrying on throughout 2018. We are further expanding that, which is going to see more exposure for Studiomaster across the whole world.” n www.studiomaster.com

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P36 FEBRUARY 2018

Changing up the game Women are said to make up 5-7% of the audio workforce, although an official figure is yet to be determined. So what can we do to make sure future generations work in a more representative workplace? Tara Lepore spoke to Laura Lewis-Paul, founder of Bristol’s all-female label Saffron Records, about its short courses for aspiring female engineers and producers… Six-week courses in sound engineering and music production are available through Saffron for aspiring female producers in Bristol

hy aren’t there more women working in the audio industry? Despite contributing to seminal work behind the desk since the mid 20th century, the number of women working in the industry today is still staggeringly low. If you’re after specifics, it’s hard to estimate just how many women work in audio. A survey conducted in 2016 by the Audio Engineering Society found that 7% of its members were women, but as respondents weren’t obliged to disclose their gender, the number isn’t totally accurate. However, in recent years, more efforts to address inequality have been introduced in organisations big and small, from the AES’s new Diversity and Inclusion Committee to more localised initiatives wanting to raise awareness of an

issue that has yet to make real progress, and crucially, get more women working in the business. It’s all well and good to wax lyrical about the benefits of redressing the gender balance, but how do you actually go about implementing it? Before Laura Lewis-Paul set up all-female independent label Saffron Records through the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Scheme in 2015, she was working with young people for a Bristol-based music charity. When she took a group of students to Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios near Bath for a field trip one day, it became glaringly evident to her just how male dominant the studio environment was. She says: “I asked the young women in the group how they felt about going into the male-dominated music industry, and they told

me they were really excited, as they felt they’d get more recognition for being a woman. I felt quite worried about that prospect because I knew they’d probably have to work 10 times harder because they were women. It was great that they were so optimistic, but I didn’t want to tell them that the reality could be much harder than that.” It was after this trip that Lewis-Paul had the idea to launch the Bristol-based record label, which, as well as signing female musicians to its roster, would provide opportunities for women to train in music production and sound engineering classes. As Saffron’s founder and creative director, when Lewis-Paul was developing initial plans for the label, the question of where the industry’s gender inequality came from persisted. She says she couldn’t stop

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P37 FEBRUARY 2018

Students are trained to use Logik software - with Ableton tutorials a possibilty for 2018

thinking about the idea that unequal representation seemed to be most prevalent in the technology side of the business. She explains: “It felt like when a woman goes into a recording studio, there would often be a lot of men, so some wouldn’t feel totally comfortable in that environment and wouldn’t do their best creatively.” It was at this point, in February of last year, that Lewis-Paul introduced Saffron for Sound classes as an addition to the record label brand. “Launching these classes was all about creating a training environment that would empower women to have knowledge of the elements they’d need to be in control of their creativity in the studio,” she says. Saffron for Sound comprises two six-week courses open to 18-30-year-old women wanting to learn audio skills in an all-female environment. The sound engineering course trains students to use Logik in a studio environment, including how to set up microphones and equipment in a professional facility. The music production course also teaches Logik tutorials, but is focused more on the home studio setting. Within these sessions there’s also opportunities for students to work on their own tracks, and those who have previously completed the course are able to come back and use the facilities again. Saffron also runs a Mix Nights programme in collaboration with Bristol Women in Music – an eight-week programme that teaches DJ skills on both vinyl and CDJ. Saffron for Schools A more recent endeavour for Lewis-Paul is opening up opportunities for girls at school, an environment where the difference between what girls and boys pursue later in life is established at an early age. In fact, a report from international journal Science in 2017 found that negative gender stereotypes were identified in girls as young as six, which could well have an impact on their career path further down the road and explain the imbalanced representation of women to men in STEM

(science, technology, engineering and mathematics) professions. Lewis-Paul is currently working with a school in Bath to develop the Saffron for Schools programme, offering DJ and music production classes for 13-18 year olds. She explains why: “I had a focus group of young women I was working with in the early stages of setting Saffron up and I asked them all about their experiences. One of them spoke about how she really wanted to learn the drums when she was younger. At her school, music lessons took place during lunch for 20 minutes. Her music teacher gave the boys 15 minutes each to play the drums and the girls just five minutes. That made me really angry. For that to be in a school environment, that’s not even wider stereotyping, that’s your teacher that you’re going to, who should be supporting you and helping you to develop. I think there’s a lot of work to do in what we tell girls and boys they can and can’t do in those early years.

LAUNCHING SOUND ENGINEERING CLASSES WAS ABOUT CREATING A TRAINING ENVIRONMENT THAT WOULD EMPOWER WOMEN TO BE IN CONTROL OF THEIR CREATIVITY IN THE STUDIO LAURA LEWIS-PAUL “On our DJing course, pretty much every woman, of all ages, has told us that this is something they’ve always wanted to do, but there’s always been a man who’s told them that they’re doing it wrong or patronised them in some way. There’s always been a barrier to stop them from pursuing their ambition, whether it’s been a dad who told them not to put the

needle on the record or someone who’s told them that they’re not good enough – and it’s usually been a male figure who’s told them that. I do feel like things are changing a lot more - especially with DJing. Music production is also getting there, but sound engineering still has a long way to go.” In January 2018, Lewis-Paul was recruiting for a sound engineering tutor, reaching out to her networks in Bristol to try and find someone suitable for the role. The response she got was mostly from male engineers. “There are at least three or four female engineers I could think of that would have been great for the position, but they were based in London,” she says. Recent initiatives to get more women working in the industry have responded to a need for more opportunities to be offered outside of London. Red Bull’s Normal Not Novelty training sessions went ‘on tour’ across the country last year offering female-only masterclasses in engineering, DJing and producing in London, Leeds, Manchester – and Bristol. Lewis-Paul commented: “Being in Bristol is great – it’s a very supportive and creative city. A lot of people are very willing to support new and emerging start-ups and businesses here. There’s also a lot of collaboration – we work with Bristol Women In Music and dBS – so we have good musical partnerships that really support the work that we’re doing. There are fewer female sound engineers here than there would be in London, but I guess part of our work is to get more women on board here in Bristol.” Moving things forward Interest has been growing in Bristol and beyond for Lewis-Paul’s ambitious project, which aims to create a space where women can learn from female role models in an inspiring environment that encourages creativity without judgement. Partnering with the PRS Foundation’s Talent Development Network has allowed much of this growth to happen since 2015, but what’s lined up for this year? “We’re going to focus on developing our courses in 2018,” says Lewis-Paul, “and will have a look at building an extra course that uses Ableton software, as that’s something we’ve been getting lots of interest in. From May onwards, we have more specialist tech-based masterclasses lined up, which we’re running in partnership with Rough Trade Records, and we’re also planning some more industry-centric masterclasses that look at things like PR, touring and royalties. We’re also working with the Prince’s Trust on a course from April, offering a free programme for people from lower-income backgrounds across the south-west to engage with our work.” And beyond that? “Looking ahead, I guess part of the five-year-plan would be to launch our very own studios here in Bristol, with an all-female staff roster.” Saffron Studios certainly has a nice ring to it. n www.saffronrecords.co.uk

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P38 FEBRUARY 2018

Time for Change!

Last month, music stars, industry leaders and politicians gathered outside Parliament to pledge their support for the Agent Of Change bill, which has now been backed by Government and could potentially save countless grassroots venues from being closed down. Daniel Gumble caught up with some of them to find out what they had to say… Tom Watson, deputy Labour leader

he groundswell of support that was gathering for the much lauded Agent Of Change bill came to a head on January 10, when a plethora of acclaimed artists, such as Billy Bragg, Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, Nadine Shah, Sandie Shaw, Feargal Sharkey and several others were backed by some of the country’s leading politicians and music biz figureheads in Westminster in their bid to enshrine the legislation in law. For those unfamiliar, the bill, which was supported by Government on January 18, means property developers would have to take account of the impact of any new scheme on pre-existing businesses like music venues before going ahead with their plans. The campaign attracted cross-party support from politicians and leading musicians, including, in addition to those present in Westminster, Sir Paul McCartney, Brian Eno, Chrissie Hynde, Ray Davies, Imogen Heap and Craig David. To find out what those who were present on the day had to say on the subject of Agent Of Change, PSNEurope hopped on the tube and made its way over to Parliament… n

Paul Pacifico, CEO, AIM (Association Of Independent Music)

The industry and people who love music have been talking about Agent Of hange for several years. Developers come into a community, their legal teams kick in, they put these yuppie apartments up and then complain about the noise. To give power back to venues and venue owners and the people that use them is really important. What’s significant about today is that the Music Venues Trust and UK Music have really stamped their authority. If the bill does go through it really will give power back to venue owners and managers to say to these developers, Look, we can’t stop you coming into our neighborhood but play by the rules and respect the fact that we were here first and that our culture is not going to be diluted by your pursuit of profit. The Agent Of Change bill will put the onus on those trying to make a profit to make sure that the interests of the venues are protected. Classically, if you put up a small yuppie block of apartments, you’ve got to soundproof it, and that costs money. This will stop any related problems for grassroots music venues.

Small venues are the training ground for artists and musicians. How can we keep our place at the forefront of contemporary music globally if we’re not providing those opportunities for development and training. It’s unthinkable in any other industry; you wouldn’t allow lawyers to go out and represent people before they had proper training and practice; you wouldn’t allow surgeons to operate on people without having been junior doctors; and equally you wouldn’t expect somebody to be ready for the world stage and the pressures that come with that unless they’ve had proper training in the network of small venues that are so vital to maintaining Britain’s place at the fore of global music. How effective the bill will be is down to implementation. There has to be a real effort to ensure local councils are aware of the implications of this bill and its impact on the local economy in future planning applications. We need a change of perspective where music is taken seriously as an economic force, not just as a bit of fun.

It is of the utmost importance that we protect independent venues. These places are the backbone of the music industry; places where we nourish and grow tomorrow’s musical icons. The Agent Of Change principle will require those responsible for new residential accommodation to ensure that measures are put into place to allow venues to continue to operate as they do whilst co-existing with these new developments. The UK prides itself on its musical output and without these measures to ensure their safety the British music industry will quickly become a grey dull version of its former vibrant self.

apprenticeship at a place called the Tunnel Club, which is in a boozer just south of the Blackwall tunnel, and I spent three months in 1982 playing Thursday, Friday and Saturday opening for anyone who was there. It was how I learned to hold a crowd. Those kinds of venues are few and far between, particularly for young bands. Hopefully this bill will keep some of those

venues open. Anything that takes on the steamroller of property development is important. We’re in a situation where every little bit of space is being turned into houses. Where I come from in Bridport there used to be a stinky old public toilet in a car park. I parked my car there yesterday morning and they’ve built three flats on a place that used to be a toilet. It’s incredible.

Nadine Shah

Billy Bragg With the way the music industry has changed, one of the few places to make a living is playing live. For young bands starting out they need somewhere to work out how to make their way, like an apprenticeship. I did my

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Margie Kirby

‘No nonsense marketing’ Last month, Margie Kirby left Renkus Heinz after more than two decades to team up with her husband Rik Kirby at US distributor Allied Professional Technologies in a senior marketing role. Daniel Gumble caught up with her to find out what prompted her to make the move and what we can expect from the supplier in 2018 and beyond…

he clock had barely struck midnight on New Year’s Eve when news filtered through that pro audio marketing expert Margie Kirby was to part ways with sound reinforcement firm Renkus Heinz to team up with her husband Rik at his US distributor Allied Professional Technologies. With a career spanning more than 28 years – a great many of which were spent with Renkus – her experience is vast and varied, and will no doubt play a key role in boosting the profile of her new company on the world stage. Nestled in the sun-drenched environs of California’s Orange County, Allied Professional Technology, or Allied ProTech, is the US distributor and marketing partner for UK amp and DSP specialist Linea Research,

and provides sales and rep management services to Belgium’s AV network switch manufacturers Luminex Network Intelligence. Here, we find out from Kirby exactly what she plans to bring to her now role and why her “no nonsense” approach to marketing promises to be a cornerstone of her new business… After so many years with Renkus Heinz, what made you decide now was the right time to part ways with the company? It was inevitable that I would join my husband in his business at some point in the future, it just happened quicker than we had anticipated. It was with Rik’s

dedication and hard work that he had grown Allied ProTech to the point of needing another set of hands. He also wanted to offer his clients more extensive marketing services. With the start of the new year, the NAMM show and ISE right around the corner, the timing made sense - not necessarily to leave Renkus-Heinz, but to join Allied ProTech. I’m not leaving Renkus in the lurch, I am gladly helping them ease through the transition by continuing my work with them over the next couple of months – just in a different capacity. What will you bring to the company? And what will be your key tasks and responsibilities? A background in business admin, human resources,

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As a relatively new business our focus is very clearly on getting the word out and growing sales, and with our brands the former most definitely leads to the latter. I once read an article, perhaps even in this magazine, where the interviewee said words to the effect of “no amount of fancy marketing can take the place of a great product, it all begins with the product.” With both Linea Research and Luminex we really do have great product and therein lies our opportunity. This focussed approach extends in both directions, not just from us out to our customers but also back up to our manufacturers and clients. We really do operate as an extension of their own businesses, which ultimately results in us being able to provide better service all round.

Allied forces: Margie and Rik Kirby

and marketing, including 28 years of my career in the pro audio industry. I’ve worn many hats over the years and with that comes a diverse level of experience. During my tenure, I’ve worked within the many markets that make up our industry, from performing DJ, pro and prosumer recording, post production, live sound, permanent install (house of worship, transit, corporate, education) to name a few. Along with general admin. I’ll also be pulling from my bag of tricks, media relations, graphic design, planning and execution of tradeshows, and in particular I’ll be working closely with Linea Research on their global marketing. Obviously you are teaming up with your husband Rik at the company. How much of a benefit to the company do you think it will be to have such a close partnership at the helm? There’s a joke in there somewhere I’m sure! But in all seriousness, Rik and I know we work well together. We strike a good balance, we’re able to look at the same thing from different angles and bounce ideas off each other. We each have our own complementing skillset, which is good for a small business. You’ve been working in the industry for almost 30 years now. What are the biggest changes you have seen during that time? I can say that while people may move from one company to another, we get new blood, some retire, some leave us but not many actually leave the

industry. People in general don’t really change, the attitudes, passions and love for the industry is still there. Developments in technology are always going to happen. One change has been the need for instant gratification, which can make it tougher for some companies to keep up. For the industry itself, lots of mergers and acquisitions, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down just yet. Being that I’ve just joined a small company I am highly optimistic for the resurgence of up and comers bringing about reimagined services and people oriented businesses. What are the key things that you’ve learned during that time? It’s not only what knowledge I’ve gained in this industry, but in life. Our path in life is never what you expect and mine has certainly taken many turns. Key things I’ve learned? Understanding that work is a lot like family; listening, not just waiting to talk, being patient, not having a convenient memory, continuing to learn and having an open mind. I know it sounds kind of cheesy but, acknowledging what I don’t know and asking for help when I need it. Most importantly, I’ve learned to remember to have fun. If you can enjoy what you do and treat people well, even those you know won’t necessarily reciprocate, then it’s all good. What are the biggest opportunities at present for a company like Allied Pro Tech?

And what are the biggest challenges for a company like Allied Professional Technologies? Only one challenge really, and one that most everyone I speak to these days struggles with, and that’s bandwidth. I think we’ve all got used to doing more with less, especially since the downsizing many went through during the economic crisis. It’s easy to get caught up on doing the doing and being too busy to step back and look at the big picture. We call it “thinking time” and it’s something we make sure we make room for. We’re obviously approaching a key period on the trade show calendar, with NAMM just gone and ISE around the corner. How vital are shows like this in 2018? I believe that most companies see the value and understand they need to invest. Yes, the smart ones are questioning all costs, but I feel they’re not necessarily only trying to cut, but rather be more aware of how they do spend. Folks want the most bang for their buck. And while I believe people still want to see and experience products in person, trade shows aren’t just about the latest and greatest, they’re primarily about people and their relationships, maintaining the well established while also starting new. Trade shows are a big part of my upbringing in this industry and it’s come full circle in spending and size, not just for the exhibitors but for the organisations putting them on as well. What should the industry be looking out for from Allied Professional Technologies throughout 2018? Through no nonsense marketing, direct customer support and strong sales channels, our goal is to greatly increase awareness of the brands we represent, as well as our own. Although we work primarily in the USA from a sales perspective, we will be also be working on some international marketing projects so you’ll certainly see more of us. This industry thrives on relationships and we’ll continue to grow ours and not lose sight of those we already have. n

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P45 FEBRUARY 2018

Inspiring the next generation The British segment of the Audio Engineering Society has been holding an annual event for pro sound students and young audio professionals since 2013. Up Your Output is a two-day event comprising lectures, seminars and all-important networking sessions. Tara Lepore spoke to its team to find out why this year’s event is bigger and better than ever…

he Audio Engineering Society is an organisation that needs no introduction. Offering guidance, support and networking opportunities across the full spectrum of professional audio, AES members have benefitted hugely from the Society’s work in the 60 years since it was founded, with tools to help advance professionals throughout their careers. Having launched in 2013, Up Your Output is an AES event for students and young audio professionals. Taking place this year on March 17-18 at Leeds Beckett University, the free event aims to bring together students, practitioners, academics and pro audio companies to explore the latest developments in audio engineering. Sponsorship from pro audio brands including Solid State Logic, Calrec Audio, Dolby and KEF allows the

event to remain free, open to all and able to grow each year. PSNEurope spoke to chair of the event’s committee Benjamin Moseley, senior lecturer in Audio Engineering and Acoustics at Leeds Beckett University, and Dr Mariana Lopez, lecturer in sound design and vice president of the British AES, about what the event can do for audio professionals starting out in their careers. When was the first Up Your Output event, and why did you feel the need to launch it? Benjamin Mosley: Up Your Output first took place in 2013 and was founded by AES member and freelance sound engineer Nikolai Georgiev. Previous hosts include London’s SAE Institute, Southampton Solent University and the University of York. The initial aim was to provide an event that supported students on their way to becoming audio

professionals. It was felt that students weren’t engaging in the main AES conferences and we needed to provide a bespoke event that targeted students specifically. The lectures and workshops have always had an educational and developmental focus and the event fosters a supportive and friendly atmosphere. The event has grown steadily over the last few years and has become a little more ambitious and widereaching, bringing in new sponsors and new venues. It is free to attend for AES student members, something that’s only possible through the ongoing support of our sponsor companies who come from a wide range of audio and acoustics companies. It’s really important for our sustaining members to engage with the student body as there is a huge amount of talent there who will become the future employees and

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Photo: Simon-Claudius Wystrach (twitter.com/TheBaronHimself)

Dr Mariana Lopez: ‘We’re working hard to make sure students are exposed to lots of fields within audio’

drivers of the audio industry. We must embrace the next generation in order to drive the industry forwards. Mariana Lopez: Up Your Output provides students with a great opportunity not just to learn from professionals in the audio industry but also to work on their networking and employability skills. It allows them to go beyond sitting in a lecture theatre listening to someone talk about their experience but it engages them in practical sessions where they can ask for advice from professionals as well as engage with future employers. How will the 2018 event be different to previous ones? ML: The field of audio engineering is very vast and we’ve worked very hard this year to make sure that students are exposed to a variety of sub-fields, such as editing, mixing and mastering. The workshops and lectures included over the two days don’t just cover music but they also include film, television and VR. BM: It’s going to be more of the same great stuff but with a new host, Leeds Beckett University. We have a new mission statement and equality and inclusion are really important to the way we are approaching this year’s event.

How is the two-day event structured? BM: The event is broadly structured as lectures and keynotes in the mornings with workshops in the afternoons. The workshops will take place in small groups and will give a chance for students to spend time with an experienced practitioner in their field in a real studio environment. Subject areas include mixing, mastering, audio for VR, sound design and broadcast. There will also be recording critique sessions, student posters and career development activities over the weekend. ML: We are still working on the fine details but we are hoping to kickstart day one with our wonderfully talented guest speaker Kate Hopkins. I’ll be interviewing Kate on her work as a sound editor in nature documentaries. Kate has worked on the most prestigious natural history documentaries, including Blue Planet and Blue Planet II, Planet Earth, and Frozen Planet. On the first day participants will also be treated to two lectures, ‘Broadcast Engineering 101’ delivered by Ann Charles, whose career has included 12 years at the BBC, teaching journalism in New Zealand and training broadcast engineers and producers in South Sudan. The second lecture will be

delivered by Dr Gavin Kearney, lecturer in Audio and Music Technology at the University of York and vice-chair of the AES Audio for Games Technical Committee. Gavin will be introducing students to cutting edge research on audio for VR. The second day opens with a lecture by Leslie Gaston-Bird, president for the Audio Engineering Society’s Western Region (USA and Canada) and associate professor of Recording Arts at the University of Colorado. In addition to the lectures, both days will include workshops on mastering with Katie Tavini, mixing with Marta Salogni and recording with Ian Corbett. We are also working on the possibility of including sessions on career advice and career speed dating. What do you hope students/young audio professionals will get from the experience? ML: I think it’s a great opportunity for students to get acquainted with a variety of research and practice in the field of audio and it’s a great way to complement their studies. Also, we offer a great number of opportunities throughout the event for students to approach professionals, ask for advice, and even the possibility of shadowing or internship opportunities, demonstrating the importance of being pro-active. BM: We obviously hope students will learn things from the lectures and workshops, but we think the most important thing is the chance to meet students from other institutions and to meet practitioners and companies that

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Lectures, seminars and networking opportunities will be open to students during the event

‘Students should want to take ownership of their audio education’: Leslie Gaston-Bird, AES USA vice president “I am happy to be speaking once again at the 2018 Up Your Output conference. In 2016, I was an invited speaker and very impressed with what the AES student leaders were able to achieve, from sponsorships to organising the activities, which included panels, workshops, tours, and demo rooms. It is so important for students to take ownership of their audio education. I am happy to bring my professional experience, as well as talk about the AES’s newly formed Diversity and Inclusion committee, whose membership includes professionals and students from all areas of the audio world interested in better visibility for underrepresented groups in our field. We are always welcoming new members and hope to demonstrate our principles by listening and acting upon suggestions from anyone who wants to participate.”

competitions held at the annual conventions, the next one being in May 2018 in Milan. Students can also get special discounts when signing up for the conventions, as well as free plug-ins, the possibility of applying for funding for their studies, network connections, and the ability to advertise their professional profile in the Community section of our website. are active in the industry. The event always features plenty of networking time and a Saturday night social event to get to know people. The planned sessions will also try and introduce students to some of the more recent developments and practices in the industry and to give them ideas for possible career directions and how to get where they want to be. You say Up Your Output is a flagship event for equality and diversity, how will the event champion this? BM: It’s really important to us that our students are provided with as wide a range as possible of positive role models. We recognise that there is a certain amount of male dominance in the audio industry but it really doesn’t have to be that way. Our student members are the future of the industry and our best chance to carry forward any required changes in attitude. We would like to normalise talented women doing great things in the audio industry. ML: The Audio Engineering Society UK is committed to gender equality and has aligned itself to the United Nations’ HeforShe campaign. We are committed to tackling issues of inequality within the audio industries and we invite our members and the audio community in general to support us through signing a free pledge to the HeforShe campaign online, sending us a screenshot of their confirmation e-mail to info@aes-uk.org. We then share it through our social media channels to keep the campaign alive and to encourage others to think about

how their actions can have an impact on equality. We believe that it’s crucial that students have a diverse range of inspiring role models and that they can attend an event that encourages positivity and good practice within the industry. There is sadly a trend in audio events to have a majority of male speakers, in some cases 100% of the speakers being male. I was taken aback recently when I questioned this regarding an event which had described its line-up as ‘gender neutral’. Surely they must have noticed that they hadn’t invited any female audio engineers to speak? We are working to make sure that this type of behaviour isn’t replicated in our events. There are wonderful female engineers out there that are never invited to events because male professionals are – intentionally or not – favoured, and we want to end this bad practice. How does the Audio Engineering Society support young audio professionals throughout the year? ML: The AES UK has regular events throughout the country, with sections in London, Scotland, the north of England, the Midlands and the south of England. It’s only the start of 2018 and we already have five events planned for the next couple of months, with many more to be advertised in the next few months. The AES also offers some wonderful benefits to student members – one of them being that Up Your Output is completely free! AES student members can also participate in the recording

Why are events like this important for young people working in the audio industry to attend? ML: I think it’s crucial to learn from a diverse range of professionals, not just about their skills but also how they got to where they are. The routes to success in an audio career are multiple and it’s of the utmost importance for aspiring professionals to know that, otherwise one can fall into the trap of thinking that there’s only one path that leads to a successful career. This kind of event shows them that is not true. Events of this kind also show how many different things someone specialising in audio can do. Many students start their courses thinking that they want to, for example, specialise in mixing but they might find through being exposed to a variety of fields that they are skilled and passionate about a different field of audio. Who is the event open to, and how can you get tickets? BM: The event is free to attend for all student members of the AES whether they are in further, higher or postgraduate education (the event will also welcome recent graduates). Event booking is available through the Up Your Output website. Student membership of the AES is just £38 a year. n www.aes.org/students www.upyouroutput.com

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P49 FEBRUARY 2018

Dave Stewart on stage at the MPG Awards

10 years of the

MPG Awards

On March 1, the annual MPG Awards celebrates its 10th anniversary. To mark the event’s illustrious first decade, Daniel Gumble spoke with MPG Awards managing director Tony Platt and MPG executive board member Mick Glossop to discuss its evolution over the past 10 years, its importance to the industry in 2018 and what exactly happened with its connection to the BRITs… The MPG Awards is now in its 10th year. Tell us about how the event has developed over the past decade? Tony Platt: It has evolved beyond all expectation. The initial brief was to create an intimate event where producers and engineers could get together and celebrate what we do. However, the effect we have had on the perception of the value of the production team has taken us way beyond that expectation and the evening is now a very important part of the ‘awards season’. We’ve kept the atmosphere warm and unpretentious though and have never lost sight of our original aim.

Mick Glossop: Some notable developments have been a massively increased recognition and respect for the MPG Awards and the Music Producers Guild within the rest of the UK music industry and beyond. A key development has been our incorporation of a unique live performance within the event; one notable example being the performance by Trevor Horn with a special band he put together, including Seal, Anne Dudley, and Lol Creme and Eric Stewart of 10CC. What do the awards mean to the industry in 2018?

TP: Our initial hope was that we would be able to bring the value of the work producers, engineers, mastering engineers and mixers do in the background to wider attention. We were just starting when the rise of producers being far more involved in collaboration with artists was happening and the major labels were no longer the only entities fulfilling the requirements of the artists. Music makers, especially in the UK, have been very adept at moving with the times and we have contributed a massive amount to the renewed success of the UK music industry. I have always said that we in the UK are often a

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P51 FEBRUARY 2018

little reticent to shout about our successes and the MPG Awards give a credible platform for us to do that. In addition to recognising some of the biggest names in the biz, the MPG Awards has been crucial in the development of up and coming talent. Just how big an asset is it for a newcomer to be recognised by the MPG? TP: All of the recipients of Breakthrough Awards have commented on how even being nominated had given a noticeable boost to their careers. The career path options that my contemporaries and I were fortunate to experience no longer exists, so it is much more difficult for the upcoming professionals to get the opportunities and at the same time be able to hone the skills of their trade. It has been an important goal for us to support this young talent and was a key factor in our introduction of the SelfProducing Artist Award last year. The MPG’s relationship with the BRITs over the British Producer Award came to an end this year. Can you shed a little light on why this is? TP: There were a couple of factors. I should point out that these were always two separate awards – The BRIT Award was simply presented at our ceremony but was chosen using our process. I could speculate that it was a result of our success in promoting the role of the producer that led them to put their Award back in their main event! There were some misrepresentations being bandied around that being a member of MPG was a pre-requisite to winning an award – which is absolutely not the case. Our nomination, voting and judging system is totally transparent and we revisit it every year to make sure we have all the angles covered. Certainly you need to be a full member to participate in the voting stage, but anyone can nominate in the first instance and the panel of judges we put together is as diverse as possible – the process really does reflect the judgement of our peers right across the industry – not just in one small sector. The BRITs obviously felt they needed to update their judging process and control of this particular award again. Naturally, being proud of our process, we could not agree to that. What do you have in store for this year’s show? Are there any new categories or features of the ceremony? MG: There isn’t a new award category this year. However, the category of Self-Producing Artist, which we introduced last year, has grown massively in popularity. This year we received a 100% increase in submissions for this award. The number of emerging artists who are also producers is one of the indications of the changing techniques and styles of music production and serves to constantly remind us of the need to embrace those changes. What do you make of the current crop of British audio engineers and producers? TP: We have an amazing array of talent in the UK and that is resulting in some of the most exciting music in a long time. There is a cyclic effect when great music is being

Trevor Horn (left) with Seal (right)

produced because is stimulates, encourages and inspires the new crop of musicians and artists and provides truly entertaining results. MG: You only have to look at the international sales charts to see the influence of UK talent around the world. Of course, the continuance of the emergence of new UK production, engineering and mixing talent serves to remind the world of the UK’s ability to produce excellence in all areas of musical creativity. What are the biggest areas of opportunity for up and coming producers and engineers? TP: I think the opportunities for collaboration are the most exciting – especially as it is entirely possible for a producer, engineer and artist to take on the whole process of making a record without the old dependencies.

And how has this been reflected in the awards? TP: That’s a huge question! I think that this has been a two way street. The advancements have challenged producers and engineers but we have also demanded more from technology, and as a result we have innovated more. I think the creative way we have dealt with these challenges is at the core of what the MPG Awards stand for. MG: The developments in technology have enabled many to create professional quality productions under domestic conditions. This is something that would have been very difficult to achieve even 10 years ago, and almost impossible before that. I refer once again to the SelfProducing Artist award as an example of how the MPG Awards are reflecting the changes in production styles and procedures.

MG: Because music can be produced in places beyond the traditional recording studio, this has facilitated the creation of new genres of music, for example, grime, which would not have existed in the days when production required access to a large amount of expensive equipment. Of course, the role of the producer in navigating these possibilities remains as important and as relevant as ever.

What have been some of your personal highlights over the past 10 years of MPG Awards? TP: Every year has capped the one before – certainly Seal with Trevor Horn and Eric Stewart singing I’m Not In Love was pretty amazing. I’m pleased we were able to honour Sir George Martin. I am also delighted that we are getting more female producers and engineers being nominated and winning and slowly we are expanding the reach into all the musical genres.

And what are the biggest challenges? TP: Because the process of making records is so much more accessible it has created a very noisy environment to break through and makes it more difficult for the music consumers to find what they want, so ‘being heard’ is the biggest challenge.

MG: Watching Trevor Horn’s live performance in 2014. The individual musicians were so tight, and the musical arrangements so well crafted, it could have been a recording session right there on the stage.

How have technological advancements over the past 10 years shaped the role of the studio producer/engineer?

The 2018 MPG Awards takes place on March 1 at London’s Grosvenor House. You can view the list of nominees at www.mpg.org.uk.

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P52 FEBRUARY 2018

Human nature In the second half of 2017, Damon Albarn’s animated ‘virtual’ collective Gorillaz took to the road in support of their fifth album Humanz, with rental house Entec supplying a d&b audiotechnik system to provide sound reinforcement. PSNEurope hears from FOH engineer Matt Butcher and monitors engineer Dave Guerin to find out how it fared on the group’s most ambitious tour yet…

hen Blur burst on to the UK music scene with debut album Leisure back in 1991, few could have predicted the career front man and chief songwriter Damon Albarn was about to embark upon. From their early fusions of shoegaze, pop and indie rock, through the heady days of Britpop and their eventual move towards a heavier, alternative sound, a penchant for sonic experimentation was consistently in evidence. In the aftermath of Blur’s dissolution, his ambitions to push the boundaries of artistry and creativity beyond the confines of a four-piece rock outfit were laid evermore bare for all to see, when he joined forces with artist Jamie Hewlett to create the animated or ‘virtual’ band Gorillaz. Aesthetically and aurally unlike anything he, or anyone else had done before, Gorillaz became one of the most iconic cultural phenomena in decades, reinventing the possibilities of music, art, identity and live performance in one fell swoop. And it is in the live realm that the Gorillaz experience really came into its own. Initially, their live concerts saw band members perform

behind large-scale projections of the animated characters. On their current outing, the band is performing in full view with a raft of special guests, including the likes of former Britpop adversary Noel Gallagher, De La Soul and Albarn’s Blur colleague Graham Coxon among many others. Since Gorillaz first took to the road early in the Millennium, Entec Light & Sound has played a supporting role, and the ongoing Humanz tour has, the firm claims, reaped the benefit of recent investments in audio technology from key brands such as Digico, d&b audiotechnik and Shure, as well as the emergence of a new transatlantic partnership. In the second half of 2017, Entec – a long-time d&b rental house – partnered with Colorado-based Brown Note Productions to give d&b’s next generation loudspeaker series its touring début. Designed for large-scale venues, GSL – part of the new SL-Series – made its first touring appearance with Gorillaz at Luxembourg’s 6,500-capacity Rockhal on November 1, where the two main hangs each combined 16 GSL8 enclosures with two GSL12s, while 18 SL-SUBs lined the front of the stage.

“We were very keen to start using it as soon as possible and it was immediately evident that it’s a really clever design,” said FOH engineer Matt Butcher, a mainstay within the Albarn camp since just prior to Blur’s 1994 Parklife tour, who has worked for the first time alongside system technician Perttu Korteniemi. “My first impression was that it is very quick to rig, using the compression mode for flying, and I was bowled over as soon as we turned it on because the amount of punch you get from the low end is startling. When we first started using it we were playing a bottom heavy programme without the subs on and putting a little 60Hz bump in the PA just to see how much low end we could get out of it, and it was pretty staggering. We then fired up the new SL-SUB, which is just on another level. I believe it’s almost a hybrid of the J-SUB and J-INFRA, but the new model goes lower and is incredibly powerful while retaining so much clarity. “Generally speaking, with sub arrays you can lose that power alley effect down the middle, making it a little bumpy at FOH while it tails off when you move away, but I’m not finding this to be the case with GSL. I’m getting a

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P53

PHOTO: DENHOLM HEWLETT

FEBRUARY 2018

exciters on snares, ADT, compressors and four delays with one assigned to replicate a CB radio effect. “Alongside those, I’m running a Waves SoundGrid package on a laptop for things like live hard autotune effects on vocals for a De La Soul number and Saturnz Barz, the Popcaan track from Humanz. Waves also comes in handy for de-essers, multi-band effects and a gated fuzz box for snares.”.

Matt Butcher

cleaner all the way down the line, so from my perspective at FOH it’s a perfect situation.” Guerin explained further: “Even with the PA running at about 102dB at FOH, I’m hearing almost nothing from the PA itself at the side of the stage and for the first time ever, I can hear low end in my wedges. There is no recognisable spill from the sub array – only some reflections from the auditorium – and this is quite phenomenal.” With GSL currently in short supply due to its relative infancy, Entec fielded d&b V-Series enclosures for the PA’s side hangs, with two V8s and a pair of V-SUBs (per side) reserved as sidefills.

remarkably smooth, fat and even cardioid dispersion of sub bass across the entire arena. “Right from the start of our pre-production, we made the firm decision to do everything absolutely right and not compromise the audio quality, and the results speak for themselves. A few of us have known Damon for so long that we feel able to make a lot of suggestions for improvement and he respects our opinions. For instance, we were very meticulous about assembling the kick drum samples from the various Gorillaz records so that they can be triggered live and they are reproduced so well through this new d&b system. We’re achieving a very tight bottom end and great articulation on bass guitar and bass synths.” Powered by d&b D80 digital amplifiers, one aspect of GSL that impressed both Butcher and monitor engineer Dave Guerin was the virtual absence of audio leakage behind the flown arrays. “Our first few days with the system were remarkable,” Butcher said. “I walked around the back and the sound just disappeared. We ended up taking the level down by 2-3dB because we no longer had to rise above the ‘disinformation’ that we had become accustomed to. We suddenly appreciated how much level usually comes out of the back of a box. Because there’s no extraneous low end floating around on stage, everything sounds so much

The SD factor Unsurprisingly, Gorillaz’ production values have become more complex since 2005’s Demon Days Live, involving many high quality collaborations with choirs and stellar guests. The extension of Albarn’s orchestral ambitions have led to additional textures and layers that, in turn, have provided greater challenges for the audio department. “It’s always rewarding to come up with the solutions that make it all work on stage,” said Butcher. “It is a complicated show with so much going on at any one time. Our core line-up consists of drums, electronic percussion, guitar, bass, two keyboard players, six backing vocalists and Damon who plays piano, guitars and keytar. We also have the five-piece Hypnotic Brass Ensemble with us as well as a five-piece string section, and that combination is a first for us tonight at the O2 [in London]. We’re effectively shoehorning them into the mix because we have pretty much reached the limits of what is possible with an SD7 but, for me, it’s the best control surface for a job of this scale.” A Digico user since mixing on his first D5 in 2009, Butcher continued: “I moved to Midas for a while but I returned to Digico when they launched the SD-Rack, and I’ve remained with the brand ever since. The symmetry of the SD7’s layout – with left and right fader bays, and a master VCA bay in the middle – allows me to do three things simultaneously, and that is what makes it so practical. On the left, I have two layers of instruments with vocals and guests on the right. Dave’s fader layout is fairly similar for the same practical reasons; we double up eight radio mics into individual artist channels.” Butcher admitted to being a “big fan” of the SD7’s internal dynamics. The plug-ins he uses include aural

In the wings Guerin generates an average of 20 mono monitor mixes with 30 in stereo for in-ear feeds, sidefills and Albarn’s piano wedges. Backing vocals are mixed left and right, with Albarn’s vocal centred. Twelve d&b M4 wedges are distributed across the stage as well as a V-SUB that is added to the drum fill. Jerry Harvey JH16V2 Pro in-ear monitors are used for the majority of the performers in conjunction with Shure PSM 1000 hardware. “It’s a surprisingly quiet stage despite the extensive amount of activity,” noted Guerin, “and that helps when you add the string section because you’re not battling against the inevitable background sound pouring down the string mics. You can get them in the sidefill mix without generating feedback.” The RF side of the operation is dependent on Entec’s recent commitment to Shure’s new Axient Digital system, which handles around 50 channels of IEM and AD Series radio mics for vocals and backline, all of which are monitored from a Waves eMotion LV1 desk via a patch on the SD11i. “I was taken aback by how clean the Axient sound is,” commented Butcher, whose opinion was shared by Guerin. “Yes, it’s a real step up in quality,” he said. “As we have so many people on in-ears, it wasn’t a problem to stretch to another seven packs for the BVs who, after previously being tethered to their mic stands, are now on radio mics and have the freedom to dance around. We were concerned that we wouldn’t have enough spectrum available for everything, but we went to Axient for the radio mic systems and for the guitars and bass, the latter having a much narrower bandwidth per channel and therefore freeing up more air space for the IEM systems. I’ve been extremely happy with the results.” The Humanz tour marks yet another chapter in Entec’s history with Gorillaz. And according to the crew and production team, working with the rental firm has been an exceptional experience. “It’s great having [head of sound] Jonny Clark at Entec; we’re clearly all on the same side… he’s one of us,” Guerin said “I had a problem a couple of days ago and texted Jonny. He was immediately on the case and had someone with me that morning to solve the issue without the slightest fuss.” Production manager Joel Stanley was in agreement, concluding: “Working with Entec has been really good and it’s a pleasure to be dealing with Jonny. No request has ever been too big. Whenever we have identified a piece of equipment that we desperately need, Entec has ensured that if they don’t have it in stock, they will purchase it without hesitation. They’ve been solid and I feel like we consistently have their complete attention.” n

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Sound and vision

Calling all snap-happy smartphone addicts! In each issue, we publish the best pro audio pics shared on social media in the past month. From gig shots to get-out selfies, the industry’s online community is thriving and we want to share the great work that’s going on. Want to be featured next month? Tag @psneurope or email tlepore@nbmedia.com

@funktionone_mexico Evo 7, F 221, psm318 #storytellerstulum #funktiononesound by @audioworkspro

@wearethemu Artists including Nick Mason, Sandie Shaw & Billy Bragg were outside Parliament today to show their support for music venues!

@musicproducersguild We’re pleased to announce that @kii_audio_gmbh have come onboard as a Partner Sponsor for the #MPGAwards and are sponsoring the UK Producer of the Year Award!

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@thatstudioguy What’s at the end of your rainbow?

@mackiegear We wish Christmas would never end! We got to enjoy the season juuuust a little bit longer, though, when we got to see how our friends at Musiker-Board put some Thump 15A powered speakers to the test over the holiday season…

@adam_audio Surround system with ADAM S3X-H and S3X-V studio monitors in a beautiful control room at #BladeStudios - is this heaven?

TheNAMMShow #Throwback to the NAMM Service Centre in 1972, which eventually evolved into the Idea Centre! You’ll still see a smiling face when you come into the Idea Centre at the #NAMMShow, and now you can hang out and catch some of the great educational and professional development sessions too!

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P57 FEBRUARY 2018

(l-r) Jim Pace MP, Ian Dennis and Graham Boswell accepting a crystal bowl commemorating the Queen’s Award for International Trade 2011

30 years of Prism Sound Phil Ward talks to co-founder of Prism Sound Graham Boswell as the company passes the 30-year mark...

verything that ever worried you about digital audio is probably true, so thank God for Prism Sound. If one theme unites the company’s 30 years of activity, it’s a kind of policing of the digital domain on behalf of audio professionals: how to get in; how to get out; how to spot the dangers lurking inside. Every binary digit has an alibi, and sometimes they need to be interrogated. Graham Boswell and business partner Ian Dennis began this mission at pre-DSP, pre-AudioFile Neve in the early 1980s, before forming an R&D consultancy like private detectives hunting down missing audio quality. The move into manufacturing was made just in time to meet the march of Pro Tools and the rising tide of remastering as the industry reinvented itself, followed by a brief flurry of acquisition to flesh out the portfolio. Phil Ward spoke to co-founder Graham Boswell to find out more... Congratulations. How are you? Partly to celebrate my 60th year – which happened to clock round with the 30th anniversary of Prism – I’m doing the Outlaw charity half triathlon, so I’m keeping fit. Well spotted – Prism has been half my life.

So, you’re 30 years old and you invent a business called Prism. Why? I came to the conclusion that I was unemployable! I’ve never had a proper job. I always worked as a contract engineer in electronic design, so I saw more diversity than stability. But it gave me very broad experience, and the ability to assimilate knowledge from several disciplines. Eventually there was a contract at Neve, which sounded like fun. I’d worked with ISDN, and floppy disks – that was my introduction to digital audio. Why were you so itinerant? I reckon it’s because I went to boarding school in Highgate, while my parents lived in Kuwait. People say how damaging and lonely that sort of schooling is, but we had a ball. You become very independent, not to say unmanageable. University suited me because I got up to no good at all – so much so that I had to finish my studies quickly, at night school, when the work started coming in. I did become chairman of the ‘Ents’ committee, which I used cynically to blag into clubs to see bands. I was often envious of mates at school who were really good musicians, and I played a bit of guitar. A few

years later one of them – a particularly good drummer – invited me to rehearsals with his band in London, but when I got there the place was empty. It had been cancelled without my knowledge, and I missed the opportunity. Who knows? Next time I saw him was on TV: it was Jon Moss, who later joined Culture Club. I always got on better with my friends who were doing Social Sciences. I struggled with the engineering community. Politics matters, especially to young people, and when we were young, music was an important conduit to social awareness. I do feel that this connection dwindled in the ‘80s and ’90s, but I kind of hope it’s coming back. It used to be a collective engagement; the latter ways of consuming music are isolated – like video games – and there’s no sense of community to it. Nothing gets your blood flowing and your brain working quite like music, and I’d love to see that again. How did Neve experience turn into Prism practice? I wrote micro-controller code for modules that would sit in the DSP-1 console and provide the control surface – the first of its kind. There was a big buss connected to four CPUs, and even a Cathode Ray Tube screen display.

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Graham Boswell with American jazz guitarist Doc Powell

Ian was there at the same time – much cleverer than me, always has been – and through various upgrades after the Motorola 56K came on the market we realised we could offer more flexibility as an outside resource. Plus, some of our upgrades for Neve could be sold as standalone products – Sony Music in New York bought our digital EQ section for something like $25,000! We’d developed it for the DTC mastering console, but Prism Sound Ltd now existed and we held the intellectual copyright. We paid for the R&D. Is Pro Tools via ADA-8 still the industry standard? Sting still has the same system, albeit upgraded. We’ve supported three generations of Pro Tools interfaces with the ADA-8, but the cashflow isn’t there in the recording business to sustain this kind of exotica beyond a few very wealthy users – Mark Knopfler being another. I can’t resist the old joke: how do you make a small fortune in the studio business? Start with a large fortune. We’ve moved on to new generations of interface, and other things, although the ADA-8XR is still a solid and popular choice At NAMM we’re launching Verifile, which checks whether a recorded stream has been recorded intact.

It doesn’t fix the errors, but it uses cryptography to embed data in the noise that tells you if every sample is accurate, and every sample is present. It doesn’t tick the ‘consumer delivery’ box like MQA [Master Quality Authenticated]; it simply reports on the integrity of a computer recording via any of our Lyra, Titan or Atlas interfaces. It’s a ‘post-converter’ product in more ways than one: it turns the attention away from the conversion process to the results, which should encourage better recording standards and remove timeand-money-consuming mastering fixes. SADiE: how is the old girl? She’s doing great! We’ve just upgraded Radio France to Version 6, and a lot of SADiE went into Media City in Salford. The BBC is increasing its usage everywhere, and we’re talking about expanding the licensing footprint across national radio. It is more difficult with more free DAW technology on the market, but broadcast professionals continue to want something specifically tailored to what they do. Also, what organisations like these need when they invest in an editing tool is support. Without that, it’s a non-starter. We strive to provide the best support possible.

Is object-based audio on your horizon? I’d like to get more involved, especially in relation to broadcast applications. Mark Evans here at Prism helped with the recording of Roger Waters’ 2011 Wall concerts, which were simultaneously shown in theatres in immersive formats. Technology may have hit the recording industry hard, but at least that has brought back the emphasis on performance. We can contribute to that, and for me you cannot beat a talented musician performing before a live audience. It’s an amazing thing. Are we in danger of over-commoditising pro gear? No, I don’t accept that. Not all consumer business models suit us, but making products is really about building things that cost you less than last time while doing more. It’s not about making things that are more expensive. Prism hasn’t always achieved that – we’ve been obsessed with making better converters – but we’ve now reached a stage where we can move into a post-converter world. With our innovations we could have gone into chip production, because we’ve always improved on what was out there, but we didn’t. We’ve stuck with audio, and that’s what we love. n

www.prismsound.com

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