PSNE January 2016 digital

January 2016

Cloud & clear

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How emerging remote production services are transforming the worlds of broadcast and post P36 P16

P26

P46

NAMM NOM NOM!

SHEERAN DELIGHT

LUNA-TIC BEHAVIOUR

FEAST YOUR EYES ON OUR SHOW PREVIEW

TRIAD-ORBIT MAKES A STAND FOR BETTER ACCESSORIES

THE KEY TO OPEN-AIR CINEMA IS NO SECRET

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Welcome

PSNEUROPE Editor Dave Robinson drobinson@nbmedia.com

Advertising manager Ryan O’Donnell rodonnell@nbmedia.com

Deputy editor Jon Chapple jchapple@nbmedia.com

Account manager Rian Zoll-Khan rzoll-khan@nbmedia.com

Group managing editor Jo Ruddock jruddock@nbmedia.com

Head of design Jat Garcha jgarcha@nbmedia.com

Content director James McKeown jmckeown@nbmedia.com

Production executive Jason Dowie jdowie@nbmedia.com

Contributors: Kevin Hilton, Marc Maes, Dave Wiggins, Mike Clark, Phil Ward, Erica Basnicki, David Davies, Simon Duff

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P3 JANUARY 2016

DAVE ROBINSON Editor

@PSNEurope

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oom and off we go into the New Year. And what a better way to start than with this absolute belter of an issue? I was hoping to see in 2016 at the Edinburgh Hogmanay, as I did two years ago: stunning live performances with pristine sound (EFX Audio I believe) against a backdrop of the magnificent castle. But while the headline in 2013-into-2014 was the brilliantly camp Pet Shop Boys, this time the top slot was taken by one-hit nobodies Biffy Clyro. Talk about a change of tone. Hence, my NYE was not so much “many of horror” as “many of lager” in the pubs of Princes Street...

But I digress. As I digressed often when I met the fantastic David Angress in Berlin in October of last year. Angress has seen so many sides of this industry, from manufacturing to consulting to retail, that he seems to know everyone, on both sides of the Atlantic. Let him take you to dinner, and you won’t be short of a conversation or ten. (I enjoyed revealing that I knew he’d been in London, about ten years ago, eyeing up the now defunct chain of Sound Control music shops as a possible purchase by his then employer Guitar Center – a deal that never happened, of course. What if, eh?)

Not only is Angress dynamite company and a fountain of knowledge, he’s also doing a fine job heading up the rejuvenated ADAM Audio. See what he has to say on p20.

Elsewhere in the issue, David Davies explores the penetration – or otherwise – of cloud-based services for post-production on p36. Do you like the cover image? Deputy ed Jon Chapple pointed out that it reminded him of a prog rock album: and sure enough, we discovered there is something of a similarity between our January title page and Focus’ Moving Waves. Yodeltastic!

On a sad note, that was one of Mr Chapple’s last contributions to PSNEurope, as the clever chap has now left to work elsewhere within the live entertainment world. I’d personally like to thank him for all his tremendous dedication over the last 20 months. and wish him all the best for the future. Good luck, sir!

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P4 JANUARY 2016

Contents

In this issue...

P36 THE CLOUD CAN THE PRO-AUDIO INDUSTRY LEARN TO LOVE REMOTE PRODUCTION?

P20 THE STRATEGIC POSITION IN CONVERSATION WITH DAVID ANGRESS, CEO OF THE REJUVENATED ADAM AUDIO

P42 L-ACOUSTICS X SERIES LAUNCH A CUTTING-EDGE FACTORY ISN’T ALL THAT’S NEW IN MARCOUSSIS

Studio

P30 ANGEL’S WINGS

22 24 26 30

JIMMY IOVINE’S VINTAGE SSL DESK KEEPS THINGS CLASSIC IN PIANTANICCO

Voulez-vous Hacienda Studios?

‘Audio LinkedIn’ SoundBetter three years on Reinventing the stand with Triad-Orbit Lift off for Angel’s Wings Studio

Business

Broadcast

6 7 8 10 12 14 18 20

32 34

All change in Italy as Eighteen Sound formally acquires Ciare ADG’s strategy for success; Focusrite plc’s first-year results BVE and Frankfurt plans Vocal channel: Erica Basnicki and Dave Wiggins Movers and shakers PSNTraining Show preview: NAMM Show The strategic position: ADAM Audio

Broadcasters lose 700MHz band Pro-audio for picture at The Sound of Story conference

Live 40 42 46

Throwing tradition out the window at Belgium’s Proms L-Acoustics opens up for X Series launch Al fresco cinema sound at Luna

Technology

Back pages

36 50

54 58

Feature: The Cloud Feature: Amplifiers

Hither & Dither Backtalk: James Towler

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“The LEO Family is the right choice for providing the best quality sound to our clients and their audiences.

The Meyer Sound brand is the perfect match for Wigwam Acoustics, in terms of its reputation for quality.�

Chris Hill, Co-founder and Spencer Beard, Managing Director, Wigwam Acoustics

Read the full interview at meyersound.com/wigwam

P6 JANUARY 2016

Business

Italy

Eighteen Sound acquires fellow Italian brand Ciare The acquisition is an “interesting opportunity” for the Reggio Emilia company to expand into new markets and increase global presence, reports Dave Robinson

L

oudspeaker component manufacturer Eighteen Sound, of Reggio Emilia, has purchased fellow Italian brand Ciare, of Senigallia, for an undisclosed fee.

The announcement reveals the imminent endgame of a process that began in the summer, when Eighteen Sound

announced a “strategic agreement” with Ciare, enabling it to take “control” of the worldwide sales of the Adriatic coast-based loudspeaker-maker.

The purchase takes effect immediately and broadens the scope of the Eighteen Sound product line in the mid-level market segment, particularly in the realms of hi-fi

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Component-making in the Eighteen Sound factory, Reggio Emilia

and replacement/upgrade automotive, as well as expanding its access to new global markets. Eighteen Sound’s director of global sales, Giacomo Previ, says the acquisition of Ciare is an “interesting opportunity for Eighteen Sound”, while admitting the brand had been “struggling” and had experienced “problems in the past”.

“Eighteen Sound will revitalise and strengthen the brand, while maintaining its focus on the professional audio marketplace,” he says. “The Ciare brand will be maintained autonomously and continue its storied 75-year history while catering to its loyal client following and maintaining its solid performance standards.”

Previ is quick to emphasise that it was the purchase of the Ciare “brand” being announced at this time, and that further information regarding production (and the cost of the acquisition) would be released in the New Year after certain outstanding matters had been concluded.

Ciare was founded in 1947 and has built a worldwide client base and product catalogue that provides middletier products for the professional and automotive audio markets which, Previ notes, represent a “balance of cost and performance”.

Ciare’s portfolio is said to fit comfortably alongside Eighteen’s catalogue of premium

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Our intention is to grow [Ciare’s] significant product base and offer it as a solution to clients of Eighteen Sound

JeffreyCox, Eighteen Sound drivers, with little overlap. “Our intention is to grow this significant product base and offer it as a solution to clients of Eighteen Sound that have cost consideration as a primary concern,” says Eighteen Sound’s director of sales for North America, Jeffrey Cox. www.eighteensound.it

P7 JANUARY 2016

Denmark

Audio Distribution Group reveals strategy for success The ex-TC Group trio have bold plans for expansion, finds Dave Robinson

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ased in Denmark, newly formed outfit Audio Distribution Group (ADG) has outlined its simple approach for working in Europe.

“The only way for real growth in a single market is to have a ‘harmonised trade pricing policy’ across EU territories,” says Bruce Davidson, former TC Group international partner marketing manager, now ADG chief operations officer. “Although localisation is important, promotions and marketing will benefit from being panEuropean too.”

Davidson co-founded ADG with CEO Steve Russell (previously TC’s VP of international sales) and chairman Peter Bager (former CEO of TC Group International). The company HQ is in Risskov, Aarhus, Denmark (yes – where TC Electronic was formed).

ADG’s start-up portfolio comprises two brands: Dynaudio Pro, no longer distributed by TC following its takeover by Uli Behringer’s Music Group; and Aston Microphones, a nascent UK-made product line created by former sE Electronics partners and James Young and Phil Smith.

Davidson continues: “Previously, brands have had the option of either developing their own distribution model as a part of their business or choosing a mix of distributors who either covered one or a standard mix of countries. We offer our brands an effective, efficient and reliable route to market in the EU and will therefore seek to provide additional value to the standard distribution model, building strategic partnerships with all our associated brands, professionals, artists and key retailers across Europe.

“We believe there can be significant benefits for brands

L–R: Bruce Davidson, Steve Russell, Peter Bager

that have pan-European distribution and those that choose this model are ones we feel will be most likely to succeed.”

James Young, managing director for Aston Microphones, effuses: “Quite honestly, if I had written a wish list of attributes for a European distribution partner, [Bruce, Steve and their team at ADG] would have ticked every box and started adding ones I hadn’t even thought of.”

Davidson notes: “This is just level one. We expect to grow fast in 2016.” www.audiodistributiongroup.com

United Kingdom

Focusrite plc reveals positive first-year results Shareholders are quids-in after a successful first 12 months for the publicly traded group, writes Jon Chapple

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ocusrite plc has released its annual results for its first year as a publicly traded entity.

Revenue for the group – which trades under the stock code TUNE on the London Stock Exchange’s international market for smaller companies, AIM – was up 17.2 per cent to £48m (€66m), and adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation) up 13.1 per cent.

The company launched 19 new products last year, including the Clarett Range of under-1ms-latency Thunderbolt interfaces and new RedNet models MP8R, D16R, HD32R and D64R, which it says are expected to drive growth in the 2016 financial year.

Focusrite/Novation floated as Focusrite plc in December last year, with shares up 10 per cent on its first day of trading.

Focusrite’s chairman, Phil Dudderidge, comments: “This is the first set of annual results since Focusrite plc

IPOed, and I am pleased that we have performed well, meeting market expectations with record revenues and profit for the year.

“There has never been a better time to be in the musical instrument and music recording market, and we are making the best of the opportunity, taking a leading role in the changes that are sweeping our marketplace.”

CEO Dave Froker adds: “Important to our business is the changing nature of music-making, production and distribution. Focusrite [with sister brand Novation] is wellplaced to take advantage of the shift to electronic dance music, mobile ways of making and recording music and the use of Spotify and YouTube as media for awareness and delivering music to fans.

“Musicians today face an upending stream of hurdles while creating, producing and performing music. Our drive to make music easy to make, at all levels of expertise, is paying off: the percentage of new owners of

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our products calling for help from tech support continues to decline.”

Focusrite was recently named, for the fourth consecutive year, as one of the 100 best small companies to work for by The Sunday Times. www.focusriteplc.com

P8 JANUARY 2016

Business

Erratum PSNEurope wishes it to be known that all of the APRS Sound Fellowship photographs on p10 of the December issue, and the three on p57, are used by kind permission of Gilead Limor, www.gileadlimor.com.

Germany

Changes to PL+S requested by “75% of customers” Next year’s Frankfurt trade event is going to be different in many ways – but everyone will benefit, says Dave Robinson

T

he organisers of Prolight + Sound officially announced and explained the changes to the forthcoming 2016 trade event during an online press conference last month.

In the streamed presentation, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH’s Christopher Sparkes introduced Stephan Kurzawski (senior VP, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition) and Michael Biwer (director, Prolight + Sound) to talk through the change of format and the introduction of new concepts.

PL+S 2016 will take place from Tuesday 5 to Friday 8 April from 10am to 7pm, in a shift away from the Wednesday kick-off requested by “75% of customers”, said Kurzawski. An extension to the conference and seminar programme means every day of the show will have a different theme with a full programme and a daily review.

PL+S will be held on the east side of the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre (mainly around halls 3, 4 and 5), including a complete change to the hall layout, making

room for a greater range of products and subject areas utilising six halls and an outdoor area. Kurzawski said the changes would mean visitors would get “more information in less time.” It was also revealed that every exhibitor would be given a new location in the halls, and Biwer remarked that some halls have already been fully booked.

L–R: Sparkes, Kurzawski and Biwer during the online press conference in December There will be six product areas to provide an overview of new product users in all areas of event technology, and the Eventplaza development across the sectors. In addition, the ‘Future Conference aims to communicate trends and strategies for Talents Day’ (Tuesday 5 April) is to be extended to appeal to event and marketing managers. event sector students, trainees and vocational school pupils.

Biwer encouraged visitors to see the new drones feature, The programme of seminars will extend over the four live sound arena and sessions such as “how to do 3D audio days and take place in Forum 0, with speakers delivering in a live setting”. “[Prolight + Sound] brings every section of around 50 lectures across different application areas. The the industry together,” he enthused.

Prolight + Sound Conference will focus on professional www.messefrankfurt.com

United Kingdom

Pro audio, AV, live production and broadcast converge at first London Entertainment Week The BVE-backed initiative recognises “a need for an all-encompassing trade show for the wider creative industries”, its event manager tells Jon Chapple

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roadcast trade show BVE (Broadcast Video Expo) announced plans last month to expand into the pro-AV and live event technology sectors with the launch of the first London Entertainment Week.

Taking place from Monday 22 to Friday 26 February, London Entertainment Week will incorporate a week’s worth of co-located events – including the AV User Group’s AV Users Forum; three days of dedicated seminar content for the AV sector, including theatre-specific content assisted by ABTT; and the Streaming Forum 2016 conference – with the three-day BVE show proper, starting on Tuesday 23rd, at its heart.

With the Event Production Show in March, a new-look PL+S in April and PLASA and BPM/PRO jostling for position later in the year, plans for an entire week of

pro-audio/AV content early in 2016 look ambitious, to say the least – especially given that BVE takes place in the ExCeL Centre, a venue poorly received by PLASA Show attendees – so PSNEurope asked event manager Daniel Sacchelli for his take.

“It is widely acknowledged that the lines between the live event production and broadcast sectors are blurring,” says Sacchelli, speaking to PSNEurope in mid-December.

“Over the past couple of years, the breadth of new visitors to BVE from the pro-AV and live entertainment technology sectors has increased, reflecting a need for an all-encompassing trade show for the live production, broadcast and wider creative industries.

“BVE already has a strong pro-audio base, with exhibiting brands including Avid, Audio-Technica, Canford, Calrec, Harman, HHB Communications and Source

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Distribution, Lawo, Neutrik and Sennheiser. With organisations BVE/London Entertainment Week such as these event director Dan Sacchelli conducting business in both live entertainment and broadcast, there is a demand for a broader showcase of products to meet the demands of an expanded visitor audience.

“We see BVE and the co-located events of London Entertainment Week as a comprehensive showcase for the AV, live entertainment, pro-audio and broadcast sectors and […] the most comprehensive gathering of the UK’s creative industries [this] year.” www.bvexpo.com

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Made in Denmark

P10 JANUARY 2016

Vocal channel

Say ‘no’ to nostalgia

I

ERICA BASNICKI is a writer and sound designer

f anyone should’ve felt nostalgic about Hacienda Studios going up for sale (see p22), it should’ve been its owner, Jean Gamet, not me. The studio has been in operation for over 30 years, Jean’s heart and soul and demand for acoustic excellence going into its live rooms that were once the family farm.

That’s not to say Jean isn’t sad to see it go, but he’s hardly focussing on his loss.

Instead, he’s concentrating more on the brightness of live music’s future in Lyon and its surrounding areas. He’s got his mind on convincing potential buyers of the investment value of the place, and potential partnerships that could be struck that might afford him a few more years within its walls.

Meanwhile, all I could think of was how difficult I’d find it being in his shoes: If it were me, I’d be sobbing like a baby at the very idea of selling something that was part of my life for 30 years. Realistically, after having drunk an entire bottle of red wine to cope with the uncertainty of the

future and to ease the pain of my loss.

Jean’s attitude towards the sale of Hacienda has had a direct impact on my main resolution for 2016 – one that I might still be able to keep for more than a couple of week. That is to say, I’ve resolved to be less nostalgic… and maybe drink a little less too, but that’s another story altogether.

Jean made me realise just how deadly nostalgia can be to a person, and to a business. Dave Wiggins’ column in November (‘A design for life’, PSNEurope November 2015) illustrated the business side of this point brilliantly using trade shows as an example: make them enticing for exhibitors, and the visitors will follow.

But it takes a forward-thinking person to make these kinds of decisions, and that doesn’t come naturally to everybody.

Despite being an early technology adopter, I still insisted on shipping over a significant quantity of vinyl records and cassettes – yes, cassettes! – to the UK since moving here from Canada five years ago.

The music contained on these records and tapes is, for the most part, widely available digitally. The cost of shipping them here made no sense… and yet I paid. Why? A ridiculous attachment to the memories I thought these physical objects contained.

What I failed to realise is that the memories were, and still are, in the music.

And actually, those cassettes sound pretty awful and my turntable can’t do the vinyl justice. So I’ve bought a Spotify premium subscription and I’m happy, but my credit card balance makes me less so.

PSNEurope’s year in review highlighted more than a few forward-thinking companies adopting ‘new’ business strategies in order to succeed. ‘New’ doesn’t always mean ‘good’, but it’s a heck of a lot easier to move forward by looking ahead instead of what’s behind you. Maybe it’s an obvious idea, or maybe letting go of nostalgia is a resolution you might want to make as well. It’s a lot easier than giving up red wine, trust me.

New year’s revolutions

2

DAVE WIGGINS is a freelance marketeer and pro-audio pundit

015 was the Chinese year of the sheep but I guess it wasn’t all baa-d (sorry). Do any of the events of the past year give us a clue for what’s coming next? Let’s see…

Seemingly right out of left field, 2015 saw the very welcome return of Brummie multiinstrumentalist legend Jeff Lynne with what is (for me and many others) album of the year with Alone in the Universe. Even better than that, ticket sales for the supporting tour have been extraordinary; perhaps more ‘vintage’ acts will be encouraged to return to touring. Two of the three highest-grossing global tours last year were by, ahem, ‘established’ acts (The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac) so the market is certainly there for them.

The industry consolidation I predicted previously continues apace. Uli Behringer’s Music Group announced their acquisition of the TC Group at the end of April, bringing yet more respected pro-audio brands under his ever-expanding umbrella (one has to

assume that his shopping isn’t finished yet).

On a slightly smaller scale but in the same vein, Andy Dockerty’s multi-disciplinary operation Adlib Audio acquired EFX Audio late in 2015, looking to “...continue the amazing work of industry legend Johnny Ramsay”. Good luck to everyone in the new venture – who’s next?

PLASA’s decision to move their London show away from ExCeL is, in my view at least, an important step in the right direction, as is the apparent intention to base forthcoming events on the very successful and rightly popular ‘Focus’ format. I didn’t miss a PLASA London for 20-odd years and enjoyed some great times there; personally, for many reasons, I believe there is still demand for a production-industry show in our capital and to me that show is PLASA. There are certainly challenges to be overcome, not least enticing the audio community back in serious numbers, but with new management and a fresh start I hope that

www.psneurope.com/business

the show can regain its former status.

Major loudspeaker system sales were a bit thin on the ground, but the standout such event in the UK, and possibly globally, was surely Wigwam Acoustics’ acquisition of almost 150 Meyer Sound enclosures, many of which immediately went out with One Direction. Meyer subsequently reported the international sales of over 8000 units of their LEO family of products (including new model the LEOPARD), which is a lot of boxes by any measure. Perhaps 2016 could be the year for a different brand to interrupt the hegemony of the big three in loudspeakerworld?

Finally, the appalling terrorist attacks on Paris on 13 November, in which we lost a number of our own, still resonate globally and will likely continue to do so. Like workers in every other industry we must, sadly, be more vigilant, more aware and more security-conscious than ever before.

I wish you all a peaceful and prosperous 2016.

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P12 JANUARY 2016

Movers and shakers

SMPTEthy for the Devlin Three new governors for the media standards authority

T

he Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) has elected its officers and governors for 2016–17.

John A. Luff of HD Consulting will serve as the Eastern (US) region governor, with Patricia Keighley, senior vice-president at IMAX, returning to the board as governor for the Hollywood region. Bruce Devlin, chief media scientist at Dalet, has been elected governor for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Central and South America.

Karen Fairlie has joined British distributor/dealer AC Entertainment Technologies as business development manager for Scotland. www.ac-et.com

Lawo has appointed Clark Novak as radio marketing specialist.

Before joining Lawo, Novak was marketing manager for the Telos Alliance/Axia. www.lawo.com

“The elections bring the board an impressive array of industry leaders, all with a history of contributing valuable expertise and extraordinary energy to SMPTE events and standards work,” says SMPTE past president Wendy Aylsworth. “As we enter an exciting centennial year, the society will benefit from our board of governors’ collective experience and ongoing commitment to [its] three pillars of education, standards and membership.” www.smpte.org

QSC has named Cory Schaeffer director of systems solutions.

Schaeffer was previously at AMX at its corporate, education and government business unit. www.qsc.com

Renkus-Heinz has hired Lorenzo Rene Barrios Jnr as loudspeaker engineer. Barrios joins RH from Walt Disney Imagineering, where he was a principal AV specialist. www.renkus-heinz.com

Also at Renkus-Heinz, company president Roscoe Anthony has resigned, effectively immediately.

Founder and CEO Harro Heinz will return to serve as president. www.renkus-heinz.com

Intercom supplier Trilogy has expanded its sales team with the appointment of Gary Lewis.

Lewis has 30+ years’ broadcast experience, recently with Riedel. www.trilogycomms.com

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DEALER NETWORK Powersoft has made a change to its distribution arrangements in Portugal and several other Lusophone territories. Lisbon-based Merging Select will handle the Italian company’s portfolio of amplification and process-control devices in Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe and Equatorial Guinea. “It’s a privilege to distribute Powersoft, with its outstanding pedigree and high-technology amplifiers, to the huge market of Portugal and Portuguese-speaking Africa,” says Merging Select co-founder João Velhinho. www.powersoft-audio.com www.mergingselect.com Shure Europe is to exclusively distribute US company RF Venue in the EMEA region. RF Venue manufactures proprietary antenna products, RF distribution systems, RF-to-optical signal conversion modules and spectrum analysis hardware and software. www.shure.eu www.rfvenue.com Letchworth-based Sound Technology has been appointed distributor of Tempest wireless intercom products for the UK and ROI. The Tempest brand was for many years associated with and distributed by intercom giant Clear-Com, although the products were always created, developed and manufactured

by CoachComm, a US company with nearly 25 years’ experience in communications for sports broadcasting. CoachComm/Tempest split from ClearCom in August 2015. www.soundtech.co.uk www.tempestwireless.com

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L–R: John A. Luff, Bruce Devlin and Patricia Keighley

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P14 JANUARY 2016

d&b educates London about point source

BY JON CHAPPLE

4 January Sound Training Online: City & Guilds certificate in sound manipulation and composition Online www.soundtraining.com/online

14 January ISCE: Principles of Networking Manchester, UK www.isce.org.uk

10 March PSNPresents 3 London, UK www.psnpresents.com

Ongoing d&b audiotechnik held two identical presentations in London in December which offered attendees the chance to familiarise themselves with some of the company’s latest system solutions, with a focus on the new V-Series point-source loudspeakers and their rigging options.

Using the National Theatre as a template, Steve Jones from d&b’s education and application support division talked guests through the loudspeaker design suitable for the auditorium and

“appreciate[d] these new point-source loudspeakers within the context of the Temporary Theatre Space”. Attendees listened to the V7P, V10P and V-GSUB in a variety of configurations alongside other d&b point-source loudspeakers from the Y-Series and T-Series ranges.

The sessions took place at the Temporary Theatre Space at the National Theatre, on the South Bank. www.dbaudio.com

AES and AP establish Tom Kite Scholarship

BY JON CHAPPLE

The Audio Engineering Society’s Educational Foundation has announced the establishment of ‘Advancing Audio – The Tom Kite Scholarship’, offered annually to “graduate student AES members who have a passion for advancing audio through innovation and technology development”.

It is named in honour of the late Tom Kite PhD, an active AES member and vice-president of engineering at Audio Precision, the scholarship’s sponsor. Dr Kite was a key contributor to the development and evolution of its flagship audio analyser line, the APx500 series.

“Tom was devoted to innovation in audio test and measurement, [and] to the advancement of education,” says Dave Schmoldt, Audio Precision’s CEO. “Sponsoring an Audio Engineering Society scholarship in his name is a natural way for AP to honour Tom’s legacy and benefit future generations in a field that Tom so deeply cared about.”

Applications for Advancing Audio – The Tom Kite Scholarship must be received by AES’s headquarters by 15 May. Don Puluse, president of the AES Educational Foundation (pictured, right, with Schmoldt), says: “The AES Educational Foundation is honoured

to offer this Audio Precision scholarship named for Tom Kite, a much admired and respected member of AES. This grant will preserve Tom’s legacy and support innovative AES graduate students interested in advancing research in audio measurement, analysis or perception.” www.aes.org/education/foundation

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Yamaha Commercial Audio: Self-training Online www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en/training_ support/selftraining

Big Mick fixes ’em inWrexham

BY DAVE ROBINSON Metallica’s live sound engineer led a seminar at Glyndŵr University last month discussing his 30year career on the road with the world’s biggest heavy metal band.

‘Big’ Mick Hughes, who has worked for the group since 1984, hosted Mixing Metallica at the Wrexham institution from 1pm to 4pm on Friday 4 December.

The event will discuss Big Mick’s (pictured) career, his long-running relationship with Metallica and his innovative approach to mixing, developed working as front-of house engineer at more than 1,500 of the band’s shows.

The seminar was part of Meyer Sound’s Education series and was brought to Wrexham with the help of Glyndŵr University graduate John Owen Jones. A former student of studio recording and performance technology, Jones now runs a live production rental company and has established a relationship with Meyer.

He said: “Big Mick is a world renowned figure in the audio engineering industry and we’re very lucky to be able to welcome him here to Wrexham.” www.meyersound.com

P16 JANUARY 2016

NAMM goes back to school NAMM’s Zach Phillips tells Jon Chapple why this month’s show will be the best ever for students of sound

M

embers of the National Association of Music Merchants will have access to more than 120 free educational sessions covering all aspects of professional audio and music production at this month’s NAMM Show in California, including over 70 as part of the new TEC Tracks programme.

TEC Tracks – formerly the HOT Zone – will make its debut alongside existing initiatives NAMM U Breakfast Sessions, NAMM U Retail Boot Camp and NAMM Idea Center [sic], offering 70+ masterclasses, live interviews and panel discussions keynoted by producers Eddie Kramer (The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Kinks) and ‘King of Nashville’ Tony Brown.

“New technology has changed the way every NAMM member business is run today,” explains Joe Lamond, president and CEO of NAMM. “This January, NAMM U’s line-up will provide new ideas to make technology work in your favour by creating new opportunities for the future.

Many members tell us that […] attending these free NAMM U sessions has a huge positive impact on their success and makes coming to the NAMM Show a great investment.”

Total attendance at NAMM Show educational sessions increased 67 per cent from 2013 to 2015 – “validation that the growing audio and technology communities at the show are taking advantage of the educational offerings”, added Zach Phillips, NAMM’s director of professional development, speaking to PSNEurope just before Christmas.

PSNEurope: So, Zach: how different will the 2016 show’s educational offering look compared to last year?

Zach Phillips: For 2016, TEC Tracks will feature a mix of evergreen topics for audio and technology professionals – recording, live sound, lighting, DJ, entertainment technology and music business – while also branching out into future-forward areas.

For instance, there will be the keynotes by Eddie Kramer and Tony Brown, and more than a dozen sessions on recording techniques, namely mixing and mastering.

For live sound, TEC Tracks will feature a festival sound engineers panel discussion, which is a standout. Those sessions form the foundation of the programme.

At the same time, there will be more sessions on game, internet and app audio than in years past. There’s even a session on virtual-reality audio.

programme that caters to these NAMM tribes.

On Saturday, they’re hosting six sessions, including a keynote, that are focussed on the future of audio. Just a few of the topics include the global impact of disruptive music technology, futuristic control surfaces and the future of iOS music technology. They’re a natural partner.

How important is education to NAMM? Synth pioneers Dave Smith (left) and Tom Oberheim discuss the analogue synthesiser revival at NAMM 2015’s ‘Breakfast of Champions’

Very. NAMM’s mission is to strengthen and grow the music products industry, and education plays a critical role in achieving that. Programmes like TEC Tracks and NAMM U give attendees the education and training they need to thrive. Attendees are getting innovative ideas, proven tips and best practices that they can use straight from the most prominent experts in the field. This, in turn, helps strengthen and grow the industry.

Why ‘TEC Tracks’?

Getting to grips with Pro Tools First with Pensado’s Place, NAMM 2015

The TEC Awards has powerful credibility and name recognition with pro-audio and technology professionals. Since the TEC Awards came to the NAMM Show in 2011, we’ve watched that event grow and help galvanise the audio community, so it only made sense to connect the TEC brand with audio and technology education at the NAMM Show: hence TEC Tracks.

How can you offer so much content for free?

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak chats with NAMM CEO Joe Lamond as part of 2015’s NAMM U

Discussing recording Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time in the HOT Zone (now TEC Tracks)

And a focus on crowdfunding, we understand…

Advanced Audio + Application Exchange (A3E) will host six sessions on Saturday focussed on the future of audio. Tell us about that partnership…

As we hear about more music professionals crowdfunding projects, offering a session on this topic made sense as part of TEC Tracks. It’s not a focus per se, but just one of many topics covered in the programme.

A3E has strong bonds with [both] the software and app development communities and music producers and engineers. Their sessions complement TEC Tracks’ offerings by bringing a future-forward element to the

www.psneurope.com/training

NAMM is able to offer amazing educational opportunities to members for free for the same reason that we’re able to reinvest millions into music making and music education programmes globally through the NAMM Foundation: Unlike organisations that run forprofit shows, NAMM is a not-for-profit association. After covering the expenses of hosting world-class trade shows and running an association, NAMM takes all the proceeds from trade shows and members and reinvests them into strengthening and growing the industry. A critical part of that is the educational sessions at NAMM Shows and on NAMM U Online.

Finally, which sessions are you most excited about?

The keynotes alone should make the trip to the show worthwhile. To have producers like Eddie Kramer and Tony Brown kick off TEC Tracks each day is a thrill.

A3E’s keynote on the global impact of disruptive music technology will be fascinating and bring a different perspective to the show. Also, Moses Avalon, a music business guru, will host the Sunday keynote on the future of A&R, which will be an interesting look at music industry trends and how to get in front of them. www.namm.org

REACH YOUR

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mackie.com/reach ©2015 LOUD Technologies Inc. All rights reserved. “Mackie.”, the “Running Man” figure, EarShot, ARC and Mackie Connect are trademarks or registered trademarks of LOUD Technologies Inc. The Bluetooth® word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by LOUD Technologies is under license.

P18 JANUARY 2016

Show preview: Winter NAMM 2016

United States

We’re NAMMing… … and we hope you like NAMMing too. Here’s our pre-event highlights from everyone’s favourite excuse to spend January in southern California

I

t’s January once more, and for four glorious days the pro-audio and MI communities will descend upon Anaheim, California (average temperature: 18°C), for the world’s largest trade show for the music products industry.

Offering its usual mix of expo space, training seminars and awards ceremonies (the TEC Awards are widely regarded as the ‘pro-audio Oscars’) the NAMM Show 2016 returns to the Anaheim Convention Center, near Los Angeles, from 21 to 24 January.

Both the technical (best amp hardware, large-format console, recording microphones, etc.) and creative (best tour/event sound production, studio design project, recording production/album) finalists for the TEC Awards were announced in October, with voting closing on 31 December. That’s long after the magazine you’re reading went to press, so you’ll have to attend the show to see who wins. (Head to www.tecawards.org for a full list of finalists.)

What we do know already are the inductees into NAMM Museum of Making Music’s TECnology Hall of Fame. The TECnology Hall of Fame, established in 2004 “to honour and recognise audio products and innovations that have made a significant contribution to the advancement of audio technology”, will this year induct Bell Laboratories’ decibel (dB) unit; the Wurlitzer electronic piano; Auratone Sound Cube monitors; the Neumann KM84 and Shure SM58 microphones; the Roland RE-201 Space Echo analogue delay; the Lexicon PCM 41 digital delay; Eventide’s H3000 UltraHarmonizer pitch-shifter; the Manley VoxBox valve preamp; and Digidesign/Avid’s Pro Tools HD DAW. The recipient of this year’s TEC Les Paul Award – given to “individuals or institutions who have set the highest standards of excellence in the creative application of recording technology” – is musician, producer, director and record executive Don Was. Described by NAMM as “one of music’s most significant artists and executives, excelling in multiple roles and serving as one of the industry’s beacons for integrity and forward-thinking”, triple-Grammy Awardwinner Was will receive the award on Saturday 23 January, joining a star-studded list of past winners that includes Pete Townshend, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Sting and Brian Wilson.

Also featuring the TEC branding is the educational programme formerly known as the HOT Zone, which becomes TEC Tracks for the 2016 show. NAMM members will have access to over 120 free educational sessions over the course of the show; turn to page 16 for an interview with NAMM’s director of professional development, Zach Phillips, and to find out more.

But how ’bout them new products?

Allen & Heath, whose Audiotonix group will hold its first US press conference at the show, will show its dLive digital mixer, Qu Chrome Edition compact digital range and new ZEDi-10 and ZEDi-10FX hybrid mixer/interfaces.

Designed for “recording/gigging artists and AV rental and installation companies”, the new ZEDi models, which The MXL Heritage Edition series

Sonnox Oxford Envolution (right)

follow the recent launch of the smaller ZEDi-8, combine a compact mixer with a 24bit/96kHz 4 x 4 USB interface which enables multitrack recording and playback to a Mac, PC or iOS device.

The ZEDi-10FX includes an FX system, designed in house, which encompasses multi-FX models, combining reverbs, delays, doublers, chorusing and other modulators to create a varied suite of studio-quality sound effects.

“The new ZEDi models are the perfect choice for musicians and venues looking for a quality small-format mixer that can deliver the goods for both live performance and multitrack recording,” comments Allen & Heath product specialist Harry Garcia. “With their high-quality USB interface, handy guitar DIs, great sounding mic pres and ZEDi-10FX’s exceptional FX library, they have all the tools required.”

Mackie will take its new “ultimate self-contained PA”, Reach, to California. Featuring Bluetooth music streaming, a six-channel digital mixer, ‘EarShot’ personal monitoring system and a control app for iOS and Android, Reach brings Mackie’s ARC (Amplified Radial Curve) array technology to the portable PA market.

“Reach is perfect for artists and venues that need a simple but powerful all-in-one PA solution,” says John Boudreau, Mackie’s senior vice-president of product planning. “From coffeehouses, wineries and brewpubs to school assemblies and corporate presentations, the Mackie Reach provides unmatched versatility with the best sound quality possible.”

MXL Microphones, a manufacturer of professional

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and consumer microphones for both studio and live applications, will launch its Heritage Edition series of mics.

Designed to celebrate “the classic history of studio microphones through the release of alternate [sic] versions of MXL’s most popular microphones, the Heritage Edition range comprises the Genesis-HE valve mic, “famous for clean highs, warm mids and tight bottom end”; the Genesis FET-HE solid-state condenser mic; the V67g-HE large-capsule condenser mic, “popular for vocals and instruments due to its detailed, clear sound recordings”; the V69m-HE dual-triode valve mic, internally wired throughout with Mogami cable; the R144-HE ribbon microphone, specialised for instrument recording; and the 990-HE, the original of which is “known for silky-sweet high end with tight, solid low- and mid-ranges”.

The DigiMax DP88 microphone preamplifier and A–D–A converter, new from PreSonus, features eight remotecontrollable, high-headroom mic preamps and compatibility with both PreSonus’s Studio 192 and third-party, ADAT Optical-equipped audio interfaces.

The newest member of the American company’s DigiMax series, the 24bit/96kHz DigiMax DP88 is a true analogue preamp (with separate digital volume control circuit) and offers eight XMAX class-A pres and Burr-Brown A–D–A converters with 118dB dynamic range.

In addition to offering front-panel control, the DP88’s preamps can be controlled via MIDI with any DAW. It uses simple MIDI CC messages to control level, phantom power and direct ADC input: MIDI channel one controls

Allen & Heath ZEDi-10FX (left) and ZEDi-10

Mackie Reach

preamp one, channel two controls preamp two, etc.

New from plug-in brand Sonnox is Oxford Envolution, a frequency-dependent envelope shaping plug-in which “radically modif[ies] the sound of individual tracks, buses and even master outputs”.

Envolution boasts independent control of transients and sustain, with ‘tilt’ and ‘focus’ controls to choose where in the frequency spectrum the effect is applied, allowing complete manipulation of the audio’s envelope. Transients can be boosted to add presence and punch or reduced to create perspective, while the sustain section can make the ambience around a recording bloom or be cut back for precise gating. www.namm.org www.allen-heath.com www.mackie.com www.mxlmics.com www.presonus.com www.sonnoxplugins.com PreSonus DigiMax DP88

www.psneurope.com

P20 JANUARY 2016

The strategic position

New CEO David Angress on the factory floor

The book of regenesis

It’s one year since the Berlin-based monitor manufacturer faced extinction, writes Dave Robinson. Restructured and rejuvenated, with a new CEO to boot, ADAM’s garden is rosy once more

D

avid Angress is standing next to a huge S7A Mk2 in the ADAM Audio factory. “It’s the biggest monitor we make,” he says, “and we sell them regularly.”

The slightly smaller model, the S6X, is well-liked by studios worldwide, he reveals; at the other end of the scale, the compact A7X remains the most popular monitor his company produces.

But for a few weeks in late 2014, this very nearly wasn’t the case. ADAM Audio filed for bankruptcy in mid-November 2014 after, in the words of its founder and then-CEO, “too fast a growth with too many products created a capital demand we could not raise.”

Fortunately, the hiatus lasted less than a month: in mid-December, ADAM announced it had restructured the business and secured new funding from Munichbased entrepreneurial investor CWM. “Yes, in 2014, problems with financial management resulted in insolvency – but that was extremely shortlived,” nods Angress. “In this case, a group of German investors, who knew the company well already, came in and very quickly – literally – saved the company.”

ADAM made quite the impact from a standing start when it was founded in 1999, rapidly becoming well established as an alternative to Genelec and other high-end brands in many territories. The company quickly adopted Air Motion Transformer (AMT) technology, invented by German physicist Dr Oskar Heil, as a key design component. AMT was first produced in

commercial form in the early ’70s: ADAM used that as the basis for a “second generation” approach, which was named Accelerating Ribbon Technology (ART).

ART is a variation on – an evolution of, if you will – the original principle, producing a clear high-end extended beyond the range of the human ear, with low distortion. X-ART (for ‘eXtended’) was a further development, adopted by the company in 2008. “X-ART is a particularly efficient way of moving air around – with very little movement of the actual diaphragm itself,” says Angress. “That has a couple of advantages: one is the clarity of the sound and the imaging, which helps a creative professional make good decisions when they are working – but it also allows that creative pro to listen to longer without fatigue.

Today, a year after the insolvency problem, ADAM is “re-energised” and wholly back in the game.

According to Angress, CWM is a “small private group that invests in companies that they believe have lasting value. They were aware of the company before the insolvency, that’s why they were able to act quickly.”

CWM decided the renewed ADAM needed leadership from an industry figure; Angress, who had already been consulting for them in the USA since January, was the perfect fit. He was appointed CEO on 1 August.

Know the industry he certainly does. Angress grew up at the centre of all things hippy: 1960s San Francisco. (“Have I ridden a bicycle naked? I couldn’t say while you’re recording this! But I was at the last

www.psneurope.com/business

Beatles show in ’66…”) He learned electronics and “tube theory” – and, he notes, “I really liked AMT technology back in the ’70s too.”

The Californian worked for AKG until it was purchased by Harman in 1993. Moving to JBL, he was then asked to join the Guitar Center retail chain in 1996. He was part of an executive team which grew “a $200m company into a $2bn one”, before leaving in 2011 to open a consultancy service.

Well-known and much-admired across the wider pro-audio and MI business, his appointment is something of a coup for ADAM. “I enjoy international travel, and learning, and being in other cultures too,” reveals Angress. “When the investors asked me to get involved, I jumped at it. I love Berlin: my mother is from the very neighbourhood where this factory is located, and I have dual citizenship.” A re-acquaintance with AMT/ART technology, his family history with the city: Angress’ relocation to ADAM Audio in Berlin is nothing less than him “coming full circle”, he says.

He’s not just a short-term caretaker, either.

“No!” he emphasises. “What attracts me to this industry, beside the technology, is the passion. People in this business typically share the passion that the musicians, engineers and producers have for the product.

“The people here have been passionate about making professional monitors from the beginning

P21 JANUARY 2016

The X-ART transducers are handmade in the Berlin HQ

ADAM Audio A7X monitors, ready for packing and shipping!

and taking care of the customers and that continued through the transition to new ownership and those people are, by and large, here now.”

“The company has new ownership but the engineering, the focus on the customer, building of the tweeters… these characteristics are still in place and, if anything, they are re-energised,” he emphasises.

“Marketing and sales, R&D – significant investment has been made in those areas – you’ll see those products when they are ready – but we are shipping and happily installing around the world.”

Every line that was shipping before the transition is shipping today, Angress confirms, but the main focus has shifted away from high-end residential systems.

“We were very involved with the hi-fi market as well as studios,” he confirms, “but we have refocused our primary energy on pro monitors. We have many hi-fi customers that we work with – we’re grateful for their business and support – but our focus is creative tools for professionals.”

“All of us in this industry are selling art supplies,” he muses. “If instead of making music our clients were making paintings, I’m sure we at ADAM would be arguing over brush thickness and boar bristles.

Ultimately we’re helping artists to create their masterpieces.”

While most components are sourced from many places – there is no woodshop in the factory, for example – the all-important X-ART units are assembled onsite, and this includes the folding of each delicate metal foil that forms a ribbon tweeter. (A peep into the room where a group of skilled workers carry out this task is an essential part of any visit to the HQ: this is where that “passion” is made manifest, it could be said.)

Final assembly, testing and packaging are all Berlinbased. “We need to make sure we don’t ever trade off the quality that the brand has become known for,” states the CEO. “Low distortion, good phase response, the ability to place things in the mix very accurately… and I’m told ADAM mixes translate very well into other environments.”

One year on, what still needs to be done at the

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company?

“There’s no such thing as the perfect loudspeaker – we just strive to improve what we’re building and how we’re building so we can give our customers increased value: better and better loudspeakers for less money over time. That needs constant attention.”

As ADAM Audio continues to grow in the marketplace, and build on the base of 80 countries where its products are to be found, it’s time to move on from old perceptions.

“Historically, product decisions were made by one man and everyone worked to his vision.

“Today, it’s about a team that are responsible and accountable for different disciplines – a strong and confident R&D division, for instance – a team that has set up ADAM for future growth.” www.adam-audio.com

P22 JANUARY 2016

Studio

France

Voulez-vous un studio?

One of the few remaining residential studios in France is on the market. Owner Jean Gamet hopes to see its legacy live on – and keep property developers at bay, writes Erica Basnicki

L

ocated in the commune of Tarare in the Beaujolais wine region, Hacienda Studios is built on the grounds of an old orchard. The main live room – Studio A – resides in what was once an old fruit farm. More precisely, an old fruit farm that belonged to studio owner Jean Gamet’s great-grandfather.

Despite being in the family since 1850, Gamet says the time has come to move on. He will be celebrating his 70th birthday in 2016 and hopes to sell Hacienda to someone who can keep it going as a studio. Otherwise – like so many studios around Europe – the buildings will be sold to property developers. Either way, there’s only four months left: the deal must be done by April. “It’s a bit sad, but that’s life,” says Gamet matter of factly.

Over the course of its 30 years in operation, Hacienda Studios has developed quite the reputation, given its lowkey surroundings.

“Hacienda is a well-known studio in France, but it’s especially known for discovering new artists,” explains Gamet. “That was my job: discover new artists, produce them and get them a recoding contract, which I did for a long time. That’s how the studio got its name. We made gold records with unknown artists. That kind of success, and the way we record here, attracted a lot of the big acts in France to Hacienda.”

There were also big acts outside of France who came to record at the studio, most notably a young Youssou N’Dour, American guitarist George Benson and Sly and the Family Stone guitarist/bassist Larry Graham. In the case of Graham, he was simply looking for a place to rehearse before a gig at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Gig over, he came back to Hacienda, staying several weeks to record.

Jean Gamet with (L–R) Larry Graham and production partner Stéphane Piot

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P23 JANUARY 2016

Hacienda’s tranquil surroundings have always been conducive to creativity. Now, with a new motorway (the A89) linking Tarare to Lyons in just 10 minutes, the studio is also well situated for business.

“There are some very interesting possibilities for the studio’s future. Not only do we have a qualified team of engineers already working here, but there is a growing festival scene in the Beaujolais region and a new live venue being built in Lyons,” says Gamet.

He adds that although the advent of broadband internet initially had a big impact on the number of residential bookings at the studio, they are now seeing a resurgence of bookings from bands looking to get away from it all and let the creative juices flow.

To that end, Hacienda’s on-site gîte, or holiday home, can accommodate up to eight people, and there’s Les Jardins de l’Hacienda, a bed and breakfast two minutes down the road run by Gamet’s younger brother Bruno.

However, if something a little bit more elegant is required, the nearby Château de Bagnols – a deluxe five-star hotel with its own helicopter pad to quickly whisk celebrities in and out incognito – is another option.

Inside Studio A is a rarely seen 64-channel Lafont Chroma console – one of only two in France. Gamet explains: “Jean-Pierre Lafont, who manufactured the

console, is considered to be the French Rupert Neve. He sold about 40 to 50 consoles, especially on the west coast of America, most notably for post-production.”

“I’ve always been very faithful to the Lafont sound. It’s an extraordinary sound: like a Neve but easier to use.

The desk was entirely serviced in 2014 so its in perfect condition... and it’s a magnificent desk at that.”

Even more impressive are the acoustics inside the live room in Studio A, which took nearly a year to build.

The walls are made entirely of stone and stand nearly a metre thick. Gamet is less matter-of-fact as he describes the sound of the room. Perhaps also because resonating within those walls are the echoes of over 30 years of music, 30 years of Gamet’s career and 30 years of chasing sonic perfection.

“The sale price of the studio doesn’t reflect the work that’s gone into that room. If you factor in the work I put in to improve the acoustics in there over the past 30 years, it would cost a fortune,” says Gamet. “I’m not interested in making a fortune. I’m interested in providing an ongoing benefit to artists and musicians.”

Interested in Hacienda? Get in touch tout de suite with the studio’s English correspondent, Jacques Roux, on +33 (0) 6 40 66 04 88. www.studios-hacienda.com

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P24 JANUARY 2016

Studio

World

The plugged-in LinkedIn, three years on A trio new investors have thrown their weight behind Shachar Gilad’s ever-expanding pro-audio social network as it targets an even better 2016, writes Jon Chapple

S

oundBetter, an online portal which connects musicians with audio engineers, is targeting accelerated growth in 2016 after receiving an injection of funding from Silicon Valley investors Foundry Group, 500 Startups and AOL Ventures.

New York-based SoundBetter first came to PSNEurope’s attention in February 2013, when its founder, Israeli Shachar Gilad, told us he launched the platform to help musicians find and hire production professionals while also helping the latter to get work. It has since grown to include tens of thousands of mixing and mastering engineers, producers, songwriters, session singers, drummers and more in over 3,000 cities worldwide.

SoundBetter’s diversity of users – it started out only listing (mixing/mastering) engineers – makes the current version of the site a great resource not only for musicians, but for audio pros looking to hire other pros for their own productions, says Gilad.

“We’re finding that service providers are now hiring each other,” he comments. “For example, a producer can find a singer and hire her securely through the platform. This increases artists’ access to top talent beyond their local network, and adds a layer of trust when hiring remotely. Clients know they will get the best prices due to competition and transparency on the platform.

“Artists also benefit from great service thanks to the built-in review system. Discovery is simplified with the ability to find the right fit based on reviews, sound samples, genre specialisation, credits and more.”

Artists posting a job on SoundBetter receive a handful of custom proposals for free from SoundBetter’s ‘Premium Pros’ – users who have been through the site’s screening process and vetted for their “experience, skill and customer service fit”. “This ensures clients coming to SoundBetter have a great experience,” continues Gilad. “Only a small portion of applicants are accepted as SoundBetter Premium Pros, keeping the quality of the work at a top level.”

Professional users’ public profiles include credits, sound samples, gear lists, interviews, verified reviews and endorsements, positioning SoundBetter as “the

Every day we connect pros in New York with clients from Japan and Saudi Arabia, Grammy winners with clients from Taiwan and Russia…

It’s really rewarding

SHACHAR GILAD LinkedIn of the pro-audio world”, says Gilad, with pros using their SoundBetter profile to develop and manage their online reputation. “Every day we connect pros in New York with clients from Japan and Saudi Arabia, pros in LA with projects from Turkey and Australia, Grammy winners with clients from Taiwan and Russia,” he says. “It’s really rewarding.”

As an example, British artist James Stordy recently hired American artist Andrew Capra through SoundBetter, and their song is now nominated at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards.

SoundBetter is also planning to form partnerships and integrations with DAW/pro-audio manufacturers.

“By connecting their users with vetted, service-

www.psneurope.com/studio

oriented pros who help them make great sounding music and get to the finish line, we help our partners enhance the experience and usage of their products,” Gilad concludes. “That’s a great win for everyone.” www.soundbetter.com

ES Series Renowned for clarity, output and versatile capabilities that has amazed audio professionals around the globe.

www.kv2audio.com/es

P26 JANUARY 2016

Studio

United States/Europe

Send your mics into Orbit After 50+ years, is the humble microphone stand facing annihilation? Not exactly – but Triad-Orbit’s “quantum leap” forward in stand technology has changed what used to be an afterthought beyond all recognition, writes Jon Chapple

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s a studio owner, you’d never consider skimping on audio gear, backline, acoustic treatments or furniture – so why do so many make do with cheap, nasty, not-fit-forpurpose mic stands?

That’s the question posed by Triad-Orbit, a US-based manufacturer which claims to represent “a quantum leap in the evolution of the microphone stand” with its range of premium, heavy-duty mic stands, booms and adaptors for studio, live and broadcast applications, distributed in Europe

by Belgium’s FACE (Foundation for Audiovisual Commerce & Engineering).

“As a system, T-O constitutes three basic elements: Triad, a range of advanced, adaptable tripods; the Orbit series of orbiting boom arms; and Micro, which are smaller orbiting mic adapters,” explains Herschel Blankenship, managing director of Triad-Orbit parent Access Products Group. Each stand also includes T-O’s IO quick-change coupler.

Blankenship started his career in music retail, before moving into creating OEM products for the MI and pro-audio markets (“Chances are you own and use music products made by Access for one of our many partners”) and, ultimately, his own company. (In addition to TriadOrbit products, Access also makes the eponymous brand of guitar bags and cases.)

His partner in Triad-Orbit is Andy FACE’s Karel de Piere exhibits the Triad-Orbit Aldrich, who for over 30 years was the range at the PLASA Show in October 2015 owner of American Music in Seattle, the largest MI retailer in the US’s Pacific north-west, before his retirement.

A popular configuration for a Triad-Orbit stand/boom setup is T2–O1–M2: a Triad T2 standard tripod, Orbit O1 long single-arm boom and Micro M2 adaptor. This full solution has “now sold in the thousands”, says Blankenship, “but by switching out the O1 for our dual-arm O2 or the new O2X, we have seen steady growth and sizable numbers. Then you add the iOrbit iPad-/tablet-holder and IO-C clamps the range includes retrofittable versions of Micro adapters for additional arms and mounting points for extra mics, and the IO series of couplers (IO-R), mounting heads computers and lights, and it gets wild – it’s way beyond just (IO-H), clamps (IO-C) and wall plates (IO-W). According to audio.”

Blankenship, the quick-change IO-R – standard on all new As well as offering new stands and booms, Access/ Triad Stands and Orbit Booms – is “our number one-selling Triad-Orbit also manufactures solutions to retrofit old mic product”. stands with “Triad-Orbit innovation”. Dubbed T-O Retro, “We refer to the IO-R adapter as ‘the little gateway drug’,”

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The Triad family of stands

he says. “This unique adapter is a coupler that attaches to any existing mic stand with a locking cam; now any conventional stand is transformed to our quick-release, reliable IO technology platform. These units sell to schools, churches, institutions, studios and sound stages in bulk to convert all mounting points of already owned and existing stands to IO… it’s just a better idea!”

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P28 JANUARY 2016

Studio

Among the converted are producers David Kulmusky (“It belongs in every […] studio, over any conventional stand”), Russ Long (“they’ve changed my workflow in the studio and the way I work with microphones”), Neeraj Khajanchi (“I knew when I built my studio Triad-Orbit stands would the only stands I’d use”) and Glenn Rosenstein (“a work of art”), and user feedback is overwhelmingly positive: a Gearslutz. com thread on the stands quotes grateful user ‘rkopald’ as saying he “can start using my Regensburg Dom [U 47 replica mic] without having a stroke every time I have to move the mic stand”.

The T2 is also twice nominated for a NAMM TEC Award, and has won Pro Sound Network (the online presence of PSNEurope’s US sister titles Pro Sound News and Pro Audio Review)’s Par Excellence Award and Best in Show for NAMM 2014.

If Triad-Orbit’s solutions are as revolutionary as it and its endorsees say, why has it taken until now for someone to create a ‘premium’ microphone stand? Does it say something about the majority of engineers and musicians that they’ve put up with such poor quality products for so long?

Blame it on our throw-away society, says Blankenship: “Most stands have ‘devolved’ to commodity levels with lowcost imports and cloned repetition. When products become disposable, the market norm becomes ‘buy it cheap, use it, throw it away and get another’.

“As mic technology has evolved, […] the mass, weight and size, along with soaring prices, have increased the concern and demand for stable, secure tensioning and adaptable stands. Enter T-O: a design which is really a system of quick connect tools to build and configure an endless variety of support configurations for the largest and most expensive and precise microphones.”

All very impressive – but when a generic boom-mic stand can be had for, for example, £14.99 from Gear4music (as opposed to roughly £130 for a T2 tripod), how can TriadOrbit make a vastly more expensive product a must-have for the recording industry as a whole?

By changing the game, of course (sorry): “The basic mic stand and tripod stand have been around virtually unchanged for more than 50 years,” says Blankenship.

“There is no substitute for true innovation through original design.”

“T-O is a revolution in mic placement technology, with improvements in stability, adaptability, portability and reliability, and [we are] now developing converging parallels for AV, multimedia in lighting, video cameras and screen/ tablet support with an all-in-one stand support system…”

One believer in Blankenship’s microphone revolution is Karel de Piere, FACE’s CEO. De Piere’s first experience with Triad-Orbit products was “in a hotel room at NAMM. I was invited by [4M4You founder] Mike van der Logt to check out a new brand. At first I wasn’t very enthusiastic – how many new stand brands does this industry need? – but when I did check them out I found myself still in the room four hours later. I was beyond intrigued.”

What exactly is FACE’s relationship with T-O? Reseller?

The Voice deploys a T3–O2 stand system for Christina Grimme and Ed Sheeran

Distributor? “It’s based on a joint-venture model,” de Piere explains, “a commercial partnership that resulted into a Triad-Orbit HQ for Europe. Ultimately we are commercial business partner for the brand.”

The convergence of traditional AV disciplines, mirroring the rise of bedroom producers, YouTube celebrities and their like, is something very much at the forefront of Blankenship’s plans. “Our latest product developments are really focusing on the multimedia YouTube/podcasting online world,” he explains. “Individuals are becoming one-man bands as photographer–videographer, engineer, commentator, artist, editor and producer – that is real convergence, and with that comes shared technologies and the need to have portability and adaptability…”

However, the (vlogging) world is not enough, and

Blankenship is already looking forward to a future where “all T-O products [have] the capability to inter-connect all new products with all existing products.

“In the longer term we are already transitioning T-O into different markets: consumer products; medical; interior architecture, both lighting and fixtures; marine; RV; sporting, etc. We just continue to discover new applications and opportunities…”

As for Karel de Piere, he’s in contact with Pinewood Studios about supplying a Triad-Orbit-based ADR setup. “They had been looking for a clear solution for an ADR system,” he says. “[T-O is] fully customised for the application.” www.triad-orbit.com www.face.be

New applications: T-O is developing “converging parallels for AV, multimedia in lighting, video cameras and screen/tablet support…”

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P30 JANUARY 2016

Studio

Nico Odorico with the SSL Aysis Air in Studio B

Italy

A flutter of Angel’s Wings Mike Clark is uplifted by a new HD recording studios with a vintage analogue heart

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fter working on the project for three years, Nico Odorico and Monica Zinutti recently opened Angel’s Wings Recording Studio & Arts Center [sic] in a villa immersed in the greenery of Piantanicco, a small town in north-eastern Italy.

The vision behind the facility is to try to put the ‘soul’ back into music production, combining the owners’ professionalism, passion and almost 20 years’ musical experience with in-depth administration, management and commercial knowledge and solid financial foundations. As well as being a sound engineer, Odorico is also an accomplished musician, singer and composer.

The studios’ acoustic design, by Jakarta-based Texan designer John H. Brandt, follows’non-environment room’ principles, which uses room treatments to remove any influence that acoustics could have on monitored sound.

The walls are soundproofed by the application of 1,600sqm of layered 18mm plasterboard panels, enclosing a layer of Green Glue damping compound, making the walls more elastic to dissipate vibrations, and approximately 1,800sqm of fibreglass, to obtain maximum sound insulation. A fibreglass-and-mineral wool-filled wooden acoustic control structure is applied over this, while the ceiling is mounted using Sylomer for vibration damping and a ‘cloud’ flown over the mixer creates a reflection-free zone.

Studio A features a floating oak floor, wall fabrics chosen for their high acoustic transparency and sand-filled wooden acoustic doors ensuring total sound insulation (each weighing 170kg).

Studio A hosts what Odorico calls “The King”: a Solid State Logic 4064 E/G console refurbished by Pete Higgs, used in Gary Barlow’s studio and previously owned by

selected equipment personally according to my ideal modus operandi, which integrates a modern digital work set-up using HD recording with the warmth and colour of the analogue sound of top-grade equipment from the ’80s to the 21st century, put at the heart of the production chain.”

There’s too much rare and unusual outboard at Angels Wings to highlight any one piece collected over 15 years. Instead, the engineer proudly points out two 1971 Klein & Hummel UE1000 mastering equalisers, a Maselec MLA-4 multiband mastering compressor, a pair of Telefunken V78 valve microphone preamplifiers, an Altec 436C valve compressor (frequently used by The Beatles at Abbey Road Studios), three very rare 1970 Neumann PEV equaliser modules, four vintage Neve 1073 mic pramp/ equalisers, four Filtek MK4 broadcast equalisers, four Neumann U 491A equalisers and four U 473A compressors (the last few items all from the 1970s).

The facility also includes a comfortable relaxation/lounge area with library and kitchen, and during the summer the spacious garden has benches, table, loungers and a barbecue.

Monica Zinutti says: “We firmly believe that a topgrade, technically prepared facility must be able to handle any type of recording work, no matter what genre is involved, and ensure artists a comfortable working environment.

“We’ve recorded everything from singer/songwriters, to jazz, new age, metal and gospel choirs and are currently finishing mixing work on a live recording of the 500-strong Italian Gospel Choir concert in front of Milan Cathedral [‘The gospel truth’, PSNEurope November 2015].” www.angelswings.it

This refurbished SSL 4064 E/G console used to belong to Gary Barlow and before that, producer Jimmy Iovine

producer Jimmy Iovine.

The monitor set-up consists of a Genelec 1033 threeway ‘Main System’, Adam Audio S3X-Hs, a Genelec 1092A subwoofer and a JVC UX-T550 micro system.

For recording there is a Pro Tools HDX with HD 10 software, PT HD I/O, Digidesign 192 I/O, Digidesign 96 I/O (two units) and a Cranesong HEDD 192 converter.

Studio A is connected with the facility’s 70sqm ‘Big Live Room’, designed to accommodate and enable the recording of a live bands in one go.

Odorico explains how Pro Tools is integrated into his workflow: “We use Pro Tools as a hard-disk recording system and editing workstation, whereas, for the actual mixing work, the channels are fed individually directly to the console.”

Studio B features a 40-channel SSL Aysis Air console with DK-Audio MSD200 mastering meters. Monitors are Genelec 1032As with a 1094A subwoofer, Adam S3As, Alesis Monitor Ones and B&W DM600 S3s; again, working with another Pro Tools system (HD11 this time).

Odorico continues: “I took the technical decisions and

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P32 JANUARY 2016

Broadcast

No prizes for guessing who these two gentlemen are...

World

WRC-15 confirms 700MHz reallocation The loss of 700MHz was expected, though broadcasters are taking some consolation that 470–694MHz has been confirmed for DTT for the time being. Nevertheless, as Kevin Hilton reports, the future for PMSE is less clear

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his year’s World Radio Conference (WRC15) wound up at the end of November in Geneva after nearly a month of what were described as “long, long discussions” of frequency spectrum allocation and what it should be used for. For broadcasters and wireless microphone users the outcome was inevitable, with confirmation that the 700MHz band is being given over to mobile network operators. While digital terrestrial television (DTT) is secure for now in the 470–694MHz range, the PMSE (programme-making and special events) sector, including radio mics, is facing the possibility of more changes.

The key decision relating to telecoms, with ramifications for broadcasting, was to “provide enhanced capacity for mobile broadband in the 694–790MHz frequency band”. This affects ITU Region-1, covering Europe, Africa, the Middle East and central Asia, with provision for a “harmonised solution” to implement the digital dividend internationally.

This opens the way for International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT, also known as LTE or long-term evolution), bringing mobile broadband services as well as other services for smartphones and tablets. Commenting on the confirmation of this transition, ITU secretary-general Houlin Zhao said: “The WRC-15 decision represents a landmark in the development of broadband mobile on a worldwide scale, regardless of location, network or terminal used. It goes a long way in enabling bridging of the digital divide, while fully protecting the other services

currently operated in the band.”

François Rancy, director of the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau, added: “The global harmonisation of the 694–790MHz frequency band that has been decided by WRC-15 paves the way for manufacturers and mobile operators to offer mobile broadband at an affordable price in currently underserved areas.”

Under the agreement WRC-15 is providing what it calls “full protection” for television broadcasting in the affected frequency band, along with aeronautical radio navigation systems. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) welcomed the WRC’s decision in relation to the lower UHF band covering 470–694MHz, which is used for DTT and radio microphones, intercom and in-ear monitoring (IEM) and was deemed too important to give over to mobile use.

As it stands there will be no change for allocating 470–964MHz, either now or at the next WRC in 2019.

Under current proposals there will be a review of all UHF spectrum from 470–960MHz at the 2023 conference, where decisions would be taken whether or not to further alter the Radio Regulations.

“The worldwide community of broadcasters welcomes this important WRC-15 decision,” comments Simon Fell, the EBU’s director of technology and innovation. “So should the millions of viewers who rely on DTT to watch TV. Now that we have certainty on access to spectrum, the broadcasting industry can complete the transition to fully digital television broadcasting. We can also

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continue to innovate and ensure that everyone has access to the benefits that new digital services bring.”

Christoph Dosch of the IRT, who is also chairman of ITU-R Study Group 6 (covering broadcasting services) and represents German public broadcasters at the NEM (Networked and Electronic Media) initiative, observs that the 700MHz band had been already lost to broadcasting and PMSE after the proposal at WRC-12. “It’s already been activated in Germany, so the decision at WRC-15 was just housekeeping,” he says. Dosch added that with Italy and Spain still using 700MHz for TV, the issue now was on how to make the situation work between broadcasting and mobile on a cross-country basis.

As for PMSE, Dosch says it was both good news and bad news: “Good because the band remains with its white spaces, and they continue to work. But it is bad because all services using 700MHz, including PMSE, will probably have to move out because mobile operators don’t tolerate that in the white spaces. They want virgin spectrum.”

He also pointed out that PMSE was not an agenda item for WRC-19 but could be included for WRC-23.

WRC-15 also reallocated the L-band in Europe away from broadcasting.

In the UK, spectrum regulator Ofcom had already made clear its intentions to offer 700MHz for mobile use. Earlier this year it issued a consultation on managing the clearance of the band, which it intends to complete by 2022. www.itu.int/en/ITU-R/conferences/wrc

Dante, Meet USB

…and Firewire and Thunderbolt and audio applications. Now you can network computerbased audio easily and inexpensively with Dante Via. Get more info and a 30 day free trial at: audinate.com/dantevia

P34 JANUARY 2016

Broadcast

Chris Watson is a much-respected veteran of sound recording

United Kingdom

Broadcasting the message of creative sound

The Sound of Story conference focused on what audio can do for a range of productions, from television to cinema to art galleries. Kevin Hilton went along the coast to hear the talk of sound

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he part audio plays in underpinning the narrative of a television or radio drama, documentary or film – establishing character and stirring emotions – is generally understood today but not always articulated. But this is beginning to change, with conferences and workshops discussing and explaining what music and sound effects can bring, not only for broadcast but also games and the growing genre of sound art.

The Lighthouse arts and culture agency in Brighton has been highlighting the role of audio in its The Sound of Story conference. The latest in the series, which took place at the Dome Studio Theatre during November, was subtitled ‘An exploration of sound and music in storytelling’ and brought together a diverse line-up of sound recordists and designers, musicians and artists.

Wildlife sound recordist Chris Watson is something of a veteran of this kind of event. His was the first session at the inaugural BBC R&D Sound: Now and Next event in May and he filled the same slot for The Sound of Story with a different presentation. Watson noted that much of what his work is done “in isolation” because of the remote and often unforgiving locations of the documentaries he records for. “Which is the great thing about festivals,” he said, “because you can share and exchange ideas. It’s broadcast in the widest sense.”

Watson’s work on prestigious natural history programmes such as the Life series and Frozen Planet with David Attenborough has fed into sound art projects and installations, most recently as part of the

National Gallery’s Soundscapes exhibition of paintings complemented by soundtracks. Watson’s piece was designed for Constable’s The Cornfield, for which he layered a series of natural sounds. He observed that in TV post-production the individual sounds could be brought up to make them clearer or turned down to be far away, making an analogy with painting in what was foreground and what was background.

Among the illustrations of his work were recordings giving the atmosphere and sense of a place, including the Mojave Desert and a Brazilian rainforest, captured using spaced omni-directional mics. Watson described these as “wider dynamic habitats”, which gave a palette to work with. He also described compressing time in his recording of a British dawn chorus, made over 90 minutes and compacted to 90 seconds. He said the technique was used for the time-lapse sequences popular in natural history, which he lamented were often “smeared with inappropriate music”. Watson also led a workshop, Capturing the Undercover Sounds of Brighton, the day after his session.

Composer Nainita Desai highlighted three different ways of composing music for picture: “I respond emotionally in a very direct way to something or sometimes I work without any images at all, writing blind and going on what the director or producer has described. The third way is a combination of the first two.” She illustrated this with two case studies: The Confessions of Thomas Quick, a documentary about a Swedish serial killer, for which she wrote music to

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Barry Adamson

replace guide tracks used by the director; and Mumbai High: The Musical, a documentary with music, featuring songs written in different styles and genres and then performed by the young subjects of the film.

A very different case study came from Matt Adams, co-founder of artists’ group Blast Theory, and sound designer Evan Jerred, who detailed the complicated logistics behind My One Demand, a continuous take film shot on location and streamed live to a cinema in Toronto earlier this year. Following seven people from the centre of the city to its rural outskirts, the production was staged three times, with pre-recorded sequences in case of problems, as happened on one occasion.

The audio set-up required Jerred to mix sources from three wireless mic packs; as one actor left the story the lavalier system would be transferred to the next performer by the sound assistant, a process that

P35 JANUARY 2016

Watson recording on Brighton beach (All photos: Roberta Matis)

Glenn Freemantle

continued through the production.

Jerred worked with Sound Devices 664 and 552 field mixers, noting sardonically that he had to “nail it” in terms of mixing as the action moved, following the actors either on foot or in front of them in a peddled rickshaw. Ambient sound was captured by an M-S setup on Jerred’s sound bag. The live feeds went back to a control room, where they were mixed with voice-over from a narrator in a booth. “The sense of live is very tangible,” Jerred concluded.

Gaming could be seen as a form of broadcast entertainment, particularly now that streamed and multi-player games are a major part of the medium.

Danish audio director and composer Martin Stig Andersen talked about his sound design for the game Limbo, which divided critics as to whether it was music or just noises. He also gave a preview of developer

Nainita Desai

Playdead’s upcoming release, Inside, which takes his use of electro-acoustics and spectral interpolation even further.

Musician, composer and filmmaker Barry Adamson chronicled his progress from being a self-taught bassist with post-punk band Magazine to writing soundtracks for David Lynch, complete with an uncanny impersonation of the director’s unsettling drawl.

The power of sound effects in film was brought over powerfully in Glenn Freemantle’s explanations of the audio concepts behind such films as Slumdog Millionaire and Ex_Machina. In his sound design and supervising sound editing work Freemantle has become a leading exponent of spatial audio, especially with Dolby Atmos.

This was discussed particularly in relation to Gravity, for which he won an Oscar and a BAFTA. Freemantle also explained how he achieved the sound effects for the

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Glenn Freemantle explained how he achieved the SFX for the arm-severing scene in 127 Hours, which made a gutwrenching experience even more so notorious arm-severing scene in 127 Hours, which made a gut-wrenching experience even more so.

By comparison radio could seem an old fashioned, one-dimensional experience. But the work of sound and radio artist Magz Hall shows what can be done with the technology, both for broadcast and installations. Hall ran through a number of her works, notably Switch Off. This series of ten ‘radio art works’ took its premise from the relevant issue of what will happen to FM bands if and when radio is switched over fully to digital transmission. This involved ‘trace stations’ broadcasting echoes of old programming, including commercials. “The idea was to ask what would be left in the ether,” she explained.

Lighthouse intends to stage The Sound of Story next year but no dates have been confirmed as yet. www.lighthouse.org.uk

P36 JANUARY 2016

Feature: Cloud services

Up, up and away! (Photo: BASE Media Cloud)

Not so much cloudbusting… …as cloudbuilding, with a new generation of service providers now offering broadcasters and post houses a more flexible, ‘virtual’ approach to editing, transfer and more. The sky is quite literally the limit, suggests David Davies

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he opportunities raised by cloud-based remote production have represented a hot topic in broadcast circles for several years, particularly in terms of the flexibility it may soon deliver for the coverage of major events such as sports finals and music festivals. But now the versatility – not to mention cost-efficiencies – of the cloud-based environment is beginning to make a sizeable impact on the world of post-production. And what’s more, it seems fairly evident that with developments such as Avid Everywhere now achieving traction, studio-based music recording and mixing customers won’t be too far behind in realising the advantages of cloud-based workflows.

This change is symbolised by the emergence of a new generation of cloud-based post-production, content and media service providers. Virtual Post is a case in point: led by CEO Jon Lee, COO Michael Wrightson and head of operations Chris Gallani, the company has a cloud-hosted MCR and a mobile workforce. Rather than use dedicated premises, VP has instead ‘multiple points of presence’ with partner post houses.

Wrightson alludes to an expanding client base spanning content owners, producers and other post houses, and cites as the company’s primary objective “to offer a service free of the constraints of running traditionally expensive and inflexible machine rooms; rather we see ourselves as a virtual machine room and [over time] are aiming to offer an end-to-end service for editing, sound and content management. At the moment we are focusing on the content management side and services such as frame rate conversion, 4K workflows, content distribution, archive and so on.”

QC (quality control) is one of the most important stages of finalising content and is highlighted as a particular

beneficiary of this new virtual way of working. “With videotape you were constrained to sitting in a dedicated room with complex monitoring to check for technical compliance issues,” says Wrightson. “Although a technical visual check of the content is still required in a filebased environment, utilising cloud based automated QC solutions has significantly improved the efficiency and flexibility of this process.”

There are still limitations to operating entirely within a virtual framework. “Craft editing, including some sound work, is still a very interactive stage of the post production process and benefits from close interaction with clients.

Although technology can help with this through remote and collaborative working this can still be technically challenging and is often not the best experience for both our staff and clients.”

In any case, cloud-based craft editing is not an immediate focus for Virtual Post, meaning that its vision of “using cloud for the back-end infrastructure as much as possible” now seems increasingly achievable.

End-to-end services Approaching the market with a strong background in ‘traditional’ post services, BASE Media Cloud has already made a notable impact on cloud-based post, despite having only been launched in March 2015. The company is in the process of evolving an “entire suite of services,” says managing director Ben Foakes, but for now is focusing on cloud storage and file transfer solutions.

Its current range of pay-per-use media solutions include media software as a service, high speed media storage, repository media storage and archive media storage. Incorporating intelligent file transfer technologies from market-leading names Aspera and Signiant, the storage as a service offer is proving highly popular,

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Michael Wrightson, COO of Virtual Post: “We see ourselves as a virtual machine room”

necessitating a dramatic increase in capacity during the brief period of the company’s existence (from 175TB to 800TB – and rising).

“The vision is that eventually our customers will be able to upload their data, tag and control it, undertake editing and the whole process of post, then master and publish it online,” confirms Foakes, who is already able to cite some high-profile clients including ITV Studios, Little Dot Studios (part of All3Media) and TC Soho.

At present, BASE Media Cloud does not yet have a “fully integrated audio mixing roadmap”, but Foakes can certainly see the opportunities for audio-centric services. “It’s going to be a lot quicker and easier to move the files around than with 4K video, which we have to deal with a lot now,” he says. “The way it would work is that we would be able to provide storage, file transfer and synchronisation between facilities; so, for example, making it easy for facilities in London and New York to collaborate on Pro Tools sessions.”

P37 JANUARY 2016

DutchView debuts new Cloud Production Platform Media company DutchView Infostrada premiered its Cloud Production Platform on November 22, making it the first IP-based live multi-camera production worldwide using the new technology, writes Marc Maes

Ben Foakes, BASE Media Cloud: “It’s clear that the cloud-based environment is going to be a much safer bet”

It would be fair to say that, adherence to existing working practices aside, concerns about security remain the primary obstacle to some end-users embracing the cloud environment. But Foakes makes a compelling case for it actually paving the way to a much more secure future for content. “With Aspera and Signiant, we work with the most popular media transfer solutions, and they are very well supported and all content is encrypted throughout,” he says. “That means the actual software stuff is watertight. In terms of the cloud architecture, that is provided by Vodafone and Zadara, with Vodafone managing the network and data centre. The Vodafone Data Centre is UK Tier 3, which means it has seven levels of physical access security and military-grade disaster proof premises.”

With the mainstream media reporting several major hacking incidents in recent months, Foakes agrees that the security issue will become evermore acute. “But the reality is that a lot of the hacking is taking place at a LAN level [through insufficiently protected] IT networks. It’s clear that the cloud-based environment is going to be a much safer bet,” he says.

Audio media’s cloud potential Whilst the UK is clearly a hotbed of cloud-based post activity, one of the leading technology providers servicing the market – the California-based Aspera – is able to offer a broader geographical view on current developments and their specific implications for audio work. According to Francois Quereuil, senior director of worldwide marketing, “the need for audio-media companies to conveniently ingest, share, exchange and distribute filebased digital content quickly, easily, securely and with the scale-out capacity of cloud platforms is at an all-time high – particularly in the US and Europe.”

High-frequency sharing of content between users and organisations is “a fundamental part of the digital audio supply chain and a key to remaining competitive.

Cloud platforms offer great efficiencies and yet, to date, audio companies have had to build their own piecemeal

DutchView Infostrada, part of the NEP worldwide network, has launched a multi-camera, IP-based video production platform. To support this, the company recently built state-of-the-art directing, audio and shading suites in its Media Park base in Hilversum, Netherlands.

German audio and video manufacturer Lawo supplied a substantial part of the technical equipment for the suites and stage boxes.

“The concept is to be able to capture a show or event in, let’s say Amsterdam, with directing, mixing and recording for broadcast being effected in Hilversum. Cloud Production offers a comprehensive IP-based audio-visual production platform for innovative flexible and efficient workflows,” explains Dirk Sykora, technical director of LDM Systems, the Lawo Group’s presence in the Benelux region.

Foe the live broadcast of Carlo’s TV Café and Voetbal Inside, DutchView Infostrada was the first to successfully bring a ‘Cloud remote-controlled’ multi-camera production to the air.

The on-site studio (in this case, located in another broadcast studio in Hilversum) was connected via IP using DutchView Infostrada’s dedicated dark fibre-optic network to one of the company’s data centres. The new Cloud Production suites then take on full control over the production process. Depending on the type of production, the director can work either from a location near the studio or from the central Cloud Production suites.

Both shows were aired on TV station RTL4, which is the most-watched commercial station in the Netherlands. Mark de Vink, business manager with RTL Netherlands Productions, was excited

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to see the two first Cloud-produced shows on the air with RTL. “Cloud Production is far more efficient than any other solution. We save in crew and travel expenses on site, and we only use the infrastructure, equipment and studio time needed for the actual broadcast,” he says.

Mark Tito, sales manager with LDM Systems, says the DutchView Infostrada Cloud Production Platform is a major project for Lawo. “Integrating Lawo’s IP-based video, audio and routing equipment, the complete Cloud Production infrastructure is centrally controlled via VSM, Virtual Studio Manager. The configuration comprises V_remote IP video production units as well as two Lawo mc²56 audio mixing consoles and Nova compact routers. Lawo provided extra engineering capacity and dispatched a team of engineers to do the setup.”

LDM Systems also provided the gear for the on-site Lawo stage boxes: Dallis I/O systems, Lawo A__mic8 analogue-to-IP audio interfaces, and V_remote 4 video encoder/decoders . The whole configuration is interconnected using the innovative RAVENNA/AES67-compatible protocol.

The stage boxes can be configured according to the needs of a specific production.

Peter Bruggink, CTO of DutchView Infostrada, concludes: “While many media companies and broadcasters are working on remote production and video over IP, we have made the leap to a cloud platform on which resources are available on demand. Our technical infrastructure and LiveCenter are the foundations of Cloud Production. We operate our own data centers and a 100% uptime dark fibre network. The entire infrastructure is monitored by our in-house developed monitoring tool GrandCentral and supported by a 24/7 expert service desk. This results in a very stable base for our new Cloud Production technology. I am extremely proud of this world first.”

P38 JANUARY 2016

Feature: Cloud services

solutions to the file exchange problem, including managing their own file exchange software on their own cloud and on-premises systems. This has resulted in constant struggles to increase transfer throughput and storage capacity to meet user needs; support ever larger formats even within cloud object storage file systems; achieve security within and between organisations; and keep up with the accelerating demands of shrinking production cycles.”

Aspera’s own latest response to these changes is Aspera Files, a single SaaS that allows media organisations of any size to establish a branded webbased presence for fast, easy and secure exchange of filebased media content between end-users. “Content can be stored and accessed in multiple cloud and on-premise

storage systems,” says Quereuil. “Built on Aspera’s award-winning and patented FASP technology, there are no file size or speed limits, so audio-media companies can transfer large amounts of content [quickly] and seamlessly using any combination of storage types with high-speed Aspera file transfer.”

Into the cloud The specific intricacies of craft editing, in particular, mean that traditional post houses are likely to remain in great demand for many years to come. And even the technology providers fostering the cloud environment expect ‘hybrid’ working practices to be ubiquitous for a long while yet.

“As audio-media companies become more comfortable with the cloud, cloud-based production is set to increase

DataCentre used by BASE

over the coming years,” says Quereuil. “However, companies are likely to use a combination of cloud-based and on-premises systems for many years to come, so it’s important to deploy infrastructure-agnostic solutions that enable them to store and readily access content in multiple cloud and on-premise storage solutions.”

But as he also points out, “the ability to share content anywhere will enable a new world of collaboration, sharing content and content delivery.” Whilst that is already manifesting itself in broadcast and post, the implications for audio recording and mixing seem pretty evident too as producers, engineers and artists look to collaborate more extensively on a global basis whilst ensuring they minimise production-related expenditure.

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Same with TouchMix. It’s one of the most advanced digital mixers ever made, with features that rival consoles costing thousands more. But its real genius is how the Presets, Wizards and Simple Modes put all that power to work easily and seamlessly to deliver you an amazing mix that will have everyone convinced that you are a professional sound engineer. How? Just like the DSLR, our own team of pony-tailed professionals* put everything they learned over decades of mixing live sound into TouchMix so that whether you’re a pro or not, you’ll get NYLH[ YLZ\S[Z X\PJRS` LHZPS` HUK VU `V\Y ]LY` ÄYZ[ NPN 5V V[OLY TP_LY JHU THRL [OPZ JSHPT HUK that’s why we say that TouchMix is Simply Genius. © 2015 QSC, LLC all rights reserved. QSC, and the QSC logo are registered [YHKLTHYRZ PU [OL < : 7H[LU[ HUK ;YHKLTHYR 6ɉJL HUK V[OLY JV\U[YPLZ

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We’re still investigating the cause of this phenomenon.

P40 JANUARY 2016

Live

Belgium

All change for Night of the Proms For the 31st Night of the Proms, rental company PRG made use of 20 channels of Sony DWX digital wireless. And like the Werchter festival, it was “all DiGiCo” for the first time, notes Marc Maes

Gavin DeGraw performs at the Sportpaleis (Photo: Sportpaleis)

A

fter 30 years, the successful Night of the Proms concert series has made a step change: while the everlasting John Miles continues to contribute his live craftsmanship, and the Il Novecento orchestra remains the musical reference, organisers PSE opted for both a rejuvenation of the ‘classic pop’ artists and a switch in the presenter/musical director tandem. In the same move, the faithful Fine Fleur choir was replaced by the country’s leading choir: the 40 female-strong, Metallicaloving Scala, taking the spotlight as featured artist.

“One of the reasons for our further commitment to digital wireless was that Scala brought in their own wireless (Sennheiser 9000) microphones system.

Mixing full digital wireless is easier than a mix of analogue and digital,” comments Patrick Demoustier, sound engineer at the Night of the Proms. “Last year, PRG invested in 30 channels of Sony DWX digital wireless.”

In addition to the Scala choir’s 24 wireless channels,

the production uses 20 Sony digital channels for all handheld microphones of presenters and singers, and the beltpacks for the guitars (played by the Kolcacny Brothers). All in-ears use analogue wireless channels, adding up to some 70 channels. The backing vocals use wired microphones. “In Germany, where the Beach Boys are on the Proms-bill, we will add more digital channels,” continues Demoustier. “The big advantage of the Sony DWX series is that they are compatible with other microphone brands. This year, we mainly have DPA d:facto II, Shure KSM9 and the ‘rocking’ Beta 58 mic heads. As for the beltpacks, we’ve tested them during a show with [Dutch band] BLØF – the difference with a guitar lead is almost inaudible.”

The fact that digital wireless systems are not subject to frequency intermodulation, resulting in the use of more channels simultaneously, increases their efficiency. Inevitable limitations on the amount of bandwidth available for wireless (the selling off of the 700MHz band across Europe, for instance) means,

www.psneurope.com/live

in the words of Dany Meeuwissen, pro-audio sales manager with Sony DWX distributor Amptec, “Digital wireless [is the] solution for the future”. (See report, p32.)

Both Meeuwissen and Demoustier are looking forward to the release of the new DWX-N series microphones. The N-series, with 24-bit/96kHz conversion offers more than a 50 per cent reduction in audio latency down to 1.5ms. “When using in-ears, the latency may become a problem,” says Demoustier.

“There’s a critical boundary here and crucial when, in the future, we will be using digital in-ears together with digital microphones and consoles.”

Talking about consoles, this year’s Night of the Proms sees PRG supplying a full array of DiGiCo consoles, just like they did at the Werchter Festival in the summer. One SD7, as main desk, and one SD10 (pre-mix for horns, woodwinds, percussion) are used as FOH consoles. On stage, a newly bought SD5 desk serves as monitor for the orchestra and Scala choir –

P41 JANUARY 2016

PRG backstage instrument pre-mix (L–R): Niels Vandenheuvel, SD8 engineer; Gunther Degueldere, system tech; Pieter Tanghe, wireless tech (photo: Marc Maes)

opticalCON fibre optic connection system

the artists and band’s monitor signal are controlled by a SD8 mixer.

“The big change is that we replaced the Midas Heritage in the backstage by a DiGiCo SD8 for the strings pre-mix,” continues Demoustier. “Switching from analogue to digital has a big advantage here. We have a lot of changes in the orchestra and almost no soundchecks – with the SD8 ,we can make presets for each musician/instrument allowing our engineers to make the perfect balance between these acoustic sounds and the rock band on stage. In total, we use 42 individually assigned channels, routed in groups to the FOH’s SD7.”

The Night of the Proms concerts in the Antwerp Sportpaleis (13–22 November) and Rotterdam Ahoy (27–28 November) featured artists including Joe Jackson, Gavin DeGraw, Scala and Natalie Imbruglia.

In Germany, the Beach Boys and OMD joined the Proms for 17 dates throughout December. www.notp.com

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P42 JANUARY 2016

Live

France

The joy of X Can L-Acoustics win over both the hire and install markets with its versatile new speaker range? Jon Chapple went to Marcoussis to find out

F

or a company so ubiquitous in the world of sound reinforcement, it’s hard to believe that L-Acoustics had, until recently, never opened the doors of its headquarters in the Paris suburb of Marcoussis to the press. (Although those of you who know a lot of journalists may not be too surprised.)

That all changed on 6 November when the loudspeaker and amplifier giant invited PSNEurope and a select group of industry press to tour its head office – a spacious, modern building (its uber-open-plan offices rather resembling BBC Broadcasting House as seen in W1A) filled with modern art and sculpture which was, until recently, also home to its production facility – and new factory and to listen to its latest line of coaxial speakers for the installation and rental markets, the X Series.

Equally at home in live or installed sound – L-Acoustics application engineer Dan Orton notes that the X Series “consolidates our touring and installation ranges into one product” (and the same goes for sales channels) – the allpoint source, all-coaxial X Series line-up comprises the tiny 5XT, “best for discreet fills and distributed solutions”; the X8, “optimised for compact, high-SPL fills and monitoring”; the X12, an “all-purpose enclosure for stage monitoring, fills and FOH applications”; and the X15 HiQ active stage monitor (demoed for PSNEurope in that order).

Through a combination of specially engineered cabinetry and the use of lightweight neodymium drivers, all three new models offer a much-reduced footprint compared to their immediate predecessors: the X12, for example, weighs 9kg less than the 12XT and is 24mm slimmer.

PSNEurope heard the 5XT, launched in 2012, and the three new boxes, first seen at Prolight + Sound 2015, in an extremely large dedicated demo room in the main building at L-Acoustics’ head office in Marcoussis, around 20 miles south of central Paris, which, in addition to the X Series set-up, contained a number of KARA arrays (sadly silent), a Yamaha Nuage console and a La-Z-Boy-style recliner, no less. (“This is how you know you’re at L-Acoustics,” noted one impressed attendee.)

The pole-mounted 5XTs were first up, immediately impressing all in the room with power and dynamics far in excess of their mere six inches. (Your correspondent’s notes say they sounded “like the saxophonist is in the room with you”, but we wouldn’t ever write anything so trite.) The X8s were set up according to their primary live application, for FOH monitoring, at the Nuage desk

Outside LAC1. The chap with the dreads is Bob

(although they are also suitable for short-throw sound reinforcement such as under-balcony fills), with the versatile X12s providing plenty of SPL over 90° x 60° from atop their pole mounts positioned just in front of a wall of Karas. The X15 HiQ wedges also pack a punch, with enviable coverage and dispersion (even if, judging by the reaction of one member of the French pro-audio press who kept asking for the music to be cranked up – “Drummers are deaf, you know!” – percussionists may find themselves reaching for the volume knob. They were no such complaints from the rest of us, however, with an impressive 6dB spare).

The X12, which includes integrated risers, can also be used as a stage monitor.

Every X-Series model bar the cuboid 5XT feature ‘L-Vents’: L-Acoustics’ name for the laminar-vented design it says eliminates turbulence and port noise. According to Orton, laminar-vented ports allow for an extra 5dB: with no parallel sides and no sound ‘eddies’, L-Vented speakers are “louder before distorting”.

While L-Vents are also seen in the K1, K2 and SB28 sub, the X Series was designed with a brand-new ellipsoid waveguide which “generate[s] both horizontal and vertical directivity with no acoustic compromise”.

For installation applications, the X Series is available with a complete range of rigging accessories, including the

www.psneurope.com/live

The X8, as set up at ‘front of house’

P44 JANUARY 2016

Live The full X Series range

Where it all began: The groundbreaking V-DOSC, as preserved in Marcoussis

X-BAR rigging bar, X-UL12, X-US1215 and X-UTILT long, short and tilting U-brackets, respectively, and RAL custom colours.

The launch of the X Series is L-Acoustics’ first since the opening of new production, logistics and carpentry facilities in 2015 which, said marketing director Stéphane Ecalle, “allow us to grow in lockstep with increasing demand”. Head office and production were previously located in the same building but had since outgrown the shared set-up.

While Ecalle revealed that the company initially considered moving into one new mega-facility with every department – from sales, marketing and HR to production and logistics – under one roof, he said property prices, “like in London”, are simply too expensive in Paris and its sprawling suburbs. The plan would, therefore, have necessitated uprooting L-Acoustics’ 250+ employees (and the 50–80 it currently hires every year!), the vast majority of whom live in the surrounding area, and forced them to move elsewhere – something unacceptable to L-Acoustics, according to Ecalle. (“The company is the employees,” he commented.)

The result, then, are the four buildings which make up the expanded Marcoussis site – the main office (LAC1); the new production facility (LAC2); and the new logistics

The new factory floor in LAC2

hub (LAC3b and LAC3c, for incoming and outgoing traffic, respectively) – and the new carpentry and paint factory, Simea (or LAC4), in Alsace.

The 8,200sqm (88,264sqft) logistics facility, which expands operating capacity by 300 per cent, became operational in the opening weeks of 2015; the new factory – which, at 3,000sqm (32,291sqft), doubles production capacity – followed in March, and the wood shop at the tail end of the year.

Meanwhile, the old factory, in LAC1, is currently in the process of being turned into R&D and training facilities.

As well as being bigger – two production lines and two test chambers as opposed to one of each – the new-look factory floor in LAC2 marks a significant change in the way L-Acoustics’ products are assembled. Whereas previously one person would build an entire loudspeaker, each now has responsibility for a single element, with the production line divided by role using truss cubes. Using this method, each speaker takes roughly 25 minutes to build.

This, along with the factory’s increased capacity, means production is currently at around 850 enclosures per week – up from 500 – with capacity to spare. Ecalle estimates that capacity to be enough for “the next few years” of growth.

www.psneurope.com/live

“In 1989, L-Acoustics was the first manufacturer to adapt coaxial technology to professional sound reinforcement, [and] ever since we’ve continued to advance and adapt the technology,” he tells PSNEurope, outlining the company’s vision for the X Series. “This mean X Series offers the absolute latest and best technology in electroacoustic design, HP components, weight and structural optimisation and aesthetics.

“The performance of the series is worthy of the best touring systems, the series is simple and choosing among the four purpose-built enclosures is easy, as each product is optimised for a precise application. We’ve designed a complete set of rigging accessories for installation, ensuring 100 per cent compatibility of the sonic performance between install and rental.” www.l-acoustics.com On 16 October, Reading-based SFL Group became the first company in the UK to use an X Series stage-monitoring system. SFL deployed the boxes alongside a flown KARA system for a congregation of 40,000 at the pentecostal Festival of Life gathering at the acoustically tricky ExCeL London. www.spl-group.eu

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P46 JANUARY 2016

Live

The Luna Cinema at Warwick Castle

United Kingdom

Cinema paradise Open-air movies as they should be. It might be cold outside, but something is coming back to warm your heart, writes Dave Robinson

D

o you remember the summer? PSNEurope does. Sigh. PSNEurope remembers those long evenings when you could sit in the park till late, nibble your scotch egg, sip your pinot grigio and – if you were suitably informed ahead of time – watch an arthouse movie.

An evening like this one, in fact: PSNEurope is sitting in a director’s-style chair in south London’s Dulwich Park, mesmerised once again by Tornatore’s beautiful Cinema Paradiso, currently being projected onto a 10m by 6m inflatable screen. Those who know the movie will recall the scene where old man Alfredo projects a classic romantic movie on to the wall of a nearby apartment block for an audience of locals. This screening couldn’t be more “meta” if organiser The Luna Cinema tried…

An idea which began with a bike accident eight years ago, The Luna Cinema has been a phenomenal success story. George Wood, a 26-year-old actor incapacitated for several months by a broken leg, wondered what it might be like to show classic, cult and arthouse films to a paying audience at a chic venue al fresco, as he’d witnessed in Sydney, Australia. His lightbulb moment quickly caught on: within a year, his business was hosting 15 screenings in and around London. A name change to The Luna Cinema in 2011 saw screenings swell to 125 in 2015, at venues as diverse as Hampton Court, Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, One New Change in St Pauls and Brockley Lido (… where they showed – what else? – Jaws. Did someone say “meta”?).

“It was far more straightforward to get venues on board than it should have been,” admits Wood.

“They’d tried open-air theatre before, but not openair cinema, so they were willing to give it a go.

What’s more, TLC has attracted sponsorship from the likes of DoubleTree Hilton, Estrella, Starbucks and – yes! – Branston Pickle. The operation now runs its own mobile bar. “A key factor as we’ve grown,” continues Wood, “is that we turn up, set up in twoand-a-half hours, and don’t stay overnight; we are low impact – minimal impact, in fact – for the venue.”

Tom Barton takes over the story in Dulwich Park.

“One New Change shopping centre was 200 people; Leeds Castle is the biggest venue, with around 3,000.” Barton is the event production manager for the “Home Counties” arm of TLC: it’s only with the big expansion in 2015 that the entrepreneurial outfit has set up a touring wing, to cover Cardiff, Edinburgh, the Isle of Wight and more.

Key to touring and keeping it low impact has been the purchase of a Nexo GEO M6 system from distributor Orbital Sound. The M6 can be scaled from a groundstack on top of the LS18 subs, to the six-per-side version seen in Dulwich tonight, to a maximum of 12 per side for the bigger performances, such as Hampton Court. Do the math: with two TLC outfits, that was a hefty 48-box purchase from Orbital.

“For the size of the box I think it’s incredible,” says Barton. “For us, size is a big thing. They don’t take up masses of space. M6 is minimal but packs a punch.”

The loudspeaker throw required is between 60 and 80m, he notes. “We’re not looking at high SPL, it’s more about throw and coverage. But when you do want it to be loud, the M6 can do that as well. Plus the size means it travels well.”

In another tent to the left of the inflatable screen, away from public gaze, is the technical heart of the enterprise. Here you’ll find two Blu-ray players

www.psneurope.com/live

Event production manager Tom Barton

Flying Nexo GEO M6 in Dulwich Park

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P48

Live

JANUARY 2016

running the evening’s movie of choose him instead. Hence, in 2016, you’ll see – Back to the Future also featured this Blenheim Palace, the Tower of London, summer; no surprises there – backed up Hyland House near Chelmsford and Tatton by two DVD players, a couple of custom Park coming on board –that’s more venues switching boxes and two Mac minis and 150 screenings in total. paired with MOTU interfaces. Figure 53’s It’s January yes, but – take a second – do QLab software drives the show, piloting you remember the summer? the I/O (the movie, the microphone Of course you do. And The Luna Cinema announcements, the sponsors’ advert will make your next summer the most presentations, the iTunes playlists) memorable yet. between Yamaha RIO Dante interfaces, www.thelunacinema.com the Yamaha QL1 desk and Nexo amps. The www.orbitalsound.com Dante network means that set up is “super quick” mentions Barton, emphasising Wood’s earlier point.

“What I’ve found recently,” adds We’re not looking at high SPL; Wood, “is venues like what we do it’s more about throw and because we take on all the risk – so coverage. But when you do they can add something to their want it to be loud, the [nexo] bottom line.”

“Plus,” he says, “venues who are M6 can do that as well. participating are like a calling card Plus the size means it for other venues.” Wood doesn’t travels well have to ask famous sites if they want to show movies; they phone

Tom Barton, the Luna Cinema

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www.psneurope.com/live

4HRL HU PTWHJ[ +LZPNULK [V IL HZ ZPTWSL HZ HU HUHSVN TP_LY I\[ VMMLY YHKPJHS ^VYRÅV^ LUOHUJLTLU[Z SPRL V\Y \UPX\L :V\UKJYHM[ -HKLY.SV^ Z`Z[LT THZZP]L +:7 WV^LY HUK H WYPZ[PUL PU V\[ <:) H\KPV PU[LYMHJL :P 0TWHJ[ KLSP]LYZ KPNP[HS SP]L ZV\UK TP_PUN HUK YLJVYKPUN MVY [OVZL ^OV YLM\ZL [V JVTWYVTPZL VU H\KPV X\HSP[` 7V^LYM\S KPNP[HS TP_PUN ^P[O [OL SLNLUKHY` )YP[PZO ZV\UK VM :V\UKJYHM[ -\SS` TV[VYPZLK MHKLYZ ^P[O :V\UKJYHM[ -HKLY.SV^ :[\KPV NYHKL LMMLJ[Z HUK K`UHTPJZ MYVT ):: 3L_PJVU HUK KI_ PU V\[ <:) YLJVYKPUN HUK WSH`IHJR PU[LYMHJL (ISL[VU 3P]L 3P[L PUJS\KLK )\PS[ PU :[HNLIV_ *VUULJ[P]P[` MVY 0 6 ,_WHUZPVU 9LTV[L TP_PUN ]PH P7HK ^P[O =PZP YLTV[L HWW 3HW[VW UV[ PUJS\KLK

:V\UKJYHM[ ;! ,! ZV\UKJYHM['OHYTHU JVT :V\UKJYHM[ <: ;! ,! ZV\UKJYHM[ <:('OHYTHU JVT

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P50 JANUARY 2016

Feature: Amplifiers

The power struggle Amplifier technology is engaged in a fight against physics and finances, discovers Phil Ward

I

n some circles, Class A can get you arrested. In the world of amplifiers, it’s more likely to get you confused – especially when lined up alongside Classes A/B, D, H and even I. All you really need to know are two things: firstly, Class D does not simply mean a digital power amplifier; and, secondly, never be tempted to exploit the latest generation’s remarkable savings in carriage weight by slipping in a bit of contraband.

Dig: the new breed However, amplifiers are in an ongoing transition from analogue to digital, and in doing so are becoming less and less inseparable from systems as a whole.

Powersoft’s Digam technology took the first live industry steps down this route, and the brand continues from strength to strength with the latest X Series and the DigiMod OEM suite, but others are on the same journey.

“Only five years ago, about five-to-10 per cent of a Crown product would be represented by a microprocessor or software,” reveals Marc Kellom, senior director for audio electronics at Harman Professional Solutions and formerly a leading Crown Audio executive. “Now it’s more like 40–50 per cent,

and increasing. Even without DSP or networking, it will have three different microprocessors for housekeeping functions: if you add DSP or networking there’s another one on top of that.”

So the computer is watching: temperatures, currents, voltages, mains, fan speeds… and making split-second decisions on them to optimise performance. But the heart of the amplification technology at Crown means DriveCore. “It has five patents,” continues Kellom, “embedded in custom integrated circuits used from the XLS range up to I-Tech – although I-Tech, for touring, has a higherspec DSP than installed-sound products. DriveCore gives us very high voltage capability, without the need for transformers.”

Ben Ver, Linea Research

The Ozone layer The Holy Grail, of course, is energy efficiency without the compromising of audio quality. Green issues are everywhere. The UK’s Network Rail, for example, obliges all tenders to contain energy consumption data – not just at peak draw but for the lifetime of the install, including standby – so all installation products face it as soon as they address this particular transport application. However, a cleaner

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planet may not necessarily sound better…

“It’s very easy for people to talk about great efficiency, and to show statistics, but not without a trade-off in real world audio performance,” warns Marc Kellom. Ben Ver, engineering director at Linea Research, puts it more bluntly: “The more

P51 JANUARY 2016

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES Paul Ward, sales and marketing director at Coda Audio, believes that everything that pertains to the efficiency of ampliďŹ er technology must today be applied to, and associated with, the total system in question. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obviously weight is the key consideration in touring, but also installation,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to shift from pure audio concerns to practical issues, and all of the leading rental companies I speak to say the same thing: income is ďŹ&#x201A;atlining, if not worse, while the costs of equipment, manpower and â&#x20AC;&#x201C; especially â&#x20AC;&#x201C; transportation have risen. The proďŹ t on, say, a three-month arena tour is being squeezed to an unacceptable point.

You have to give this at least the same priority as audio purity, and Coda Audioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lightweight systems address it directly. None of us are selling just ampliďŹ ers or speakers any more; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re selling system solutions. Truck space, and weight, could be the difference between proďŹ t and loss, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the future weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at in our product designs.â&#x20AC;?

efficient you want to be, the more difficult it is to get good sound quality,â&#x20AC;? he says, pointing out how Linea Research â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an established OEM force now just beginning to market its own-brand 44 Series ampliďŹ ers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is in constant dialogue with the leading semi-conductor manufacturers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to design a completely different drive circuit for the ones weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve settled upon, because their intended application was not audio,â&#x20AC;? he adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To make a difference, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to focus on the tiniest details.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although power ampliďŹ ers have become more efficient in recent years, sound systems for very large events have reached a magnitude where mains power requirements are hard to handle without the latest power supply technology,â&#x20AC;? adds Matthias Christner, head of acoustics development at d&b audiotechnik. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Power factor correction [PFC] is an essential feature to reduce the overall peak current draw of a system. Therefore an investment in innovative power ampliďŹ ers is not only eco-friendly and a performance improvement, but it simply saves

costs whenever generators power the system.â&#x20AC;?

Klas Dalbjorn is product research manager at Lab.gruppen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lab.gruppen has been conscious of power consumption and the inherent challenges for our customers for many years,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our improvements in power supply technology â&#x20AC;&#x201C; where the beats of the music are delivered using internally stored energy â&#x20AC;&#x201C; have resulted in a huge reduction in peak current draw and this has had many positive effects on how our customers use our amps. A really good example is that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now recognised by many of our customers that diesel generators can be

eliminated from indoor productions.â&#x20AC;?

Channel hopping DSP is driving all the advances in processing and digital audio transmission as they affect ampliďŹ ers but, according to Claus Renftle, head of electronics development at d&b audiotechnik, new ways of handling channel resources might be needed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Signal processing is a smart way to optimise loudspeaker performance and reliability,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is state of the art these days for professional, high performance audio ampliďŹ ers. However, device

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In Europe, call +33 (0) 78558 3735

P52 JANUARY 2016

Feature: Amplifiers

POWER CONVERSION During the recent Rugby World Cup tournament, hosted by England, Linea Research, as part of their testing regime, powered the FOH rig for a crowd ‘fanzone’.

Ian Elliot, MD of the contractor on this occasion, Suffolk-based Pyramid Audio, confirms: “We had 56 drivers, all on three 44 series M20 amplifiers, 6U, everything in the air plus 20 subs under the stage! It sounded amazing – better than these boxes sounded when new. control and signal processing are usually done in two different components: microcontroller and DSP – or sometimes in complex and expensive FPGAs. All of them are specially tailored solutions.

“Driven by the consumer market, the availability of powerful but relatively cheap multicore microcontrollers – such as ARM architecture – might shift the hardware and system approach within the next few years. Readily available tools based on operating systems like Linux or Android provide not only networking and multifaceted media streaming but also take over the classic DSP task of audio signal processing.”

“Moore’s Law leads to a cost reduction on the hardware side when it comes to DSP, and the investments that we make in integration lead to audible benefits for the user,” says Klas Dalbjorn.

“Two examples of this in practice are the way we can now tailor our current draw and how good the limiting schemes have become – now almost inaudible. The integrated audio networking saves cable cost and weight and gives us seamless redundancy at a much lower cost compared to previously available solutions.”

Waring Hayes, XTA Electronics

XTA-MC2 brand manager Waring Hayes draws attention to the solutions on board XTA’s new Adaptive Power Amplifiers platform: “We’ve included blocks of FIR filtering in APA, as well as dynamic EQ, but FIR filtering remains a ‘black art’ to many

“Incidentally, for the monitors we needed 32U for the amps and controllers. We could have done it with another three Linea Research amps in 6U…” “This just shows the size of system that can now be powered by just a few modern, state-of-the-art amplifiers,” says Linea Research’s Ben Ver. “There are some wild power output claims out there, but everybody has to play with the same laws of physics – and that means that to sustain a high power output it is all about efficiency…”

professional audio product is getting more and more an IT product,” comments Frank Bothe, head of R&D at d&b audiotechnik. “Software and networking are becoming an integral part of it and the quality of software a decisive factor. In installations, audio is increasingly part of the whole building infrastructure interfacing to media control systems, show control systems, voice alarm systems and many others.

But also, in the mobile world, the overall workflow of system design from planning to the event itself becomes more and more integrated and therefore related to software products. Tour productions are more complex and schedules are tighter than ever.

Planning software ArrayCalc shows the sound coverage for a Taylor Swift arena event

engineers, while dynamic EQ can be used to control noise levels very effectively as well. Audio networks are often thought of as a one-way street, like an XLR cable – audio goes in one end from a desk and out the other to the processor or amplifier. We’ve tried to use modern audio networking more usefully and every APA can also output four channels onto the network.

“This not only means you can share inputs across different amps, but you can also pick up channels that aren’t meant for this amp’s directly connected speakers, apply processing within the amp’s DSP, and put it back out on the network. Unused DSP channels can then be used by any APA, and it’s this resource-sharing that makes networked audio such an attractive proposition.”

Remote location Remote control and supervision remain central to audio system access in general and amplification in particular: seamless, reliable interfaces are required that test the technology in more ways than one. “The

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Today design and tuning of the sound system is happening long before the techs enter the venue, and happening long before the techs enter the venue, and to do so powerful software with accurate acoustic prediction is required.”

“It’s becoming the norm for the amps to have a full suite of DSP built in and the consequence of this is that remote control of this DSP is not only a nicety, it’s a necessity,” says Waring Hayes. “Amps do not have the same flexibility of position as loudspeaker management systems, insofar as they can’t really be sited where it’s most convenient. By default, they need to be near the speakers to keep cable losses low and cable costs down. No one wants to ‘paint the hall through the letterbox’ when it comes to configuring the DSP, so remote control is just part of the whole package. Making this work efficiently and simply, with an easy workflow, is more essential ever.

“Supervision should encompass security as well: amplifiers are subject to a much harder life than processors, and a closer eye needs to be kept on their performance. We’re working on APA’s remote

P54 JANUARY 2016

Feature: Amplifiers

Bill Becker, Bose Pro

software package to make it even more useful and flexible than AudioCore, and ensuring that it will be consistent to use with a mouse, a finger, stylus... whatever. Personally, I don’t believe that a tablet is the best choice for system set-up, but it works fantastically for supervision and monitoring.”

Bill Becker, manager of electronics development at Bose Professional Systems Division, is in doubt where the future of amplifier control lies. “Simple wired and wireless control of small and large systems from virtually any location is key,” he says.

“That means customers want mobile apps, VPN connectivity, integrated Dante configuration and compatibility with third party devices like Crestron through common interfaces like the Bose Serial Control Protocol. Customers can now control their home televisions with their mobile devices, so why not an installed sound system?

“They want to give control to various employees who already own different mobile devices, so integrators need to create custom control apps for Android, iOS, PC or Mac from one system design.

Downloadable tools like the Bose ControlSpace Remote app and ControlSpace Remote Builder software make it easier.”

A certain ratio And so the curve continues: lighter weight, more power, greater efficiency. Where are we now on this journey of diminishing returns? “Massive progress in power-to-weight ratio happened with the introduction of switching power supplies and switching amplifiers – Class D, T, I or similar,” says Claus Renftle. “However, this ratio will further improve as new materials for power semiconductors like GaN and SiC will enter series products within the next few years: they enable enhanced switching efficiency, reducing power loss and allowing for smaller heat-sinks and more compact devices.”

“The obvious change with switching power conversion was lower size and weight of amplifiers,” continues Bill Becker. What is less obvious is the

relentless technical improvement over time in the performance of the lighter boxes. Improvements include lower distortion, greater dynamic range, higher reliability and friendlier behaviour when stuff happens like maybe a nail through the speaker cable, or mis-wired speakers.

“Switching power conversion is here to stay, and will continue to improve in performance and efficiency. Technologies like new thermal interfaces, Gallium Nitride semiconductors and higher switching frequencies will drive down component size and cost.

Bose is doing research in these areas and others.

“More configurability in multichannel amplifiers saves the installer time and money. Historically we’ve been stuck in an arbitrary equal-power-perchannel paradigm. Amplifiers that can be configured for a variety of power levels within one amp, or share power between channels, provide more flexibility on

“What’s less appreciated is the fact that, if you increase efficiency, and so stop things heating up as much, you can sustain higher power levels for usefully long periods. It’s no good being able to generate 20kW if you can only do it for a few milliseconds. A major factor in sustaining power delivery comes from the ability to reduce heat rise – and the best way to do that is not to generate it in the first place…”

I before E, except after class D Does anything lie beyond Class D, which appears to be the default topology for today’s high-end pro-audio amplification? “If you take Class D as a synonym for ‘switching power amplifiers’, there won’t be an alternative coming up soon,” suggests Claus Renftle. “The evolution is happening inside it, with different modulation and switching methods, new semiconductors and increasing digitalisation.”

“Switch mode technology is here to stay,” adds Klas Dalbjorn, “but the development continues and there have been many improvements to how Class D is implemented in recent years. We forecast with confidence that even more advancements will come in the near future. Increased efficiency will lead to reduced internal losses that will help achieve further improvements in power density.”

But beware of classifications, says Ben Ver. “Class D is not inherently digital,” he points out, “and I am not aware of any all-digital pro amplifier out there over about 200W. This is because for any decent level of performance, it has to become analogue at some point. Our amplifiers have six microprocessors and DSPs in them, but they’re still analogue. The nomenclature is becoming rather overused: we could invent ‘Class L’, for Linea – but in truth they’re all Class D; which is a specific engineering topology, going back decades, by the way. The word ‘Class’ means one particular classification, and there is no hierarchy attached to it.”

site and require fewer unique models per job.”

“If we look back over the last 35 years,” reflects Klas Dalbjorn, “we can see that Lab.gruppen has been able to create power density improvements, which deliver twice the burst power in a given space, roughly every six years. While this used to lead to more and more power in a 2U rack space, we’ve now pretty much reached what makes sense to pull from a given wall outlet. Power density development is more recently found in what we can do with lower power levels per channel: more channels in a given space or more power for these channels.”

Waring Hayes is more sceptical. “It’s a continuing conceit, as well as a curve!” he says. “It’s always been a consideration, but as always the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If amplifier A drives your subs better than amplifier B, and sounds better… then it is better, no matter how may more Watts amplifier B is supposed to deliver. You can’t really fudge weight figures. If an amplifier weighs 15kg, that’s what it weighs. Efficiency is a little harder to quantify, but not so difficult to demonstrate. It encompasses both power supply and output stage efficiency, and is On the iPad: a basic remote control option for d&b amps provided by the integrated web server, which mirrors the touchscreen on a browser determined, of course, by the losses – how much you take in from the mains against how much audio power you can generate.

“As the major loss is always heat, the less you generate the more efficient the amplifier. Looking at two very recent examples of our latest amplifier technology, we’ve engineered an output stage and power supply combination in APA – and similarly in the new MC2 E60 – that increases efficiency significantly over previous designs, meaning less heat to start with, so smaller heat sinks and less unnecessary metal – meaning lighter weight.

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e v i s r r D sito d vi ur stan

o y to

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF

www.iseurope.org ISE is a joint venture partnership of:

Tuesday 10 February 2015 SHOW HOURS:

Tuesday 10 February 09:00-18:00

Wednesday 11 February 09:00-18:00

Thursday 12 February 09:00-17:00

The future: Integrated System Europe?

BY MONICA HECK The Internet of Things is set to turn the ‘integrated systems’ that make up Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) into a single unified ‘integrated system’, according to futuristic business mastermind and consultant Lars Thomsen.

Speaking on the main stage during the ISE Opening Keynote speech, Thomsen predicted the future of the AV industry would depend on the IPv6 Internet standard, which would create a rapidly growing “digital nervous system” across the world not unlike the current energy grid everybody is used to.

“In 10 years, 1,000 devices per human will be connected to the internet and this digital nervous system will incorporate all aspects of things that are important to humanity,

Thomsen: “In 10 years, 1,000 devices per human will be connected to the internet” such as comfort, energy, security, education and so on,” he said.

“Right now there are different halls in this trade show representing different parts of the industry. We are now at a tipping point where we

don’t have to think about isolated systems, but rather about moving onto a system that incorporates the internet as its backbone.”

Tipping points are a key concern of Thomsen’s, who doesn’t use slides

during his keynotes but prefers to let the audience connect the dots and imagine the future he describes.

“Tipping points are points in time where a new technology, or business model is cheaper and better than the way we did it in the past,” added Thomsen, listing the victory of artificial intelligence and robotics over ‘dumb technology’ as tipping points to look out for.

“Within 520 weeks, we will get to a point where robots can work in households or in elderly care, they will reach a price point where they are cheaper than employing humans for the same task. The implications to our society are big.”

“We have to do more than just look for trends, instead of waiting for the future we have to find the next tipping point and actively create that future,” he concluded.

A minority report on the future of pixels

BY LINDSEY M. ADLER A vacuum in professional computing has resulted from the evolution from desktop to laptop to mobile device. John Underkoffler, CEO of Oblong Industries, views the world through pixels and sees them as the key to filling that hole, which he shared in his Smart Building Conference address: “The Future of Work – Workplace Collaboration Thrives in the Spatial Operating Environment”.

Digital Signage p10

As an advisor to the film Minority Report, Underkoffler shared a clip he musingly hoped was “the last time we have to look at this.” Instead of being wowed by the ahead-of-its-time gesture technology, something he derided as “not what’s important,” attendees were asked to look for what was missing.

“This sequence is as much about the collaboration and the room as it is the UI.” Applying that to today’s business technologies, he asked,

Residential solutions p27

“How does computation extend [the] room? It doesn’t. [Modern computing devices] don’t care about the room. You have a bizarre complication.” Because they are so personal in nature, “They are anti-collaboration devices and anti-architectural devices.”

Underkoffler and Oblong Industries are working to get out of this “trap.” His solutions include: the more pixels the better; pixel interoperability; a user interface capable of managing all the pixels all over the place; and plurality, the

Unified Communications p56

need for systems that think about more than one thing - enabling the physical and social space for more than one person to work in tandem.

By teaching a machine to speak pixels, multiple applications can run at the same time complementarily. “It’s a kind of quantum leap between what you can do with a machine,” Underkoffler declared.

“We’re turning serialism into parallelism, linear into nonlinear, and raw technology into a more human approach.”

Smart Building p62

A DIGITAL THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM

Don’t miss your opportunity to advertise in the show Daily and ISE newsletter

sitor e, i V l ia or Offic ter, bef how slet st s New and po the to ng duri d direct r 88,000 an f ove tors to o s xe si inbo ntial vi nd pote our sta y

rial o t i d ed e ising e t n t ra dver he Gua a l l a t with ages in or pack f a Q&A o e form ion piec opin

ISE’ managing director Mike Blackman introduces the event as Chiara Benedettini of organiser Connessioni looks on

BY KIRSTEN NELSON It was “laptop land” at AudioForum@ISE yesterday.

The fifth edition of the day-long educational event presented by Connessioni certainly featured digital in every way, as nary a professional audio discussion would be complete without talk of software or DSP. Topics relevant to audio design, integration and live events were discussed in the context of building knowledge and business for a rapidly evolving industry, with participants taking keen interest in sharpening skills in modeling, time alignment, networking and Class D amplification.

Attendees from the live sound and installation worlds convened at the event. The notion of convergence was very much on the mind of Jack Cornish, a project

Continued on page 4

rs’ o t i b exhi nvert o t ness elps co venues i s u re nd h es b driv show a to solid the nities in t a ds tu stan s oppor es usin

Professional Development p68

b

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International: Gurpreet Purewal T: +44 (0)20 7354 6000 E: gpurewal@nbmedia.com Peter McCarthy T: +44 (0)20 7354 6000 E: pmccarthy@nbmedia.com

Please send all contributions for possible publication to drobinson@nbmedia.com

P57 JANUARY 2016

Hither & Luna

Don’t look back in anger: look back in an alcoholic, pre-Christmas haze, or while lying on a double bed in a park

Competition winners at The Luna Cinema get to watch the movie from the comfort of this double bed.

Cue the legendary line: “Those aren’t pillows…”

Jingle Jungle: Chris Turner (second from left) and his team get into the festive spirit at the Soho post house’s Christmas party Look who contributor David Davies (left) and the PSNEurope editor bumped into the Spirit of Talk Talk tribute night: the Talk Talk engineer himself, Phill Brown! (Not present: anyone from the actual band. Booo!)

An outstanding effort by all those who completed the Survival of the Fittest 10K challenge in November, raising over £34,000 for the Nordoff Robbins music therapy charity

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Wildwood PR’s Jeff Hayward and his punk outfit Fractured perform a Bing Crosby favourite at the Techmas 6 party in the 100 Club. “And may all your Christmases… be SHOUTY!”

P58 JANUARY 2016

Backtalk

James Towler James Towler, Steve Winwood’s engineer and producer of the new PiL album, talks to Simon Duff from his Cotswolds studio

J

ames Towler is a familiar name to the readers of PSNEurope, having won the 2009 Music Producers Guild Award for recording engineer of the year for his work on Steve Winwood’s Nine Lives album. Towler’s musical influences go back to his home town of Bristol, the trip hop of Smith & Mighty and a wealth of electronic dance music, but it is his long partnership, as both live and studio engineer, with Winwood that has shaped his professional career.

He is studio manager at Wincraft Music Studios, Winwood’s idyllic residential, commercial facility in Cheltenham, in the Cotswolds, and recently produced the Public Image Ltd (PiL) album What the World Needs Now… at the former barn.

Bricasti was a must.

I have converted the entire studio and all the live racks to Dante, and now I can roll them in and out into different rooms. We have just built a new rehearsal room at Wincraft for production rehearsals, so having the ability to use different gear so quickly and seamlessly is essential for my needs. It’s brilliant having a router at the back of a rack with all the mic pres which you can just roll into a room and connect it to the Wincraft network.

I have fibre linking all the buildings with Cat-5 ports in all the rooms. The future of both studio and live is about being ale to connect things creatively, quickly and easily. I have to thank Simon Short at Focusrite for all his support and Dante expertise.

What makes Wincraft special?

Steve [Winwood] and I make sure we always keep up with the latest technology, something reflected in the choice of equipment at Wincraft.

The control room was designed by Nick Whitaker at Black Box. Monitors are Focal SM9s; we went to Focal Twins about four or five years ago, then as soon as the SM9s came out we went for those. On the SM9s I love the focus mode, the passive sub on the top – I really do know where I am with the low end.

I use Millennia HV-3D mic pres, and Focusrite RedNet Dante network into either Pro Tools HD or PreSonus Studio One, which is a DAW I rate very highly. Microphones include a Neumann U 87, sE Voodoo ribbons – which I love for brass and guitars – Audix D2, D4 and D6 for drums, an Audio Technica AE3000, a Neumann KM85 and DPA 4099s on strings.

I use a Slate Raven touchscreen for console/DAW duties – it’s a great way to progress from the hegemony and boredom of a mouse and gives you that creative tactile advantage – and choice outboard includes two Summit TLA-100 compressors and Bricasti M7 reverb. I use a lot of UAD plug-ins but the

Turning to the new PiL album, What the World Needs Now… – the second album of theirs you’ve produced – what was the recording workflow?

It is worth noting that What the World Needs Now… is the first 100 per cent Dante album I have worked on. It was written, recorded and mixed in a single eight-week block starting in October 2014; we finished mixing on Christmas Eve. Initial tracking work was done with guitarist Lu Edmonds, bassist Scott Frith, and drummer Bruce Smith laying down ideas to Pro Tools running at 96kHz. Singer John Lydon was set up in the dining room area with an SM58, listening to those ideas and reacting, writing lyrics, recording vocal ideas.

Input-wise, some 32 to 36 channels captured 20 song ideas. Edits and arrangements followed: Ideas worked on and parts re-recorded and replaced before lead vocals and overdubs. Tom Colwell, assistant engineer, played an invaluable role managing the Pro Tools files. The final album mix took three to four days, with Lydon and John ‘Rambo’ Stevens, PiL’s manager, in attendance.

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How did you approach working with Lydon?

John is great fun to work with: very focussed and very into getting a good, positive vibe and then going for it full on. He’s hugely intelligent and knows what he wants, and works in a very theatrical and experiencebased way.

We did a lot of vocals in the control room, sometimes with no headphones; generally we would do four or five takes for each song, then comp and edit as we went. The workflow and communication was easy. Vocal harmonies were done, with the band, in the final hours before the band left.

What about mastering?

John Dent at Loud Mastering in Taunton did it in one day. He did Arc of a Diver for Steve, so I know and trust his views entirely. He uses ATC monitors and his set-up includes the Culture Vulture valve enhancer and Manley Slam compression. He really brought out the low-mids I was slightly shying away from during mixing.

Outside of Wincraft: what’s your live set-up like when you’re engineering for Steve Winwood?

For our live operation we have recently taken purchase of a DiGiCo S21. It was supplied by HD Pro Audio and demoed for us by [HD Pro Audio managing director] Andy Huffer. The S21 is a 96k live desk – we were previously mixing at 48k – with a small footprint and a really flexible operating system, as it the first DiGiCo desk that works on Linux as opposed to Windows. It’s that clean path that you would expect from DiGiCo. Steve and I are mixing a new live album recorded on the Steve Winwood Band’s American tour from April last year. Other projects coming up include some FOH work for Lisa Stansfield in Spain. www.wincraftstudios.co.uk www.pilofficial.com

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