June 2016
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Should we stay or should we go? Pro-audio voices join the Brexit debate P20 P22
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NO, NOT BREXIT AGAIN: KEVIN WALKER’S MONITOR MANUFACTURING LINE
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Welcome
PSNEUROPE Editor Dave Robinson drobinson@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
P3 JUNE 2016
Advertising manager Ryan O’Donnell rodonnell@nbmedia.com
Contributors: Kevin Hilton, Marc Maes, Dave Wiggins, Mike Clark, Phil Ward, Erica Basnicki, David Davies, Simon Duff
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DAVE ROBINSON Editor
@PSNEurope
A
very different cover style this month. But then again, it’s a very different month to come. While a significant number of suppliers, techs and support crews will already be knee-deep in Glastonbury fun and/or mud by June 23rd (and, as on other occasions, I say, good luck with that, yeah, cheers), others in our community will be voting on the EU referendum. Hence, we’ve canvassed a few opinions across the pro-audio spectrum, to see what our little world thinks about the debate. I hope you’ll find that David Davies’ piece, beginning on p20, shows that – from those people who were prepared to express an opinion (and, sigh, as usual there are those who wouldn’t) – there’s still no clear direction as to what industry leaders in the UK should do. What do I think? I think it’s obvious, even though it’s not a choice I’m comfortable with. I think we should vote Remain, despite the fact we have to endure the UK’s awful prime minister and the rest of his self-serving elitist government. As we’ve been told many times, ‘It’s the Economy, Stupid’. We have the trade agreements. We have everything in place to build business, without having to renegotiate our situation. Why would we sacrifice that? Why would we throw it all out, when all we are offered as an alternative by the Leave faction is spurious speculative opinion and knee-jerk claims of scaremongering and the like? There was a dagger-sharp article in the UK’s Observer newspaper some weeks ago by commentator Andrew Rawnsley, effectively saying, those who whinge in political debates never win. Leave are (still, even several weeks later) doing all the whingeing. He said they won’t win. And I agree. Still. Next time I write, we’ll see where we lie, won’t we? Back to this June issue, then. Lots of tasty bites: Kevin Hilton’s feature on branding throws up some illuminating takes on how to promote oneself; Dominic Harter’s keen to get started at Martin Audio; the BBC are looking at a major shake-up; and Ed Harcourt is feeling feisty. All I ask is you continue to tick the box next to PSNEurope...
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P4 JUNE 2016
Contents
In this issue... P44 BRANDING FLOWERS MANAGING YOUR IMAGE IN THE PRO-AUDIO WORLD
P24 GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME ANDREW SCHEPS HEADS TO THE WELSH VALLEYS
P54 ON ME ED, SON IN THE STUDIO WITH THE MULTI-TALENTED MR HARCOURT
Studio 22 Unity Audio: rock on! 24 Andrew Scheps’ move to Monnow
P34 BELT AND BRACES
Broadcast 26 BBC Charter review 28 AIMS Alliance: who’s joined and why
THE MAN BEHIND A MAJOR RANGE OF ELECTRO-VOICE MICS
Live Business 6 Music Inside Rimini (MiR) reviewed 8 Launching this year’s Pro Sound Awards 10 Vocal channel: Erica Basnicki and Dave Wiggins 12 Movers and shakers: industry appointments 14 PSNTraining: get yerself some skills 18 The strategic position: Dom Harter of Martin Audio 20 Should we stay or should we go? The views from pro-audio land 44 Brand ho! Image management in the pro-audio world
Technology 16 New products
30 SSL Live L500 breaks into Belgium 32 RF Transmission upgrades systems 33 Eighth Day Sound live with Macklemore 34 Electo-Voice and the new ND range 36 Entec and the Teenage Cancer Trust 40 Muse rides radical with Nexo STM
Installation 48 Shure Axient on the circuit. 50 Denon and Marantz are back!
Back pages 53 Hither & dither 54 Q&A: Ed Harcourt
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© Ralph Larmann
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P6
Show review
JUNE 2016
Germany’s Sven Väth DJed after hours Photo credit: Karen Righi
ITALY
New Italian trade expo debuts to all-round optimism
Original format combines demos, product debuts, culture and tourism, writes Mike Clark
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new event arrived on the Italian entertainment technology shoreline last month: Music Inside Rimini – Innovation, Technology, Light, Sound & Video’, organised by Rimini Fiera in collaboration with associations APIAS, SILB FIPE and ENA. The three-day show –MiR for short – attracted nearly 10,000 visitors who were joined on the first two evenings for the “Music Inside Festival” by numerous fans and buffs who flocked to hear and see their favourite DJs’ sets amplified and lit by exhibitors’ equipment. Industry members with fond memories of the SIB international trade show of old found a completely different format awaiting them at the exhibition centre on the Adriatic coast: a combination of expo, highprofile demos (under the ‘Live You Play’ banner) and
numerous events focussed on live music production. These included the evolution of technology and its fundamental role in shows and festivals, the potential of digital media for promoting live events and related sectors, such as ‘Mediterranean nights: Salento, Romagna Riviera and Ibiza for quality amusement’, a summit on the importance of famous venues and live events on tourist traffic. Six of the expo centre’s halls (96metres long, 60m wide and 22m high) were blacked out and each hosted two fully equipped stages on which live shows were followed by product specialists and sound engineers explaining the ins and out of their systems, and, in the case of the audio, enabling trade visitors to personally test them. Other full-blown sound systems being put through
Christian Paroni for EV/Dynacord/Midas
their paces outdoors and in the evenings included three Outline rigs used by a series of top DJs: the largest of the three (hosting Germany’s Sven Väth and Italy’s DJ Ralf) comprised 9+9 GTO, 1+1 GTO-DF, 24 DBS 18-2 dual 18” subs, plus four Mantas and two DBS18-2 as monitors. The rig was powered by six Powersoft X8 amps and processed via Lake LM44 units. On the Outline stand, on the last day of the show, co-owner Michele Noselli, commented: “We had a lot of traffic on our stand, visitors who weren’t at Frankfurt and existing clients who wanted to upgrade their
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P7 JUNE 2016
Outline’s Michele takes a moment’s pause!
venues’ sound systems. We got the impression of a definite upswing. We also had numerous interesting contacts with rental companies, particularly from central and southern Italy, and got negotiations under way for our GTO systems, which is very positive. In proportion, MiR went better than Frankfurt for us.” Andrea Torelli, marketing manager with K-array Systems, said the MiR format was good, as was the demo stage idea with its full K-array rig, but he considers there’s room for improvement, particularly in the halls’ acoustics, and outdoor space could be exploited better. “The domestic market only accounts for a small part of our sales, so there was a great need for an Italian trade expo and reaction was positive. There was a lot of interest.” Live You Play was launched by Gianni Fantini seven years ago, who was joined the following year by another industry veteran (Pierfranco Galleone) and the ramp-up from the 2015 edition’s two-stage format (held in Ravenna) was the result of the decision to join forces with Rimini Fiera, intent on re-launching the entertainment technology and MI expo scene in Italy, based on its experience with SIB. Veteran sound engineer and musician Luciano Graffi coordinated the sound checks in the six halls for Fantini, who enthused: “Things went even better than we expected!” Alessandro Bertoni, brand manager with distributor Molpass, designed the d&b Audiotechnik demo PA (two main hangs with seven Y8 and 2 Y12 each and a sub array with 12 Y-SUB and 2 J-INFRA, plus 2 V10P frontfill speakers, powered by nine D80), and his main problem was dealing with the huge halls’ acoustics. He reported, “Although it’s early days to see the amount of business generated, there was considerable interest – particularly in the range of cables by German manufacturer Cordial, one of the most recent additions to our brand portfolio. We met a lot of visitors from southern Italy, who probably don’t go to Frankfurt.” (No wonder, as Sicilian trade members travel over 800 miles just to reach Rimini!). Nicola Zucchino (sales director, Pro Music & Pro Audio, Yamaha) commented regarding the demo stages, “We had a full Rivage/PM10 FOH/monitor set-up running non-stop for three days for our band Recall.
Paolo Talami pilots the Martin Audio MLA demo system
This is the system that features technology recreating the characteristics of Rupert Neve Designs transformer circuitry and SILK processing. Another interesting aspect of our stage was that all the guitar and bass signals were processed via Helix processors, so the backline was on stage for aesthetic purposes more than anything else.” The twin Nexo PA featured STM technology with a double cluster, featuring nine M46-B112 and twelve M28 per side, and French Nexo FOH engineers David Hochstenbach and Theo Said switched between them during the show. The nine-piece Yamaha endorser band’s punch was reinforced by 18 S118 subs on the floor in cardioid side-to-side configuration. Said enthused, “The show gave us the opportunity to demonstrate the very best of Nexo, coupled with the greatest technology offered by Yamaha in terms of mixing desks.” Stressing that distributor Leading Technologies’ stage was the only one entirely equipped by one company – audio, lighting, etc., GM Marco Porro explained. The main rig, designed and calibrated by our Live Division manager Giovanni Bugari, comprised JBL VTX-V20 (eight per side), with twelve floor-installed VTX-S25 subs in cardioid configuration to ensured lateral directivity. FOH engineer Danilo Meroni manned a Soundcraft Vi 5000 and monitors, mixed by (one of Italy’s few female sound engineers) Valeria Barbini on a Soundcraft Vi 2000. After the event, Porro enthused, “The expo exceeded all our expectations, with good attendance – people were really interested and we’ll definitely be back for the next edition!” At the helm of an Avid S6L console, live sound veteran Paolo “Red” Talami gave visitors an insight on the rigs installed by distributor Audio Sales in the demo area, while the band played alternately through a Martin Audio MLA/MLX PA and an Adamson set-up (8+8 S10 plus eight S119 subs). Audio Sales MD Stefano Rocchi
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Meyer Sound’s Leopard made its debut in Italy at the show
opined, “Although expos’ commercial results are never clear immediately, we’re very satisfied with [this], which enabled us to let the numerous visiting clients and potential users see and hear our products in action without having to run the length and width of the country – at long last a trade expo for the Italian market!” EV/KT/Midas/Dynacord distributor Texim opted for an all-digital signal distribution set-up to interface the Midas/Klark Teknik AES50 and Electro-Voice OMNEO networks on its demo stage, where the main EV X-Line Advance PA featured 24 X2-212/90 array module and 16 X2-128 Subwoofers in ARC-Array configuration. The Midas PRO X FOH console was manned by Cristian Paroni and monitor sound mixed on a Midas M32 by Luigi Schiavone. Other demo stages included a KARA / SB 18 / SB28 rig fielded by Italy’s L-Acoustics distributor SISME and powered by LA8-AES3. Meyer Sound’s distributor Linear Sound ran outdoor demos of two Leopard systems, on their Italian debut. Massimo Carini (sales and marketing) explained: ”We were visited by over 100 rental firms – it’s definitely an experience to be repeated, but the dates should be reconsidered, as we were run off our feet on the last day (Monday), as most people involved hands-on in the audio industry were at work over the weekend.” Commenting on the debut, Rimini Fiera chairman Lorenzo Cagnoni enthused, “We’re proud to have correctly understood the market’s new requirements at MiR, launching a trade fair project able to focus the attention of the business world on an important market such as Italy’s.” http://www.musicinsiderimini.it/
A closer look at the new Yamaha flagship
Business
08 JUNE 2016
Want to get involved? A range of partnership opportunities – from headline sponsor to category, red-carpet and afterparty sponsorship – are available. Contact PSNEurope’s Ryan O’Donnell (rodonnell@ nbmedia.com) or Rian Zoll-Khan (rzoll-khan@nbmedia.com) for more details! Ticket enquiries? Drop Georgia a line, gblake@nbmedia.com
United Kingdom
Chocks away: the Pro Sound Awards 2016 take off! Jump aboard, let’s see those entries flying in! t’s that time again! The annual pro-audio event you REALLY MUST attend – PSNEurope’s Pro Sound Awards – is back at the world-famous Ministry of Sound nightclub in London for the fourth time (count ‘em!) on Thursday 22 September. Tickets for the awards, which celebrate excellence in live, studio, installed and broadcast audio, are on sale now for a bargain £55. The lobbying period for the awards opens on 1 June (now!) and closes at midnight on Friday 1 July 2016. As always, anyone can enter and its totally free. Simply read through the categories and see which one(s) you feel you want to make a pitch for, nominating yourself, your team, an associate or a project or person with which you have been impressed and want to give wider recognition. (Full eligibility criteria is available online at prosoundawards.com) Then send a short pitch (up to a maximum of 300
I
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words) for each award under consideration to prosoundawards@ Live/touring sound nbmedia.com. • Engineer of the year Provide as much • Bes tour sound production • Best theatre sound factual information as possible; data Studio sound and evidence of • Engineer of the year notable successes are • Best studio • Best sound in post-production invaluable. Up to three hotlinks to relevant Installed sound material online can also • Team of the year be provided – and, by • Best permanent installation project • Best temporary installation project all means, ask your colleagues or industry Broadcast sound friends to make their • Team of the year • Broadcast event of the year feelings known. • Best facility Based on the email entries received, the Achievement Pro Sound Awards • Marketing initiative of the year • Rising star team will create a list (in association with Audio Media International) of finalists for each • Lifetime achievement category. This process • Grand prix involves looking at the performance of those nominations over the past year (between end of May 2015 and end of June 2016), plus the information provided by the lobbying emails, but we don’t base finalist positions on the number of emails we receive about a particular company – just solid evidence for their inclusion. A shortlist of finalists for each category will be presented to a large panel of judges from across the pro-audio spectrum; this panel will ultimately choose the winners of each Pro Sound Award (with the exception of the Grand Prix and Lifetime Achievement gongs, and the Rising Star award, chosen by our friends at Audio Media International). “We’re launching a little later this year, but that means the expectation time between lobbying and the event is shorter, so, you know, that’s good,” says PSNEurope editor Dave Robinson. “We had great fun at the Ministry last year – terrific comedy, enthusiastic attendees, lovely special guests, successful networking and incredible balloon millinery – so let’s do it again, but bigger and better!” You’ll find judging criteria and more info online… Good luck!
THE CATEGORIES
www.prosoundawards.com prosoundawards@nbmedia.com
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Send your nominations to prosoundawards@nbmedia.com before Friday 1 July
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P10 JUNE 2016
Vocal channel
Hooray for Mumble-gate
I ERICA BASNICKI is a writer and sound designer
It sounds strange, but I am thrilled an article has been written about bad TV sound. Specifically, the article by Maggie Brown, which featured in the May issue of the Royal Television Society and can also be found on psneurope.com. Two BBC One dramas are among the TV series that have specifically criticised for poor audio: Happy Valley and Jamaica Inn. The complaints are valid; the audio is awful. It’s a shame for everyone involved in producing the dramas, but it’s a huge win for sound professionals. Here’s why: the accepted adage is that no one notices the sound unless it goes wrong. The thing is, to their credit audio pros have a history of always delivering despite a lack of support – be it financial or otherwise. We come into the trade learning to play second fiddle, and make so with what we’ve got. Inevitably, there comes a breaking point and for what feels like the first time, the sound has been noticeably bad…and the audience has taken notice. Fantastic!! When
has sound been the subject of debate on the public sphere to this extent? To be clear, I don’t for a second think it is the fault of the sound team that this has happened. Actors mumble. Microphone placement is challenging. Any number of factors could have contributed to poor audio quality, pre, post or during production, none of them necessarily directly relate to the work of those working on sound. Unfortunately, Joe Public still needs educating. However, the very fact that it’s being discussed outside the industry means that producers really can’t afford to ignore the soundtrack any longer. Not that producers do this deliberately, of course not. But the accepted way of working on television and cinematic projects – which emphasises the visual – can only be taken so far until it backfires. The mindset needs to change and sound needs to be given more consideration. We’ve always known this. Having said that, it’s also time for the
sound department to change its mindset as well. It’s great to get what you need with the minimum budget and/or time. Maybe it’s time to make a little more noise about why there needs to be more budget, and more time for getting the sound right. Maybe it’s time to stop just getting the job done, and insisting it be done right. It’s impossible to know why Happy Valley and Jamaica Inn ended up sounding the way they did, but its certainly smacks of a low point for broadcast audio. If it’s not rockbottom, then I hope there are many more awful-sounding TV dramas to come. I hope there are more articles about audio issues, and more people talking about it. I hope that it registers with producers that they can’t skimp on sound. I also hope that this debate emboldens audio suppliers to ask for more: time, money, staff…whatever. What “Mumblegate” has made clear is that viewers won’t put up with sub-par audio… now that they now what sub-par audio sounds like.
history professor while the colossal shoes recently vacated by the late and much lamented Chris Squire (to whom a touching video tribute was paid at the beginning of the show) are ably filled by bassist/vocalist Billy Sherwood. By now you could be forgiven for thinking that you’ve somehow tuned into Prog Gazette Monthly but worry not, dear reader, because I am gradually edging towards my point… Like most folks in the pro-audio business I find it near impossible to go to a gig, even as a punter, without taking a critical interest in the sound. I also know from experience how deathly boring it can be for my companions to hear me whining about it so I generally try to keep schtum. My concerns for this gig however were multiplied by the knowledge that the Symphony Hall is (like most great acoustic spaces) a notoriously difficult room in which to use sound reinforcement ¬– in all the gigs I’ve seen there, I’ve never seen the
PA done the same way twice. Further, Yes’ music is dense, multi-layered and complex with a high-register vocal floating over the top of it all, so surely a challenge for any system and crew. Within a few minutes I was reminded of just how good modern systems are as all the power and subtlety of the music were reproduced with apparent ease. The soaring vocals of new singer Jon Davison (replacing Jon Anderson and sounding uncannily like him) were, like every other musical component, perfectly intelligible and balanced. Prog audiences are, I suspect, among the most audio-critical as the things that attract them to the music in the first place must be present and correct – the ecstatic reaction of the capacity audience indicated that they were. A marvellous evening of music that also validated much of the technology we now take for granted. Kudos to Clair Global and FOH Dean Mattson – gentlemen, you rock.
Yes! Please!
I DAVE WIGGINS is a freelance marketeer and pro-audio pundit
am, it may not surprise you to learn, an entirely unreconstructed fan of progressive rock. For decades I have revelled in its absurdity, its richness, its freedom, its technicality, its impenetrable lyrics and its absolute disdain for passing musical trends. Thus it was in a state of some excitement that I recently travelled to Birmingham’s beautiful Symphony Hall to witness at first hand one of its mightiest exponents – none other than legendary prog leviathans, Yes. Some 48 years into their career, Yes’ music remains arguably anachronistic yet vital as the band played classic albums Fragile and Drama (from 1971 and 1980 respectively) plus other fan favourites. The world tour on which they have just embarked features over 50 dates in eight countries through to February 2017, which shows just how big a draw they remain. The longest-serving member is Steve Howe, a genuinely unique guitarist who manages to look like a kindly
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P12 JUNE 2016
Movers and shakers
Holy moly, Vanguardia’s hired Roly Vanguardia celebrates its 10th year of operations with a new head of live business and exclusive rights to sound management technology
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s of 1 May 2016, UK-based audio engineering, sound management and design consultancy Vanguardia began working with renowned sound engineer Roly Oliver (Manic Street Preachers, Pet Shop Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers). Joining from audio equipment specialists Eighth Day Sound, where he was in charge of global sales, Oliver is responsible for all concert touring and festivals, promoting the consultancy’s services, including noise control and management, sound system design and testing and hearing protection. In his new position as head of live business Oliver will establish and oversee the company’s distribution of the sound management tool MeTrao in the UK, for which Vanguardia has secured sole rights. “To lead this venture, we knew we needed someone who combined both hands-on sound
engineering expertise with a proven track record in sales – a quite specific combination of divergent skills. Thankfully, Roly Oliver is exactly that person. We are over the moon he’s joined the team and look forward to working with him,” says director of Vanguardia Jim Griffiths vanguardiaconsulting.co.uk
UK-based technical supplier White Light has appointed Richard Knott to the position of audio business development manager. Knott joins after stints at both Bose and Orbital Sound. www.whitelight.ltd.uk
QSC has recruited Chris Humphrey as vice president, marketing, overseeing all of the company’s global marketing initiatives across its professional, systems and cinema divisions. www.qsc.com
Joe Fustolo joins Renkus-Heinz as application engineer. Fustolo has worked extensively with loudspeaker technology, including technical positions with Eastern Acoustic Works, FBT and Outline. www.renkus-heinz.com
Craig Buckley joins The Warehouse as a dedicated brand and division manager. Craig previously worked for 10 years as national sales manager for Bose before becoming MD of RW Salt Communications. www.warehousesound.co.uk
Also joining The Warehouse is Paul Atherton, now business development manager for the company. Atherton has also worked for AV specialists Midwich Group after several years as a freelance sound engineer. www.warehousesound.co.uk
Marked Events, organisers for BPM | PRO has appointed Lyndsey Hopwood as account manager. “She’s very accomplished in her field and highly regarded within the industry,” says CEO Mark Walsh. www.markedevents.co.uk
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DEALER NETWORK Peavey Commercial Audio secured two new European distribution deals covering Spain and Sweden during the course of this year’s Prolight + Sound trade show, increasing its footprint throughout Europe. The first of the deals was established with Spanish distributor Neotecnica. The company will be covering Iberia, offering the full Peavey commercial range of MediaMatrix, Crest and Peavey Professional products to mainland Spain and the Balearics. “We are both delighted and thrilled to add Peavey to our audio offering,” says Neotecnica’s Javier De Pedro. In Sweden, Visono Media will be bringing the Peavey Commercial Audio portfolio to Scandinavia, with owner Jan Westling saying: “Our expertise compliments Peavey’s unparalleled heritage in the audio industry and this partnership is a perfect fit.” Both deals are effective immediately, with Midwich continuing to be distributor for Peavey Commercial Audio throughout the UK. www.neotecnica.es www.peaveycommercialaudio.com www.visonomedia.com Scotland-based pro-audio provider The Warehouse Sound Services has been named the UK dealer for both Adamson Systems Engineering and Nexo. The Warehouse is one of the largest suppliers of pro-audio equipment in Scotland and north England and currently has offices in Glasgow and Edinburgh. A third branch was recently opened in Lancashire, headed up by new recruits Craig Buckley and Paul Atherton (see appointments). On order from Nexo are PS Series cabinets and a quantity of the new super-compact ID Series multiapplication loudspeakers. The compact GEO M6 line array is also scheduled for delivery. The Warehouse also recently introduced the UK market to Adamson’s S-Series sub-compact line array system at PLASA Focus Leeds, and also carries Adamson’s PC series of loudspeakers. www.adamsonsystems.com www.warehousesound.co.uk Sound Network has been appointed as the latest addition to Sony’s Professional Audio distributor network for Europe. Sound Network says it had been looking for a digital wireless system for some time to match with their existing product portfolio and Sony models such as the UWP-D Series and DWX Series allows the company to offer a wide range of product solutions This would include combining DPA capsules – a product Sound Network is well known for distirbuting – with Sony’s transmitter handles. “DPA d:facto has an adapter (SL1) for Sony wireless transmitter handles and the DPA d:screet miniatures have three for the various Sony belt pack transmitters (DAD3058, DAD6008 and DAD6019),” says Sound Network marketing manager Caleb Hill (pictured, left). “This could prove very useful to our current DPA users, and we will definitely be informing them as to this compatibility.” pro.sony.eu www.soundnetwork.co.uk
P14 JUNE 2016
It’s game on at ThinkSpace... BY COLBY RAMSEY
24-26 May AFMG: EASE Training Level 1 Letchworth Garden City, UK www.afmg.eu
4-10 June Powersoft InfoComm training Las Vegas Convention Center www.powersoft-audio.com
8 June Prism Sound: Mic to monitor Abbey Road Institute Paris www.prismsound.eventbrite.com
Ongoing ThinkSpace Education, an online music school specialising in composing for film, video games and television, in partnership with the University of Chichester, have launched three new master’s degree programmes: Composing for Video Games (Master of Arts), Sound Design for Video Games (Master of Arts) and Game Music and Audio (Master of Fine Art). Commencing this September, ThinkSpace Education courses are the first online master’s degree programmes focusing on the field of game music and sound design. In consultation with leading industry professionals, ThinkSpace has developed a suite of online postgraduate courses to prepare sound designers and composers with “the real-world creative and technical skills that future employers
Level up your skills BY ERICA BASNICKI
This month saw Izotope launch Pro Audio Essentials, a free game-based course for music producers to practice and improve their audio skills. This web-based educational experience is said to be the first of its kind in the audio education space, offering an interactive learning environment that
are looking for”. The institution is staffed and tutored exclusively by professional working composers and sound designers, with video game franchise credits including Assassin’s Creed, Bioshock, Dragon Age, Fallout and many more. Guy Michelmore, ThinkSpace Education’s course director and an Emmy-nominated film, games and television composer, comments: “There are plenty of music and sound production schools yet despite increasing interest in video game soundtracks, almost none who specialise in game music and audio. We’re excited to offer the first online master’s degrees in composing and sound design for video games.”
Izotope: Pro audio essentials Online pae.izotope.com
MPG discount on MMF Induction Day BY ERICA BASNICKI
Photo credit: ThinkSpace Education Facebook Page
thinkspaceeducation.com
includes a combination of audio games, ear training, and instructional videos. The course’s game-based design helps users practice concepts as they ‘level up’ through audio challenges. Through regular practice, players will steadily improve their understanding of audio essentials like equalisation, compression, bit depth, and sample rate. With instruction designed by mastering engineer and Izotope’s director of education Jonathan Wyner, the company says Pro Audio Essentials reflects its “deep-rooted passion for both education and empowerment”. “We were eager to evolve the current landscape of audio education-to help shift the balance from passive learning to active learning on foundational topics like EQ,” says Wyner, “We challenged ourselves to develop an online resource that’s both interactive and engaging, so our community can not only learn by doing, but genuinely enjoy themselves along the way.” pae.izotope.com
MPG Full members are entitled to a 25% on the upcoming Music Managers Forum (MMF) Induction Day on 14 June. The event provides an overview of the essentials of music management including management contracts, income streams and royalties, accounting and finance and releasing and marketing a record. The course is taught by Erik Nielsen (Rocket Music), and covers marketing, digital and promotion, touring, funding, accounting and finance, and insurance and legal. It has been described as a ‘three year degree in a day’ and is attended by both new managers, self-managing artists, students as well as those already working in the field who are looking to update their knowledge. A panel of industry professionals, including accountants and lawyers will also be on hand so you can put your questions to them. Photo credit: MMF Facebook Page
http://themmf.net/education/induction-day/
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“After months of planning, testing and finding the perfect sound solution for a venue, for me it’s all about that moment when a project truly comes to life.”
THE SOUNDMAKERS > HK Audio is the German pro audio brand offering the easiest way to the best sound. From portable to professional live sound to install solutions for over 30 years, we build PA systems for those who are fascinated by the energy of sound. Giving them a stage. Giving them a home.
www.hkaudio.com
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New products
PLAYdifferently MODEL 1
What is it? An analogue mixer designed for both club and studio use. Model 1 is the result of a collaboration between DJ Richie Hawtin and former Allen & Heath engineer Andy Rigby-Jones. Details: Model 1 offers six stereo channels, two stereo send and return channels, two mix outputs, and master and booth EQ. And another thing… Also included are a per channel hybrid filter EQ and input overdrive control and master resonant filter with both HPF and LPF controls. www.playdifferently.org
LECTROSONICS
PEAVEY
PRISM SOUND
What is it? A wireless transmitter designed with concealment in mind.
What is it? The latest powered speaker enclosures from Peavey Electronics.
What is it? A PCM and DSD capable DAC, preamp, and headphone amp meant for the home environment.
Details: The SSM measures just 55x35x15mm (about the size of a matchbox) and can be tuned in 100kHz or 25kHz across a tuning range of 75MHz.
Details: The RBN 112 speaker enclosure combines a ribbon driver with a 12” dual-voice coil neodymium Black Widow speaker, which features Peavey’s exclusive field replaceable basket technology.
Details: The unit supports USB, coaxial RCA phono and S/ PDIF optical equipped digital devices.
SSM
And another thing… The limiter in the preamp can cleanly handle signal peaks over 30dB above full modulation. www.lectrosonics.com
RBN 112 AND RBN 215
And another thing… The 15” RBN 215 sub enclosure maintains full output down to 36Hz. www.peavey.com
www.psneurope.com/technology
CALLIA
And another thing… Digital signals up to 32-bit (USB only), 384kHz are catered for, alongside DSD processing, making Callia compatible with all major music releases. www.prismsound.com
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SOMMER CABLE
SC-STRATOS AND HICON
What is it? A hi-fi connection lead and RCA/phono connector assembly. Details: The SC-STRATOS line relies on a heat-dissipating design to ensure a long service life, while the “Screw & Play” HICON assembly eliminates troublesome soldering work. And another thing… The gold-plated HICON connector in combination with the oxygen-free copper wires of the SC-STRATOS lead make the duo well suited for daily professional studio use. www.sommercable.com
MEYER SOUND
JBL
JTS
What is it? A compact self-powered stage monitor that incorporates the performance of Meyer Sound’s MJF-212A and MJF-210.
What is it? An all-in-one line array PA system.
What is it? An electret-condenser shotgun microphone designed for ENG and outdoor recording applications.
MJF-208 COMPACT STAGE MONITOR
Details: The monitor is said to provide impressive power-tosize ratio and very low distortion in a small-footprint, lightweight package. And another thing… Each MJF-208 measures less than 13 inches high and weighs 45 pounds (20kg). www.meyersound.com
EON ONE
Details: The EON ONE combines the sound quality of a professional system with the convenience and streamlined look of a compact, column-style solution. And another thing… An unobstructed 10” bass-reflex subwoofer is said to deliver tight, accurate low-frequency response that is ideal for DJs and playing back recorded music. www.jblpro.com
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SGM-14
Details: The JTS SGM-14 features a 78dB signal to noise ratio, which keeps background noise at a very low level, while a full 20-20,000Hz frequency response guarantees audio fidelity. And another thing… The SGM-14 operates on a 9-48 VDC phatom power, and measures 367mm in length. www.jtw.com.tw
P18 JUNE 2016
The strategic position: Martin Audio
‘We couldn’t be in a stronger place in terms of technology and talent’ A few months on from assuming the helm at Martin Audio, Dom Harter reflects on the company’s current buoyant status, future R&D strategy, and the investment tendencies of the touring market. Interview by David Davies
H
aving arrived at the company a mere 10 days or so before this year’s Prolight + Sound, Dom Harter could have been forgiven for giving a polite shake of the head to some of PSNEurope’s questions – particularly those that focused more on the history and heritage of the Martin Audio brand. But in fact, he was more than willing to dive in and examine the past, present and future of the eminent UK manufacturer – indicating that he has already thought deeply about its position in the global pro-audio market. Perhaps this is no surprise, however, given an impressive CV that includes stints as director of R&D and sales director at Turbosound, as well as several positions at Harman’s mixer group, not least global sales director/VP. Our conversation began with Martin Audio’s primary launch at PL+S 2016 – the CDD-LIVE! self-powered portable loudspeaker series, which features Differential Dispersion technology, Class D amplification, DSP and Dante digital audio networking…
The work has taken place over about three years in total, with the hardware element being a kind of cross-LOUD Group development. It’s a really clever system and I think that we will see rapid adoption in a number of areas, such as multimedia and corporate rentals. I can definitely see it appealing to small rental houses who do a variety of corporate projects.
How long has this system been in development, and with which user groups do you expect it to resonate most strongly?
More generally, how would you characterise the current status of Martin Audio – and the opportunity that presents for the future?
The system offers Dante integration as standard. Do you think Dante can be said to have ‘won’ the networking war? We have certainly been getting a lot of requests for Dante integration. The people at Audinate are very smart and understand their business model very well. They deliver a good product that solves a number of problems, so for the foreseeable future it will be Dante [around which we focus our efforts regarding networking]. I think over time you will see [different solutions] intersecting, but right now it is clear that Dante offers by far the best package to integrate with any product.
Dominic Harter, a familiar face at the helm of Martin Audio
We are very privileged to now have these amazing R&D building blocks that we can move anywhere
Dom Harter, Martin Audio
Harter and R&D director Jason Baird launch CDD-LIVE! in Frankfurt in April
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Most manufacturers would love to have a technology like MLA (Multi-cellular Loudspeaker Array), so at Martin Audio we are aware that we are very privileged to now have these amazing R&D building blocks that we can move anywhere [and incorporate into other products]. We have some fantastic technology and products, although there are some products that are a little longer in the tooth and will need replacing in the next year or two. Fundamentally, our focus as a brand is pretty much half-touring/high-quality PA, and half-installation – and that will continue to be the case. Geographically, we are fortunate that Martin Audio has always been very strong everywhere, including the Far East. In terms of China, I think a lot of people in the audio
P19 JUNE 2016
industry would say that they had an ‘interesting’ time in that market, but that it is coming back strongly now.
Organisationally, do you envisage any major changes? Well, I am here now [laughs]! We already have in place a strong and talented team, and I hope what I can hopefully bring to the set-up is some broader audio experience. We certainly have a busy period in store. In terms of CDD-LIVE! alone, we will begin shipping in early to mid summer, but before that we will be starting events [showcasing the system] and basically getting it in front of as many people as possible. The only way you will buy loudspeakers is to hear them, so that will form much of the focus over the next few months.
What is your view of the live music market at present? I think that in common with many people I would suggest that it is fairly at at present. Where we as a manufacturer have an advantage is that MLA [is an innovative system]. Purchasing a new loudspeaker system is a major investment, and PA companies may
Production House of Northern Ireland just purchased 48 x Martin Audio MLA, 24 x Martin Audio MLA Compact and 24 x Martin Audio MLX sub bass loudspeakers
feel that some conventional systems from, say, last year are not fundamentally different from those of ten years ago. And that obviously determines their willingness to invest. With MLA, it is a very modern PA system and frankly it sounds better. It also helps to deals with a lot of the nasty attributes that conventional systems can have. Due to developments like MLA, it’s my view that
Martin Audio couldn’t be in a stronger position in terms of technology and our own internal talent. If you look anywhere in the world, Martin Audio will consistently be in the top three or four speaker brands. That’s a position, and a message, that we will continue to develop and support. „ www.martin-audio.com
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P20 JUNE 2016
Business
EU referendum: should we stay or should we go? The imminent EU membership referendum in the UK has evoked strong emotions on both sides of the debate. David Davies finds out what the specific implications of ‘Brexit’ could be for UK-based pro audio
S
ome have suggested that it’s almost impossible to ‘take the temperature’ of the UK’s EU referendum; others have repeatedly claimed that in the face of uncertainty about what happen after a possible ‘Brexit’, there is no way that sufficient numbers will vote to come out. But at the time of writing (8 May), a Financial Times website ‘poll of polls’ suggests that the referendum – which is due to take place on Thursday 23 June – could be rather closer than many expect, with 46% expected to vote to stay against 43% opting to depart. Perhaps unsurprisingly, referendum-related polls have been met with a fair degree of scepticism in light of the fact that almost everyone predicted the outcome of the 2015 UK General Election incorrectly. In addition, the incoherence present at times on both sides of the debate has made this a particularly hard one to call. By a slim majority the pro-audio industry figures who PSNEurope canvassed for opinion were in favour of
remaining within the EU – in general, the feeling being that trade with EU member states could be hindered, whilst impact on future legislation and regulations would undoubtedly be dramatically reduced. But there are also plenty who feel that the well-documented inefficiencies and ‘democratic deficit’ of some EU institutions should override all other concerns.
THE ‘IN’ CROWD The number of jobs directly linked to business with the EU has been among the primary arguments made against Brexit. Estimates do vary, but according to recent HM Treasury analysis it is possible to connect 3,250,000 jobs to EU exports. The case around the extent to which we benefit from rebates versus the amount we contribute to the EU budget is more vexed given the quite remarkable variety in the estimated amounts that are cited. However, for employees, there is no doubt that the EU has delivered significant improvements in terms of
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holiday pay, maternity leave and rights’ protection. But in truth it is uncertainty that dominates the thoughts of many of those who wish to remain: uncertainty about the duration of negotiations required to arrange post-EU trade agreements (estimates rang from less than one year to as many as eight); and uncertainty regarding the future perception of UK-headquartered businesses, both in terms of manufacturing and touring/ installation service provision. “We should stay,” declares Andy Dockerty, managing director of Liverpool-based rental, sales and installation company Adlib Audio. “The European touring market for us would suffer massively if we’re not a part of the EU because a lot of the European companies will be the go-to companies, rather than the British ones, for the European/American touring market.” The motivation comes from “protecting your business and what you believe will affect you most, and that’s what I believe will affect us most.”
P21 JUNE 2016
Andy Dockerty
RH Consulting co-founder Roland Hemming is also firmly part of the ‘in’ crowd and believes that the vote will actually be more emphatically in favour of remaining than many suspect. “There is actually agreement on both sides that whatever the long-term benefits [of leaving may or may not be], there would be a short-term shock involved – and frankly, I would rather not have a short-term shock,” he says. “Plus, I don’t think the EU is more broken than any other level of government…”
Roland Hemming
But understandably given his involvement in their writing and revision, Hemming’s concerns tend to be focused around the more tangible area of industry-relevant standards such as EN54 parts 16 and 24. Whilst the UK would continue to have input to the (currently ongoing)
“The UKwill not be doing itselfa favour if it leaves the EU” Benedikt Koch (right) from Funktion-One’s distributor in Germany, Thöne und Partner, highlights the cost implications of a possible UK departure from the EU. “The Brexit discussion makes it difficult to plan the cost and pricing of products coming from England,” he says. “In case of the UK leaving the EU, deliveries will become more expensive, combined with more paperwork. In addition, the currency rate will change and it’s hard to predict in which direction. Competition for our products in Germany might become more difficult than it is already. As a member of the EU, I do not think the UK will be doing itself a favour if it leaves the EU. Among other likely implications, it will weaken its economy.” revision of these standards whether or not we vote to remain, our influence over fresh developments in the future would be dramatically reduced. “We’d continue with standards work through our membership of CEN [the European Committee of Standardisation], which extends beyond EU member states, but as we would not be members of the EU we would have no influence regarding any overriding laws that lead us to have those standards in the first place. In committee, I look across the room at my Norwegian colleague who still has to implement all this, but has no say in the legislation.” says Hemming, pointing to the Construction Products legislation that led to the initiation of the aforementioned EN54 standards.
OVER AND OUT Trepidation about future standards compliance cuts little ice with Chris Scott, MD of Nottinghamshire-based pro-audio and premium integrated systems developer Inspired Audio, which recently marked its fifth birthday. “The same could be said of standards that we need to comply with in the Americas, for example, and we wouldn’t have any influence over those,” he suggests. “The fact is that we are living in
“Flexibility is easy to take for granted” James Gordon (right) is group CEO of DiGiCo, Allen & Heath and Calrec, and remarks: “[Assessing the implications for pro audio] is an almost impossible question to answer as it’s never been contemplated before. What I can say is a lot of our export business is into Europe and, with our current member status, it is very straightforward to move demo products and sales efficiently at almost no notice period. This potentially could change, making it more complicated to move hardware across borders without the correct and timeconsuming paperwork that is not required today. “As a group we also benefit from having employees across Europe that have either remained in their home countries or moved to the UK. This freedom has certainly
a globalised world in which companies are doing more and more business with each other – yet the EU is going in the opposite direction to that with greater centralisation. It makes sense to me to be looking to do more business outside of the EU.”
helped us recruit some skilled pro audio people without the costs, time and complications of visas. “In small, highly skilled, industries this flexibility is easy to take for granted.”
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Chris Scott
That has certainly proven to be the case for Inspired Audio, which continues to see its activity levels rise in the Middle East and South America, in particular. It might therefore be argued that the company would have little to lose from Brexit, but Scott is by no means the only one to single out the “undemocratic nature of some of the institutions, as well as the huge inefficiencies… If the EU was a company it would have gone out of business within a fortnight! And I think it’s worth giving some thought to what would happen to the UK if there was another economic crisis – Greece, Spain and Portugal remain very vulnerable.” Given the UK’s status as the world’s fifth largest economy (source: IMF, 2015), and the prominent position of its banking community in the global financial services sector, it seems unlikely that the country would not be involved in any future major bail-out whether or not it opts for Brexit. But that issue aside, it is evident that the UK’s proaudio companies will need to weigh up their own present – and likely future – sources of work and opportunities very carefully as they make their way to the polling booth.
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Studio
Healthy minerals Phil Ward visits Unity Audio, a company flourishing between a Rock and a hard place
M
anufacturers, especially their international agents, often become distributors: witness Sennheiser UK, SDUK et al. Rarely does the reverse happen; even more rarely with mission-critical, flagship product types as opposed to handy bits and pieces to glue a system together. So the marked achievements of Unity Audio as the brains, heart and soul behind the Rock, Boulder and Avalanche range of studio monitors is noteworthy to say the least: Unity was established as a traditional distributor at the heart of the UK recording and mastering industry in 1995 by experienced salesman Kevin Walker. Success is never carved in stone, but Walker and Unity are managing exactly that. Unity’s valuable experience with distributed lines of studio monitoring is crucial to the manoeuvre into manufacturing: and by ‘experience’ we mean something that can be as sobering as it is inspiring. The distribution business began with a formative Dynaudio Acoustics deal in the mix, succeeded by another with Berlin’s ADAM Audio and, briefly, Focal Engineering in France. All had ‘victims of success’ ramifications, enough to convince Walker that it was time to try a different path… “We were consistently the second or third bestperforming Dynaudio distributor outside the US,” he relates, “but when TC Electronic took on the global distribution of Dynaudio it all changed. We were the last independent standing, but it was only a matter of time. That process more or less repeated with Adam Audio: we elevated their profile considerably and had great success with a relatively new brand, but on the back of that the goalposts moved again. If you under-perform, you’ll lose a distributed brand – but you can also lose it if you do the job too well! They went direct.” The prospect of navigating this trajectory a third time prompted a major re-think, although few expected such a radical departure. “Lots of people thought I was crazy,” admits Walker, “but monitors have been associated with Unity from day one. It’s a fundamental part of our business. It made sense to make our own, as far as I was concerned.” He was right. Talks with respected studio designer Kevin van Green led to talks with Tim de Paravicini, founder of Cambridgeshire’s hidden consulting gem Esoteric Acoustic Research (EAR), where transducer disciples regularly find the Holy Grail. “He agreed to design the electronics for us,” confirms Walker, “which was a major coup. Not only is
Pebble and Bam-Bam monitors (geddit?)
New Order’s Barney and Stephen Morris
he such a respected analogue designer, he’s never done anything like this for anyone else. He doesn’t sell speakers at EAR so there’s no conflict there, so he designed an amplifier exclusively for our range. It’s modular, so it’s adaptable for The Rock, The Boulder, the Avalanche subwoofer and the new Super Rock.” Despite direct knowledge of the kind of network electronics espoused by Dynaudio’s AIR series, Unity’s homegrown monitors eschew DSP and concentrate on the basics. “We’re pretty old school, if you like,” smiles Walker. “Less is more for us. Even now I’m a bit sceptical of room correction, despite the advances in converter technology. It’s amazing how many people have thanked us for not going down that route, and for sticking to first principles. The market seems to be more than happy with straightforward, well-made and traditional active monitors that come from a UK heritage, are transparent and fit anywhere. To be honest, we’ve never even been asked if we have DSP, EQ or anything like that. “To me, if you find, say, a 4-band parametric EQ on the front of a monitor, that smacks of a manufacturer hedging
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Producer Ben Hillier with his Rock
their bets: it’s like, if you don’t like the sound of what we’ve made, here’s something to fiddle with in the hope of making it better. It’s so wrong.” Unity’s range – which now includes the cutely titled Pebble and Bam Bam nearfields – include little more than a power switch and a volume control. The 3-way Boulder has a few minor LF tweaks but, according to Walker, “most experienced professionals prefer not to have to deal with tuning their monitors. They want to trust you.” As well as Avalanche, Unity now offers the BABE (Boulder Active Bass Extender) as a LF solution, as well as meaningful accoutrements such as the Monolith speaker stands and choice items from the signal processing catalogue like the Lisson Grove AR-1 Tube Compressor. Interestingly, Unity has followed the examples of both Dynaudio and Focal into consumer audio, as has The Professional Monitor Company (PMC). As ambitions go for a small company based in a converted farm building on the Essex-Cambridgeshire border, this is bold – but, if this accomplishment keeps up, they can only get bolder. www.unityaudioproducts.co.uk
P24 JUNE 2016
Studio
UNITED KINGDOM
Scheps shifts multiple channels to Monnow From the Chili Peppers to the Welsh Valleys for leading LA mix producer/engineer, discovers Tim Frost
G
rammy Award-winning producer/mixer Andrew Scheps has relocated his studio facilities to Monnow Valley Studio in South Wales, UK. He has brought over his vintage Flying Faders 64-channel MkII Neve 8068 as the centrepiece of a new install. The Monnow Valley studio opened in 1975 originally as the Rockfield rehearsal studio and went independent in the 1980s. It is now one of the UK’s oldest residential studios. Since the ‘80s it has played host to artists including Black Sabbath, Oasis, Robert Plant, Simple Minds and Biffy Clyro. Scheps first worked there in 2007, a year after owner Jo Riou bought the studio. He has returned on numerous occasions in the interim years and felt that it should be the new home for his studio. “I fell in love with the rooms at Monnow Valley and immediately knew the Neve would sound amazing there,” he says. “When my move to the UK became concrete, I called Jo and we struck the deal. It’s great to finally see it sitting next to one of my favourite live rooms.” With his move to the UK, Scheps, who now mainly mixes in the box, has closed his Punkerpad West studio in LA and moved the gear to Wales for the install. Scheps will be booking the room to produce and record (if it’s available, says Riou), now that the studio is 100% open for business. “I suppose in a way I’m hoping the room will be too busy for me to get into…” he comments. Along with the console, Scheps has brought the results of 20 years of rescuing gear from closing studios such as Sound City, Oceanway Recording and Signet Soundelux (plus a wealth of experience from working with Metallica, the Chili Peppers, Iggy Pop, Limp Bizkit… and Adele!) The install was overseen by studio co-manager Tom Manning alongside ex-Olympic Studios tech, Richard Griffiths and engineers Matt Glasbey, Curtis Elvidge, Liam Ross and Beau Blaise. Manning and Scheps designed the new layout, within the room that previously held an SSL G series. There is a new solid oak floor in the control room complementing the unique organic design of the studio. Riou sees the Scheps development as a further affirmation of their continuing business as a residential studio. “As Andrew says, this is really a very big deal. There are not a lot of people who would shift £750,000’s worth of gear half way around the world and install it into a residential studio,” she told PSNEurope.
The main studio at Monnow Valley
The live room
“Whilst many studios are having to diversify or close completely, we have solely focused on music. We haven’t got distracted by tourism, which others have. We have this combination of the incredible live room and drum room that attracts customers and we have been able to expand into a place which now surpasses all our expectations.” The selection of vintage gear added to the Monnow facility includes Pultec and Lang EQs, Urei and RCA limiters, as well as valve mic classics from Neumann and AKG. Additional equipment includes a Neve BCM-10 with 10 1073 modules, a pair of RCA Ku3s and a wide selection of boutique microphones, compressors and EQs. The new installation also includes a 64 I/O Pro Tools HDX2. “Monnow Valley is heritage in the fact that this is one of the oldest residential studios in the country,” comments Riou. “We have the heritage equipment but we also have the brand new Pro Tools – we are all ‘digitalled up’.”
www.psneurope.com/studio
Andrew Scheps
The Monnow’s residential accommodation has also been upgraded, “whilst retaining its country house appeal,” says studio co-manager, Megan Griffiths. “Our clients love the home away from home vibe at Monnow Valley. We have seven lovely bedrooms, a spacious lounge and dining room, a gym plus three acres of gardens and the beautiful River Monnow on our doorstep.” Apart from the studio itself, the privacy that Monnow offers is another factor for its continuing success. “People love coming here. It’s isolated but still only a couple of miles from the town and with one studio people have the exclusivity,” Riou comments, “And, of course, our price: we are really affordable and we offer incredible value for money. Andrew has brought something very special to this small corner of Wales and our vision is for it to continue for years to come.” www.monnowvalleystudio.com
P26 JUNE 2016
Broadcast
UNITED KINGDOM
BBC Charter Review confirms role of R&D but calls for more partnerships By Kevin Hilton
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he UK government published its longawaited – and almost dreaded – proposals for the future running and operations of the BBC last month. As well as laying out measures that would divorce the BBC’s Royal Charter from the political cycle of elections, bring iPlayer viewing under the licence fee and reinforce the Corporation’s original pledge to inform, educate and entertain, the White Paper also calls on the national public broadcaster to carry out a “detailed review” of its current activities in research and development. There had been concern that the government was prepared to make radical changes in the way the BBC is financed and how it operates in the television and radio markets. This was fuelled by the previously stated opinion of culture and media secretary John Whittingdale that the licence fee, which is paid by everyone owning a television set and funds much of the broadcaster’s activities, should be scrapped. When it was published during May, A BBC for the Future: a Broadcaster of Distinction recommended that the level of the licence fee should be increased in line with inflation. It also laid out plans for a new governing body and a revised Royal Charter that will run for 11 years before coming up for renewal. There were also fears that the BBC R&D department, which over the years has worked on the development of NICAM stereo sound, widescreen transmission and ‘Red Button’ systems, would be scaled back. The document states that the government will require the BBC to “undertake a detailed review of current R&D activity”, including a value for money assessment. According to its annual report and accounts for 20142015, published in July last year, the BBC spends £170 million a year on technology, with R&D running with an annual budget of approximately £75 million. The White Paper comments that the broadcaster “clearly plays an important and valued role in R&D and technology”. It says that “stakeholders” were “positive” about the BBC’s activities in this area, although some did suggest that it could improve performance through “more effective and collaborative partnerships”. BBC R&D already works in conjunction with a number of educational and research institutions. A major part of this has been the Audio Research Partnership with the Universities of Surrey, Salford, Southampton, York and Queen Mary University of London. Work has included research into perceptual differences between spatial
Heart of the BBC: Broadcasting House
Culture and media secretary John Whittingdale
audio reproduction methods, the quality of binaural sound for entertainment applications in uncontrolled environments and automatic control of audio quality on
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smartphones and other consumer recording equipment. The White Paper wants the BBC to “retain a role in technological development and R&D”. But, it continues, for this to happen the broadcaster “needs to improve its understanding of the value it adds in this area”. The suggested review and cost-benefit analysis of R&D work, including the iPlayer, would aid this, as well as showing how licence fee payers benefit from this work. During the consultation period for the White Paper a number of groups and organisations were invited to make suggestions. Among these was one from the Digital Television Group (DTG) and Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) proposing a Technology Advisory Board to “improve the way the BBC governs its technology projects”, as well as encouraging partnerships. In its response to the document the DTG said the Advisory Board would “provide expert insight into the long-term technology issues facing the industry”. There will now be a period for assessing reaction to the White Paper, with a draft of the new Charter due to appear over the next few months. A finalised Charter is scheduled to be in place from 1 January 2017. www.gov.uk/bbccharterreview
Open & Closed The new agship studio headphones
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www.audio-technica.com
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Broadcast
Our AIMS are true Less than six months after it was established, the AIMS Alliance for IP Media Solutions has already made a significant impact on the broadcast technology community. David Davies speaks to some of the audio member companies about their reasons for joining – and wonders if the Alliance can bring clarity to the oft-confusing IP debate
“
I would say that we are an organisation that sits beneath other groups who are developing or promoting IP standards, and helps to encourage their adoption throughout the broadcast industry.” That’s AIMS Alliance for IP Solutions chairman Michael Cronk’s capsule summary of the primary objectives of a group which has made a substantial impact on the broadcast IP revolution since it was launched a mere six months ago. Although attendance at broadcast industry conferences over the last 12 months has tended to point to a variety of viewpoints regarding how long the transition from legacy SDI to IP might actually take, the AIMS Alliance is taking a proactive approach by promoting the use of a number of existing standards. These include the Video Services Forum’ TR-03 (Transportation of Uncompressed Elementary Stream Media over IP) and TR-04, SMPTE 2022-6 (enabling SDI signals to be transported over IP using the Real-Time Transport Protocol) and – most pertinently to the audio community – the AES67 interoperability standard for existing AoIP technologies. Cronk – who is also vice-president core technology at Grass Valley – confirms that AES67 will be “integral” to audio’s future within broadcast IP workflows. “It is written in stone in our roadmap,” he says. “We see that the broadcast community is adopting (audioover-IP interoperability standard) AES67, and one of the aspects we are working on is determining which are the operating points in the broadcast workflow within AES67.” Nonetheless, he readily acknowledges that several key aspects – notably discovery and registration, and connection management – “are important pieces of the puzzle that are not covered” by this standard and which will need to be addressed in the future. AIMS personnel, including Cronk, are acutely aware that the general messaging around IP hasn’t always been coherent. Hence a simple communication of
objectives has been a crucial plank of the organisation’s efforts to date – and the success of that approach has been borne out by rapid membership in recent months. At the time of writing, there are 21 full members listed on the AIMS website – ranging from leading vendors such as Grass Valley, Evertz, Lawo and Sony, to content producers including 21st Century Fox – as well as 11 associate members. At present, there are three audio vendors in the group – Avid, Lawo and the Telos Alliance. PSNEurope spoke to two of them, along with Germany-based systems integrator Broadcast Solutions, about their reasons for joining the AIMS Alliance – and the problems that still lie ahead as we move into an IP-based future.
“CONVERGENCE IS ESSENTIAL” For Avid VP market solutions Alan Hoff, the work of AIMS dovetails neatly with the continuing adoption of its MediaCentral Platform for file-based workflows. “We believe that converging on an industry-wide open standard for moving professional media streams across IP networks is essential to the future of the industry. We liked the approach that AIMS and the VSF have taken – incorporating proven existing standards and promoting consistent interoperable implementations across the industry,” says Hoff. In terms of audio specifically, AIMS’ support of AES67 is “fantastic in that it bridges multiple legacy
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Networking collaboration in action at NAB
audio-over-IP formats, so we can move forward as an industry in an open, interoperable fashion without losing the investments already made in legacy techniques.” But Hoff also acknowledges that there are plenty of challenges to be overcome, not least with regard to contrasting manufacturer implementations. “It is encouraging that so many vendors have now aligned with AIMS and, therefore, VSF TR-03,” he says. “But now we face the challenge of converging on interoperability between implementations from literally dozens of vendors. This is a good challenge to face because it shows the traction AIMS and TR-03
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Martin Dyster
Manufacturers will always listen to their customers first and rightly so, but it is incumbent upon all of us to promote the idea of interoperability.
Martin Dyster, Linear Acoustic have now in the industry, but it is going to take work for TR-03 implementations to be ‘plug and play’ compatible. “The other challenge we are working on now is synchronisation. Because TR-03 carries audio and video in separate streams, which is the most efficient method, we must all approach timestamping and sync recovery in the same fashion or else we will have major A/V sync issues. “This is all properly specified in TR-03 which leverages PTP timestamping in accordance with SMPTE 2059, but again the trick is going to be getting everyone in the ecosystem to implement timestamping and sync recovery in a consistent, interoperable way.”
Stefan Breder: there is “an urgent need for standardisation”
Notes Dyster: “We have a wealth of experience and expertise to offer within AIMS. Equally, there is a great deal that we can learn from our new partner companies within the organisation who focus on the video side of the market.” But like Hoff, Dyster is aware that there is much work to be done in clearing “the confusion in the market regarding the different AoIP protocols and where AES67 fits into the picture. Manufacturers will always listen to their customers first, and rightly so, but it is incumbent upon all of us to promote the idea of interoperability so that the adoption of AoIP into broadcast workflows is not influenced by a specific protocol which in turn restricts the end-users’ choice of products.” Then there is the support that will need to be given to broadcast engineers as they negotiate the increasingly pressing requirement to add IT capabilities to their skillsets. “As somebody who has previously spent over two decades designing and installing broadcast systems around the world without
“LOGICAL STEP” Putting the decision to join AIMS in an historical context, Martin Dyster – business development, TV, vice-president at Telos Alliance company Linear Acoustic – describes it as “entirely logical step” given a track-record of IP product development that reaches back to 2003 and the release of AoIP protocol Livewire. He also points out that AIMS’ objectives “might be considered allied to the Media Networking Alliance, whose members seek to promote the adoption of AES67 as the most appropriate interoperability mechanism for AoIP in both pro-audio and broadcast.”
Michael Cronk: AES67 will be “integral” to audio’s future in broadcast workflows
giving AoIP even a passing thought, my learning curve has been steep and I’m certainly nowhere near the summit, in fact I’m not sure I’m much further than base camp yet,” Dyster admits. “Fortunately, the incoming generation of engineers have grown up with IT as a second language and for them, configuring a Cisco switch is probably as close to second nature as
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Alan Hoff, Avid: “It is encouraging that so many vendors have now aligned with AIMS”
configuring a mixing console is to me.”
“URGENT NEED FOR STANDARDISATION” Based in Bingen am Rhein, Germany, Broadcast Solutions is Europe’s largest OB van manufacturer and system integrator for broadcast facilities, DSNGs, fixed up- and downlink stations, and mobile satellite communications solutions. The decision to join AIMS, says CEO Stefan Breder, is in line with a belief that there is “an urgent need for standardisation in the migration process towards IP. With our AIMS membership we like to support and participate actively in this goal, and we are very much looking forward to our membership and to supporting the standardisation process in the shift from SDI to IP.” As more vendors and service providers look to adopt IP-based infrastructures, latency and synchronisation issues will come increasingly to the fore. “Low latency networks or networks with constant time delays for lip-sync or monitoring are necessary. To achieve them we would need separate networks for audio over IP to secure clocking and to define network paths for separate packets, thereby achieving synchronicity and avoiding clock skew. But this in a way would contradict the basic idea of using IP infrastructure. On the other hand, using existing or shared IP infrastructures’ Quality of Service is paramount, but again this results in other problems.” Then there are the expectations that are likely to result from “special audio services like immersive sound that the media experience of 4K/UHD or High Dynamic Range [HDR] promise, and which will require broadcasters to make further changes.” The extent to which the emerging ‘next generation’ of broadcast audio will require unprecedented levels of upskilling and infrastructural renewal is only beginning to become clear. In this context, it is to be hoped that the AIMS Alliance will provide some welcome uniformity to a debate that has hitherto been worryingly diffuse at times. aimsalliance.org
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Belgium
SSL Live L500 Plus does the trick for Trixie Expanding its digital “blue” console inventory, DEE Sound & Light invested in the country’s first SSL Live L500 Plus console, deployed it at a Trixie Whitley gig in the Antwerp Lotto Arena, reports Marc Maes
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n 2011, DEE Sound & Light decided to split their operations, assigning colour codes to each segment of the business. “A red label for all-in productions where we take on the full audio and lighting assignment, a green label for backline rental operations and a blue label for the digital equipment: consoles, effects and recording gear,” explains André Schneider, founder/MD of DEE Sound & Light. “We wanted to expand our digital platform, which already features Midas (XL8, PRO 9,PRO 1 and M32) and Digidesign (Profile and VENUE) consoles, and all the separate cards – these cards are rented out all over Europe to rental and recording companies.” Schneider opted for an L500 Plus console as the perfect complement to his stock of digital desks. “I liked the sound and quality of the new mixing desk,” he says, “and believe in this type of console. With the L500 Plus, SSL has become the extra brand that meets the demand of digital consoles throughout Europe. I particularly like the fact that the all of the processing is featured in the console – no extra racks needed here – and the desk’s compact size. The option for extra inputs is also a bonus. For smaller gigs, the direct 32 mic inputs are very helpful – but with the extra ML32.32 and ML I.32 stageboxes it’s quite easy to add more.” DEE took delivery of the L500 Plus console some eight months ago – the desk has since been on the road for European concert tours of Sam Smith and Santana, and Dutch gigs of the band Raccoon. At press time, Jurassic 5 confirmed the SSL 500 Plus as FOH desk for their upcoming European festival tour. “This type of bigger digital console is currently not yet popular in Belgium, contrary to what we find with the smaller ones, ” admits Schneider. “But I’m convinced that the market will steadily grow into it. Let’s face it – when we included our first Midas desk in the rental catalogue some 10 years ago, it needed quite some introduction time. Today, our digital Midas mixers are booked up months in advance.” It was Joystick Audio, the Belgian SSL distributor, who supplied the L500 Plus console to DEE Sound & Light. The company introduced the new console with seminars and demo concerts, promoting the prestigious brand of studio console’s entry in the live
SSL Live L500 Plus with Tim Lensses in Antwerp
and touring business. Belgian American multi-instrumentalist Trixie Whitley’s European tour (11 dates in the UK, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and France) became the ideal tool for a SSL Live L500 Plus promotion campaign. With concerts in 500-800 capacity venues, the tour was an ideal opportunity to show the new live console in clubs throughout Europe and to introduce system techs and audio production engineers with the quality and flexibility of the live desk. “The console has a super analogue sound,” enthuses Tim Lenssens, Trixie Whitley’s FOH engineer and Joystick Audio product support. “The Live L500 uses the same pre-amps like in the SSL AWS and Duality studio consoles, great analogue pre-amps with lots of depth and warmth, and this was crucial in the production’s choice for this console.” Lenssens adds that the console’s flexibility and the quality of the effects are other crucial assets. “All of the plug-ins are SSL-based but ‘re-tuned’ to live sound – both the ‘natural reverb’ and the special plates…” he says. “When Trixie’s on stage she sings with quite some low-mid – the SSL’s dynamic EQ allows me to bring her vocals to the front . I also use the amp-simulator to give her voice just that little
‘edge’ it needs. DEE Sound & Light’s SSL Live L500 Plus, with two ML32-32 stage-racks was first used in Belgium for the concert of Trixie Whitley (29 April, Lotto Arena Antwerp). The FOH system, supplied by Phlippo Productions, further consisted of two hangs of nine L-Acoustics K2, 15 SB28 subs and 20 L-Acoustics KARA speakers, controlled by a Lab.gruppen LM26. Monitoring was undertaken through a Midas H3000 desk, L-Acoustics X15 wedges and ARCSII + SB28 sidefills. The SSL L500 Plus was part of a dry-hire agreement between DEE’s ‘blue label’ and Phlippo Productions. www.dee.be/dee www.joystick.be/pro www.trixiewhitley.com
Trixie Whitley Photo credit: Guy Kokken
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M-5000 & M-5000C LIVE MIXING CONSOLES
A NEW ERA IN LIVE MIXING CONSOLES MAD I In a rapidly changing world, the ability to adapt is needed to excel. OHRCA brings the power of adaptability to the world of live audio mixing. It conforms to the needs of both the application and the operator by delivering 128 freely definable audio paths, flexible user interface and workflow, expandable protocols, and multi-format I/O choices -all delivered at a pristine 24-bit / 96kHz sound quality.
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BELGIUM
First Sony DWX-N for RF Transmission Belgian wireless systems specialist RF Transmission decided to enter the digital wireless domain with an investment in 72 digital channels, including the first Sony DWX-N series in the country, reports Marc Maes
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ith over 500 channels in analogue wireless systems, RF Transmission is arguably a leader in its supply sector. The company enjoys an excellent reputation both in Belgium, and abroad, where the bulk of its assignments come from. In the analogue domain, the company has the Wisycom brand dealership in the south of Belgium. Faced with the challenge of a reducing bandwidth for wireless systems and as part of his bi-annual inventory review, company founder Bernard Scyeur decided to invest in digital wireless systems at the start of 2016. “When, in May last year, our long-time clients, the Scala & Kolacny Brothers choir decided to upgrade their existing Sennheiser wireless system to the Digital 9000 system, our first step, as a supplier and dry-hire company, was to purchase an 8-channel rack – consider it a customer back-up…” For the further expansion of his digital wireless systems, Scyeur had to make critical choices, with parameters such as quality, investment value and technical specifications. “When Sony released their DWX-N series, I was immediately persuaded by the DWX-N’s quality, reach and reduced latency and decided to split my investment,” Scyeur continues. “The idea was to use Sony DWX-N as main touring system, flexible but requiring specialised staff because of its many parameters. The eight channels of Sennheiser cater for HD sound quality recording. A Beyer TG1000 system completes my digital catalogue.” Scyeur says the DWX-N’s sound quality, with 24-bit/96kHz conversion, was far better than existing analogue systems. “The reduced 1.5 ms latency is another bonus, as is the remote control: we do a lot of opera and theatre and the remote Sony software allows us to individually monitor and adapt the settings of each DWX-N channel,” he explains. In a first step, RF Transmission have taken delivery of 48 Sony DWX-N systems, supplied by distributor Amptec, with an option for 16 additional channels. Internationally renowned female choir Scala & Kolacny Brothers were amongst the first to use RF Transmission’s new Sony system, for their 20th anniversary concert. Engineer Tom Logghe put together a configuration consisting of the choir’s Sennheiser D9000 channels
and the DWX-N system, adding up to 74 channels in total. “In addition to the fact that we went ‘all digital’, I find the biggest advantage in the new Sony channels in the remote control option. I used the Sony Wireless Studio Software version 4.3.2 with the so-called Simple Status Viewer. “All of the parameters of the transmitters could be controlled from the console position,” says Logghe. “Adding more power, extra filters or change frequencies, monitor the battery status… it’s a unique piece of technology. Sony combined the best of both worlds here. And for a huge choir with soloists, the DWX-N’s reduced latency is super – depending on the codec, we use Codec 2 – it comes down to approx 1.5m/s – crucial for singers in terms of in-ear monitoring.” With the beyer TG1000 series, RF Transmission is eyeing the ‘backliners’. “Big tours in France very often use 60 to 80 frequencies,” Scyeur says. “In the past, backline wireless systems sometimes conflicted with the microphone or in-ear monitoring channels. The new digital TG1000, with a bandwidth of 319MHz allows us to simply adjust the backline frequencies rather than to adjust the whole microphone and in-ear system.” RF Transmission purchased one rack (16 channels) of the beyer TG1000 series – at press time, Scyeur revealed that the equipment has been booked up solid until November already.
The Sony DWX-N wireless system, and a view of a Scala rehearsal
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The ladies of Scala in action
www.rftransmission.be www.amptec.be www.scalachoir.com
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Eighth Day more than ready for Macklemore For the current Macklemore & Ryan Lewis world tour, Eighth Day Sound is supplying DiGiCo consoles and a Adamson E-15 PA with veteran FOH mixer Tim Colvard at the helm. Simon Duff reports
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im Colvard’s FOH mix engineer CV boasts a diverse roster of world class acts including Madonna, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, R. Kelly and Toni Braxton, and rap icons such as Eminem and The Beastie Boys. He cut his teeth on a DiGiCo D5 in 2003 with 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Earth Wind & Fire. He says: “I have been blessed with a variety of artists starting back in the early ‘80s with The Pointer Sisters and continuing to this day with Macklemore.” The artist of note is a Seattle rapper, who began releasing albums in 2000, working with his production partner Ryan Lewis since 2009. The duo have found worldwide success with albums The Heist in 2012 and This Unruly Mess I’ve Made released in February of this year. For the current world arena tour in support of the new album, which began in Belgium and features high musical content, Colvard is using a DiGiCo SD7 at FOH, running at 96kHz. Picking up 77 inputs off the stage split, including 24 outputs from Ableton Live, two guitars, bass, drums, trombone and three trumpets with a string line up of two violins, viola, cello, piano, and guest vocals. A Sennheiser SKM 5200 is the vocal microphone of choice with ME 5005 capsule, a Neve 1073 preamp and Avalon 737 compressor in the chain. Colvard notes: “The vocal difference, technique wise, between singers versus rappers would probably be the proximity of the mic to the mouth position. Fast rappers tend to use very close proximity techniques and melodic singers tend to naturally have Tim Colvard cut his engineering teeth working with the likes of Madonna and Whitney, and rappers including Eminem and the Beastie Boys the mic position further away.” The SD7 has been Colvard’s console of choice since its arrival in 2008. “The sound, the surface layout including the video monitor keeps the desk progressive for today productions.” For the Macklemore mix he uses snapshots to keep his mix consistent each night, fired off timecode from the Ableton Live stage rig. Outboard includes two Eventide H3000s, used for vocal double tracking FX, TC Electronic System 6000, for reverb hall sounds and two Yamaha SPX 2000s on horns and drum plate sounds. At creating eighteen stereo in ear mixes and wedge monitor world, a DiGiCo SD5 with a Waves package is requirements, predominantly d&b audiotechnik J8s and the order of the day with monitor engineer J. Summers B22 subs.
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Macklemore (left) & Ryan Lewis: on tour around the world until August
Commenting on the choice of the Adamson system, Colvard says: “I chose the E-15 after using it on a festival show with Lionel Richie last year in France. During that show the system provided clarity, punch and throw. Of course all the aspects that a good system should have. Now that I’m touring with the system it is continuing to provide that same criteria, especially with the addition of the E119 sub. We are flying 24 E-15 per side along with 8 flown E119 per side for the main hang. The side hang consist of 6 E-12 and 12 E-15 per side. On the ground there are 12 E 119 subwoofer per side.” The tour continues though June and July with arena dates in the USA, summer festivals in Europe before concluding in Australia at The Perth Arena in August. www.adamsonsystems.com www.digico.biz www.8thdaysound.com www.macklemore.com
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E-V and the ND range: “We had to do it right” At PL+S, Electro-Voice introduced its first major salvo of products into the professional live microphone market for some years. John Dexter Jones talks to project leader Rick Belt about the timing of the launch
All the ND mics are here!
I
n 2002, the founder of Electro-Voice, Al Kahn, gave an interview about the origins of the company. Describing his involvement in the development of microphones, he passed a remark that has a simple, powerful resonance for his successors in the company he began. The evolution of Indiana-based E-V into the microphone market in the early 1930s set a standard and traces a pioneering line to the present day. That evolution was squarely based on quality. Of Electro-Voice’s first microphone, Kahn said simply: “We made a good one.” Speaking to Rick Belt, the designer and driving force behind the development of Electro-Voice’s new ND Series of wired microphones, it is immediately apparent that a strong sense of legacy hangs in the air. “I take the view that as a custodian of the brand, my responsibility to handle it with care is of the utmost importance, and that any product stamped with the Electro-Voice name is to be of the highest possible quality,” says Belt “As part of a wider strategy to update and refresh certain products, the introduction of the new ND Series constitutes the next stage in the evolution of the neodymium technology that we at Electro-Voice pioneered in the 1980s. It wasn’t something to be taken lightly or done in haste.” The ND Series is the company’s first major launch into the microphone market for a number of years, but as the conversation with Belt progresses, it becomes obvious that an agreed date for this
launch would only be reached when the products met his stringent criteria for excellence and value. The fundamental aim of the ND Series was to improve the acoustic performance of the capsules to achieve a more contemporary sonic offering and include features that would significantly enhance the experience of end-users. Belt explains: “At the point when we launched the successful RE 320 [dynamic vocal and instrument mic] in 2011, we began to approach how we were going to refresh the entire family of ‘N/DYMs’ – and with eight items in the range, it does take a bit of time to craft a solution. “We opted to break down the capsules totally and re-engineer the entire engine. So it wasn’t that we took the old heads and stuck them into new bodies: we actually redesigned how those capsules were built and performed. If we were going to do it, we had to it right. We didn’t cut any corners worrying about how long it was going to take...” He pauses for emphasis and to drive the point home: “We had to do it right.” Doing it right, then, meant understanding the needs of artists and engineers and investing Belt’s vast practical experience of live settings and studios into product development. He speaks with an authority and clarity on the subject that could only have evolved from this background. The technical data is accompanied by a tangible passion and commitment toward developing solutions that will play out perfectly in real-life situations. As he
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describes the nuances of the ND Series, Belt does so, not only in terms of the science, but in terms of how a particular feature might address the specific needs of a performer or an engineer.
NDing TO KNOW What of the microphones themselves? At the heart of the series is a new largediaphragm capsule design. The vocal microphones are essentially addressed towards three distinct application scenarios and are differentiated by polar pattern, capsule voicing and grille shape. From the all-round ND76 and 76S (with on/off switch), through the ND86, aimed at larger concert and festival venues to the ND96 for loud stages where its extremely high gain-before-feedback characteristic enables vocals to be pushed through the mix, there is an option for optimal performance in each setting.
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We’re not going to go downmarket to gain market share, that’s just not going to work, so we have to go upmarket at a competitive price
Rick Belt
ND series designer and team leader Rick Belt at Prolight + Sound 2016
Similarly, the instrument models are optimised for their applications by polar pattern, capsule voicing and mechanical design. The ND44, with its innovative mounting clip, is designed for tom-toms and snare drums, while a compact form factor and low-profile angling head allow for precise placement in other applications. The larger ND46 dynamic mic has a unique locking pivot mechanism for simple and accurate positioning – particularly in hard-to-reach areas of drum kits. The ND66, a small-diaphragm condenser microphone’s filters, pads and locking pivoting head – the only one of its kind on the market – make it an extremely versatile choice for, typically, drum overheads, hi-hats, close-miked drums, acoustic guitar and piano. Finally, the ND68 dynamic is voiced for a powerful kick drum sound with little or no additional equalisation required. Belt’s declared intention throughout the development of the series was to over-feature the price point (between $120 and $200) of each item by taking careful measure of the usability by use case. His aim was not simply to meet the expectations of users but exceed them by, including features that enhanced the aesthetics and the practicality of each
item against the background of superior acoustic performance. Given the dominance of the heavy hitters in the sector, this aim is at the core of the sales proposition. Belt observes, “We’re not going to go downmarket to gain market share, that’s just not going to work, so we have to go upmarket at a competitive price. The critical part of this proposition is that we’re giving the end-user more for the money and we have some fine engineering to back this up. At recent shows where we’ve encouraged people to get hands-on with these microphones and see what they can do, the reaction has been a universal ‘Wow!’ “ Alongside their considerable engineering talents, Belt and his team have quite clearly poured heart and soul into another chapter of Electro-Voice’s near 90-year history of audio excellence and they are a confident that the new series will have a strong impact. Time may indeed have passed since ElectroVoice’s last major launch into this sector but the overwhelming message that accompanies its new ND Series of microphones is that the wait will have been more than worth it. www.electrovoice.com
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Sonic advance for Daltrey’s TCT After 16 years, audio partners Entec and d&b continue to raise the bar for the Teenage Cancer Trust
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ow a staple of the Royal Albert Hall’s springtime calendar, the Teenage Cancer Trust’s annual festival of music and comedy shows has seen over 200 artists perform to nearly 500,000 fans, raising more than £22 million since its launch in 2000. Throughout the event’s 16-year history, Entec Sound & Light has been proud to remain its exclusive audio provider and, through its partnership with manufacturer d&b audiotechnik, has set high standards at the revered London venue. This year, with the deployment of the latest version of a Dante network package and d&b’s ArrayProcessing software, the partnership reached a new peak. The event grew out of Roger Daltrey encouraging The Who to play a show for the charity, and in doing so, becoming the driving force for the events that followed, curating each year’s bill alongside show producer Des Murphy. This April’s week-long offering was typical of
the range of talent to which audiences have become accustomed. Kicking off with a comedy night headlined by John Bishop, the week progressed with The Vaccines and Everything Everything, Simply Red, Bring Me The Horizon and New Order, ending with a classic performance by David Gilmour. Middlesex-based Entec became involved from the outset, in no small part due to the company’s former head of sound, Dick Hayes, who managed TCT’s audio up until his retirement last year. He says: “I had worked for The Who since 1969 under Bob Pridden and, coincidentally, my first gig with them was at the Albert Hall. When I joined Entec in 1995, Bob was one of the first people I contacted because The Who were forever having monitoring problems. I presented our APW monitors as a solution: Daltrey and Townshend loved them, and when the first TCT show was announced, Entec was given the job.”
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The production team for TCT has remained stable throughout the show’s existence with Steve Allen in residence as production manager since the first event. However, no one takes their role for granted, according to Matt Grounds who, after running monitors last year, became both Entec’s project manager and crew chief for 2016. “The consistency of the crew over the years has been key to maintaining a good working relationship with TCT production,” says Grounds. “We are very fortunate to have highly skilled people whose personalities are a very good fit.”
TAMING THE AUDITORIUM Entec’s long experience of handling one of the world’s most notoriously challenging acoustic spaces carries considerable value. A d&b audiotechnik rental partner since 1995, the company originally deployed the C4 system, configuring it as a large centre cluster for the
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Comedy headliner John Bishop
JUNE 2016
L-R: FOH engineer Paul Ramsay and system designer Liam Halpin
Entec crew, L-R: James Kerridge, Liam Halpin and Matt Grounds
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second year, before moving to the Q-Series. For TCT’s 2006 events, Entec debuted the large scale J-Series (d&b’s first foray into boxes that size) and it is a testimony to its design that it remains at the core of the TCT audio spec. This April, Entec’s PA consisted of 14 J8s per side as the main hang with eight V-Series cabinets in each side hang, a balcony fill of four Y8s per side, a pair of Y7Ps with a Y10P per side, and a central hang of six J-SUBs, a front fill of two Y-SUBs, two Y7s and a pair of Y10s, two E8s for centrefill and four B22s underneath the stage. Everything was powered by d&b D80 amplifiers. Liam Halpin, seven years working on TCT, comments: “As systems and technology have improved, and we’ve become increasingly digital with greater access to DSP power, we’ve become more clued up about the things that affect sound in the venue and how best to deal with them for a better experience. We’re now having to do less EQ adjustment on a system that is mainly designed in advance and executed on the day with minimal tuning.” Not surprisingly, a very healthy exchange of ideas and information exists between Entec and d&b. The ongoing support provided by the German manufacturer is “outstanding” and its beta versions of new products are regularly field-tested by the rental company – one of the most recent examples being the latest software update for its ArrayProcessing tool, demonstrated at TCT last year, ahead of its official launch at Prolight + Sound. One of d&b’s most significant developments, ArrayProcessing (AP) allows each loudspeaker cabinet to be individually processed with FIR and IIR filtering to bypass some of the limitations associated with line
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array cabinets, particularly the directionality and level distribution of the low-mid frequency range. “This prompted d&b to take a further step with the system processing that allows the low-mid to be distributed more evenly and you can really hear the difference,” claims Jonny Clark, the successor to Dick Hayes in his newly appointed role of head of sound. (ArrayCalc, the simulation tool within d&b’s processing suite, is a crucial link here – the function used to design an array based on a map of the venue, providing system performance prediction, time alignment, rigging and safety parameters.)
The d&b PA hang during soundcheck
NETWORKED SOLUTION Last year’s introduction of Entec’s custom-packaged, highly scalable Dante networking system was another step forward for the TCT shows, prompted by the distribution of amplifiers in the gallery, underneath the stage and in the ‘rat run’ behind the stage, and the associated desire to reduce analogue cabling and gain more flexibility. For 2016, the system took in 28 managed network switches with eight Focusrite RedNet units located around the venue and Lake LM44s running Dante input and output.
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P39 Focusrite RedNets at the hub of Entec’s Dante network
JUNE 2016
system and SD7 at FOH for engineer Colin NorďŹ eld, although it was still Entec’s PA. “Maintaining good relationships with these other companies is important because at some point you are going to be working together on events like TCT and smooth interaction is what everyone wants,â€? says Grounds. Entec’s crew also included technicians James Kerridge and Tom Olorenshaw. Of all the many special moments from the 2016 shows, one of the major highlights came when, three days after Prince’s tragic death, David Gilmour segued into Purple Rain during his iconic Comfortably Numb guitar solo – a ďŹ tting tribute at the climax of an emotionally charged week. „ www.entec-soundandlight.com www.dbaudio.com As a result of also being fed into the network, crew communications on TCT have reached a new level of sophistication. Matt Grounds explains: “We are using MyMix personal monitor mixers for the crew shout system which is integrated into our Telex BTR 800 radio comms and Mikey Grove, our stage manager, has a radio pack that can switch between each department with more exibility than he’s ever known.â€?
Shown Actual Weight.
GET VACCINATED Advance dialogue with all artists informed the deployment of a DiGiCo SD7 as Entec’s house FOH console – manned by engineer Paul Ramsay – and an SD10 for monitor mixer Simon Higgs. Grounds: “For The Vaccines’ engineers Martin Hildred and Neil Heal we brought in a pair of Avid ProďŹ les, which was one of the few special requests we received. We install what we believe is the best possible system conďŹ guration for the venue, but we are also here to serve the incoming artists so there are always a number of individually tailored items.â€? Also at FOH, a Midas PRO1 was hooked up to the Dante network via a KT DN9650 network bridge to manage compère mic feeds, VT audio playback and matrixing for incoming consoles. Additionally, to service Matt Hey’s multitrack recording of every show in conjunction with FX Rentals, Entec supplied a system based around a 96-channel Avid D-Show VENUE console running MADI to Pro Tools. Nearly every year sees Entec working with other rental ďŹ rms whose clients are in the line-up. For TCT, the company teamed up with SSE for Bring Me The Horizon and Britannia Row for Simply Red and David Gilmour. Says Jonny Clark: “Between SSE and ourselves, we came up with the idea of Bring Me The Horizon [BMTH] running their own line system via our network and then into our SD7 at FOH. Meanwhile, the support band, PVRIS, used our line system and ProďŹ les at each end so that we had two completely independent setups. That was immensely helpful because BMTH decided to augment their set with a full choir and orchestra, obviously impacting greatly on the input count.â€? “That’s one of the really impressive things about TCT,â€? added Grounds. “The artists love being part of it and often go the extra mile to treat it as a special one-off show, and so adding 60 choir singers onstage is the kind of thing we’ve come to expect. There’s a level of excitement that you don’t normally see elsewhere. “With David Gilmour, it was a case of accommodating his production within our existing set-up.â€? Brit Row brought in their line
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P40 JUNE 2016
Live
Muse feeling good, and on top of the world with STM Marc Carolan, FOH engineer, mixes Muse in Ischgl
Radical design with Nexo STM Series modular line array for Austrian concert
F
ourteen thousand fans packed the Silvretta Arena in Ischgl for a very special edition of the world-famous Top of the Mountain concert series, with British rock heroes Muse and a never-seen-before configuration of Nexo’s STM Series modular line array. Fantasy Veranstaltungstechnik, the Austrian sound rental provider that has serviced more than 20 TOTM concerts for the Tyrolean ski resort, has been deploying Nexo STM Series systems for the last five years. The company has just made a major investment in the
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P41 JUNE 2016
An radical approach to setting up the Nexo STM system
STM M28 ‘Omni’ modules, and this was the first appearance for the new cabinets in a starring role on the mountaintop. Hannes Knapp, technical director of Fantasy, has some history with the French brand: “I remember using the old TS2400 touring rigs, then spent about seven years working with big Alpha systems, before moving onto GEO T. “STM brings me fully up-to-date, and as the TOTM concerts grow every year, we need to be current with the best possible loudspeaker systems. His new STM M28 compact modules can be used as a downfill with the M46 modules, or as the main cabinet in the arrays with B112 bass cabinets, he reports. “ It has a huge amount of headroom, unbelievable really; the clarity and precision of every single instrument is phenomenal, even at 70-plus metres.” With the input of STM specialist Norbert Bund, and Val Gilbert from Nexo’s Engineering Support Team, an innovative system configuration was designed for Muse, maximising the modular versatility of the STM Series to meet the band’s LF requirements. A single line of 18x M28 cabinets was bracketed by nine B112 bass cabinets, creating a 3-wide array. “When Nexo first released STM, we offered the rigging options to present the system 3-wide,” explains Gilbert. “However, few customers have deployed that design with the large M46 main cabinet, and Fantasy is the first to do it with the new M28. Our original design for Ischgl was a line of M28 and a line of B112, but rigging restrictions meant that we had to spread the weight of the arrays. Rigging limitations vary, depending on the density of the snow, and they are very strict. The modular nature of STM enabled us to break the system into three lines, which could be done without
compromising acoustical performance. The atmospheric conditions are the hardest anywhere, and the M28 performed with distinction.” With another nine M28 boxes per side acting as delays for the system (at 60m), and 48x STM S118 subs flown and groundstacked, this compact line array system comfortably catered for the audience of 14,000, spread over a considerable listening field, and the expectations of one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Marc Carolan was the man at FOH, mixing on a Midas PRO X. “[The M28 is a magical little box,” reports Hannes Knapp. “It has the light weight and flexibility for our smaller shows, yet, using the same components, we can assemble a system for a Muse concert. It is easy to handle, totally versatile, and can deliver for more than 20,000 people. You can do everything with this tiny little system.” For the past four years, Fantasy has used Nexo’s
We don’t need to throw more than 80 metres, even though we can, but in this place, it’s a good idea not to throw to the next mountain
Hannes Knapp, Fantasy STM M46 as the main module in the STM PA system, coupling 1:1 with the B112 bass cabinet. Chief system designer Norbert Bund (seconded from German rental company acoustic Network) was impressed with the way the smaller STM M28 worked in place of the M46. “The configuration of the main arrays gave us good coverage
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Being able to rig the system quickly and easily was very important in the snowy climes
to about 60m, where the delays started. But with the smaller M28 boxes, we can use shorter inter-cabinet angles, so the coverage is really focussed and accurate. Using them in this way with the B112s meant that we didn’t have to depend on the LF energy of the M28s, and could exploit the headroom in other frequency ranges.” Knapp brings up the critical question of location: Ischgl is in the Austrian Tyrol at 1,500 metres above sea level, while the Silvretta Arena is 800 metres above that! Getting the audience there is easy: they just ski there. “At this altitude, there are fewer air molecules than in the valley. We don’t need to throw more than 80 metres, even though we can, but in this place, it’s a good idea not to throw to the next mountain… “Most of the time, the humidity is nearly 100%, and the temperature can change from -15°C in the morning to +10°C at noon, so having the M28 delays is a much better solution than driving the main PA too hard.” Logistical complexities abound. “We’re well within the snowfields and there is no flat surface at all so it is difficult to transport heavy equipment there,” explains Knapp. “We need simple and easy-handling dollies and covers so we can load-in or strike quickly. All stage construction is directly on 3 to 5 metres, built on snow with no concrete beneath, so we need lightweight cabinets – another reason for choosing Nexo’s M28. Norbert Bund joins in. “Rigging is all-important. We have to move very fast because we may not always have good weather, and there are obvious difficulties of access for the vehicles. But the STM rigging is extremely flexible, allowing us to change the configuration as we did for Muse from a standard 2-line array to the 3-wide system that was compatible with the rigging point load factor. No other system would have given us such possibilities.” www.eventengineering.at www.nexo-sa.com
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P44 JUNE 2016
Business feature: Branding
Brand ho!
In a time when just about anything or anyone can be a brand, how do specialist audio companies establish and maintain and effective market presence? Kevin Hilton gets all his ducks in a row to look at a very niche form of image management
Calrec Audio’s Periodic Table of Broadcast Consoles
P
rofessional audio may be a small, welldefined industry but it has not shied away from using branding and general publicity techniques to promote itself. Companies, and even specific products, have made indelible impressions, often as the right thing at the right time. This is encapsulated in the old story that during the 1970s and into the ’80s, record company A&R departments would ring round recording studios asking if they had a Solid State Logic console, particularly the 4000 G Series. If the answer was “yes”, a studio went on the list of places for top acts to record. Despite such recognition, times and tastes change and new contenders enter the arena. As Joseph Gelman, a partner at brand and marketing consultancy Prophet Madrid, has noted, “The story of brands getting old is a story of relevance.” SSL adapted its strategies in subsequent years, aiming more towards broadcast and post-production with a range of digital products, including the Axiom and Aysis desks and, latterly, the C Series. Even so there is still the misconception that a sector as small and specialist as pro audio, where just about every potential customer knows about just about every manufacturer big and small, there is no need to spend time and money on building and maintaining a brand. Andreas Hilmer, director of marketing and communications at Lawo, observes that, going back 10 to 15 years, “no one was doing any real brand management or development” in the market. “Even today most companies are not into actively developing an image – it’s not on their radar,” he says. “In the past one could afford to do that but in broadcast in particular, with companies merging into bigger groups and everyone trying to get a share of the market, branding is a tool that can be used to survive. It can give a higher profile that will help to be around in the future.” Before joining Lawo in 2013, Hilmer spent nine years with Riedel Communications’ marcomms department. While there he helped build the company up from being an intercom manufacturer virtually unknown outside its home market in Germany to the international network infrastructure developer with the bold red image of today. Lawo has similarly built up its standing and reputation on the world stage, although Hilmer says this was already happening under the management of Philipp Lawo when he joined the company. “Philipp had a vision of what things would be like
Promotional visual for Sennheiser’s ‘D1 and Only’ campaign, featuring the vocal mic with stylised images of the rock & roll lifestyle
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P45 JUNE 2016
in the world of IP,” Hilmer explains. This, he continues, involved audio consoles becoming the backbone of a studio or production set-up, controlling network functions as well as mixing sources. A key part of this has been the development of RAVENNA audio over IP (AoIP) technology. Although conceived by Phillip Lawo and now a core part of the products that bear his name, RAVENNA was deliberately not branded as Lawo. Instead it is marketed under the umbrella of ALC NetworX to emphasis that it is an open standard not tied to a specific manufacturer. “Because it’s not seen as Lawo’s protocol that has allowed competitors such as Calrec to approach ALC NetworX and integrate it into their own products,” Hilmer comments. As with any company that’s been around for over 40 years, Lawo has looked to refresh and alter its brand and image. Hilmer says this has been done subtly, rather than with any dramatic repositioning and change of image: “You always have to keep the existing image and logo in mind. The company is the people [within it] and if you just want to take something and make it sexier, that won’t work. You have to have a vision and know where you want to go.”
What is branding? As the Oxford Dictionary of English – itself a wellknown brand – points out, there was a time when people didn’t think specifically about a brand. They might have favoured a certain type of car or drink but branding has taken this further with active promotion and building of an image. Rebecca Battman, founder of the RBL agency, says that while many people think of branding in terms of a company logo, that is only the start: “It’s a symbol, the reason why a person buys a product or uses a service.” Battman adds that branding is effective in differentiating companies that offer the same or similar products or services: “A brand can sum up the personality of a company and would be the reason someone would choose to fly Virgin rather than British Airways, even through they do exactly the same job.” Which means both Virgin and BA – and any other
SOMEBODY ANSWER THE PHONE Harman Professional encompasses such noted brands as JBL, BSS, AKG, AMX, Studer and Soundcraft. Each has its own image through the products it produces, supported by some very recognisable logos: JBL’s orange rectangle with the ‘v’shaped exclamation mark; the three intertwined cardioid patterns that are still part of AKG’s image; and the distinctive typeface used for the Studer name. Despite this immediate recognition, Keith Watson, marketing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa with Harman Professional Solutions division, says such graphical design is only one small aspect of branding. “Behind that is a whole range of qualities and promises,” he says. “The quality and innovation built into our products, how the company reacts to the customer. How it responds to requests – and even how it answers the phone. Then there’s how it fixes problems. A brand is a promise of all those things being done well. So it’s not just a visual representation. It’s no good just telling people what the brand is about: you have to prove it. And it’s no good telling them it’s the best in the world if it falls over.” Watson observes that underlining what a product can do and how it is different from the competition is particularly important in a market where digital technologies and techniques are the basis of most of what is on offer. “And even if there is a problem with something, when a company fixes it the customer may still be loyal to the brand because they see the reliability and support behind it,” he says. Like most manufacturers, Harman and its subsidiaries are using social media to reach new Traction Sound had a local ale branded up, something many companies have done (see the Pro Sound Brews photo customers. In this way, Watson collection on the PSNEurope Facebook page!) says, a brand can be kept fresh
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type of company – needs to know exactly what they are offering and to whom. As Mark Baynes, chief marketing officer of drinks company Keurig Green Mountain has said, “Unless you have absolute clarity of what your brand stands for, everything else is irrelevant.” www.rbl-brandagency.com
Rebecca Battman
P46 JUNE 2016
Business feature: Branding
Building a new brand - Pliant Technologies A company can be well-established as a brand in a niche market but may have to rethink not just its image but its name to branch out into other sectors. CoachComm is known in US sports for intercom systems used by coaches in college football. While it has built up sales internationally it wanted to move into the wide professional audio market with new products and technology. To do this CoachComm launched Pliant Technologies in March this year, introducing the new CrewCom wireless communications system at NAB. Pliant Technologies is also marketing existing CoachComm products, including the Tempest NG wireless package and the SmartBoom range of headsets. Global sales manager Gary Rosen explains that a separate persona was needed to aim squarely at the wider pro market: “Selecting the Pliant name was about removing the sports connotation. We’re looking at introducing a broader range than just
intercom, so we didn’t want something too specific. Pliant implies flexibility and that leaves the window open for other products.” www.plianttechnologies.com Gary Rosen
and relevant: “Nobody thinks of AKG and JBL as old brands.” But, he says, any marketing needs to be targeted. An interesting example of this is the ‘Faces’ advertising campaign run for Studer-Soundcraft consoles from 2012. This featured an archetype to represent each market sector that used the companies’ mixing desks. These included a thoughtful BBC interviewer type-man in his 50s for radio; a massive American football player for OB TV sports coverage; and a rock guy and a rock gal for live touring. Watson comments that all were successful despite not focusing heavily on the product being promoted. “The personas were relatively easy to identify and carried the right qualities of the respective Studer and Soundcraft consoles,” he says. Faces won the 2013 Pro Sound Award for marketing initiative/campaign of the year. Also nominated that year were the three campaigns for L-Acoustics’ 5XT, ARCS Wide and Focus and KIVA-SB15m ranges; the ‘Frame Story’ for the d&b audiotechnik White range; and DiGiCo’s ‘Mugshot’ ads. Another memorable piece of branding came from Sennheiser for its D1 wireless vocal microphone. The model number gave great scope for wordplay; the mic was branded as ‘D1 and Only’ and Sennheiser ran a scheme to discover and promote new music acts, billed as ‘The One and Only Band’. Not that pro-audio branding has to be all about high-profile campaigns and grabbing The Volkswagen van, as featured in the D1 campaign, did a tour of trade events attention. Companies can carve out a niche and stay with it, supporting an established image with very specific marketing. Sonifex was founded by for dubbing facility De Lane Lea. Brooke’s son Marcus, Paul Brooke in 1969, initially building mixing consoles who now runs the company as managing director,
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agrees that the choice of name – Sonifex, a composite of ‘son’ for sound and ‘fex’ for effects – better summed up later products, such as the cartridge machines and telephone hybrids that became a mainstay of radio studios in the 1970s and 80s. While carts are long gone, Sonifex still produces a telephone hybrid and on-air desks. Today it is best known for its range of audio and video processors, many of which are part of the distinctive Red Box range. These form a striking part of the company’s stand at IBC, which has been in the same position – just to the left as people walk into Hall 8 - for the last ten years. “We don’t do an awful lot to promote the brand,” Marcus Brooke says, “but we do push it at trade shows. We don’t want to rest on our laurels and I hope we have that brand recognition.” Branding is often derided due to the highfalutin’ and often nonsensical language used by consultants when running ideas up the flagpole and trying to get people to salute them. When it comes down to it, says Kevin Emmott, marketing manager at Calrec Audio, business-to-business branding “should tell the story of the company and reflect what it brings to that particular industry”. Calrec has been through several ownerships and in the past manufactured both radio mixers and the SoundField microphone. It is now part of the Audiotonix group, along with DiGiCo and Allen & Heath, and concentrates on consoles and networking systems for live TV. “As part of Audiotonix Calrec benefits from shared R&D know-how and purchasing resources but its commitment to live broadcast hasn’t changed, just as DiGiCo’s and A&H’s commitments to their niche markets haven’t changed,” Emmott says. “To build an effective brand in its market Calrec needs to be across all the changes in technology and do that before our customers need to be. Branding should provide confidence that a company is playing an active role to help its customers define the future of the industry. This is especially important in a specialist market where many people already know who you are.” Emmott adds that Calrec uses all the marketing tools available to it, including advertising, sponsorships, white papers, exhibitions, PR, websites, community initiatives, customer support and social media. “We adapt how much of these we use on an ongoing basis but they should all complement each and have the same message,” he concludes. “In this way responding to this article is part of Calrec’s branding.” www.calrec.com www.pro.harman.com www.lawo.com www.sonifex.co.uk
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P48 JUNE 2016
Installation
Belgium
Axient in pole position: reliable wireless for speed races Just in time for the racing season, Belgian Shure distributor FACE installed an Axient wireless system in Francorchamps’s pit lane, reports Marc Maes
T
he legendary Francorchamps race circuit, located in the Belgian Ardennes region, is well known for its “24 heures de Spa” and Formula 1 races. To enhance the race track’s visitors’ experience, local circuit reporters comment on the race from alongside the track, from the pit lane, paddocks and the racing teams’ workshops, with interviews and race facts. The interviews are aired on the circuit’s Bose public address system in front of the stands. “In the past, the Francorchamps Circuit management hired in a couple of wireless microphones, connected to the main audio system,” explains Glenn Willems, wireless specialist and account manager with FACE. “But whenever they had technical race support teams, TV crews or radio reporting teams over to the site, the ‘official’ wireless microphone signals suffered from interference or were even wiped out. The rented microphones also had limited reach and the installation of the temporary receiver masts was not always optimal.” When it came to upgrading these arrangements, in addition to the race coverage, the Francorchamps Circuit wanted a new installation to serve as a public address system in case of a requirement to evacuate the circuit’s public area. Willems, with his professional background in wireless systems, initially suggested Wysicom mobile reporting units. “From what we’ve learned in Francorchamps, the wireless system had to be interference resistant and 100% failsafe,” he says. “You cannot take the risk of having any security messages broadcasted on the sound system being interfered by signals from reporter teams on the site. That’s why we thought of Wisycom high power mobile units, like those used on Formula 1 races and by broadcaster Sky. The problem is that these packages are quite heavy to carry around in the already crowded pitlane.” The solution came with Shure’s Axient system, FACE being the manufacturer’s partner for distribution, installation and support. Willems and Yves Quireyns of Shure Benelux approached the Francorchamps Circuit management with their solution. “The big advantage of the Axient series is the AXT600 spectrum manager – Axient is so much more than a
Pitlane and stands finish line
Wisycom LNNA Antennas covering pit lane
microphone and a receiver,” Willems explains. “It’s a fully integrated system with a high-tech frequency scanner: the Spectrum manager automatically detects possible risks of interference and permanently scans the ether for the best frequencies on the site. Another forté of the system is that the whole configuration is integrated in one network, the Showlink system. The AXT200 handheld transmitters use the AXT610 Showlink access points to set up a wireless network link with the Axient equipment located in the rack in the equipment room: the AXT400 double receiver, the AXT600 spectrum manager and the AXT900 intelligent battery charging
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station, by means of the AXT620 ethernet switch, allowing a fully synchronised automatic switch-over to alternative frequencies in case the used frequencies are jeopardised by external sources of interference.” Glenn Willems underlines that the Spectrum manager system, in combination with the AXT200 transmitters, equipped with the new KSM8 Dualdyne capsules (launched at NAMM) and their dual-frequency capability, along with the Shure AXT400 receiver is the best guarantee for full failsafe operation in the RF-crowded pitlane as reporter system, and in, case of calamity, as a 100% reliable public address signal. “For extreme reliability the AXT200 handheld transmitter can operate on two frequencies simultaneously. In case one of the frequencies risks being interfered with, the Axient system automatically shuts down that particular frequency while carrying on operating on the second frequency. Then the spectrum manager hands out a clean frequency to handheld transmitter and receiver alike after which the whole system seamlessly (and inaudibly) switches back to dual-frequency operation.” Having found a solid solution for the wireless frequency issue, expanding the reach for the
P49 JUNE 2016
Yves Quireyns (left) and Glenn Willems testing the system
microphones was the next challenge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seeing the dimensions of the pit lane, the choice of the antennas was crucial,â&#x20AC;? Willems continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve opted for a set of Wisycom LNNA antennas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; their integrated ampliďŹ ers are very robust, and able to cope with very hostile RF environments. In terms of operational functionality itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best product in FACEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reception antenna portfolio.â&#x20AC;? The essential factor in wireless transmission being â&#x20AC;&#x153;line of sightâ&#x20AC;?, Willems decided to install the Wisycom antenna near the ďŹ nish line on a 5m-high mast, ensuring full coverage of the pit lane and part of the paddock. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The selectivity and the excellent intermodulation behaviour of the Axient transmitters and receivers, in combination with the bullet-proof Wisycom head-end amps, ensure that interference due to overload, adjacent channel transmitters and
intermodulation products can be avoided. When we tested the system in this critical environment, it turned out that even on the edges of the requested coverage area, we were able to obtain more than 25dB of fading margin (on the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;awayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;-facing antenna) using a clever antenna conďŹ guration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it, 350 metres coverage for a wireless microphone system is quite impressive,â&#x20AC;? enthuses Willems. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Additionally, Axient allows us to programme any frequencies that are reserved, for example, for television coverage. Those are then automatically excluded from use by the frequency manager.â&#x20AC;? Completing the Shure Axient set-up is the Wireless Workbench 6 control software, allowing remote control of the full network, making the system efficient, easy to handle and reliable. FACE supplied and installed the Shure Axient conďŹ guration, after having tested with various trial settings. Willems also took on the training of local engineers in terms of frequency planning and management, allowing the local technical crew to deal with frequencies used by external reporter teams or emergency services. The system is standard using Shure KSM8 capsules (the speciďŹ c race environment requires close miking) but the incorporated software
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Vintage race cars on circuit
also allows the use of other microphone brands when calculating frequency plans. The output of the Axient system is ampliďŹ ed through a Bose loudspeaker system, consisting of ďŹ ve LT3202 in combination with 50 Paranay 402 series cabinets, mounted against the pitlane building facing the length of the stands. The speakers are powered by Bose Powermatch 8500N amps controlled by a Bose Controlspace ESP system. The Francorchamps circuit is currently replacing its sound system (including some old hornspeakers) by Bose 402 cabinets. Over a three-year stretch, an additional 150 cabinets will be put in place, covering the whole race circuit area.. Â&#x201E; face.be, www.shure.be spa-francorchamps.be
P50 JUNE 2016
Installation
(Play)back on track The Denon Professional and Marantz Professional brands have spent a couple of years in the wilderness, it could be argued. Watch out, world: inMusic have big plans for the famous black boxes, writes Dave Robinson
B
ack in the summer of 2008, US-based venture capital company Bain Capital purchased Japan-based D&M Holdings (which, by that time, owned Calrec and Allen & Heath alongside Denon and Marantz). D&M Holdings did business in three primary categories: automobile after market audio, consumer audio and professional audio. But Bain’s main focus was the consumer division, and so After several years of shrinking sales in the pro-audio segment, Bain made the decision to sell the professional brands and dedicate their focus on consumer audio. While Calrec and A&H went to Electra, the professional Marantz and Denon brands were purchased by Jack O’Donnell’s inMusic. Paul Jenkins, vice president Denon Professional-Marantz Professional, explains what happens now
What effect did the inMusic acquisition have? Paul Jenkins: inMusic acquired Denon Professional and Marantz Professional in 2014. These brands came to inMusic with an existing stable of products, conceived, designed and manufactured overseas. Those existing product line-ups were not necessarily complete or marketcoherent. On the contrary, frankly, they were an incomplete range, missing key units, and not having a clear market position or direction. High-quality products when considered [in their own right], but without clearly identified goals. Obviously, to start with, inMusic has “played the hand it was dealt”, so to speak. [However] as the inMusic ownership of these brands has begun to take hold, we’re jumping on conceiving and designing the next generation of products. InMusic has extensive in-house marketing, engineering, industrial design capabilities and these resources have been brought to bear on performing competitive product/ market analysis, identifying product opportunities, designing new products from both a performance and appearance standpoint, and then working with first-rate, engineeringsupportive overseas contract manufacturers to get the new models produced and delivered. This is ongoing: the next year or two will see almost an entire changeover from older product to brand-new ones.
What defines the difference between the Denon and Marantz brands now? Denon Professional (DP) offers a full line of AV playback/ recording/signal distribution equipment and speakers for the commercial sound and installation market. Restaurants, clubs, hotels, education…. Our professional installer base also serves the higher end of the residential home theatre and whole-house AV market, but our core market is the commercial user. DP sells to the installer market, not to the
online or bricks-and-mortar consumer retailer market. Marantz Professional (MP) is quite separate from DP. MP will concentrate on the recording market, with a wide range of product offerings such as all types of microphones and recording accessories spanning the range from consumer to professional. MP will also offer rack-mount audio player/recorders, portable AC/battery-powered PA speakers and a full range of self-powered recording studio monitor speakers. MP supports any products needed by the amateur-to-professional recording market, and it will be sold through more traditional end-user retailers. DP is a different, installer-to-commercial-user sales model.
Would you agree that DP and MP have been somewhat neglected in recent times, and that the profile of those brands has slipped? Perhaps these brands have been a bit neglected, but we’ve found that there is an incredible reservoir of brand recognition, brand equity and acceptance/demand for their products. InMusic is a private company and we don’t publicise sales figures, but suffice to say that every new product that inMusic has developed for these brands has met with tremendous success. There are products where we’ve sold entire production runs in the blink of an eye. These goods represent a combination of build quality, product performance, brand reputation/history and ‘clean sheet’ marketing/sales opportunity for both us and our partners that is absolutely unmatched by any other lines in the business. [At inMusic] we look at DP and MP as once-in-alifetime opportunities and we are extremely confident of taking full advantage.
What are the key strategies or products we are going to see from the brands? Denon Professional will put a strong focus on – but not limited to – professional install source and capture products. CD, audio playback devices, SD and CD recorders. Additionally we will enter the portable PA, ceiling speaker and audio solutions segments. Marantz Professional will primary focus on its true roots: portable capture and broadcast products. We will also branch off into studio products, security video capture and a limited line of install source products.
What territories needed to be addressed first? We are up to full speed in the North American market with the addition last year of an experienced electronics industry sales/marketing veteran whose sole focus and responsibility is DP and MP. He leads a dedicated team
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Paul Jenkins: “The brands had no clearly identified goals”
of in-house sales/marketing/engineering people and directly oversees our in-field sales rep organisations. We have also have just recently addressed the critical UK/ Benelux market with the hire of new key sales/marketing personnel. Wide-open, target-rich markets just waiting to be served by professional, attentive sales and marketing efforts are now being served. We’re well past the lowhanging fruit and we’re rapidly climbing the tree.
Where are the brands going to be in three years? We fully expect DP and MP to have leadership positions in their respective market slots, both from a raw “numbers” standpoint and even more importantly, from a visibility/”mind share” standpoint. There is tremendous upside potential for both of these brands. We have the sales/marketing teams in place, we have the design/ engineering resources mobilised and we have the marketplace partners identified and active. Three years from now, the industry will wonder what hit them. www.d-mpro.com
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P53 JUNE 2016
Hither & raver This month, it’s mainly about odd-looking men doing odd things in odd places And here’s something you don’t normally see. Answers on a postcard…
At a recent gig by soul superstars Bodkin Lane [Yes, my band – Ed], there was so little room on the riser, instead of using a boom stand for the guitar amp mic, it had to be fastened to the keyboard stand. Good old gaffa tape!
Also at the Urban Village Fete was a d&b system… and this dedicated old fella, getting an early boogie in before his cocoa
Spotted at the Urban Village Fete last month at the Greenwich Peninsular: this is the fabulous Mr Wilson’s Second Liners, who combine New Orleansstyle funeral jazz with Hacienda hits from the early ‘90s. Bonkers and brilliant!
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As we have a feature on branding this month, we thought we’d re-run this pic of Calrec’s Ian Cookson at IBC2015, with the specially branded AoIPA, ‘The Original Networking Protocol’
P54 JUNE 2016
Backtalk
Ed Harcourt Fifteen years after the release of his debut album Here Be Monsters, Ed Harcourt is ready to release a new beast into the world. Mike Hillier discovers there are plenty more hiding under the bed...
E
d Harcourt is a multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, who in addition to his own impressive back-catalogue has toured with Marianne Faithfull and written and produced music for other artists including Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Paloma Faith. With his seventh studio album, Furnaces, due out in mid-August on Polydor, Harcourt is once more focused on his own music.
How did the new album come about? After I made Lustre (album of 2010), I did a lot of touring. When that ended, I had a lot of time on my hands. Lustre hadn’t done as well as I’d wanted it to, and my son was about to be born so I felt the pressure was on. I came back into the studio and started writing. But rather than sitting at the piano, or the guitar, I got really lost in the computer, discovering and experimenting with electronics and software production techniques. I wrote three songs that way, before questioning what I was doing. I came out of that and ended up writing Back Into The Woods as a response to it. Around 2012 I approached Flood and asked him to produce my next record. I played him three songs and he said, “These are really good, but where are the others?” We met up again, in a coffee shop and I gave him headphones like an eager little student. He already had a vision. He’s like a Machiavellian master when it comes to working with artists, he has a plan all along but you don’t know it until you’ve made the record.
How much of the songs were complete when you brought them to Flood? All the songs gestated from me experimenting with
synths and software and bouncing it down as wave files and then putting it through old pre-amps and then coming in and playing over the top with live instruments, merging the electronic with the organic. Almost all of the album came from that. Everything I did here in Logic I’d give to John Catlin, who was working with Flood, and he’d bounce it down and put it in Pro Tools. We spent the first half of 2015 in Flood’s little room, which he calls ‘The Ghetto’, spending a lot of time sync’ing up the modular synths making beeps and bleeps and drum machine sounds, and things that would be triggered off my live drums.
You’ve also produced quite a few records yourself. How do you find working and writing for others? I’ve just done the new Sophie [Ellis-Bextor] record. We did that in State of The Ark [in Richmond]. We did the whole thing in 10 days and Cenzo [Townshend] is mixing it again. It was quite a departure from the record before and it was really weird for me, there’s a couple of disco songs in there! We did the Kathryn Williams album (Hypoxia) here in [my studio] and then mixed it with Dave Isumi Lynch down in Eastbourne. I know how the room works here, and how to get the drum sounds I want. Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Grinderman) taught me to put a mic in the top corner to get a massive room sound. And there’s another rule John Parish talked about where you put a mic right down on the floor. It sounds huge. A lot of production for me is just being a magpie. I’m lucky enough to have worked with some of the best, and I always sneak up on them, looking at what they’re doing and being a sponge really.
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Tell me about your studio? When I first moved in there was a wall in the middle, which I’ve knocked down to make more space. A lot of the gear I have is pretty old. I’m not the kind of guy who can sit in a room with a keyboard and one mic. I feel like my brain has exploded on the walls, everything on these walls is what I’m into and what I’m about; animals, weapons and skulls! I’m a bit of a hoarder and collector. I love old dirty mics like Grampians and Amperites. Being a piano player I always have a ridiculous amount of keyboards scattered around the place. But of late I’ve got really into guitar pedals, so I’m amassing a collection of those too.
What recording gear have you got? Only in the last 3-4 years have I started collecting proper analogue hardware for recording purposes. So I have my lunchbox, which was the first thing I acquired. I use the Shadow Hills [Mono GAMA] and the Neve [1073LB] for pretty much everything when recording. Vocals come through the Neve, and then the Anamod [AM660], which acts like a miniFairchild. But I chop and change depending on my mood. And everything goes through the amazing Gear & Loathing SSL G-Buss clone [Mike actually built this for Ed Harcourt – Ed]. I also use the console [a Trident Fleximix] on piano and drums. I have been using it for mixing, but it’s more of a sidecar for processing. I don’t like to work totally in the box, so I need to use a mixture of outboard and plug-ins.
No big, proper desk then? I’d love to get a big proper desk, but I’m more of a songwriter…
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