PSNE March 2016 Digital by Future PLC

March 2016

www.psneurope.com

Another dimension! Is this a time warp? Rocky Horror is on tour once more with a point source system! P40 P18

P28

P52

CONSOLE CONNOISSEUR

LADIES’ NIGHT

GETTING PISTE?

FEMALE PRODUCERS RECOGNISED AT MPG AWARDS 2016

SPECIFYING AUDIO FOR SKI RESORTS, ON THE SLOPES AND OFF

NIGEL BEAUMONT BRINGS NEW BROOM TO CALREC HQ

PM. The new generation. A new era of digital mixing has arrived. For more than four decades Yamaha has been at the forefront of live sound mixing technology. Now we deliver the culmination of years of dedication to the art of the digital mixer, our new ﬂagship - the RIVAGE PM10. The future is here. Discover RIVAGE PM10 at yamahaproaudio.com For more information please visit www.yamahaproaudio.com

Connect with experience

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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 MARCH 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

PSNEurope NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18–26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN Editorial: +44 20 7354 6002 Sales: +44 20 7354 6000 Press releases to: ukpressreleases@nbmedia.com Circulation and subscription: Refunds on cancelled subscriptions will only be provided at the publisher’s discretion, unless specifically guaranteed within the terms of the subscription offer. NewBay Media may pass suitable reader addresses to other relevant suppliers. If you do not wish to receive sales information from other companies, please write to Circulations and Subscriptions, NewBay Media, Curwood CMS Ltd, The Barn, Abbey Mews, Robertsbridge TN32 5AD Subscribe by email to: psne.subscriptions@c-cms.com Subscriptions tel: +44 1580 883 848

© NewBay Media 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owners. The contents of PSNEurope are subject to reproduction in information storage and retrieval systems. NewBay Media is now the Data Controller under the Data Protection Act 1998 in respect of your personal data. NewBay Media will only use your data for the purposes originally notified and your rights under the Data Protection Act 1998 are not affected by this change. The publishers reserve the right to refuse subscription applications considered inappropriate and to restrict the number of free copies sent to a company or organisation. 2016 subscription rates for nonindustry/non-European readers are: UK: £39/€62 Europe: £54/€86 Other countries: £106/$170 Printing by Pensord Press, Tram Road, Pontlanfraith, Blackwood NP12 2YA

PSNEurope is published 12 times a year by NewBay Media, 1st Floor, Suncourt House, 18–26 Essex Road, London N1 8LN, United Kingdom ISSN: 0269-4735 (print) 2052-238X (digital)

Cover image: Rocky Horror UK tour by Sean Webb

DAVE ROBINSON Editor

@PSNEurope

ntegrated Systems Europe. Oooh, it’s a big show, isn’t it? A very big show. A very, very, VERY big show... I think you get my point. The reason I’m beginning with this seemingly frivolous remark is because, there was a moment, on the second afternoon of the event, when I stood in Hall 4 and thought, where am I? Which way is left, which is right, which way is out? No, I wasn’t intoxicated (...don’t say it... ), I was simply overwhelmed by the sprawl of this monster, extending in very direction like a Vegas casino in a smart suit; and in that second I realised just how incredibly successful it has been, in such a short space of time. I remember saying to ISE CEO Mike Blackman at a dinner some years ago, Don’t you feel like the luckiest man in the world? And now just look at him and his creation. As they say on the Rocky Horror tour (p40): it’s astounding! “More fares than during IBC,” one taxi driver said to me. That speaks volumes. Two thoughts post-show. One, it would be nice if Hall 7, the Audio hall, really was the audio hall. Meaning, if some of the AV companies, who sport a much bigger V than they do an A, were shuffled off into another zone, while the Shures and the Sennheisers and the Iemke Rooses were brought into the 7-fold. But of course, that works two ways: it’s an advantage for the visiting sound guys, who can ﬁnd everyone in one place; but a potential disadvantage for the audio exhibitors, who don’t get the accidental traffic from the AV community, which, in other years, I’ve been told is one of the big plus points of ISE. There’s no clear solution here: but, I have to say, calling 7 the Audio hall is a welcome start. The other thought dwells upon our friends in Frankfurt. I had the pleasure of meeting Chris Sparkes and Michael Biwer of Prolight+Sound at a NAMM reception in California and, boy, do they know the pressure they are under to come up with the goods in April. Still: everything I’ve heard about their plans reassures me it’s going to be a solid, refreshed take on the usual Messe madness. What I didn’t like hearing, from several exhibitors at ISE, was that some of their customers had already made the decision not to attend Frankfurt this year. Which, frankly, is shocking. Just like I said when PLASA moved to ExCeL: you have to go once to make an informed. You have to attend the ‘demo’...

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Contents

In this issue... P52 SKI SUNDAY SKI ANY DAY YOU LIKE: THE SOUND SYSTEMS ARE READY FOR YOU

P18 THE STRATEGIC POSITION IN CONVERSATION WITH NIGEL BEAUMONT, THE NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR AT CALREC AUDIO

Photo credit: Carlos Escobar

P58 TOM DALGETY IT’S NO LAUGHING MATTER WHEN YOU’RE PRODUCING FOR KILLING JOKE

Studio 22 26 28

P36 SHIFTING GEAR DAVID WIGGINS TALKS TO FOH AND MONITOR ENGINEERS ABOUT CONSOLE CHOICES

DAFT studios, an ambitious project in Belgium – and a tram! Abbey Road opens a sister institute in Paris MPG Awards: with pix!

Broadcast 30

Eloise Whitmore on The Turning Forest ‘experience’

Business

Live

6 8 10 12 14 16 18

32 34 36 40

All the goodness from the NAMM Show in Anaheim California Register now for PSNPresents with Youth, Phill Brown and more Vocal channel: Dave Wiggins and Wes Maebe Movers and shakers: industry appointments PSNTraining: upskill now! New products The strategic position: Calrec Audio

Installation 48

Technology 44 52

Feature: Current wireless and IEM systems Feature: Sound in ski resorts

In the round and in the Roundhouse! L-acoustics goes ‘ardcore in Arnhem Console choices: analogue or digital? A special! COVER FEATURE: Rocky Horror on tour with d&b

ISE 2016 review

Back pages 57 58

Hither & dither Backtalk: Tom Dalgety

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;The LEO Family is the right choice for providing the best quality sound to our clients and their audiences. The Meyer Sound brand is the perfect match for Wigwam Acoustics, in terms of its reputation for quality.â&#x20AC;? Chris Hill, Co-founder and Spencer Beard, Managing Director, Wigwam Acoustics

Visit Us at Prolight + Sound, Hall 3.1 Stand A71 and read the full interview at meyersound.com/wigwam

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Show report: NAMM 2016

Nabbed at NAMM …as in, we took these stories and pictures. As opposed to stole anything. Or got anyone arrested. Dave Robinson explains himself

e were fortunate enough to cram the launch of the Shure KSM8 microphone and DiGiGrid Desktop series of interfaces into last month’s issue. But – ouch! – that was all, as press deadline loomed large. Hence, we kick off this month’s PSNEurope with a quick sweep of a few other key items that caught our ever-watching eyes… Beginning with German sound reinforcement ﬁrm HK Audio, announcing a complete global overhaul of its visual and brand identity with the introduction of a new marketing campaign: the Soundmakers. Focusing on what HK as identiﬁed as the ‘Soundmaker’ – the person who is “fascinated by the energy of sound from any perspective” – the campaign aims to bring “clean, fresh visuals to the entire HK Audio output, from websites and social media channels through to traditional print advertising and even products themselves”. Nicolas Petit, HK Audio’s chief marketing officer, says: “We want to provide an emotional home and a stage for everyone who is as fascinated with sound as we are at HK Audio. The Soundmakers message touches all bases and target groups – from musicians, bands and DJs through to sound engineers, installers and even HK Audio employees themselves. We’re

HK Audio’s Nicolas Petit launching the Soundmakers campaign on the eve of the show

all Soundmakers, and we are going to share our passion for great sound together in a global community. This is just the beginning…” On the showfloor, HK shared a glimpse of its new LINEAR 5 LTS passive mid/high unit, and a cut-away of the unique Multicell Transformer which creates the high output of the ‘Long Throw System’. Mackie says it is “diving head first into the world of professional production and installation” with the launch of the Dante-enabled DC16 control surface for its DL32R 32-channel digital mixer. “It’s an incredibly forward-thinking, modular professional digital mixing solution with more features per price than any other digital mixer available,” says Ben Olswang, Mackie product manager. “The workflow is amazingly fast, with tremendous visual feedback and customisation. You’re going to love it,” promises Olswang. American pro-audio distributor TransAudio Group used the show to launch its first two products under the new Subwoofer Pros brand: Studio 12 and Studio 18. “Because no other company was building subwoofers with the performance and feature set needed in high-end music and film control rooms, we approached a leading expert in subwoofer technology – Bag End Modular Sound – to see if we could fill that gap,” says Brad Lunde, founder and president of TransAudio Group. “Together, we specified performance targets, and Bag End engineers used their proprietary INFRA technology to meet those very high targets while still keeping the units small enough to work in tight control room environments. Subwoofer Pros provides an accessible way for professionals to get honest, translatable, ultra-low bass monitoring for their near-field or mid-field monitoring systems.” Subwoofer Pros will soon release a line of subwoofer support electronics to facilitate integration into high-end mixing systems. Focusrite announced an addition to its RedNet range of Dante-based AoIP interfaces. The A16R –featuring 16 channels of network-connected 24-bit, 192kHz A-D/D-A conversion, and offering line level analogue audio in and out with full network and power supply redundancy – will ship in Q3 this year. More significantly, Pro Tools developer Avid and Focusrite revealed that they are “in deep discussions” once more. Focusrite CEO Dave Froker says: “We want to make the experience

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of using Focusrite hardware and Pro Tools software together the best possible experience for all our customers. Avid recognises Focusrite as an ideal companion to Pro Tools and Focusrite recognise Pro Tools as the most mature professional recording platform for new Focusrite customers to adopt.” The companies previously collaborated on the original Mbox interface and Control|24 console over 15 years ago. Unity Audio, appearing at the show independently and not with its US distributor, showcased The Super Rock in Anaheim. It was one of two new products launched by Unity at Brad Lunde with the Subwoofer the California trade show, the other being the Pro line, introduced at NAMM cheekily-named Boulder Active Bass Extender – or “B.A.B.E”. This flagship near/midfield heads up The Rock range of reference two-way active monitors. According to Unity, the Super Rock “starts out as Unity Audio’s The Rock MkII, but goes deeper, hits harder and retrieves greater levels of resolution” through detailed analysis of each component and parameter of The Rock MkII. The Super Rock features a specially-designed bass driver matching the larger Boulder monitor, an 8” SEAS custom aluminium woofer, and customised cone and rubber surround, said to eliminate cone edge resonance and distortion typically associated with soft cones. Unity’s Kevin Walker noted that after six years of production, The Rock line is now available in 30 countries. An award-winning, bestselling songwriter has just acquired a pair, said Walker, though he would not confirm the buyer’s identity. Finally during the show, DJ Richie Hawtin and mixer designer Andy Rigby-Jones (who left Allen & Heath in 2014) revealed they had been developing and testing an instrument for

As usual at NAMM, Radial Engineering showcased a raft of useful and innovative tools and gadgets for studios and performers. One in particular stood out: a “world ﬁrst” Dante enabled direct boxes. The DiNET DAN-RX includes a 24-bit/96kHz digital-to-analogue endpoint that enables the user to output audio from a Dante network to stereo systems. The DiNET DAN-TX allows the user to connect instruments or line

level sources directly to networked Dante audio systems using the Dante protocol. Here’s Radial’s Ryan Juchnowski with the RX version.

electronic musicians “they felt was missing from the professional segment of the market”. The duo’s PLAYdifferently brand, in partnership with the Audiotonix group, will unveil its ﬁrst product later this year, it is reported. Glenn Rogers, MD of Allen & Heath, comments: “Richie and Andy have both played key roles in making Xone the successful DJ brand it is today, so we’re excited to join forces with them again on this different direction of play.” Here’s hoping for a peek at whatever-it-is in Frankfurt… www.namm.org

Be proud of your sound

Wireless Microphones

Wireless IEM

RF over Fibre

Unity Audio’s Paul O’Farrell-Stevens with his hands around the Super Rock, as Kevin Walker sidles up to B.A.B.E., the modular sub

In recent times, a local bible group has stationed its members outside the Anaheim Convention Center during the NAMM show, sporting placards with slogans like ‘The wages of sin are death’ and ‘Harmonica players are going to hell’ or something. This year, it was good to see the Clubcosplay.net “nerds” bringing some levity to all the pointless loitering...

Wireless microphones and IEM with the widest tuning range in the industry

wireless sound solutions visit: www.raycom.co.uk email: sales@raycom.co.uk call: 01789 777040

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P8 MARCH 2016

PSNPresents!

UNITED KINGDOM

PSNPresents is here! Youth (Martin Glover): Alongside his continuing role as bassist and producer with art-rock legends Killing Joke, Youth has quietly amassed a formidable client list that includes The Verve, Primal Scream, Crowded House and Depeche Mode. At the MPG Awards last month, he was recognised for his Outstanding Contribution to UK Music. Phill Brown: Phill has engineered some of the world’s most successful artists, including David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley & The Wailers, and put his ongoing career in studio magic into words with his 2010 biography: Are We Still Rolling?: Studios, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll – One Man’s Journey Recording Classic Albums.

nce again, PSNEurope is hosting a super soaraway night of no-holds-barred words and wisdom from leading lights in the proaudio world at the Soho Hotel on Thursday 10 March. If you have any interest in the world of studios and recording, or sound design for the West End, or if you just want to meet a cross-section of talented types from across the pro-audio spectrum, you need to be there! For the ﬁrst session, award-winning producer Youth, Tileyard supremo Nick Keynes and engineering legend

Nick Keynes: Former songwriter/producer Nick Keynes has been part of the team that has over the past two years, successfully transformed Tileyard into London’s leading creative hub. Located right next to the impressive new King’s Cross development, Tileyard’s tenants include Basement Jaxx, Mark Ronson, Chase & Status JHO Management, Sound Advice and the MMF. Ben Harrison: Between 2002 and 2007 Ben was head of sound at Leicester’s Haymarket Theatre where he designed West Side Story, Macbeth and The Wizard of Oz, among others. Recent sound design projects in and around London have included Starlight Express, Blood Brothers and Whistle Down The Wind (UK & American tours).

and author Phill Brown will each take to the stage for a Q&A with writer and commentator Phil Ward. After the break, a trio of leading sound designers – Gareth Fry, Simon Baker and Ben Harrison – will join PSNEurope editor Dave Robinson for a panel on working in the theatre. Just what’s required to put on a show like Matilda, Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter? These men know! Both sessions will conclude with an opportunity for members of the audience to ask questions. The third PSNPresents will be held once again at

Simon Baker: Simon has served time in the sound departments of the Royal Court, RSC and the National where he held the post of sound supervisor. His recent work includes Matilda A Musical (Worldwide Productions – for which he won the 2012 Olivier for Best Sound), The Light Princess (NT – Olivier 2014 Best Sound Nomination), Batman Live (World Arena Tour), and The Lord Of The Rings (London and Toronto – Olivier 2008 Best Sound Nomination). Gareth Fry: In 2011, Gareth was voted chair of the newly formed Association of Sound Designers. In 2012 he was asked by Danny Boyle to design the sound effects for the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games. He will be working on the forthcoming Harry Potter musical, opening in June 2016. the lavish Soho Hotel in central London on Thursday 10 March 2016, and is sponsored by Roland UK and Focusrite. Get there early and claim your free drink! Entry is FREE, as always (thanks to our generous sponsors) but we do request that you register beforehand. Students, educationalists, engineers, studio owners, trainee sound designers, manufacturers... everyone is welcome! It’s a great night for networking with your peers in the industry too, of course... Register now for a fantastic night! www.psnpresents.com

Here’s the timetable for PSNPresents3! 7pm Doors open – come early for your welcome drink! 7.45pm Producers/Studio Q&A with Youth, Phill Brown and Nick Keynes (hosted by Phil Ward) 9pm Sound designers panel with Simon Baker, Ben Harrison and Gareth Fry (hosted by Dave Robinson) 9.45pm Drinks and networking at the bar 11pm Close

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VISIT US AT PROLIGHT+SOUND: HALL 3 LEVEL 1 BOOTH #A81

“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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Vocal channel

Girls allowed

DAVE WIGGINS is a freelance marketeer and pro-audio pundit

uring the preparation of an item elsewhere in this issue (p38 in fact) I was lucky enough to acquire a contribution from Jac Nott, one of the very few female sound engineers it has ever been my pleasure to meet. Not for the ﬁrst time this set me thinking about why it is still so uncommon to see females behind mixing desks in concert touring. [Something we touched on at the last PSNPresents with Becky Pell – Ed] I suspect that part of the answer is that, in general, women suffer far less from the inner geek that we chaps do. As someone who has manned trade show stands all over the world for years, I can state categorically that there is nothing that gets blokes onto a booth faster than a lovely big mixing console covered in knobs, faders, screens and ﬂashing lights. In all those years I can barely recall one instance when a female visitor appeared to suffer from the same nerd-magnetism.

For the real lowdown however, let’s see what Jac thinks: “The obvious negatives are mostly about the fact that the less glamorous aspects of touring probably affect women more than men – long working days and nights, living together in a tour bus full of people, usually predominantly male. It’s a job that requires physical stamina, that can mean extended periods away from home and needs a willingness to occasionally forego comforts like hot showers and clean hair! The lifestyle also obviously places serious restrictions on the prospects of having a family – it takes a special person to be a mum and a touring sound engineer at the same time.’ Perhaps more tellingly, Jac continues: “Unfortunately, as a female you, often you have to prove yourself to be better at your job rather than just as good as a bloke – that puts some off very early on. As a woman, you have to really want the lifestyle and keep banging on those doors.

“I also think some ladies move on and out despite their abilities. I know at least one perfectly competent tech/ engineer who left the industry because she just didn’t get the breaks that some of the lads did: those who placed techs didn’t want to be seen to be giving her preferential treatment, almost a reverse bias! I know from personal experience, way back before I grew tougher skin, that you will also meet people on the road who treat you as a lesser mortal because you are female, so you have to toughen up and be sure of what you are trying to achieve.’ She concludes: “Sound engineering is a technical discipline and is perhaps regarded as less of a woman’s job than, say, catering or wardrobe. It takes a certain kind of female who is even interested enough in the technical side.’ Looks like we still have some way to go to achieve full emancipation…

set-up, so the monitor settings, mixed from front of house, are meaningless for the next act. There’s no way for the band to discreetly inform the engineer to put the lead vocals up, turn the keyboards down, give the drummer more bass and some extra kick across the wedges so everyone can lock in with each other. The only way to do this, is for the band to holler these instructions over the PA which looks and sounds pretty unprofessional. A lot of bands, if they don’t have their own engineer, just don’t bother shouting back and forth to get their personal mixes right. This results in a lacklustre performance, leading to a less than happy crowd. The audience feels cheated since they paid to see a band give it their all and this in turn will lead to the band losing fans and the venue losing punters. Some venue goers will leave early, less drinks will be consumed. Before you know it, word will get around that the sound sucks in that

particular venue and thus bands will start to avoid it on their touring schedules. So, the ﬂipside of the economising coin is that the venue loses out on all counts. Do not get me wrong, this is not a personal attack on venue owners. On the contrary, I see this as little push toward better business sense. If the venue wisely invests in a great FOH console, a fantastic sounding rig complete with decent microphones, stands, cabling and D.I. boxes and a monitor system that can be controlled from the side of the stage, with clear line of sight to the band, then things have the potential of being pretty awesome. Your bands can hear themselves thanks to your expert monitor engineer, the venue’s reputation rises, the crowds love coming out to the place. More drinks drunk, more merch sold. Very soon, promotors will be queuing around the block to book bands into the place. Everybody wins!

Can I hear me?

WES MAEBE is a freelance recording, mixing and mastering engineer and a board director of the APRS

y heart always sinks when faced with a situation where I have to provide monitors from FOH. It distracts from the FOH engineer focusing on what the audience hears (trying to make the band sound the best they can, of course). And logically, it makes communication between the performers and the person in charge of making sure they can hear themselves properly, quite tricky. The FOH/monitor combo generally arises because of budgetary constraints. However, these compromise environments have a signiﬁcant impact on the band’s performance, the audience’s response and the venue’s revenue. Let’s take a closer look. The band has gone on-stage, there’s been a linecheck, but no sound-check because the promoter has decided to put on seven different acts. Each act has a different

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P12 MARCH 2016

Movers and shakers

AIMS all a-board… A raft of appointments for the group dedicated to promoting open protocols over IP

he Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has appointed its board and the chairs and deputy chairs for its newly formed marketing and technical working groups. Michael Cronk senior vice president of strategic marketing at Grass Valley, has been named chairman. He is joined by vice chairman Steve Reynolds, CTO of Imagine Communications, as well as ﬁnancial officer Andreas Hilmer, director of marketing and communications at Lawo. The board as, in turn, appointed Kerry Wheeles, CTO of

QSC has promoted Mark Mayﬁeld to director, global cinema marketing, where he will “apply his years of experience to expanding the visibility of the brand”, says QSC. www.qsc.com

Time+Space has added Neil Varacliotis to its UK sales team. Varacliotis brings with him over 15 years’ experience in the MI industry from Digital Village and SX Pro. www.timespace.com

networking at Imagine Communications, as chair of the AIMS Technical Working Group, and Scott Barella, CTO of 5280 Broadcast, as deputy chair. In inaugurating the AIMS Marketing Working Group, the board has appointed Andy Warman (director, production and playout strategy and market development, Harmonic) to the position of chair and Roger Sherwood (digital content and media solutions business development, Cisco) as deputy chair. www.aimsalliance.com

Josh Graham has joined LMC Birmingham in the position of technical sales. He looks forward “to applying the skills that he has gained over the years” to the role. www.lmcaudio.co.uk

Ian Thomas joins Allen & Heath as install sector specialist. For the past eight years, Thomas has been working for UK-based international system integrator, LSI Projects. www.allen-heath.com

Tom Bodﬁsh has joined Audio Distribution Group as area sales director, serving UK and ROI dealers for Dynaudio Pro monitors, plus key accounts in Europe. audiodistributiongroup.com

Scott Mason is joining Allen & Heath as pro-digital sector specialist. Mason has over 30 years of experience in sound engineering, system design and more. www.allen-heath.com

Remote Speaker Station

Andy Warman

DEALER NETWORK Sennheiser has acquired the business of Viennabased distributor, Grothusen Audio Video Vertriebs, and has founded a new sales subsidiary, Sennheiser Austria. Sennheiser co-CEOs Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser announced the signing of the contract on 8 February. The new company will commence operations on 1 April. “We would like to thank Grothusen CEO Alexander Kränkl for his excellent work, which was instrumental for Sennheiser’s success in the region,” said Daniel Sennheiser. www.grothusen.pro www.sennheiser.com Professional Audio NI Limited is now responsible for the distribution of the Belgium-based brand Apart Audio for the whole of Ireland, including sales, sales support, warehousing and after-sales service. www.apart-audio.com www.proaudioni.co.uk Chromasound has been appointed ADAM Audio’s exclusive distribution partner in Hungary. “We have been hoping to represent ADAM Audio since we started our company and we are really excited that the time has come to officially launch our partnership”, says Peter Hajma, sales representative at Chromasound. www.adam-audio.de

Master Station serves up to 24 remote stations

Connection of User Stations via LAN with PoE switches or via powered daisy chain lines Full color high-resolution displays 48 kHz / 16 bit uncompressed audio 4 Master Stations may be linked

Michael Cronk

DIGITAL INTERCOM - CUE LIGHT CONTROL - GPO TRIGGER

Channels for Cue Light Control, GPO Trigger or Listen Only Full duplex intercom channels Program audio feeds over network

4-ch Master Speaker Station

2-ch Beltpack

FLEXUS is designed & manufactured by: ASL Intercom BV, Utrecht, The Netherlands www.asl-inter.com

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P14 MARCH 2016

Brit Row takes live training higher

BY ERICA BASNICKI

9 March Yamaha Iberica: Digital mixing seminar Tenerife, ES www.yamahacommercialaudio.com

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

6 April Britannia Row Productions Training (BRPT) has launched a three-year BSc Hons degree in live sound production, developed in conjunction with South Thames College. The degree is said to give students an intense and comprehensive guide to everything they need to prepare themselves for a career in live sound production. The course will be run by South Thames College with BRPT industry professionals delivering the master class lectures throughout the course. Currently, the degree course is being validated by the University of Northampton with a scheduled validation date by the end of March 2016. Student loans of up to £9,000 (approximately € 11,800) per year are available to meet course fees. Students can apply now for places on the course,

which will commence in September 2016 through UCAS or directly to South Thames College. By combining main stream higher education with industry, the course offers students the opportunity to obtain a BSc Hons degree while establishing a network of industry contacts. “South Thames College and the University of Northampton both really got behind our belief that this degree in live sound is needed and long overdue, and would be at its best and most relevant by partnering with Britannia Row Productions Training. I believe that this BSc Hons Degree Course in Live Sound Production will be the most relevant and focused training for anyone wanting to have the best of starts in the live sound industry,” says BRPT’s managing director, Mike Lowe. www.britanniarow.com/training/

Shure Distribution UK: Wireless Mastered Live Waltham Abbey, UK www.shuredistribution.co.uk

24-26 May AFMG: EASE Training Level 1 Letchworth Garden City, UK www.afmg.eu

Get Smart with Intellivox BY ERICA BASNICKI

Nexo training schedule springs up BY DAVE ROBINSON

French loudspeaker maker Nexo has posted new spring dates for its ETC training seminar programme, including some sessions dedicated to the company’s ﬂagship modular line array design, the STM Series. Nexo seminars are free of charge to students and, “unlike the training schedules of many other manufacturers”, says Nexo, the scope of the ETC programme ranges further than just the Yamahaowned company’s products. Dates have been set for three different seminars in France and in the UK, taught in French or English. The generalist ETC courses take place over two days, while

the STM course is for a single day only. ETC1: Designed for sound technicians and engineers, this progresses from theoretical classes in acoustic fundamentals, point source and line array theory, to practical hands-on training with Nexo line arrays. March 15th/16th at Nexo HQ in Paris (in French) May 10th/11th at Nexo HQ in Paris (in English) ETC2: Designed for system techs and engineers, this course starts with theoretical classes on acoustics and Nexo technologies, and progresses to practical handson sessions covering system management and tuning loudspeaker systems. April 19th/20th at Paris HQ (French) May 24th/25th at Paris HQ (English) “Get to Know STM”: A special 1-day course running in the UK, to introduce users to the general concepts of the STM modular line array, followed by practical hands-on sessions covering conﬁgurations and system management with STM M28/B112/S118 modules. March 8th at Sound of Music Ltd in Derby, UK August 10th at Sound of Music Ltd in Derby, UK More details of the events, and booking instructions, interface can be found on the website. nexo-sa.com/en/training

Underscoring a commitment to training and education in advanced acoustics and digital technologies, Harman Professional Solutions is hosting comprehensive training on its JBL Intellivox Digitally Controlled Beam Steering Technology on 2–3 March, 2016. The free training will take place at the Theater De Poorterij and will include a detailed overview of JBL Intellivox, including use in PA/VA systems; physics of loudspeaker arrays; JBL Intellivox directivity concepts; room acoustics; JBLIntellivox design guidelines; introduction to JBL Intellivox software; and practical exercises. The training will conclude with a factory tour at the JBL innovation hub and factory in Zaltbommel. Interested contractors and consultants should register with Anja.Stapper@harman.com. “Harman Professional Solutions is committed to equipping consultants and contractors with not only the best technologies, but also the best training programs,” says Harman Professional Solutions’ Nick Screen. “This comprehensive approach aligns with our delivery of complete system solutions and addresses our customers’ and partners’ requirements for extensive details on technologies and applications.” www.harman.com

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New products

SYMETRIX PRISM

What is it? Symetrix Prism DSP platform has been developed to deliver cost-efficient, high-powered networked audio processing for a wide range of installed sound applications. Details: Symetrix Prism is comprised of four products: Prism 4x4 features four inputs and four outputs, power over Ethernet, and a compact 1/2 rack format. Prism 8x8, 12x12 and 16x16 utilise an external power supply along with a 1U form factor. And another thing… Prism features the same DSP power, mic preamps and A-D/D-A converters as Symetrix’ Radius and Edge products. www.symetrix.co

D&B AUDIOTECHNIK

YAMAHA

B&C

What is it? The B22 is a new take on the d&b audiotechnik B2SUB, promising increased performance, a modern appearance and improved internal cabinet bracing.

What is it? VXS3 surface mount loudspeakers are speciﬁcally designed for small to mid-sized installations with a focus on background music applications.

What is it? Compact format high frequency drivers.

Details: When used as an infrabass system, the B22-SUB performs down to 32Hz, with an upper operating range of 68Hz, compared to the standard mode, which operates from 37Hz to 90Hz.

Details: The VXS3 offers additional ﬂexibility for a wide range of environments, with a range that has been tuned speciﬁcally to deliver consistent coverage even at low volume levels.

Details: The DE990TN features a 3.4 inch (86mm) CCAW voice coil with optimised phase plug, and full titanium diaphragm. The DE1090TN features a 4.0 inch (100mm) CCAW voice coil mounted on a full titanium diaphragm, and features a unique inside ring neodymium magnet.

And another thing… The B22-SUB exploits the high output power of the d&b D80 ampliﬁer to the full. It has familiar B2 characteristics, but with higher performance and a modern twist. www.dbaudio.com

And another thing… Two variations are available: the VXS3F are low impedance models, ideal for smaller spaces that can be serviced by a small number of speakers. The VXS3FT are high impedance models, for big rooms. www.yamahacommercialaudio.com

And another thing… The larger diaphragms support a wider frequency response, lower crossover frequency and higher power handling than smaller diaphragm alternatives with a similar overall diameter www.bcspeakers.com

B22 OMNIDIRECTIONAL SUBWOOFER

VXS3 SURFACE MOUNT SPEAKERS

DE990TN AND DE1090TN

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NEXT PRO-AUDIO

KLOTZ

LAB.GRUPPEN

What is it? The single point source line is intended to provide high performance, fidelity and coverage consistency.

What is it? The millions of metres of bulk cable Klotz produces will now be made up with its own connectors!

What is it? An expansion of the E Series range of compact 1U installation amps including the ﬁrst four-channel models, the E 10:4 (pictured) and E 5:4.

Details: The family consists of six models of coaxial loudspeakers: K5 (5”, extended LF, passive), K5+ (5”, high sensitivity, passive), K8 (8”, passive), K8A (8”, active 2-way with DSP), K12 and K12A.

Details: The new connectors will be used on Klotz’s Greyhound, M1, M2, M5 and Titanium series as well as AES3K AES/EBU cables and DMX5K DMX cable.

XLR CONNECTORS

KUBIX

And another thing… Models are complemented by high-performance subwoofers: K10s (10”, active) and K12s (12”, active). www.next-proaudio.com

T H E

N E X T

DOUBLE CHANNEL DENSITY E SERIES

And another thing… The connectors feature novel features including a ribbed connector housing, space for laser-cut numbering or an engraved logo for OEM customers. www.klotz-ais.com

L E V E L

O F

T O U R

Details: The range offers eight channels conﬁgurable as any of 21 different power output and channel combinations. And another thing… Options include one-to-one alternatives for the C 20:8X (with two E10:4 in a 2 U space). www.labgruppen.com

S O U N D

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The strategic position: Calrec Audio

No one’s fallen out with each other, we’re all still here and we’re still learning from what we’re all best at – which tells you a lot

Nigel Beaumont

Happier valley Now part of the Audiotonix group, broadcast console specialist Calrec seems emboldened by a new factory extension and an even newer managing director. Dave Robinson went to meet Nigel Beaumont

ust as the River Calder has carved out the landscape in the hills of West Yorkshire, so the former Calder Recordings Ltd company has carved a niche in the world of broadcast console manufacture. Selling to media giants in the likes of the USA, Japan and Russia, as well as maintaining a healthy UK market, Calrec has stayed ahead of the curve, integrating pioneering digital and FPGA-based technologies into its large format, worldclass mixer designs. And all from a former textile mill in the little town of Hebden Bridge, tucked away in a steep-sided river valley. Now change has come to the Nutclough Mill HQ. (And no, we’re not referring to sheep-rustling, murder and kidnapping, as depicted in ongoing BBC drama Happy Valley, also set in Hebden.) Two years ago, Calrec Audio, alongside sister company Allen & Heath, was introduced to new sibling DiGiCo, under the Electra Partners umbrella. While former Calrec boss Roger Henderson went on to take a leading role with TSL Systems, the way was clear for a new perspective and a fresh outlook. And so, welcome Nigel Beaumont, general manager at DiGiCo, who took his position in the Calder Valley officially following IBC 2015, unofficially just after that June 2014 merger (readers may recall, the Audiotonix mantle was not conﬁrmed until April of 2015). “I love the DiGiCo environment,” he says, “its fun and they are fun people, but no one realises how hard they work internally – they love what they do. Most people

at DiGiCo come and stay and I can understand why, because they feel ‘part of the gang’.” His arrival in Hebden has ushered in a new way of working. “We’ve opened it up,” he affirms, “by giving people more freedom to realise their ideas, and by supporting them more directly. “Our driving focus is still to design and produce the best engineered product in the world for our customers. We’ve added to that by strengthening our sales, marketing and product management teams, giving them a less controlled environment to work in. The result is that we are getting those ‘creative juices’ ﬂowing into some very exciting ideas.” Beaumont has over 16 years’ experience working in and around big brands and big projects. Starting out with BSS Audio in 1999, he was soon working with Soundcraft as Harman began a period of reorganisation, ﬁrstly by absorbing the Amek console brand, then cosying up to Switzerland’s Studer. Beaumont left Harman in 2011 to join Uli Behringer’s Music Group, leaving there “of my own accord” around 18 months later, and joining DiGiCo. While with Harman, Beaumont oversaw the transition of manufacturing of the Spirit by Soundcraft brand from the UK to China, managed the transfer of the building of Studer consoles from Zurich to Potter’s Bar, and spent two years in Vienna as AKG was integrated into what became the Mixing, Microphones & Headphones business unit.

In his role as global operations director with Music Group, he spent 16 months at the massive Behringer City factory in China, later spending time in the UK to head up the company’s pro-audio division. To say this 54-year-old Yorkshireman knows his mixers, his manufacturing and his methodologies would be something of an understatement, therefore. “I quite like the directness I learned at Harman, from conversations with Blake [Augsburger, head of pro audio] and Dinesh [Patel, CEO]; I use that at Calrec. I don’t like faffing about! ”Harman gave me a lot of multi-cultural experience, with the USA, Studer in Switzerland, AKG in Vienna; and with the [off-shoring], about working with Chinese sub-contractors.” Music Group, conversely, gave him his ﬁrst opportunity to “try to run a division and create a strategic plan. Also working on a far bigger scale of manufacturing than at Harman, and how to manage a wider, vertically integrated business which Harman didn’t have at the time.” That’s a lifetime of experience in just 16 years, and a wealth of skills to bring to the Audiotonix/Calrec table. But, one particular question jumps out from that CV: after being so very pro-Chinese manufacturing in the past, how does that manifest itself at the 140-strong Calrec plant, where everything is UKmade? “It’s horses for courses,” he says. In Hebden, orders are more “lumpy”, he says: “A very high mix, lower

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volume sales proďŹ le of a highly engineered, high value product range. That does not lend itself to a China model. We have people with a wide span of skills, who can move to different roles in the factory to satisfy the business demands. Again, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not how it works in China. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One thing Dave Carr, our head of operations, does is constantly look at how to develop his staff, to satisfy their interests and our needs.â&#x20AC;? Bringing the trio of mixer-makers together was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;very cuteâ&#x20AC;? move, says Beaumont. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The three brands stand alone â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but you have this greater experience,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, if I have a problem with something, or Patrick [Warrington] our technical director has a problem, he can pick up the phone and talk to DiGiCo or Allen & Heath about it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and vice versa.â&#x20AC;? All customer facing functions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sales, marketing and support - are brand speciďŹ c, he reports. No one is treading on anyone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s toes within the Audiotonix group because there is very little overlap between the product ranges. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But in the back office, we help each other. You think it might have been hard to get this big group of people to work together, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been like ďŹ nding your long lost twin. No oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fallen out with

T H E

Nutclough Mill, a former textile factory, with the new extension to the left/rear

each other, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all still here and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still learning from what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all individually best at â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which tells you a lot.â&#x20AC;? A pause. Then, emphatically: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The biggest opportunity we have in terms of synergies in the group is in R&D, because we all have bright people. Put them together and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just phenomenal! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deďŹ nitely a case of the whole being greater than the

N E X T

L E V E L

O F

sum of the parts.â&#x20AC;? How much does the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;moneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Electra Partners â&#x20AC;&#x201C; get involved with the brands? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the Electra guys have struck the right balance of involvement,â&#x20AC;? he considers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As long as we deliver, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re left to get on with it. They want the growth, but they are very interested in products and

T O U R

S O U N D

L AUNCHING 5TH APRIL 2016

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The strategic position: Calrec Audio Selling the extension: the perfect plan The planning, building and running of the Calrec factory extension is a textbook example of how to work with, rather than against, the local community. Based in an old textile mill with four floors and no decent goods lift, it was becoming increasingly impractical for Calrec to build and deliver large format consoles. But the only way to expand, without moving to a new site, was to build into the car park at the rear. Perfect in terms of area, maybe, but flawed by the semi-circle of residential houses surrounding it. While locals didn’t mind looking out of their windows at parked cars, they drew the line at large, ugly industrial unit. “There was a lot of resistance to the plans,” recalls marketing manager Kevin Emmott (pictured top with a guitar he built out of a Fieldbox). “Referrals and postponements, complaints on local web groups, until permissions finally came through.” When the extension was almost complete, the really smart thinking came into play. First, the factory was finished with a ‘green’ roof (right), whereby a matting material, loaded with seeds and other flora, was applied. “It changes colours with the seasons, you don’t need to tend it,” says Emmott. “And it’s good for insulation.” Second, Emmott engineered an open day for the locals at the Calrec premises. It was the summer of 2014, and the Tour de France had just completed a leg around Yorkshire. So, schoolkids were invited to write haikus about the race – bike-us, no less – which would then be triggered to play back as each wannabe Bradley Wiggins pedalled a racing bike. “People in the area don’t know what we do – certainly not for broadcast – so we said, if you watch any Premiership football match on the TV, or X Factor, it’s through our desks. We set up a mixing console here and let people mix on it. We made films about the mill, how it started in the days of the textile

Building the chassis of a console module in the factory

markets andd where we’re going next.” While the knowledge of, say, DiGiCo’s James Gordon or John Stadius supports the Audiotonix group from within, the Electra executives have investments in a range of businesses outside of pro audio, and often bring insight from those disciplines to monthly board meetings. To this observer, it seems a far cry from the days when D&M Holdings owned Calrec and Allen & Heath, yet seemed to do little to leverage the brands, or encourage them to collaborate.

”Yes it’s a very different culture now,” reflects Beaumont Let’s review for a moment. Calrec manufactures large format broadcast consoles in its new expanded factory (see box). The company works with some of the world’s biggest broadcasters such as Sky, the BBC, NBC, NTV Plus, CBS and NHK, and has a significant presence in outside broadcast trucks. With the Apollo, Artemis and Summa consoles, it has all your big desk needs covered, thank you very much. Hydra2 fulfills digital networking and matrixing needs. The core technology, Calrec’s pioneering FPGA-based Bluefin2, is firmly established too. So, an obvious market to aim at is compact consoles – just as A&H and DiGiCo have done – right? When pressed on your correspondent’s speculation, Beaumont thinks for a moment, then says, “I’m not

industry. I ran a workshop where around 50 kids and their families built basic audio amps. “The event sold out.” The day not only raised Calrec’s proﬁle in Hebden Bridge, it led to the company being involved in other events, such as a recent software ‘hackathon’, wittlytitled “Wuthering Bites”. And – although he’s too humble to brag about it – Emmott says a few people apologised about complaining in the ﬁrst place. “They came in and said, ‘We had no idea!’” sure I can answer that question directly. So let me answer it like this. “If you look back at recent trade shows in Calrec’s history – the two before the merger – we launched the Summa 180 and the Summa 128. But that’s all it launched. “Since the merger, at NAB 2015 we launched new software, faster processors, the Fieldbox, the H2Hub, and the Hydra2 daughter card for connecting to DiGiCo desks. That’s a lot. “Then at IBC, there were more launches. There’s no doubt that our pace of product portfolio expansion has increased since the merger. That’s Calrec having more ideas, being more dynamic, making decisions quicker. So if you extrapolate back from what we’ve done… we might have something interesting at NAB 2016.” calrec.com

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Studio

Pink Oculus recording in the Insta-Vinyl tram, set up while Stijn Verdonckt awaits the completion of his DAFT recording studio

Belgium

DAFT but not stupid Work has begun on what will be one of Belgium’s biggest recording facilities when it opens the next 10 months, notes Marc Maes

tijn Verdonckt, who took on the management of the La Chapelle and GAM studios in 2008, has started the construction of a completely new facility in Géromont, near Malmedy, in the east of the Belgium. Backed by a regional investment fund, a bank and a private investor, Verdonckt is looking at an ambitious project: the recording complex, named ‘DAFT’, will have a huge (185sqm in area and 9m high) main recording ‘wood’ room and two smaller live studios. The site also offers room and lodging for 32 musicians, offices, and an in-house mastering studio. The investment is rated at some €2.5million. “In addition to the ‘regular’ recording studios, we also have three modular rooms, to be used as rehearsal room, studio for pre-mix overdubs or vocal takes,” explains Verdonckt. “Three hybrid rooms for multifunctional use – comparable to what we had in our previous location.” Until 1 December 2015, the expiry date of his rental contract, Verdonckt continued his recording assignments at La Chapelle and GAM. With the new facility in full construction, Stijn Verdonckt decided not just to sit around. “Just before the year end, we installed an ‘insta-vinyl studio’ in an empty tram. The vehicle was parked in the Kouter

The new huge studio is under construction!

Square in the city of Ghent. Situated in the heart of the city, the location attracted alo t of attention from the public,” he explains. “The idea is that, after we have left La Chapelle, we pay a visit to the bands that

have worked in the studio. Each month, we will record a single directly on vinyl – promoting the new DAFT studio.” Nine bands from Belgium, the Netherlands and

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Meanwhile, back at La Chapelle... Pierre Piront founded the GAM recording studio in Waimes in 1979. After buying the Brussels Katy studio, he relocated it to Waimes and launched La Chapelle in 1995. Both GAM and La Chapelle became part of the Media Waimes Centre. Stijn Verdonckt hired both studios from 2008. La Chapelle’s exceptional acoustics attracted recording artists from both Belgium and abroad. The facility’s TV production studios became the home for both public and commercial TV stations. Pierre Piront, original owner/founder of the GAM and La Chapelle studios, took on the management

of four strands at the Waimes site as of December last year: La Chapelle and GAM Studios, the Media TV Studio (MTVS) and a property business. “MTVS and GAM take over all activities at La Chapelle,” conﬁrms Piront. “The GAM studio is managed by my son Simon Piront, an SAE engineering graduate.” Both Piront and Verdonckt underline that the change of management at La Chapelle was effected “in the best conditions”, leaving both partners the best opportunities for the future. www.lachapellestudios.com www.gamstudios.com

Outside of the Insta-Vinyl recording studio tram, parked up in the middle of Ghent

The idea is that we pay a visit to the bands that have worked in the studio

Stijn Verdonckt, DAFT Studio

Norway came to play live showcases and record sessions in the tram. “ The facility is actually a 16-track analogue mobile recording studio that records straight to vinyl,” Verdonckt continues. “Each recording was cut onto 12inch maxi singles, in strictly limited edition releases of 30 copies per band. These vinyl discs were sold in a ‘pop-up’ store section in the same tram.” The tram studio was equipped with a 16-channel Cadac console with a direct out to a Cadac side-car – Verdonckt further used a John Oram stereo passive EQ, an original Joemeek stereo compressor and a

Tube Tech stereo compressor. Popular bands like Oscar & The Wolf, Balthazar and Bazart came to record and cut in the DAFT insta-vinyl studio. Oscar & The Wolf recorded two brand new tracks for a special 50-copy vinyl disc. Also Hilko Nackaerts, luthier and guitar-tech to the likes of Simple Minds’ Charlie Burchill and Nile Rodgers, installed a temporary workshop in the tram. Rates for a live recording, including mixing and a limited number of vinyl cuts start from €500 per session. www.daftrecordingstudios.com

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P RO A UDIO S HINES

in the City of Light this June THE WORLD-RENOWNED AES CONVENTION RETURNS TO PARIS Join us June 4th – 7th, 2016 at the Palais des Congrès, Paris Experience the world’s leading audio products. Network with industry experts. Meet the designers, engineers and producers of the future. Learn what it takes to make it in the industry at our Project Studio Expo and Audio Education Area. Don’t miss THE industry standard setting technical programs and events, all under one roof.

• Music Recording • Broadcast • Live Sound • Audio Networking • Immersive, Binaural & 3D Sound • Virtual Reality Sound • Sound For Picture • Streaming & Media • Student Events & Competitions & Much More

If it’s about Audio, it’s at AES!

140

AUDIO ENGINEERING SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION

PARIS, FRANCE P ALAIS DE C ONGRÈS

CONFERENCE: JUNE 4 – JUNE 7, 2016 EXHIBITS: JUNE 5 – JUNE 7, 2016

For AES sponsorship opportunities contact Graham Kirk: graham.kirk@aes.org For more information visit our website at: w w w.aeseurope.org

#AESorg

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FRANCE

Bien venue à Abbey Road! London studios open training centre in Paris, reports Guillaume Schouker

ollowing successful launches in London, UK, and Melbourne and Sydney in Australia, the Abbey Road Institute (ARI) has now opened its French branch. Training began last 26 October 26 a two-day Master Class session headed up by recording engineer and music producer Steve Lillywhite. Jean-Philippe Boisson, ARI Paris managing director, explains, “We are a professional training centre in music production and audio engineering and not a higher education institution. We are ﬁrst and foremost aiming at working people who do not want to follow a traditional education course.” Boisson says courses tackle sound recording and mixing, plus “music business and lots of music production”, but eschews broader disciplines such as broadcast and post. The training is available in a standard cycle of two-years, or a one-year intensive version if required. Located in the Studio Omega facility in Suresnes on the western outskirts of Paris, the Institute can receive a maximum of 25 students every year. This top-range facility features a 96-track Solid State Logic 9000XL console with 12 and a 5.1 surround monitoring system equipped with custom TAD speakers. Theory classes are given in a well-equipped classroom featuring a powerful workstation for each student: these based around an Apple iMac 27’’, with UAD Twin Duo, 32Gb RAM, SSD HD, full UAD plug-ins, Waves plug-ins, iZotope, McDSP and more. Teachers are “professionals from the sound and music industry,” says Boisson. “Each proﬁle is

A range of microphones are available to students

accepted or not by the parent company [Abbey Road Institute London] according to her or his experience and her or his credibility in the trade.” Jean-Philippe Boisson has a solid background audio engineering as well as in training: after starting out as a studio musician in the ‘90s, he turned to assistant engineering before becoming a recording engineer. “I began teaching in the year 2000 as an in-house trainer,” he recalls, “and I was given the position of assistant manager at SAE Paris in 2006.” He became general manager of SAE France in 2009 until mid-2015. “During the years 2014 and 2015, I

also managed SAE Brussels in order to put [that] back on track.” Within the framework of the course, certain classes will take place in other French recording facilities, plus students will be invited to attend workshops at Abbey Road Studios in London. In late January, a Master Class with UK record producer and engineer Ken Scott was due to be held at the new French institute. Further ARIs are reported to be planned for the German cities of Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt. www.abbeyroadinstitute.fr

A 96-track SSL 9000XL is the centerpiece of the main control room

ARI Paris’ Jean-Philippe Boisson has a solid background in engineering and teaching

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UNITED KINGDOM

Winning women at MPG Awards FKA Twigs’ production work bags her two gongs at top industry bash, writes Dave Robinson

emale recording and production talent was recognised and rewarded more than ever before at the Music Producers Guild Awards in London on Wednesday 4 February. Olga Fitzroy won the award for Recording Engineer of the Year (sponsored by AMS Neve) while Catherine Marks carried off the Breakthrough Producer of the Year trophy, sponsored by Focusrite. FKA Twigs won the gongs for UK Single (Pendulum) and UK Album (LP1) of the Year, both of which she co-produced. The MPG Inspiration Award (sponsored by Universal Audio) went to US producer, engineer and artist Sylvia Massy, who has over 20 gold and platinum albums to her name and has worked with Tool, Johnny Cash, Prince, REM and many others. “The diversity of talent winning MPG Awards this year is truly outstanding and we are proud to be reﬂecting the ever rising number of women in the top tier of musicmaking,” said MPG Awards director Tony Platt. “It was yet another all-round great night for the UK music business.” Over 350 guests saw Charlie Andrew take the night’s top award – MPG Producer of the Year – automatically making him the winner of the BRIT Award for Best Producer. Mercury Prize winners Alt-J stepped up to present Andrew with his trophies. A winner of the Breakthrough Producer gong in 2013, Andrew noted how he had been heavily inﬂuenced by the production of Clive Langer (Madness, Elvis Costello). Langer himself was on hand to present this year’s Breakthrough Engineer Award to Brett Cox. The MPG honoured producer and artist Youth (Martin Glover) with the Outstanding Contribution to UK Music Award, sponsored by PPL. The producer said he was “totally humbled” by the award. In a specially recorded video tribute, Paul McCartney, Youth’s collaborator in the

Best Single and Best Album for FKA Twigs

The Producer of the Year (and BRIT) Award went to Charlie Andrew

Fireman project, told him fondly to “stick it up yer jumper”. Youth later took to the stage to entertain guests with a live performance featuring a number of the artists he has produced over the years including Killing Joke (the punk band he co-founded) and The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft, with further appearances by Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour, PiL’s Jah Wobble and Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook. Introduced in 2009 to recognise the enormous contribution made by recording professionals to the success of the UK’s music industry, the MPG Awards regularly attracts a high turnout of music industry VIPs and celebrities. The 2016 event saw the dishing out of a total of 16 trophies. Other highlights of the evening included Jimmy Page presenting the Mastering Engineer of the Year Award to

Oustanding Contribution winner Youth played bass with an allstar line-up at the climax of the event Photo credit: Marc Sethi

Producer Sylvia Massy clinched the Inspiration Award

John Davis; and Air Studios, currently ﬁghting to prevent a neighbouring resident from extending a basement to within feet its premises, bagging the Studio of the Year Award (Air’s Loz Anslow quipped, “I thought it would be a swimming pool by now”.) On receiving his Mix Engineer of the Year Award for his work on the FKA Twigs album, David Wrench commented: “I always remember what Julian Cope said to me: ‘Look in the mirror, no one outside the music industry would employ you!’” The MPG Award for Innovation (sponsored by Audio Note) went to Geoff Emerick who engineered all but a few of the Beatles’ recordings between 1966 and 1968. www.mpgawards.com

full list of 2016 MPG Award winners and sponsors UK Producer of the Year, sponsored by The BRITS 2016: Charlie Andrew

Mastering Engineer of the Year, sponsored by SADiE and Transco Blanx: John Davis

Breakthrough Producer of the Year, sponsored by Focusrite: Catherine Marks

Outstanding Contribution to UK Music, sponsored by PPL: Youth (Martin Glover)

UK Album of the Year, sponsored by G-tech and Jigsaw24: FKA Twigs – LP1

Breakthrough Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Musicguard Insurance: Brett Cox

Recording Engineer of the Year, sponsored by AMS Neve: Olga Fitzroy

UK Single Song Release of the Year, sponsored by Shure: FKA Twigs – Pendulum

International Producer of the Year, sponsored by Pro Tools Expert: Max Martin

Mix Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Solid State Logic: David Wrench

Re-mixer of the Year, sponsored by Prism Sound: UNKLE

Studio of the Year, sponsored by Avid: Air Studios

The A&R Award: Chris Briggs The MPG Award for Innovation sponsored by Audio Note: Geoff Emerick The MPG Award for Inspiration sponsored by Universal Audio: Sylvia Massy Special Recognition Award: Fran Nevrkla

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P30 MARCH 2016

Broadcast

Microphone array set up in woods for atmospheres and effects recording

UNITED KINGDOM

3D audio fantasy is wild about spatial sound A new CGI animated ﬁlm debuting at the Tribeca Festival is also exploiting object-based immersive audio. Kevin Hilton reports on its production and what it could mean for future technologies

t a time when there are no fully agreed standards for immersive audio, broadcasters and researchers are producing work that is giving a sense of what they could be. Amongst this is a CGI animation with a 3D binaural soundtrack that is due to get a world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival Storyscapes Exhibition during April. The Turning Forest is described as a virtual reality (VR) fairytale, with sound used to establish character and a sense of place. It was produced both under the auspices of the S3A Future Spatial Audio for an Immersive Listener Experience at Home project and by the BBC as part of its Audio Research Partnership. S3A is a grouping of three British universities – Salford, Southampton and Surrey – all sporting exceptional reputations for acoustics research. It is funded by EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Science Research Council) and is a partner of BBC R&D. Dr James Woodcock, a research fellow at the University of Salford, explains that The Turning Forest was originally conceived as an audio-only piece that could be used to test object-based technologies. “This was a research exercise because, while it was obvious what an object workﬂow looked like, we still need material for listening tests to test different systems,” he says. “So The Turning Forest is almost like a tool for use in our research but it’s great it’s been picked up for the Tribeca festival as well.” The Turning Forest was written by playwright Shelley Silas, with the animation directed by VR artist Oscar Raby. While the focus of production was primarily on what the technology could do, it also has a strong creative element. The 3D sound picture and the characters inhabiting it, which include a boy and a fantastical creature, were created by sound designer and producer Eloise Whitmore, who says the listener had to be encompassed by the environment: “Our creature moved became important. The boy running

needed to be realistic [and] the creature needed to leap over our heads. The audience needed to hear the heaviness of the body [and its] vast size.” Dialogue was recorded over two days in the multipurpose audio studio (MPAS) at dock10, the studios centre of MediaCityUK (MCUK) in Salford Quays. The ﬁrst took place in the studio’s semi-anechoic chamber; Whitmore recorded using Neumann RMS 191s, with the actors standing still and not overlapping their lines, as is common in radio drama. Woodcock explains that this was necessary to get

The creature needed to leap over our heads. The audience needed to hear the heaviness of the body and its vast size

Eloise Whitmore

Sound designer Eloise Whitmore recording on location for The Turning Forest

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Binaural head in the MPAS live room at dock10, MediaCityUK

separate, dry tracks to create individual objects. The scenes were then re-recorded in the main live room at MPAS with the actors wearing Sanken COS-11 omni-directional lavalier mics, allowing them to move about. Narration was also recorded with a 191. “The plan was we could test which was the best recording in the edit,” comments Whitmore. “The actors liked being able to wear the lapel mics and move across a large area. However, technically the best audio captured was on the 191s. They have a lovely warm sound but the dialogue was also crisp and clear. It was easier to manipulate in the [IOSONO] Spatial Audio Workstation plug-in.” A day was spent on location to capture atmospheres and speciﬁc effects. A mic array was set up in a wood, using 16 Sennheiser MKH 8050 super-cardioids and four MKH 20 omni-directional mics for low frequencies. Whitmore recorded wild track, including the boy character running through leaves, using a Neumann 191 on a boom. The spatial mix was put together in the listening room of BBC R&D’s laboratories in Dock House, also on the MCUK

campus. This involved a 32-channel set-up with 32 Genelec monitor loudspeakers: 30 8030Bs and two subwoofers. This went through a Nuendo recording system ﬁtted with the Spatial Audio Workstation plug-in for panning. The sound sources appeared as objects, with accompanying metadata containing level and positioning information. Everything was rendered using an algorithm developed by S3A. During the mix Whitmore used “layers and layers of stereo sound effects” to create the additional sounds of the forest and the ice world not captured on the mic array. “Each sound became an object that was placed within the 3D space – birds, ice dripping, water lapping, creature footsteps and vocals,” she says. Original music by Jon Nicholls was delivered to Whitmore as stems, allowing her to manipulate the depth and height of the music in the spatial panner plug-in.

Neumann RMS 191 set up for dialogue recording in the semi-anechoic chamber

The MPAS live room being set up for recording sessions, with the semi-anechoic chamber to the left of the picture

The Turning Forest will be presented with dynamic binaural sound for headphones as part of a VR headset that will also show the images. But the S3A research has wider implications for future home entertainment systems, using loudspeakers as well as headphones. “One of the things we are doing is a listening experiment to understand how listeners perceive spatial sound,” says James Woodcock. “There is content through different loudspeaker layouts and we are looking at what improves the listening experience, going from high counts of loudspeakers to lower counts as might be found in the living room.” The Tribeca Film Festival runs from 14-17 April 2016. https://tribecaﬁlm.com/festival/storyscapes www.s3a-spatialaudio.org http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/blog/2016-02-avirtual-reality-fairy-tale http://naked-productions.appspot.com (Eloise Whitmore)

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P32 MARCH 2016

Live

Supergrass’ Gaz Coombes performing songs from his new solo album, Matador

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Round and (in the) round Iconic North London venue the Roundhouse lived up to its name – very literally – last month with a run of intimate concerts performed ‘in the round’. David Davies went around for a chat

orth London arts and concert venue the Roundhouse’s innovative credentials have never really been in any doubt since the former railway shed and warehouse was converted into a performance space in the mid-’60s. During its initial heyday, playwright Arnold Wesker and groundbreaking director Peter Brook were among those to position the venue at the vanguard of contemporary theatre, while the Syd Barrett-led Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, The Rolling Stones and many others gave era-deﬁning concert performances. Refurbished and reopened in 2006 after more than two decades in the dark, the Roundhouse’s second phase of existence has been equally distinguished. While its theatrical tradition has been maintained by a number of landmark productions, including a cycle of Shakespeare’s history plays performed by the RSC, festivals such as Reverb and Apple Music (formerly iTunes) have underlined its commitment to musical diversity. In this continuing spirit of experimentation, February saw the venue embark upon a series of shows undertaken ‘in the round’. These concerts – including performances by John Cale, Edwyn Collins, Scritti Politti and many others – played to a maximum audience of 1,500, equating to approximately half of the usual capacity. The rarely seen fully seated set-up provided “an amazing opportunity for fans to see some of the world’s leading artists to perform up-close in our iconic venue,” says Roundhouse head of music Jane Beese. “The Roundhouse is really made for this series – not only are the building’s acoustics being used to their full potential to provide an

The Roundhouse is really made for this series… it looks and sounds incredible in there

Jane Beese, head of music, Roundhouse all-encompassing sound, but every seat gives a unique experience for the ticket buyer… it looks and sounds incredible in there. The artists have responded really well to the unique setting, too, giving ticket buyers a once-in-alifetime music experience.” Overseeing audio for the series was long-term Roundhouse supplier Britannia Row. Ahead of the ‘In the Round’ shows, client liaison and business development

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some of the best shows of my life there!” – and confirms that with a throw of only 27 metres to the furthest point, it is not an especially large space to accommodate. Nonetheless, the permanent PA spec has been the subject of gradual refinement over the last ten years, with an Outline Butterfly system giving way to an L-Acoustics V-DOSC and, more recently, a K2-centric rig. “When the K2 came out we thought that its weight and ease-of-rigging – along with the fact that it is a 12” box and not a 15” one – lent themselves very well to the layout of the Roundhouse,” says Compton, adding that the rig is run off a total of 22 L-Acoustics LA8 amplified controllers. L-Acoustics’ regional sales manager for the UK, Stuart Down, emphasises the versatility of the K2 system as being another important element of its suitability for this site. “The Roundhouse is an iconic venue, well-known for its unique architecture,” he says. “The beauty of it – and the challenge sound-wise – is that it is used for a wide variety of events and shows [including] corporate events, awards ceremonies, product launches and, of course, live music.

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Brit Row supplied a ﬂying L-Acoustics K2 system for the event

Much more precise than shotgun microphones, Shure’s new Microﬂex Advance ceiling array uses Steerable Coverage™ to pinpoint pick-up areas around the conference table. And because it’s the size of a standard ceiling tile, you won’t even know it’s there. Marianne Faithfull still wows the crowds. Edwyn Collins and Scritti Politti also played a night

representative Dave Compton told PSNEurope that an additional central hang of nine L-Acoustics K2s was provided to augment existing permanent L/R hangs of nine K2s, along with the rest of the regular L-Acoustics infrastructure, comprising: one hang of eight K1SBs (positioned behind the central K2s), two hangs of six KARAs, eight 108Ps for front-fill, and four SB28 subs on the ground. “The greatest single challenge with these shows was the need to maintain unobstructed sightlines, so the PA was intentionally flown higher than normal,” confirms Compton, who subsequently revealed that “out of the three shows I saw I witnessed three standing ovations. They sounded great; in particular, there was a very smooth transition between the hangs and the low-end.” Compton is himself a huge fan of the venue – “I’ve seen

The beauty of the L-Acoustics K2 sound system that Brit Row installed there is that it can handle all of that.” Visiting artists also had the opportunity to use the resident consoles – a Midas PRO 9 at FOH and a Yamaha PM5D at monitors – with only a couple of performers opting to bring in their own desks. As ever, processing and control were managed by two Lake processors running Dante, positioned at FOH, with a further seven Lakes situated near the stage for zoning purposes. “Our work with the Roundhouse is a very important part of our business at Brit Row – and a growing one, too, as we are up to about 120 events per year there now,” concludes Compton. “The ‘In the Round’ shows can be regarded as another successful chapter in the story.” http://www.roundhouse.org.uk

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P34 MARCH 2016

Live

Inside the Gelredome: the smaller, split and distributed K1 hangs were the key to sound management. Credit: Q-dance

Netherlands

A better Qlimax for everyone By breaking up the K1 arrays and rethinking the traditional ﬂying arrangement, Focus Advanced Facilities were able to contain the bass energy and pull off another spectacular evening in the Gelredome – without upsetting the neighbours

or the past 13 years, Arnhem’s GelreDome Stadium has been the home of Qlimax, an allnight hard dance music event staged by Dutch entertainment enterprise Q-dance. In recent years, the high noise levels have generated numerous complaints – despite the stadium’s retractable roof being closed – to the point where a public debate was held as to whether the shows could continue. Official measurements were taken, with the noise levels revealed to be well above the legal limits, particularly in the bass frequencies. As a result, the Municipality of Arnhem stopped issuing overnight permits for such events. Q-dance, audio rental company Rent-All and specialists Focus Advanced Facilities worked together to find a solution which could significantly reduce the noise nuisance or, even better, remove it altogether. “The audio system comprised four large arrays at the stage and four delay arrays in line abreast, halfway down the stadium. They had to cover large distances and, therefore, put out a lot of energy,” says Ben Brouwers, sound consultant at Rent-All. “The roof was a big problem because it’s made of 3mm steel plates and resonates at around 50Hz. The exterior noise measurements showed that most of the spill, especially the low frequencies, came from there and behind the stage. “After considerable research and testing, the results showed that it would be possible to continue with overnight dance events if we redesigned the system. We presented a plan to the Municipality of Arnhem and were given two chances, which would be closely monitored.” The test results suggested a solution whereby, instead of flying one large line array at the stage, the

sound system was broken down into a set of smaller, distributed line arrays. “The most important part was removing all the low energy from the roof, so we needed to achieve as little low-end frequency behind the speakers as possible,” says Brouwers. “When we hung the line arrays with a cardioid sub array behind it and applied delay and filtering, we achieved between -12 and -18dB to the rear, but with really good coupling at the front. “The combination of these arrays were flown with a very sharp downward angle, meaning that the back of each array was pointing towards the roof rather than the back of the stadium. This had the twin benefits of reducing the sound projected to the rear of the stadium and also that the roof was subject to much less energy, between -12 and -18dB in the 40-60Hz range.” He continues: “Positioning more arrays closer to the audience also meant that each one could push out less energy, because the entire audience was always in the nearfield of one of the arrays. So, while we were still achieving around 103/104dBA and around 122dBC (LAeq three minutes) on the dancefloor, the overall energy levels outside the intended coverage area were much lower.” The two ‘test’ events with the redesigned system permitted by the Municipality of Arnhem passed all the sound pressure tests and so Qlimax and other all-night dance music events at GelreDome Stadium were given permission to continue. This last Qlimax, held in late 2015, proved the success of the concept. “Eight years ago we had 200 complaints from local residents, this year complaints were down to virtually zero,” says Brouwers. “It has also had significant benefits for the Qlimax audience, because the sound quality has substantially improved.”

This year, the system was redesigned using four lines of delay system (a combination of six L-Acoustics K2 and with three K1-SB at the rear. An additional, and major, advantage of this is that the total weight of the PA system was brought down by 6000Kg and the installation of the system was much simpler. Indeed, so successful has the design been that Focus has implemented it at other events and been working to improve it further. “Other major customers and venues have also heard about the solution and are interested in its potential,” says Brouwers. “Every year we are improving the system, and we have recently started new tests to make the low end more directional, so that you can hang some subs that will beam down, not above or behind.” www.l-acoustics.com ‘Hands in the air for line array technology, yay!’ Photo credit: Q-dance

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P36 MARCH 2016

Live feature: Console concerns

Big Mick Hughes mixes Metallica through a Meyer Sound PA with a Midas XL8 at the AT&T Park, San Francisco Photo credit: Meyer Sound

Shifting gear In the ﬁrst part of a two-part special, industry commentator and freelance marketeer Dave Wiggins talks to leading sound engineers about their preferences when it comes to console choice

e are in the midst of a (presumably) finite period in which sound engineers still have a choice between analogue and digital mixing systems, a choice which consequently has still to be accommodated by the PA providers. This is because the analogue tail has continued to wag for far longer than many people expected, at the same time as numerous manufacturers continue to develop and refine their digital console offerings. The fact is though, production of top-level analogue consoles ceased some time ago and, although the global population is reasonably healthy, one has to assume that every year it dwindles somewhat especially as the resources to maintain these products in a roadworthy state also diminish. One also assumes that, one day, there will be no more large-format analogue consoles in regular touring use, though when that day might be is debatable. So we find ourselves, for a while at least, simultaneously at the end of one technology and still quite near the beginning of another. For many the pinnacle of live analogue mixing meant, and still means, Midas: the XL4 and its predecessor the XL3 (still much loved by The Prodigy’s Jon Burton and others), plus their best-selling Heritage range, especially the multipurpose 3000-series. There are still Yamaha PM4000s out there (Rolling Stones FOH Dave Natale is a devotee) and no doubt some other makes too but the fact is that no further investment or development is presently being made in those technologies.

By contrast, digital mixing, as Metallica FOH engineer Big Mick Hughes pointed out to me recently, is now in its second generation, still forging ahead and now offering facilities far beyond the relatively simple ‘total recall’ of the original digital desks. The 2G consoles now, for example, offer network functionality moving lossless audio almost instantly around large areas and multiple nodes; simple and reliable recording interfaces that archive a large number of channels onto media that is ideal for later use in studios; access to plug-ins and/or well-developed onboard FX and dynamics; enormously powerful processing that allows levels of mix and system control that would have been impossible or impractical with analogue desks; reliable interfaces with various outboard equipment; and for many people the best thing of all which is lightweight, small footprint, ‘gig-in-a-box’ convenience which still includes all the good things described above. Looking back, the biggest digital hill that everyone (users and manufacturers alike) had to get over was that of mixing more inputs and outputs than the console had physical controls for. This again is a situation that has matured, partly because mix engineers have learned to deal with it and (usually) consider it a reasonable trade-off against the many conveniences of digital, but also because the manufacturers have come up with intuitive and practical ways of navigating around huge I/O counts. So, what do the users think of the situation as it stands?

My preference now would always be digital, ﬂip-to-faders is the only way to really actually mix monitors

Dave Guerin For those that are still exercising choice, what are the deciding factors? Obviously there are as many opinions as there are engineers but here follows a small cross-section…

THE VIEW FROM FOH Paul ‘Pab’ Boothroyd spent much of 2015 managing the Herculean task of mixing two of the year’s biggest-grossing tours simultaneously, yet he took very different approaches

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Paul ‘Pab’ Boothroyd mixing Alien Ant Farm on Digidesign(!) Proﬁle (for strings) and XL8 Photo credit: Zoe Mutter

to mixing them: “It’s all about the job at hand and what is required to fulfil the artists desires,” he says. “Sound and the quality and reproduction of a performance are still top of the list and it is perceived (including by AC/DC) that analogue is still the greater achiever for this. So that’s why I use a Midas XL4 for them.’ On AC/DC’s previous tour, Pab famously used a Midas Pro 40 from the early 80s: “This came about from a chat with Malcolm and Angus [Young], and whilst recording in the studio with them during the writing of Black Ice, Malcolm said it would be great if we could use a Neve for that tour like in the studio. I got what I considered the next best thing, a reconditioned vintage Midas Pro 40, just a great sounding desk which would survive the demands of a two year world tour. She was retired afterwards.’ The challenges for Sir Paul McCartney were, perhaps surprisingly, somewhat different: “I need a small footprint console as we actually play some tiny places, but still need quality, functionality and Pro Tools for archiving. The Avid Profile does all that in a single package.’” Pab is perhaps representative of the most modern and forward-thinking freelance engineers in his approach to using whatever is deemed best for the job: “I’m reasonably comfortable moving between analogue and digital, and with today’s digital consoles it’s amazing how they can stand up to a quality analogue sound.” Jerry Eade’s CV makes him ideal as an interviewee for this piece – as a classical specialist he has manned FOH for Placido Domingo for many years and for a period Andrea Bocelli, but also works at the top of pop world occasionally with Sir Elton John and Sting. He says, “I moved to digital mixing principally because it offered more busses, groups and matrix inputs for complex signal paths – I had to jump on or get left behind! It hasn’t really changed the way I mix so much, it’s just made it easier to achieve things that were not possible before.” Does Eade think that classical audiences have higher expectations of the audio in a live environment, and whether digital has helped him improve that quality? “Absolutely!” he says. “By the use of many signal paths and infinite delays I

can now make speakers disappear, especially in the near field.’ Would he go back to analogue? ‘Not really, now I’ve got so used to not needing tape and sharpies! I’d find it difficult to go back - previously the only reason would have been audio quality but now the grown up digital companies have nailed that as well’. Genial Brummie FOH legend Big Mick Hughes is now in his fourth decade of mixing Metallica, but his hardrock credentials also include Def Leppard, Slipknot, Ozzy Osbourne and Led Zeppelin. A Midas XL4 was his weapon of choice for years but he now looks very comfortable behind the same company’s former flagship digital console, the XL8 – what prompted the move? “I moved to the XL8 because the reliability of the XL4s around the world was becoming a liability. The extra flexibility the complete XL8 system offered was also a fantastic plus and the splitter system gave us the opportunity to do everything we ever needed. All the recording splits we have to do became a

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Live feature

really easy thing after the arrival of the XL8 system.” Has the move to digital changed the way he mixes? “Not really changed the way I work but given me more tools to utilise, which makes mixing more challenging but deﬁnitely way more exciting as to what can be achieved.” Can he imagine going back to an analogue board now? “Hmmmm…! I don’t think just an all-analogue console would cut it now. If it was a digitally controlled surface with all the recall and reliable moving fader package, but with a totally analogue signal path including fantastic mic pres, then maybe – though it would have to sound stunning!”

…AND FROM THE STAGE It’s always good to seek an opinion from the other end of the multicore and Dave Guerin (whose CV as a monitor engineer is a magazine article in itself but includes Damon Albarn, The Pogues, Blur, Morrissey and many many others) offered some fascinating insight from the stage… “My preference now would always be digital, ﬂip-tofaders is the only way to really actually mix monitors. When was the last time a FOH engineer mixed on a load of knobs and not faders? The odd time I’m now back on analogue I have to tell myself, ‘It’s the knobs not the faders’, every single time I hit the output PFL. Now if they could just ﬁx the DCA

Sound checking with Andrea Bocelli in the Sagrada Familia Photo credit: Louis Austin

(Digitally Controlled Ampliﬁer) function to work the way I’ve been asking for over 10 years now, then it’d be great…!” Guerin does a lot of festival work: what console does he see most often? “The Yamaha PM5D seems to be the house desk of choice, along with the Avid/Digidesign. I don’t think

I’ve seen an analogue monitor desk at a festival in a long, long time. “More and more bands are also turning up with their own desks these day: if there’re eight bands on the bill of a large festival main stage, it’s not unusual to see seven band

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monitor desks on stage and just the local opening act using the eighth house desk with the house engineer.â&#x20AC;? For the FOH engineers their choice of console is often driven by audio quality. Is that a lesser consideration for monitors? â&#x20AC;&#x153;All current digital desks sound pretty good these days,â&#x20AC;? says Guerin, â&#x20AC;&#x153;although saying that, the whole band noticed the improvement when I went from a PM5D to an SD10 on Damon [Albarn]â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solo tour the other year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The number of inputs and outputs available is the ďŹ rst consideration, can I ďŹ t the band on the desk? After that, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about how quick the desk is to get around. If the guitarist wants the snare up he wants it up now, not in two bars time when heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone out of time. I use the DCA a lot, and if the DCAs share faders with the outputs, then thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big NO from me.â&#x20AC;? Staying on stage, Jac Nott has mixed monitors for The Levellers for over a decade, has also worked with The Pogues, Gary Numan and Squeeze as well as being the house monitor engineer post at the End of the Road Festival for the last six years. She is also that rarest of things in this industry â&#x20AC;&#x201C; female! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and thus at least partly addresses the gender imbalance in this pieceâ&#x20AC;Ś Do you have a preference between analogue and digital and are you comfortable moving between the two? â&#x20AC;&#x153;To be honest, it depends on the artist being mixed. For the most part I prefer the sound of good quality analogue boards over the majority of digitals any day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;on-the-ďŹ&#x201A;yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mixing, workďŹ&#x201A;ow on analogue is mostly faster, and fault ďŹ nding simpler as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all in front of you. Digital provides convenience only if you have a show ďŹ le already, ergo time to set one up. Moving to digital has deďŹ nitely force-changed the way I work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do specify certain digital consoles for The Levellers as they have so much going on now, and I am happy enough with the sound of the consoles I use. There is also, unfortunately, the issue that most analogue boards are no longer kept well enough serviced to actually work 100%, so now I specify digital consoles.â&#x20AC;? And audio quality? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The advent of IEMs means every monitor engineer mixing on them is under closer scrutiny from their artist as clarity of sound is far more apparent at point blank range. The same cannot necessarily be said for FOH engineers that ďŹ nd themselves mixing for punters who are used to listening daily to their favourite tunes at MP3 quality on a mobile phone, then singing along with their mates and a few thousand other people after a few beers (as is common at most of the gigs I do!). Not saying FOH quality of sound isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t important, it is essential of course, but the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;audienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on both sides of the string (crash barrier) are equally important.â&#x20AC;? The rise of digital consoles has roughly coincided with the widespread acceptance of in-ear monitoring systems. Does Nott ďŹ nd it easier to mix ears on digital or analogue, and why? â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a band on lots of IEMs the convenience that digital can provide (not having to dial in umpteen stereo mixes and reverbs each time, etc) is undeniably a godsend â&#x20AC;&#x201C; load show ďŹ le, press go â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if you have a ďŹ le for that console, that is! I think it really depends on your artist and how much on the ďŹ&#x201A;y mixing you have to perform. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a showďŹ le though, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a potential nightmareâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

(L-R) Big Mick Hughes, Roy Williams and Robert Plant before the Led Zeppelin reunion at the O2, 2007 Photo credit: David Wiggins

Welcome to the Family The award-winning Digital Hybrid WirelessÂŽ family just got a new member: the Venue 2 Receiver. iQâ&#x201E;˘ tracking ďŹ lters for high performance in dense RF environments Digital Hybrid WirelessÂŽ for compandor-free audio Modules tune across 3 standard blocks (75 Mhz) Ethernet for control and monitor over IP Wideband frame (220 MHz) Up to 6 channels in 1RU IR Sync for quick setup

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lectrosonics.com or 1-800-821-1121 In Canada, call 877-753-2876

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+ In part two next month, Dave Wiggins ďŹ nds out what some of the biggest PA providers in the country think of the whole debate

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Live

MARCH 2016

No shortage of pelvic thrusts in this production... Photo credit: Sean Webb

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s astounding: d&b for new Rocky Horror tour The musicalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back on this planet, Janet. Orbitalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s audio ran it, Janet. With Gareth on duty to plan it, Janet. So dammit, Janet, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go viewâ&#x20AC;Ś

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ichard Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brienâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rocky Horror Show returned to the UK stage in December 2015, at the beginning of a major tour scheduled to run through until late 2016. The iconic musical has been given a major refresh, under the direction of Christopher Luscombe. Sound design is by Gareth Owen, continuing his 15-year association with the musical, with the sound system supplied by Orbital Sound. Garethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design includes d&b audiotechnikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new V7P point source array loudspeaker system, making its UK stage debut. Rocky Horror, for the unitiated, has become a show with an enormous amount of audience participation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including the throwing of rice and toast, and much shouting at the cast at appropriate points (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Slut!â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Asshole!â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your neck?â&#x20AC;? etc) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and Luscombe has focused on balancing this with the demands of oneday touring and the tight schedules that go with it. The result is a tight, dynamic production that loses nothing from the original concept, maintaining the cult status and the audience fun. For Owen, the new tour represented an opportunity to try a different dimension with the V7P system, and put the latest developments in point source technology to the test. He explains: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Point source has tended to fall by the wayside in recent years, partly due to the impact of line array in terms of improved power and coverage. For some shows, however, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not always the ideal solution, and when we heard about d&b audiotechnikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new V7Ps, it was an obvious decision to give it a try. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rocky Horror is one of the loudest shows around, and we were able to achieve the same result with just a quarter of the speaker numbers. I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember the last time I was so impressed with a speaker. Owen speciďŹ ed one V7P aside for the circle, upper levels and the gallery, with a ground stack line array (four V8s per side) for the stalls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It sounded just as good in the circle as in the stalls,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Set-up was straightforward, and we were able to conďŹ gure the system to deliver the power and clarity required without any distortion. For a show like this where the load-in and performance are on the same day, point source is a great solution. We just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time to do the amount of rigging and calculation necessary to get the best out of a big line array system. The V7P system fulďŹ lls the requirement for fast load-in and setup, without any compromise in terms of quality.â&#x20AC;? The V7Ps are powered by D20 4-channel ampliďŹ ers, and the all-d&b PA system includes E6s and E8s for ďŹ lls and delays, with a complement of ten V-Subs. Stage monitoring and SFX duties are performed by Q7s and E6s. On the radio mic front, Owen used Shure UR4D and UR1M receivers and transmitters. A relatively new addition to the equipment line-up is the Nemesis CCS-2 computer control switch, which is designed to allow two computer systems to share a keyboard, mouse, monitor and distribution of GPI data

When Eddie said he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t love his daddy... Photo credit: Sean Webb

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Live

If in doubt, pull the lever Photo credit: David Freeman

RacPac modular racking and GUFF cabling system. It’s a very slick operation as a result.” In addition to Owen, the full sound team on the tour comprises Olly Steel as associate sound designer, Matt Peploe as head of sound, and Wes McCann as sound number two. The production manager is Simon Gooding. Rocky Horror takes in Torquay, Bradford and Edinburgh through March and wraps in Aberdeen at His Majesty’s Theatre in mid-September. Catch it while you can: after all, time is ﬂeeting… www.orbitalsound.com rockyhorror.co.uk LIfe can be such a drag... Photo credit: Sean Webb

and MIDI messages. Over the last two years, Owen and his associate sound designer Russell Godwin worked closely with the Nemesis development team at Orbital inputting into the evolution of the system design and putting the CCS-2 through some rigorous real-world pre-release testing. Owen’s verdict on the production Nemesis CCS-2 is that “it does exactly what we want, and has proved to be very reliable”.

Equipment supply and support is provided throughout the tour by Orbital Sound, with production engineer (and Pro Sound Award winner) Chris Mace at the helm, managing the challenges of the daily touring schedule. Owen adds: “This is what the Orbital Sound team is so good at. Chris pays meticulous attention to detail when putting the system together at the start of a tour, making extensive use of Orbital Sound’s custom-designed

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24/02/2016 12:18

The Café D’Anvers installation comprises the GS-WAVE series 3-metre dance ﬂoor stack with GSA technology, and the XY Series in-ﬁll speakers. All powered by Powersoft’s high performance K Series amps with built-in DSP. This comprehensive line-up guarantees versatile installations that deliver superb sound and complete coverage throughout venues of every shape and size.

cafe d’anvers | antwerp | belgium

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12/15/2015 2:25:19 PM

P44 MARCH 2016

Technology feature: Wireless and IEM

Radio ga-ga Phil Ward provides a timely reminder that there’s more to wireless than shrinking bandwidth

es, of course: spectrum. Pro audio has all the good guys and the bad guys are in Whitehall, Brussels and Nokia’s secret Cloudbase above Scandinavia. Several planeloads of rock and roll PA have gone missing over Finland. As we’ll ﬁnd out later, pro audio’s agents are at large in the corridors of power and battling for freedom and justice as we speak. But the everyday business of wireless in concert production goes on, and still demands the highest standards of operation on the reasonable assumption that there’s a wafer thin crisp of frequency still available to crunch on. The manufacturing sector, as ever, is responding with gusto, and in this ﬁeld more than any other training is symbiotic with sales.

Set pieces Shure Distribution UK’s Tuomo Tolonen has been running the company’s ‘Wireless Mastered’ training sessions at regular intervals for about two years now, plugging a perceived gap in understanding about RF and its elusive nature that persists to this day. Despite years of great success and penetration into every aspect of live sound with its wireless technology, Shure remains on a mission to establish better basic knowledge – even as the wireless environment grows in complexity and controversy. Troubleshooting its many challenges can only be encouraged by a thorough grounding, goes the theory. “I think we take for granted how widespread the use of

radio is,” he says. “We’re keen to communicate just how mission-critical it is: if it fails somewhere along the line, from TV events to concerts to West End stage shows, it has the kind of repercussions where somebody loses their job.” Common gaps in engineering knowledge, according to Tolonen, concern system design. “Most engineers come into the industry to push faders and ﬂy loudspeakers,” he says. “Not many will have said, Hey, I want to be an RF co-ordinator! It’s just something that’s been dropped in our laps and we have to be good at it. “One thing that becomes apparent at the seminars is that, when you have interference or dropout, and that classic sound of hisses and pops as your carrier disappears, it’s easy to think that someone is responsible by, say, turning on a radio mic that’s on or near your frequency. However, I would say the majority of the time that’s not what causes it. It could be, obviously; but mostly it’s down to bad system set-up and too high a noise ﬂoor. “What this means is a failure to understand the relationship of antennae to cables, and to the entire system. Say you were hooking up a couple of wired microphones that will feed into a mixing console: whether that mic cable is 10m or 50m long has no bearing whatsoever. On the other hand, in a radio system, if the cable between the antennas and the receivers is 40ft, not 10ft, that will make or break your system. The loss through the cable is too much. RF attenuates very quickly through a cable and of

Wireless mics put to work by Shlomo’s Vocal Orchestra. If you can’t beat ‘em, beatbox ‘em!

I think we take for granted how widespread the use of radio is

Tuomo Tolonen, Shure course, the poorer the cable, the faster the attenuation.” In analogue systems, the companding used to maintain dynamic range only exacerbates this loss as the signal

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P45 MARCH 2016

READ ALOUD There is now a huge range of options when it comes to in-ear monitoring, but there is one British company trying to break the mould, as it were. Focusing on service and innovation, rather than go-faster stripes and celebrity endorsements, Read Audio offers professional monitoring, made – or repaired – in London within 48 hours.

With pioneering business gambits including halfprice replacements, 0% finance and two-year’s warranty on pro earpieces, the London-based startup’s latest model now includes individual acoustic tuning on a per-ear basis: the monitors themselves claim to sound identical in any size or shape of ear without custom moulding. “The unique way that Read Audio monitors are built allows us to control the acoustic mass of the sound outlet for the first time,” explains company founder and MD Mat Jones. “This means that the variation in the distance between the speaker and the ear-tip, that would affect the acoustic response of the speaker, can be accounted for and controlled. It’s like having a speaker cabinet designed specifically for your size of ear…” www.read-audio.com

There’s a notable shift to digital in the market

Tom Harrold, Audio-Technica is converted into the noisy domain of RF. The quality and technique of companding also plays its part, with cheaper systems offering even less return on quality. “The high-end systems,” continues Tolonen, “typically use companding schemes that are incredibly clever and, to be honest, there should be no perceivable difference between using cable or wireless. But it’s also dependent on the audio material and how that behaves in the RF environment.” The ironically troublesome behaviour of the wires in a ‘wireless’ system pertains to the effects of RF signal passing through coaxial cable, a much weaker transportation than a wired mic signal whether analogue or digital. What arrives at the receiving antenna, for distribution via cable, is much more brittle and much at the mercy of the length, quality and impedance of the wiring that then takes it to the PA.

The new Wisycom MPR50-IEM beltpack

High fibre diet There is another option. Andy Clements, Raycom’s commercial director, agrees that the RF landscape created by the user ¬– the system set-up, as distinct from the untamed RF wilderness all around – is the real key to performance. “Aside from the very wide tuning range, which is a real USP of Wisycom, it’s really down to the design of the RF architecture,” he says. “Wisycom’s technology allows much better rejection of spurious signals, and if you want a reference consider that the product is used without fault in Formula One broadcasting: in that situation you have 25 teams with data travelling over RF, plus every broadcaster on the planet working in the same area and fighting for frequency.” That robustness can be transported to festival and concert production with alacrity, but if you factor in Wisycom’s fibre-optic dimension there are further benefits for large-scale events. “Our units will cover around 1,000m

at fairly low power,” Clements says, “but we can now transfer RF over fibre and combine antennas for coverage over any area however large. We recently designed and commissioned a large system for I’m A Celebrity in the Australian jungle to cover over five million square feet, coming back to a single RF point. It’s a lot more reliable than shark-fin antennas close by and then miles of coax: you never know where the mixing console could end up

nowadays.” Wisycom is about to release the MPR50-IEM solution, designed specifically for enhanced stereo imaging and as a general sonic upgrade from the MPR30. “Once again, it’s down to RF structure,” adds Clements. “Yes, you can have great buds in your ears but the audio is travelling via RF. If that RF design uses the best possible audio processing and bullet-proof RF transfer, you get more information through and that equates to cleaner, better quality sound. One of our experienced live sound customers told me it was only by experiencing the Wisycom IEM RF that he finally understood why it was worth spending £1,200 on a pair of ear buds!” Founded over 20 years ago, Taiwanese manufacturer MIPRO now offers a comprehensive and innovative range of wireless microphones using digital and analogue UHF technologies. The recently released ACT 2400 system introduces new technology to the portfolio operating on the licence-free 2.4GHz ISM band. Transmitters are available in handheld and beltpack configurations, but a series of solutions for instruments including guitars, violins, brass and woodwind makes the range notable. The new ACT-22T miniature transmitter, for example, is designed for mounting on a headworn mic; smaller than a matchbox and weighing in at just 40g, it solves the common problem of how to conceal a transmitter on a performer. “An often overlooked part of a wireless microphone system is the antenna,” comments Stuart Cunningham, general manager, technical services & marketing at distributor CUK Audio. “MIPRO has a very complete range of antennas and accessories. In addition to the standard coaxial antennas that ship as standard with ACT receivers, optional omnidirectional ‘paddle’, directional log, circularly polarized and ground plane antennas are available. Combine these with antenna dividers and boosters with

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P46 MARCH 2016

Technology feature: Wireless and IEM

Rudimental play Brixton: engineer Stu MacAulay is a big fan of the way Audio-Technica 5000 Series

automatic gain control and you can be guaranteed perfect reception in any environment.” Premium condenser capsules are ﬁtted as standard to MIPRO’s handheld transmitters.

Discriminating “There’s a notable shift to digital in the market and some interesting technology being developed,” says Tom Harrold, Audio-Technica’s European marketing manager. “However, many touring acts still seem to place value in sonic performance and trust analogue systems for large-scale productions. Rudimental, for example, use an Audio-Technica 5000 Series system for international tours – running many, many channels for multiple lead vocals – specifically for its sonic qualities. Monitor engineer Stu MacAulay is a big fan of the way the 5000 Series maintains tone on-stage and continues to rely on the setup for that reason. “We’re also seeing a promising uptake in digital for different markets and the recently introduced System 10 PRO system is offering something different for touring acts requiring a more affordable package. Performers at all levels are now not only switched on to the benefits of going wireless, but are also demanding much more stable, good-sounding and flexible systems. They’re much better informed and discriminating these days, and that’s driving some great innovation even at the more affordable end of the market.” Indeed. When US studio mic mainstay Earthworks decided to delve into wireless for live use, a partnership with Line 6 emerged. According to Steve Beeston, sales representative for Line 6 at Yamaha Music Europe, it was the robustness of Line 6’s established wireless technology that made a platform attractive enough for Earthworks’ WL40V hyper-cardioid capsule. “Our V75-40V handheld was the only transmitter that Earthworks chose,” he points out, “because it didn’t change any of the frequencies whatsoever, it didn’t colour anything at all. Our own mic, the V75-SC, has 10 mic models itself: modelling is another way of optimising performance for different

vocals styles, male and female artists and many other variables. I did a ‘Stork-or-butter’ test with Stage Electrics [Blimey, that dates you Steve! – Ed] and only one of the originals was preferred to our modelling.” Line 6’s compression-free Relay digital wireless solution has attracted many imitators, once Line 6 had shown how to exploit licence-free, 2.4GHz bandwidth for, ﬁrst, guitar signals and latterly vocals. The only constraint is that, since 2.4GHz is the range of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity in a mobile world, RF systems for gigs need to beware of local servers to avoid interference. “You’ll always get some trouble with 2.4 potentially,” admits Beeston, “but our top of the range XD-V75 system scans from the main unit and shows you, of the 14 channels available, which ones to avoid. It shows you where the local router is or, in some cases, multiple routers if it’s a busy wireless location. “Antenna distribution is key. We sell a lot of 8-channel systems, many into smaller theatres using Channel 38, where there is a limit. They can either buy expensive spot frequencies, or get another eight channels from us completely licence-free. You can also switch it to the original RF1 mode, where there are four carrier frequencies per channel.”

Escape capsule Capsule choice could be a signiﬁcant development. Even if the coveted capsules of Shure and Sennheiser remain

top of most riders, new systems offer the flexibility of being able to bolt them on – almost literally – to lower cost wireless packages. Mark Parkhouse is MD of FBT Audio UK, distributor of the Taiwanese wireless mic system brand JTS. Last September, JTS launched the ‘affordable’ UF-20 wideband UHF system, admittedly aimed at corporate and installation applications and, oh yes it was, road-tested in pantomime: water and slapstick put components through unique paces. It claims 200m operating distance, and is pitched against Shure’s UHF-R and Sennheiser’s EM 2000 at “less than half the price,” according to Parkhouse. Although it does not feature remote monitoring, what could lift the UF-20 into medium scale rock’n’roll touring is the removable capsule of its JSS-20 handheld transmitter. “You can unscrew our capsule and put, say, a Shure Beta 57 or 58 capsule modules straight onto it,” Parkhouse continues, “or, if you use the specially modified MA-935 adaptor ring, a Sennheiser 835, 845, 935 or 945 capsule. These are the names still most popular in touring, and this feature makes our product a realistic choice for that market. Of course, a lot of users are perfectly happy with our SAM-8W capsule, but even if the rock’n’roll market needs to stick to its habitual preferences there is a way of doing that while bringing the overall cost down. We also have in development a new-style condenser capsule that’s similar in performance to a Neumann.” Today, of course, the basics taught by SDUK also include the use of ‘white space’ bandwidth in between television transmitters. Let’s allow Tolonen’s colleague on the BEIRG committee, Sennheiser’s Alan March, a sliver of frequency on this vexed issue before we close. The “long game”, according to March, is a process of three-monthly meetings at which the FM51 Frequency Management Group provides reports ultimately collated by the European Commission: the Commission then decides whether or not to adopt specific recommendations and, if it does, spectrum mandates are issued. “Vaughan John of Ofcom is the Secretary of FM51, which is mainly made up of regulators from different countries,” March states. “The Chairman is Lindsay Cornell from the BBC. The documents produced contain recommendations for users of both audio and video for PMSE, to help navigate spectrum. Basically, the battle continues…” We’ll be coming back to spectrum later on in the programme, but for now, Alan thank you.

The JTS UF-20 wideband UHF system has been roadtested in pantomime. Oh yes it has

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24/02/2016 13:04

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01/02/2016 17:31:19

P48 MARCH 2016

Installation

Netherlands

A second look at ISE... If there weren’t other trade shows coming up, we might even have to take a third look, for as it turns out, ISE has become a very big deal indeed, writes Erica Basnicki...

Integrated Systems Europe 2016 promised it would be bigger and better... and the organisers were bang on. The first four-day show saw a record final count of 65, 686 registered attendees, more than a 10% increase over last year and which places ISE as the world’s largest AV and systems integration trade show. “The volume of attendee traffic and its spread over the four days confirms our belief that the extra day was necessary and that it adds value for visitors and exhibitors,” says Integrated Systems Events managing director, Mike Blackman. “I’m delighted to say that the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and I would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed.” PSNEurope covered as many of the new products expected to launch as possible in last month’s issue, but inevitably embargoed releases and the hurry of trade show business meetings meant not everyone got full mention. So here then a quick recap on some significant product announcements coming from Hall 7... From the world’s biggest AV show came the world’s first commercially-ready AoIP (Audio over Internet Protocol) studio monitor from Genelec. The latest addition to its Smart Active Monitor (SAM) range, the 8430 shares identical electro-acoustic features as the rest of the range, including MDE and DCW technologies, a flow optimised reflex port, very low distortion, high SPL and wide uncoloured response in a very compact enclosure. Connectivity can be achieved in a variety of ways, including an AES67 signal via the XLR-housed RJ45 connector, and second, using a standard analogue signal via a balanced XLR connector.

Audio-Technica debuted the ATUC-50 digital conference system

Nexo goes super-compact The new ID Series of super-compact, powerful and flexible boxes were launched by the French loudspeaker manufacturer. Nexo’s Gareth Collyer told us: “Rather than fitting live speakers into installation environments, [ID] is the first time Nexo has thought the other way around.” The box is capable of a whopping 126dB SPL output and comes in a range of colours! Martin Audio’s Luke Ireland launches the new ‘weatherised’ versions of the CDD range

“At Genelec, we believe that Audio over IP networking, using systems fully compatible with open and global standards, is the right, reliable and robust way to address the future needs of the audio market. By launching 8430 we are a signiﬁcant step closer to this reality,” says Siamäk Naghian, managing director at Genelec. Martin Audio showcased its extended CDD install series with the introduction of weatherised variants, the CDD-WR, which will start to ship from early April. The CDD Series features patent pending Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology that is said to deliver improved coverage and consistency, often with the need for fewer speakers than those with traditional ﬁxed dispersion X° x Y° horns. Following the announcement, Martin Audio product manager, David Morbey, commented: “CDD is quickly becoming the ‘go to’ install range around the world

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24/02/2016 17:09

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P50 MARCH 2016

Installation

A better show, and the Best of Show! In line with the number of new products to see in Amsterdam, in the weeks ahead if ISE 2016, PSNEurope received an outstanding quantity of entrants for a Best of Show Award. In the end, ﬁve products stood out. In no particular order, PSNEurope presented awards to... Sennheiser, for their TeamConnect Wireless audio conference system: an all-in-one system with each component designed to work seamlessly with one another, letting users get away from the technology and get on with work. And all in a stylish attaché case! The LD Systems CURV 500 by Adam Hall received an award, for punchy, potent sound in a portable

package, with a clever SmartLink adapter system for easy setup. Also receiving a nod for making speaker set-up simple was the new F1 by Bose – a passive extension of its F1 range of speakers that features users easily target sound where they want via the company’s FLEX array technology. Proving that many small, and deceptively simple improvements can add up to a big improvement for its users was AKG’s MicroLite microphone system. Finally, taking the mystery out of audio network setup is Dante’s Controller, which also doubles as a robust monitoring system. Congratulations to all of our Best of Show Award winners!

for nightclubs, restaurants, bars, hotels, retail stores, conference spaces and houses of worship. Now with the introduction of CDD Weatherised we can extend those same beneﬁts to outdoor environments.” Also new at ISE was Audio-Technica’s ATUC-50 digital conference system. Described as a ‘new-generation’ conference solution, the ATUC-50 is designed for simple

operation and plug-and-play functionality, with no sacrifice in terms of sound quality or speech intelligibility. Audio-Technica says the ATUC-50’s cost-effective nature belies the system’s power and flexibility, with multimode operation, 12-band feedback suppressor, on-board fourchannel recorder and translation channel all featuring in the ATUC-50’s specification. A choice of two gooseneck lengths

Kathrin Schmitz for Sennheiser TeamConnect Wireless

Ervin Grinberg for Audinate Dante Controller

with the ATUC-M43H (430mm) and ATUC-M58H (580mm) microphones also allows for additional ﬂexibility in terms of positioning. Employing standard Cat-5 (and above) cables, up to 150 ATUC-50DU discussion units can be connected in either daisy chain or ring topology (for added redundancy). and controlled from any web browser. www.iseurope.org

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P52 MARCH 2016

Technology feature: Skiing installations

On an upward slope Far from being a niche corner of the pro-audio installation landscape, ski resorts and related facilities continue to generate a steady stream of often innovative projects, as David Davies reports

s an individual who is inclined towards being accident-prone, your correspondent has always fought shy of a skiing holiday – being of the opinion that even a solitary morning on the slopes would be likely to result in a substantial injury at best, or violent death at worst. So it came as something of a surprise to discover that European resorts, in particular, are now home to increasingly sophisticated audio-visual infrastructures. For those venues that habitually host major winter sports championships, the impetus to maintain a regular pattern of upgrades is fairly self-explanatory. But even at smaller resorts, systems both on-slope and in bars and entertainment venues are frequently of a high-end nature – even if the après-ski selection of music can still leave quite a lot to be desired [see Box, page XX]. In this overview, PSNEurope examines a handful of recent landmark projects – and considers the extent to which extensive networking and other emerging technologies are likely to impact the sector over the next few years.

Martin Schulze confirms the impression of a market that is increasingly characterised by highly-specified systems. “We equipped the ski-jumping tournament in Garmisch-Partenkirchen for the first time in 1995/6. Before that we had already occasionally been in charge of the snowboard world cup in Austria and France,” he recalls. “In recent years our experiences have paid off more and more. One definite highlight was the entire conception of the ski world championships in GarmischPartenkirchen, and ever since this [event] has been part of our regular commissions.” As with many of its other ski-related projects, the tournament in Garmisch-Partenkirchen finds TC Showtechnik leaning on a number of tried-and-trusted product ranges. “For almost every event we rely on N8000-1500 NetMax controllers from Electro-Voice,” says Schulze. “The linkage to the Dante network [which has lately been deployed at Garmisch-Partenkirchen] and absolute flexibility of the in- and output configuration via NetMax interface cards makes our job easier.” Sound reinforcement-wise, ski projects also tend to

GEARING UP IN GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN

ﬁnd the company deploying Electro-Voice equipment. “For us XLC, XLD and XLE line arrays from Electro-Voice are the ideal sound systems. It’s always impressive how weatherproof and resistant the EV gear is when used in snow and ice.”

AV service provider TC Showtechnik has had a long history of working on alpine projects, including the Garmisch-Partenkirchen resort that has played host to events such as the FIS World Cup. Managing director

For us XLC, XLD and XLE line arrays from Electro-Voice are the ideal sound systems. It’s always impressive how weatherproof and resistant the EV gear is when used in snow and ice.”

Martin Schulze, TC Showtechnik

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P53 MARCH 2016

HEEey BabY! (Ooh! AAH!)

Electro-Voice speakers relay the message at Garmisch-Partenkirchen

The skiing experience in certain European resorts (particularly German-speaking ones) might be a (sliding) catwalk for the latest fashions in clothing, equipment and eyewear, but when it comes to après-ski entertainment, it’s all about cheese. After an afternoon on the slopes, the seasoned skier is practically obliged to stumble into a bar, shed their outer layers, grab a stein of lager and reflect with enthusiasm on the day’s adventures… at high volume. And shout you must, you see, because all of this will be conducted above a pounding soundtrack of the corniest of party tunes from DJ Otzi, Jive Bunny, Ross Antony and other purveyors of finest emmental. Take a familiar tune, add a dance beat, maybe an accordion if you’re really unlucky, and off we go, into beer-swilling, sing-along oblivion. On a recent skiing break to the Alta Badia region of northeast Italy, PSNEurope was spoilt for choice at day’s end, visiting bars where loudspeaker installations by FBT, RCF, Apart, Martin Audio, JBL and Electro-Voice were all very visible. The music might be god-awful, but the quality of delivery has to be high, in order to keep punters drinking and singing. Altogether now: “Oh oh oh ah-oh!” (Dave Robinson) The passive nature of such systems is “quite an advantage” in that it means “our amp racks and controllers are always in a warm and dry place located in our trailers. We hope there will also be new passive systems launched by EV in future.” Networking is one obvious area in which Schulze expects to see continued evolution. “The aforementioned Dante network [constitutes a major benefit] on bigger sports events like the ski world cup. Having every signal available everywhere via fibre optic or Cat-5 is a real pleasure,” he says. “But I would also highlight recent products developments such as the Dynacord TS400 vertical array speaker system, which is doing an outstanding job at press conferences [in such locations.]”

north of Lillehammer and is one of Norway’s largest ski areas with a starting point 1030 metres above sea level and a vertical drop of 835 metres. It enjoyed global prominence as the venue for the slalom and giant slalom events at the 1994 Winter Olympics, but it was its engagement as host of the FIS Alpine Junior World Ski Championships in 2015 that inspired the latest audio upgrade – part of a major overhaul of the national slalom slope. Design of the new system was handled by Bjørn Fjeld of Norsk Lydteknikk AS and the installation was completed by Lillehammer-based Østbye og Sletmoen. The system was devised with an onus on high quality speech and music, with the possibility of hassle-free future expansion. To this end, Symetrix Radius DSP was selected as the bedrock of the installation for its sound

HIGH-END AUDIO IN HAJFELL

quality and Dante network compatibility. In terms of loudspeakers, “we chose Community R Series systems based on many years of experience using them on ski slopes across Norway,” said Fjeld in 2015. “They provide outstanding audio quality and

Indeed, the combination of a top-grade speaker system and a comprehensive networking infrastructure is now extremely prevalent in ski resort audio. For another recent example, consider Hafjell, which is located

unequalled reliability in this type of environment. The coverage patterns and throw are also excellent, and critical for accurately covering large outdoor areas.” Community’s digital FIR ﬁlters are programmed into the loudspeaker management module of the Symetrix Radius 12x8 for optimal system performance, while the system is powered by Ecler DPA 2000 and DPA 1400 ampliﬁers. Clockaudio mics are used for commentary and announcement.

MIKE LOVE ON A MOUNTAIN TOP While many resorts play host to sophisticated

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P54 MARCH 2016

Technology feature: Skiing installations

permanent systems, there is also an increasing tendency to use some sites for special, one-off musical events or festivals. The Top of the Mountain concerts – which take place every May and November at the resort of Ischgl in the southern Tyrol, Austria – are a case in point. The Beach Boys, Elton John, Alicia Keys, Robbie Williams and James Blunt are just a few of the acts to have graced this more unusual of venues during recent years. Austrian sound rental company Fantasy Event Engineering has worked on the concert series for many years, consistently deploying Nexo line array systems. The Robbie Williams show in 2014 occasioned the biggest-ever audience at the resort’s Silvretta Arena – some 30,000 people in total – and a system based around Nexo STM and featuring 15 sets of STM’s M46 Main, B112 Bass and S112 Sub units per side, covering up to 80 metres. The S112s were supplemented with two stacks per side of four CD18 cardioid sub bass units. Two delay towers of 10+2 GEO T cabinets covered from 85 up to 135 metres, while eight GEO S12s were used for the VIP area and four PS15s deployed for front-fill. The ability for the STM system to break down into smaller elements – thereby enabling ease of transport to the arena – has been among its key advantages for these shows, according to Nexo concert sound technical advisor Val Gilbert. “The logistics and the whole ease of transport is a big advantage,” Gilbert tells PSNEurope, “as is the fact that the system is extremely easy to rig. It means the system can be put together very quickly, which is always good when one is working in these kind of slightly hostile conditions! But then there is also the very high level of output that can be achieved from the small boxes.” With the launch of the smaller STM M28 module, the set-up was modified in advance of last November’s Beach Boys show in favour of a main PA based around 18 M28s. In addition, M46s, S118s and CD18s all featured as part of a configuration that used 14 NUAR (NEXO Universal Amp Racks) and four half NUARs for amplification, along with one AuviTran ToolBox and four Lake LM44s for system processing. “The Beach Boys was an act where it was clear that there didn’t need to be a huge amount of low-end headroom, so the M28 would be the right box for the gig,” says Gilbert, adding that the STM’s plastic-moulded cabinets are lending themselves to a wide variety of projects in adverse environments: “They are very wellsuited to these sorts of conditions – they are not sensitive to extreme cold or humidity. In fact, I have pictures of these cabinets with ice hanging off the back of them and it hasn’t been an issue at all!”

is a case-in-point, with local integrator Soundworks Systems Inc being enlisted last year to help make the audio more intelligible and enjoyable for the thousands participating in ice-hockey, figure-skating and more each year. Troublesome acoustic issues – including reflections and obstructions from the plexiglass surrounding the rink, as well as reflections from the ice itself – were among the challenges confronting Soundworks’ Brian Baumann. “The system was wholly inadequate and there were many intelligibility issues,” he recalls. After careful consideration, Soundworks pressed ahead with a nine-zone system consisting of 14 speakers (One Systems’ 112IM 12” two-ways), driven by Powersoft Ottocanali and Duecanali amplifiers. “The first thing we had to do was figure out how to get the audio over that glass and down into the seats where he people are,” says Baumann. “Once we see the 3D coverage patterns in our computer models, we choose the appropriate speakers to fit, then decide how to power them. We chose the Ottocanali and Duecanali because of their sonic quality, reliability, small form factor and the perfect output power ratings for our application.” The new deployment is said to have made a dramatic difference to the venue. “The system is very responsive and super-clear. Before, university students [using the rink] couldn’t hear what was going on. Now everybody knows the score, which player is coming in and coming off the ice, and what the penalties are. They are clearly more engaged in the events,” says Baumann. So from high-spec, high-directivity loudspeaker systems to powerful amplifiers and sophisticated

Community speakers at Hafjell in Norway

networks, it is clear that ski resorts and related facilities often possess audio infrastructures to rival those in stadiums and theatres. Whilst the sport itself obvious remains the central attraction, the technology surrounding it now has the potential to be every bit as eye and ear-catching.

Powersoft speakers ﬁnd a home, off-piste but equally chilly

POWERING UP AT THE ICE ARENA Although the focus of this piece is on ski resorts, it is worth pointing out that winter sports activities are also generating plenty of projects in more conventional, ‘down mountain’ surroundings. A recent project at the Willett Ice Arena in Steven’s Point, Wisconsin, US,

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P57 MARCH 2016

Hither & mixer So much for going teetotal for 2016, eh, readers? Yes: more pictures of booze

Is this the Sennheiser ISE booth, perhaps?

Here’s Bosch’s Helmut Seidl with a can of branded energy drink. We want to see a branded hipﬂask next!

Well done ISE, for making it totally clear to visitors how to get to the RAI from the Schipol! Long overdue!

Our favourite booth at ISE: basically, a table of cables. Well done to Techﬂex for the simple, ‘car boot sale’, ‘we don’t care’ approach!

On the night we were all welcomed to the MPG Awards 2016, a Welcome 2016 GPM meeting was going on in the next hotel ballroom. You couldn’t make it up...

…fortunately, after slugging a few glasses of producer Tommy D’s excellent 808 single malt, we didn’t care which room we were in...

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24/02/2016 15:26

P58 MARCH 2016

Backtalk

Tom Dalgety Tom Dalgety, engineer and producer of the new Killing Joke album, talks to Simon Duff about Royal Blood and rock royalty

om Dalgety began his career in Bath recording studios NAM and Riverside, engineering for the likes of John Leckie, Steve Osborne and Mark ‘Spike’ Stent before his move to producer and setting up his own studio called The Lair. His credits include The Maccabees, Simple Minds and Siouxsie, and last year he received industry recognition for his work on Royal Blood’s eponymous debut album, leading to him bagging the the 2015 MPG Award for “Breakthrough Producer of the Year”. (He was shortlisted for Producer of the Year at this year’s event: see page 28) Dalgety went on to work on a host of innovative projects last year including Killing Joke’s latest album Pylon, a fusion of post-apocalyptic dub, disco and cinematic heavy-metal guitar.

What are you working on at the moment? I’m just about to start a record with another one of my all-time favourite bands, can’t wait for that. Also, I’ve just been producing and mixing a new band called Inheaven, an alternative indie band from London, who are awesome! Uplifting, epic and highly individual.

How did you approach recording the Royal Blood album, and what do you rate about it? We made the album at three different studios: NAM, Rockfield and RAK. We were at NAM before the band were signed. It has a great sounding live room, very dark and thick sounding.. Then we moved over to the Coach House at Rockfield, which is actually where I first met the band a few years before. I love the Neve 8128 there. Then after that we did the last two tracks at RAK. The duo have a unique rock dynamic.

What is your current set up at The Lair? It’s just a unit on an industrial estate in Bath. It used

to be two rehearsal rooms, but I’ve turned one into my control room and the other into a live room. It’s certainly not posh, but I trust how it sounds in there, and that’s all that matters really! I’m actually just about to move into a bigger space. I mix mainly inthe-box, with a few bits of gear as hardware inserts, on a Pro Tools HDX system – there’s no console there. Monitoring wise, its mainly Unity Rocks and Neumann KH310s. I also have lots of weird little things – radios and iPod docks – that I like to check things on. I have a load of outboard pres. Chandlers, UA, some Calrecs and amazing Rosser mic amp/EQs from Rockﬁeld. Dynamics wise, I have a Smart C2, which sees a lot of use, and a bunch of dbx 160s.

You have done two albums for Killing Joke. What is it that you admire about their music and approach? They’re one of my all-time favourite bands, so working with them the ﬁrst time round was quite daunting! I think they’re one of the only bands who can deliver white-hot aggression and emotive beauty in equal measures. Given that Killing Joke are such a strong team of individuals with so much experience, opinions and insight my main role as producer was just a case of getting the best out of each element of the band. They have such a broad eclectic range of inﬂuences, punk, dub, disco, classical, industrial. I just made sure it hang together well.

What was the work ﬂow for Pylon? It was quite a crazy collaborative period, because everyone is dotted around the globe. Me and Geordie (guitarist) did a bunch of demos in England, Big Paul (drums) lives in New York, so he would record grooves and ideas and send them to the rest of the band. Then they all got together for a few writing

sessions in Prague too. All the main recording and mixing was done in Pro Tools, 44.1 and 24-bits. We did some extra bits of recording at Youth’s place in Logic.

How were guitars and drums recorded? When it comes to recording Geordie, a lot of the hard work is already: his guitar (Gibson ES295) is insane and his ‘top secret’ chorus/modulation unit is fantastic. The main sound of the record was his Framus live rig, recorded with Cascade Fathead ribbon mics. I always take a clean DI when tracking guitar, so later on down the line we re-amped some of the parts through a smaller Egnater rig. The stereo width is crucial to his sound, so when re-amping you have to be very careful with the phase. We did all the drums in a great studio in the Midlands called Vada. The live room is an old chapel, an amazing sounding room. It has an SSL G series console too, which I love. The gated reverb on tracks like Euphoria is actually the room mics being compressed and gated to tape.

Jaz Coleman (vocals) has an incredibly dynamic range. How were vocals recorded? I always use a Shure SM7 on Jaz. I tried a few different things at Youth’s place in Spain [El Mirador] when we were doing MMXII, the previous album, and the Shure seemed to be the most versatile, and also it was the only one that could handle the SPL that comes out of his mouth! I usually use the UA 1176A over his vocals, and also the sound toys Microshift plug-in sounds amazing on him! How do Killing Joke know an album is ﬁnished? When they stop calling me at 2am! But no, seriously, when it gives me goosebumps! www.tomdalgety.com www.killingjoke.com

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