Pro Systems May-June 2015

May / June 2015

R38.00

AV System Integration | Installations | Live Events | Studio PRO Audio

Cover Mediatech Africa Story goes big!

PROSOUND PROFILE AV INTEGRATION IN THE ENTERPRISE PROLIGHT + SOUND 2015 REPORTBACK METRO FM AWARDS EVENT BUMPER PROduct REVIEW SECTION

THE FUTURE DVA M2M 2-Way Active Master Line Array Frequency Response: (- 6dB): 78 - 19 000 Hz (- 10dB): 60 - 20 000 Hz Max SPL: 126dB per unit HF Driver: 2 x 1” Driver LF Driver: 2 x 6.5” Driver HF Amp: 200 W RMS (100W + 100W) LF Amp: 200 W RMS (100W + 100W) Weight: 7.6Kg Dimensions mm: 460(W) x 190(H) x 345(D)

DVA M2S 2-Way Slave Line Array Frequency Response: (- 6dB): 78 - 19 000 Hz (- 10dB): 60 - 20 000 Hz Max SPL: 126dB per unit HF Driver: 2 x 1” Driver LF Driver: 2 x 6.5” Driver Weight: 7.1Kg Dimensions mm: 460(W) x 190(H) x 345(D)

All you need from one system

Professional Active speakers Full of Technology

OF LINE ARRAY

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DVA MS12 Active Bass Reflex Flyable Subwoofer Frequency Response (-6dB): 45 - 140 Hz Frequency Response (-10dB): 40 - 165 Hz Max SPL: 131dB LF Driver: 12” Omnidirectional Driver with 3” Voice Coil Power Rating (RMS): LF 700W (1400W Peak) Weight: 26.5Kg Dimensions mm: 460(W) x 430(H) x 385(D)

viva afrika

Viva Afrika Sound and Light (Pty) Ltd 45 Lake Road, Longmeadow Longmeadow North Business Park PO Box 4709, Rivonia, 2128, South Africa Tel: 011 250-3280, Fax: 011 608-4109 orders@hybrid.co.za, www.vivaafrika.co.za

In This Issue Editor Hello everyone, and welcome to the new edition of Pro-Systems Africa News. This edition is dominated, as you’d expect, by the muchanticipated Mediatech Africa media and technology trade show, the largest of its kind in southern Africa. The event is the largest it has ever been this year, and promises more international exhibitors, local distributors and manufacturers, and more fascinated visitors, than ever before. We have a full background to the event, as well as a comprehensive rundown of exhibitors and key products in this edition to help you navigate and get the best out of the show.

Other highlights in the magazine this time include a full feedback report on the massive Prolight + Sound European trade event held in Frankfurt in April this year. As a newbie to the industry, I attended as a baptism of fire, and it was a fantastic experience! The scale and professionalism of the event speaks to the very positive outlook and growth prospects for the industry globally. Our roundup includes the impressions of some of the large South African contingent in Frankfurt.

Away from industry events we have a special focus in this issue on a rapidly growing industry niche, and important new trend in the industry. This is technology convergence, or what is also known as unified or collaborative communications. As the professional audio, video, staging and AV integration markets become larger and deal more with corporate or enterprise-level customers, solutions that integrate with existing or newly-installed IT networks will become an ever more important component of the industry. We provide some insight into the phenomenon.

Other things to look forward to in this issue include reports on many new installations and events, a substantial profile of the industry stalwarts Prosound, and our usual mix of insightful product reviews, industry people, news and views.

This edition is also my debut as editor of Prosystems Africa News. I have already had the pleasure of meeting some of you in the industry, and I look forward to meeting more of you. Remember that we’re here as your resource for key industry information, trends and product news. If you want to talk about any of that, have suggestions, or comments on anything you read here and in our regularly updated website and newsletter, don’t hesitate to let me know. I’m at james@sun-circle.co.za.

Enjoy the read!

James Sey

CONTENTS NEWS

Integration & INSTALLATION

Panasonic relaunches in SA market...............3

Unified communications

FT Fogtech acquires

in the enterprise .............................................46

Matrix Sound’s rental division..........................3

AV integration in the corporate network.....48

Shure celebrates 90 years in pro-audio.........3

Screen dilemma –

Kinesys visits Electrosonic SA............................4

commercial or consumer?............................50

Metric Halo appoints new SA distributor .......4

InfoComm 2015 preview................................52

DWR Distribution signs

Projection mapping a billboard....................54

two reseller agreements..................................4

The Fugard moves to LED..............................56

MUSIC Group acquires TC Group...................6

Live Events

Adamson names TID South African distributor...................................6

Prolight + Sound wrap....................................60

Martin Audio pays tribute to Andy

Prolight + Sound 2015 –

Weingärtner.......................................................8

The SA perspective.........................................62

Energywise Systems recruits

Metro FM Awards 2015...................................64

industry stalwart for Bose®...............................8

SAFTAs come of age......................................68

A tribute to Steve Collins................................10

Lighting up gospel music...............................72 Clay Paky Supersharpy .................................74

Mediatech Africa 2015

The new superpower in beam lights............75

Mediatech Africa 2015 goes big..................12 Mediatech Africa product spotlight ...........13

Studio PRO AUDIO

Mediatech international brands...................33

Allen & Heath Qu-32 – Join the Queue.......78

Mediatech:

How to record and mix vocals......................80

international principals speak.......................36

Neumann KH310A...........................................84

Company Profile

Social

The Prosound experience..............................38

DWR Trip to Robe............................................87 In2IT Technologies Event................................88

INTERVIEW

Vectorworx Training – Laser Park...................88

Ringing the changes at Avid.........................42

Contributors David Davies | A journalist who has been covering professional AV and broadcast technology for 14 years. He is reelance managing editor of Sports Video Group (SVG) Europe and continues to contribute to a host of trade publications, including PSNEurope, PSNLive and Installation. He has also been a part of the team for The AES Daily, The IBC Daily and, since 2005, The ISE Daily, for which he served as an executive editor in 2013 and 2014. In addition, he is active as a copywriter and sub-editor.

Jimmy Den-Ouden | An entertainment technician based in Sydney, Australia. His qualifications and experience span a broad range of subjects and technologies. He writes and reviews equipment most of the week, and works freelance on various shows and installations on a weekly basis. Jimmy can be seen on most GEARBOX video reviews, available on YouTube.

Joanne Taylor | Completing her Creative Writing degree, Joanne is an experienced trade journalist and photographer in many different industries. Joanne is learning the ropes of the audio and AV industries and has a keen interest in lighting, particularly for live events and theatre productions.

Editorial Disclaimer The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by the authors and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, positions or strategies of Pro-Systems Africa News or any employee thereof. Sun Circle Publishers makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use.

Sun Circle Publishers reserves the right to delete, edit, or alter in any manner it sees fit comments that it, in its sole discretion, deems to be obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, in violation of trademark, copyright or other laws, or is otherwise unacceptable.

All contents of this publication are subject to worldwide copyright protection and reproduction in whole or part, in any form whatsoever, is expressly forbidden without the prior written consent of the Publisher.

Publisher| Simon Robinson | simon@sun-circle.co.za Editor | James Sey | james@sun-circle.co.za Managing Editor & Advertising Sales | Claire Badenhorst | sales@pro-systems.co.za In-house Journalist | Joanne Taylor | news@pro-systems.co.za Sub-Editor | Tina Heron Design | Trevor Ou Tim | design@sun-circle.co.za Subscriptions | Albertina Tserere | data@sun-circle.co.za Accounts | Natasha Glavovic | accounts@sun-circle.co.za Sun Circle Publishers (Pty) Ltd | Tel: +27 11 025-3180 | Epsom Downs Office Park, 13 Sloane Street, Bryanston, Johannesburg | PO Box 559 Fourways North 2086, South Africa

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www. pro-systems.co.za

Publishers & Projects

news

Panasonic relaunches in SA market Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic has relaunched the brand in the South African market, aiming to become a household name again.

The company plans to introduce a wide range of high quality products across several categories, including TVs, home theatre systems, home audio systems, portable audio systems, cameras, home appliances, as well as a full range of business-to-business equipment and air conditioners.

Speaking at a media briefing at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on Monday 20 April, Daizo Ito, regional head of Panasonic for India, South Asia, Middle East and Africa, who recently headed a major delegation of senior executives from Japan, stated that the corporation viewed quality as its measure of excellence.

The widely expanded range of products will be introduced in phases during the year and beyond 2015.

Panasonic is buoyant about its reinvestment in South Africa at this time. The move is in line with a general increase in

Delegates at Panasonic’s media briefing at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg

business interest, especially among global FMCG and retail companies, on the African continent. Manufacturers that previously concentrated on markets in India and the Far East are now turning their attention to Africa as the new ‘frontier market’. In South Africa alone, the consumer electronics market was gauged to be around $9.4bn in 2012, and increasing to $13.6bn by 2016.

Panasonic insists that it has retained has a strong and longstanding network of retailers throughout South Africa, including all the major chain stores. The company has already received multiple listings for the new range of products.

FT Fogtech acquires Matrix Sound’s rental division

Trevor Peters and Garth O’Kelly

Fogtech has acquired Matrix Sound’s rental division, which is the final piece of the puzzle for Fogtech, which has been growing steadily since Garth O’Kelly took over leadership in 2010.

Launched in 2007 to introduce the FogScreen technology to South Africa, Fogtech became a supplier of all things video, including media servers, projectors, LCD screens, LED walls and the FogScreen.

Under O’Kelly, Fogtech took the first steps towards turnkey technical support by acquiring lighting, trussing, motors and most importantly a staff of experienced, professional operators. With the addition of Matrix Sound’s rental division, Fogtech is set to delight clients with a complete, seamless, streamlined offering.

“We have spent many months working on this deal in order to ensure that there would be little or no negative impact on the parties involved. We are proud to say that while some adjustment will be required, no jobs

have been lost in this transaction. As Fogtech has been supplying video on Matrix Sound’s shows for the past five years, and we have played an integral part on the vast majority of these events, our clients are also very comfortable with this development,” comments O’Kelly.

With 16 years of high-class delivery on events to its name, Matrix Sound has always been known as the ’go-to company‘, the one to choose when there is no room for error. More recently it also provided turnkey technical solutions on events by partnering with like-minded technical supply companies. This role will now be taken over

by Fogtech.

“It certainly is the end of an era for us as a company and for me personally, an emotional transition to be making. Supplying sound to the events industry is how we started and delivering at a consistently high level is what has kept us in business as a dedicated sound company for the past 16

Shure celebrates 90 years in pro-audio Shure Incorporated is celebrating its 90th year as an industry leader in professional audio.

From its humble beginnings as a one-man company selling radio parts kits, Shure now offers a Sidney N Shure (1945) diverse portfolio of wired and wireless microphones, listening products, personal monitoring systems, phonograph cartridges and conferencing and discussion systems.

Milestones in Shure’s 90-year history include the introduction of the first single-element unidirectional microphone, the Unidyne, in 1939 changed the way microphones are made to this day; an accomplishment that was honoured with an IEEE Milestone Award in 2014; and the SM57 and SM58, developed in 1965 and 1966 respectively, remain two of the most popular and widely-used microphones in the world today.

Several recent additions to the Shure product portfolio have set new standards for audio quality and performance. The Shure Axient Wireless Management Network was the first wireless microphone product to detect interference and automatically change frequencies. SE846 Sound Isolating Earphones feature a ground-breaking low-pass filter, a true subwoofer that enables deep low-end performance without sacrificing clarity or detail. The soon-to-be-released MOTIV digital products are new plug-and-play microphone line suited for individuals looking to capture high-quality audio for vocal/acoustic recording, podcasts, YouTube videos, field recording and more.

“Our founder, Sidney N Shure, was dedicated to creating products of exceptional sound quality, durability and technical innovation,” says Sandy LaMantia, president and CEO of Shure Incorporated.

“His vision, combined with the passion, expertise, and creativity of our associates has led us through 90 years of success. We are very appreciative to all our customers and channel partners for their support over the years.” years,” says Trevor Peters of Matrix Sound.

FT Fogtech has purchased Matrix Sound’s rental division as a going concern, effective 1 May 2015.

Fogtech will take over the current Matrix Sound premises at 2 Fabriek Street in Strijdom Park as the building is well suited to accommodate its vastly increased inventory, vehicles and staff complement.

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news

DWR Distribution signs two reseller agreements

Kinesys visits Electrosonic SA Kinesys has recently formed a reseller partnership with Electrosonic SA. Dave Weatherhead, the co-founder and managing director of Kinesys, toured South Africa in March with Electrosonic SA, visiting Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town.

Weatherhead’s visit to Electrosonic SA was aimed at product promotion as well as demonstrating products to customers to help customers understand them more fully. The products currently on demonstration are the DiGi Hoist controller and the Load Sales range.

Electrosonic hosted an open house for customers to see the products in action, where they set up some hoist in their demo room to show how the product works in practicality. As an agency, Electrosonic offers Kinesys’ DiGi Hoist and Load measuring equipment, among others.

Electrosonic SA also helps promote the other aspects of Kinesys’ business, such as variable speed equipment.

The DiGi Hoist controller is a fixed speed

Metric Halo appoints new SA distributor

Jacob van der Westhuizen

Metric Halo has appointed Benjamin Pro Audio as its distributor in South Africa.

Based in Pretoria, Benjamin Pro Audio specialises in high-end equipment for studios, acoustic consultation, and acoustic design. It will handle Metric Halo’s entire product line, from its flagship eight-channel ULN-8 preamp/converter to its production bundle of great sounding plug-ins – and everything in between.

“Benjamin Pro Audio’s extensive knowledge of the gear they sell for use in the studio and on location, as well as their commitment to finding the right solutions for their customers, will serve Metric Halo well,”

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Dave Weatherhead demonstrating Kinesis products at Electrosonic SA

chain hoist controller, which allows plugging in coders at the back of the system, enabling programming of specific moves for a show.

The controller can be programmed with a number of trusses or video walls at different positions for different songs and can ‘remember’ where to stop during a song or performance.

The LoadCell range allows moving loads around at different angles, while checking equipment weights, making sure there’s no overloading the lifting equipment or roof that the equipment is hanging from. The LoadCell system can also plug into the Digi Hoist so it ties the two together. If an overload situation occurs by mistake, the loader system can detect this upon lifting and can automatically shut both systems down. says Stu Buchalter, Metric Halo’s vice president of worldwide sales. “They’re passionate about audio and they only sell equipment that they believe in. We look forward to seeing Benjamin Pro Audio continue to advance Metric Halo’s legendary sonic quality, future-proof design and superior flexibility throughout South Africa.”

“There is currently a strong push for better audio quality in South Africa and we’re striving to fulfill that need,” says Jacob van der Westhuizen, CEO of Benjamin Pro Audio.

“When a client calls with a Metric Halorelated question, whether it’s regarding an interface, the MIO Console routing software, or daisy-chaining units, I can walk them through the solution because I am extremely familiar with Metric Halo products. In this way we strive to build loyalty and trust. In general, we’re looking at the long term. We recommend the very best solution for a client’s particular situation, regardless of the short-term profit. We’re building relationships.”

He continues: “Metric Halo is a great company to partner with in that regard. Their commitment to ‘future-proofing’ their equipment is amazing, and it allows us to recommend their hardware and software solutions knowing that they’ll always receive full support. Metric Halo takes pride in what it produces – and it shows. The sound quality of

DWR Distribution has been appointed by Quartzcolor and IFF as sole distributor of their products in South Africa.

“These products are truly standard-setters within the television and film industry, the brands are synonymous with quality and will be a fantastic addition to our stable,” says Dave Whitehouse of DWR Distribution.

Quartzcolor was founded in 1954 and has since been a leading lighting brand with a strong reputation based on pioneering famous product innovations that have now become common names and standards in the lighting industry, such as Redhead, Blonde and Bambino. Quartzcolor operations continue to span the globe offering high quality lighting products, project management and technical support to a wide variety of users, including television, theatre and entertainment industries.

Quartzcolor features the widest lighting range in the market and can provide any lighting solution to lighting professionals worldwide.

The IFF brand is known globally for the high quality and reliability of its products and services. It offers a complete range of lighting suspensions, from simple telescopic posts to pantographs, self-climbing hoists and modular systems with a wide range of mounting brackets and accessories. IFF products comply with the highest international safety regulations. Ensuring simple and safe operation, IFF hoists are designed to meet the demanding requirements of television studios, auditoriums, conference and presentation halls, schools and churches.

IFF and its distribution network assist their customers in all aspects of design, budgeting, installation, operation and maintenance. Their engineering and service departments accompany professionals at every stage of their projects, from preliminary on-site consultation to detailed studio suspension layouts.

Massimo Cecchini, international sales director for the brands, comments: “We appointed DWR due to its renowned expertise and experience in supplying lighting solutions.

Indeed we believe that a strong service department that ensures support and a regular contact with the customers creates significant value for our customers.”

Metric Halo preamps, converters, and DSP algorithms is second to none. We’re looking forward to getting more Metric Halo into studios and road racks across South Africa.”

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news

MUSIC Group acquires TC Group MUSIC Group has announced the acquisition of TC Group, one of the largest groups of companies in the professional audio industry. Headquartered in Denmark, and with offices all over the world, TC Group owns and manages some of the most acclaimed brands in the industry, such as Tannoy, Lab Gruppen, Lake, TC Electronic, TC Helicon and TC Applied Technologies.

The addition of Tannoy, Lab Gruppen and Lake allows MUSIC Group to round out their professional install and touring sound offerings alongside Midas, Klark Teknik and Turbosound, while TC Electronic and TC Helicon represent the industry’s leading brands in the guitar effects and voice processing sector, and perfectly complement MUSIC Group’s Bugera guitar tube amplifier brand and highly successful Behringer prosumer division.

TC Electronic has also long been established as a leader in broadcast, studio, mastering and production processing, where it gained ultimate authority in loudness control and mastering. For decades now, Tannoy’s HiFi products continue to win 'Best in Class' awards, and as a result the brand has

Uli Behringer

developed a huge following of audio enthusiasts around the world.

TC Group’s strong focus on product innovation and IP creation is further demonstrated by their TC Applied Technologies company, which is invested in cutting-edge designs, networking and

interface technology.

MUSIC Group founder and CEO Uli Behringer commented: “MUSIC Group stands for relentless focus on innovation, business transformation and overall IP creation. Since the acquisition of Midas, Klark Teknik and Turbosound, we have been continuously pursuing brands that complement the mixing console, processing and loudspeaker excellence offered by these historic brands. Throughout our search, TC Group has clearly stood out as the ideal match because of their world-class brands, impressive intellectual property, sterling reputation and first-class team of people. I am very proud to welcome the TC Group team into our family.”

TC Group’s CEO Anders Fauerskov responded: “We are very honoured that during the acquisition process, some of the largest industry players were bidding for TC Group; however we have selected MUSIC Group as they represent the perfect fit in terms of strategic direction, overall synergies and company culture. Our team is thrilled to join MUSIC Group and open a new chapter for TC Group and its prestigious brands. With the incredibly talented people and massive resources of the MUSIC Group behind us, the team is excited to enter a new era of unprecedented innovation and growth.”

Adamson names TID South African distributor

Tiaan Hoogstad

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Adamson Systems Engineering has announced the appointment of Technology Innovative Distribution (TID) as the exclusive distributor of Adamson products in South Africa. The agreement was finalised at the recent Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt, Germany where Adamson also launched their newest compact line array, the S-Series.

“We are very excited to add Adamson Systems Engineering to our line card,” explains Tiaan Hoogstad, marketing manager for TID. “Representing Adamson will strengthen our position in the live sound marketplace. They have an excellent reputation, world-wide, for creating versatile products with exceptional sonic characteristics and for providing the support and training necessary for success.”

TID, located in Johannesburg, South Africa, with additional offices in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, has focused on bringing a specific mix of products and design

philosophies to the South African market through carefully selected partners like Adamson. TID provides customers with a variety of services including professional needs assessment, system design and engineering, specification assistance and system setup and calibration. The company continues to expand their service and sales teams to support the increased market share they have in the region.

“To work with a company with the reputation that TID has is terrific,” adds Jochen Sommer, director of European operations for Adamson. “We are looking forward to working with the TID team to increase the visibility of Adamson in South Africa as well as provide the region with the sound reinforcement solutions they require. I am confident, as partners, we can strengthen the presence of both companies in the region.”

news

Martin Audio pays tribute to Andy Weingärtner It is with great sadness that Martin Audio announced the passing of their European account manager, Andy Weingärtner, who died of a heart attack over Easter.

Luke Ireland, managing director of Martin Audio, said: “It was a huge shock to all of us. Andy was always an exuberant member of the team, and even before he joined Martin Audio he was a long term supporter. He will be greatly missed.”

With more than 28 years’ experience in sales and marketing, covering all aspects of pro audio, Weingärtner was well known to the industry, especially in his native Germany. He is survived by his wife Sandra and their four sons.

A private memorial service will take place on Saturday 11 April in his hometown of Worpswede, and long term friend and colleague Andrew Davies will represent Martin Audio.

Paying tribute, Davies said: “Andy was one of the audio industry’s good guys, anyone who was fortunate enough to know him will miss him and his loss leaves a unique hole in the industry for many of us.”

Ireland added: “We hope the whole industry will join us in extending thoughts and prayers to the Weingärtner family, and our special thanks to them for letting Andy be a part of our lives too.”

Energywise Systems recruits industry stalwart for Bose®

Andy Weingärtner

Premium power distribution systems

Te l : 0 8 3 6 01 13 0 0 E m a i l : p e d r o @ g e a r s h a c kd a n d . c o . z a W W W . G E A R S H A C K D A N D . C O . Z A

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Energywise, a South African energy consulting business headquartered in Durban, branched out into professional audio distribution in 2013 when they acquired national distribution Dave Tudor, technical support Energywise for Bose Professional rights for Bose® Professional Audio.

Now they have recruited experienced industry figure Dave Tudor, with a background in the audio departments of prominent local audio rental and AV businesses, to provide local support and technical backup for all Bose® Professional Audio products. Dave will also be responsible for sales and marketing for the well-known and respected pro-audio range.

“Our distribution of Bose® Pro Audio is beginning to ramp up, and I’m really looking forward to supporting these benchmark products,” says Tudor. “Energywise is very much behind this relatively new part of their business, and I’ve always been intrigued and excited by the unconventional approach Bose® takes to developing new products.

That innovation is evident in the new F1 range of flexible array speakers, which we are launching in the local market at this year’s Mediatech Africa event.”

Energywise Systems should find a ready market for the Professional products of the benchmark American audio brand – with a dedicated support, sales and technical sales resource in Tudor.

CCS 1000 D Digital Discussion System Compact yet versatile

The all-new CCS 1000 D Digital Discussion System is highly compact, easy-to-set-up, and easy-to-use. Yet it is packed with so many smart features and exceptional versatility that it makes every meeting more productive and highly rewarding.

Designed for plug-and-play installation, the CCS 1000 D Digital Discussion System is ideal for small to medium scale meeting areas such as town halls, business centers and courtrooms as well as for rental companies who can use it for their day-to-day mobile set-ups. Find out how you can take advantage, contact your nearest Bosch representative today or visit: www.boschsecurity.com

news

A tribute to Steve Collins Well-known industry guru Steve Collins passed away in March 2015 and we at ProSystems Africa News decided to speak to a few people who worked closely with him throughout his career.

Steve Collins

Alvaro Rodrigues: “I knew Steve Collins for 32 years, having first met him on a BMW 3 Series Launch in 1983. Later we also worked together at Multivisio from 1989 until 1993 we both moved on and I partnered with him in setting up his company, The Staging House. We continued working together on many more illustrious and memorable live events until his untimely and sad passing in March. Steve was a phenomenal human being. He was extremely kind, deeply honest, and one of the most generous people you could ever meet. He will remain one of the select few genuinely knowledgeable and experienced professionals in our industry. He was a master of his craft and I don’t think we will ever see anyone quite like him again. He taught me much about live events and even more about life. My memories of Steve are all unique and special and I couldn’t single any one out from the rest.”

Pieter Joubert: “I met Steve for the first time in February 1995 on a BMW Event in Cape Town. At first he was the rudest and grumpiest old man I have ever met in my young career as a rigger! But as the two-week show went on we developed a relationship of respect for one another that little to my knowledge at the time would stretch over a period of 20 years and ultimately resulted in me employing him for the past two years.”

“In the 20 years that I knew Steve, I was very fortunate to have worked with him on various high profile events that occured over this period including: 46664 in George, the Confederations Cup Closing Ceremony, the FIFA Kick off concert, and various exhibition stands on the Johannesburg International Motor Show (JIMS) over the years, to name a few. No project was ever too big or too small for him to get involved in.”

“Steve was a person who called a spade a spade and there was only one way of doing things – the right way (also known as Steve’s way)!. Steve was totally unique and special in the way he approached any project from the single counter for the office to way he guided me through the FIFA Kick Off Concert in 2010 and the Ford Stand at the JIMS 2013, as well as the way he guided us with the restructuring of SDS since mid-2012. Nothing was ever impossible for him and that together, with being a perfectionist, is the legacy he left behind in SDS and the industry, I do believe. Steve was also remarkable in the way he shared his knowledge with those who wanted to learn from him and his phone was always on for that late

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night phone call to get advice.”

“Steve was remarkable in the way that he kept up with the latest trends and technology and in many ways was ahead of some of the youngsters in our industry. That, together with his broad knowledge of the industry as a whole, made him so unique and a true professional and enabled him to create magic. For Steve, being late was never an option and neither was taking short cuts. As he once pointed out to me, ’the curtain is never late’.”

“As a person I was very fortunate that my path crossed with Steve Collins, as he was a true master of his craft, a perfectionist, and above all a true friend whom I will miss dearly.”

Graham Edmunds: “Steve was a consummate professional. He was stubbornly passionate about doing it right, first time, on time. He was hard headed but soft hearted in all of his dealings. He was a treasure to people who really understood him, and to the industry he served.”

Paul Pamboukian: “Steve was an incredible personality; someone who had enormous pride and integrity and who commanded the utmost respect from his peers. He had a lion-like exterior and persona which put the fear of God into newly encountered unfortunates who did not know him, but those who did, recognized that this formidable façade masked a gentle, kind, dare I say, sensitive soul who relished challenges and the opportunity to solve the most hair raising problems.

One occasion I remember well was many years ago during a setup of one of Tony Farmer’s Extravaganzas at Sun City. The crew were busy hoisting a particularly large flying piece into the fly-gallery and there was the usual hubbub on stage with people milling about, busy with their particular duties. All of a sudden there was an ominous rumble from the grid and the sound of ropes breaking loose. Within seconds, everyone miraculously vanished off stage (Nic Michaltos leapt into the 3rd row of the auditorium), everyone, that is, except Steve, who remained welded to his spot. The huge set piece came crashing down and landed, literally, two inches in front of Steve’s feet.

He stood there in the same spot, the ever present cigarette in mouth, took a swig from the coffee cup that he had been clutching all along, turned totally pale and barked, in his inimitable way, as though nothing had happened, “ Get this s*** off the stage!”

MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW

Mediatech Africa 2015 goes big

By James Sey

Mediatech Africa, the largest media and entertainment technology trade show for southern Africa, will take place this year from 15 to 17 July at the Dome at Northgate, Johannesburg. Staged biennially, it presents the latest technologies and trends to southern Africa’s broadcast and film sector and rapidlygrowing live event and AV system integration industries. We spoke to Simon Robinson, the exhibition director behind the show, to gain some insight into the history and outlook for Mediatech Africa.

Mediatech Africa started life as a modest industry event way back in 2000, when the broadcast and film production industry decided to co-ordinate a place where networking and industry showcasing could take place.

Current exhibition director Simon Robinson recalls the origins: “We started out with the show made up largely of the local broadcast and film production industry, with only about 15% of exhibitors coming from the local AV sector. We chose the Sandton Convention Centre as our first venue, since it was central and well-served by nearby accommodation and other facilities for our out-of-town and international visitors. Almost from day one, the show took off and grew as word of mouth spread in the industry.”

Indeed, says Robinson, by 2007 the show had outgrown the Convention Centre. The growth was driven largely by the rapidly expanding AV industry presence, and the corresponding slowing of growth in the broadcast and production sector. “In 2009,” continues Robinson, “we moved to the Dome in Northgate for more space, but also to utilise the adjacent outdoor space for professional sound demos. As the show grew in scope and industry range, we had many more international exhibitors and visitors. There’s now in the region of 300 exhibitors and delegates from all over the world.”

As Robinson points out, the presence of international manufacturers and vendors, especially in the AV industry sectors, is significant for Mediatech Africa in two ways: firstly it acknowledges that the show is on the global radar; and secondly it means that the manufacturers can offer support to their southern African distribution partners.

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In moving to the new venue, 2009 proved to be a turning point for the show. This was the first time the profile of the show increased enough to include international manufacturers, and moved onto the radar of the international trade media. A critical mass had been reached in the SA market, especially in the AV industry, which was continuing its own healthy growth. This was led by the professional audio sector, but after 2011, says Robinson, the AV integration sector also began to grow its presence.

“In recent shows,” he continues, “our innovations, like a centralised social and networking area have proven popular, as have our regular professional sound demo feature, initiated in 2009.

This year the demos again offer a unique opportunity for AV professionals and end users to assess the quality and output of small, medium and large format speakers. Speakers meeting the needs of organisations scaled from churches and educational institutions through to major event and concert companies will be assessed.”

Robinson points to a 10% visitor growth year on year for the show, and 2015’s version sees the largest ever increase in numbers of international exhibitors. Another interesting development this year is the presence of more Asian manufacturers, including Chinese, looking to use Mediatech Africa as a showcase for regional distribution.

“We are constantly receiving compliments about the organisational maturity and professionalism of the show,” concludes Robinson. “Our visitors are very impressed with the standards set by the show, and we intend to keep improving those standards.”

PREVIEW MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015

Mediatech Africa product spotlight Mediatech Africa 2015 will present the latest technologies and products to the live event and AV system integration industries, and here are some of the products you can look forward to seeing at the show…

Allen & Heath (Audiosure: Stand: E51 & F51) Allen & Heath GLD Chrome Edition – Extensive new features and FX. GLD Chrome firmware adds Auto Mic Mixing capability and further additions to the comprehensive processing suite, including faithfully crafted new FX and channel-based compressor emulations. The Chrome Edition GLD-80 and GLD-112 mixers have been redesigned with a new metallic livery, while the AR84 and AR2412 AudioRacks have received a sleek black finish. The automatic mic mixer (AMM) can be configured to work across all 44 microphone sources, allowing the user to select which inputs should be auto-mixed without the usual restrictions of a 16-channel insert based system. The AMM can be set to work in two modes – ‘D-Classic’ dynamic gain sharing for a simple quick set-up, and ‘Number of Open Microphones’ (NOM) logic gate technology for a more flexible and sophisticated auto mix. A Best Mic Lock system detects cross talk between different sources and limits open microphones.

Allen & Heath Qu-Pac – Designed for live music and installed sound, Qu-Pac is a freestanding or rack mount mixer, providing a flexible solution for bands and in multi-purpose environments such as schools, hotels and bars. Qu-Pac connectivity offers 16 mono inputs, three stereo inputs and 12 mix outputs on the rear panel, but that can be expanded up to 38 in / 28 out by connecting to Allen & Heath’s family of remote AudioRacks over Cat5. The mixer offers total recall of settings and preamps, multi-track recording to USB via Qu-Drive, a choice of personal monitoring solutions, channel ducking, multi- channel USB streaming and the renowned iLive FX Library to deliver outstanding audio quality, making it a fully featured digital mixer.

Analog Way (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37) Analog Way Pulse² – Based on the Midra platform, Pulse² (PLS350-3G) is a versatile Mixer Native Matrix Switcher offering diverse connectivity through eight seamless inputs and 14 input plugs: four x Universal Analog, four x DVI-D, 4 x HDMI and two x 3G-SDI plugs. Pulse² can operate fast and seamlessly switch between any of its 14 input plugs without fade through black or loss of sync. The product features a matrix mode with two outputs (programme and preview) and one 3G/HD/SD-SDI output plug useable as video output or programme clone. Pulse² offers custom output format management and smart functions such as direct

source swap and screen split. Digital audio can be easily embedded or de-embedded on HDMI and DVI-D connectors on inputs and outputs. For easy routing of audio signals, some functions such as fast routing and audio breakaway mode are available. The Pulse² can be controlled through the RCS², an intuitive AIR application. Pulse² can also be easily controlled through the RK-350 remote keypad and the revamped Orchestra² remote controller, or through AMX and Crestron two or three-series systems.

Analog Way LiveCore series – To complement its LiveCore line of Premium AV processors, Analog Way is pleased to unveil new features and accessories. Series of Premium AV switchers come in two layouts: 8x2+1 for the NeXtage 16, and 12x4+1 for the SmartMatriX Ultra, Ascender 32 and Ascender 48.

Additional output capability can be added to the 12x4+1 models through the new LiveCore Output Expander. The product comes in three different references: LOE016 for the SmartMatriX Ultra, LOE032 for the Ascender 32 and LOE048 for the Ascender 48. Finally, Analog Way introduces the Vertige, a powerful remote console featuring a brand new design and an innovative approach to show creation and management. The Vertige presents a large 16/9 TFT colour touch screen, and a variety of direct keys, contextual buttons, sliders, knobs, as well as a joystick and T-bar to operate the device.

AudioCenter (Viva Afrika Sound and Light: Stand: A23 & B27) AudioCenter K-LA 28 DSP – Featuring maximum simplicity in set up and operation, it is a compact portable touring, rental and installation system that brings line array technology to an accessible ease of use and price point.

Audio Center TS series – A high performance portable entertainment and touring system. The new active loudspeakers are based on an active self powered Princip. Equipped with a Class D (PWM technology) and controlled by a DSP. The range represents an access-level point to a self powered speakers , with a simplified ’stand-alone-only‘ mode, as well as introducing a light-weight com enclosure. TS series feature a digital menu to quickly access all the necessary features for an accurate multipurpose PA system set-up.

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW Avid (Pro Direct: Stand: G1) Avid Venue S6L – A modular system designed to take on the world’s most demanding tours and events with ease. Offering unprecedented processing capabilities—with over 300 processing channels—S6L delivers unrelenting performance and reliability through its advanced engine design and backs it up with modern touchscreen workflows and scalability to meet any challenge. Like all VENUE systems, S6L provides onboard industry-standard plug-ins and Pro Tools integration, but with more processing power and track counts than ever before. Plus, with a comprehensive array of network and I/O offerings, you can easily configure the system to meet the demands of any gig.

Avolites (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47) Avolites Arena – The Avolites Arena is the ideal desk for festivals, theatres and anywhere that a larger control surface is required. It combines the popular interface of the Tiger Touch II with more live control than ever before.

Alongside the vibrant main display, a second touch screen provides an additional workspace window, also labelling the adjacent macro buttons and rotary pots. These fully assignable playback encoder pots, allow intuitive control of channels and effects. The six LCD screens display electronic legends for 30 faders, for speedy access to all your playbacks, fixtures and palettes. A brand new optical output means the Arena is equipped for fibre connections, with no signal loss over long distances, from front of house to the stage – essential in large and outdoor venues.

Offering seamless Multi User compatibility, the Arena can be used as master, back-up or extra programming surface, considerably cutting your programming time by allowing multiple Titan programmers to work simultaneously, before the main console takes charge.

Optical Titan Net Switch – The Optical TNS is perfect for connecting FOH to stage using Cat5E Ethernet cables for distances under 100m, and an Optical input for fibre connections over distances exceeding 100m. The 1 Gigabyte network switch also features a built in UPS to ensure the stability and resilience of your show setup.

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beyerdynamic (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33) beyerdynamic Custom Studio – A closed dynamic headphone for studio applications. A special feature of this headphone is the changeable sound which can be selected in four stages from a linear or even analytical sound to a rich, vibrant bass via the ’Custom Studio Sound Slider‘. The four sound patterns are specifically tuned for studio applications and meet the high expectations of professional users. Soft, replaceable velour ear pads in combination with our best headband available ensure a pleasant comfort of wearing even in long-lasting studio sessions. The single-sided detachable coiled cable is provided with a gold-plated jack plug and perfectly complements the overall package making the Custom Studio a professional tool with maximum flexibility. beyerdynamic MCE 85 – Developed for professional indoor and outdoor audio recordings, the MCE 85 combines superior quality and excellent polar patterns in a rugged yet lightweight aluminium housing. The MCE 85 can be mounted to film cameras, DSLR cameras, digital camcorders or in combination with a microphone boom or as a handheld for high-quality recordings. Thanks to the supercardioid / lobe polar pattern the MCE 85 BA can be used to record a sound source very precisely without disturbing ambient noise. A high-quality electret condenser microphone capsule inside the shotgun microphone ensures that exceptionally precise sound reproduction. Its low cut filter can be switched on and off. It eliminates low frequencies and compensates for mechanical vibrations and proximity effect. beyerdynamic TG 1000 – beyerdynamic´s first 24-bit digital wireless system, which covers an impressive 319MHz of the UHF bandwidth (470–789MHz). With these two features alone, TG 1000 is a hugely flexible system which can be used in a wide variety of venues worldwide, competently and reliably. Combine this with a wealth of user-friendly features designed to enhance your performance and TG 1000 becomes your go-to wireless system regardless of application.

Barco (Questek: Stand: G21)

Biamp (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33)

Barco PGWU62L – Producing a noise level of just 35dB, the Barco laser phosphor projectors are the quietest laser phosphor projectors currently available. Designed for fixed installation in meeting rooms, the compact and lightweight PGWU-62L projector features WUXGA resolution (1 920 x 1 200). Its laser phosphor light source offers long lifetime, low maintenance (no lamps, no filters) and great colour performance.

Biamp TesiraFORTE – Optimised for specific applications with fixed I/O configurations. Well suited for background music to court recording and soft codec integration. AVB and non-AVB versions are available for each model. The non-AVB models have all the same functionality as the AVB versions, except those specifically related to AVB networking. They can still interface with third-party controls and are controlled and programmed remotely over a network. The non-AVB

PREVIEW MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW TesiraFORTÉ models are ideal for conference rooms that require their own audio DSP in the room. TesiraFORTÉ hosts a Tesira configuration file and, therefore, does not require a SERVER or SERVER-IO in order to function. It can also host a Biamp Canvas file and can be controlled

by Biamp Canvas interfaces. The AVB models can host all expanderclass devices (audio and logic expanders) as well as send firmware updates via the Ethernet port. All TesiraFORTÉ models can host Tesira TEC-1 control devices, EX-LOGIC devices and can connect via Ethernet or RS-232 with third-party control systems. TesiraFORTÉ is accessible locally or remotely over Ethernet for management and maintenance. TesiraFORTÉ also offers a USB port to each model. Each model supports up to eight channels of configurable USB audio that can be allocated in the programming interface.

Bose (Stand: C33) Bose F1 Model 812 flexible array loudspeaker and F1 subwoofer – Designed to serve an even broader set of applications than L1 systems, F1 Model 812 is the first powered portable loudspeaker that lets users optimize sound by creating up to four different vertical coverage patterns. Offering exceptional power and clarity, the F1 system provides versatility for a wide range of applications and venues, easy setup, aesthetically pleasing design and rugged durability. The F1 system is an ideal choice for live music, DJ, corporate AV, house-of-worship, AV rental and general PA applications. With the F1 system sound can be optimised for playing at floor level, on stage or facing raked seats or bleachers.

Chauvet (Audiosure: Stand: E51 & F51) Chauvet Rogue RH1 Hybrid – Pushes the performance boundaries for automated moving fixtures to new heights. This hybrid beam and spot possess an unrivalled optical system with eight-facet and six-facet prism sets that are completely layerable and controllable. Powered by a 330W Osram Sirius lamp, the fixture delivers an ultra-intense output of 170 000lux at 15m with tight beam angles of 1-4.5° in Beam Mode and 3-10° in Spot Mode. Indexing and static scrolling gobo wheels and a 13-hue colour wheel add to the stunning visual effects that this amazing tool can create.

Christie (Stand: F37) Christie Boxer – Occasionally, a product comes along that is a game changer. Christie Boxer secured orders for more than 240 units before launch at ISE. It achieves a staggering 30,000 lumens and weighs under 68 kilos: Yes, rental stagers can dump the fork-lift truck – this is a two-person lift. More than that, we spent years asking rental stagers for every detail they wanted and built it. Angle it in any direction – 360 – 4K resolution, huge connectivity, users can monitor lamp hours and serial numbers through NFC with each lamp, You can even monitor lamp-life with

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your smartphone. It also has the award-winning Christie Tru-Life image processing. And Boxer has six-appeal. Housed in two 3-lamp cartridges, the six long-life mercury lamp modules are easy-tohandle, maintain, change and stock which means better ROI and less consumables.

Christie H=Series – The new H Series gives you an amazing 12,375 L in affordable 1DLP and opens up a whole new market for both staging and fixed install. It has our best colour reproduction and is – amazingly – about half the weight, half the size and half the noise of our competitor product; imagine a portable cabin case to their suitcase and you have it. Fantastic for events. It also has the widest connectivity and a simple but clever feature that turned heads at ISE; we have added a second connectivity panel at the bottom so you can secure it directly to the ceiling without wires running up the side.

So with the elegant, compact design in both black and white, it looks great in smart corporate settings. Choose between the D12HD-H and D12WU-H. Christie Brio Collaboration – Brio is the collaboration system that lets you share more – and more easily. There are three models; Team (single site), Team + and Enterprise (networked). Here’s just a taste of what all Brio models can do that other systems cannot: Connect up to five devices to any combination of PC, MAC or Smart device; Offers full screen monitoring, with automatic and simultaneous streaming of devices; video and audio at 30fps, for all devices, not just PC and MAC; HDCP support, so you can share Blu-ray and other HDCP protected content; Share whiteboards, annotation and save meeting notes. Additionally, Brio Tea+ supports up to five devices over one or two displays and shares content at up to 60fps. Brio Enterprise users can share content from anywhere across a network, from any Brio Enterprise equipped location.

Christie Velvet Indoor LED – Why enter the indoor LED market if you’re not offering a difference? Velvet has very narrow pixel pitch — 4mm – and large diodes so you see high resolution, bright and seamless visuals with wide off-axis views of 160°. Our technology maintains a high contrast ratio of 5000:1 and 800nits (cd/m2) brightness. We’ve also addressed the heat and buzzing common in LED displays, and, instead of a mask (which peels or causes you to see black spots off-axis), we’ve used a dark coating to maintain the high contrast ratio. We offer a choice of four different high resolution options —1.9 mm, 2.5 mm, 3 mm and 4 mm pixel pitches – for optimum close and distance viewing, both on and off axis. It’s energy efficient with low operating temperatures, scalable for full design flexibility, has a solid-state design for easy assembly and true 24/7 operation. It is also third party lab tested for assured quality.

Clay Paky (Stand: K38) Clay Paky Scenus – With an advanced optical unit and the new 1400W Osram discharge lamp provide a much higher light output than with previous generation 1500W lamps. Thanks to its wide 8°-55° zoom Scenius is perfect for every use. A modern focus tracking system concentrates maximum luminous efficiency precisely on the effect you wish to project, and the focus may be set to be fully automatic. The lamp produces a 6 000K colour temperature that does not vary over time; also, Scenius can count on a CRI>90, which is extremely unusual for a metal halide light source. The colours cover a broad spectrum, even including pastel shades, thanks to a CMY system, a sevencolour wheel and a linear CTO filter. Special effects include two rotating gobo wheels, each with six interchangeable gobos, a rotating prism and an interchangeable graphics wheel for spectacular new effects, a highly precise iris. The fixture can also be used in wash mode by inserting a new design of frost filter. It can be run at 1 400W or in energy saving mode at 1 200W. Clay Paky Spheriscan – A revolutionary scanner with a modern twist. The Spheriscan’s pan rotation does not have an end-stop: its mirror goes on turning endlessly beyond 360 degrees, which creates an absolutely original swirling effect. Its speed may be adjusted as desired and reach a maximum of 280 rpm. Its new Osram lamp works at 1200W. It features a 13°-34° high speed zoom, two rotating gobo wheels with six gobos each, an interchangeable glass animation wheel, a rotating prism, a fast sixteen-blade iris, a linear frost filter, CMY system, a colour wheel and a linear CTO. Built to be used outdoors (IP54), using a special optional support system, Spheriscan may be recessed into the stage floor, with only its transparent head visible, to create original gazing projections. Its transparent tumbler-shaped cover can be easily removed and replaced with a special mirror-holder (the light slightly gains in brightness and becomes IP20). Lastly, you can also use the Spheriscan to project light directly, without the mirror.

Clay Paky Mythos – A highly advanced form of hybrid light. It is a 470W lamp spotlight, featuring a zoom that ranges from 4° to 50°. Light beam is sharp, with perfectly defined edges, from the first millimeters after the front lens right along its entire length. Also an extraordinary beam light, allowing you to switch to a minimum fixed beam angle of just 2.5°. Mythos features a completely redesigned indexed visual effect disc, which may be superimposed on all the gobos (six rotating and 18 fixed gobos); a CMY mixing system based on three gradually fading colour wheels, 14 colour filters, two rotating prisms, CTO, CTB, a frost unit and a very large front lens of 160mm diameter. Mythos is a very versatile tool, which is useful in any situation and therefore an excellent investment.

Clay Paky Igloo – A renewed range of sturdy outdoor covers specially designed for professional show lights. They consist of a

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW strong steel base and a highly transparent capacious plastic dome.

The IGLOO range comprises three models (IGLOO WL, IGLOO EASY and IGLOO ECO), which differ in their basic features and the way the control signals are connected.

Dataton (Penmac: Stand: B45)

Crestron (Stand: G29) Crestron Pyng – Enables complete set up and control of Crestron home automation in just a few steps right from the iPad. Technology integrators can rapidly create lifestyle scenes for each room, schedule events, and much more without ever opening a laptop. It also empowers homeowners to confidently make changes to their scenes, settings and even system schedules right from the app.

Crestron RL2: Lync – A complete group collaboration solution. It combines Crestron hardware with Microsoft Lync 2013 software, the popular and powerful server-based application that many companies already use on a daily basis. It enables real-time group collaboration on conference room displays, rather than on personal laptops. It incorporates video, voice, interactive content sharing, presence and chat from one touch screen interface.

Crestron DMPS3-4K-150-C 3 Series 4K DigitalMedia presentation system 150 – Provides an ultra-high-definition presentation switcher and control solution that’s perfect for huddle rooms, conference rooms and classrooms. It integrates the control system, multimedia switcher, 4K video scaler, mic preamp and audio DSP all into one compact device that mounts conveniently under a conference table or in an equipment rack. Built-in Crestron Connect IT functionality affords a complete collaboration solution that’s easy and affordable to deploy in any small to medium sized meeting space. Without requiring any programming, the DMPS3-4K-150-C is easily configurable for a variety of media presentation applications using a choice of touch screen, iPad or computer for setup and control.

Crestron Fusion RV – The AV and technology management component of Crestron Fusion. View room status, track maintenance on devices, schedule end-of-day shutdown, book meetings in rooms, provide remote help desk assistance, capture and distribute multimedia presentations and more — all from the web-based interface.

Crestron DM 3.0 – A decade ago Crestron laid the foundation for DigitalMedia, the AV distribution technology that would go on to transform the industry. Today, DM 3.0, the digital standard for every room, does it again. DM 3.0 is not a product. It’s a set of core, standard-setting technologies embedded in the DM product line.

Only DM products meet all core requirements: uncompressed bit-for-bit 4K/60 distribution and scaling; streaming AV; enterpriseclass solution; and end-to-end scalable solutions for every room type.

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Dataton Watchout 6 – Watchout version 6 adds an unrivalled feature-set for advanced projection mapping, multiple-source video playback, 3D media and modelling, pre-visualisation – all fronted by a radically revamped user interface. Watchout 6 is the most significant upgrade in the 15-year history of the software. It’s bursting at the seams with powerful new features for show creators and offers the same rock-solid performance that users have come to expect from Watchout. This version offers new creative tools and smoother workflow for 3D projection and complicated mapping. The combination of new features in Watchout 6 puts producers on a fast track to outstanding projection mapping: import a 3D model of a real-world object, map it with content, then use the new 3D projector and marker-based calibration features to get pixel-accurate image mapping.

d&b (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37) d&b audiotechnik D20 amplifier – The new amplifier features proven, intuitive user interfaces and offers fast, responsive remote control and monitoring via Ethernet through the Open Control Architecture (OCA) protocol. The D20 amplifier has four independent 1600W channels, each with two 16-band equalizers which feature parametric, notch, shelving and asymmetric filters and up to 10 seconds of delay. The digital signal processing (DSP) power of the D20 means that external system processors are not required, reducing the equipment in the signal chain. The amplifier’s intuitive user interface has a colour touchscreen along with a rotary encoder. It is enabled with an integrated web interface for use with a browser and can be controlled using the d&b R1 remote control software V2, which runs on Windows or Mac computers. R1 provides enhanced equalization functionalities, enabling users to freely define and manipulate EQ using a touchscreen or mouse and keyboard. d&b audiotechnik MAX2 stage monitor – Provides clarity to performing artists in every genre. The passive unit can be pole mounted on a d&b subwoofer and used as a small full range system or perform stage monitoring duties as originally intended. Whatever the deployment the MAX2’s high feedback stability and sound pressure level capabilities are combined with a remarkable vocal presence and sonic consistency. Small and light, the MAX2 still provides a broad frequency response extending from 55Hz to 18kHz with a conical dispersion of 75°. In a marine plywood enclosure and protected by a

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW rigid metal grill, the 15” neodymium LF driver and the coaxially mounted 1.4” compression driver share the same magnet structure which allows for a compact and unobtrusive cabinet design. d&b audiotechnik Y-series – Provides flexible and configurable solutions for any small to medium sized sound reinforcement requirement, whatever the application style. While the Y7P and Y10P loudspeakers cover point source duties, with the B6-SUB providing extended frequency response, two line source loudspeakers and a matched cardioid subwoofer, the Y8, Y12 and Y-SUB tackle line array tasks. Echoing the V-Series and utilizing patented three point rigging, the Y-Series is all new, yet strangely familiar.

dB technologies (Viva Afrika Sound and Light: Stand: A23 & B27) dB technologies DVA M2M+DVA M2S – Remember the DVA T8 launch? As hard as it was to believe, all that power and performance came packed in an incredibly compact, lightweight speaker.

Offering the same hallmark userfriendliness and sound quality of its DVA predecessors, the MINI series sets the new benchmark for easy-to-use systems with top-range sound performance. The innovative Master + Slave design makes for simplified system wiring and less total weight, making this series equally ideal for permanent installation in theatres, places of worship, convention centres and for concert tours and live music performances. dB technologies DVA MS12 – The flyable subwoofer which comes with the DVA Mini series. Especially designed to fit perfectly with an M2M and M2S array, the MS12 is equipped with a single 12” woofer in a bass reflex enclosure, acting as a perfect low-end extension module for DVA Mini systems. This subwoofer delivers an incredible SPL considering its very compact dimensions, and it can be easily used both flown and ground stacked. The smart design of the feet allows the user to avoid the dull removal of the flying brackets: it is possible to remove the feet in few seconds and screw them again upside-down. In this way any contact between the flying brackets and the ground is avoided, as only the rubber feet will touch it. A practical X-over out can be used to feed signal straight to the line arrays modules, simplifying considerably the signal and power cabling.

Doughty (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47) Doughty modular rigging system – Faster rigging of stage and sets combined with improved safety. A strong, safe alternative to ‘home made’ drop arms, which until now have been the only option for riggers, the system uses tried and tested connectors to give a SWL of 100kg and enables the safe and speedy rigging of luminaires from truss or fixed tubes or barrels. It also provides for a range of configurations to open up the possibility for highly innovative lighting design. The system uses 48mm diameter aluminium barrels in conjunction with a

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truss style conical coupling and is designed as two parts – Modular Drop Arms, which are single arms designed to be suspended with a coupler, and H-Frames, which can be suspended or floor-standing with tank traps. Manufactured from high tensile aluminium, the Drop Arms come in lengths of 250, 500, 1 000 and 2 000mm which can be connected using conical couplers to create larger drops of approximately 6metres. H-Frames are 415mm and 1 000mm high, with connectors available in 250, 500, 1 000 and 2 000mm. All have a safe working load (SWL) of 100kg and all are available in powder coated silver or black finishes.

Elation (The Production Warehouse: Stand: F58) Elation Platinum SBX – The new Platinum SBX™ is an innovative full-featured 3-in-1 luminaire with patent-pending design that can be utilized as a beam, spot or wash fixture. It features the brand new Philips™ MSD Platinum 17 RA 350W, 6 900K, 85CRI lamp, 15 000 total lumens delivering comparable output to 700W fixtures, 3° to 18° zoom in beam mode and 5° to 30° zoom in spot mode, 10 dichroic colors including UV, CTO, CTB and white (open), 8 rotating, interchangeable glass & metal gobos and 12 static-stamped metal gobos, 6-way linear and 8-facet rotating prisms, frost filter, Art-NET (DMX Over Ethernet) support, 5pin DMX in/ out, RJ45 etherCON in/out and powerCON in/out connections, (6) button control full color 180° reversible menu display, 550W max power consumption and a multi-voltage universal auto switching power supply (100-240V).

Elation Sniper 2R – The new Sniper 2R™ (Winner of the PLASA 2014 Award for Innovation) is a revolutionary new hybrid effects projector, scanner and laser simulator which features new lamp technology, the MSD Platinum 2R Lamp at 132 W / 6 000 hours. Capable of producing powerful and precise beam and laser like effects – including liquid sky, laser wave, and laser cones, all moving at speeds never seen before . The main functions include a X / Y scan and Z rotation mirror system, 3 facet rotating prism, variable speed shutter / dimmer / strobe, 14 dichroic colors, 17 static gobos including beam reduction gobos, 5pin DMX and powerCON in/out connections, 4 button control panel, 220W max power consumption, and a multi-voltage universal auto switching power supply (120-240v).

Elite Screens (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39) Elite AEON screen – An alternative to the conventional fixed frame screens with the large black borders. It comes in the following options of material: 3D Cine grey material (ALR) and Cine matte white. The Aeon screens will be available in 100-, 120-, 135- and 150-inch. The aspect ratios will be (16:9) HD. The Aeon series boast a wrap-around type frame, which is to resemble the giant flat television screens on today. The Ambient Light Rejecting material (ALR) is ideal for homes and hospitality markets where ambient light is a contender for image quality. It has an option of having a LED backlit projection screen.

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW ENCO (Wild and Marr: Stand: G55) ENCO playout software – Cost effective professional radio and TV playout software that is used and loved worldwide by the largest broadcasters including Global Radio, CNN, CNBC and ESPN. ENCO is buy-out, which means no annual licence fees.

Regular software updates are available as well as 24-hour technical support packages. ENCO provides seamless database integration from any other playout system. Special pricing and exclusive packages are available depending on requirement. You can save thousands on your playout and broadcast software. ENCO DAD now plays video, which makes it perfect for community television, highlights packages, webcasts and streaming. It also features scheduling of automated video playback. Store shows, content and series link in groups. Stream metadata to your website and EPG. It integrates with Tricaster. The perfect most cost effective professional solution for automated video playback, ENCO is the professionals’ choice.

ETC (Stand: 22) ETC ColorSource PAR – A budget friendly addition to the ETC LED range, and is designed for venues where strong, flexible colour mixing is needed. Each fixture is individually colour calibrated at ETC’s factory in the US, ensuring every unit will output identical colours without any need for adjustment.

ETC Source Four LED system – A range of fixtures and accessories, all powered by the Source Four LED Series 2. With three light engines to choose from – depending on whether you’re looking for full colour or tuneable white light – the range of adapters includes CYC (for smooth cyclorama lighting), Fresnel and 11 different lens tubes of fixed and variable focus.

Extron (Stand: H29) Extron DTP CrossPoint 84 – A highly versatile, compact 2U presentation matrix switcher that includes all technologically advanced capabilities to integrate a complete AV system into one box. It is equipped with a 4K matrix switcher, two built-in independent scalers, integrated Extron DTP and XTP twisted pair transmitters and receivers, a built-in mono or stereo 100 watt amplifier, comprehensive audio DSP capabilities, and an advanced control processor that is uniquely expandable. It completely simplifies system design and installation and dramatically reduces total cost of ownership.

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Extron SMP 351 – A high performance streaming and recording processor for capturing and distributing AV sources and presentations as live streaming or recorded media. It incorporates Extron’s FlexOS, a flexible platform for automating system operation. Accepting HDMI, component, composite and optional 3G SDI signals, it applies two-window processing to the selected sources. The SMP 351 can record and stream simultaneously and can stream at two different resolutions and bit rates concurrently using a range of transport protocols and session management options. Comprehensive control and configuration features make the SMP 351 integration-friendly, easy to control and operate. Requiring no licensing fees, the SMP 351 has a low cost of ownership, making it a cost-effective solution for delivering presentations to a larger audience.

Galaxy (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39) Galaxy video wall controllers – The Galaxy Pro will be demonstrated for 24/7 mission critical situations where power and data redundancy plays an enormous part of product reliability especially in a 24/7 environment. The baby in the series, the Galaxy X4 will also be on display and demonstrates special characteristics such as pixel mapping, bezel correction and image orientation.

Green Hippo (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39) Green Hippo Hippotizer Boreal – Part of Green Hippo’s V4 range and is the new standard for touring media servers. With four HD-SDI outputs, 4K support, Hippotizer V4 Boreal is designed for the rigours of life on the road. All video outputs are EDID managed with dedicated hardware to ensure easy set up and operation in any environment. Each output includes a second parallel connection to enable local monitoring with built-in Shape 3D visualizer. Features include: internal SMPTE card; Genlock; four front accessible removable hard drives with Strata Caddy System; optional touch screen; front-mounted status LEDs; 4 x HD-SDI outputs; EDID management on all outputs; stereo XLR Audio in and out with isolation and earth lift; and up to two internal capture cards.

Hazebase (The Production Warehouse: Stand: F58) Hazebase base*low*pro – The base*low*pro is a CO2 Low flying fogger like no other. This produces a Dense Low Fog when used in conjunction with the hazebase base*classic or base*high*power foggers. The fog height is controllable via adjustable air supply; with 1KG, 2KG & 3KG CO2 per min options. This device also features a touch screen control panel to fully utilise control capabilities like Art-Net, DMX, Analogue & RDM. This Machine, Like most Haze Base Products, comes standard in an Amptown Flightcase.

PREVIEW MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015

JBL (Wild and Marr: Stand: G55) JBL LSR 7 – The new 7-Series line, the 705i and 708i models answer the call for next generation multi-channel monitoring in post rooms, broadcast facilities and trucks. Leveraging patented technologies developed for the flagship M2 Master Reference Monitor, the 7-Series delivers detailed imaging, extended frequency response and remarkable output from compact enclosures. Centrally amplified and tuned, and easily installed, 705i and 708i are the heart of an elegant, scalable system for broadcast and post facilities working in immersive audio formats.

JBL EON600 Series – JBL engineers purposely designed and built the EON600 from the ground up featuring JBL’s advanced waveguide technology, JBL designed and manufactured transducers and convenient wireless remote control of its onboard DSP EQ parameters via Bluetooth with the EON Connect app. EON600 delivers the extraordinary quality of a high-end studio monitor in a fully professional, highly flexible, easy-to-use, portable system for today’s working musicians and sound providers.

JBL SRX 800 – Loudspeaker system comprising three full range and two subwoofer models with an array of features that elevate the SRX800 Series to the best in class of all competitive systems.

Available in a two-way 12”, 15”, 15” three-way bass reflex and two subwoofer models, the SRX800 series features legendary JBL drivers, proprietary 2 000W Crown amplification, Crown front-end DriveCore Technology, premium JBL user-configurable DSP, V5 Tunings compatible with Vertec and VTX touring systems, and HiQnet Network control options via iOS and Android applications. Drawing on JBL’s long history of ground-breaking technology and loudspeaker design, the SRX800 Series meets the needs of touring houses, installations, and the most demanding live sound applications ensuring they can deploy a no-compromise, all-in-one solution featuring legendary JBL sound and performance, a wide array of configurability, and compatibility with JBL’s flagship touring systems.

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW Kinesys (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39) Kinesys DigiHoist controller – This platform is an intelligent chain hoist controller offering digital communications, limit monitoring, load and position feedback and group halt functionality in a compact package. At the core of the system is a digital communications link that enables multiple units to be daisy chained together. The units automatically assign channels according to their position in the daisy chain. The high resolution displays offer comprehensive channel feedback including channel number, status and load cell information. Options include encoder inputs, as well as Ethernet and LibraCELL connectivity. The digital link incorporates SIL2 emergency stop connections which eliminate the need for shorting plugs in the system. Safety features include hoist presence indication, limit monitoring and group halting on fault conditions.

Kramer (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39)

live events market and for other applications where a dual-scaler is needed. It features DVI-U inputs (including analogue, DVI and HDMI support) and stereo balanced audio signals. The unit scales and processes the selected video and audio inputs, and outputs to two independent DVI-I outputs (program and preview) together with two balanced stereo audio outputs.

Kramer WP-5VH2 – An HDBaseT wall plate transmitter for HDMI, PC graphics, Ethernet and unbalanced stereo audio signals.

It transmits the signal via HDBaseT, twisted pair cable to a compatible receiver (for example, the TP-588D or the TP-580RXR). The device embeds the stereo and also provides an unbalanced, stereo audio output. The WP-5VH2 is a PoE (Power over Ethernet) receiver and can be powered by a compatible PoE provider. This active wall plate is perfect for those installs that require auto switching between analogue and digital signals that need to be extended over long distances. The HDBaseT output can be used directly via cat6 cable directly into any HDBaseT certified display or any HDBaseT Kramer receiver.

KV2 Audio (S.E.T Africa: Stand: C45)

Kramer VSM-4x4HFS – A seamless matrix switcher that can also be used as a 2x2 video wall driver or dual and quad multi-viewers. The unit allows switching between inputs with a clean video cut (frame-to-frame switching with no glitches). The VSM-4x4HFS supports HDMI resolutions with deep colour, up to eight channels of audio and includes per-port HDCP and EDID settings. Kramer’s new seamless matrix switcher is well suited for conference rooms for presentations, video wall scaling and rental / staging environments.

Kramer VIA Collage – A wireless presentation and collaboration solution that makes it easier to get actual work done during meetings.

With any laptop or mobile device, users can view, edit and comment on documents in real time, share files and chat with individuals or multiple participants simultaneously. It is the only wireless solution in the market that can show six user screens on a single main display and 12 on two displays. Users can also view the main display on their device. VIA Collage includes iOS mirroring. Supports third party conferencing and office apps, such as Microsoft Office, Skype, GotoMeeting, Lync and WebEx. The solution is ideal for any size meeting room or classroom. With features including a built in white board (supports touch panel devices) this device is perfectly suited to boardrooms, conference rooms and collaboration spaces. BYOD support on VIA makes this unit the perfect presentation / collaboration tool.

Kramer VP-772 – An eight-input high-quality ultra-HD (4K) dual scaler with special effect transitions for the rental and staging and the

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KV2 Audio VHD high performance touring and installation system – Designed to revolutionise the concert sound market by offering unparalleled quality, power and coverage with huge cost savings in terms of size, weight, transportation, storage and set up time. Challenging the popular trend of line array technology, VHD builds on the KV2 Audio philosophy of point source theory, offering drastically reduced distortion levels and a hugely increased dynamic range that takes us to a new level of sound reproduction previously unheard in large-scale audio systems. VHD reduces the amount of elements needed, therefore removing the interference problems created by multiple sources in modern line array systems.

Time alignment and phase correction is done via KV2’s new 20MHz digital delay line. Boasting the highest sampling rate of any digital speaker processor available, KV2’s on board hybrid signal processing uses the best in analogue and digital technology to provide incredible definition and resolution with true dynamic range.

Lab.gruppen (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33)

Lab.gruppen PLM+ – Designed with total integration at the core of the system, allowing complete control and monitoring of the whole platform ecosystem – including networking, audio I/O, signal processing, amplifiers, power supply and connected mains supply – delivering unique operational benefits and improved system control via Lake Controller, CAFÉ and Third Party Protocol integration. Building on the PLM 20000Q and offering all of its unique performance characteristics, flexibility and raw power, PLM+ delivers twice the processing power, twice the throughput, and a whole host of features designed to deliver real world benefits.

PREVIEW MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015

LD Systems (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33) LD Systems Curv 500 – A small, modular, scalable active curved array system with a great design and easy set up. Thanks to the SmartLink adapter system, the modules can be assembled and connected without use of external cables. The sub, which is very compact too, has four internal channels for mixing applications and a Bluetooth module, able to send the signal to the top cabinets that can build an array with constant curving with a maximum of eight components. Every module contains a four-inch mid-woofer and a one-inch HF titanium driver.

Lightware (Penmac: Stand: B45) Lightware Visual Engineering Event Manager – A completely new feature of Lightware in the UMX-TPS extender range and is incorporated through the lightware device controller. The Event Manager was developed to handle tasks derived from simple internal events, or controlling the extender by GPIO inputs instead of front panel push buttons. This makes it possible, for example, to automate a motorised screen, window shutters, air conditioning and audio selection. Internal sensing effectively controls the GPIO on the remote device for the required activity. External GPIO activity can be transferred to either end of the extender pair.

Le Maitre (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47)

LPS Laser (Stand: E59)

The Ecohazer – Le Maitre has launched a brand new hazer – the EcoHazer. Le Maitre hazers are already known for their incredible output and low power consumption, not to mention the haze fluid which converts to produce the purest, most efficient and long lasting haze on the market, and which the company has now rebranded as PureHaze Fluid to further underline these benefits.

The new EcoHazer takes the environmental aspect even further and Le Maitre believes that it is the most energy efficient water-based hazer on the market today!

The EcoHazer consumes an incredibly low 100-150W, a rate that other haze units on the market with a similar output simply can’t match, with many requiring up to 1500W – that’s ten times the electrical energy! The EcoHazer uses a completely new heating system borne out of Le Maitre’s R&D team’s experience when they developed the HazeMaster and which provides two significant benefits. Firstly it is highly efficient, drawing less than 0.4 amps at operating temperature. Secondly it is self-regulating temperaturewise, so there’s no risk of burning the fluid or damaging the unit.

Furthermore there is no trade-off with output, in fact quite the contrary. At first glance the variable output of 2cc/hr to 50cc/hr haze may seem on the low side but in reality the effect is akin to competitive units of some 400cc/hr! So how is this possible? The answer is simple – Le Maitre’s haze fluid. The PureHaze Fluid is 85-90% active ingredient combined with just 10-15% water. Not 80-90% water and only 10-20% active ingredient as is the case with so many other haze fluids on the market. The EcoHazer is both much more efficient and cost effective. Combine this with the fact that Le Maitre’s sugar-based fluid is extremely green and completely safe* to use on the stage or in crowded clubs and Le Maitre’s EcoHazer is an environmentally friendly winning product all round.

Operation of the EcoHazer is either manual via a user friendly control panel with two rotary controls for output and fan or via intelligent, self-detecting DMX (2 channels). The maximum fan setting is 71m3/hr and direction is manually adjustable from 0 – 90°. A 3 digit LED display clearly displays the settings. The EcoHazer takes just 5 minutes to heat up and then it’s ready to go. Self-purging at the end of operation is quick and easy – just haze off and then power off will ensure haze is flushed out of the system keeping it clean for machine life longevity.

LPS-RealTIME Pro Multimedia Software – Create simply your own laser show and control it with video, light, fireworks, water fountains, fog machines and more. LPS-RealCAD is an extensive graphics program. The drawing surface with three drawing views (X, Y, Z) simplifies 3D programming, as well as a 2D/3D view. Import filters, eight different overlays, pre-programmed image library, all true type and open types as well as Arabic, Cyrillic and all Asian fonts. Create and optimise easily extensive laser shows and control 10 scanner outputs separately with 128 tracks each. Add with just a few clicks morphings, run text, special sound effects and camera movements. Imported as WAV or MP3, you can add sound effects to the songs. LPS-RealTIME Pro can be controlled via Art-Net. LPS X-Beam+ – Made in Germany. A fair price-performance ratio, combined with reliable functionality and strong laser performance distinguishes this show laser and meets the versatile customer requirements.

With innovative and most modern technology, the laser projector keeps what it promises. This is certainly one reason that it is a notable part on great events. With a graphic scanner of 30kpps and a maximum of 60-degree deflection, run text and graphics can be projected. X-Beam+ laser projector of course complies with all laser safety regulations. The laser projector is controlled via ILDA and is available from 1K (1W) green up to 8K4RGB (8,4W).

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW Martin Audio (Audiosure: Stand: E51 & F51)

combined with Martin´s optical system (known from the industry standard MAC Aura) adds an entirely new range of eye-candy and beam twister effects and makes the MAC Quantum Wash a true state-of-the-art LED wash light.

Merging Technologies (Penmac: Stand: B45)

Martin Audio CDD series – Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology, the series is designed to deliver class-leading performance, fidelity and coverage consistency to venues that demand the ultimate in cutting-edge technology and style. Whether it’s a bar, an AV installation, a church or a prestige nightclub, the CDD Series has it covered. CDD has been conceived as a one stop solution; six two-way full-range coaxial systems — from the micro CDD5 to the powerful CDD15, complemented by high-performance subwoofers — cover the majority of install applications; all models come in black or white as standard and all RAL colour variants are available to special order. The CDD Series has the audience covered too. Coaxial Differential Dispersion technology delivers more consistent audience coverage than systems with fixed dispersion X° x Y° horns — projecting more output to the rear of the audience to distribute sound evenly from front-to-back, while having wide horizontal coverage close up.

This increased coverage area can reduce the speaker count in larger installations.

Martin Professional (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39) Martin Professional MAC Quantum Profile – A fully featured LED profile that sets new standards for combined performance, weight and size.

This workhorse represents the latest in LED technology which in combination with Martin’s proprietary optical design delivers a crisp and bright output. Any concerns about lamp aging, shifts in colour temperatures, green colour points, misaligned lamps and declining output are eliminated, as consistent LED technology guarantees that the last show on the tour looks as good as the first. Weighing in at only 22kg doesn’t compromise its performance and speed. It offers a speedy return on investment and is one of the first LED Profiles with CMY colour mixing, making colour mixing for theatre and staging applications much easier.

Martin Professional MAC Quantum Wash – With tight beams, beautiful wash fields, market-leading colour palette and uniform mixing, the MAC Quantum Wash fits into the most demanding applications. It offers brightness and perfection and a plethora of FX possibilities. An impressive 750W of RGBW LED power

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Merging Technologies Ovation Audio and Event Sequencer – Used around the world in world-class theatres, theme parks, concerts and AV installations, Ovation is set to become the new bench mark in creative AV audio design and live-to-air broadcast playout. Ovation MassCore and Horus provide the perfect solution for important AV events that simply-put, cannot fail. Able to provide an astonishing amount of power in a small-footprint system with all the capabilities a creative AV experience requires make an Ovation AV solution the choice of the professional.

NEC (Electrosonic SA: Stand: C29 & G39; Peripheral Vision: Stand: B37) NEC X554UNS 55-inch Ultra Slim video wall screen – Offers a combined bezel width of 3,7mm. This means that the total bezel between the two images is a mere 3,7mm. Apart from this ultra slim bezel, the product still offers full HD resolution from a direct backlit LED light source. This enables the display to reach brightness levels of up to 700nits in order to display high contrast images in very bright ambient light conditions.

NEC X841UHD 84-inch UHD – This LED edge-lit LCD screen has a native resolution of 3840x2160 – four times higher than full HD (1920x1080). Offers 4x HDMI inputs to be displayed simultaneously across four quadrants of the display. This feature will replicate a 2x2, 42-inch video wall. Any of these images can then be enlarged to stretch across the entire area similar to a video wall but with absolutely no bezel to disrupt the viewer experience.

NEC P401-SST 40-inch Touch Display with Shadow Sense Touch technology – The Shadow Sene Touch technology is a third party product from Baanto, a Canadian developer. It uses optical light sensors to measure the shadow of the object that is being used to make annotations with. Because of multiple sensors, the technology is

able to determine the size and shape of the touch and what to accept and to ignore. Because of this technology being edge mounted, it will be available on a wide range of NEC displays.

NEC PH1201QL 12000 Lumens UHD Laser projector – 4K resolution technology is not limited to LCD displays only but also available in NEC projectors. A projector that offers true 4K resolution, which is4096x2160. It also offers a 12 000 ANSI lumens laser light source with DLP technology. The laser light unit has a life expectancy of between 20 000 and 40 000 hours and will totally eliminate regular lamp replacements.

NEC PX602UL 6000 Lumens WUXGA Laser projector – Like its big brother, it offers a laser DLP light source but only 6 000 ANSI lumens. This projector with WUXGA resolution of 1920x1200 offers a 16:10 aspect ratio and is a much more economical option. The 6 000 Lumens laser projection is also available in WXGA model with an even smaller price tag.

Switchers and Scalers

Radial Engineering (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37) Radial Engineering Trim-Two – A passive stereo isolator designed to simplify the use of laptop computers for keyboard players, DJs and audio-visual presenters by providing a ‘ready access’ volume control for on-the-fly adjustments when performing on a live stage. The design begins with dual ¼” jacks, left and right RCAs and a stereo 3.5mm input. These are wired in parallel to allow the signal to be split off to feed an alternate signal path such as monitors. Inside, two great sounding Eclipse transformers do the work of isolating and balancing the signal. These ‘passive engines’ deliver a linear frequency response from 20Hz to 18kHz and are capable of handling up to +15dB signal levels therefore providing typical -10dB keyboards and consumer level devices with plenty of headroom. An easy access front panel stereo level control makes adjusting the volume a snap. Play your sound files using the Trim-Two by connecting it from the headphone output of your tablet to the 3.5mm input on the Trim-Two. Use the volume control to adjust the level and avoid distortion.

Robe (Stand: H41 & H49) The new BMFL™ Blade fixture – offers four fast shutter blades with smooth and precise movement in the new BMFL Blade lighting fixture. The shutter blades are individually angled and positioned within a frame which itself can rotate through 90 degrees, providing a sharp or soft, precisely repeatable frame for the projected image.

This produces a new series of fast-moving in-air effects through pre-programmed shape and movement sequences of the blades, gobo images can be trimmed or framed in a regular, triangular or trapezoid shape. Each pair of opposing blades can close for a complete blackout. Two gobo wheels – one rotating with six slot & lock gobo positions plus another with eight static gobos can be combined with the Animation wheel to create numerous dynamic projected effects.

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW This is added to the already acclaimed Robe BMFL features including: exceptionally smooth linear dimming; imperceptible high definition colour mixing; full width beam; output in excess of 250,000 lux at 5 metres – and the Robe EMS™ (Electronic Motion Stabiliser) technology which enables the BMFL to both move and stop faster and more accurately than any other fixture in its class.

All this is housed in a compact body profile weighing just 38Kgs. The DL7S Profile™ – is the first DL range fixture to receive a powerful new 800W version of the LED engine with seven colours for unprecedented smooth, stable and even colour mixing and a very high CRI of 92.

From the deepest to the lightest colours the DL7S provides a rich full colour spectrum experience, and features custom colour mixing and dimming and seamless operation especially at the minimum brightness levels.

Four fast framing shutters within the optical path are individually controllable for position and angle and the entire framing module can be rotated. Crisp and soft frames can be used on projections, and a new series of effects is possible using a selection of preprogrammed shutter blade shape and movement sequences.

One rotating gobo wheel with six slot & lock gobo positions plus a static gobo wheel with eight static gobos can be combined with the Animation wheel.

Other effects and features include variable frost, rotating prism and super-fast iris.

As with all the DL luminaire range, the multiple LED lightsource is completely homogenised.

Elegant and lightweight, Robe’s VIVA™ is packed with smart effects that are easy to use. The fixture is very powerful yet consumes little energy. The 270W white LED light engine gives an extra punchy beam and an incredible 20,000 hours of operation – in fact, no re-lamping will be needed for the entire life of the fixture!

Vivid and radiant colours can be applied from two colour wheels and rotating or static gobos added for projections or mid-air effects.

The smooth zoom can go out to 40 degrees at its widest and be softened up with variable frost to create a gentle wash-like output or dynamic background projections.

The minimum 8° zoom produces a piercing beam that can be trimmed with ultra-fast stepless iris for really punchy output, and by using Robe’s proprietary EMS™ (Electronic Motion Stabiliser) technology VIVA has an extremely fast pan/tilt movement.

That and much more is possible with VIVA – an entertaining and contemporary fixture!

also offers the exclusive choice of being either battery-driven with an impressive 10 to 12 hours operation in typical use or being connected wired mains power. It provides an output of 61 910 lux at a three-metre distance and a colour temperature of 6 500K on pure white light. The G-1 is equipped with a 2,8-degree fixed beam angle; however, it can deliver an aperture zoom adjustable down to 0,3-degrees. Its motorised focus is both fast and precise.

Shure (Stand: H63) Shure PG ALTA – A new comprehensive line of entry-level microphones that include advanced design features for professional sound at a budget-conscious price. The perfect introduction to Shure engineering excellence, PG ALTA models are the most accessible Shure microphones for elevating sound quality with choices for every application. The complete family includes 14 new products— including vocal and instrument microphones, drum kits and a studio kit—ideal for small venues, aspiring musicians and home recording sessions.

Shure Motiv – A new plug-and-play microphone line suited for individuals looking to capture high-quality audio for vocal / acoustic recording, podcasts, YouTube videos, field recording and more.

The easy to use Motiv products include four new Apple MFi (made for iPhone, iPod, iPad) certified devices, including three condenser microphones and a sleek digital audio interface that can connect directly to any iOS device without additional adapters or connection kits. Designed to support entry-level users seeking better audio quality, all Shure Motiv microphones, as well as the digital interface, come with assorted presets to ensure great sound.

SGM (S.E.T Afrika: Stand: C45) SGM G-1 Beam – Ground-breaking moving head. A sharply defined, flat and uniform beam that operates rapidly in every movement provides intense mid-air beam effects through a high power white LED light source and a colour wheel as well as a gobo wheel. The results are high contrast levels and an extreme brightness. Adding to its uniqueness, this moving head is not only IP65-rated and maintenance-free, but

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Shure PSM300 – This Stereo Personal Monitor System is available in both an entry-level system for first-time in-ear monitor users and a professional system for rental houses, monitor engineers and musicians needing more advanced options. It delivers 24-bit digital audio and reliable wireless freedom to every corner of the stage.

Patented Audio Reference Companding ensures the clearest sound, with ultra-low noise and no artefacts. Easy to setup and operate, it

www.stageaudioworks.com

For Complete Technology Solutions visit us at Mediatech

Shure Microflex Wireless (MXW) – Versatile, scalable wireless microphone solutions for Enterprise-Scale AV conferencing environments. This enterprise-scale platform encompasses a system of advanced conferencing products that includes intelligent rechargeable microphone transmitters and charging stations, discrete wireless access point transceivers, flexible audio network interfaces, and comprehensive software tools for remote adjustment and monitoring of system settings. All components are accessible over Ethernet networks with MXW Control Software and third-party control systems such as AMX and Crestron that offer customized interfaces. For sites where AV and IT teams manage conferencing solutions that span rooms, floors, buildings and campuses, Microflex Wireless delivers networking components that extend the reach and efficiency of team resources.

Stand E37

also offers one-touch frequency scan and sync to find and assign a clean wireless channel.

Adjust the volume and use MixMode technology or stereo mode to create a personal mix from two channels of audio.

Offers an AA-powered entry-level plastic bodypack or an AA-compatible advanced rechargeable metal bodypack.

Shure QLX-D – These Digital Wireless Systems deliver defined, streamlined performance with transparent 24-bit digital audio and AES-256 encryption as standard for secure wireless transmission.

Combining professional features with simplified setup and operation, QLX-D offers outstanding wireless functionality for demanding live sound events and installations. Shure digital wireless technology enables QLX-D to transmit detailed audio with extended, virtually flat frequency response. Designed to be incredibly RF spectrum efficient, it reliably operates more channels on-air. Automatic channel scan and IR sync make finding and assigning an open frequency quick and easy. Ethernet connection provides networked channel scanning across multiple receivers and Shure Wireless Workbench 6 control software compatibility for advanced frequency coordination.

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW Soundcraft (Wild and Marr: Stand: G55)

Soundcraft Vi3000 – Features an all-new appearance with a more efficiently designed control surface, 36 faders, 24 mono/stereo busses and a sweeping black screen panel with four Vistonics II touchscreen interfaces with sleek, updated 3D graphics. Because the Vi3000 has four touchscreens, it’s the only console in its class that can be used by two engineers at the same time. The console offers extensive rear panel connectivity. In addition to a full complement of analogue and digital inputs and outputs, the console provides MIDI, USB, Ethernet, DVI out, Dante/MADI record feed outputs, redundant power supply and other connections. It features 96 channels to mix, Dante compatibility and a new 40-bit Soundcraft Spidercore processing engine, based on the DSP from the Studer Vista 1 and optional Soundcraft Realtime Rack with UAD plugins.

SSL (Stand: F43)

Studer (Wild and Marr: Stand: G55)

Studer Vista X – Marking an enormous step forward in large-scale mixing console technology for broadcast applications, the Vista X, together with the Studer Infinity Core, offers an unsurpassed intuitive user interface, retaining the patented Vistonics and FaderGlow user interface, providing control of 800 or more audio DSP channels and more than 5 000 inputs and outputs. Big productions demand a lot of processing muscle. The new Studer Infinity Core delivers an unprecedented 800+ audio channels with superb sonic quality and more than 5 000 inputs and outputs.

Tannoy (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33)

SSL Live consoles – bring a new level of audio quality and operational flexibility to live sound production. Operators can quickly achieve outstanding results with our consoles, praised by leading engineers worldwide. Our live consoles share their DNA with all the ground breaking SSL consoles created over 37-years in studio, broadcast and post production. Their forte is delivering a sublime combination of exemplary performance, elegant human user interfaces, efficient processing engines and superb signal processing tools. The result is exceptional creative immediacy, stunning sonic performance. Now two models available in the Live range, the larger L500 and the more compact L300. At SSL they believe that offering a more compact console should not mean compromising and reducing quality or features. Both consoles offer the immaculate, huge SSL sound and the same superb operator experience. The L300 is physically smaller than the L500, a more compact, lower cost option.

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Tannoy CMS 3.0 – Key to this revolution in in-ceiling loudspeaker design is a new dual concentric driver that used a single magnet to power both the centrally mounted HF units and the mid/bass one.

This Omnimagnet technology and unique patent-pending Torus OgiveWaveGuise device together provide unprecedented broadband directivity, dispersion patterns and improved high frequency response. The improved time-alignment and greater coherence between LF and HF delivers a wider sweet spot than before. The range features include supplied mounting, extra long clamps to cope with deepero (???) cope with features including mounting hardware, extra long clamps to cope with deeper ceiling substrates, 100V/70V transformers with various power taps and integrated back cans standard across the range. Made from UV stabilised ABS material and is Tannoy’s most flexible in ceiling loudspeaker solution.

Tannoy QFlex – A range of digitally steerable, multi-channel, column array loudspeaker systems for the professional installed audio market. QFlex was conceived and designed to offer a an effective

www.theprojectors.it

is ALREADY LEGEND

STAND K38

SUPERHERO ID Name

MYTHOS

BORN SPECIAL FEATURES LAMP OPTICS SPOT BEAM FOCUS WASH COLORS GOBOS EFFECTS PRISMS DESIGN

THE MOST ADVANCED FORM OF HYBRID LIGHT 470W, 7800K discharge lamp - 150,000 lux at 20m Large 160mm Ø front lens 4°- 50° electronic zoom (Spotlight mode) 2.5° aperture and “pipe” effect (Beam mode) Perfectly sharp focusing along the entire beam length Frost filter for soft-edge projection (Wash mode) CMY color mixing + 14 colors on 3 wheels 6 HQ dichroic rotating gobos and 18 fixed metal gobos Advanced visual effect disc (animation disc) 2 indexable rotating prisms (8-facet and linear 4-facet) Patented Italian Design

EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTOR FOR SOUTH AFRICA:

DWR DISTRIBUTION It’s all about the People

Block C, Unit 1 Kimbult Industrial Park, 9 Zeiss Road, Laser Park Honeydew, 2170, Johannesburg

Tel: +27117935066 Fax:+27117925076 sales@dwrdistribution.co.za www.dwrdistribution.co.za

MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW self-contained solution for applications with challenging acoustic conditions, such as houses of worship, transportation hubs, convention centres, conference facilities, shopping malls, performing arts centres and museums. The range defines a global standard for column array beam-steering technology. In the most difficult acoustical environments, QFlex loudspeakers precisely control directivity in the vertical axis, resulting in optimal venue coverage and the best possible direct-to-reverberant ratio. Acoustic output is precisely aimed where it needs to be delivered, greatly reducing reflections from hard surfaces – even when the QFlex column must be mounted well above audience level.

Total Solutions Group (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37) Total Solutions Group OV Tower – An innovative ground support system that incorporates all the latest safety features. With its ability to pack into an easy and compact unit this is the tower touring with light to medium weight truss systems. The OV range is a series of square and triangular truss systems using conical connectors for a quick fixing method. Brace patterns are specifically designed to withstand the loads and forces implied by all common slinging and support methods. The extrusions used in the construction of the trusses are bespoke to Total Solutions Group and have been rigorously designed to enhance the structural effectiveness of the trusses and also to speed up manufacturing. OV might resemble what you see from commonplace rivals on the market; but look closer and you discover the subtleties that define a product designed by a company with a history of innovation.

Stage Plus (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37) Stage Plus solutions – Stage Plus is devoted to the design, development and manufacture of problem-solving products and its goal of ‘building products for industry people by industry people’ using advanced software, machinery and materials creates a balance between quality, automation and efficiency. After having been involved in the industry for a number of years and using cases from other manufacturers, Stage Plus is determined to reach their target of building user-friendly, touring-grade products for the African and global market.

Stage Plus will showcase the complete stage system portfolio including stage decks including the new Easy Clad Deck and the complete range of leg, handrail, ramp and support options plus the new innovative Pro Step and the new Pro Stand DJ1.

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Vivitek (Audiosure: Stand: E51 & F51) Vivitek NovoConnect – USB 2.0 Ethernet adapter enables seamless, fast 10/100Mbps bandwidth performance and reliable wired connection between NovoConnect and the environment’s LAN based network. This gives the best possible connection with no requirements to change the default network setting and make a presentation with the NovoConnect. The performance increases since any WiFi from the client’s computer or tablet is handled by the organisation’s existing WiFi network. Simultaneously the NovoConnect can be configured to host a direct guest WiFi network for visitors separate from the organisation’s LAN based network, keeping company data and network infrastructure secure at the same time allowing guests to present wirelessly with NovoConnect.

Vivitek DU9000 – Vivitek’s brightest projector with built-in edge-blending and dual lamp technologies. The DU9000 provides 11 000 ANSI lumens of brightness (120 000 Center lumens), native WUXGA resolution and built-in edge-blending and warping technology which make the projector versatile for a multitude of different applications like concert or sports arenas as well as auditoriums, rental and staging. The HDBaseT makes it easy to run both digital image and control signals to the projector with only one cable over long distances. Four interchangeable lens options are available for flexible positioning to accommodate various projection distances and screen sizes. An optional colour optimised colour wheel can be exchanged to achieve colour optimisation (colour wheel available separately).

Optional stacking feet helps ease the task of stacking two projectors for even higher brightness when needed. Optional carry handles are available for easier handling in rental or staging applications.

Yamaha (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37)

Yamaha TF Series digital consoles – Comprises three compact, performance-packed Yamaha digital mixing consoles. The TF5, TF3 and TF1 respectively feature 33, 25 or 17 motor faders along with 32, 24 or 16 rear-panel analogue inputs featuring recallable Yamaha D-PRE preamplifiers for the first time in a digital console. This facility provides greatly improved support for live music and events where full setup changes need to be made on the fly. There are a total of 48 inputs on the TF5 and TF3, with 40 on the TF1, including dual stereo analogue/ USB digital inputs and dual returns. Advanced live recording features include up to 34 x 34 channel recording and playback via USB 2.0 and 2 x 2 with a USB storage device. All of this, plus seamless operation with high-performance I/O racks, makes the TF series an outstanding choice for a wide range of applications.

Mediatech international brands List of international brands, their stand numbers and contact person at Mediatech Africa 2015 Acme: Marco Galli, EMEA Sales Director (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37) Adam Hall: Markus Jahnel, COO (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33)

The next

BIG

thing is here..

...Mediatech Stand F.58, July 2015

Adamson Systems: Jochen Sommer, Director, European Operations (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33) Allen & Heath: Leon Phillips, Live Sound and Touring (Audiosure: Stand: E51 & F51) Alustage: Rafal Lewandowski (TV Audio: Stand: F63 & F67)

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+27 87 001 0383 w w w. p r o d u c t i o n w a r e h o u s e . c o . z a

AMX: Paul Lee, Sales Operations Manager, MEAAP (Peripheral Vision, Stand B37) Arthur Holm: Henrik Holm, CEO (Peripheral Vision, Stand B37) Avolites: Aziz Adilkhodjaev, Sales Engineer (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47) Avolites: Koy Neminathan, Sales Director Avolites & Avolites Media (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47) Barix: Domenico Gambino, VP of Sales (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33) BeamZ: R Velders (TV Audio: Stand: F63 & F67)

beyerdynamic: Elmira Moraveji, Sales Manager, MEA (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33) Biamp: Dave Nazir, Regional Manager (Technology Innovated Distribution: Stand: H33)

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW Blackmagic Design: Rob Waters, Sales Manager (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37) Bosch: Mario Bentley, Sales Manager, Africa (Matrix Sound: Stand: A35 & A32) Chauvet: Stéphane Gressier, International Sales Director (Audiosure: Stand: E51 & F51) Christie: Dale Miller, Executive V.P Global Sales (Stand: F37) Christie: Ian Tyler, Technical Services Director EMEA (Stand: F37) Christie: Miles Donovan, Channel Development Manager Business Products (Stand: F37) Christie: Monsi Cottrell, Tradeshow & Events Manager (Stand: F37) Christie: Nick Wheeler, Sales Consultant, Vista Systems (Stand: F37) Christie: Phil Lord, Territory Manager, Africa (Stand: F37) Christie: Richard Nye, Sales Director Cinema (Stand: F37) Christie: Simon Smith, V.P EMEA (Stand: F37) Clay Paky: Massimo Bolandrina, Sales Manager (Stand: K38) Clay Paky: Pio Nahum, CEO (Stand: K38) Coolux: Harry Gladow, Business Development Manager (Stand: F37)

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d&b audiotechnik: Phill Coe, Christian Stumpp, Regional Sales Managers (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37)

Martin Professional, Harman: Peter Dahlin, Manager Distributor Sales (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39)

DataSoft S.r.l.: Mr. Rosario Crispo, Owner (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39)

Philips Entertainment: Grant Bales-Smith, GM Entertainment EMEA (DWR Distribution, Stand J47)

Dataton: Michael Engstrom, (Penmac Audio Visual: Stand: B45)

Doughty: Julian Chiverton, Sales Director (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47) Dynacord: Mario Bentley, Sales Manager – Africa (Matrix Sound: Stand: A35 & A32, Stand: A32) ENCO Systems Inc: Gene Novacek, President and Owner of ENCO Systems, Inc. (Wild and Marr: Stand: G55) ETC: Jeremy Roberts, Regional Manager South Africa (Stand: K22) High End Systems: Constantinos Vonofakidis, International Sales Manager, AED Distribution (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37) JBL by Harman: David J. Budge, Director of International Sales, Middle East & Africa (Wild and Marr: Stand: G55) Kramer: Raul Novick, Regional Sales Director – Africa (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39) Kramer/Sierra Video: Paul Robertson, Sierra Video Global product Manager (Electrosonic SA: Stand: G29 & G39) Le Maitre: Elaine Peake, Head of Sales (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47) Lightware: David Jones (Penmac Audio Visual: Stand: B45)

Coolux: Helmut Protte, Director of Global Sales & Projects (Stand: F37)

LSC Lighting Systems: International Sales Manager (DWR Distribution, Stand J47)

Crestron: Mr Vincent Philippo, Director, Crestron Middle East (Stand: G29)

MA Lighting: Michael Strathmann, Technical Sales (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47) Martin Audio: Andy Davies, Lead Product Support (Audiosure: Stand: E51 & F51)

Prolyte: Paul ErikHaseloop, Distributor Manager (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47) Robe: Aleš Gill (Stand: H41 & H49) Robe: Harry von den Stemmen, Sales Director (Stand: H41 & H49) Robe: Jiri Baros, Marketing Manager (Stand: H41 & H49) Robe: Ondřej Hegar (Stand: H41 & H49)

Shure: Andrea Granata, Application Engineer Pro (Stand: H63) Shure: Chicco Hiranandani, Senior Manager (Stand: H63) Shure: Ritendra Poddar, Application Engineer Systems (Stand: H63) Sonifex: Eamonn Heffernan, Sales Manager, UK North, Middle East, Africa & Asia (Wild and Marr: Stand: G55) Sound Control Technologies: Dave Neaderland, CEO / Owner (Peripheral Vision: Stand: B37) TC Group: Stephan Grawe, Sales Manager (Technology Innovated Distribution, Stand: H33) Total Solutions Group: Ian Hall, Sales Director (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37) VuePix: Nathan Wright, Product Manager (DWR Distribution: Stand: J47) Wireless Solution: Isac Alkstrand, COO (Stage Audio Works: Stand: E37)

See us at Mediatech at Stand F67

www.tvaudio.co.za +27 11 805 9910 sales@tvaudio.co.za

+27 11 805 9930Â Unit 11, Hitech Vilage Superior Road,Midrand 1686, South Africa

MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW

Mediatech: international principals speak Barix Domenico Gambino, VP of Sales Why are you attending the show and what do you hope to get from it?

Mediatech is the premier show in Africa for many of the markets we serve, including broadcast and the many verticals surrounding the professional AV and entertainment industry. It’s critical to have a presence at this show if you are serious about the African market. As the true original industry pioneer in Audio over IP technology and solutions,we have a strong presence in many countries across the continent – especially South Africa. We want to ensure that our end users and partners, including systems integrators, are up to date on our activities and solutions, as Barix continues to innovate and evolve.

Which product is the top one you will be displaying/launching and please could you comment on the product itself?

Certainly, SoundScape is an important focus for this show. This is a complete, integrated audio management and distribution systems for multipoint delivery of music and advertising. In simple terms, SoundScape is positioned as an “in-store radio” solution, but in reality its reach is far more vast. It is a targeted platform for delivery of branded audio for businesses and organizations of all kinds, including but not limited to retail. Private radio networks, content producers and end users alike will find this an exceptional, all-inclusive tool for providing highquality entertainment and information – including dynamic ad insertion – to multiple locations. Since it is software-defined, SoundScape offers an unparalleled network monitoring and management tool for player and firmware updates, troubleshooting and more. And our nextgeneration Barix SoundScape Exstreamer IP audio players ensure exceptional reliability and multi-format, broadcast-quality audio at playout locations. The entire package is a dream for systems integrators, as it’s as plug and play as you can get in an “in-store radio” solution.

Truthfully, this only scratches the surface, and we look forward to introducing all that SoundScape delivers at Mediatech next month.

beyerdynamic Elmira Moraveji, Sales Manager – MEA Why are you attending the show and what do you hope to get from it?

We hope to get a better impression and understanding of the South African market, to meet the industry professionals and to support our local distributor at the show.

We also hope to raise our brand awareness and promote our solutions/products to potential clients Which product is the top one you will be displaying/launching and please could you comment on the product itself?

We’ll be displaying the following : • Digital wired conferencing system ORBIS • Digital wireless conferencing system QUINTA now with Voting feature and handheld transmitter • Digital wireless microphone system for live sound & broadcast applications – TG 1000 • Shotgun microphone MCE 85 • And we’ll be launching our new studio monitor headphone with TESLA technology DT 1770.

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Chauvet Stéphane Gressier, International Sales Director Why are you attending the show and what do you hope to get from it?

Being held every two years in South Africa, Mediatech is an important show for our partner Audiosure and Chauvet. This venue is a great platform to interact with key players of our industry and promote our brand not only to the South African market but also to the entire continent. Given the variety of attendees, it also allows us to display new products.

Which product is the top one you will be displaying/launching and please could you comment on the product itself?

The top product that we will be displaying is our Rogue RH1 Hybrid, the latest addition to our family of 7 Rogue Professional moving heads (2 Spots, 2 Beams & 2 Washes). There is no other moving head on the market like it, when you consider the design versatility of its hybrid beam/ spot capabilities, combined with its ultra-bright output, unique feature set and value-driven price.

Martin Professional – Harman Peter Dahlin, Manager Distributor Sales 2015 has been a fantastic year for Martin in South Africa. We have managed to also make the Mac Viper family the industry Standard large format workhorse fixture in South Africa and I would like to personally thank the customers who have shown faith in Martin. We are running a contest for lighting designers. The participants have received a Martin Show Designer file with a Martin rig. The grand final will be at Mediatech where we have the real rig. I have been appointed as one of the judges.

We will be showing the new second generation of LED wash lights – the Mac Quantum Wash, the Mac Quantum LED Profile and the brand new Mac Aura XB with its unmatched colour mixing system. After the success of Viper family in the 1000-1500 watt segment it is time to focus on the 700-800 watt segment where the Mac Quantum Profile with its powerful white LED engine and CMY colour mixing will be the perfect replacement.

VuePix Nathan Wright, Product Manager, VuePix Why are you attending the show and what do you hope to get from it?

To support and confirm our commitment to DWR as our exclusive South African distributor and all who have invested in VuePix throughout South Africa. It is very important for us to get feedback and discuss one on one with our VuePix customers the progress and use of their current VuePix inventory and give them an overview of future product and plans.

Which product is the top one you will be displaying/launching and please could you comment on the product itself?

We will be showcasing our S3.6MM, E12 & L6 Screens & the new TT Series of panels that allow you to get creative and make shapes out of the triangle shape modules. We will also have on the showcase some of the new video processors from RGB Link.

COMPANY PROFILE

The Prosound experience

Prosound is one of the most prominent and recognised brands in the South African and sub-Saharan African industry landscape. For over four decades, the business that Terry Acres built has grown, changed, developed and stayed ahead of the technology and market curves, to remain a major force in the 21st century.

Paul Simon in concert 1980s

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COMPANY PROFILE

As they put it themselves, ‘we’re problem solvers, system designers, sound nuts, lighting fundis, installation gurus, music lovers and gear junkies’. That description, in one sense, puts the business a long way from its roots as the only company in SA focused on providing sound for live events. The evolution of Prosound’s business model is perhaps the most significant reason for its continued success.

The company’s initial experience in the green fields sound environment of ‘70s and ‘80s SA saw them build up a range of invaluable skills and a wealth of expertise. “One thing which has characterised the business since the beginning,” says Justin Acres, director, “is the longevity and loyalty of the people who work here.

This means we’ve been able to build up institutional knowledge, as well as technical and mentorship skills, under the leadership of industry stalwarts such as Ian Blair and Mark Malherbe.”

The early years The origins of the company lie in sound equipment, with their expertise and entrepreneurial attitude resulting in a fruitful partnership with the benchmark American brand Electro-Voice (EV). Unusually for the market at the time, the partnership extended to Prosound building EV speakers in SA. While the sanctions-hit apartheid South Africa of the 1980s and early 1990s saw dark days indeed, Prosound has a more joyous and interesting historical tale to tell. Their growing expertise and equipment capabilities meant that they filled the gap in the market for live sound events in theatres, townships and sports stadia.

The business took a principled stand against the apartheid government in the last decades of apartheid, refusing to do work for any government or police installation or event. Instead, it focused its expertise on township music culture, going on to do major events for the ANC and SWAPO, for Mandela’s historic release parade in Johannesburg at Soccer City, and the Mandela memorial returning to the same venue more recently. This latter event was a collaboration

Justin Acres, director of Prosound

with various rental houses in the industry, demonstrating how far Prosound had successfully moved into project management and innovative design rather than only providing equipment.

Organic growth As the business grew organically, its experience in providing professional sound installations in various venues extended to meeting a growing demand for permanent sound installations and the supply of sound hardware for broadcasters in the country.

Soon enough the knowledge of the provision of hardware, the knowledge of broadcast standards and the practical experience

Mandela’s release at Soccer City

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COMPANY PROFILE

A young Terry Acres behind the desk

Prosound had built up in the field of electro-acoustics, led the growth path of the business in different directions – especially into turnkey solutions for complex applications in large-scale venues of various kinds.

As Acres puts it: ”Our background and origins lie in rock and roll! So our focus was initially on dominating the market for live sound events in theatres, townships and music venues – moving into sports stadiums along the way. What this gave us was the hard-won ability to design, build, install and integrate complex solutions for a wide range of professional audio and visual installations. Our turnkey services now go across the spectrum, from theatres, conference centres and stadiums, to casinos, legislative council buildings and broadcast studios.”

What Prosound appears to have achieved really effectively is refocusing the business to provide value added solutions. Its provision of end-to-end installation and integration solutions means taking a different approach to dealing with clients. ”Our clients are always treated as partners on the journey to find the best solution for any installation,” says Acres. “And the same applies to our relationships with the companies and brands that we represent. Our aim is to expand with them into promising African growth markets in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.”

Acres feels strongly about the positioning of the business in the current market. “We’re not in the business of moving boxes,” he declares. ”As an end-to-end integrator, we’re focused on offering our clients a full range of value-added services for fixed installations and events, services that enable them to grow their business with us.”

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Partnership and a focused offering The partnership approach extends to other integrators too. And it extends beyond the borders of South Africa. Around 40% of Prosound’s revenue is now generated from international projects. The Aerial view of Soccer City

COMPANY PROFILE

roster of projects extends as far afield as the Philippines, Dubai, Albania and China, on a wide range of projects in unique and often challenging conditions. One can sense the real focus of the company’s expansion planning is the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, however. As Acres puts it: ”we have garnered a reputation as the go-to guys on the most challenging of projects, and so our African experience is unrivalled.” To date, that experience base extends to 15 African countries outside of SA, in a variety of industries and types of installation.

In brief, Prosound has reshaped its business in line with the trends in the global industry it was able to predict. That process of staying ahead of the curve has led to a business offering that consists of the following: Technical production and live events: This historical core of the Prosound business still thrives, with an unparalleled track record behind it. Prosound was the behind the scenes enabler for many of southern Africa’s most iconic live events, from the Human Rights Now concerts in Harare in the ‘80s to the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup in SA. The company’s early decision to withdraw from the local equipment rental industry not only set them on the path to the design, integration, project management and distribution business they are today, but enabled many effective relationships with the local rental companies that filled the gap.

Design and integration: Much of the current focus of the business is on providing innovative solutions with a fully customised and turnkey approach to designing, building and installing the solution. The design and integration portfolio is as varied as any in the industry, comprising theatres, stadiums, schools and universities, houses of worship, hotels and broadcast studios, among others.

Manufacturing: Prosound has a litany of firsts in the industry, including being the first sound business to manufacture electro-voice products under license, anywhere in the world. Many other manufacturing firsts followed over the years as did the expansion of its portfolio of skills and products. Today Prosound offers experienced manufacturing capabilities for everything from signal, loudspeaker and microphone cables, to flight cases and custom metalwork, furniture and electronics.

Sales and support: These core offerings are surrounded by the best

available products and brands on the market, across a wide variety of professional audio, sound and lighting applications and installations. All brands are supported by a sales team with a core of industry experience that runs very deep.

In addition to these core offerings a strategic partnership with Bosch Security Systems, established in 2012, enables a unique synergy for audio equipment and installations, which have taken Prosound and Bosch to parliament and government buildings as well as airports all over sub-Saharan Africa.

Though the business has come a long way in its forty-year journey, and is well-placed to continue to play a leading role in the local and regional industry, it tries to maintain the ethos of founder Terry Acres: ”I tried to establish something different by not only selling services and equipment, but to provide solutions with innovation and uncompromising integrity. We treat the client with the simplest of needs exactly like the client with a larger project.”

• Mandela – Prosound has a long history of involvement in events concerning the iconic statesman. The company did technical design and project management for his inauguration, the sound production for his famous walk to freedom at Soccer City and technical production for the Madiba Tribute in 2013.

• Music – the company has been a leading technical producer of music events since inception, and the roll call of famous musos for which they have produced includes almost most of the biggest international and local names to perform in southern Africa. Among them are Bruce Springsteen, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, The Rolling Stones, Hugh Masekela and many others.

• Houses of worship – Prosound has been involved in the design, integration and project management of sound lighting and staging solutions for religious institutions all over the world, including a recent commission to design and install the sound system in a unique church in the Philippines, which is the largest roofed structure in the world.

• Stadiums – sound and systems for stadiums across the world, but especially in southern Africa, are well-known business staples. Prosound was responsible, among many other projects, for sound systems in 10 of the FIFA World Cup stadiums in 2010, and ALL of the official stadiums for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2003.

• Theatre – the precision and expertise demanded by theatre sound and lighting systems makes them among the most demanding installations of all. Prosound has run the gamut, from the protest-era Market Theatre in Johannesburg to state-of-the-art designs and technology for Artscape and the Durban Playhouse; with Mark Malherbe at the present time still working on sound design for many musicals across the globe.

Among this work are the systems for the iconic Sun City Superbowl.

Many other examples exist of cutting edge and reliably efficient work done in airports, schools and universities, government buildings and most other spaces in public life.

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INTERVIEW

Ringing the changes at Avid Designed to pave the way for efficient and collaborative content creation, the Avid Everywhere vision has done much to restore the lustre to the Avid empire.

David Davies caught up with chairman, president and CEO Louis Hernandez, Jr during NAB 2015 to talk strategy, solutions – and next steps.

Louis Hernandez Jnr (centre) with the Avid team ringing the opening bell at Nasdaq

As a symbol of Avid’s recent resurgence, the sight of Louis Hernandez Jr ringing a bell to usher in the trading day on the Nasdaq stock market is hard to beat. Not far off a year after it was delisted from the world’s second-largest exchange by market capitalisation and trading volume, the video and audio technology provider’s return in mid-January underlined the impression of a company gradually returning to full strength after a challenging couple of years.

Apart from an inevitable focus on delivering profitability, this renaissance owes much to the imagination-capturing capabilities of Avid Everywhere. Combining the Avid MediaCentral Platform and corresponding Artist, Media and Storage suites, Avid Everywhere is a growing ecosystem that encompasses everything from media creation to distribution and monetisation – in the process, says Avid, ‘addressing every aspect of the new digital media value chain’.

Not surprisingly, then, it was a major point of discussion when Pro-Systems News met Hernandez, Jr – who has been at the helm since early 2013 – at the NAB Show in Las Vegas last month. The conversation took place a few days after the latest edition of Avid Connect, the company’s event for media professionals geared towards ‘shaping the future of our industry.

Separately, Avid vice-president of worldwide audio, Tim Carroll, provided some additional thoughts about the future of Avid Everywhere via email.

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To what extent do you think the Avid Everywhere vision has now been realised?

Hernandez Jr: Well, we have made tremendous progress. If you look at the [trade show cycle over the last two years], we have consistently come back with more products, more enhancements and more certified partners. Software is an organic thing and is continually changing, so really the best way to answer the question is that during the last recorded quarter we had 20,000 purchasers of the platform and saw subscriptions grow by 65% and cash-flow double. These are great achievements, but we still have a long way to go.

Carroll: The ambitions of Avid Everywhere are being realised through the tremendously innovative ways our customers are using the MediaCentral Platform, and there’s lots more to come this year to move us even farther down the road to realising the vision of Avid Everywhere. Over the past year we’ve seen them deliver some ambitious projects. For example, on the live sound side, we’ve seen both upcoming and legendary artists embrace Avid Everywhere. For Paul McCartney’s Out There tour, the Avid VENUE live sound and Pro Tools audio production solutions were used to mix and record his concerts, delivering a fast, efficient and tightly integrated workflow, and world-class sound for the 59-show tour.

Many educational institutions have also adopted Avid Everywhere

INTERVIEW

“Software is an organic thing and is continually changing, so really the best way to answer the question is that during the last recorded quarter we had 20,000 purchasers of the [Avid MediaCentral] platform and saw subscriptions grow by 65% and cash-flow double.”

and are realising the creative benefits of being on one connected, open platform, including Full Sail University, Musicians Institute College of Contemporary Music, and Berklee College of Music.

Pro Tools has been fundamental to building the Avid brand, but to what extent do you think user requirements of it will change in the future?

Hernandez Jr: I think that artists on Pro Tools, who tend to be very emotionally engaged people, think that two things are going on: first, that [in Pro Tools] we have hands-down the best digital audio workstation on the planet, and second, they wish that was all they had to worry about. But the reality is that if you are an artist in music today, the quicker you realise how you create affects how you monetise, the easier it will be to carry on what you are doing. The economics of the business have changed.

I am not sure how or when it became [regarded as] OK to steal from an artist. It is an issue we feel passionate about, and [in this context] we have added automated tagging so it cannot be removed and no one can claim they don’t know who [the artist is] so they don’t know who to pay.

How would you describe recent events in terms of the company’s economic performance?

Hernandez Jr: First of all we had the pleasant surprise of the

restatement [on NASDAQ]… it was a huge relief to get all that behind us and just focus on the business now. The opening of the bell served as appropriate turn of the page on a period that was extremely intense for us. Now the attention can shift firmly to execution [of Avid Everywhere etc] and helping the industry.

Avid’s acquisition of 3D graphics and video server solutions provider Orad, announced at the start of NAB, took some by surprise. What was the thinking there?

Hernandez Jr: We had been aware of Avid’s development for many years, and it was clear that its graphics products would fit in well with us [and the continued development of the Avid Everywhere platform]. Orad is already certified in the Suite and will now become a Platform component. The [Orad business itself] will be integrated and there will be very few changes, if any. We look forward to welcoming their very talented team.

Finally, as you make you way around NAB and other key trade shows, which are the other companies that you admire?

Hernandez Jr: Audinate, Blackmagic Design, Orad and so forth… there are so many great companies doing innovative things and whose success you can’t dispute. But I would also highlight the remarkable level of innovation I see happening at a client level. That should never be underestimated.

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW Integration & Installation REPORT

Unified communications in the enterprise

By James Sey

Dion Bruyns

As AV technology increasingly converges with IT, especially in the enterprise, more attention is turning to the concept of unified communications (UC). We spoke to Dion Bruyns, general manager for Converged Communications in Gauteng at ICT systems integrator Dimension Data, about the phenomenon.

Unified Communications (UC), according to Wikipedia, is the rapidly expanding integration of real-time, enterprise, communication services such as online chat, voice, mobility features, audio, web and video conferencing, among other services. The core function of the technology is essentially to provide a consistent unified user-interface and user-experience across multiple devices and media platforms.

For large enterprises, which are usually physically dispersed across local or global geographies, enterprise UC can become part of the network of technologies deployed to enable one-to-one communications or broadcast communications from one to many.

One of South Africa’s largest ICT systems integrators, Dimension Data, recognises the importance and growth potential of this new market segment in the dedicated business unit which services it – which it calls Converged Communication. Dion Bruyns is the general

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manager for Converged Communications, working specifically on communications in the enterprise space.

“We take a ‘Communications tower’ approach, converging voice technology, visual communications, AV integration and video distribution and collaborative workspaces, among others.”

Dimension Data’s approach in this steadily growing market space is to offer clients the benefits of a unified communications strategy across their entire enterprise value chain. For the enterprise, a key aspect of the UC strategy is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of customer interactions, for example by linking call centre interfaces with other voice, video and instant messaging applications, and across any end-user device.

Their offering, which is comprehensive in this relatively new convergence space for ICT integration, breaks down as follows: • Telephony and voice • Visual communications • Collaborative workspace • Conferencing • Messaging • Social collaboration • Telecomms management It therefore makes sense for enterprise integrators like Dimension Data in this space to partner with vendors, such as Microsoft, Cisco,

Polycom, Avaya and others. As Bruyns points out: “We then partner with specific vendors, who come from the pro-AV integration space – companies like Crestron, AMX, Extron and others – that offer pro-AV solutions that provide a fundamental part of the our UC solutions.”

The key difference, says Bruyns, between Dimension Data’s enterprise offering and traditional AV integrators is that the latter offer point solutions, whereas Dimension Data will seek to turn the conversation with customers to the business value from unified communications and collaboration. As such, he says: “Our competitive landscape is changing. We now find ourselves competing with the likes of the global network carriers, rather than traditional audio visual integrators.

“Every conversation we have,” continues Bruyns, “needs a different way to demonstrate that business value – whether it’s a driver of cost reduction, increased effectiveness, improved performance or environmental sustainability, as a few examples.

UC is never as useful as when it is providing the means to communicate with distributed and hard-to-reach offices or customers – so it’s particularly useful for the African market. A lot of our South African clients are looking for growth areas in Africa, so this is an important area of focus for us as well.”

One of the main compelling events that will drive a client’s UC strategy is when they look at moving premises or building a new building. This is a great opportunity for clients to consider how the rest of their technology areas will interlock with his UC environment. A client’s local area network (LAN) will provide the foundation or the platform to bring these seemingly interdependent areas together. For example, if a client is looking to provide its users with a more flexible working environment with informal collaboration spaces, a solid wireless network is key.

Main consideration is how the AV technology can inter-operate with the building management systems and control certain aspects of the system. Having a holistic, IP centric view of these ’intelligent’ buildings is critical to maximising the technology investments. “We are seeing trends such as the cost of real estate, the use of mobile devices, changing workplace patterns and the next generation of workers as key considerations for influencing companies in decision- making when they plan these types of projects.”

While bandwidth limitations for networks continue to be a challenge in many African markets, conversion to mechanisms such as Multiprotocol Label Switching, can enable the relatively simple and clearly distinguished communication of voice, video and other message types, over the same network with increased efficiency and effectiveness, making it possible, for example, to more easily provide video and digital signage to a branch network.

“We are starting to see some of the traditional AV vendors move into this converged space,” says Bruyns. “A couple of the vendors have aligned themselves to Microsoft and their Lync platform by releasing ‘Lync Room Systems’. This is essentially an extension of the Lync experience into a boardroom type of venue. In a solution like this it is important to get an understanding of the underlying network and infrastructure that will ultimately deliver this experience to the end user.”

Systems integrators like Dimension Data currently invest heavily in their cloud solutions and offerings, which is a key consideration for all organisations. It offers flexible consumption models and allows elasticity in the services that they consume. “We are in process of rolling out a ‘Unified Communications as a Service’ and ‘Video as a Service’ offering on a global scale,” concludes Bruyns. “We can offer our clients flexibility when it comes to our cloud services, and this a key differentiator for us.”

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MEDIATECH AFRICA 2015 PREVIEW Integration & Installation WHITE PAPER

AV integration in the corporate network As demands evolve for integrators who now must know how to secure the information and the equipment they’re putting on enterprise networks, their clients have lots of questions. Here are a few answers.

It wasn’t long ago that AV installers and IT administrators were seen as unrelated parties for the typical enterprise. Though both would deal with technology, their paths would never cross, nor would they need to. Today, though, with the proliferation of IP-based technology and an increase in AV equipment going on to a client’s IT network, it’s crucial the two sides work together, especially on issues of security, both for the network and the AV equipment itself. That doesn’t mean there aren’t still some challenges they need to work through, though.

Let’s take a look at a few and see what Paul Zielie, manager, Enterprise Solutions for AMX by Harman, says about each.

Challenge #1: The growing trend requiring AV to interact with the enterprise network “Five or six years ago, when you talked to AV guys about IT, the two sides didn’t have a common language and AV didn’t know how to request services from IT,” says Zielie. “A lot of the AV guys I knew at that time said they’d never attach to the network so they didn’t bother to learn how. But there’s very little of that anymore. All of these technologies necessitate using a central network.”

Among the AV technologies that have a home on the IT network these days, he says, are content from the cloud, videoconferencing, automation systems in conference rooms and scalable solutions that bring video everywhere.

Challenge #2: Companies expect AV to remain secure in alignment with their particular goals “As AV companies, we have to go onto enterprise networks, but manufacturers haven’t kept up with the level of access control and security features in their IT systems,” says Zielie. “Every company has a security and privacy policy. It’s a standard way of doing business.”

Challenge #3: Preventing the impact on confidentiality, integrity and availability of the IT network Confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) “are the three pillars, the guiding principles in security,” says Zielie. Confidentiality, he says, is about making sure only those who have access to the network actually have it; integrity is about ensuring only those who have the proper credentials can change the level of access for users; and availability ensures those who are authorised can get onto the system but also that the network is always accessible to those who need it.

“It’s a balancing act,” says Zielie. “What are we willing to accept and not willing to accept?” Confidentiality is the piece that’s most often lowered, he says, and availability is the aspect that most often can be part of an upsell opportunity for integrators.

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Challenge #4: Navigating access control issues through authentication, authorisation and accounting Authentication tells the network manager who a particular user is, authorisation outlines what part of the network each user can access and accounting tracks the activity of each user. One of Zielie’s biggest pet peeves centres on the lack of focus on usernames and passwords by companies once an integrator installs a new AV system.

“If AV equipment is still on the default username and password, it can easily be hacked,” says Zielie. “The other thing is you also can’t discourage or prevent someone from doing something malicious if everyone is using the same username and password to access the equipment or the network.” Large customers are failing audits these days, says Zielie, because they didn’t audit their AV systems. They’re not keeping up with their password policy and aren’t giving users roles and individual passwords, he says. This is a problem that’s come up more in the past six months than in the previous five years, says Zielie, and could present opportunities for integrators.

Challenge #5: Identifying client and industry security requirements “Each organisation is going to have its own set of requirements and you can’t assume one is the same as another,” says Zielie. “Those requirements come from company policy based on best practices and external requirements, which are very industry-specific.” Those include HIPAA for health care projects and Sarbanes-Oxley for public companies, he says, although there are many more for other markets.

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“It’s the responsibility of the integrator to bring it up if the customer doesn’t,” says Zielie. “It’s a completely collaborative effort.” The best time to talk about it at the design review stage, when “it’s easy to make changes,” he says.

Challenge #6: Navigating multiple standards for AV equipment One of the most troublesome parts of dealing with securing AV equipment on the network, says Zielie, is there’s no single AV security standard required of integrators. There are good policies for routers and servers and other types of equipment, but those don’t always apply to pieces such as touch panels and projectors, for example.

The lack of a security standard is especially troubling in military installations, where security is paramount.

Challenge #7: AV assets are susceptible to theft “Everyone is so focused on IT security, they don’t always think about actual theft of the equipment,” says Zielie. Remote monitoring is one way to assist with that, both by having cameras in the rooms where equipment is installed and also through alarms on the equipment that can trigger an alert. “There are a lot of inherent security issues with AV equipment that should be brought up with the IT discussion,” he says. Among the considerations are sight lines, audio leakage and sound masking.

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Integration & Installation REVIEW

Screen dilemma – commercial or consumer?

Commercial displays • Designed to run 24/7.

• Tamper resistant control locks – to protect the product from tampering and disruptions in communications in non-monitored public spaces.

• Vertical and horizontal mounting capability for various applications.

• Typically come with a two-year warranty with extended warranty options available with some manufacturers.

• Displays are made for increased durability to withstand cooking fumes (such as in restaurants) and other particles getting into the product. These are often fan-less designs to minimise the dirty airflow into the product.

• Enhanced burn-in protection and cooling mechanisms.

Ever since the birth of the flat screen television, screen technology has never ceased to continue to improve and since screens became commonplace in commercial applications, a dilemma has arisen: what is the difference between the pricey commercial screens and their affordable consumer counterparts?

Panasonic had this to say on the subject: “Despite their similar exterior appearance, consumer televisions — such as those you’d purchase at your local electronics store — aren’t ideal displays for many applications. While they work perfectly at home for watching movies and playing video games, many applications require a display engineered to handle increased usage, expansion needs and varied locations. By adhering to the highest quality control standards for components and manufacturing, professional displays offer significantly better Return on Investment (ROI) than consumergrade displays.”

A Samsung white paper agrees: “Though most flat screens may look the same – 16:9 ratio screen, black bezel, multiple inputs – there is a dichotomy between consumer and commercial grade screens.

Consumer grade screens are those that we see at retail stores and possibly in our own homes. For most people, this is as far as their knowledge of screens goes. They support high resolutions (up to 1080p), come in sizes up to 65 inches and perform very well under normal household use. But, household use is far less strenuous on a flat screen than the use it would get in, say, an airport. Airports are open all hours, which means their screens are almost never turned off. That means airport authorities and other deployers of demanding digital signage turn to commercial models of flat screens from popular manufacturers.”

The following infographic (on opposite page) portrays the differences between commercial and consumer screens:

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• Expandability and integration options – offering Slot 2.0 architecture that accommodates optional boards, expanding the display’s application possibilities. The architecture also allows a variety of input terminal cards, including i5/i7 plug-in PC capable of running powerful software applications.

• Offers a flexible design for removing and re-installing media PCs without removing the display, simplifying field support and cutting down on operational expense.

• Built with an In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel to prevent colour change when images are viewed from a wide angle.

• Designed with viewing angles of about 178 degrees with better colour quality owing to IPS panel.

• Increased device control via RS232 or a LAN control. Can be controlled from a central location, eliminating the need for a person to run around. For larger networks, RS232/LAN control can be used to monitor thousands of displays from a central location.

• Built-in rear speakers to eliminate side protrusions for a clean, modern design with seamless appearance for multi-display video walls.

• Touch screen functionality, creating a perfect tool for way-finding in hospitals and the like or as an interactive information kiosk.

• Screens often have enhanced glass modules designed for long hours of operation and are less sensitive to image retention issues.

• Some displays have automated ambient light sensors to adjust the brightness according to the brightness in the surrounding area.

• Professional grade LED backlighting takes the high-end CCFL backlit displays that are designed for 24/7 operation, to allow for slimmer display with lower power consumption.

REVIEW Integration & Installation

Consumer displays • Built to perform for four to six hours per day.

• No tamper control.

• Not designed to be mounted vertically.

• Typically come with a one year warranty, which can be deemed void if used for commercial applications.

• Not built for demanding environments, uses standard ventilation and fans.

• Standard cooling and heat protection.

• No expandability and integration options with other displays.

• N/A

• Some are built with a Vertical Alignment (VA) panel for instances when a screen is very low to the ground or mounted higher on a wall.

• Designed with viewing angles of about 178 degrees but with poorer image colour quality from the VA panel.

• Lacks this ability.

In addition to the point above on vertical and horizontal mounting capabilities. If a display is mounted vertically, it can experience Gravity Mura, which can cause dark spots to appear on the screen and reduce lamp life on consumer screens. This discolouration is caused by pressure in the lower part of the screen, which distorts the alignment of the polarising film.

With a professional display, an improved liquid crystal injection method keeps the pressure at the bottom of the screen at a level that is no higher than that on consumer screens or those in a horizontal position. In addition, consumer televisions do not provide airflow for cooling in the vertical position, which can cause the display to overheat and fail earlier than normal. Finally, consumer televisions are not usually designed to be symmetric so they may appear lopsided when mounted in a vertical position.

Another factor to note is ’Yogore‘ stains – the liquid crystal and PI film for displays include a variety of impurities. These impurities interrupt the reversion of liquid crystal to its original position. This can cause ’Yogore‘ defects, which can cause boundary lines to appear on the screen, diminishing picture quality. There are drastically fewer impurities in the materials used to manufacture professional displays than TV panels, which severely limits the chances of a ’Yogore‘ stain.

• Lacks this ability.

The wrap • The average consumer display does not have touch screen functionality.

• No enhanced glass modules.

• Brightness is manually adjusted by the user.

• LED backlighting is not of the same professional grade.

Price points for flat screens have gone down greatly in the past several years, and are showing signs of continuing to fall. Although commercial grade screens still remain more expensive than consumer grade screens, their many features and the ability to run them 24/7 benefits the purchaser in the long run. The last link between your message and your audience is your screen. That is why reliability is crucial. In the end, you can have the greatest content in the world but it makes no difference if no one can see it.

Commercial grade screens are designed and built to handle the usage requirements of digital signage, hence providing the reliability needed to be successful.

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Integration & Installation PREVIEW

InfoComm 2015 preview This year’s InfoComm conference and exhibition promises to wow its visitors, showcasing the coolest technology that is sure to remind you why you love the AV industry…

InfoComm 2015 is the largest event for professional AV exhibition in North America, with more than 980 exhibitors and more than 37 000 attendees from over 110 countries set to attend. This is your annual opportunity to see the latest AV technology, learn the skills that will advance your career, and grow your professional network.

The show will feature the latest technologies for audio, video, display, projection, lighting and staging, digital signage, conferencing, digital content creation, networking, signal distribution and much more. It takes place from 13 to 19 June at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, in the US. The conference runs from 13 to 19 June and the exhibits run from 17 to 19 June.

The opening keynote address will be led by noted journalist and author Nick Bilton of The New York Times, and a dynamic group of thought leaders from Cisco, Crestron, Harman and Samsung will debate the future of the Internet of Things (IoT), its applications, and its impact for the commercial AV industry. The panellists will also share their views on the growth potential for IoT, implications for security and privacy, and open specifications for interoperability. The keynote address will take place on 16 June at 4pm.

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New to the show In addition to InfoComm favourites like audio demo rooms, the keynote address and manufacturer’s training, there are several new features and events that have been added to this year’s show.

They include: • Innovations showcase: Vote for the most innovative product in the cutting-edge innovations showcase, which consists of small companies that were selected for their next generation technology and creative AV applications.

• Unmanned systems and drone pavilion: See drones in action in the enclosed flying cage and hear from the manufacturers on the specifications, capabilities and how drone technology can enhance your AV solutions.

• Tech tour: FamiLAB: Allows all visitors to learn the basics of fabrication and build projects using cutting edge tools.

Explore the facilities that include 3D printers, laser cutters and a bio-hacking lab.

• Lighting console training: Spend the day learning how to programme on the most innovative lighting consoles on the market. Beginners and seasoned veterans can learn the Vista v2

PREVIEW Integration & Installation

software to enable you to get the most from whatever mix of technology you have available to you in the industry.

• ArKaos media server training was designed for creative lighting designers, video operators and programmers. The ArKaos media server class provides participants with everything required to set up, programme and run a show, including video mapping, edge blending, 3D mapping and advanced geometrical correction.

Each half-day session provides focused, hands-on training with the new MediaMaster Pro v4.2 software and media servers range, direct from the Arkaos factory trainer.

Special events In addition to the show floor and hundreds of InfoComm University sessions, manufacturer’s training and specialised conferences, InfoComm has numerous networking events where you can meet up with old friends and make new connections – these include: First-Timers’ Orientation (16 June); Opening Reception (16 June); Early Bird Tour (17 June); Career Fair (17 to 19 June); Technology Managers Reception (17 June);, International Reception (17 June); and a Consultants Lounge.

Further there will be an Awards Dinner which recognises honourees of Adele De Berri Pioneers of AV Award, CTS Holder of the Year Award,

Distinguished Achievement Award, Educator of the Year award, Fred Dixon Service Award in Education, Sustainable Technology Award, Women in AV Award, as well as the Young AV Professionals Award.

Lastly, the Women of InfoComm Networking Breakfast is an inspirational session aimed at helping women in the industry identify where they would like to be in their career in a year’s time, and brainstorm how they will expedite it. All attendees will receive a copy of the presenter’s book Got Your Attention? How to Create Intrigue and Connect with Anyone.

The InfoComm show will have focused show floor pavilions so you can find the audio, digital signage, unified communications and collaboration, live events and security solutions you need; audio demo rooms where you can hear and compare outstanding products from leading companies; InfoComm University training and hands-on workshops that deliver the real-world skills needed; as well as behind the scenes technology tours of AV installations at local entertainment and sports venues.

And, finally, let us not forget the InfoComm show favourites like the Rigging Safety demos, Technologies for Worship magazine Live Events stage, members-only show floor tours, plus networking receptions where you can meet up with your colleagues and make new connections.

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Integration & Installation REPORT

Projection mapping a billboard A first in the world of projectors and advertising, Opel’s new billboard has been grabbing the attention of commuters driving on Johannesburg’s N1.

Projecting onto a billboard hasn’t been done before, according to the team that pulled this together – Applix that did the installation and hardware, Continental, who own the billboard, AdMaker, who made the advert and Facet-Nation, who were very excited to create the projection mapping content for a project like this.

“To be awarded a project like this is a big deal for us as we are finally able to show the strengths of such a medium and also give the creative industry a taste of what is possible with the technology outside of the norm. The Opel campaign is a perfect example of how a seemingly normal billboard during the day can reveal a much more engaging and colourful transition at night. With all of Opel’s colour options cycling through an array of animated transitions, this is only the tip of the ice berg of what projection mapping has to offer when combined with outdoor solutions such as this,” enthuses Facet-Nation’s Danny Raducanu and Kennedy Harris.

The projector used weighs 120kg. Continental’s engineering department swiftly got the heavy and expensive projector up onto its retaining bracket. With two burly men holding the projector in place while it was being attached to the main bracket, every turn of the bolts holding the projector in place was a breath of relief, explains Dustin Claasens of Applix.

This type of technology can be linked to a network and includes a live feed, social media and more. The projector light moves away from the eye and bounces back, making it minimally intrusive to the driver.

The billboard stands 18 metres from the ground, with the projector another 1,6 metres above that, and 5,77 metres outwards on the arm that holds it in place.

“The projector provides a clean image, high definition image that makes an impact and it looks like a flatscreen TV to the driver. In fact it is similar to a projector used in a cinema, with a super wide lens from Panasonic, the “only brand that could make this possible”. A UPS was installed and connected to the one-phase power and generator, which helps keep even power to the billboard during Eskom power outages.

The projector provided by Pansolutions is the Panasonic PT-DZ21K Series that offers splendid images from a compact body. The

54

projector has 20 000lm of brightness coupled with Panasonic’s unique quad-lamp system, with its new high-power UHM lamps, which has helped to make the body extremely compact. Panasonic’s Dynamic Iris uses a scene-linking aperture mechanism to achieve remarkable 10 000:1 contrast without lowering its high brightness. This helps to reproduce deeper, richer blacks and provides images with more detailed textures.

The unique Panasonic circuit optimises the sharpness of each image, based on the superhigh-, high-, medium-, and low-frequency components of the extracted image information. The resulting images have more natural, lifelike expression.

“The series is compatible with both passive and active 3D projection systems. It combines with either a separate, external 100/120/144Hz drive with IR emitter and active shutter glasses, or an active filter and passive glasses, for viewing 3D images. The PT-DZ21K Series projectors lower the total cost of ownership because they have a lamp replacement cycle of up to 2 000 hours. Their environmentally friendly design also includes a low power consumption of 2 300W,” explains Claasens.

In addition, the four-lamp system allows the projector to keep working even if a lamp should fail. The lamp relay mode also operates the lamps alternately to enable 24/7 projection.

This was used with a very unique lens, the Panasonic ET-D75LE90; by mounting the newly developed ultra short throw lens onto Panasonic’s projector, the projection distance can be shortened by approximately 60%. This huge saving in space allowed the projector to be mounted just five metres from the screen and uses the high brightness and superb picture quality of the projector.

The wrap This uses well known technology to create a new experience for advertisers – and Panasonic in Japan are impressed with their projector being used in an environment that it hasn’t been in before.

Integration & Installation REPORT

The Fugard moves to LED

By Steve Moles

Cape Town’s charming Fugard Theatre has begun the process of adding LED sources to its lighting rig, combining the latest Source Four LEDs from ETC with their existing tungsten versions . . .

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REPORT Integration & Installation

The Fugard theatre is, in every sense of the word, charming. Hewn from the fading architecture of a late nineteenth century chapel, its modest exterior belies a complex venue incorporating three performance spaces, courtesy of some well-designed invasions of adjacent properties.

The rooftop space, an area approximately ten metres square, affords spectacular views across the Cape Town waterfront and, looking inland, the redoubtable Table Mountain. This houses their rooftop bar during summer when weather permits, where patrons can enjoy a drink and the wonderful view before or after performances.

Down from the rooftop, but above the lobby and nestling within the lobby’s attic, resides the studio theatre. Amply equipped with a range of lamps and maybe 75 raked seats, it is a typical studio performance space, save perhaps for the bricked-up Gothic arched windows backstage.

On the ground floor is the jewel of the Fugard, a beautiful little theatre with 666 seats, an ample lighting system and, in Benjamin du Plessis, the sort of enthusiastic technical manager who instantly conveys a sense that this is a busy, fun place to work.

“Originally the Congregational Church Hall and the historical Sacks Futeran building behind it defined the Fugard,” begins du Plessis. “All of what you see today was completed barely six years ago when we first opened. I had studied Drama at Stellenbosch University which had a degree of technical content, quite an exclusive course.

The university had a Compulite desk at the time and I learned programming on that; I also studied a BSc in Computer Science but started the Drama degree in my final semester after helping out on some performances.

“Programming lighting is probably the thing I enjoy most. Daniel Galloway, who frequently designs at the Fugard, is also a fan of the

Compulite series. Because of my passion for the industry and always going that extra mile to better the production value, I was recommended as stage manager for the Fugard Theatre, after which I worked my way up to technical manager. I have designed for some smaller shows and co-designed on others.”

Having visited the HB Thom theatre on the Stellenbosch campus the previous day, I can confirm that exclusivity to which du Plessis refers: the course leader told me that they normally limit intake to just ten students per year.

The theatre is now the proud owner of six ETC Lustr Source 4 LED profiles, a purchase that came about by a quite remarkable coincidence. “We were preparing for a production of The Shadow of the Hummingbird, written and directed by Athol Fugard, and he wanted a dreamlike sequence of moving colour projected onto the stage. As we were contemplating how we might do this, Prosound, the national ETC dealer, turned up to present a demonstration of this new light. Informally, I chatted with Jeremy Roberts from ETC (regional manager, Sub-Saharan Africa) and told him of our dilemma. ‘Let’s remove the lens from this instrument and you’ll see the all the different colours,’ he suggested. It looked like a static version of candy crush – too drastic for our needs, but then Jeremy put a diffuser in front and it looked absolutely beautiful. Ironically, although we bought the lamps, we didn’t use the effect in the end – instead we took a digital projector which was already in use for the production; I simply generated something quite similar to the ETC effect on computer.

Doing it that way enabled me to superimpose images of a hummingbird flitting around.”

Du Plessis continues: “But we were very impressed with the light.

Most of the rig in here is already conventional, tungsten Source Fours; when you compare the two you can match LED colour to gel perfectly, and the output of the LED is that bit brighter. The colour

57

Integration & Installation REPORT

changing was also striking: the fact you no-longer need a scroller, or to add colour correction, are all useful assets when you’re working in a cramped space like this.”

The six lamps they bought are all rigged on the most stage-distant pipe up above the stalls. “They all have 14 degree lenses, rigged in three pairs crossing L-R for some depth,” says du Plessis. “We recently staged David Kramer’s adaptation of Willie Russell’s Blood Brothers and I borrowed some ETC Revolutions to use with the Lustrs – I really like the shutter module on the Revolutions. One of the greatest things I’ve found with the Lustr is being able to switch from a warm version of a colour to the cold – a really useful feature when you’re lighting a scene that goes from day to night. The thing that surprised me most is that they are not that expensive compared to the conventional Source Four. With LED, in the beginning there were the small PAR-type fixtures which, frankly, seemed unable to produce any usable colours.

In terms of progress, what we see today is very impressive and is close to the point where you can now seriously contemplate changing all the lights in your rig to LED.” The Fugard is dark on Mondays but is otherwise a full-time venue with a remarkably varied program. “Like most, we also stage a matinée on Saturdays, with a late matinée around 4pm on Sundays, but no evening show. We also have the Fugard Bioscope, showing recorded live productions of Operas and Ballet, usually from The Royal

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Opera House Covent Garden, and drama from The National, which is very popular. We have a Barco projector and full cinema 7.1 surround sound system using JBL 4739 main speakers with EV side- and back-fills, supplied by Wild & Marr.

“For the ballet and opera we have a hard core of about 150 people who come regularly, plus some general walk-ups. The National productions are usually packed. Ironically, we were about to show War Horse and had already received the hard drives from the National, when the touring stage production arrived in South Africa. I missed the stage show, or rather I was too late with my ticket application, so I’m hoping to present the recorded show soon. We show these on Sundays between 11-2pm, which gives us ample time to strike the screen before the matinée.”

The musical Orpheus by David Kramer has just ended its run, but will be back by huge popular demand in September 2015.

For this, Prosound will install a temporary sound system – Meyer Sound UPJs on the pros’ with CQ-1s for the centre-cluster.

Front-fill and effects are all M1Ds, and the subs the familiar 700HP, with a Midas PRO1 out front. The Fugard is currently set up for Cabaret the Musical, which started its run on 10 March, using the same sound system. Mark Malherbe from Prosound is responsible for both sound designs.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Prolight + Sound wrap The international Prolight + Sound trade fair at Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre closed their doors on the evening of 18 April 2015 after a successful four-day run jam-packed with highlights.

Over 108 000 visitors from 146 countries attended and witnessed presentations from over 2 000 exhibitors, including the accompanying Musikmesse MI fair.

Prolight + Sound confirmed its role this year as the premier networking and presentation event for the pro lighting, sound, event staging, integration and installation industries. This year, the fair was characterised by an excellent trade-visitor standard, a good propensity to order and a high level of international presence. The 20th anniversary of the event was marked by a new exhibitor record: 928 companies from 41 countries made presentations at the world’s most important trade fair for technologies and services for events, installation and production. The fair was also able to increase the overall number of visitors. 43,054 retailers, distributors and professional users made their way to Frankfurt to find out about the latest developments in the sector – an increase of around two percent – and thus underscored the unrivalled importance of Prolight + Sound for the whole sector.

With annual sales of € 3.75 billion last year, the eventtechnology sector is flourishing. This positive assessment was confirmed by participants: 84 percent of visitors and 86 percent of exhibitors rated the current economic situation as being satisfactory or good. The high levels of satisfaction with Prolight + Sound reflect the development of the industry. 84 percent of exhibitors and no less than 97 percent of visitors said they had achieved their goals for the fair.

Industry driven by innovation The AV event, integration and installation business is booming – and expectations are growing constantly. As in

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the past, this year’s Prolight + Sound presented everything necessary for creating spectacular events, and the sector is more innovationdriven than virtually any other. For example, 3D mapping technology makes building façades come to life while advanced panorama projection adds a new dimension to stage shows, events and TV productions. Ever bigger, very high-definition LCD displays with 4K technology and touch function open up new possibilities for digital signage systems and broadcasting applications. Digital radio technology is also playing an increasingly important role. Moreover, the sector is attaching greater importance to sustainability.

Economical Class D amplifiers, the unstoppable advance of LED lighting and projection lamps with a long service life make ‘green events’ increasingly realistic. Additionally, BYOD solutions reduce the amount of paper used at events and congresses. There were also numerous standout innovations to be seen in the Prolight + Sound exhibition halls: from LED spots no bigger than a beverage can to the world’s biggest loudspeaker.

With this broad spectrum of products, Prolight + Sound was once again the international hotspot of the entire sector and the showcase for a complex and expanding industry.

Knowledge transfer Prolight + Sound not only offered much product innovation at the exhibition stands – a high-grade conference programme revolving around the industry sector once again made the fair an important meeting place for training and specialist qualifications organisations in the sector. Split into four

REPORT LIVE EVENTs

Bob Marley, Iron Maiden, etc.). The Prolight +Sound Forum introduced developments and potential applications for the event-technology sector and promoted the interdisciplinary exchange of information.

New concepts for 2016

sections, the Prolight + Sound Conference answered topical questions on event and media technology. As part of the ‘Stagery’ product segment, the Theatre and Film Colloquium was distinguished by several celebrity speakers. For example, internationally renowned and influential theatre and opera director Robert Wilson held a keynote speech and passed on expert knowledge about theatre design and new technologies. At Media Systems, the focus was on systems integration and AV media technology. One of the most important subjects this year was frequency management, which has become even more significant against the background of network expansion. With the VDT Academy, the Association of German Sound Engineers held an important information event for the professional audio sector. The speakers included well-known producers, such as Gareth Jones (Depeche Mode, Erasure, etc.) and Tony Platt (AC/DC,

Messe Frankfurt, the organisers of Prolight + Sound, presented a new concept for the fair for 2016. Numerous product extensions in recent years have created a potential for growth that the organisers must make space for. Accordingly, the show will move to the eastern section of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre from next year and occupy Halls 1, 3, 4 and 5, as well as the Congress Centre and outdoor exhibition areas. The accompanying Musikmesse MI event will offer an exclusive business hall for trade visitors only, which will give them and exhibitors more room and contact space for undisturbed business discussions. In its new location comprising Halls 8, 9.0, 9.1, 11.0, 11.1, the Galleria and Portalhaus, as well as the adjoining outdoor areas, Musikmesse will remain as big as ever. Additionally, Musikmesse will open its doors to consumers interested in music on all four days. To strengthen the new consumer components of Musikmesse and the trade-visitor focus of Prolight + Sound, as well as to retain the important synergistic effects of both events, the sequences of days on which the two fairs are held will change from 2016.

Prolight + Sound will begin on Tuesday and end on Friday.

Musikmesse will begin on Thursday and, in the interests of private visitors, end on Sunday.

The next Prolight + Sound will be held from 5 to 8 April 2016.

Rewriting the rule book

Specifications 96kHz as standard 24 mic line inputs 12 analogue outs 2 AES I/O (mono) Word Clock I/O 1 GPI and 1 GPO DVI out (for an external monitor) 2 DMI Card slots (up to 64 I/O per slot) 2 Ethernet connections for Networking 2 x 24 segment master/solo meters Touch sensitive rotaries with integrated switch & HTL 2 x multi-touch screens 21 x touch sensitive moving faders 4 x layers of banks of 10 faders Customisable bank and channel layout Snapshots Integrated USB2 Audio I/O interface for recording and playback of up to 48 channels

40 x Input flex-channels Mono/Stereo (equivalent of 80 DSP channels) 46 busses: 16 x flexi-busses Mono/Stereo (equivalent of 32 DSP busses), Stereo Master (2), Solo busses (2 stereo, 4 total), and 10 x 8 Matrix (8) 10 x Control Groups

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1 x Compressor per channel and buss 1 x Gate per channel and buss (switchable to ducker, or compressor with side chain access) 16 x assignable 32 band Graphic EQs 8 x FX engines (reverbs, delays, w/ modulation and enhancer)

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4 x assignable DiGiTuBes 4 x assignable Multiband Comps User definable Macros An extremely high power headphone amplifier with 1/4 inch and mini jack socket

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Prolight + Sound 2015 – The SA perspective A large number of South African distributors and industry professionals attended Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt this year. We asked some of the top local professionals for their impressions of the record event, which attracted over 920 exhibitors from over 40 countries.

Bruce Schwarz, Manager, Entertainment Lighting Team at Electrosonic SA Your general impression of the show this year? I felt the show was really busy, especially the first two days. The level of exhibitions was world class and this is by far the show that, in my opinion, best reflects our industry as a whole. I believe there were more South African visitors this year than I’ve ever touched base with, which is surely a sign of a healthy industry.

Your specific thoughts on the lighting exhibition, and where you think the industry trends are? All the major lighting manufacturers keep hitting “home runs” with regards to ground breaking products.

Especially the moving light brands are all really innovating and competing more than I can ever remember. This really is great for our customers but having that variety can sometimes be rather overwhelming. The most important part is how these brands are represented back here in South Africa and what level of commitment there is to service and doing the products justice. Fortunately the major brands ARE well represented so that makes purchasing a difficult decision for our clients!

Any products that stood out for you? The M-Touch from Martin Professional is a ground breaking product at an entry level price. The advancement in LED Moving Light Profiles from Martin Professional (the MAC Quantum Profile), and from the other major manufacturers also stands out for me.

Mark Gaylard, Managing Member, MGG Productions Your general impression of the show this year? I think it was well attended, and was more of a product update / refinement than a new products show for many manufacturers. On the sound side Digico and

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Yamaha were always very busy stands with many new products for Yamaha. Digico had a lot attention for the new S21 console, and Yamaha for the TF range and the new Rivage PM10. On the lighting side, the big manufacturers had some new prototypes to show as well as new products with more powerful LED sources as the technology matures. It was interesting to see that many stands had 3 – 4mm LED screens on their stands showing that it is a good pitch to have in rental.

Where do you think the industry trends are? I think there are more interest and products for 4K video, from the point of view of capturing, workflow, production and projection. On the lighting side, brighter, lighter units that are faster.

Bernard Pienaar, Partner, Viva Afrika.

Your general impression of the show this year? My impressions are a bit mixed when talking to our suppliers. Some of our suppliers (Audio Center and dB Technologies) still see the show as very important while IN Music (Numark) feels that the show is becoming more regional. AC and dB had big stands which were very busy, while Numark had a small booth just showcasing some new products. I feel it is still one of the most important pro-audio shows internationally and I found the pro-audio hall to be very busy and a much more positive vibe than the last few years.

Where do you think the industry trends are? One big trend is that all speakers will become powered speakers in the future. This has been happening, but now with the electronic components improving, manufacturers are able to get higher power as well as better DSP from smaller, lighter modules. So the trend is higher SPL, higher power and extended frequency response in more compact, lighter powered speaker enclosures – really just improving available technologies such as Class D amplification. Other trends include DSP Processing and switch mode power supplies in the electronics as well as improving the acoustics in enclosures and speaker components.

Any products that stood out for you? I was impressed with the all the new items developed by dB Technologies which we were shown

by Marco on the dB stand. The demo of the new RCF TTL6-A live at the sound arena was very impressive, showcasing that high SPL can be achieved with flying just four boxes.

Duncan Riley, Director, DWR Distribution Your general impression of the show this year? The show was really great! It was really busy and it was so amazing to see all our suppliers over a short period of time.

The show was in my opinion busier than usual and seems to be growing every year. It was really good that so many South Africans visited the show – I would estimate about 30 people, maybe more.

Specific thoughts on the lighting exhibition, and where you think the industry trends are? The main trend for me was the growth of LED as a source in the entertainment sector. Slowly but surely the technology is becoming more reliable and cost effective to produce.

Another trend I noticed is that while LED technology is improving, so are the discharge lamp sources. They are getting smaller, have more output and better lamp life. So on larger sources, it will still be a few years before we can economically replace discharge sources.

Any products that stood out for you? A product that caught my eye was a Cyc Wash from Robert Juliat called Dalis. It’s been a while since I have seen a product designed for one purpose only and that is to light a Cyc properly with LED technology. This is the best I have seen to date.

ART

of light

Joshua Cutts, Lighting Designer, Visual Frontier Your general impression of the show this year? I was impressed as always by the sheer scale of the show. There was some nice new technology and the exhibitors spared no expense in showing off their latest toys. I think this year the amount of South Africans attending the expo has grown quite a bit and it was great to see.

Specific thoughts on the lighting exhibition, and where you think the industry trends are? There is so much to see at the lighting exhibition that’s its quite difficult to take it all in in the time we have. I think the focus seems to be on bright moving profiles. There were quite a few options from all the leading manufacturers.

Any products that stood out for you? It’s difficult to narrow it down but I like the new MA Lighting console Dot2 and the new MA network switch which would help complete the MA control solution. From a lighting point of view the Robe BMFL Blade and Clay Paky’s new scanner the Spheriscan stood out for me.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Metro FM Awards 2015

Photo courtesy: Dream Sets

Durban once again came alive with the buzz and excitement of the Metro FM Awards (MMAs) with this year’s outstanding production by Blue Moon at the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, with all technical elements supplied and co-ordinated by Dream Sets.

Dream Sets’ Project Manager Robert Hoey took on the role of Technical Production Director for the third year.

He amassed an impressive creative team that included Lighting Designer Francois van der Merwe from the Wizardry Group. Sound was designed by Richard Smith of Sound Harmonics who also supplied the kit, with some elements from Dream Sets, and the live scenic and stage video elements were crafted by CI-Nation’s Mike Fynn and Stefan van der Walt with the hardware supplied by AV Unlimited. Dream Sets constructed the set and provided the rigging design and most of the lighting kit.

All these key people worked closely with Blue Moon’s Creative Director Darren Haywood to ensure a truly memorable MMAs, setting new standards for future productions.

Key to the production design for the environment were three gently asymmetrical projection screens onstage and upstage, plus a set designed by James McNamara comprising 30 scenic shards precisely rigged to give a random appearance. Below was a multi-level stage which stepped right down to audience level at the front.

The whole concept brought a clean and contemporary visuality to the performance space.

Lighting When Francois was asked on-board to add some lighting magic, he lost no time in specifying Robe’s latest BMFL Spot moving lights, with 24 at the core of a rig of nearly 150 Robe moving lights and 26 Clay Pakys – 14 Mythos and 12 Sharpies.

The 24 x BMFL Spots were supplied to Dream Sets by MJ Event Gear, the first rental company in SA to invest in these hugely powerful new

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multi-purpose fixtures from Robe. This was their first high profile show since MJ had taken delivery a few weeks beforehand.

Lighting equipment for the MMAs was a combination of kit from Johannesburg-based Dream Sets and MJ, with additional support – including the 14 x Mythos – from locally based Black Coffee.

Francois was delighted to be the first LD in the country to use the BMFL Spots on a high profile live TV show, and also be the first to use them as follow spots.

After completing the programming of over 500 show cues in three intense overnight sessions, his reaction was, “They are completely amazing fixtures! “ The BMFL Spots were positioned on the 11 over-stage-andaudience sections of trussing and used extensively throughout the three hour show for a mix of stage and audience washes and specials and also for texturing the floor of the set with gobo looks, which worked brilliantly for all the overhead camera shots.

“Using one type of very bright fixture enabled me to do all the beam and spot work and all the gobo effects I needed,” explained François, admitting that the BMFLs were so bright … that to ensure the lighting was balanced for the projection, he ran them at 40 per cent for the entire show! In fact he did go to 100 per cent once, when the lights were in a colour and full gobo look.

“They completely exceeded my expectations in every way,” he enthused.

“Seeing them in a demo room is one thing, but utilizing them in a show environment is something very different – that’s when you REALLY realise how bright they are, just how streamlined the colour mixing really is, how beautifully flat the beam is right the way through the path, the finesse of the dimming curve, the incredible depth of

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focus – even if you pull half focus on the gobo … the beam is still perfectly crisp!”

The challenges were to make it look great on camera as well as live, and ensure that TV director Nadia White had all the shots she needed for the top-rated telecast.

Robert Hoey also loved the BMFL Spots! He’d first used four briefly as a beam effect on a show at Plettenberg Bay at the end of 2014, and this time he was really able to see their full potential unleashed.

“They are absolutely beyond my expectations” he declared, “They will look great on all types of shows from stadiums and arenas to smaller concerts and events”.

Both he and François were keen to try them in follow spot mode, so Robe’s South African distributor DWR co-ordinated delivery of the custom handles that can be fitted to the back of the BMFL Spot unit allowing it to be used as an extremely bright and very lightweight follow spot.

The other 120 Robe moving lights on the rig included 72 x LEDBeam 100s dotted around the production trusses, primarily used to light the set shards and for some beam effects. Their small size and high brightness was ideal for being ensconced wherever needed, enabling François to shoot light across the space from some of the more challenging angles required to skim along the shards.

There were around 300 lights in the rig in total including a selection of generics and strobes.

For the general look and feel of the lighting, he took his lead from the quirkiness of the shards and the scene-setting energy that the slightly random look released into the room. However he also introduced some theatrical style, with tightly lit areas of the stage and precise cuing and counter-cuing which matched the playback video

content on the screens that was created by CI-Nation and The Project.

The pace of the show stayed pumped and animated from start to finish, enjoyed by an ebullient and vocal audience in the arena, with millions tuning in to the live nationwide telecast and several thousand more fans at the nearby Moses Mabhida Stadium watching a live stream on screen.

Video Of the two onstage screens, one measured 6 x 3.3 metres portrait and one 6 x 6 metres square, while the central one was 10.6 x 6 metres landscape. All were integral to the ‘live’ production design and also served as a visual gateway connecting the event’s broadcast and live show aspects.

The orientation and slight asymmetry of the screens was chosen to reinforce the general feeling of elegance with a touch of idiosyncrasy that mirrored the set shards and the stepped risers onstage. The positioning of the screens was also closely related to the layers of depth that Francois was able to add to the overall visual picture with his lighting.

To manage and co-ordinate all the content appearing on the screens, Dream Sets brought video show control and playback specialists CI-Nation from Johannesburg on-board. They specified the control system and handled all material including the awards graphics and stings, VT playback and selected SABC camera feeds which they were sent from the OB truck for outputting to the screens in the venue.

Blue Moon’s Darren Haywood specifically wanted the screens to

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Photo courtesy: Dream Sets

LIVE EVENTs REPORT

be ‘alive’ and actively involved throughout the show – he didn’t want to see any blank moments or potential gaps in the excitement.

Francois mirrored the colours and feel of the graphics appearing onscreen with the lighting where possible to enhance the overall flow and coherence of the picture, between them ensuring that the aesthetic was always dynamic and interesting to look at.

The Portrait screens were each fed by front projecting Barco 14K machines and the landscape by a Barco 20K HD. Projectionist Peet van der Colff from AV Unlimited ensured that this part of the operation ran seamlessly.

The lid of a grand piano onstage was used as a fourth projection surface during the tribute to late Metro FM DJ, Eddie Zondi, a particularly poignant moment of the evening where his amazing life and influence was celebrated with a compilation of his favourite songs performed live by Brian Temba.

This was a vibrant visual addition to the many live stage performances and helped each to have an individual look. Every picture appearing onscreen was created with considerable thought and attention to detail.

Sound Filling vast arena style convention centres with the exact right sound for the distinctive genres of African urban, electro and pop music is a real challenge … and this year all the live aspects of the MMA’s sound were co-ordinated by Johannesburg based Sound Harmonics who delivered their first MMA PA design.

This was based primarily on using their own L-Acoustics equipment augmented with some elements from Dream Sets. It was also their first time working in the Durban ICC. The sound design was created by Richard Smith, one of Sound Harmonics’ owners with the aid of L-Acoustics’ SOUNDVISION 3D acoustic simulation software and the accompanying database of venues, which very helpfully, makes accurate modelling information available courtesy of previous users and events.

Gearhouse SA is one of the companies that has worked extensively in the venue with L-ACOUSTICS product and contributed substantially to this data pool.

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The brief also included a request from the TV producers that the PA should be heard rather than seen – so the main arrays had to be flown high and wide – ending up with 32 metres between them, about 8 – 10 metres wider than standard. Also there could be no wedges, front fills or subs in view onstage.

The main arrays comprised 12 x L-Acoustics Kudo speakers a side, run in conjunction with eight SB18s a side on the floor in cardioid mode. A small centre cluster of one ARCS FOCUS and two ARCS WIDES delivered the image to people sitting directly in front of the presentation area and down the centre of the floor seating area.

Running the Kudos on the latest proprietary L-Acoustics amplifiers – a combination of LA8s, LA4s and LA4Xs – enabled the low presets to go down to 25Hz, which was extremely useful in this case, meaning that they could hear these frequencies all the way to the back without needing to fly any subs.

For delays, six KARAs a side were installed approximately 55 metres down the long side of the venue to cover the back and upper tiers of seats. More ARCS FOCUS and WIDEs were flown along the sides as grandstand outfills.

The LA amplifiers also took care of all the time alignment, zoning and EQ. All the amps were networked via L-Acoustics’ Network Manager and Richard used this extensively to tweak settings live throughout the show, in particular in response to the extremely loud and high-spirited audience packing the ICC and enjoying a great night out to the max!

The producers again requested a small and neat mic to be handed to the winners for their acceptance speeches, so Richard chose an Audix Microboom MB5050, which he’d not used before, but it worked superbly in terms of acoustics. The bands all used a mix of Audix and Earthworks mics.

Robert Hoey sums up: “We were all very proud to achieve another great Metro FM Awards and be part of Blue Moon’s production. The main challenge for technical was the tight timeframe, and yet again, this galvanised great teamwork between us and our technical partners, and energised an enormous amount of aggregate experience, ingenuity and talent from all the disciplines.”

LIVE EVENTs REPORT

SAFTAs come of age

By James Sey

SAFTAs stage

2015 marks 21 years of democracy in South Africa. The 9th annual SAFTAs paid tribute to this coming of age with a stunning live event at Gallagher Estate, enacting the theme of ‘telling our own stories’ through a cutting edge AV staging for a live audience at the venue and those watching at home.

The concept behind the event was all about the fundamental power of story- telling. In particular, says creative director for the SAFTAs Josh Lindberg of Spiral Productions, “it was about taking our own South African stories from the streets, and sharing them with a global audience. Stories transcend boundaries, and many people went into the telling of the stories that were being honoured on the awards evening.”

“Our many creative questions”, says Lindberg, “led to the idea of a story enveloping the audience. Since our brief was to celebrate democratic storytelling and its practitioners, we wanted a concept that wrapped around the live event audience, but also drew in the people at home watching on TV. So we came up with the idea of being framed by screens on all sides – a total of around 200 LED panels, all supplied by our equipment rental partners Gearhouse – in a sense enabling the whole room to breathe together.”

“The beauty of it was that the concept only existed fully once – in the opening AV sequence,” he continues. “We had 1500 hand drawn sketches of a young girl character who is entrusted with South Africa’s stories, to take care of them and share them. These were animated

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across the range of LED screens which enveloped the live audience, even extending over their heads into the middle of the venue at Gallagher Estate. The girl carries the stories in a calabash, the stories themselves represented by animated birds. She journeys far and wide with the stories, then pours them out, along with the distinctive horn of the SAFTA award trophy. She grows older, and goes out into the world, introducing South African stories far and wide and breaking down barriers in the process.”

SA stories on the map The creative idea, according to Lindberg, was to symbolise the process of putting SA stories on a global platform. But the team working on the AV for the show also wished to allegorise the creation of the live show itself. All the scripts, including links, guest presenter scripts, and so on, were content-rich, with background information and full continuity, to maintain the idea of an evening of storytelling.

“One of the aspects I loved most about the animation,” says Lindberg, “is that it was a fleeting, beautiful, once-off event, lasting

less than two minutes then disappearing forever, leaving behind the impression of the story in the audience’s heads.�

From a technical point of view the complex staging and screen arrangement, which let various animations and live broadcast segments flow through , around and over the live audience all evening, was very demanding to co-ordinate.

For example, each nomination and the narrative around it, was projected as a wrap around the room, but these also had to have some fixed real estate on TV at home in the broadcasting of the event. With the concept of incorporating the audience as part of the storytelling narrative, the technical camera director at times had to break the line of view, not always shoot front-on, and had to take on board plotting sessions where different shots were taken to individual screens.

A multiple viewpoint “We broke the screens down into two groupings, sending feeds to screens so that we had a multiple perspective viewpoint, with a view,

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

SAFTAs stage model

for example, of a singer performing live, a view of the singer looking down on the audience on the overhead screens, and so on. We wanted the sense of a truly wraparound visual experience,” continues Lindberg.

To enable the full effect of the screen walls, the venue required a change from banquet to cinema seating, and having people seated around the stage. The multidimensionality of the concept thus meant that the screens incorporated the audience themselves.

“We also had to keep in mind in our AV planning”, says Lindberg, “that it was both a live and a broadcast event. So the nominees were a focus of attention in the venue, but also needed breakaway shots sent to TV. We rigged tall side panels to work off of a big screen at the back of the stage, surrounded by the LED strips running on sides. So

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the wings and the overhead panels still directed the flow of attention to the back screen for TV broadcast purposes. The National Film and Video Foundation is our client on the show, and they were very collaborative and supportive of our efforts to put on a unique AV event. They went along with all of the staging and venue seating changes we introduced, as did the SABC crew who were incredibly capable and skilled collaborators on the production.”

Concludes Lindberg, “Everyone, from the backstage and hospitality teams to the animators, editors and technical crew who did everything from ensuring the live feed was uninterrupted to editing the red carpet event in an hour for broadcast, combined seamlessly to make the event the huge benchmark that it is.”

LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Lighting up gospel music

By Joanne Taylor

Lighting design is an integral part of the production culture and Keystone Productions’ head lighting designer Chris Bolton designed the visionary lighting display for gospel singer Ntokozo Mbambo’s recent show and DVD recording, at Mosaiek Teatro in Roodepoort on the West Rand.

Striving to achieve the perfect light for each project, Bolton says only the best lighting systems are used and Keystone constantly keeps up to date with technologies, while the lighting designer works in conjunction with the choreographer or entertainer/s and preprogrammes what will best suit the event.

The Mosaiek Teatro is a large-capacity venue capable of accommodating 3 000 people. It does its own in-house productions as well as hosts a number of local and international acts and corporate events including large scale productions, musical spectaculars and symphony orchestras.

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Ntokozo’s show and DVD recording took place on one night with 23 songs, and only two days to pre-programme and set up the set. It is a high venue with plenty of space to work with so Bolton used five 5-metre arms that split up to the ceiling to give good height for the equipment, which comprised of 23 Martin Mac Vipers, eight Martin Mac Viper washes, 12 Martin Mac Quatums, 12 Robe Robin Pointes, as well as 24 LED Parcans.

To add some heart and soul into the production, Bolton made use of a MDG haze machine and LED screens at the back of the stage.

“We didn’t use any follow spots for the artist and her guest artists,

REPORT LIVE EVENTs

instead we used 24 Parcans and 12 profile lights for front lights to light the artists.”

The camera crew filmed using 24 cameras placed in different places, so from a technical point of view for the lighting designer, it was difficult to know what the cameras were doing because the lighting changed often.”

Production manager and recording engineer Grant Katzin of i-LAP Inline Audio Productions, adds “We had the opportunity to spend a week in dedicated pre-production to create or sequence content for both video and audio, which essentially gave the end user an

experience they hopefully had never had before. This meant that both audio and video content were synchronised and played at exactly the same moment in a song. We also had 27 cameras in the room, capturing every angle. We used Soundcraft VI6 (based on what was available), Focusrite Rednet, and Reaper (DAW software).”

“The only challenge we encountered was from the lighting perspective, and that was the short load in, and the incredible amount of ‘long’ gospel songs,” concludes Bolton, “but overall it was a good challenge in terms of time and we pulled the whole off fantastically.”

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LIVE EVENTS Review

Clay Paky Supersharpy

By Jimmy Den-Ouden

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Review LIVE EVENTS

The verdict: The new superpower in beam lights

I’m starting to wonder if Clay Paky isn’t just showing off how good they are with optics.

Supersharpy uses a 470W lamp which is about 2.5x the power of the 190W lamp in Sharpy, yet the fixture is three times brighter. The only other place that can come from is improved optics. The original Sharpy was very impressive in that department, yet somehow Clay Paky has improved upon it. I’m reckoning the enormous 170mm front lens probably has something to do with it.

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LIVE EVENTS Review

Behind that lens sits a fairly densely packed optical path including two gobo wheels (7x HQ dichroic rotating on one, 18+1 fixed metal on the other), a frost unit, focus mech, three fixed colour wheels (totalling 14 special colours), 8 facet rotating prism, and lastly a CMY mixing system. That explains why it weighs 30kg, but gives nothing away about how they make it so damn compact. I couldn’t figure out how to take the head apart, so I didn’t get to see how it looks inside. Beam angle is variable between zero and four degrees, and the fixed gobo wheel allows you to size the beam down in 6 steps to a size I’ll call “extremely tiny”.

Of course it moves like a Sharpy, with 540 degree pan and 250 degree tilt both of which happen seriously fast. With the greatly increased output comes the need for more safeguards, and a range of features allow the fixture to automatically insert beam elements on loss of DMX to minimize the chance of melting whatever it’s pointed at when the DMX stops. Clay Paky recommends a minimum distance of 18 metres to lighted objects.

Reviewing the Supersharpy has served as a healthy reminder that with great power comes great responsibility. Supersharpy doesn’t exactly have what you’d call an “indoor voice”, arriving accompanied by a tale of how it could burn through a spanset in four minutes from 13 metres away. That’s enough to make a dude cautious about firing it up in the CX studio, lest “fire” become the operative word. Our studio isn’t 18m in ANY dimension, but fortunately our loading dock is, so I flooded it with haze and began testing. Outdoors would have been better, but I didn’t have a permit, a gigahazer or even a Batman gobo.

I like the selection of gobos, and also the colour quality and saturation on the CMY wheel. The CTO colours (3200 and 2500K) are convincing too, while the native 7800K colour temperature beam really pushes well through tungsten. Dropping in the beam reducers (or indeed any gobo), it’s clear that you sacrifice output, but that’s just basic science and applicable to everything that ever used a gobo.

The important point is that loads of light still makes it out the sharp end of the fixture. Adjusting the focus you can clearly see the focal point move back and forth along the beam. Really the only thing Supersharpy didn’t do well was to dim down to really low intensity – when widely de-focussed and run at 20% intensity there are

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mechanical elements of the mechanism evident in the projected image. So don’t do that thing that you probably wouldn’t have done anyway.

The fixture uses either 23 or 27 DMX channels for control, and it’s Ethernet ready too. It supports firmware update without power, and has a bunch of internal data logging too. Cooling is on-demand fan forced, and once the unit has been on for a little while it does tend to become noisier as the fans ramp up.

Not like that matters, because if you’re close enough to hear the fans then Supersharpy is probably the wrong fixture to be using.

Clay Paky has obviously spent some time getting a nice selection of beam features to fit inside the Supersharpy head, and my hope is that these will be the reasons LDs use the fixture, rather than just having another weapon in the lighting arms race. If you just want plain beams, then a Sharpy is probably bright enough. If you want colourful beams that look like stuff, and you want them to throw a really long way, then Supersharpy is your new superhero.

Brand: Clay Paky Model: Supersharpy RRP: R 65 000.00 ex-Vat (without flightcase) Price correct at time of print and subject to change

Product Info: www.claypaky.it Distributor: www.dwrdistribution.co.za

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STUDIO PRO AUDIO REview

Allen & Heath Qu-32 – Join the Queue It was either just before or just after its initial release that we reviewed the Qu-16 digital console from Allen & Heath. We were so quick off the mark in fact, that at the time the hardware had some features the software didn’t yet support. We still liked it anyway, and now all that stuff is supported we like it more.

The Qu-16 proved to be quite a solid little platform, but at the end of the day some shows just need more than 16 channels. Enter the Qu-24 and now the Qu-32 – the topic of this review.

Allen & Heath has gotten away with making two quite different operating systems for their digital consoles. iLive is a very different beast to the Qu series, but then iLive is slightly closer to an “open architecture” device which is harder to simplify into an interface.

Anyhow the architecture of the Qu-32 is that of a 32 mic/ line input console, with 33 motorised faders. It has a main stereo bus, four mono and three stereo aux busses, four subgroups, and even two stereo matrix busses. Plus PFL. 10 user keys allow control over mute groups, scene selection, solo clear and tap tempo functions.

The dSNAKE port lets you use remote IO in the form of the A&H AR racks. Native CoreAudio and ASIO support allow multi-track playback direct from a Mac or PC (PC driver download required). The 18 channel Qu-Drive recorder lets you make multi-track recordings direct to a USB hard drive at 48kHz. Like I said, it was quite a while ago that we reviewed the 16 channel unit. I’d forgotten how very easy this series of consoles is to use, extremely intuitive being the right description.

It’s not the kind of console where you’ll still be discovering features on the third gig you use it at – everything’s up front and centre. It’s so obvious how it all works that I needn’t bother explaining it. If you know how to operate a mixing console, you’ll be able to figure this one out.

It boots up nearly as fast as an analogue board too.

Allen & Heath has included the iLive effects library, which I’ve

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always thought of as pretty good for something that didn’t come from an “effects processors and plug-ins” company. The “superstrip” has all the encoders that I care about right there on the surface. For everything else, the 7” touch screen provides fairly ready access.

There’s also the Qu-Pad iPad app, for which you just need to plug the console into a wireless access point.

Personal monitoring for musicians is gaining popularity, with a wide choice of systems now available. With support to the ME-1 personal monitoring solution included, Qu-32 has this covered.

I don’t know where I see the Qu32 going – corporate and school users will find it fits many of their needs, but I reckon houses of worship will like it best due to the decent channel count, recording functionality, and compact size. It sounds pretty good too, and really there’s not a lot you couldn’t throw at this console. The Qu series is built on a competent platform, and provided you’re okay with fixed architecture it’s a solid little performer.

Brand: Allen & Heath Model: Qu32 RRP: R 64 995.00 Ex VAT Price correct at time of print and subject to change

Product Info: www.allen-heath.com Distributor: www.audiosure.co.za

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Studio Pro Audio TUTORIAL

How to record and mix vocals Getting a vocal to sit just right is one of the more challenging aspects to recording.

Marc Henshall from Shure UK uncovers the fundamental techniques required to get professional sounding results from day one.

The human voice is extremely complex. Man made instruments, such as the piano, flute or even the guitar, can be emulated through sampling and synthesis successfully. Vocals, however, vary so much in tone, character and dynamics that they are extremely difficult to reproduce synthetically – at least to a convincing level. Subsequently, although it is possible to create music entirely from synthetic instruments through the use of plugins, if you want a human sounding vocal on your track, there is no substitute for recording the real thing.

In this post, we’ll cover the fundamental techniques required to get professional sounding vocals from day one.

A great vocal starts with a great singer Everyone can sing, but not everyone can sing well. A great sounding vocal is extremely subjective, but it’s important that the basics are in check: can the vocalist sing in tune, do they exercise proper breathing technique, have they warmed up correctly? We’ll leave the decision on whether or not the singer can actually sing up to you, but make sure you consider the final result before pressing record. It is extremely difficult to correct a bad vocal performance in the mix, and although small adjustments can be made to pitch, timing and EQ during the mix, it’s imperative you get a good performance from the start.

Advice: You can help yourself by warming up and making wise choices about your diet. Vocal coaches will typically advise drinking lukewarm water or herbal tea before a performance and will advise against anything that could irritate the throat, airways or stomach – this includes alcohol and caffeine I’m afraid!

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Selecting a microphone Typically, studio vocals are recorded using a large-diaphragm condenser microphone. One reason for their dominance is their unique tonal characteristics. Unlike small-diaphragm condenser microphones, which tend to sound more neutral, each largediaphragm option on the market will impart its own individual tonal stamp to the recording. Such variation allows you to match each mic with different singers to complement their voice. If your budget can stretch to a couple of mics, it’s a good idea to invest in 2 distinctly different sounding models. The obvious choice would be to purchase one bright and airy option and a warmer alternative.

It’s worth emphasising that expensive does not necessarily mean ‘better’ in this circumstance. It is more important to consider the tonal identity of the mic and how suitable it is for your vocalist than it is to consider the price tag. For example, you could have a vocalist with a naturally throaty quality to their voice, and if your microphone of choice just so happens to accentuate this, the mic will be unsuitable regardless of cost.

If you do choose a condenser mic to record your vocals, you’ll need a pop-filter to keep explosive consonants from distorting the capsule. The most common culprits here are ‘p’ and ‘b’ sounds, which can send a gust of air into your mic. A good quality pop-filter placed directly in front of the mic will keep the offending sounds under control without affecting the tone of your recording.

Consider a dynamic Although large-diaphragm condenser mics are universally considered the standard for studio vocals, there are exceptions.

Some engineers will often choose dynamic mics for particular singers or musical genres. Typical examples include heavy rock, metal, or rap vocals where the detail and high-frequency response of a condenser microphone can become a hindrance.

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Shure Beta58 Dynamic Mic

Consider a Ribbon mic Ribbon microphones were once the industry standard for recording; however, earlier ribbon microphones were notoriously delicate and eventually fell out of favour to more robust modern condenser mics.

Selecting a ribbon microphone can help smooth out the high frequencies on vocals thanks to their warm tonal qualities, and thankfully, modern versions are far more robust.

Your takeaway from this should be as follows: try as many microphones as your budget will allow. Getting the tonal character right at this stage could make or break your entire track, so it’s worth your time and investment.

Last but not least is the figure-of-eight. Commonly found in Ribbon microphones, a figure-of-eight polar pattern picks up strongest from the front and back of the mic and rejects from the sides. Through strategic microphone placement, the dead zone created either side of a figure-of-eight mic can be used to your advantage when recording a singer that plays guitar at the same time.

Mic positioning and distance Somewhere between 10 to 20 centimetres away from the mic will generally work for most voices. If you are using a cardioid mic, beware of the proximity effect as the singer moves closer to the mic.

Most importantly, try and keep the distance constant throughout the performance, as any change in position can drastically affect the tone.

Finally, sibilance can be an issue when recording vocals. If the vocalist produces very pronounced ‘S’ and ‘T’ sounds, try moving the microphone slightly lower so that it is not in direct line of sight with the singer’s mouth.

(Height will vary the tone when using a cardioid mic.

Experiment with different heights to get the best balance of tone and controlled sibilance.)

Room acoustics

Shure KSM353 Ribbon Mic

Polar pattern There are three common polar patterns for you to consider when recording vocals: cardioid, omni-directional, and figure-of-eight.

The most commonly used polar pattern for recording vocals is cardioid, which is more sensitive to sound arriving from the front of the mic than the back. Cardioid mics have the advantage of reducing ambient noise; however, they will also colour the sound more than an omni-directional d esign. The most obvious example of colouration is through the proximity effect, whereby low frequencies become more pronounced as you move closer to the mic. You will also notice small changes in tone if the singer moves off axis.

Omni-directional microphones will produce a more ‘natural’ or ‘open’ sound, but they will also capture more reflections. If you have great room ambience that could compliment the recording, or if the room is very ‘dry’ or ‘dead’ sounding, an omni-directional mic could produce a more natural sound. In most cases, particularly in home recording studios, the drier, intimate sound of a cardioid is easier to fit within the context of a mix. Natural reverb can sound great when it’s done well, but if you’re unsure, it’s far safer to reduce it and add space through a reverb plugin later.

Now that you understand how your microphone is picking up sound, you need to consider how it works within the context of a room.

Condenser microphones are very sensitive and will inevitably pick up reflections from your room. These reflections will be captured in addition to your direct sound, and unless you are lucky enough to have a professionally designed acoustic space, it’s unlikely that they will flatter your recording. In most cases, it is better to control the amount of reflections in the room; allowing you to concentrate on capturing a good quality direct sound.

Failing to control room reflections is where most home or project studio recordings fall down. You can invest as much money into a great quality microphone as you want, but if you fail to control reflections from the room, no amount of improved performance from the mic will improve the result. The good news is, controlling acoustics doesn’t have to be expensive. Here’s how you can make some immediate improvements to your recordings:

Hang a duvet It might not look pretty, but it works. The quality of your direct sound can be vastly improved by hanging a duvet behind the singer. This technique makes sense when we think back to our cardioid polar pattern. The cardioid pickup pattern of your mic picks up the strongest signal from the front, so by hanging a duvet behind the singer, we can absorb room reflections before they enter the microphone.

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Studio Pro Audio TUTORIAL Consider a Vox Guard You can further improve your recordings by using a reflection filter.

Portable solutions such as Primacoustic’s Vox Guard fit directly to the mic stand and will significantly reduce reflections from the sides and back. When used in combination with a duvet as described above it is possible to achieve great results for very little money.

For the vast majority of popular music, the vocal is king. Because of this, it has to maintain a constant space and level throughout the track.

Although there is no single formula for mixing an excellent vocal, there are a few standard practices that work for a broad range of styles. Mild EQ, compression, and reverb are all typical for a lead vocal. Here are some examples to start with:

Consider treating your room

EQ

If you’re aiming for a more professional look and feel to your recording space, it’s worth considering acoustic treatment kits. Controlling reflections more permanently across the entire room will yield benefits to your entire production process – from recording right through to mixing and mastering. In addition to the aforementioned Vox Guard, Primacoustic also make pre-designed kits for a number of different room sizes to get you started.

Ideally, you’ll have invested your time wisely when choosing the right microphone for the singer’s voice. In any case, a mild amount of EQ can further enhance your selection and help position the vocal in a mix.

If you recorded your vocal using a cardioid polar pattern, it’s likely to benefit from a little cleaning up in the low frequencies. Try cutting a few dB around the 300 – 600Hz area to clean up a muddy vocal. It’s also worth using a high-pass filter to roll off frequencies below the 100Hz mark. These low frequencies aren’t relevant to most vocal sounds and reducing them will help clean up unwanted low-frequency rumble.

High-frequency treatment very much depends on your microphone selection and production preference. If you selected a largediaphragm condenser microphone with a bright sonic character, boosting in this region could over do it. If you would like to add a little more presence to the sound, a small boost around the 3 – 7KHz area should be enough to add more clarity. A broad boost from 8KHz and up can add ‘air’ and ‘sizzle’ to the sound.

Tracking With your microphone weapon of choice selected and the room acoustics all in check, you’re finally ready to capture that all important performance. Now is the time to make your vocalist comfortable. The happier the singer is, the more likely they are to deliver their best performance. Take a few extra minutes to get the headphone mix right so that they can hear the track and their performance easily. Adding a little reverb into the headphone mix at this stage can make the world of difference to a singer’s confidence and pitch. Just be sure to capture the dry sound only so that you can have full creative control during the mix.

Comping your vocal takes Even the best vocalists make mistakes. In addition, some takes will inevitably be better than others. For this reason, it’s good practice to record several takes and then combine the best bits into a master track, or ‘comp’. The old school way to perform this task was to record each take on a separate track and then cut and paste the best parts onto a new master track. This process was quite laborious, and thankfully, most modern recording software comes equipped with some form of comping tool to enable easy access and selection of multiple takes within the same audio track.

When selecting the parts you want to keep, be sure to swipe carefully. If you cut off the beginning or end of phrases, your final result will not flow seamlessly. If you only cut in between phrases, your edits shouldn’t be audible, and the result should sound as though the vocalist performed the whole track in one take.

Compression used in Logic Pro

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Mixing

Compression How or when to use compression for vocals will divide opinion among engineers and producers. More aggressive styles, such as heavy rock will often utilise very extreme compression. On the other hand, purists looking for a more natural tone will typically advise keeping compression to a minimum; instead favouring the use of automation to control volume levels.

For a mild compressed effect, try a ratio of around 2:1 – 6:1 and adjust the threshold so that it catches the louder peaks. If it’s a more extreme effect you’re after – choose a ratio of between 3:1 and 7:1 and adjust the threshold so that the processor is nearly always acting on the voice.

The greater the gain reduction, the more important it becomes to set a short attack time. If the attack is too slow, heavy compression can overly exaggerate sibilant sounds. A good start with attack and release settings can be to check out the plugin presets first. These will give you an idea of typical settings from which you can tweak to fit your needs.

An example of fairly strong compression used

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Reverb Generally speaking, a vocal reverb should achieve two things: 1. Give the impression of a real acoustic space, making the recorded sound more natural.

2. Make a ‘feature’ of your vocal or help the performance stand out if desired.

1. Adding space Your primary concern here should be to give the impression your vocal was recorded with everything else. When recording individual tracks one at a time, the final result can leave each piece sounding estranged from one another. The problem becomes particularly evident when everything has been close mic’d using a cardioid polar pattern. You can use reverb to give each disconnected track some shared acoustic characteristics and a sense of belonging to the same record.

Modern reverb plugins come with a wide variety of presets to get you started. It’s worth investing a good amount of time to narrow down an appropriate fit for your mix, but remember, a preset will rarely fit the bill perfectly. Adapting reverb to suit your track is a complicated topic in its own right, but on a basic level you’ll want to tweak a few critical parameters as follows: • Pre-delay – This technique simply delays the onset of your reverb reflections by a specified amount. Left untouched, or with no pre-delay enabled, early reflections can alter the tone of your direct sound. Additionally, the listener is positioned much further away from the vocal. A popular technique is to set the pre-delay in time with the eighth or sixteenth note, this method retains the intimate direct sound while adding dimensional size.

• EQ – Equalisation is normally added to the return signal and can help to give your reverb ‘focus’. A typical starting point would be to cut

low frequencies with a high-pass filter and also consider cutting high frequencies to some degree too. In combination, these cuts will help to retain focus and punch at the low-end while further emphasising the distance between direct and room sound. Once you have the high and low-end set, consider shaping the reverb further using well-placed EQ cuts to reduce any unwanted resonances. Your aim should be to create a subtle room ambiance that fits tightly into your mix.

2. Feature and character For a little extra zing, you could try adding a plate reverb as they have a distinct classic character without sounding like any particular room or space. When blended with a subtle room ambiance as described above, it is possible to produce a thick, warm sounding vocal that blends well with the entire track while standing out as the key focal point.

The bottom line Getting a vocal to sit just right can be one of the more challenging aspects of mixing. It takes practice, and a well-trained ear to get it spot on. Follow the advice in this post for an excellent starting point and always reference your work against a commercial track that you really respect. Finally, keep in mind that there are no real rules, and if it sounds good, then it is good.

Marc Henshall is a Digital Marketing Executive for Shure Distribution UK (SDUK). As a wholly owned subsidiary of Shure Inc, SDUK represent and distribute the Shure portfolio in the UK while also acting as a leading distributor for a number of 3rd party professional audio brands, including QSC, Sound Devices, Radial, WORK Pro Audio, and Servoreeler.

For further articles of a similar nature, visit shureblog.co.uk

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Studio Pro Audio Review

Neumann KH310A Is it me, or did it just get more awesome in here?

The KH310A is the largest in the Neumann nearfield studio monitor range, and I’ve had a pair of them in my studio for the past week or so. In a vast deviation from normal I’m just going to start with an opinion. These things are awesome.

KH310A is a 3 way active design utilising an 8” LF driver, 3” fabric dome mid driver, and 1” fabric dome tweeter. It has a thing called an MMD Waveguide, the idea of this being to provide wide horizontal dispersion while keeping vertical coverage relatively narrow to reduce room interaction. The boxes are available in a left or right model, and this is because they sit horizontally. I’m not sure how this would work for a centre speaker, so as far as applications go I’d probably stick to Left/Right or Surround.

There’s a 4 position switch to choose your desired output level at 1m, ranging from 94 to 114dB. That’s quite a smart thing since it makes you think about how loud you’re actually monitoring. There’s also a pot to attenuate input level by up to 15dB, and you can change the

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brightness of the front panel LEDs. Just like on its smaller sibling, the front panel Neumann logo lights up white until you drive the speaker into protect, at which point it turns red. A ground lift switch completes the rear panel controls.

No loafing Low end reproduction on the KH310A is resolute, satisfying and entirely certain of itself, while everything north of that is equally well proportioned and controlled. There’s literally no weird box resonance at all, and that makes everything sound tighter and more accurate.

There’s no fluttering port noise, nor in fact any kind of annoying noise at all, nor is there any shortage of SPL. The simple fact is that these are lovely monitors. I listened over several days to a very wide array of content and picked not only a bunch of lovely little production touches but also some rather shabby production efforts where I

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“Low end reproduction on the KH310A is resolute, satisfying and entirely certain of itself, while everything north of that is equally well proportioned and controlled.”

expected far better. There’s this wonderful sense of openness to the imaging, and an amazingly fast response to transients which gives you detail you just don’t normally hear. Helpfully enough, Neumann includes in the box some pretty good documentation on suitable setup angles and different configuration options. It’s like they actually care about end users getting the best from their product, and it’s nice.

Neumann is pushing the definition of what constitutes a nearfield monitor with these – the waveguide fits the bill while the rest of it is way overspecced. They’re a bit ridiculous, but that doesn’t matter because they’re just so damn good.

The only vaguely downside here is a simple one – because the waveguide is fixed, so too is the intended orientation. Horizontal takes more real estate on the desk than vertical, which is a pain if you use dual screens as I do. They just fit on my desk, but if they were permanent fixtures I’d definitely consider a wall or ceiling mount option (there are several available).

I think with something like buying studio monitors there are a couple of factors at play, namely subjectivity and the law of diminishing returns. Liking a studio monitor is a pre-requisite for me to even consider buying it, but so is value. You can buy a pretty decent set of monitors for not much money nowadays, and double the spend doesn’t necessarily guarantee double the performance. R??? needs to buy serious awesomeness, and when you spend it on KH310As that’s exactly what you get – they’re gorgeous.

Brand:Neumann Model:KH310A RRP: R 29 413.00 ex-Vat per speaker Price correct at time of print and subject to change

Product Info: www.neumann.com Distributor: Sennheiser – www.sennheiser.co.za

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DWR Trip to Robe – Robe factory, Valasske Mezirici, Czech Republic

Demonstration

Visitors from across the world visit the Robe factory

Zeeks Sebatjane (MJ Event Gear) and Sherryn Riley (DWR Distribution)

Sean Crawley (Sound Stylists), Duncan Riley (DWR), JP de Vernon (Emperors Palace), Zeeks Sebatjane (MJ) and Kevin Stannett (Lighting Designer)

Kevin Stannett (Lighting Designer)

Team outside the Robe factory

Testing facility at Robe

Zeeks Sebatjane (MJ Event Gear) with Duncan Riley and Nick Britz of DWR. JP de Vernon (Emperors Palace) in the background.

(Back Row) Mark Gaylard (MGG Productions), Jirí ˇ Baroš (Robe Lighting), Zeeks Sebatjane (MJ Event Gear), Joshua Cutts (Visual Frontier), Christiaan Ballot (Blond Productions), Kevin Stannett (Lighting Designer), JP de Vernon (Emperor's Palace), Henk Britz (Touch Media), Simon Robinson (Pro-Systems) and (front) Nick Britz and Duncan Riley of DWR with Sean Crawley (Sound Stylists)

From the back: Joshua Cutts (Visual Frontier), Christiaan Ballot (Blond Productions), Kevin Stannett (Lighting Designer), Sean Crawley (Sound Stylists), Zeeks Sebatjane (MJ Event Gear)

Mark Gaylard (MGG Productions), Christiaan Ballot (Blond Productions), Zeeks Sebatjane (MJ Event Gear) and JP de Vernon (Emperors Palace)

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In2IT Technologies event – Hilton Hotel, Sandton

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Vectorworx Training – Laser Park

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RMS Power: 1000W Impedance: 8 ohms Average Sensitivity (1W/1m): 97dB Maximum SPL: 127 dB RMS / 133dB Peak Frequency Response (-6dB): 38~18000Hz Connectors: Two NEUTRIK Speakon NL4MP Cabinet Size (H x W x D) mm: 605 x 580 x 690 Weight: 42kg net / 46kg gross Cabinet Material: Heavily brassed Birch Plywood Cabinet Finish: UltraTex (USA) Texture coating Low VOC waterborne paint

FT218S Subwoofer RMS Power: 2000W Impedance: 4 ohms Average Sensitivity (1W/1m): 100dB Maximum SPL: 133dB RMS / 139dB Peak Frequency Response (-6dB): 38~18000Hz Connectors: Two NEUTRIK Speakon NL4MP Cabinet Size (H x W x D) mm: 1140 x 580 x 690 Weight: 72kg net / 77kg gross Cabinet Material: Heavily brassed Birch Plywood Cabinet Finish: UltraTex (USA) Texture coating Low VOC waterborne paint

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