Pro Systems May/June 2016

May / June 2016

R38.00

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

Cover Theatre Story Feature Prolight + Sound Post Show Report Digico Interview The Voice SA Genelec & Martin MH6 Reviewed

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In This Issue EDITOR Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest edition of ProSystems Africa News. Winter approaches here in South Africa, but far from causing everyone to stay at home by the fire, there is no let-up in the live event and technical production sector. We feature extensive live coverage in this issue, but also cover some major initiatives impacting on the sector here.

The transformation and upliftment of the live event and technical production sector is the major news of the moment. The South African Roadies Association, led by the passionate and outspoken Freddie Nyathela, hosted its second annual sector conference in Johannesburg recently. As was discussed at a recent Department of Arts and Culture White Paper feedback session, internal transformation in the sector is becoming more urgent, and will be legislated for in new policy changes in the near future. This was discussed as a theme at the conference, along with the education and training needs that continue to exist in the sector.

Nyathela’s major initiative is the creation of a local Backstage Academy to assist in the training and accredited qualification process for young people coming into the live event sector. We can expect industry change in the offing.

Our cover feature in this issue is on the theatre sector. The audio visual expertise required in the sector is demanding and rigorous. We highlight local and international case studies, and focus on how AV technology is adapting to the ways in which the definition of theatre space is becoming more flexible and adaptive.

The recent Prolight + Sound expo in Frankfurt also warrants extensive feedback in this issue. This year saw some changes to the AV sector’s largest global trade show. It now runs over four workingweek days, and only overlaps with the MusikMesse MI fair for two of those days, instead of running concurrently. The show also moved into the eastern section of the famous Frankfurt Messe.

Feedback on the changes was generally positive, and the show racked up record visitor and exhibitor numbers. Our coverage highlights some of the many new product launches at the show.

Among our other regular features in this issue is an interview with prominent UK console manufacturer DiGiCo. They have recently moved distributors in SA to DWR Distribution, the first time DWR have stepped out of their specialisation in professional lighting equipment into the sound arena.

Don’t forget that we’re here for you – 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 on james@sun-circle.co.za.

Enjoy the read!

James Sey

CONTENTS NEWS Lighting up Adele’s world tour........................3 Crestron appoints Training Manager EMEA...4 Exterity scores at Euros.....................................4 Transformation the key debate at Live Events Technical and Production Conference...........................6 DAC hears passionate events industry..........8 SACIA meeting offers feedback of Prolight + Sound, LETPC and more.................8 Inspiring young mentors...................................9 Successful ISE 2016 for RGBlink........................9 Gearhouse South Africa go wireless with LumenRadio........................10 CTICC backs down on levy decision...........10 Meeting up with Josh Groban’s audio engineers in South Africa...............................11

PROLIGHT + SOUND SHOW REPORT Prolight + Sound 2016 sets new exhibitor and visitor records...........................12 Shaping the future of audio..........................14 Shure KSM8 honoured with PIPA 2016 Award.....................................14 Audio-Technica introduces ATM350a Microphone Systems.......................................15 Alcons Audio launches LR18.........................16 Funktion One debuts Vero at Prolight + Sound.........................................16 EAW showcases Adaptive Systems...............17 Electro-Voice X-Line Advance wins 2016 PIPA press award at Prolight + Sound..............................................17 Barco showscases versatility..........................18 Christie highlights new solutions at Prolight+Sound 2016.......................................18 PR launches powerful XR 440 beam............20 Clay Paky shines at ProLight+Sound 2016....20 Ayrton in major product launch at Prolight + Sound 2016................................21 ETC celebrates major anniversary at Prolight + Sound 2016................................22

New additions for Martin

by HARMAN family..........................................23 Allen & Heath debuts Qu-SB.........................24 DiGiCo reveals Quantum 7 at ProLight+Sound 2016..................................24

Theatre Feature New horizons for theatre sector....................26 Singin’ In The Rain a remarkable feat of production design..............................28 Splitbeam turns technology into art for I See You.......................................32 Artscape upgrades with ETC.........................34 Charcoalblue sky theatre design.................36 Naledi Theatre Awards boasts four new categories, six new judges....................42

INTERVIEW DiGiCo – the ultimate console surfers..........44

Live Events Everyone gets together for the KKNK...........46 AV Systems revs it up for VW..........................50 Rigging and such: Rotating a truss…. from square to diamond?.............................52 The Voice makes South Africa proud..........54 Burn the Floor returns to South Africa...........56

PRODUCT REVIEW RUSH MH6 Wash – good things, small packages...............................................58

EXPERT OPINION OLED: Flattering flat panels...........................60

Studio PRO AUDIO Genelec innovates in audio-over-IP.............62

Social Christie Digital Launch....................................63 Naledi Awards.................................................64

Cover photo by Dustin Nelson

Contributors Elaine Strauss | A journalist and photographer, with experience in writing articles featuring a broad range of subjects, Elaine also has a honours degree in Visual Studies, and is making her mark in the audio and AV industries. With a keen interest in lighting design and film studies, she is a peoples-person with a fascination for all things new and shiny. With experience in journalism, videography and marketing, she brings to her writing a passion for and understanding of various fields.

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.

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 | Elaine Strauss | 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 | Helen Loots | 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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Photo credit: ralph-larmann.format.com

Lighting up Adele’s world tour

To describe Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, known worldwide as Adele, simply as ‘successful’ would be a radical understatement. Her third studio album “25” became 2015’s best-selling album and broke first week sales records in both the UK and US. Now the artist is touring the globe with her 'Live 2016' – World Tour.

The lighting design was realised by Patrick Wodroffe with Adam Bassett as associate LD and Roland Greil, interviewed in the previous

issue of Prosystems News, working as programmer and lighting director on the road. For lighting control the tour is using 2 x grandMA2 full-size, 1 x grandMA2 light and 5 x MA NPU (Network Processing Unit). Neg Earth supplied the lighting equipment for Europe, while Upstaging covered the US. “The stage design consists of a series of gauzes and projection surfaces that are constantly changing in position and purpose throughout the show. Sometime Adele’s face is seen on a rear screen, sometimes it appears in a much more abstract way on the front gauze and sometimes she is simply glimpsed through a video or lighting effect,” Woodroffe said of his lighting design.

“The lighting supports this concept, not just in the way that it sets the mood and the focus for each song, but also in how it reveals or hides Adele and her fellow musicians with

shadow and texture. The custom lightbox that surrounds the angled proscenium is also an important part of the stage composition as it focuses attention on the performers and gives the design a contemporary aesthetic.

At other times the structure is deliberately broken up as the projected images of IMAG and other video content spill over from the screen to mock the conventional idea of a picture frame.”

“Adele was very much involved in the creation of the show, from the initial design concepts into the detail of the rehearsal process,” continued Woodroffe. “She was very comfortable and collaborative with the creative process, and ironically I think her lack of experience in this sort of large scale production brought a freshness and an originality to the way that we all worked that was unexpected and invaluable.”

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Crestron appoints Training Manager EMEA Crestron, the world’s leading manufacturer of advanced control and automation systems, has recently announced it has appointed Neil Walton as Training Manager EMEA, effective immediately.

Walton has worked in training and development within the AV industry for over 10 years. He began his career within technical support for Armour Homes Electronics, moving on to Technical Service and Training Manager soon after. His most recent position was as Senior International Technical and Training Manager at CYP Europe.

This new role will be based in Cobham,

Neil Walton

Surrey and Neil will be heading up a team of 13 trainers across Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Steven Dullaert, Technical Training Director, adds: “It is fantastic to have Neil on board in what is a very important role for Crestron. Training is a key business focus and we are consistently developing and monitoring our training strategy to ensure we provide our technical team with the knowledge and expertise to support our customers.”

Walton says: “I am proud to have been given the opportunity to join Crestron, the global leader in home automation. I truly believe training is the single most important investment a company can make and I look forward to working with the team.”

Exterity, with a local presence in South Africa, are a specialised provider of enterprise IP video technologies for the secure distribution of live, on-demand and recorded video over IP. The company has announced that it has deployed its IP video solutions in four stadiums hosting the upcoming UEFA Euro Championships 2016 throughout France, enabling 1.1 million football fans and 2.5 million visitors in total to appreciate every detail on the pitch during this most anticipated European football tournament.

Three of these stadiums, including the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille, underwent refurbishment and installed an updated video system to provide better quality around the venue. The fourth, Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille, is a new build, which required a brand new system to enable it to compete with bigger institutions in the sports industry. Exterity is the only IP video solution provider to be deployed in more than one venue hosting the UEFA Euro 2016.

Explains Colin Farquhar, CEO at Exterity: “We are proud that our IP video solution has been selected to transform the match day experience for over 1 million fans and that we will play such a fundamental role in this new era of video-enhanced live sports.”

The Exterity systems have been deployed for use at over 20 games during the tournament. The end-to-end solution facilitates the distribution of high quality

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© HELIOS IMAGE / OM.NET

Exterity scores at Euros

content to TV displays in the hospitality/VIP suites and the pressrooms. In addition to the live footage shot during the games, the Exterity system features built-in content protection capabilities to enable the venues to offer encrypted football-related content from various TV channels.

Commenting on the reasons why the venue chose to work with Exterity, a Stade Pierre-Mauroy representative says: “Stade Pierre-Mauroy is a brand new stadium, and as such, we wanted to ensure that we

provided state-of-the-art experiences. To achieve this, we produce and deliver tailored content to close to 400 screens around the stadium, and we wanted a system that would help us to offer the best experience to all our visitors. By combining high quality with centralised management, the Exterity system enables us to easily distribute the right content to the right audience, and even facilitate the delivery of multiple live event feeds during busy times.”

christieEMEA.com

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Photos by Dream Lenz Productions

Transformation the key debate at Live Events Technical and Production Conference

Collen Hlatshwayo, DAC and Freddie Nyathela, SARA

LETPC 2016 was recently held in Johannesburg, to discuss the importance of transformation and skills development in the industry…

With the support of the Department of Arts and Culture, The South African Roadies Association (SARA) recently announced that the country’s only live events technical and production conference has been given the green light for LETPC 2016 and for the next three years.

The second annual Live Event Technical and Production Conference (LETPC) 2016 took place from 12 to 14 May 2016 at the Sunnyside Park Hotel in Parktown, Johannesburg. This two-and-a-half-day conference was a SARA initiative.

The main purpose of the LETPC was to bring transformation to the live events

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technical and production sector, focusing on the need for a critical upgrade of skills development, sector training and skills interventions in the field. Currently, the sector’s skills qualification is only at matriculation level (NQF4), and urgently needs to increase to at least NQF 5 and beyond in order to match international standards.

Last year SARA gathered relevant stakeholders, professionals, practitioners and international market leaders in the events, technical, production and education sectors to debate, discuss and share knowledge regarding the way forward and to brainstorm as how to transform the sector at the LETPC 2015.

“The main aim is for us to move forward on the outlined LETPC 2015 outcomes, to follow-through with implementation on the first SA Backstage Academy, focus on increasing the skills qualification level to NQF5, to set-up the skills need analysis and to

bring transformation to this sector,” SARA President Freddie Nyathela says, regarding this year’s conference.

This year, the LETPC 2016 welcomed back international and local speakers John Botham from Semperior LTD (UK), Dr. Adrian Brooks from Backstage Academy (UK) and local entrepreneur Kagiso Moima from Blackmotion (SA). There was also much excitement to welcome new international and local guest speakers Falco Zanini from VPLT (Germany), Julius Grafton from CX Network (Australia), Jim Digby from Event Safety Alliance (USA), Tony Kgoroge from CCIFSA (SA) and Quintus Myburgh from Gearhouse (SA).

The first session of the conference emphasised the importance of teaching employable skills to young people and the benefits of having a South African institution resembling the Backstage Academy of the UK. John Botham (OBE) from Semperior LTD in

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John Botham

Dr Adrian Brooks

the UK, spoke of the potential of South Africa to become the events destination of the world, since the country has so much to offer in terms of the warmth of the people and the weather.

“You have got a vibrant events industry and though it’s not as coherent as it could be, that will happen,” he said.

He also emphasised the importance of skills development in young people entering the industry.

“My experience in travelling the world and working in government is that you can always do something about a situation if people work together,” he said.

“Government’s role is painting the bigger picture, making sure that the vibrant industries that work in South Africa have a forum to show their skills.”

Dr Adrian Brooks, from the Backstage Academy in the UK, identified the benefits of the academy and what a similar institution in South Africa can mean for the country.

According to Brooks, the Backstage Academy is primarily industry based and as a privately funded organisation, they bridge the gap between industry and education, working closely with leading professionals to respond quickly to current skills shortages and write training programmes in line with specific demands. They provide relevant, up-to-date training so that degree students get a real taste for what life is like in the backstage entertainment industry, with a focus on employability.

With roughly 120 new students yearly, the academy offers a 12 module course certificate, over two years, with the option of obtaining a full BA degree after a third year of specialising in a specific area.

“We have industry and educational partners, though everything is funded from our own resources and aim to bridge the gap between what the industry needs and what our academy delivers,” he said.

According to Brooks, the Backstage

Academy also has a 90% employability rate, with several of its students working paid jobs while still busy with their studies.

He would also like to place more emphasis on teaching entrepreneurial skills earlier on in the academy’s course.

“Where we do that at the moment is after the foundation course, during the specialisation course,” he said. “But it is vitally important.”

According to Brooks, a similar institution to the Backstage Academy, in South Africa can benefit the local industry vastly.

Jacob Maphutha kicked off the second session, speaking about The Department of Trade and Industry’s role in creating a conducive environment for businesses to thrive, urging the public and private sectors to work together.

“We are still struggling, as a country, to create opportunities especially for young people. We need to work together,” he said.

“Because people still use the tick box approach to this issue, not fully embracing it, we have criminalised fronting. What people do not understand is that transformation is good for businesses, allowing the economy to grow.”

His biggest concern remained the lack of entrepreneurship in the country and he emphasised the need to target the youth, to teach skills and induce entrepreneurship at an early age.

Quintus Myburgh, from Gearhouse, also spoke about the need for transformation, discussing key problems and solutions for the problem.

According to him, key problems in the industry include the large resources required to achieve transformation, the growing external pressure to transform, obtaining acceptance by key stakeholders of requirements for these implementations, data collection for reporting purposes, the slow pace of transformation and the insufficient number of black, female stakeholders to name a few.

He also named a few solutions for transformation, including skills development being the single key aspect of the economy moving forward, proactive involvement of different departments, the creation of a central source where supplier information is readily available, collective involvement of stakeholders in the industry, drafting a sector code and annual monitoring and reporting to the charter council.

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DAC hears passionate events industry

DAC discussion

The Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) held an industry discussion session on 6 May at the South African State Theatre. It aimed to introduce the Arts and Culture White Paper Reference Panel and to allow industry individual to express their concerns and suggestions for the White Paper review, with specific reference to the technical production and live events sub-sector.

The Reference Panel consisted of Professor

Andries Oliphant, Professor Muxe Nkando, Avril Joffe and Lebo Mahsile, while members from SACIA, SARA and several other organisations and companies attended.

The bulk of the discussion focussed on transformation in the industry, as well as community development, government funding and the provision of opportunities for South African youth to enter the market.

One of the industry members in

SACIA meeting offers feedback of Prolight + Sound, LETPC and more Over the next couple of weeks SACIA and their various special interest groups will be hosting a number of events in Johannesburg to keep members up-to-date with their activities, as well as providing feedback on international events that have drawn delegates from southern Africa.

Their first event, specifically aimed at TPSA members active within the technical production and live events sector, took place on 16 May. SACIA provided feedback on a number of projects being developed by the TPSA Council, including feedback on a best-practice rigging guide being developed with industry input. Executive Director of SACIA Kevan Jones also provided feedback from SARA’s LETPC event that took place from 12 to 14 May. During the event, Jones offered a summary of the issues discussed at the LETPC event, before discussing TPSA’s own commitment to transformation.

“SACIA’s long-term vision remains to create and recognise professional standards

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in the industry, while also promoting ethical business practices,” he said.

With this, He was also excited to note that the recently elected SACIA ProAV Council, comprising Bruce Genricks (Chair), Elaine Shellard, Paul Fraser, Tumi Dumasi and Wynand Langenhoven, featured two women.

“I am very excited that we have two women on a board of five people, especially during this time that we are so focussed on transformation in the industry,” he said.

SACIA Board elections will be held next week and according to Jones, there are 15 nominations for the five open positions.

During the course of the event, Jones also expressed his concern with the lack of feedback he received from the Department of Arts and Culture.

“I have been met with arrogance and I have not had any conversation with them regarding the various suggestions we have discussed for the industry and the DAC’s involvement,” Jones said.

attendance suggested that the lack of structured accreditation for the identification of industry professionals, was mainly due to a lack of focus and efforts from the DAC. The need for transformation and empowerment in the industry was discussed passionately by both the attendees and the panel.

It was pointed out by Prof. Oliphant that the Tshwane University of Technology does offer a BTech qualification in sound and lighting, but several attendees suggested a similar institution like the Backstage Academy in the UK, to allow for training and skills development in the live events sector specifically. A similar Backstage Academy institution is now being planned by the SA Roadies Association. The head of SARA, Freddy Nyathela, has been arguing passionately for a local versio of this institution, and again put his case to the DAC at the hearing.

“Because that is a big omission in the White Paper of 1996, we fully acknowledge it and we are determined to make that right.

We would like you all to know that – we have heard you over the years,” Prof. Oliphant said. “We are ready to address this matter.”

However, exactly where this institution would be most beneficial, especially to those in rural parts of the country, could not be finalised by either party.

Another issue discussed during the course of the meeting was the need for a network of community centres, roadshows and other education opportunities for young people throughout the country, where children can learn about event sound and lighting first hand.

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Inspiring young mentors Inspired Stages hosted their first Inspired Mentors programme from 21 to 24 March at the GrandWest Casino. Ninety-two youngsters between the ages of 17 and 25 and who had previously been involved in Inspired Stages workshops, were trained up as mentors.

“Young adults from within the community with a passion and talent for music, dance, singing and performing were carefully sourced and identified through schools, colleges, community centres, youth groups and churches,” explains Karen Burt, founder and facilitator of Inspired Stages. “They were nominated by teachers and peers as individuals who showed potential as both a performer and role model and who would be best suited to the mentorship opportunity.”

“The programme was intensive,” says Burt.

“We went further than natural talent and passion. We trained the mentors in a fully comprehensive programme including all the business aspects of the industry. The intention

Mentors programme

was to empower young people with the skills to develop their own sustainable business in the performing arts. It was also to take all they had learnt back to their communities to help other young people there.” The top students at the workshop were also selected to work on like-minded community projects.”

Besides daily workshops, life coaching and leadership challenges, the group were split up into four teams. Each team had to put up their own themed 'show' to be hosted on the last evening at the GrandWest Roxy Theatre.

Each team was also responsible to sell tickets and raise money for their nominated charity.

With this highly motivated group of

youngsters, the Roxy Theatre was sold out for this anticipated performance.

Letters of thanks from students who attended have poured in. Karen Burt, Gavin Taylor and the rest of the Inspired Stages team will continue with workshops and mentor programmes throughout the year.

For more information visit their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ groups/1482806801945249/.

According to DWR Distribution, they are delighted to play a small part in the regular workshops hosted by Inspired Stages throughout the year, by sponsoring each delegate with a T-shirt or cap.

Successful ISE 2016 for RGBlink RGBlink exhibited strongly at this year’s Integrated Systems Europe, using the exhibition to increase their presence and as a platform to release a number of new products.

As an exhibition sponsor, the RGBlink featured prominently around the exhibition introducing many people to RGBlink and bringing many people to the stand. In addition, RGBlink stand at ISE spots on ISETV and other media platforms brought visitors to RGBlink.

Says RGBlink Marketing Director Justin Knox: “Our aim was to be more than just another exhibitor – we really wanted to increase our exposure and have the opportunity to show the RGBlink and the products to as many people in the integration industry as possible.

ISE is certainly important to us and to the industry, and we were overwhelmed with visitors literally from the moment the doors opened. And the feedback we received from visitors as well as existing customers

was brilliant.”

RGBlink introduced three new Venus X Series products at ISE. The first, X1pro, is a 4K scaler and seamless switcher – both 4K in and out, with a range of modular options for additional inputs, and also to extend X1pro output with a further DisplayPort and two further DVI ports.

Perhaps the most exciting – at least to look at – is X3 Live. More that vision mixing, X3 Live integrates a control console with advancing scaling and presentation switching

capabilities. All control can be undertaken from the console and previewed and monitored from the built in LCD monitors.

Connectivity is as you might expect – fully modular – with a wide range input and output options and other options such as Tally. Dedicated preview and monitoring outputs are available, and Genlock is standard too.

Says Sales Director Ben Hu: “We could really see a great opportunity to bring presentation switching and vision mixing together – not just for live entertainment applications but many integration applications, like control rooms, can be simplified with an X3 Live solution.”

Venus X7 was the third of the products introduced by RGBlink – a large universal routing and scaling processor, X7 features 32x32 inputs and outputs – all fully modular.

Build an X7 system to suit any requirement.

And X7 is 4K ready, 12G-SDI ready, supports 3D signals both encoding and decoding, is ArtNet ready, and a whole lot more.

“The feedback from visitors was great for us, really validates the work of the development team, and we are sure these new products will be very successful,” says Ben.

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Gearhouse South Africa go wireless with LumenRadio

Gearhouse's Stuart Andrews and Nick Britz from DWR

Gearhouse South Africa has made the largest LumenRadio investment in Africa to be used for The Forever Living Products 2016 Global Rally at the Ticketpro Dome in North Riding Johannesburg.

“I was impressed when seeing the

LumenRadio system at the roadshow DWR hosted at the UJ theatre a few of years ago,” says Stuart Andrews, Lighting Operations Manager at Gearhouse Johannesburg.

“The LumenRadio guys had really done their research and development and could

CTICC backs down on levy decision It was widely reported in the industry that the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), host to many events at which SACIA and TPSA members provide services, was intending to introduce a compulsory 10% of the cost of contract levy on non-contracted service providers. Such as the outside contractors that generally provide various AV services to the venue. Over the last few weeks there was an ongoing conversation between TPSA members relating to the levy being introduced by the CTICC on noncontracted service providers working on their premises.

Clearly the possibility of a levy was seen as punitive by many service providers to the venue, and was also seen as unjustifiable in the circumstances. After an initial period of

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dialogue with the industries potentially affected, the CTICC took up a position that all service providers sign a contract with them – and start paying the levy with immediate effect.

The CTICC is owned primarily by the City of Cape Town (50,2%) and the Provincial Government of the Western Cape (25.1%).

After a period of extensive lobbying at provincial government and city level both by individual members of our industry and by industry organisations like SACIA and TPSA, the CTICC has backed down on its decision to impose the levy – for now.

No official public reasons have been given for the reversal of the decision, but dialogue is ongoing to find a mutually agreeable solution.

answer any query I had so thoroughly that I had no doubts that it would deliver.

It’s such a vital link in the chain that to go with a system that doesn’t offer complete peace of mind simply wouldn’t be acceptable.”

Gearhouse Cape Town was the first to purchase a LumenRadio system. “We used this wireless system before in Johannesburg with great success,” he says.

The new gear was installed and set up at the Dome for the Rally. “So far all is good and stable,” Andrews said, prior to kick off.

The new LumenRadio gear includes 4 In-RTX2 CRMX Nova RDM Dual Transmitters, 10 In-RRX1 CRMX Nova RDM Receivers, 3 In-DRX1 CRMX Nova DMX Receivers, 3 In-RFX1 CRMX Nova Flex FX and 4 LumenRadio Black ¼ “ cases.

“I like the build quality and the versatility of the system,” says Andrews. “We will be able to use it for big and small events and will help massively with some of the big special projects we work on.”

Nick Britz from DWR says that LumenRadio is a exceptionally stable product. “In time, I am convinced that more technical suppliers will see the benefits of going wireless,” says Britz.

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Meeting up with Josh Groban’s audio engineers in South Africa

Chris 'cookie' Hoff and Mickey Beck

Audio Engineers Mickey Beck has been with Josh Groban for 12 years and Chris 'cookie' Hoff has been with Josh for three years.

Beck and Hoff recently came to South Africa for the Stages tour where they worked on two DiGiCo SD10 consoles with waves and two 2SD Racks. The Stages Tour was held recently in Johannesburg (Ticketpro Dome), Durban (ICC Durban Arena) and in Cape Town (Grand Arena, GrandWest) with the full technical supplied by Gearhouse South Africa.

Beck and Hoff commented: “The main reason we have chosen DiGiCo consoles for the Josh Groban Stages tour was its scalability with a cohesive UI throughout the model range. There is no typical Josh Groban configuration. A show may be just Josh with piano or a trio which adds a guitar.

There have been shows where Josh has sung with an orchestra or orchestra and full

electric band. We needed a console line that would allow us to move our work up or down in input list size without having to start from scratch every time.

"The DiGiCo platform helps us achieve our goal with it’s straight-forward UI, ease of use, sonic quality, and scalability of input racks.

We love the stage rack sharing ability as it helps us meet our daily production/rehearsal schedule by allowing us to line check onstage while FOH is tuning and we know that if we have the input on stage, FOH will certainly have it as well. Our first real dive into DiGiCo was August 2015 starting with Josh’s PBS special recording. We both use Waves MultiRack with our DiGiCo consoles as well as a pair of Bricasti M7 reverb units at both console locations. MultiRack is on the console using the DiGiCo/Waves IO with Waves Extreme Servers and we send to and receive from our Bricasti units via the local AES IO on the surface.”

Both engineers say that working with Groban has many highlights. “Josh is a tremendous vocalist. His power and technique is in a class far beyond a typical

pop vocalist. He cares about his craft and works very hard to constantly refine his abilities. This translates to a quality vocal for us to work with. We have great gear and great musicians. We hide nothing.”

Finally, they had a word about South Africa. “It’s not a typical destination for most American artists. We feel very privileged to be able to travel to distant lands and put on our shows. We had great audiences, great local musicians, great weather and great gear to work with thanks to DWR Distribution and Gearhouse.”

Jakobus de Wit from Gearhouse South Africa was involved in the project. “The crew from Josh Groban are of the best around the world. That should say something about the equipment they choose to use. This was a show of high standard and we all feel proud that we played a part in it.”

Kyle Robson from DWR also toured with the team. “I made sure their DiGiCo system was set up at each venue and I was there for support. That said, the system was solid and ran without a hitch.”

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PROLIGHT + SOUND Show REPORT

Photos Š Messe Frankfurt, Pietro Sutera

Prolight + Sound 2016 sets new exhibitor and visitor records

Prolight + Sound continues to grow in line with the pro-AV sector: 940 exhibitors from 47 countries, and about 45 000 visitors from 121 countries made their way to Frankfurt am Main for this year’s show, which set new exhibitor and visitor records.

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Show REPORT PROLIGHT + SOUND “This year’s Prolight + Sound demonstrated the creative and economic potential of event technology and was able to exploit the positive business climate in the sector in full,” said Detlef Braun, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt GmbH. The significance of the fair is also underscored by its high degree of internationality: more than half of all visitors and around 62 percent of exhibitors came from outside Germany. The top 10 visitor nations in 2016 were Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Austria, China and Sweden. Together with Musikmesse (7 to 10 April 2016), Prolight + Sound once again turned Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre into the pivotal point of the worldwide music and event business.

For the first time this year, Prolight + Sound was held in the eastern section of Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre, which offers optimum presentation facilities for the event industry and, following many years of growth, has the room needed to expand the spectrum of products and themes in terms of breadth and depth. The sequence of days was also new and, in response to great demand from the sector, the fair was held over four working days. By changing to Tuesday to Friday, the organisers also opened up the way for an expansion of the conference programme to all four days. On the Thursday and Friday (7 and 8 April), Prolight + Sound took place concurrently with Musikmesse thus safeguarding the valuable synergies generated by the two fairs. The new concept was generally met with approval.

“For us, the new concept of Prolight + Sound is spot on. We had significantly more visitors than last year and were very successful in attracting new customers and making valuable contacts to retailers from Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa”, said Jörg Zimmermann, Sales & Purchasing Manager, JB-Lighting. Martin Fournier, Sales Director South & Central Europe, Martin Professional ApS, said, “We enjoyed a very successful fair. We liked the new Hall 4.0 and our exhibition stand was full of visitors throughout the fair. Moreover, thanks to the new sequence of days, very many of them were professionals. For us, Prolight + Sound is the world’s leading trade fair for the sector.”

After years of growth, the turnover of the event-technology sector is approaching the € 4 billion mark. According to a new GfK study commissioned jointly by the VPLT and Messe Frankfurt, 47 percent of the market participants interviewed anticipate slight to considerable increases in turnover – only six percent predict a decline. The positive business climate in the sector is the result of an unbroken, high level of demand for creative, professional, safe and innovative events, as well as technical progress accompanied by numerous factors promoting growth.

The innovative capacity of the sector was also clearly visible at this year’s Prolight + Sound. In six exhibition halls, visitors were able to see what turns an event into a spectacular occasion. For example, the fair presented developments in the field of laser technology that not only make projections sharper and more brilliant but also extend the colour spectrum. Such equipment is becoming more sophisticated and user friendly – and is used not only on show stages but also in museums, planetariums and fun-fair rides. Some manufacturers are getting into position for the major sporting events of the year with mobile video screens.

LED technology is becoming increasingly flexible and is also fitted, for example, to innovative furnishings, such as multi-media lamps, bar tables with built-in screens and video dance floors. Another highlight at Prolight + Sound was camera drones offering aerial photos in full HD quality transmitted live on a screen. The field of 3D mapping has also developed into a driving force for sales.

Generally, the upward trajectory of Prolight + Sound as a trade fair in the sector mirrors the growth curve of the industry as a whole. Pro-AV technologies are ever more widely applicable in many different spheres of social, cultural and business life.

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PROLIGHT + SOUND Show REPORT

Microphones Shaping the future of audio

Making the future of audio technology tangible – that was audio specialist Sennheiser’s aim at this year’s expo. At a joint stand together with Neumann.Berlin, a sound experience room invited visitors to enjoy the world’s best headphones – the Sennheiser HE 1 – and the AMBEO 3D Audio immersive sound experience through a reference set-up with Neumann loudspeakers. The stand also provided the opportunity to try out the Venue Modelling software, which takes 3D audio into the DJ world, and to catch a glimpse of Sennheiser’s upcoming virtual reality microphone.

The centrepiece of the Sennheiser and Neumann.Berlin stand, however, was the sound experience room, which offers listening sessions with the Sennheiser HE 1 headphones, Sennheiser AMBEO 3D audio, and stereo and surround-sound demonstrations with

Neumann loudspeakers. As part of the AMBEO demonstrations, original 9.1 recordings and upmix stereo material generated via a Sennheiserproprietary algorithm was played to show the full potential of the reproduction format. The reference loudspeaker set-up consists of Neumann KH 310 at all front positions, KH 120 for the four rear speakers and a KH 870 as subwoofer.

Musicians could find a wide-ranging portfolio of wired and wireless microphones from the evolution to the 2000 series on show, while DJs encountered not only professional headphones like the HD 25, but also demo versions of the Venue Modeling software. This VST plug-in from the 'AMBEO 3D audio' programme from Sennheiser features the room characteristics of various clubs – such as Mighty in San Francisco, the Rex Club in Paris or Berghain in Berlin – thus enabling DJs, even at the planning phase, to experience their sets as if they were in the clubs themselves. The sound can be tailored to the room atmosphere, and a growing venue database ensures that the set can be ideally prepared every time. The VST plug-in will be available from December 2016.

Whether it is for a home studio or a major recording studio, visitors were also able to experience the entire bandwidth of recording solutions – from the classic Neumann U 87 studio microphone to a Sennheiser product innovation for home studios. On the stand was a special focus on Neumann products for home studios. The monitoring loudspeakers from the studio specialist could also be tested in the sound experience room.

Shure KSM8 honoured with PIPA 2016 Award The Prolight + Sound International Press Award (pipa) is one of the most recognised accolades in the professional audio industry. The award is presented annually by a panel consisting of over 100 dedicated special interest magazines from all over the world.

This year, the Shure KSM8 Dualdyne Vocal Microphone introduced this January was awarded the pipa in the category “Live Microphone / IEM”. The ceremony took place during the 2016 Prolight + Sound / Musikmesse in Frankfurt on April 7.

The KSM8 Dualdyne is the first-ever dual-diaphragm dynamic handheld microphone especially suited for high-end vocal reproduction and sound-reinforcement control. The patented* Dualdyne cartridge significantly reduces the proximity effect, masters off-axis rejection and provides signal clarity and feedback control.

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Ron Hautzinger, Product Manager Pro & Retail at Shure Europe says: “With the KSM8, Shure set out to develop a microphone that turns the world of dynamic microphones upside down. Offering a brand-new patented cartridge design with two diaphragms, the KSM8 has virtually no proximity effect and a flat off-axis attenuation for superior rejection of unwanted sound sources. We are honoured to receive the pipa and would like to thank all voters.”

Distributed by www.wildandmarr.co.za.

ClickShare

Audio-Technica introduces ATM350a Microphone Systems

Audio-Technica, a leading innovator in transducer technology for over 50 years, unveiled its new ATM350a Microphone Systems at the Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt, Germany.

Offering crisp, clear, well-balanced response even in very high SPL applications, the ATM350a Cardioid Condenser Instrument Microphone comes in six, specially designed systems that provide discreet, rock-solid mounting solutions for a host of instruments, including woodwinds, strings, brass, percussion, drums and piano.

Following in the footsteps of the popular ATM350, the ATM350a is capable of handling 159 dB max SPL, a 10 dB increase over its predecessor. This allows the mic to cope with an even greater range of extremely powerful, dynamic sound sources. Like the ATM350, the new mic features a cardioid polar pattern that reduces side and rear pickup and protects against feedback. The mic’s in-line power module incorporates a switchable 80 Hz hi-pass filter to help control undesired ambient noise.

The six ATM350a Microphone Systems combine the instrument microphone with unique UniMount® components, giving sound engineers and musicians plenty of dependable mounting options when working on stage or in the studio. Options include a rugged drum mount, all-new magnetic piano mount, upgraded universal clip-on mount, expandable woodwind mount, and two strong, flexible goosenecks (5” and 9”) that can be attached to any of the mounts.

The Audio-Technica ATM350a Microphone Systems will be available in July 2016.

Distributed by www.prosound.co.za.

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PROLIGHT + SOUND Show REPORT

Speakers Alcons Audio launches LR18 The Prolight+Sound show in Frankfurt saw the official debut of the Alcons LR18 pro-ribbon line-array; The 3-way, compact-mid-size format line-source sound system, combines the highest sound quality possible with very high SPL capabilities and throw.

By implementing Alcons’ multiple-patented pro-ribbon technology for mid and high frequencies, a super-fast impulse response with up-to-90% less distortion is achieved. This enables the LR18 to offer a fully intuitive linear response, with very high intelligibility and noncompressed identical tonal balance at any SPL. The all-natural cylindrical wavefront of the purpose-designed RBN702rs 7” pro-ribbon transducer and the acoustically and electronically symmetrical component configuration bring a remarkable pattern control in both the vertical as well as the horizontal plane, without any distortion-inducing horn constructions.

The pro-ribbon’s power handling of 1500W and RMS-to-peak ratio of 1:15, caters for a very high intelligibility and throw with maximum dynamic headroom reserve.

The MF-section features a high-efficiency 6.5” midrange transducer with Neodymium motor-structure co-axially mounted behind the RBN702rsr pro-ribbon driver.

The LF section consist of 2 extended-excursion, reflex-loaded 8” woofers with oversized 3” voice-coil Neodymium motor-structure; Due to the extraordinary design, this 8” surpasses the output of even larger drivers in higher-category line-array systems, while maintaining the unobtrusive face print of a compact system.

The LR18 is driven by two channels of the Sentinel amplified

Funktion One debuts Vero at Prolight + Sound Following six years of development, British loudspeaker manufacturer, Funktion-One, chose Prolight + Sound Frankfurt for the launch of Vero – its new, large format touring sound system. The company also debuted the Evo 7T Touring loudspeaker and F132 bass enclosure at the show.

The company sees Vero as a response to the declining standard of audio quality in the live environment, coupled with an understanding that the industry’s ergonomic expectations demand a system that can be flown quickly and easily, and with minimal crew. In answer to this, Tony Andrews, John Newsham and the Funktion-One team designed a system that is conveniently arrayable and boasts a new level of performance characteristics relating to sound quality, efficiency and directivity.

Vero is a complete system, with each element specified or designed for the highest possible performance. The system includes speakers, amplifiers, cabling, rigging, transport dollies, weatherproof

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loudspeaker controller, optimising the system’s response by LR18specific drive processing and feedback for each array configuration, including presets for phase-matched low-frequency extensions.

The Signal Integrity Sensing™ pre-wiring ensures dynamic cable/ connector compensation between the LR18 and ALC, without any preset requirement; This offers a 1:1, undistorted natural sound reproduction, regardless of cable length and amplifier impedance load (system damping factor at the speaker terminals of 10.000).

The rigging system enables angle-setting on the cabinets without lifting the array, resulting in safer and faster set-up with minimal handling and a WLL of 24 cabinets under 10:1 safety (LB18 32 units).

Array configurations can be simulated in the new release of Alcons Ribbon Calculator (ARC3), Alcons’ high-resolution 3D simulation programme.

Tom Back, Alcons’ managing director: “This is one of the most important product releases for Alcons Audio to date: Not only for the market volume in both the install and rental market, but also to complete the LR28 large-format touring system package.” Tom continues: “When we started development of the LR18, we knew we had to pull out all stops to make this a benchmark system; Not only in the projection control, but also in the 1:1 sound reproduction in any type of application, from classical up to rock ‘n roll. The result is: What You Mix Is What You Get!” Distributed by www.matrixsound.co.za.

covers and software.

The Vero speaker range features six highly efficient, low distortion horn-loaded loudspeakers – the V60 mid-high, V90 mid-high and V315 mid-bass with a choice of V221, V124 or V132 bass. The V60s, V90s and V315s all have identical dimensions, enabling them to be flown in the same vertical array.

The ground stacked V221, V124 or V132 bass enclosures offer a choice of size and low frequency extension.

Vero is powered by Lab.gruppen PLM 20K44 amplifiers, featuring bulletproof reliability, tremendous power from a compact package, onboard processing and the sonically superior Dante networking for signal distribution. Three PLM 20K44 amplifiers and mains distro are fully shock mounted in an innovative, compact rack, complete with sliding doors that conveniently stow in the roof of the rack.

Vero’s patented Lambda flying system is designed for speed, safety and ease of use. It allows Vero arrays to be deployed accurately and efficiently. All rigging settings can be calculated using Vero’s Projection software. Unlike most other flown arrays, Vero’s inter-cabinet splay angles can be adjusted with the system in suspension.

Distributed by www.funktion-one.com.

Show REPORT PROLIGHT + SOUND

EAW showcases Adaptive Systems Eastern Acoustic Works showcased two of their range of Adaptive Systems ata Prolight + Sound 2016, namely Anna and Otto.

Adaptive systems have the ability to assess and then perfectly match the three dimensional performance requirements of any venue.

These comprehensively integrated systems utilise a high resolution array of discretely powered and processed acoustical devices in concert with powerful EAW Resolution software to create optimised results at show speed without the need for physical reconfiguration. Adaptive systems can autonomously determine their array configuration, continuously analyse every system element and even heal the system coverage in the unlikely event of a fault. These systems aspire to be the gold standard for the world of sound reinforcement.

Anna™ is the newest introduction to the flagship line, providing all the benefits of Adaptive performance in a high-output mid-sized enclosure. Weighing just 61 kg, the extraordinary output-to-weight ratio makes Anna exceptionally versatile, with applications ranging from small clubs and houses of worship to large arenas and touring productions. Anna’s 100° horizontal dispersion further extends the capabilities of Adaptive Systems; columns of Anna can be flown as mains or mixed with columns of Anya™ within the same array for even greater coverage possibilities. Like all Adaptive Systems, Anna is controlled via Resolution™ 2 software over the Dante™ network and utilises the same standardised power and data infrastructure.

Anna modules hang straight, without any vertical splay, and Resolution™ 2 software adapts total system performance to produce custom-tailored coverage that delivers coherent, full-frequency range response across the entire coverage area as defined by the user.

The module’s horizontal symmetry ensures coherent summation without anomalies through the crossover regions that result from physically offset acoustic sources. This provides consistent, HF dispersion and broadband pattern control in the horizontal plane.

Otto was the other Adaptive System product on show at Prolight + Sound. It is the world’s first Adaptive™ subwoofer.

Utilising two Offset Aperture-loaded woofers paired with independent on-board amplification, processing and networking, Otto extends Adaptive Performance™ to the lowest octaves of the audible spectrum. Otto will perfectly balance low-frequency coverage with cancellation to suit the user’s requirements; omni, cardioid, hyper-cardioid or anywhere in between from just a single module. Combined in arrays, Otto provides users with nearly endless possibilities in low-frequency pattern control.

Each Otto module includes two high-power 18” cones featuring Offset Aperture™ loading to generate four optimally- spaced acoustical sources; one in each corner. In addition to perfect source spacing for the loudspeaker’s operating range, this loading also provides exceptional efficiency and minimises harmonic distortion, even when the system is driven to maximum levels. The transducer, port and enclosure design allow Otto to achieve high output levels, while providing impact and low-frequency extension typical of much larger enclosures.

The module’s rotational symmetry provides enormous flexibility in designing systems for optimal coverage; arrays can be constructed with all modules in the same orientation, or with woofer orientation staggered to provide maximum 3D coverage capabilities.

Resolution software determines the best configuration for a given application.

Distributed by www.surgesound.co.za.

Electro-Voice X-Line Advance wins 2016 PIPA press award at Prolight + Sound Every spring, Frankfurt becomes the centre of the professional audio and musical instrument industries for almost a week. This year the Prolight + Sound and Musikmesse trade shows together attracted almost 110 000 visitors from around 130 countries.

One of the highlights for the attending companies is the annual Prolight + Sound International Press Awards (PIPA), an event that has established itself as the Grammys of the pro audio and musical instrument industries.

More than 100 dedicated special interest magazines from all over the world voted for the best pro audio equipment and musical instruments of 2015/2016 in 38 categories. The official awards ceremony took place on 7 April at the Prolight + Sound show. This year, Electro-Voice received a PIPA award for the second time in a row: the X-Line Advance compact vertical line array loudspeaker system convinced the jury in the concert sound category. Introduced in spring 2015, X-Line Advance is gaining industry notice for providing a uniquely satisfying combination of precise, linear output, a

best-in-class performance-to-size ratio and a user-friendly rigging system. Last year, EKX series loudspeakers from Electro-Voice prevailed over the competition in the portable sound category.

Guillermo Wabi, Product Manager for Concert Sound Systems with Electro-Voice, proudly accepted the award: “I’m thrilled that the X-Line Advance is honoured with this prestigious award. With the X-Line Advance we channelled our concert sound expertise and R&D resources towards a product that has pushed the art and science of sound forward, rather than following the pack.”

Distributed by www.prosoundco.za.

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PROLIGHT + SOUND Show REPORT

Projectors Barco showcases versatility Barco showcased venue projectors, switchers, media servers and immersive sound technology at Prolight + Sound this year.

‘Be bright, choose right’ was the overall motto of Barco’s Prolight + Sound booth. Intended to attract rental firms, show designers and event organisers, The company demonstrated its range of projectors and LED displays, as well as media servers, image processing solutions and show controllers to meet event technology needs.

Eye-catchers at the booth included the HDX-4K20 and F90 projectors, which feature the latest 4K and laser phosphor technologies. In addition, the new addition to Barco’s Event Master squad of screen management systems was on show, the full-sized EC-200 hardware controller. Visitors also got a sneak preview of its new LED solution, to be launched in the near future.

In 2014, Barco acquired immersive sound expert IOSONO, which specialises in object-based sound rendering. At this year’s Prolight + Sound, the IOSONO immersive sound solution, featuring the IOSONO CORE processor, was on display.

One of Barco’s headline projectors on show this year, the HDX-4K20

FLEX projector won the Prolight + Sound International Press Award (PIPA). The 3-chip DLP projector features the latest 4K technology, guaranteeing image quality. Thanks to its flexible brightness and resolution features, this projector can be easily adjusted for specific applications. Journalists from over 100 special interest magazines were clearly impressed by the HDX-4K20, voting it the best projector at the PIPA award ceremony at the show.

Distributed by www.peripheralvision.co.za.

Christie highlights new solutions at Prolight+Sound 2016

Visitors to the Christie stand booth at Prolight+Sound experienced several new solutions for entertainment, integrated systems and content creation from the leader in visual display technology.

Christie continues to supply long-lasting projectors with its HS Series, which tests at 12 500 centre lumens. The 1DLP Christie HS Series – prominently displayed at the fair – is compact and delivers a wide selection of features and connectivity. With more than 12 000 lumens in HD and WUXGA resolution, these 1DLP projectors belong to the world’s brightest available products in their class.

Christie also demonstrated the versatility of the multi awardwinning and multi-directional Boxer,, which has set an industry benchmark. The expanded family now includes the new Boxer 2K20, 2K25, and 2K30 all of which are upgradeable to true 4K at 120Hz. At Frankfurt, Christie demonstrated for the first time just how whisper-

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quiet the Boxer 4K30 is. On the stand the projector was mounted at head height so visitors could hear for themsleves how Christie has hugely reduced the Boxer Series’ noise levels.

Christie also showcased its versatile Velvet LED series, which are perfect for a variety of indoor applications including architectural, entertainment and critical viewing environments. Christie Velvet is certified at the system-level and offers 24/7 operation and 100 000 hours of service-life.

Lastly, the new Pandoras Box 5.9 managed and controlled the content on the stand. Pandoras Box Version 5.9 now encodes files up to four times faster, delivers additional codec information through the file inspector, and includes a completely redesigned Patch-Tab and new templates that deliver faster workflow for remote control from a lighting desk. Users can create their own profiles, as well as export and import patch templates with exceptional ease. A Cues Tab has also been introduced for an overview of all cues, which can be used to navigate through the timeline and leave individual notes per cue. The new Kiosk Mode can act as a simple standalone playback device that can be set up and operated without special training by anyone and without ‘digging deep’ into the menu.

Distributed by www.christiedigital.com.

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Frequency Response (+/- 6dB anechoic chamber): 32 – 300Hz Drivers: Customised Audiocenter drivers, Ferrite, 4” voice coil Signal Input/Output Connector: Female XRL Input, Male XLR Output Power Input/Output Connector: Powercon NAC3MPA / NAC3MPB Power Rating (AES): 2800W Amplifier: Class D Weight: 95Kg Dimensions mm: 984(W) x 650(H) x 760(D)

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PROLIGHT + SOUND Show REPORT

Lights PR launches powerful XR 440 beam PR Lighting’s new XR 440 Beam houses the new advanced Osram Sirius HRI 440W discharge lamp, outputting 22 000 lumens. As such it is a powerful powerful beam light, with a superbly designed optical path, excellent colour and comprehensive and number of effects.

The CMY linear colour mixing system, with macro, offers a colour wheel with 11 colours and CTO plus open, with bi-directional rainbow effect at variable speeds and step/ linear colour change.

The fixed gobo wheel contains 18 fixed gobos plus open, bi-directionally scrolling at variable speeds – with shake effect at variable speeds.

The rotating wheel contains seven rotating gobos plus open, bi-directionally scrolling at

Clay Paky shines at ProLight+Sound 2016 Clay Paky kicked off the celebrations for its first 40 years of history at ProLight+Sound this year. The Italian company was founded on 28 August 1976. Its fascinating history is dotted with many successes, in which genuine passion for show lighting and entertainment has always been its guiding light.

The anniversary celebration was held in Frankfurt and consisted of an open party at the Clay Paky booth at the end of the first day of the fair. Pio Nahum, Clay Paky CEO, told the story of the company with pride and emotion, stressing that “Clay Paky must always look to the future. It must innovate continuously on the basis of its business know-how and wealth of experience to ensure a bright success for years to come.”

The company launched three new products for the first time internationally at ProLight+Sound 2016, all of which aroused considerable interest among industry professionals. The products were the stars of a demo/ multimedia light show which accompanied the performances of some musicians and cover bands.

The Scenius Profile is the new beam shaper at the top of the Clay Paky moving head range. The Hepikos is a 700W washlight that combines low power consumption with colour quality, without compromise. The SharBar is an advanced moving LED bar with features that transform it into a brand new multi-beam effect light. It fits six 30W powerful new OSRAM Ostar RGBW LEDs.

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variable speeds, with shake effect at variable speeds. Either glass or metal gobos can be affixed.

Manipulating the image are two 8-facet rotating prisms, with optional 3-facet and 16-facet prisms, and a frost filter.

Other features include mechanical dimmer (0-100%) and strobe (0.3-25fps); motorised linear focus and zoom, and head movement of 540° (pan) and 270° (tilt), with auto position correction.

The XR 400s modular construction has been designed for ease of maintenance while it is also set up for wireless control.

Visit www.pr-lighting.com, or contact Jerry Gilbert, JGP Public Relations, on +44 (0)1707 258525.

Distributed by www.prosound.co.za.

Urban space transformed Enhancement of the urban landscape (otherwise known as “city beautification”) is a global phenomenon which also involves lighting professionals. In its 40th anniversary year, Clay Paky has enriched its range with a line of units for architectural lighting, and it intends to widen the choice progressively in the future. This line includes all of Clay Paky’s diverse and many-sided guises: an effects light for architainment (Spherilight), a portable battery-powered colour changer for temporary installations (GlowUp), and the new Odeon line.

This is a range of 'pure' architectural fixtures, which are designed for architects on the basis of their requirements and their needs. They come in a range of more than thirty models.

Two main versions are available – flood and graze – with 15°, 25° and 45° optical units and RGBW, Tunable White and Total White configurations. They may be further customised in terms of size and finish.

At the show, Clay Paky also debuted its latest product concept, the Larpy, the first searchlight which uses laser technology through the new PHASER module made by Osram. New developments are expected in the coming months.

Distributed by www.dwrdistribution.co.za.

Show REPORT PROLIGHT + SOUND

Robe goes Renaissance at Prolight + Sound Robe brought impact and style to their stand for Prolight+Sound 2016, taking three times the space to accommodate hundreds of guests in a recreation of a Tuscan Renaissance theatre environment as a showcase for the total of ten new products the company launched at the show.

Among these, two key new products – the DL7S Profile and the DL7F Wash – are specifically aimed at the theatre and television markets.

The eye-catching stand featured a separate space where the hugely successful “One Man One Light” devised and first staged in South Africa at Mediatech 2015, played daily, every hour on the half-hour. The show is designed to illustrate the power and versatility of Robe’s BMFL Blade profile fixture built for stage and performance applications.

A full lightshow optimised for stage / concert scenarios also played through each day, every hour on the hour.

Highlights of the new products DL7F Wash Featuring a traditional fresnel front lens, the new Robin DL7F Wash is an LED source offering a classic looking and conventionally homogenised beam with high resolution smooth dimming. The 200mm diameter fresnel lens is easily interchangeable for an optional PC lens.

Seven individually adjustable colours give unprecedented smooth, stable and even colour mixing and a very high CRI of 90. Green can be added or subtracted and the CTC can be regulated between 2700 to 8000K via dedicated control channels.

The DL7F Wash uses an internal barn door module – four individually controllable blades – for creating different shapes, which is rotatable by +/- 90°.

BMFL WashBeam This benchmark fixture was seen for the first time at a trade show after its worldwide online launch in January. Extra bright output and abundant amazing features – including newly developed framing shutters, a super wide front lens and animation wheel – ensure the latest BMFL series fixture can enhance any show with its impressively large beam, produced through the wide 180mm front lens.

Utilising a custom light source designed for Robe, it produces an astounding 300 000 lux at 5 metres!

The rotating gobo wheel has a carefully selected set of gobos that give numerous combinations for aerial animations as well as fabulous spot-like projections onto any surface.

Spikie Spikie is a new small, super-fast LED WashBeam, which utilises a single 60W RGBW light source with a specially designed 110mm wide front lens producing a nice solid beam.

The fixture quickly zooms from a soft wide 28° wash to a tight sharp-edged 4° beam … or one of two new stunning air effects.

Strobe / StrobeLite Power is everything when it comes to strobe technology, and the Strobe from Robe is among the brightest, best value, strobe-blinder effects units on the market.

The fixture is controllable and configurable in stacks of multiple units, while the StrobeLite is a single hanging fixture with reduced weight.

Super-fast bursts of high-powered pulses can be adjusted in frequency, duration and intensity … optically harnessed from the 120 x high powered white LED chips. It’s simple to rig either individually or in multiples and straightforward to program using either direct segment control or the pre-defined macros.

The Strobe has splash proof housing for protecting against rain when installed – temporarily – on front trusses or used as blinders / floodlights along the lip of outdoor stages. picklePATT The new – highly cute – picklePATT is the latest edition to Robe’s ‘tungsten classic’ family and the second developed in collaboration with award winning international lighting designer, Tim Routledge.

The fixture combines traditional aesthetics with modern engineering and further meets the current demand for well-placed tungsten onstage or in scenic contexts – popular for live music, TV productions, films and general prop lighting.

The vintage looks are combined with the latest 575W HPL softlight lightsource.

The attractive body is made from 392mm sleek spun aluminium with a fantastic profile, looking equally good onstage as the performers it’s illuminating!

The picklePATT proves that lighting fixtures can be more than just a practical necessity – the luminaires themselves can be a piece of art and create mood and atmosphere.

Robe’s renowned PATT 2013 tungsten classic has been used on numerous television broadcasts and concerts worldwide including Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Gary Barlow, The Prodigy, Robbie Williams, Paul McCartney, X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and The Graham Norton Show plus other talkshow sets.

Robin CycBar 12 Robin CycBar 12 is a lightweight static 1 000 mm linear strip for indoor use, which utilises 12 equally spaced superbright RGBW multichip LEDs. The unit features smooth 18 bit colour mixing and linear dimming without RGB ’breakup’ or grey shadows.

The fixed 7.5° beam angle can be reconfigured by the use of an optional 35°x70° diffuser, which is included as standard. Other beam angle diffusors are also available.

The on-board driver software provides the user with advanced pixel control, a virtual colour wheel of pre-programmed colours, a set of true whites with CTO Tungsten lamp emulation and more.

The highly readable screen displays a menu with practical personality settings, DMX and RDM protocols.

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PROLIGHT + SOUND Show REPORT

ETC celebrates major anniversary at Prolight + Sound 2016

At the Prolight + Sound 2016 exhibition in Frankfurt, ETC marked the 40th anniversary of the company’s founding with a new booth concept across four different stands.

One stand saw the company presenting its latest products, including the Source Four LED system, the Eos and Cobalt console families, the ColorSource range, and ETC’s latest line of stage machinery, ETC Rigging. Another booth was reserved entirely for presentations and workshops.

The first day of the event saw the inaugural Future Talents day, a new Messe Frankfurt initiative for which ETC prepared its own student session, an exciting information session specially designed for trainees, pupils and students.

From a product point of view on ETC’s main stand, control consoles from the Eos and Cobalt families were on show, including their respective programming Wings. Also on the stand was the Source Four LED system, with three different arrays-Lustr for colours, daylight HD for cool daylight and tungsten HD for warm incandescent light.

The range is completed by a wide variety of attachments, including fixed focus and zoom lens tubes and both fresnel and CYC adapters.

Making a debut for the company this year wase ETC’s new LED zoom

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profile spotlight: Irideon FPZ from the Source Four Mini family.

The adjacent stand, E61, was reserved for the popular ColorSource family. In addition to the ColorSource Spot and PAR fixtures, the ColorSource Relay, and the ThruPower power control system, ETC presented a number of new products in the budget-friendly range.

ETC’s rigging stand saw another Frankfurt premiere: the latest products from ETC Rigging, the over-stage machinery line introduced last year in Europe. Visitors to the stand became acquainted with the Vortek NXT theater hoist system, and found out more about the safety and ease-of-use afforded by the QuickTouch and Foundation controllers.

Lastly, for Prolight + Sound’s inaugural Future Talents day, the first day of the show, ETC prepared its own Student Session aimed at pupils, apprentices and vocational students. ETC managers, product specialists and product developers provided the technicians and engineers of tomorrow with insights into the corporate and product philosophies of the company, and answered questions related to modern lighting technology.

Distributed by www.prosound.co.za.

New additions for Martin

by HARMAN family Martin by HARMAN showcased several new fixtures and controllers in Frankfurt. Among those on show were the following: • The MAC Axiom Hybrid is a true all-in-one beam and spot fixture. The hybrid solution combines beam and spot functionality into a compact unit that also offers diffused wash and remarkable intensity. The unit’s seamless zoom and focus capability eliminates the need for dedicated beam or spot modes and allows for both instant as well as discrete transitions from a high-intensity collimated beam to a flat field spot. The MAC Axiom Hybrid’s precise optical system offers high contrast, both in mid-air and projection, as well as a surprisingly flat field not often seen with this short-arc lamp technology.

• Ideal for customers involved in the house of worship and performance theatre markets, the RUSH MH 6 Wash CT is a compact yet powerful bright LED wash light head. Fast and agile, it features a fully pre-mixed white colour system from 12W x 10W cold white/ warm white LEDs with a spectacular 10°–60° zoom. It also offers full electronic dimming, strobe effects and temperaturecontrolled fan cooling for quiet operation.

• The versatile RUSH MH 7 Hybrid is the latest in a series of solutions that give lighting designers the ability to evoke emotions in any environment or venue. Combining the capabilities of Martin’s high-quality 250W Beam, Spot and Wash moving heads in a single fixture, the MH 7 Hybrid doesn’t compromise quality for flexibility. The system’s flat, crisp, high-contrast optics and full feature set, including zoom, meet the high standards that Martin customers have come to expect.

• The M-Play is a playback and control surface that offers a wide range of playback-specific tools.

Featuring a truly innovative control surface with Force Sensor Resistive (FSR) faders and velocity-controlled pads, users can access playback and function keys of any sort. The M-Play offers a dual bank system with two separate and independent playback sections, each with their own bank of controls. The surface features rugged aluminum construction for durability, 12 FSR faders, 48 direct-access playback and function keys, and a DMX port. The M-Play comes with one DMX 512 universe for direct control of any compatible DMX device.

• The P3-050 System Controller brings the power of P3 to a price point unseen before. It packs the same features as the P3-150, but with an output restricted to 100 000 pixels, allowing a significantly lower price. An ideal companion to the Martin VDO Sceptron, it can drive 1 000 VDO Sceptron 10 fixtures.

• The P3-150 System Controller is a replacement for the P3-100 and P3-200 controllers, which have led the industry for more than seven years. But the P3-150 is not just a simple replacement. Many improvements have been packed into the P3-150, including a more compact one-unit rack housing, thru connections on DVI and DMX, full HD DVI (1920x1080) input and active workspace, and more robust construction.

Distributed by www.electrosonic.co.za.

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PROLIGHT + SOUND Show REPORT

Mixers & consoles Allen & Heath debuts Qu-SB Shown for the first time at Prolight + Sound 2016, Allen & Heath has expanded its acclaimed Qu compact digital range with the new Qu-SB ultra-compact intelligent mixer / interface.

Qu-SB is designed as a Stage Box solution with all the features offered in the Qu series but purely designed for tablet control, freeing the user to mix from anywhere in the venue.

Qu-SB provides a smart, portable solution for bands, music venues, project studios, schools and corporate events requiring a pro live and/or recording mixer in a tiny footprint.

A freestanding or rackmount surface-less mixer, Qu-SB has 16 XLR mic inputs, 2 line inputs and 14 outputs but thanks to the powerful Qu-32 core inside, it can be expanded up to 32 mic input channels and 24 outputs, enabling the mixer to connect over a single Cat5 digital snake to AB168, AR84 and AR2412 remote audio racks.

Eliminating the on deck user interface, all control parameters on Qu-SB are provided via a fully-featured iOS tablet app. User permissions can be set up to block the operator’s access to critical settings.

“These days, engineers and musicians are less dependent on physical mixing surfaces. They are digital natives looking for ultraportable solutions and they want to operate with the familiar interface of a touch tablet,” explains A&H product manager, Nicola

Beretta. “Qu-SB is the perfect answer to this demand, whilst still maintaining the premium audio quality and performance Allen & Heath mixers are known for.”

The built-in 18-channel Qu-Drive can record and playback multitrack and stereo audio .wav files to a USB key or drive. This gives the convenience of computer-free recording in live and field applications. Qu-SB’s 32x32, Windows and Mac compliant USB streaming interface also makes it the perfect recording solution for tracking, monitoring and overdubbing in the studio.

In addition, Qu-SB offers two solutions for personal monitoring: via the Qu-You iPhone app or using ME-1 personal mixers. Other standout features include Automatic Mic Mixing, footswitch controls and the acclaimed iLive FX suite.

Distributed by www.audiosure.co.za.

DiGiCo reveals Quantum 7 at ProLight+Sound 2016 Following on from the proven success of Stealth Digital Processing and the use of FPGAs for large-scale audio processing applications, DiGiCo revealed its concept design of the company’s next into-the-future development of Quantum 7 processing at Prolight + Sound this year.

Quantum 7 is developed with seventh-generation FPGA devices that further expand audio processing power and ultimately allows DiGiCo to provide its users with an appreciable amount of additional flexibility. To put this advancement into perspective, the current Stealth Digital Processing is heavily based around thirdgeneration FPGA devices.

Although not scheduled for release until the end of the first quarter of 2017, DiGiCo presented an SD7 installed with Quantum 7 at ProLight+Sound 2016. Those attending the show saw some of the unique ways this processing and flexibility are being implemented.

Some examples of these enhancements are the patent-pending Nodal Processing and True Solo. Nodal Processing means that for the first time processing can be applied to any node on the auxiliary section of the console, allowing engineers to send unique processing on each send from a single or multiple channels. This level of creativity will allow engineers to tailor and deliver dedicated mixes that were simply not possible before Quantum 7.

Coupled with Nodal Processing is the new True Solo system that

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allows the operator’s monitoring system to replicate almost any section of the console, and how that source is being processed and heard. This saves time and speeds up the process of managing the potentially daunting number of channels and busses available to the user.

Getting into the numbers, Quantum 7 expands an SD7 to over 600 channels of processing in 96kHz operation that can be connected in the outside world to approaching 3000 potential I/Os. New connectivity goes further, as the engine is also equipped with eight newly assignable MADI connections and two DMI (DiGiCo Multi-Channel Interface) slots for AoIP and other connectivity options from the complete family of DMI card options.

Perhaps the best feature of Quantum 7 is its ability to be retrofitted into any existing SD7, allowing owners to take advantage of these developments and continue to make the return on investment DiGiCo is known for.

“Even though I have worked with DiGiCo’s R&D team for 20 years, I am still amazed at their creativity and how they continually strive to add value to our products,” says DiGiCo Managing Director James Gordon. “Last year they managed to take Stealth Digital Processing to a new client base with S21, and now this year they present the Quantum 7 concept. There’s never a dull day at DiGiCo.” Distributed by www.dwrdistribution.co.za.

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Integration & Installation Theatre Feature

Photo by Sally Ann Norman

The lure of the footlights

Newcastle Theatre Royal

Live theatre AV technology has come a long way. While the staging of live theatre events has much in common with the AV requirements of other live shows, the traditional theatre environment also has unique characteristics and challenges. In most theatres, for example, space is at a premium for rigging and lighting. The architecture of many traditional theatres can also present acoustical challenges for sound dispersal and coverage – and not just for musicals. Sound can often play an integral dramatic role in a production. In big-budget musical productions, singing chorus lines and more than one actor voicing the same role also present mixing and legibility issues.

While modern AV technology evolves to meet these challenges, it often runs up against unexpected bumps in the road – some more serious than others. Recent research from Shure UK, for example, points out that the use of wireless digital sound equipment has become ever more effective and widespread in the live event and theatre sector. However, the frequency spectrum such equipment uses is being eroded by the legislated allocation of additional spectrum to mobile phone networks.

Another interesting challenge for AV in the theatre sector, and one which is growing as a phenomenon in the local market, is the rise of alternative spaces for theatrical performance. Pop-up theatres, festivals and multi-use spaces are becoming more popular, and all bring interesting challenges to live theatre event designers and technicians. Apart from this, AV in traditional theatre spaces evolves steadily, with sound and lighting equipment being designed that is flexible enough to be installed in a theatre production one week and used for an outdoor rock festival the next.

Our cover feature in this issue of Prosystems News looks at some of

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the design, production and technical issues in this most venerable of AV installation and live event environments. The technical demands of a big-budget franchise musical are looked at alongside the low-budget creative technology solution for a workshopped piece of intense drama. The variety of architectural spaces in which productions happen is reflected in the work of Charcoalblue consultancy, which designs and installs theatres in everything from refurbished warehouse buildings to lavish 18th century opera houses – and employ professional acousticians as part of their design team.

The variety and innovation in AV technology in the sector has many overlaps with the traditional concert environment, but also unique attributes in using the technology to sustain and create mood in sound and lighting. Ideally the AV in a theatrical production can act as one of the creative forces in a production – as much part of it as any character or piece of dialogue, and perhaps THE key element in creating the atmosphere and identity of a theatrical work . In the pages that follow we highlight many case studies which foreground the place of AV in live theatre, in many different guises.

Integration & Installation Theatre Feature

Singin’ In The Rain a remarkable feat of production design

By Elaine Strauss

After more than a year on the road, Singin’ In The Rain came to a close in March this year…

The Pieter Toerien stage production of Singin’ In The Rain recently came to a close after more than a year’s preparation and over 13 weeks on the South African stage. The show originally started in early 2015 in New Zealand (Wellington) then moved to Auckland, then to Singapore, Manila (Philippines), Hong Kong, Cape Town and finished in Johannesburg in 2016.

Lunchbox Productions (UK) contracted Prosound’s sound specialist and veteran of musical sound design for 37 years, Mark Malherbe, to revise the sound design for a new international tour of the musical, which boasted a South African cast and director, in order to suit the intended venues and tour schedule.

Malherbe, in turn, chose Orbital Sound as the hardware suppliers, based on his designs.

According to Malherbe, though Singin’ In The Rain in itself was beyond compare in more ways than one, the largest issue he had on the technical side of the production, was the amount of water used in the production, which precluded many of the normal setup methods and hardware placement.

“Even mic’ing the tap dancers was a mission as no floor mics could

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Integration & Installation Theatre Feature

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Theatre Feature Integration & Installation

be used,” he says. “In addition, waterproof capsules had to be utilised for the rain scenes on the performers.”

But this was not the only challenge Malherbe faced in setting up for the production.

“The show was starting in New Zealand after rehearsals in Johannesburg and the time frames meant that I had to design and specify before seeing rehearsals, as the gear had to leave the supplier to ship to New Zealand before the start of rehearsals,” Malherbe says.

ETC ColorSource Family

The system design was based on script, score and rough video copy of the UK version. The design was then sent to various bidders around the world and in South Africa and in the end, the best solution from a cost perspective was from Orbital Sound (UK).

“The system was prepped in the UK and took many hours of conference calls from South Africa to the UK to ensure we had as far as possible covered all bases,” Malherbe continues. “Added pressure is that Wellington is far from being the technology capital of the world and specialist audio hardware supply is limited and expensive. The first time I saw the actual equipment was when we arrived for the setup and opening season.”

As the set up time was going to be intense and limited, much of the hardware Malherbe selected was equipment that he was extremely familiar with.

“As the rehearsals were taking place at ArtScape, I selected the Midas digital consoles as I could use the in-house hardware for preliminary programming,” he says. “In essence the system was based around Midas Consoles, Meyer Sound Speakers and Processing and DPA Microphones.”

According to Malherbe, working on Singin’ In The Rain was a career highlight.

“This was definitely a show that I am proud to have been associated with. The opportunity to work side by side with top internationally acclaimed creatives in our industry was unique.

Stressful, but unique!” he says. “The level the show was staged at was exceptionally high on a creative, technical and performance level and was critically well received. The show set new bench marks for South Africa and all involved gained from the experience.”

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Integration & Installation Theatre Feature

Splitbeam turns technology into art for I See You

By Elaine Strauss

The use of clever technology for I See You greatly enhanced the viewing experience of the play and emphasised the notion that technology can be art in itself.

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Photo Credit: thestage.co.uk

Theatre Feature Integration & Installation

The beauty of the I See You production, a collaboration between local writer Mongiwekhaya (with his debut work), the Market Theatre in Johannesburg and the Royal Court Theatre in London, was its clever use of technology.

The play is based on a real encounter in the writer’s life and was developed by him during the Royal Court’s new writing project in South Africa, which began in 2013.

According to Helen Surgeson, Key Account Manager of Gearhouse Splitbeam, due to budget constraints, much of the equipment used for the production was older models. But this did not affect the production in any negative way.

“What really stood out for me with this production was how cleverly the technology available was used,” Surgeson said. “It is so easy to overuse technology – technology for technology’s sake – but it was used very subtly for I See You.” Sound designer Giles Thomas made use of, what Surgeson refers to as “good old-fashioned, clever design”, with point sourced sound.

“When someone entered stage left while their cell phone rang, the sound only came through the left speaker and for the part where we had a DJ booth, the sound was coming from top centre,” she said.

Everything was clearly plotted and planned, which made the sound design very effective, including a lot of smaller speakers, specifically because of the point source design.

“I do believe that this sound design enhanced the production, that it was on a whole new level,” she said.

The sound kit included an EV Q1212 Amplifier, two EV Q99 Amplifiers, EV SX300 12’’ Full-Range Loudspeakers, EV S40 Ultra Compact 5.25’’ Full-Range Loudspeakers, EV S40 Ultra Compact 5.25’’ Full-Range Loudspeakers and RCF ART 322A Full Range Loudspeakers.

The real gem of the production, however, was the dimmable fluorescent lights used throughout and incorporated in different, unique ways for every different scene.

I See You takes place in three main settings, namely a night

club, a police interrogation room and a parking lot and the dimmable fluorescent lights, which were used in all these scenes, emphasised the deference of these spaces and their moods.

“For the night club scene, the fluorescents were subtle, allowing for more colour in general,” Surgeson said. “The police interrogation scene had the lights on fully, creating a harsh light and for the parking lot part, a few then created a bright pool of light, to create the effect of a street light.”

According to Surgeson, the dimmable fluorescent lights were originally bought for Last Attitude, a ballet commissioned by the Dance Forum, but they worked brilliantly for I See You. Oliver Hauser, who worked on the lighting design for Last Attitude spoke about what dimmable fluorescent lights bring to the design table.

“The idea was to create a bare environment with soft but harsh white light for the dancers, but we also needed a fixture that allowed for full control for smooth crossfades and blackouts in between scenes,” he said. “LED fluorescent alternatives were too pricey for this project. We needed something else that could dim without much change in colour temperature. A fluorescent lamp colour tends to stay balanced over a reasonable operating range (100% to 75%), but the spectral distribution will change slightly as the lamp is dimmed. So there is a slight colour change but not one the eye can quickly recognise.”

By using CW 4ft T8 fluorescent tubes with dimmable ballasts hung on either side of the stage Hauser was able to achieve the required effect.

The lighting kit included ETC Source 4 36Degrees, ETC Source 4 PAR NSP, ETC Source 4 PAR MFL and an ETC Ion. According to Surgeson, it was remarkable to do so much with the budget they had for the production and that the clever use of technology available, as opposed to using the latest equipment on the market, made for an unforgettable production.

“Our Managing Director, Alistair Kilbee has a saying that new isn’t always better,” Surgeson said. “The simple appreciation for technology and use of it in clever ways, as seen with I See You is art in itself.”

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Integration & Installation Theatre Feature

Artscape gets another makeover from ETC

Lighting and sound in traditional theatre spaces is a key component of any impactful professional production.

To stay up to speed, Cape Town’s iconic theatrical venue, Artscape, centrally located in Cape Town’s scenic foreshore, had been previously fitted with ETC Sensor ThruPower dimmers, thanks to local distributor Prosound.

According to Prosound’s General Manager of lighting and structures Ian Blair, what made this installation so ground-breaking, was the fact that it was at the time the largest such installation in Africa.

All the new dimmers recently installed in the theatre are 5kW and everything, including stripping out the old racks and adding

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additional cables, took about a month to complete.

According to Blair, with careful planning and additional schedule managing from the theatre, the entire installation, including the increase of dimmers by 20%, only meant one dark week for Artscape.

Charles Markotter, who heads up the Prosound Cape Town office, led the team for the installation. According to him, a total of 497 channels of ETC Sensor ThruPower were installed.

“We also installed 380 channels of Sensor HSR dimmers in the Drama theatre. The removed system comprised 360 channels of Siemens dimmers and forty channels of non-dim, so in total we increased the main lighting system in the Opera theatre by 96 channels,” he said. “Although we had plenty of space, with the dimming room being huge and the new Sensor racks occupying barely 5% of the space, we ran just a six man wire team. The existing wire tray cable trunking didn’t have room for the additional cables for the new channels, so small racks have been installed in the upstage corners of the stage.”

For the sound, Prosound supplied a whole new system, including the main system in the Opera stage – a Meyer M’elodie eight per side, with five CQ1s and CQ2s for the centre cluster. The front fill is all M1D as is the effects system, the mixer is a Midas Pro 9 and there are 96 channels of pre amps.

Theatre Feature Integration & Installation

According to Blair, the Drama stage’s centre cluster consists of three UPA 1P and 2Ps, again with CQ1 and a UPA at each side and the HP Subs I are shared between the two stages.

DPAs remain the bulk of the mics, but the theatre also invested in some Sennheiser MKH series microphones, for more public spaces outside of the theatre.

“The monitors are JBL 712’s, since there are a lot of JBL wedges in the Cape Town area and just about all the visiting operators are accustomed to using them,” said Artscape’s Head of Sound Liam Cookson.

More recently, Artscape contracted Prosound once more to extend the theatre’s longstanding relationship with ETC. The existing lighting console in the Opera theatre was upgraded to a state of the art ETC Eos Ti. The desk was installed in just a week in late March, and currently

ETC ColorSource Family

offers over two thousand channels of power in the Opera theatre, and seamlessly interfaces with the ETC Sensor3 ThruPower advanced dimming system. This in turn enables bidirectional feedback between dimmers and lighting console. With the lighting in the Drama stage at the Artscape also driven by and ETC Gio console, the whole theatre complex has a great ETC synergy. The decision to go with a full ETC solution in the theatre is partly driven, says Blair, by not only the fact that ETC is one of the very few global manufacturers making dedicated and specialised theatre AV technology, but also because of their renowned 24/7 global backup and technical support – unusually even extending to spares on discontinued product lines, simply because of their reliability and longevity. (with contributions by Stephen Moles and Lighting and Sound International)

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Integration & Installation Theatre Feature

Charcoalblue sky theatre design

Photo by Dustin Nelson

By James Sey

The business of theatre design and installation is a complex one. The precision required for capturing and enhancing the performance is extreme, and requires not only innovative and flexible products, but human expertise. It is also an intensely collaborative undertaking between performers, writers, directors, designers and technical staff. Throw into the mix the huge variety of performance spaces that can be used and designed for theatre and performance, and you are dealing with serious complexity. This is the space in which UK consultancy Charcoalblue plays.

James Sey interviewed co-founder Andy Hayles.

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Theatre Feature Integration & Installation

Charcoalblue is one of the most renowned and innovative theatre and acoustics design consultancies in the UK. Since its launch in 2004, it has grown to a total of around fifty people working across four studios in London, Bristol, New York and Melbourne, making Charcoalblue the largest organisation of its kind working in Britain. As the theatre consultants and acousticians of choice for many of the country’s leading architects and theatre companies, its portfolio ranges from world-famous companies like the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), the Royal National Theatre (RNT) and Glyndebourne Festival Opera, to cutting-edge outfits such as Siobhan Davies Dance, Graeae and St Ann’s Warehouse in New York.

While technology-agnostic, the company does pay great attention to the architectural and acoustical properties of all the spaces it is commissioned to refurbish or build from scratch in order to accommodate different types of performances. Again, this approach is a collaborative one driven by artists and performers, but ultimately creates theatrical space that are adaptable to modern audiences and technical demands.

The company prides itself on a unique collaborative approach and relentless attention to detail which has seen it win awards, glowing reviews from the theatrical and architectural press and praise from performers, technicians and audiences.

James Sey (JS): Why did you set up Charcoalblue?

St Ann's Warehouse New York

Andy Hayles (AH): We started the company because we particularly wanted to work with the best performing arts companies in the UK – those seeking to improve the way they are putting on shows or running their business.

This might be an infrastructural approach – for example, looking at a company’s auditorium and getting more seats in the space without moving any walls, as we’ve done at the NT Dorfman, Chichester and the Orange Tree.

Or it might be the design of a brand new auditorium to rejuvenate an organisation like the Liverpool Everyman, the forthcoming new Linbury at the Royal Opera House or the RSC; or a respectful refurbishment of a listed building to better respond to modern audience expectations like the Bristol Old Vic, Newcastle Theatre Royal or Liverpool Philharmonic.

It may range from solving an acoustic problem with scenery for a single production, as we did when War Horse visited the Lincoln Centre in New York, through to designing a new temporary theatre such as the Royal Shakespeare Company Courtyard or the National Theatre Temporary Theatre while the theatre company address an alternative operating model.

Working with the best performing arts companies in the UK doesn’t just mean the national treasures (though we are lucky to count the RSC, National Theatre, Royal Opera House, English National Opera (ENO) and Glyndebourne as clients) but also those innovating and shaking us up, like Indhu Rubassingham at the Trike, Paul Miller at the Orange Tree and the artistic teams at Oval House, Hackney Yard and Paines Plough.

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Photo by Philip Vile

Integration & Installation Theatre Feature

Bristol Old Vic

We want to work with companies like that at every scale to make accessing our design and consultancy services easy and to become the best team of auditorium and technical designers, acousticians and digital innovators in the world.

JS: What’s the company’s take on collaboration in the theatre industry?

AH: In short – always being willing to learn, creating a conversation where stupid questions don’t exist, and being generous with knowledge and experience. And of course – trying to choose to work with those who seek the same spirit as you.

We’re indebted to our clients and co-designers for the dynamic collaborative experiences we’ve enjoyed in Charcoalblue’s growth so far.

Even winning and working on our first project with Siobhan Davis and architect Sarah Wigglesworth was an amazing collaborative experience. Both these women are powerhouses of inspiration and I

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learned loads in just the first few months working alongside them!

Sarah creates an amazing spirit for design collaboration – the practice’s meeting room doubles as her family’s dining room in the evening – it’s like gathering in the heart of her home with your coloured pencils at the ready!

We’re indebted to those first few clients, including the RSC and ENO, who had the confidence to appoint us and collaborate with us; expecting and enabling surprising but effective end results.

We continue to strive to repay that faith and to keep learning and being as responsive and generous today as we were in those early days. Still saying ‘what if?’ rather than ‘probably not’!

JS: How will the vision for the company develop?

AH: We want to work with artists that want space to make and present their art. And with studios now open in New York, Melbourne, London and Bristol – we want to do that everywhere!

We added acoustic design consultancy to our offer in 2010 and our

Photo by Jim Stephenson

Photo by Stewart Hemley

Theatre Feature Integration & Installation

Royal Shakespeare Theatre

Lyric Hammersmith London

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team now includes six acousticians and tree Tonmeisters. We see the integration and interplay between auditorium design, theatrical technology and the acoustic environment as being key to the success of any performing arts space and being able to workshop all of these elements with our in-house team means that we can explore matters more deeply and respond as one.

Bringing theatrical innovation to address other artist’s needs also sees us developing a new digital design consultancy service. Our research has highlighted how theatre makers are among the vanguard of those toiling to bring the best of the digital age to the widest of audiences.

After all, is there anyone better at advising on virtual reality than those who design alternative realities for live audiences?

We set out to try and achieve national recognition for our design contributions in our first decade. We didn’t quite manage that! But the Liverpool Everyman was the first theatre to ever win the Stirling Prize in 2015 – just one year behind our target schedule.

Our next target is an international accolade by 2019 our 15th birthday.

We don’t seek accolades for their own sake – but rather as proof to our valued clients and our talented team that sincere and innovative design that aims to support and enhance the creative work of the artist is not only valuable – but valued.

Photo by Philip Vile

Integration & Installation Theatre Feature

The Temporary Theatre (Shed) National Theatre London

AH: We’re very fortunate to be looking forward to being honoured

by St Ann’s Warehouse, our first completed project in the United States, at their gala in June.

Nor will it be our last! We open a new highly adaptable theatre for Chicago Shakespeare next year which attempts to grasp the essential qualities of temporary space with technological ability associated with longevity. All on a pier, atop a parking garage and under the skin of an existing outdoor stage! It’s going to be quite something!

Closer to home in the UK is the Factory in Manchester, which will be a thrilling new venue type in the UK – perhaps more familiar in Europe – a large performance hall bursting with potential for large scale productions and events.

In June we open our first theatre in Canada – but it only has a life span of 2 weeks! The Illuminati Festival is taking over a large deserted power station in Toronto and we’ve designed a 1200 seat space to host the National Theatre of Scotland’s James Plays.

With three projects currently being designed in the West End, York Theatre Royal and Dance 4 in Nottingham just opened and the Tricycle due to open next year – it’s a very exciting time for us!

Oh – and I shouldn’t forget the performing arts centre at the World Trade Center in NYC. It’s a few years away from completion but it is going to be quite an amazing series of spaces.

Photo by Philip Vile

JS: What current projects are you most excited by?

The Everyman Theatre, Liverpool

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SAVE THE DATE 14th & 15th June 2016 Peripheral Vision would like to extend an invitation to our partners, their guests and other interested parties to a launch of our exciting

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Digital . Communication . Optimised 41

Integration & Installation Theatre Feature

Naledi Theatre Awards boasts four new categories, six new judges

The Naledi Theatre Awards took place at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City on 19 April. This year saw an expanded judging panel, as well as four new award categories.

“This year, we have the highest standard of excellence ever,” said Executive Director, Dawn Lindberg “So much so that we have introduced four new categories: Best Director of a Musical, Best Support/Featured performance in a Musical and Best Performance in a production for Children’s Theatre. The fourth new category is in keeping with the new technology involved in design of sets: Best AV/Animation.

The judging panel was expanded by six new judges, who were chosen after extensive research following the highly successful “Forum” held last year. This was due to suggestions and input from the Industry as to how to improve and develop the awards’ modus operandi. The new judges started assessing productions from

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January 2016.

The 2016 Awards boasted 26 categories, as well as four Special Award categories, namely The Life Time Achievement Award (for Theatre Stalwarts who have given more than 30 years to the Industry), the Executive Director’s Award, for individuals or companies who have contributed to the advancement and development of SA Theatre through their vision and commitment, the World Impact Award, for productions or individuals who have raised the bar of SA Theatre Internationally, and a new Award: ‘The Lesedi Spirit of Courage’ Award, for individuals or companies who have transcended deep trauma or handicaps to make a life changing impact on SA theatre.

Theatre Feature Integration & Installation

FULL LIST OF WINNERS: The Naledi Theatre Awards 2016 BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Janna Ramos-Violante, Doubt

BEST MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Rowan Bakker, Sister Act

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Phillip Tipo Tindisa, Fishers of Hope

BEST PRODUCTION:

BEST PRODUCTION FOR CHILDREN (Supported by Assitej SA) (0 – 12): Shrek, The Musical. JR. Produced by People’s Theatre. Based on book by William Steig, Directed by Jill Girard & Keith Smith.

BEST PRODUCTION FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES (Supported by Assitej SA) (13 – 17): Making Mandela, Produced by KBT Productions & Hello Elephant in assocation with the SA State Theatre & Daphne Kuhn for the A&G Theatre on the Square. Written & Directed by Nick Warren & Jenine Collocott.

BEST PERFORMANCE IN A CHILDRENS’ THEATRE PRODUCTION: Gamelihle Bovana, James and The Giant Peach BEST NEWCOMER/BREAKTHROUGH (The Brett Goldin Award) Sponsored by Distell: Menzi Mkhwane, A Voice I Cannot Silence BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Floris Louw, After Animals BEST LIGHTING DESIGN (Sponsored by Robe Lighting): Kevin Stannet, After Animals

CUTTING EDGE: Johnny Boskak Is Feeling Funny. Written by Greig Coetzee, Co-Directed by Roslyn Wood-Morris & Craig Morris.

BEST ENSEMBLE: Lepatata. Produced by Market Theatre & Windybrow Theatre. Written by Moagi Modise, Dir. by Makhaola Ndebele.

BEST ORGINAL CHOREOGRAPHY: Grant van Ster, Fishers of Hope BEST DIRECTOR OF A MUSICAL / REVUE: Steven Stead, Sweeney Todd BEST DIRECTOR OF A PLAY: Khayelihle Dom Gumede, Crepuscule BEST SUPPORT/FEATURED PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL: Phumi Mncayi, Sister Act BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL (FEMALE): Candida Mosoma, Sister Act BEST PERFORMANCE IN A MUSICAL (MALE): Jonathan Roxmouth, Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

BEST AV / ANIMATION: JanHendrik Burger, After Animals

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY (FEMALE): Fiona Ramsay, Miss Dietrich Regrets Fiona Ramsay, Doubt

BEST SET DESIGN (Sponsored by Dreamsets): Patrick Curtis, Fishers of Hope

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A PLAY (MALE): Ralph Lawson, A Voice I Cannot Silence

BEST SOUND DESIGN (Sponsored by DWR Distribution): Larry Pullen, After Animals

BEST NEW SA SCRIPT: A Voice I Cannot Silence. Produced by Arts Trust of SA (ATSA). Written by Greg Homann & Ralph Lawson, Directed by Greg Homann.

BEST SCORE / ARRANGEMENT / ADAPTATION: Nataniël, After Animals

BEST PRODUCTION OF A PLAY: Fishers of Hope. Produced by the Baxter Theatre Centre & Mopo Productions in association with the SA State Theatre. Written & Directed by Lara Foot.

BEST PRODUCTION OF A MUSICAL (The Joan Brickhill Award): Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Produced by Pieter Toerien & Kickstart by arr. with DALRO (Pty) Ltd. Written by Hugh Wheeler, Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Dir. by Steven Stead.

LESEDI SPIRIT OF COURAGE AWARD: Gaynor Young EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S AWARD: Thembi Mtshali LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Taliep Petersen (Posthumous) LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Alvon Collison WORLD IMPACT AWARD: Ladysmith Black Mambazo THE SOPHIE MCINGA EMERGING VOICE AWARD (Sponsored by the Market Theatre 40Th Year Anniversary): Thandazile ‘Sonia’ Radebe.

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INTERVIEW

DiGiCo – the ultimate console surfers Active in its current incarnation as a company since 2002, UK console business DiGiCo has become a benchmark manufacturer and designer of cutting edge mixing consoles. A long-time presence in the SA market, they have recently appointed DWR Distribution as their new distribution partner here. The company’s first breakthrough product was the DiGiCo D5, by now a renowned digital mixing console that offered the best of analogue working practices and audio finesse with all the versatility and feature richness that the digital environment could offer. More than a decade on, how has the business developed and where is it going? James Sey spoke to CEO James Gordon and VP of Sales Ian Staddon.

James Sey (JS): Tell me a little about the corporate background to the business, and where it finds itself now?

James Gordon (JG): We started developing new product lines in 2002 to announce ourselves as a new brand in the market at the time.

DiGiCo has grown tremendously since then, all through organic growth and the excellence of our products.

We got to a point where we had to make a decision with our partners, Electra, about the way forward. In 2014 that process of looking where we were in the British audio market James Gordon led us to the bringing together of DiGiCo and console manufacturers Calrec and Allen & Heath to create a new professional audio group, while retaining each company’s unique skills, customer relationships and brand identities.

Each business has a slightly different focus in the console market, so the fit between us is good, and the same applies to our crucial R&D function. None of our engineering teams were lost, and each brand can approach its own markets through its own channels.

With DiGiCo’s manufacturing base in Scotland, and our sales and marketing operations in South-East England, , we’re very centrally situated for the big European live market which is still a big focus for us.

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DiGiCo console in action at the Olympics

JS: Where else is the company focusing?

How are newer markets being opened up for you?

Ian Staddon (IS): We come out of the live and rental markets, and have built up a lot of brand loyalty with engineers. With our newer, digital consoles, which usually have a smaller physical footprint, we are opening up the theatre market, especially franchise musicals – a major international production in the West End, for example, recouped its investment in a new DiGiCo digital desk in just

Ian Staddon

INTERVIEW

three months because they could sell extra seats! Our consoles are very flexible and successful in the theatre sector, and we’ve invested in software for our consoles in the hope of big market growth in the sector. For example, we’ve solved many EQ problems raised by certain roles in large productions having more than one person playing them, with subsequent different voice resonances and so on.

Our focus on upgrading and innovating with our software means added longevity for many of our consoles. It also means we can introduce a new model like our S21, which has reduced features and functionality but at a lower price point, but we’re not sacrificing any quality. And crucially the model is still software upgradable!

JS: In sales and marketing terms, what do you see as the trends in the major global markets?

IS: In the big metropolitan markets in the US and Europe, our market is still very much rider driven, but since there’s been a bit of a lull in the introduction of new models from our direct competitors, we’ve

managed to gain a bit of market share. In the broad Asian market, which was traditionally a high-end play, we’re now seeing business filtering into the mid-market. A lot of venues in those countries are built from scratch, so get quite a bit of install in those markets. If we have live shows in the venues, then that helps too! In the South African market, as you know, we’ve recently moved distributors, which was a carefully considered decision not taken lightly. There’s a lot of competition in the SA market, which is a ‘mixed use’ market. We needed to tailor our sales approach accordingly.

More than a decade on from its first steps with the iconic D5, DiGiCo’s SD Series, which includes the popular and accessible S21, is the new standard setter and its fast, engineer friendly user interface are becoming more and more relied upon in different markets. The company’s reputation as a hard-wearing, adaptable and beautifully engineered range of live consoles is standing it in good stead as it looks to innovate for the future, and to expand its market reach.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Everyone gets together for the KKNK

The Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees took place over the Easter Weekend in Oudtshoorn for the 22nd year…

The Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKNK) kicked off the Easter weekend in March, celebrating its 22nd year. Oudtshoorn, host for the KKNK, was again transformed into one giant festival, with schools and churches transformed for theatre, comedy and musical productions and a large outdoor main stage, lovingly titled the Musiekplaas (Music Farm), created for concerts.

Technical suppliers and production crews flocked to the KKNK, headed by technical manager of the festival for the past 10 years, Pieter-Jan Kapp (Kappie), who made sure everything ran smoothly.

The vast list of technical suppliers and production crew included Gareth Chambers and Duncan Riley from DWR, Blond Productions’ Christian Ballot, Mark Gaylard from MGG Productions, who was subcontracted by Blond Productions for additional crew and equipment, CJ Mostert from Multi-Media, Marius Marais from Audio Logic, and Stephan Kruger and Braam Avenant from Freelance Entertainment Projects.

Even with the almost ‘traditional’ rainstorm (usually experienced at least once during the festival) which occurred on Friday, the show went on. “Everything was washed away on Friday afternoon, productions had to stop and start but thankfully the concert went on,” explains Kappie. “The people had a great time and so did we.”

With the main stage and several ‘theatres’ to run, it was all hands on deck for the week-long festival.

The concert kicked off with Zoid Afrika. The heart felt performance saw Karen Zoid on stage with fellow friends and musicians, Anneli van Rooyen, Kahn Morbee (The Parlotones), Corlea Botha and Jannie

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Moolman and others. Performances that followed over the next few nights included the Huisgenoot 100 Concert, a gospel evening 'Boontoe!' which coincided with Easter, and the ‘Rymklets’ (Rap) dedicated for the local Rap and Hip Hop culture with DJs of Oudtshoorn and the Western Cape.

Main stage Tumisang Sebogo, who has worked at the festival for the past 20 years, was the lighting designer for the main stage, while Audio Logic’s Marius Marais was the sound engineer.

“Joshua Jordaan (HOD of LED from MGG) and I designed the set, which is LED based,” explains Sebogo. The VuePix screen forms the backdrop with side panel strips running down on either side of the stage creating depth. “There are always a few changes,” he says.

“The floor design was altered because a choir was added, but with design we evolve and I just roll with it. There’s always a plan.”

Programming was on a grandMA2 full size.

ABSA Burgersentrum Every year during the KKNK, the old Burgersentrum in Oudtshoorn transforms into the music theatre for classical and jazz fans. Helping at the festival for the ninth year, CJ Mostert from Multi-Media was the lighting designer for this venue. “It’s for the love of the arts, you can’t do this for money,” he smiles.

REPORT LIVE EVENTs

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

“Multi-Media supplied the entire venue with technical and AV,” says Mostert. The gear transformed the stage with 6 x Robin 600 E Spot, 12 x Robe LEDForce 18, 12 x Robin 300 LEDWash, 5 x Robin DLS Profiles, 8 x Martin 101 CT, 6 x Martin Aura and a MDG Hazer.

Mostert has a fine eye and created striking looks, working on an Avolites Tiger Touch.

Operating sound in the Burgersentrum was Stephan Kruger from Freelance Entertainment Projects. “It has been a good turn out,” says Kruger. “The tickets for this venue sold out every morning and I have loved it.”

Johnny Bisschoff Hall Sizwe Banzi is Dead, the theatre classic dealing with the question of the human dignity of a black man in apartheid-era South Africa, was one of the main shows that ran at the Johnny Bisschoff Hall.

Acclaimed local acting heavyweight John Kani directed this acclaimed production of the play originally written by himself and SA theatre legends Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona. The lighting designer and production manager was another SA theatre luminary, Mannie Manim, previously at the Market Theatre. Manim and Kani also produced the show.

Lighting operator Braam Avenant from Freelance Entertainment Projects was lighting programmer and designer for this and other shows running in the Johnny Bisschoff venue, in his third year at KKNK. “I worked on a grandMA dot 2 and this is one amazing desk,” says Braam. “I did not have one issue with it. Everyone has enjoyed the show – it has been an amazing production.”

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Die Boer Theatre Usually a sound engineer, but for the KKNK festival a lighting operator, Juan Jansen van Vuuren added his flair to the flamboyant 'Die Boer Teater' at the Oudtshoorn NG Church, which serves as a dining and live entertainment venue. “My job is to create atmosphere and to make sure that the artists feel at home on our stage,” says Jansen van Vuuren, who programmed on a grandMA dot 2.

He incorporated 12 LED Parcans, 4 Robe 575 Spots, 4 Parcans and 4 ETC Profiles to create magic. “I had never used the dot 2 before, but it was great and very easy to use,” Jansen van Vuuren comments.

SANW Auditorium Theo Kruger, an independent freelancer from Pretoria and at the KKNK for the seventh year, was the lighting designer and operator at the SANW Auditorium, home to a few dramas over this period.

“It was the first time I used the grandMA dot 2,” says Theo. “It was not too difficult and after the first day, I had it. Gareth Chambers from DWR was also at the festival to help me. The festival itself is always fun, we work hard but it’s fun.”

Kappie had nothing but praise for the extensive technical team and sponsors who pulled together to make the event possible. “It’s a huge but very important undertaking,” he concludes. “Without everyone pulling in the same direction for this very varied and necessary cultural and arts festival, it just wouldn’t happen, so a sincere thanks to all who gave of their time and expertise.”

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

AV Systems revs it up for VW

As you would know if you’re a petrolhead, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the iconic VW Golf. The celebration of the famous German marque took place recently at, appropriately, Kyalami’s Theatre on the Track. AV System’s DigiLED screens played a crucial role in the event.

The gala launch event featured a full AV and live show, as the culmination of VWSA’s national sales conference. A professionally-lit display of the various incarnations of Golf GTi’s over the years outside the venue, ushered guests into the luxurious banquet hall.

The evening consisted of the presentation of the various sales awards to VW staff from all over the country, interspersed with a lavish meal and live entertainment by the likes of Arno Carstens and Lira.

The show space was beautifully lit by lighting designer Francois van der Merwe, with equipment supplied by MJ Event Gear.

The various entertainments and awards were simply acting as the precursor to the big reveal of the show, the unveiling of the brand new 2016 VW GTi Clubsport, the sleek and powerful flagship incarnation of the GTi. The stage set-up consisted of a stage for the live dancers and presenters, dominated by three DigiLED vertical side screens on each

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side, all supplied by AV Systems. The side vertical columns were digiLED Ti6N at 6mm resolution, and were 4m wide x 3.6m high. These flanked an impressive 14mX4m central screen, also a DigiLED iMAG series 3.2mm pixel pitch screen. This screen comprised of modules of 500mm square, weighing 9kgs each. Enticing content flitted across the screens as background and filler for the dancers, and also to project crystal-clear information on the awards and proceedings to the audience. All content was projected in high-end HD by a Christie 8K HD Xenon projector.

At the crucial point in the show, as video content on the central screen merged with the dancers and lighting, the screen lifted to reveal the new GTi Clubsport. But behind the car was another screen, this time a 15m long X 3m high DigiLED curved screen, a digiLED MC10SR at 10mm resolution. Against this beautifully elegant screen the car was impressively foregrounded. Consisting of 180 panels of

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500mm squares, all offset at an angle to the next panel of between 7mm and 14mm, the role of the curved LED screen in providing the dramatic backdrop to the show was well-judged. “It’s a multipurpose, all-weather IP65 rated piece of LED technology,’ enthuses Alvaro Rodrigues from AV Systems. “Not many people know that DigiLED is a UK company, despite manufacturing mostly in China. The quality is exceptional, and we provide a full inhouse service and repair function, so it’s rare that any component needs to be imported or exported.”

The next generation LED display technology certainly did the job on the night of the Clubsport reveal. With front access to all components, the technology provides excellent contrast ratios and vivid colours. The whole DigiLED series features silent operation and lightweight design, which reduces installation costs – a big advantage for successful use for indoor events and applications.

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LIVE EVENTs EXPERT OPINION

Rigging and such:

By Rinus 'Rhino' Bakker

Rotating a truss‌. from square to diamond?

What is the effect of using a square truss in a diamond cross section shape? This is a type of use often seen in relating to hanging (LED) screens, as a solution to create a centralised hanging point.

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Before you start

(see fig.1).

Please realise that for square truss, used as a diamond shape, the loading capacity of that truss is reduced significantly, almost to the point of that of a flat truss.

If no internal braces are in place, the truss may start to deform under loading. (see fig.2).

Fig 1

Fig 2

EXPERT OPINION LIVE EVENTs

The truss position in a truss pod Any proper design of a square or rectangular truss type will have a system of internal diagonals that prevents the cross section of the truss from deforming under conditions of, for example, unbalanced loading; sloppy slinging or rotated orientation. Rotated orientation will happen in a truss pod that is raked – two sides will be in the raked and two sides in a rotated position. (see fig.3).

most cases will pass around the two side chords, or –one should not hope- the top chord only. The effect of this is a vertical pull and a horizontal compression, forcing the shape to become a rhomboid. (see fig.2). Internal diagonals can absorb those forces, but as these are not as abundant as the regular braces, and their capacity to prevent such deformation is not unlimited. Even a brand like Prolyte, that manufactures trusses equipped with internal diagonals, will tell

Fig 3 Fig 4

Support reaction forces in raked trusses were discussed in our last column.

In such a raked set-up the loading tables are no longer valid. But the manufacturer should not immediately ‘punish’ the user for doing a truss pod design like that. In Europe a manufacturer is expected to keep in mind that ‘abnormal’ use can happen and that this should not lead to immediate failure.

Internal diagonals help the user in the return on investment Why is that, one might ask?

Well, let’s have a closer look at a square truss used as a diamond shape cross section. The load – like lighting fixtures or LED screens – will be applied to the lowest chord, and slinging at the support points in

the customers that diamond shape use of square truss shall reduce the load to about 66% of the loading tables.

And what about those brands that don’t have any internal triangulation? Where will they limit the capacity of the diamond shape use? From lots of user experience and feedback it turns out those brands are often causing more problems in assembly. Not too hard to imagine, because when the conical connectors, bolt holes or fork ends are machined with high tolerance accuracies, even the slightest deformation, can render a module difficult to assemble.

Trying to get it mounted, using hammers, ratchet straps and donkey kicking will start to degrade all the truss units it is assembled to as well.

The example of such extreme deformation is shown in fig. 4.

So please keep this is mind, next time you use a square truss section as a diamond shape. Although diamonds may be a girls’ best friend, that doesn’t necessarily apply to riggers.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

The Voice makes South Africa proud When the television audience heard that The Voice would come to South Africa, there was a huge response and huge expectation. For Chris de Lancey from Multi-Media, which was awarded the technical supply for The Voice Angola, South Africa and Nigeria by production company AMPN, it has been a tremendous buzz to see the show raise the bar for local televised shows and to meet international standards.

Photos by Duncan Riley

“When we eventually got sign off I was both elated and terrified at the same time,” de Lancey recalls. He realised that with the scale of the task at hand, lighting would be a key component, and that putting together a like minded team of people together to do the show justice was paramount. Joshua Cutts was appointed lighting designer, and after a pitch process, Dewet Meyer of JDM Unlimited was appointed set designer. Multi-Media’s Auriot Booyes headed up the crucial audio component of the tech design, and also serves as assistant project manager to de Lancey.

“It was an enormous relief when Josh said he was available to take on the job. I knew obviously that we would be getting one of the best lighting guys in the country but I also knew it would be taking a lot of pressure off me. It has proved to be a very symbiotic relationship,” says de Lancey.

“I think the biggest learning we had, and the essence of what The Voice is all about,” says de Lancey, “came from Mauritz Briet, who is a Dutch consultant who has advised on the show for international audiences. At the beginning of the production he came through at the start of each element, namely the Blinds, the Battle and the Live

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performances. When he first walked in at the beginning of the Angola Blinds, the first country we produced for, he looked at this lighting rig and said, ‘This is fantastic, but there’s way too much, cut it down.’ “ Cutts and De Lancey had to ake this on board. They were trying to create something spectacular and now had to strip the technical elements down to a basic lighting rig. But the show works on a tried and tested formula. It starts off small for the Blinds in an intimate theatre environment, grows the atmosphere slightly for the Battles and then builds in head room for the Live show. This format, which has now run for the past nine months, sees the studio turn around equipment every six weeks or so to accommodate the next phase of each country’s recording. Each country also has its own director, music director and personal stamp.

From a lighting point, Cutts has control on a full MA2 System. The MA solution comprises of a grandMA2 Light, an onPC Command Wing, MA NPU, MA VPU Light, MA 4Port Node, Fibre Network Switch all on a fibre network.

The musical director on the South African show is James Bassingthwaighte, and he and Cutts are the pioneers of the use of timecode in South Africa. “James and I worked very closely together,” says Cutts. “I did a lot of the groundwork for timecode and how to implement it very quickly on The Voice. Timecode is almost like the nervous system of the show, without it, it wouldn’t work. It allows me more precision for all my cues and I’m not afraid of a zero type cue time.”

“My vision was to pixel map as always. A big thing I found in the American Voice in particular is that they use a 5x5 pixel panel of lighting. We have a similar product in our country called the Elation Cuepix. It allowed me to have a high count of pixels in a small area through connecting all these panels together.” Video runs over the entire lighting rig to complement the video currently running on the screens.

REPORT LIVE EVENTs As the studio is relatively small, Cutts used Robin Pointes for sharp, hard beams or he would zoom out for gobo work. Front lighting was a challenge as the set and ceiling design were not suited for followspots. Generic front washes were originally used but these fixtures did not give the dynamics to go up and down on stage. “It was generally a focussed instrument that I couldn’t move and manipulate based on each song. We weren’t getting the black levels we wanted in the room and it wasn’t creating the definition and depth we wanted. It wasn’t theatrical enough.”

Cutts therefore opted for Robe BMFL Blades. “I only use four BMFL Blades from the front for about 80% of my key lights, he explains.

“What’s interesting is I tried to use them as programmable followspots so I continually move them around the stage within cues of the song to almost follow the performer from one side of the stage to the other.

Two BMFLs are used to wash the entire stage. Then I cut them down to where the performer is. I cut the stage out, and when the performers

move, all I do is open the blades. If they go left, I’ll open the left blade, if they move to the right, I’ll open the right blade. That way I’m not changing the intensity of lighting. They are going at 100% and it’s working.”

Vuepix E Series panels were used for the screen. “We started off on the Blinds with 50 panels,” explains Chris. “In the Battles the floor stuff stays and we add side screen to about 100 panels which are mainly used for the team names. For the Live show we go up to 200 panels.

Those are all on Q7 controllers.”

There is approximately 2 km of RGB LED strips as the set had to switch on and off. “The set needs to be able to disappear, reappear and change colour and adapt based on the performances,” says De Lancey. “It is one of the most challenging aspects of the show!”, he smiles. “And we are constantly rerouting. I think we have 98 DMX controllers and power supplies.”

Dewet Meyer was given the set design aspect of the project. He developed items such as the large hand with mic set piece by putting the visual into a 3D drawing format and sending the plan off to be laser cut. Once the base of the timber hand had been created, it was fibre glassed and painted.

The Voice has been a privilege for De Lancey and Cutts to be part of. “The Voice really focuses on the talent. You can’t call them contestants, you call them talent, there are no judges – there are coaches,” De Lancey explains. “There’s a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to find this talent. The Voice is a very specific brand.

It needs to look a certain way, it needs to feel a certain way and the full production team’s attention to detail is considerable.”

It’s a winning formula, and the local technical and production teams have continued to make it sing.

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LIVE EVENTs REPORT

Burn the Floor returns to South Africa

By Elaine Strauss The production featured additional audio equipment from Audio Logic and in-house lighting at its changing venues…

When the high-voltage, theatrical dance experience Burn the Floor returned to South Africa, they looked to Audio Logic to supply all the additional audio equipment that was needed for the production and to meet the specifications given by Sound Designer Derek Wilson.

Though this was the fourth time the show returned to South Africa, it also marked its first time in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban.

With jaw-dropping choreography, heart-pounding music and breath-taking moves, Burn the Floor included a talented ensemble of dancers who joined forces with two sensational singers and a live band. Breathing new life into traditional dances such as the Viennese Waltz and Foxtrot, Burn the Floor seared with the passion of the Tango and Paso Doble, and revelled in the sheer energy of the Cha Cha, the Samba, Rumba and Jive. The show featured South African dancers Kylee Brown, Johannes Radebe, PW van der Walt (on drums) and Kuba Silkiewicz (on guitar).

According to Leon Barnard, State Services Manager at the State Theatre, Burn the Floor is the biggest international production performed in the South African State Theatre in several years.

“The show features a lot of audience interaction, so we needed to remove the orchestra pit and include several extra seating, expanding the audience capacity to 1 300 people, for the show.”

“Throughout the show the performers go in to the audience, so we had to create a means for that contact with the audience.”

Barnard also confirmed that because this is a touring production, the relatively small set travels with the production, while they make use of in-house and supplied sound or lighting equipment.

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According to Audio Logic’s Sound Engineer Julius Dreyer, who did the FOH mix of the show, the State Theatre in Pretoria’s In-house Nexo GEO S8 and CD12 system was used as main PA with Nexo PS10 and PS15 as front and side-fills.

“Because of the different moods set throughout the show from very high-energy to close intimate scenes, audio levels and effects were specifically set for every scene,” says Dreyer, “keeping in mind that we needed to accommodate everything from classical to rock.”

The sound kit also included a Yamaha CL5 as the FOH console with two Yamaha Rio3224-D racks. Shure ULXD4Q Receivers with a combination of Shure ULXD-2/Beta58 Handheld Microphones for vocals and Shure ULXD-1 Body Pack Transmitters for headsets and guitars. A combination of Shure Beta52, Shure Beta56, an AKG P170, Audio Technica ATM350 and Shure Beta181 were used for the drum kit. The guitar rack was supplied by Burn the Floor and consisted of Avalon U5 DI-Pre-amps for acoustic and bass guitars and Fractal Axe-Fx for electric guitars. The playback equipment was also supplied

by Burn the Floor and consisted of two Macbook Pro’s running Digital Performer as playback software and using MOTU 828x as audio I/O. According to the owner of production company Innovation and Production Manager for the show, Vanessa Nicolau, the lighting for Burn the Floor in Pretoria was designed by Australian Scott Rogers using the existing State Theatre rig and running the show off the theatre’s Grand MA on time code.

Simon King is transferring the design to the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town.

Though most of the equipment will not be moved between the different theatres for Burn the Floor, according to Dreyer, the change in venue should not affect the sound production of the show.

“Every venue will have a different PA system and acoustics so everything will be re-calibrated and equalised to make everything sounds the way that the production requires.”

Burn the Floor ran from 28 April to 15 May at the State Theatre in Pretoria and both Nicolau and Dreyer were enthusiastic about the show, emphasising how well the production did during its time in Pretoria.

“We could not have asked for a more enthusiastic group of people and we had a standing ovation every night,” Nicolau says.

“What really stood out about the production for me, was how closely audio and lighting was integrated with the dancers and all performers on stage -very specific cues throughout the show,” Dreyer says. “It was really a pleasure working with the professional Burn the Floor production team and cast.”

Burn the Floor will be showing at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town from 19 May to 5 June, before coming to a close at the Izulu Theatre in Durban from 8 to 19 June.

www.alustage.eu 57

LIVE EVENTs REview

RUSH MH6 Wash – good things,

small packages

What a cute little thing the RUSH MH6 is. From the front it looks a bit like a Mac Aura, and a bit like a RUSH PAR 2.

It is in fact the case that both these units inspired the design of the MH6 Wash. I think this is a really sensible move on the part of Martin. The Mac Aura lens not only looks great and works well, it’s something they’ve already spent the time developing and refining. Metaphorically speaking, Martin had a pretty good wheel so they didn’t need to invest time and money trying to re-invent it.

The motorised lens offers 10 to 60 degree zoom range, which is tight enough to provide convincing beams, and more than wide enough to make use of the full available output of the fixture.

The light source is 12x 10W Osram Ostar RGBW LED modules, and while it’s not about to set the world on fire, the 2 000 lumen output is certainly more than respectable for the very modest size of the fixture. For the past two weeks I’ve been staring at the MH6 Wash sitting amidst a row of much bigger discharge based fixtures in the ENTECH lighting shootout. While it certainly doesn’t keep up with the big guys, it definitely doesn’t disgrace itself in the presence of some much bigger guns. Size and price considered, the MH6 stands up well. It’s also a lot quieter than most of the other fixtures.

Being a LED source, the fixture doesn’t actually generate a lot in the way of heat when it’s dark. An on-demand cooling system keeps the LED chipset cool when it’s running, and the fixture quiet when it’s not. I like that. Pan range is pretty standard at 540 degrees, while the 200 degree tilt range is a little shorter than common but still perfectly usable.

Setup is via a two-line backlit LCD display with four adjacent navigation buttons. It feels a bit cheap, but it gets the job done and

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once the address is set it doesn’t really matter how it feels. Four dimming curve choices plus an electronic 'shutter' give plenty of options for dimming looks, while 36 colour presets make for quick looks across many fixtures. Dimming, pan and tilt all feature 16-bit control too, which is an unexpected feature on a fixture at this level. Bonus! At 7.1kg weight the MH6 is dead easy to handle and rig en masse.

PowerCon plus DMX on 3-and 5-pin XLR all with loopthroughs make It efficient to patch. 155W power consumption means you can run a stack of MH6 units off a single 10A power feed.

Even the price makes it easy to use a lot of these things. MH6 Wash is a competent and compact LED fixture, and comes at a very attractive price indeed.

Brand: RUSH by Martin Model: MH6 Wash RRP: R25 000 (excl VAT) *Price correct at time of print and subject to change

Product info: www.martin.com Distributor: Electrosonic. www.electrosonic.co.za

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EXPERT OPINION

OLED: Flattering flat panels

By Abrie du Plooy

LG OLED TV

From the late twentieth century onwards we have all witnessed the revolution in TV set technology.

Display screens have undergone a noteworthy evolution, in which square box television sets changed to wide rectangular ones, then to flat plasma displays although they weren’t actually flat but only labeled as such in reference to what they used to be. Plasma display panels (PDP) were succeeded by LCD technology which wasn’t much thinner than their predecessor. Only when the compact fluorescent light source got upgraded to LED, did the thickness reduce tremendously. For many years, these LED-lit, LCD panels were the flavour of the month and they increased in either brightness or resolution as new and improved models were released. With each of these technological breakthroughs our minds were blown away and the screens became more appealing every time. Even upgrades within existing technologies were impressive. The next level of display innovation has arrived and recently came to light through many well-known manufacturers at ISE2016. This new technology is known as Organic LED (Light Emitting Diode), more commonly abbreviated to OLED.

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EXPERT OPINION Organic LED as a display technology is nothing new. Many film and video production institutions have been experimenting with it for many years. However, it has only recently become available as residential and commercial displays. The OLED display screen is a light emitting technology and therefore doesn’t need a separate light source behind the screen as is required in LCD panels. They can thus be manufactured much thinner than ever before. LCD screens are classed as a transmissive technology, which essentially means that the LCD display merely transmits the light from a separate light source behind the LCD screen. Each pixel in the LCD panel then individually disperses the white light into the three primary RGB (Red, Green and Blue) colours at various intensities in order to display the correct mixture of light required to reproduce the image visible to the viewer.

The architecture of these LCD panels requires a screen in front, as well as a light source behind it which adds to the thickness.

In contrast to conventional light sources which emit light by heating a filament until it glows while hot, LEDs are a semi-conducting, solid state light source that require far less energy to produce light. LEDs emit light when electrons are energised through specially treated solid materials that the LEDs are made of. Through this sub-atomic process, low voltage pulses initiate electron movement further away from its proton core and when the energy dissipates, the electron jolts to its original position. During this twitch, alternative energy is released in the form of light. Depending on the length of electron movement, different colours can be created based on the colour spectrum.

Organic LEDs are similar to traditional LEDs but the light is produced by organic molecules. In this environment the term ‘organic’ refers to the molecules around the rings of atoms in carbon elements such as Panasonic OLED TV

NEC OLED TV

wood, plants, petroleum and diamonds. As mentioned above, OLED technology emits its own light and therefore does not require a separate light source. This enables the OLED display products to be extremely thin.

Plasma displays have finally reached the golden years and it has become increasingly difficult to purchase one. PDP is also an emissive technology as the ionised gasses inside the screen emit light. The plasma imaging technology has extremely high thermal emissions albeit very bright and therefore sufficient cooling components are required behind the plasma panel which adds to their thickness.

Another downside for PDP is that they consume high levels of energy and the panels are physically very heavy to handle and install. PDP technology has each pixel subdivided into three segments. Each of these sub-pixels is filled with different colour (RGB) phosphor-coated cells which illuminate when energised. The three colours combined at 100% intensity, or variations thereof create the full colour spectrum that forms the image which the viewer can then experience. Plasma display panels have their benefits as well. Because of the panel emitting the light, the black areas were darker, delivering higher contrast between lit and unlit areas. LCD panels have a challenge in this regard as the light source at the back is present even when a pixel is blacked out. This results in black areas appearing dark grey instead of true black. Plasma displays are also capable of delivering very high brightness levels and can be produced in large sizes. However none of these benefits could save its obsolescence.

The imaging technology in OLED displays works by means of a layer of organic semiconductor between two electrodes which emits light in response to electric current. The OLED pixel composition works in a similar pattern to that of a plasma display with each pixel subdivided into three sub-pixels. These are known as RGB OLED displays and each segment contains an organic diode which produces one of the primary RGB colours. Certain manufacturers use WRGB (white, red, green and blue) technology where each pixel is divided into four sub-pixels instead of three. The fourth segment produces white light only, but in order to create white light, one requires a 100% mixture of each of the RGB colours. The architecture to achieve this white segment works somewhat differently to RGB OLED. In the case of WRGB OLED, each segment of the pixel is created by compressing different layers of red, green and blue diodes. This sandwich of materials then creates a pixel with four segments delivering white light. A colour filter is applied to the surface area of three of the white segments creating the required RGB light and the fourth segment is left clear for the white light to be visible.

This fourth sub-pixel makes the technology even more energy efficient as it requires only one LED to produce white instead of a combination of the RGB LEDs to deliver the same objective. This results in an energy saving of roughly 60%. Another benefit of having a fourth pure white sub-pixel is the increased brightness when used in conjunction with the remaining RGB LEDs to produce whiter images.

OLED displays also offer a much higher contrast as black areas can be completely switched off – as in the case of plasma technology – compared to the light leakage experienced in LCD screens.

Additional benefits of OLED are lower thermal emissions and because of the properties of the organic diodes, they can be applied to all kinds of surfaces that make it possible for OLED screens to be lighter, thinner, flexible (bendable and foldable) and generally more durable. OLEDs can also operate in a wider temperature field than older technologies.

OLED products are currently still very expensive but based on the statistics around the costs of developing and producing electronics, pricing can only go one way from here and hopefully, OLED displays will be part of every video project sooner than we can imagine.

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Studio Pro Audio REVIEW

Genelec innovates in audio-over-IP Audio-over-IP technology opens up new, exciting possibilities for building audio infrastructure. Aki Mäkivirta of Genelec discusses the potential of the technology, explaining the capabilities of the company’s new 8430 monitor.

In February 2016 Genelec launched the 8430 Smart Active Monitor™, the first audio monitor to allow direct monitoring of professional quality audio-over-IP streams.

Genelec has been cooperating with another Finnish company, Jutel, specializing in radio automation systems, to install an audio system of 35 audio-over-IP loudspeakers at a restaurant in Oulu, Finland. The installation demonstrates that audio-over-IP can offer great flexibility in controlling and directing audio streams, enabling easy software-based acoustic zoning and audio system repurposing. The installation has been running non-stop since the restaurant opened in May 2015.

The 8430 has a few versatile connectivity options. The AES67 signal input is a secure and robust etherCON compatible RJ45 connector. The AES67 input supports 44.1 to 96 kHz sample rates as well as 16, 24 and 32 bit word lengths. Highly accurate clock synchronisation to a network-attached precision time protocol grandmaster clock source enables accurate monitoring of high resolution audio signals. The 8430 also supports analogue monitoring using a balanced XLR connector.

An audio-over-IP stream may in principle contain any number of channels. Conveniently, on an IP network, all audio streams can be visible to all monitors. Routing of audio in the network is no longer dependent on cable layout. Audio can be routed from anywhere to anywhere. Connecting audio-over-IP devices is simple. You attach one cable to ethernet and that is it. The physical cabling has no significance in determining what audio channel goes where in the system. The cabling in an IP network system always follows the same principle: the monitor connects to an IP switch device using one IP network cable, and all devices connect via IP switches. The maximum length of the cable from the switch to a monitor is 100 meters. Most of the time this is more than enough and this can be easily extended using another switch device. After pulling the physical cables, the magic of connectivity happens in the software configuration.

System configuration is easy. All devices are accessible and visible through the network and devices are configurable at the same computer display.

As a part of the Genelec Smart Active Monitoring (SAM™) Series, the 8430 shares the same electro-acoustic design as others in the series. This design includes the Genelec Minimum Diffraction Enclosure (MDE™), Directivity Control Waveguide (DCW™) technology, flow optimised reflex port, very low acoustic distortion across audible frequencies, high sound pressure level capacity, wide bandwidth, and uncoloured output both on the acoustical axis and in the off-axis directions.

All 8430 monitors are individually computer calibrated on the

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factory production line, to eliminate and remove any unit-to-unit differences. The 8430 features the smart AutoCal™ system calibration. This is part of the Genelec Loudspeaker Manager (GLM™), the company’s monitor management system. All professional audio reproduction configurations are supported by the GLM, including the most advanced 3D immersive audio systems. Using the GLM, up to 30 monitors and subwoofers in one room can be aligned and calibrated quickly and efficiently.

Supporting spot and wide area corrections at unlimited positions in a room, the GLM AutoCal system aligns the times-of-flight for all monitors, setting monitors at equal acoustic distance, the reproduction levels enabling all products to play at the same level irrespective of their distance or room acoustic influences, and equalises the frequency responses individually for all monitors, removing room acoustic colourations. This enables the reproduction system to have neutral sound character, ensuring the highest monitoring accuracy.

The 8430 applies Genelec’s standard for environmentally friendly design, so all the materials used in manufacturing the 8430 are fully recyclable. The enclosure is manufactured of recycled aluminium.

The die cast enclosure, protection of the drivers against mechanical damage and electronic abuse, and versatile fixing features integrated in the enclosure structure offer excellent long term reliability.

While Genelec 8430 supports the AES67 interoperability standard it is also a fully developed Smart Active Monitor, enabling fast and accurate acoustical calibration of even the most complex multichannel or immersive audio system calibration. This enables detailed and individual compensation of the listening room’s acoustic influences. The robust monitor has been designed for hard professional use, offering high reliability and excellent life time. The Genelec 8430 is an industry-first solution for directly monitoring audio-over-IP streams.

Aki Mäkivirta is Research & Development Manager at Genelec Oy.

Social

Christie Digital Launch – Christie Africa Office, Northlands Deco Park

Michelle Jordan and Deepak Nathoo

Richard Henn, Geoffrey Toplis and Steven van der Merwe

Nicholas Scott and Quinton Robbertze

Steven White, Dalene Barnard, Kevin Olivier and Sebastian Havas

Kerrylea Els, Pamela Rodda, Cristina Straussner, Annalise Hodgson and Angela Dias

Greg Buitendag and Mauritz van Wyk

Kerstin Tilley, Shaun de Freitas and Shazley Naidoo

Steven Cooper, Corne Hubinger and Jake du Plessis

Michelle Jordan and Lizelle Muller

Kevan Jones, Ashleigh Smaller, Doron Mansur and Richard Nye

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Social

Naledi Awards – Lyric Theatre, Gold Reef City

Anré Roux, Charlie Bouguenon, Claudia Prinsloo and Shaun Koch

Funeka Peppeta, Orly Shapiro and Busabuntu Dubazana

Nonhlanhla Banda, Thato Motlhaolwa, Vuyo Magodla, Thabiso Rammala, MoMo Matsunyane and Thapelo Mohapi Oora Motsikoe

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Denel Honeyball, Murray Todd, Charlie Bouguenon and Brandon Auret

Anika Badenhorst and Madelaine Lotter

James Sey and Lara Foot

Shenay O’Brien, Claudia Prinsloo and Shaun Koch

Trena Bolden Fields, Lesedi Job and Jerome Fields

Nichole Makoba, TeeKay Baloyi and Thalia Burt

Martin van Heerden, Wendy Gila and Ziyanda Yako

Mimi and Motlatsi Mafatshe

Taryn Foster-Sutherland and Matt Ramsey

Greg Homann and Cathy Specific

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Frequency Response (+/- 6dB anechoic chamber): 57Hz – 20 000Hz Drivers: HF Driver: BEYMA, 1.4” exit, 1.75” voice coil LF/MF Driver: BEYMA, 2.5” voice coil Signal Input/Output Connector: Female XRL Input, Male XLR Output Power Input/Output Connector: Powercon NAC3MPA / NAC3MPB Power Rating (AES): 1600W Maximum calculated SPL/M (Continuous/Program/Peak): 125dB/128dB/131dB Amplifier: Class D Processor: 48KHz signal sampling, 56bit Weight: 38.5Kg Dimensions mm: 742(W) x 302(H) x 695(D)

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04/05/2016 15:15