January - February 2014
MICA [P] 021/09/2013 KDN: PPS 1663/08/2013 [022991]
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Bigger & Better With Sennheiser Better Safe than Sorry
PALME Vietnam Returns
W-DMX creates Magic @ the MusicHall
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CONTENT VOL 15 ISSUE 1 January - February 2014
57 We asked, You answered!
96 M2 Club Celebrates the Night with Verity Audio 78 Bromancing with D8 Productions & AVICII
NEWS
LIVE
INSTALL
08 Essential news from the industry
70 Bigger & Better With Sennheiser 74 Sir Tom Jones rocks Muscat with Outline 75 ACME glitters for Heavenly King 76 J Davis Goes Above & Beyond for India 78 Bromancing with D8 Productions & AVICII 82 JMCIM’s Healing and Praising Message 84 PR Lighting on Duty 85 The P.A. People deliver quality audio 86 Shure Unleashes Harley’s Grooowwwlll 87 Martin Brightens Hong Kong Celebration 88 TDC & Barco project for Naval Spectacular
89 Renkus-Heinz delivers Powerful Audio 90 South Korea chooses ETC lighting 91 Electro-Voice Provides Quality Sound 92 E&E brings the Cinema to Life 93 W-DMX creates Magic @ the MusicHall 94 D.A.S. Audio Transports the Beat to Yinji “O” Show 95 Creativity flows with Robe 96 M2 Club Celebrates the Night with Verity Audio
ENNOVATIONS 37 A round-up of the latest products in the market
EXHIBITION PREVIEW 54 New international exhibitors for PL+S Guangzhou
SPECIAL FEATURE 57 Technology Expectations: We asked, You answered! 60 Better Safe than Sorry
TECH TALK 64 Requirements Of A Rig
EXHIBITION REVIEW 66 PALME Vietnam Returns
HaAavve U Met...? 97 Santana Davis
06
FIRST WORDS January - February 2014
Publisher / Editorial Director Thomas Richard Prakasam thomas@spinworkz.com
We want to open 2014’s first issue with a message to our readers, friends and colleagues in the Phillippines. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all and all those affected by typhoon Haiyan.
INDIA AND MIDDLE EAST EDITOR Ram Bhavanashi ram@spinworkz.com
While reading about the relief efforts being done, I came across a very interesting article by a retired Filipino executive addressed to CNN’s Anderson Cooper after his glass half empty report on the country’s recovery after the disaster. Scan the QR code to read it.
WRITER Rosalind Tan rosalind@spinworkz.com
A very powerful article that I feel applies to the human mentality as a whole. We know how to work with what we’ve got. Yes, we may bitch and moan at times but, at the end of the day, we know what it is to build ourselves out of nothing in order to achieve everything. An achievement that is proven everyday in this industry. With the lengthy recovery the country has ahead of them, now is a great time to remind everyone that even though we come from hardship, it doesn’t control you and it only makes you stronger. Like Nelson Mandela once said, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” And every time we get up, let’s not forget the falls that have made us who we are. Moving into our 15th year of circulation, we decided to go back to basics with Chris Hannam of STAGESAFE on the safety features that go into full scale productions. With routines that have become an everyday aspect of our jobs, sometimes its good to check ourselves and the progress that we’ve made over time. That’s why we decided to include a safety quiz for your entertainment and selfassessment. Heck, test your colleagues as well! So, as the new year dawns, let us look to brighter futures and an awesome 2014. Have you started planning your wish-list yet? Well, some of us have. Flip to page 57 to see some of the industry’s expectations for 2014. Enjoy! “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin..” - Mother Teresa Elissa Nadine Writer elissa@spinworkz.com
ADMIN & CIRCULATION Eileen Tan admin@spinworkz.com
DESIGN AND PRODUCTION Jimmy Chin jimmy@spinworkz.com MEDIA REP IN NORTH AMERICA Broadcast Media International Michael Mitchell Tel: +1 631 673 0072 mjmitchell@broadcastmedia.tv
PRINTED BY Stamford Press Pte Ltd PUBLISHED BY Spinworkz Pte Ltd 51 Bukit Batok Crescent #06-10 Unity Centre Singapore 658077 Tel: (65) 6316 2716 Fax: (65) 63162715 www.spinworkz.com
Disclaimer Entertainment Technology Asia is published 6 times a year. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine is to be reproduced, whether mechanical or electronic without the prior written consent of the publisher. Views expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the editor or the publisher. Unsolicited contributions are welcome but the editor reserves the discretion to use them. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy and honesty in both editorial and advertising content at press time, the publisher will not be liable for any inaccuracies.
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08
NEWS January - February 2014
HARMAN Martin Professional strengthens its commitment to Asia Pacific Singapore: HARMAN Professional has appointed Jonas Stenvinkel as Head, Martin Professional Asia Pacific with a permanent base in Singapore. Having handled the NORDIC and North EMEA Jonas Stenvinkel, Head of Martin region for Martin Professional Asia Pacific Professional for the past ten years, the 36-year old saw a tangible growth in the Asia Pacific region during his appointment as Sales Director of EMEA North.
He credits this as the reason why he has come to “know the market and it's key players closely”. A definite advantage as he states, “For this new challenge I will bring a lot of learnings from my previous position and I see this as a very exciting challenge. Asia is a very important market for Martin and our presence is key to our success. I
will use my experience in the market and although some things are different, most things are the same. Customers face the same day to day challenges all over the world. I want to be close to our customers and specifiers so I intend to spend a lot of time in the field travelling over Asia & Pacific.”
He will report directly to the Senior Director of Sales for Harman Professional, Thomas Marcher. “Jonas has demonstrated a strong commitment to comprehensive customer service and support over his 10 year career with Martin Professional. Jonas is a strong addition to the Asia team and I’m confident his strong leadership and experience will be an asset for our customers in the Asia region.” Looking to the future, Jonas adds, “I am looking forward to bringing the new exciting Martin products to the Asian market. First would be the RUSH by Martin range that is ideal for this region, as well as our creative video aimed at the installation and hospitality market. And then of course, our award winning Viper range for the rental market and not least our upcoming revolutionary
new LED fixture, the Mac Quantum that was launched at LDI.” Joining Jonas in the Singapore office is the newly appointed Service Manager for the Asia Pacific region, Rasmus Mogensen. As a well travelled service engineer , Rasmus joins from the Martin HQ in Denmark and not only brings years of experience in the entertainment industry but has also been an active user of the Martin products for years. “The combination of being a skilled and experienced service engineer and also a user of our own products creates a unique ability to understand our customers, and their need for best in class service at all times,” states Jonas.
The team are still currently looking to expand the already successful team based in Singapore. This is to pave the way for expected growth in the region and to ensure Martin continues to offer its customers the same great service that has become synonymous with the brand name. www.martin.com.sg
Total Solution enhances lighting at Gardens by the Bay SINGAPORE: Gardens by the Bay, an awardwinning horticultural attraction in Singapore, recently strengthened its professional lighting inventory with Vari*Lite VL 770 Spots, an Avolites Tiger Touch and LumenRadio receivers. All equipment was supplied by official distributor, Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd. The attraction houses close to 400,000 plants and has become a popular destination for local and overseas visitors. Glenn Wong the Managing Director of Total Solution stated, “We are delighted to have been able to meet the creative technical lighting requirements at Gardens by the Bay. This re-affirms our belief to represent top quality brand products and continuing to offer our best customer service to all of our customers.”
Facilities Management Team, Travis Lee I-Xuen and Ngo Zhi Hong
www.gardensbythebay.com.sg www.tsm-int.com
10
NEWS January - February 2014
FBT Appoints New “Down Under” Distributor AUSTRALIA: Audio Brands Australia is a new Sydney based audio distributor focused on the installation and production markets. Headed by industry veteran, Don McConnell, (with over 25 years of experience in the Australian commercial and professional audio markets), the goal of Audio Brands Australia is “to provide great products and outstanding customer service”. The company has now been appointed the exclusive Australian distributor for audio equipment manufacturer FBT. Commenting on the appointment, Don said, “Audio Brands is very pleased to be representing FBT in Australia. FBT is already well known for their range of moulded speakers and we are looking forward to introducing their latest ranges of self-powered products as well as their extensive range of installation speakers”. Roberto Mataloni, export manager for FBT enthused, “We are delighted to have Audio Brands Australia as our new distributor 'down under'. We knew that Don was well known and respected in the Australian audio market, so we jumped at the chance to work with
him and his new company. We are looking forward to a long and mutually rewarding partnership between our two companies”. Following a recent visit to the FBT headquarters in Recanati, Italy, Don commented, “The FBT facility is very impressive, as are the people behind the company and its products. Most of their speakers are built entirely in-house using predominantly European components, including B&C drivers in many of their products. Their design techniques, build quality and testing processes are amongst the best I have ever seen”.
The FBT installation range will be a key initial focus for Audio Brands and includes the Project series (for café’s, pubs and the like), the Shadow series of IP rated outdoor speakers (including an outdoor line array), as well as the MLA and DLA digitally steered column speakers. Additionally, the selfpowered Mitus and Vertus line arrays offer outstanding performance for their size and should be popular with both installation and production companies. “We are very much
(L-R) Roberto Mataloni (Export Manager for FBT) with Don McConnell (Director, Audio Brands Australia)
looking forward to introducing these great products to our customers” said Don. Audio Brands Australia can be contacted on 0499 828 521, or via email at sales@ audiobrands.com.au. Dealership inquiries are welcomed. www.fbt.it
VUE Continues Global Expansion with New Distributor "This is a truly exciting addition as we seek to further expand into Asia's professional audio market," said VUE's Executive Vice President, Jim Sides. "As one of the largest and most respected pro audio distributors in China, Tom Lee's sizable network and highly-skilled staff will dramatically bolster VUE's overall presence in the region, while ensuring a high degree of professional support for our customers."
(L-R) Joe Manning of International Sales, VUE Distribution Management in APAC, Jim Sides, EVP, VUE Audiotechnik, John K. C. Lee, Principal at Tom Lee Engineering and Ken Berger, CEO, VUE Audiotechnik
CHINA: In response to the growing worldwide demand for its expanding range of sound reinforcement technologies, VUE Audiotechnik has welcomed Tom Lee Engineering as the company's new distributor for China, Hong Kong and Macau.
"I have personally known Jim Sides and Ken Berger for over two decades and they have always delivered notable results," added John K. C. Lee, Principal at Tom Lee Engineering. "The VUE systems are innovative in design with excellent sound quality. We are very happy for the opportunity to work with Jim and Ken again, and extremely proud to be appointed as VUE Audiotechnik's exclusive distributor for China, Hong Kong and Macau. We are committed to establishing the VUE
brand and building a professional supply chain in our market."
Under the new partnership, product lines will include VUE's entire range of sound reinforcement loudspeakers including the h-, a- and i-Class families, as well as the al-Class line arrays with Truextent beryllium compression driver technology. With this announcement Tom Lee Engineering joins a growing list of international distributors who are partnering with VUE to expand the company's rapidly expanding product portfolio worldwide. To locate a VUE Audiotechnik representative or distributor in your area, visit www.vueaudio.com
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NEWS January - February 2014
Outline Dedicates Website to “iMode” platform
INTERNATIONAL: The Intelligent Digital Loudspeaker Multi-Control Platform (iMode) originated when Outline staffers asked themselves, “How could the “dialogue” or interaction between system engineers and loudspeaker systems be improved?” This led to more questions such as, “how could this control be made easier, more enjoyable and more powerful than it had ever been in the past?” and “was it possible to control a line array (completely) with just a tablet, and no other kind of aid?” And now, audio manufacturer, Outline has dedicated a new website that will help the iMode technology to be fully understood. “On outlineimode.com the story behind the technology is ‘told’ (in two languages)”, comments Outline’s Michele Noselli. “The style is as narrative as possible, in order to take one step at a time to understand exactly why iMode offers the solution. Even if obvious, the suggestion is to start at the beginning (Overview). There are four large buttons on the home page, which lead visitors to four thematic areas (Overview, Details, Experience, and Solutions). Nothing else. We hope that the site’s design, based
on this layout, reflects the simplicity at the base of the iMode concept. On the other hand, turning iMode into actual products was not so easy: it required resources, passion and (brilliant) intelligence, all factors that - modesty aside - there has never been a shortage of at Outline.”
Engineer Daniele Pagani, the leader of the iMode project at the Brescia manufacturer’s R&D department, comments: “iMode is the concrete response to the corporate mission announced before the arrival of the new millennium. The need, flexibility and enjoyment of putting the control of an entire system at an engineers’ fingertips was discovered in Outline even before the arrival on the market of mobile devices, which provided the perfect missing link between the iMode project and the Information Technology world. He continues, “The most stimulating aspect is that this interaction will continue to evolve,
offering Outline - and us designers - the possibility of experimenting and realizing new forms of control and sound reinforcement system management, while users are ensured a platform structured in such a way as to avoid ‘ageing’...in a word, it’s great to know that you’re investing in something that one day will be able to be updated with just a click... but I won’t go into any further details – I’ll leave that to outlineimode.com…” www.outlineimode.com
MusicWorks distributes Electro-Voice
range (with the ZLX-12P being the current number-one-selling portable powered speaker in US), and the ELX and ZX/ZXA loudspeaker lines. E-V microphones available through MusicWorks include the PL, N/DYM and RE series.
NEW ZEALAND: MusicWorks Limited, New Zealand's largest musical instrument retail group, has become the exclusive New Zealand retail distributor of Electro-Voice (E-V) portable loudspeakers. The music chain will also carry a range of E-V microphones. “We are very pleased to have MusicWorks as the New Zealand distributor,” said Chris Dellenty, General Manager of Bosch Communications Systems (corporate
ownership of E-V). “Our distribution channel objectives include finding highly professional businesses that can provide extensive reach, but, most importantly, excellent sales and support services to the end-user. MusicWorks definitely fits this category.” The distribution agreement between E-V and MusicWorks covers products ideal for the MI market. These include the ZLX loudspeaker
MusicWorks Managing Director Andrew McElroy is welcoming the addition of E-V to the stable the group represents and markets to retailers, installers and hire companies in NZ. “The addition of E-V will strengthen our line up considerably and will give the end-user a better range of options in the sound, install and hire market in NZ,” said Mr. McElroy. The E-V brand is very strong and to have such a brand to represent in NZ is a move forward for MusicWorks.” www.electrovoice.com
NEWS January - February 2014
13
APG appointed as exclusive Lab.gruppen and Lake distributor
AUSTRALIA & NZ: TC Group has announced the appointment of Audio Products Group (APG) as the exclusive distributor of Lab. gruppen and Lake in Australia and New Zealand. The new business agreement commences on February 1st 2014, when APG will take over from the current distribution partner Hills SVL. This appointment consolidates TC Group’s relationship with the Australian distribution company, who have enjoyed great success with Tannoy since taking on the loudspeaker brand in 2010. From February 1st, APG will also offer the amplification and processing technology from Lab.gruppen and Lake to customers in the region. Andrzej Sosna, CEO of Install and Tour for TC Group, said: “After building up a very successful relationship with APG over a number of years through Tannoy, we are
delighted that we can now extend that to TC Group’s other touring and install brands. This appointment will consolidate a strong partnership that I am sure will have a very positive effect on the growth of Lab.gruppen and Lake in Australia and New Zealand, as well as giving APG the opportunity to offer optimised systems solutions to market, solutions that feature a combination of these complementary technologies." Ken Dwyer, Managing Director of APG, said: “We are delighted to be able to strengthen our relationship with TC Group, one of the audio industry’s most innovative companies. Our recent decision to restructure APG and focus 100% on the commercial installation and pro audio markets sees us ideally positioned to take on the distribution and support of Lab.gruppen and Lake in our region.”
Miguel Hadelich, TC Group’s VP of Sales for Install and Tour, said: “We have been impressed by the team at APG since they took on distribution of Tannoy Professional in 2010. Their relaunch of one of our industry’s most iconic brands has seen strong sales growth, and the development of a warm and co-operative relationship between our companies. I am confident that APG has the skills and resources to support the Lab. gruppen and Lake brands in a way that reflects the technical excellence and heritage that is invested into every product.” In announcing this new partnership, Hadelich acknowledged the role played by Hills SVL in recent years. “We thank the staff and management of Hills SVL for their support of Lab.gruppen and Lake in the past, and extend our best wishes for the future.” www.audioproducts.com.au www.labgruppen.com
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NEWS January - February 2014
The Sam Willows join Shure Artist Family! Toronto, ON; won a week of studio time with 5-time Grammy award winning producer Steve Lillywhite, CBE, courtesy of The Music Society, Singapore; and were invited to play at three other international music festivals, Digital and Music Matters in Singapore (May 2013), as well as MU:CON and Zandari Festa in Seoul, South Korea (October 2013) and the Western Australian Music Festival (WAM 2013) in Perth, Australia.
“The band members are excited about this fantastic support from Shure and Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd. This relationship enables them to use the best gear for all their recordings and performances, both live and in the recording studios.” said Audrey Lim, Manager of The Sam Willows.
The Sam Willows with Gary Goh, Deputy MD, Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd at Luther Music
SINGAPORE: The Sam Willows have joined the family of Shure Artists. Formed in mid-2012, the band is made up of siblings Benjamin and Narelle Kheng and their friends Sandra Riley Tang and Jon Chua. Leading Singapore broadsheet, The Straits Times, described their rise to fame as meteoric: Their self-titled debut EP was released to great acclaim in October 2012. They have also gone away on a North American Tour that included international music festivals South by Southwest in Austin, TX, and Canadian Music Week in
Shure distributor in Singapore, Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd has embarked on a relationship that will be the start of amazing opportunities to come. “We are very proud to be supporting the The Sam Willows and contributing to the rapidly growing local music industry in Singapore,” commented Gary Goh, Deputy Managing Director for Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd.
At the launch of the Shure Display Wall at Luther Music, Gary Goh presented The Sam Willows with a Shure KSM353/ED Premier Bi-directional Ribbon Microphone. The Shure KSM Ribbon Microphone is the ideal choice for the world’s most accomplished studio and live performances. Not only for its’ unique technology and application features, but also because of its superior materials and construction. Luther Music offers a place for professional or amateurs to experience hands on testing of Shure microphones and other Shure products. “Our staff here at Luther Music are technically trained to answer queries and are proficient with the Shure brand of products and are able to make recommendations to our customers based on their requirements and usage.” commented Luther Ong, Managing Partner of Luther Music. www.shureasia.com www.enepl.com.sg
Shure KSM353/ED Premier Bi-directional Ribbon Microphone
GLD-80 Deployed for National Jazz Festival
New Zealand: An Allen & Heath GLD-80 digital mixer was recently employed at the National Jazz Festival held in Tauranga, New Zealand. The annual event has included a line-up of New Zealand and international jazz musicians such as The Blind Boys of Alabama and Earth, Wind and Fire to local favourites, Kokomo and Bay Dixie performing in various venues in Tauranga’s historic Jazz Village, a re-creation of New Orleans’ French Quarter. The GLD was installed in the Layfayette Church, one of the Jazz Village’s boutique venues.
“I'm mostly a studio guy these days but I can honestly say the GLD's sound quality rivals some of the gear we rely on in the studio. I kid you not I had a Shure SM58 Beta sounding more like a boutique Large Diaphragm Condensor! The vocal was husky, sweet and intimate sounding when fed through the built in Mic Pre, EQ, Compressor and Reverbs. It sounded that good, it felt like I was mixing in my comfy chair at the studio, and it was so easy to dial in the sound I wanted. I have to especially give kudos to the compressor and the reverbs - they are fantastic!” stated engineer, Damian Lunson. www.allen-heath.com
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BEAM-MODE: THE MUST HAVE IN ALL DESIGNS Impressive array of independent, parallel micro-beams, packed into a 4째 solid beam. Digital LED pattern design (virtual gobos) and beam-morphing for high-speed aerial effects.
EFFECTS-MODE: AMAZING AND REVOLUTIONARY Countless fantastic atmospheric effects and unique kaleidoscopic projections, digitally controlled in shape, color and speed. Active eye-candy chromatic patterns for sophisticated scenic design (B-EYE K20 only).
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16
NEWS January - February 2014
MUSIC Group City to Open in 2014
CHINA: Just over a year after breaking ground on a massive new campus that will become home to up to 10,000 employees, MUSIC Group founder and CEO Uli Behringer is excited about the progress made on the site – and the fantastic prospects for the Company’s future. The campus will design, build and distribute products for the entire MUSIC Group portfolio, including MIDAS, KLARK TEKNIK, TURBOSOUND, BEHRINGER and BUGERA. “I’m thrilled to see the progress on this wonderful new manufacturing facility called MUSIC Group City,” said Uli Behringer. “My dream has always been to help talented musicians reach their goals. Seeing this campus coming to fruition is gratifying – and we can hardly wait to see this place come to life!” He continues, “We have spent over 2 years blue-printing and fine-tuning every single aspect of the plant’s design. Several specialized Japanese process engineering
firms have been engaged to create one of the most efficient, automated and environmentally-friendly manufacturing plants in the world. We also spent substantial resources on the industrial design, which showcases massive glass-curtains and aluminum-braced facades. We even added internal factory walkways so visitors can witness every aspect of our hightech production – an inspiring customer experience that manufacturers, such as BMW and Volkswagen helped pioneer.” Behringer adds: “Our continued investments in automation, optical and X-ray inspection devices, rigorous lifecycle testing equipment, and in-house quality assurance have resulted in first-pass rates that are among the highest in the industry. We even built a comprehensive EMC and UL-approved safety lab to do rigorous and comprehensive compliance testing that goes way beyond all regulatory requirements. As a result, we now offer a 3-year Warranty Program for all of our products.” Undertaken in September of 2012, the main building will be a 3 million square foot structure supported by 2,500 support beams, with a total combined length of more than 40 miles (65 km). When complete, the US$ 70 million, 70-acre complex will include a dedicated factory space housing more than 100 automated manufacturing lines, fully automated transducer production
ZLX launches in Indonesia INDONESIA: Electro-Voice recently launched its new ZLX line of powered and passive portable loudspeakers at a special event held at the entrada café, BEJ - Sudirman, Jakarta. The event was organized by Bosch Security Systems Indonesia distribution partners, Y2C International with support from Bosch Security Systems (EV corporate ownership). The event itself was attended by nearly 100 invited participants who were welcomed by EV representatives; Ong Kah Seong, General Manager of Bosch Security Systems Indonesia; and by Y2C International, represented by General Manager Mario Susetyo. ZLX brings a host of unique features and bestin-class performance to its price segment,
as described by Patrick Hau, Senior Product Marketing Manager, ProSound Asia Pacific. The guests had many questions – the first ten of which were rewarded with EV USB sticks. The evening ended with a sit down dinner and entertainment including an acoustic performance by EV contest-winners Four of Us. Response to the event was uniformly positive: attendees confirmed ZLX is on-target as a highlycompetitive, great value option for Indonesian customers, and Y2C International and EV/
lines, injection molding and hydro-forming facilities, plus a total “clean-air” wood products and painting pavilion. On site will also be a single-story, fully automated warehouse directly connected to an online B2B Partner Portal that allows real-time ordering and distribution. Along with the expanded manufacturing capacity, the campus will also be home to several advanced-research facilities and training centers for employees to further develop the world-class design skills that have made MUSIC Group a highly-respected industry leader. MUSIC Group is working closely with expert firms to maximize energy-efficiency and minimize the carbon footprint, in keeping with the company’s goal of exceptional environmental stewardship. The Company’s employees will literally call the new campus home, with as many as 5,000 living on site and taking advantage of a wealth of amenities, including a variety of dining options, on-premises childcare, medical services – and a vast array of recreational facilities. With a 24/7 crew of 1,000 workers on-site, construction is scheduled to be completed by mid 2014. www.music-group.com
Bosch are poised to take their partnership to new level of success in this market segment. www.electrovoice.com
18
NEWS January - February 2014
Elation Professional Surprise Announcement Loader, Director of Sales at Elation Lighting. “This gives us a powerful and intuitive industry-standard lighting control platform and we’re thrilled to be involved with it. Customers were equally excited and interest in it was great throughout the show so our expectations are high.” ASIA: LDI Premier Show sponsor Elation Professional enjoyed perhaps its busiest LDI Show ever in Las Vegas as the company continued to raise its profile in the industry with a number of key product launches that included the surprise announcement of a distribution agreement with High End Systems.
The agreement, which allows Elation to distribute High End’s new HedgeHog 4 and Nano Hog 4 lighting consoles in the US, Canada, Latin America, South East Asia and India, caused quite a stir on the show floor. “The distribution announcement started things off with a bang and really set the tone for the rest of the show,” said Eric
The HedgeHog 4 found its place alongside other new Elation control offerings at the show, including the release of the Emulation Pro software, MIDIcon Pro Controller, EWDMX IP Transceiver and new Art-net to DMX splitters, the eNode 8 pro & eNode 4. www.elationlighting.eu
Thailand Cinema Embraces 4K with Sony Projectors
choice was clear right from the start. There are no rivals to match Sony’s 4K Digital Cinema solutions,” said Navin Nouamjit, General Manager, Major Hollywood Cinema. “We didn’t just choose the best technology available. We chose a long-term partner that understood our evolving needs as a cinema chain. Sony went all out to offer its expertise to help us become one of the best cinema houses in Thailand,” he added.
THAILAND: Thailand’s Major Hollywood Cinema acquired 8 units of Sony’s SRXR515P 4K digital cinema projectors, to replace its ageing film projection systems as part of a shift to go fully digital by the beginning of this year. With 33 screens in and around Bangkok, the integrated multiplex cinema chain looked to Sony’s 4K digital cinema solutions to provide an immersive movie-going experience for its audiences, and extend its capabilities to showcase a broader range of movies due to the burgeoning amount of 4K content. Major Hollywood Cinema brands itself as an integrated entertainment destination, offering a wide range of entertainment options covering movies, karaoke, music
shops and restaurants. Keen to ramp up its presence in Bangkok, Major Hollywood Cinema was looking at new technology to replace its ageing film projectors and ensure that it remained at the forefront of global standards for visual entertainment for its screens. For its foray into 4K, Major Hollywood Cinema selected Sony’s SRX-R515P due to its high quality projection technology and features. Designed for small to medium-sized auditoriums, the SRX-R515P has a smaller body than its illustrious big brother the SRXR320P, and is fully DCI compliant. “We are excited to bring the astonishing magic of Sony’s 4K to our audiences. The
Motomi Saito, Managing Director of Professional Solutions Company (PSAP) and Head of Digital Cinema Division, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific said, “With our 4K and 3D digital cinema solutions, we want to help cinema operators differentiate themselves from competitors, keep running costs to a minimum and generate new revenue streams with 4K and 3D movies. More importantly, we partner cinema operators like Major Hollywood for the long term to help them meet their evolving needs as a competitive cinema chain.” pro.sony-asia.com
NEWS January - February 2014
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RCM-28 lands in India in conjunction with IRIS-Net training in Bangalore INDIA: In conjunction with an IRIS-Net training session held in Bangalore in 2013, India received its introduction to the new RCM-28 OMNEO-capable DSP cards for Electro-Voice Tour Grade amplifiers. The training covered the latest trends in digital audio technology and solutions from EV. Topics covered included the following:
• The existing Cobranet audio available with EV’s NetMax N8000 system controller is available in conjunction with the CM-1 module which allowed trainees to set up digital audio transmission via Ethernet infrastructure. • With the availability of the latest media networking technology, the N8000 can now be equipped with the Dante DM-1 module. With Dante media networking technology, system integrators can have greater flexibility in audio transport. One of the key features of Dante is that it allows the audio to be routable, in other words, it can be routed across LANs. Besides
simplicity. This capability in the Tour Grade amplifiers, when complemented with the DM-1 equipped N8000, becomes the perfect digital audio networking solution for system integrators that require low latency studio quality audio across a wide network.
that, it has good latency for live sound applications and studio quality audio. • The newly launched RCM-28 remote control module for Tour Grade amps made its first appearance in India during the training. Thanks to the OMNEO networking topology, attendees were taught how to configure multiple amplifiers with great
www.electrovoice.com
TY I T AN U DQ E UC D RE
20
NEWS January - February 2014
Vari*Lite’s Assist To Make Michael Jackson Immortal
INTERNATIONAL: Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour is an electrifying production that combines Michael Jackson’s music and choreography with Cirque du Soleil creativity to give fans worldwide a unique view into the spirit, passion and heart of the artistic genius who forever transformed global pop culture. Aimed at lifelong fans as well as those experiencing Michael Jackson’s creative genius for the first time, the show captures the essence, soul and inspiration of the King of Pop, celebrating a legacy that continues to transcend generations. Lighting designer, Martin Labrecque, was required to design a rig that provided a decent amount of front and side light, as sometimes the stage can have forty-nine people on it, and that could also compete with the extensive use of LED video screens. Another challenge was weight allowance with the space above the performance area already crammed with video walls, scenic elements and acrobatic machinery. Originally Labrecque planned to use all VL3500 Wash and VL3000 Spot fixtures but was advised that he needed to scale back
considerably due to weight restrictions. Rather than cut back the amount of fixtures, he turned to some of Vari-Lite’s newer and lighter fixtures with 40 x VLX LED Washes and 65 x VL880 Spots now making up the majority of the overhead rig. “They decided to go with those Vari-Lite fixtures because they are lighter, the rig was so massive already,” added Eric Belanger, Lighting Board Op and touring Lighting Director. “The VLX’s wash the stage whilst ten of the smaller VLX3 Wash are located on the downstage edge of the band riser where their low angle and close proximity allows them to cut through the stage washes.” The Michael Jackson THE IMMORTAL World Tour was the first tour ever to use
the compact VL880 and so Vari-Lite had an army of technician’s onsite for production rehearsals to ensure all went smoothly and to receive feedback from the Cirque lighting department. 24 x VL3500 and 27 x VL3000 were deployed around the deck and on upstage vertical trusses hung in-between the video walls. “The 3500 Wash FX on the back helps to create the really big looks as well as some great eye candy,” said Eric. “We love them – they’re big, bright and pretty reliable. The VL3000’s are used mainly for key and side lighting.” www.jands.com.au
PR Lighting appoints Jands in Australia
by a strong support team both at the factory and here at Jands we are looking forward to introducing new customers to the PR brand throughout Australia.”
AUSTRALIA: With effect from November 1st, Jands added PR Lighting's products to its product portfolio. This appointment brings a wealth of products to the Jands Professional Lighting stable and increases the scope for Jands dealers to meet the needs of their customers from the entry level through to the most demanding of professional applications. With 29 years of successful operations behind it PR has not only been a pioneer in the Chinese lighting industry but has earned
a solid reputation for quality, performance and innovation throughout the industry worldwide. “We are very excited to have PR Lighting on board as part of the Jands professional lighting range,” said Tim Kennard, Lighting Sales Manager of Jands. “Prior to signing on with PR we visited their factory in Guangzhou and the facilities are world class with a large, dedicated R&D division as well as first rate Quality Control processes in place at every level. With a great stable of products backed
PR Lighting Sales Manager, Andrea Feng, added, "I have been extremely impressed with Jands’ efficiency since my original approach. It was very exciting when Jands responded so positively during demo testing, and with subsequent promotional activities. Jands is one of the leading distributors in Australia with a reputation built up over many years, and PR is the leading Chinese manufacturer with enormous industrial experience of its own. This gives the new partnership great potential, and PR the confidence to provide a first class product solution to the Australian market through the well established network of Jands." www.pr-lighting.com
ETC Source Four Mini It’s not theatre, it’s art. www.etcconnect.com
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www.etcconnect.com
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NEWS January - February 2014
Sennheiser Sees Growing Regional Interest in High-Performance Audio Systems
UAE: In a move that enabled it to engage with customers in the Middle East to spread brand awareness the Sennheiser Group, hosted a two day seminar at the Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. Together with its distribution partner, Sennheiser also highlighted the capabilities of its ultracompact audio solution, K-Array. Attended by over 35 A/V installation and consultancy professionals, the event featured presentations, delivered by Francesco Maffei, Product Specialist Manager at K-array, on both live and installed sound elements. These were complemented by live demos of products which included the Anakonda KAN200 flexible array element speaker and the ultraminiaturized KZ10 line-array element. Commenting on his company's support of such customer engagement platforms, Mig Cardamone, Sales and Marketing Manager, Sennheiser Middle East said, "Because K-Array's range of products is highly innovative and so vastly different from what is generally available in the market, such workshops are tremendously beneficial to customers. It permits them to witness first hand the quality and performance of these solutions while gaining a better understanding of the potential applications for the wide range of solutions available. This is done by not only discussing the products and their features but also providing detailed overviews of real-world use case examples."
Attendees were particularly impressed by K-Array's range of portable audio speaker systems which include the KR202 and KR402 integrated, self-powered speaker systems that feature Mid-Hi line array elements matched to powered subwoofers. The high SPL capabilities of the portable systems were highlighted through a live outdoor demonstration which utilized 2 x KR402 systems consisting of a pair of KMT21 (21”) subs matched to 2 x KP102 Mid-High arrays.
During his presentation, Francesco Maffei also demonstrated the K-Array Configurator tool, available on the company's website, which simplifies the task of determining the right amplifier and subwoofer combination to accompany a selected speaker system. "We strongly advocate the usage of an endto-end K-Array set-up in order to guarantee the performance our customers have come to expect from our solutions. This online tool is an exceptionally easy to use resource that ensures compatibility and saves audio technicians the trouble of having to labour over product data sheets," he said.
Also well received at the event were the company's Anakonda KAN200 and KZ10 audio solutions. The new K-array Anakonda KAN200 is an innovative, flexible array that unlocks new possibilities for non-traditional applications where a usual speaker box can’t be employed. Its dedicated presets allow KAN200s to serve as either a standalone or combined with K-array subwoofers. The KZ10 is an ultra-micro line array designed for discreet use in a variety of situations. The system delivers long throw and coherent coverage making it ideal for use in space constrained situations. This miniature slim column is a mere 1.7cm deep and delivers true crystal clear audio with an output of 92dB continuous which is remarkable from such a minuscule enclosure. Dominic Calvert, Partner & Lead AV Consultant, B & B Project Management Consultancy, who attended the seminars and live demonstrations commented, "I was particularly impressed by the exceptional quality of both design and manufacturing and the surprisingly high SPL that the systems are capable of delivering. As a consultant and specifier, I could see the utilization of these products in high end installations for hotels, conference venues, broadcast facilities and any application wherein adherence to the highest standards is a must. The small form factor will make it easier to work with interior designers as these impressive high-performance products simply vanish into the design." www.sennheiser.com
NEWS January - February 2014
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Prolyte starts new initiative for Heavy Duty truss INTERNATIONAL: Prolyte has launched a new initiative to appoint specially trained Heavy Duty competence centres.
To roll out the idea, long-standing Prolyte partner, Cast was appointed as the first Heavy Duty competence centre.
The Heavy Duty competence centre will offer trained product managers, support and consulting service, regular training and a basic stock of the most common Heavy Duty series truss from Prolyte.
Cast boasts more than 20 years experience with the Prolyte products and has invested heavily in knowledge while offering most heavy-duty series truss from their stock in Hagen, Germany.
With short lines to the Prolyte engineering department and short delivery times, the Heavy Duty competence centre will also be able to provide the special product knowledge, awareness and attention required when involved with rigging Heavy Duty truss.
Prolyte officially installed Cast at the Heavy Duty Truss Competence Centre during a special event. In a packed program for the launch day, including seminars and presentations by Marc Hendriks and Matthias Moeller of Prolyte as well as Heinz Siller and Jens Kannacher of Cast, Prolyte and Cast combined their efforts to show what customers may expect of a competence centre.
Renowned for their hospitality Cast concluded the day with some fun during the “truss challenge” and a “Heavy Duty BBQ”. www.prolyte.com
Designed to inspire, built to last Ascender 48 and Ascender 32 WƌĞŵŝƵŵ DƵůƟͲƐĐƌĞĞŶ ^ĞĂŵůĞƐƐ ^ǁŝƚĐŚĞƌƐ
To learn more, connect with us on:
(TQO #UKC 2CEKſE Analog Way Pte Ltd - Singapore Phone: +65 6292 5800
Email : sales@analogwayasia.com
www.analogway.com
24
NEWS January - February 2014
Melodia takes the largest Outline GTO inventory in Indonesia
Founded in ‘97, with branches in Jakarta and Surabaya, Melodia is also the nation’s Outline distributor. Led by a young team of qualified engineers, the firm continued to grow and in 2005 entered the rental sector, simultaneously purchasing a Butterfly system. Through the years, Melodia has added various systems from the Italian manufacturer, including Mantas, Mini-COM.P.A.S.S., DVS, Eidos 265 and, more recently, GTO. Due to the latest acquisition, the company was called in to handle the audio production for the concert by Italian-American guitarist, songwriter and producer Steve Vai (over 15 million albums sold) at Jakarta's Tennis Indoor Senayan where GTO was specified in the riders. Melodia designed and deployed a system comprising eighteen GTO line array elements with sixteen LAB 21 infra-sub enclosures. Four of Outline’s two-way DVS 15 SP provided front-fill coverage for the VIP seats. Rudy Winarto, Melodia's owner and managing director, stated, "Tennis Indoor Senayan doesn’t have the acoustics of a recording studio - if anything, they’re more like those of a cathedral. The difference between good and bad results depends to a great extent on the choice of loudspeaker systems, which above all must have excellent directivity control. The clarity and precision of Outline systems helped a huge amount. In particular, the perfect coverage and stunning depth imaging of the GTO created an irreplaceable tool that was also easy to rig and operate.”
INDONESIA: After Vietnam, Australia, China and Japan, Outline is enjoying on-going success with the sales of its GTO line arrays which were recently purchased by one of Indonesia’s most qualified and respected rental firms, Melodia Sound & Lighting Systems.
He explained: "Building on the engineering legacy of the original Butterfly system - which I've used for nine years - GTO benefits from a process of natural evolution that retains the basic design principles and expands them into a new system that provides greater SPL, more control, improved resolution, faster transient response and unrivalled uniformity in long-distance projection. It was the first time that we’d used GTO and I have to say that so far, it is comfortably the bestsounding system we’ve ever had here – I’ve joined the list of those who say that it’s miles ahead of the best competition.” www.outline.it
CORRIGENDUM • In our Nov-Dec 2013 issue, under our news column (Page 38), we stated that EVI was appointed as the exclusive distributor of AVID consoles in the Philippines. In actuality, EVI Distribution Inc is the Sole Authorized Distributor for Avid Euphonix Pro Consoles in Philippines that includes Euphonix System 5 Series and MaxAir consoles only. However, Forerunner Technologies Inc is still the Sole Authorized Distributor for Avid Live Sound System that includes VENUE and Avid S3L Consoles.
• In our Nov-Dec 2013 issue, under our Exhibition Review column (Page 50), we had erroneously left out a key word thus creating a wrong impression of Roberto Matalani’s quote in our coverage of FBT. His quote should have been as follows “ Since we have had a lot of demand and since we have gathered a lot of market feedback, we have created the ARCHON series tailored to the Asian music taste.”
We apologise for the mistakes and any inconvenience caused.
OUTLINE SRL Tel.: +39 030 35.81.341 mail to: info@outline.it
www.outline.it
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NEWS January - February 2014
Milos Structural Systems Workshop for Far Eastern Customers
CHINA: Milos Structural Systems conducted a two-day workshop at its factory in Guangzhou, China, for a select group of Milos customers from Indonesia, India, Singapore and China. The goal of the meeting was to present Milos Structural Systems, as well as its factory, products, and manufacturing processes. Educational sections of the workshop also served to inform Milos customers about using and working safely with Milos products. On the first day, a detailed overview of the company, brand strategy and growth in 2013 was given, which was followed by a presentation of rigging and rigging hardware. This was followed by a tour of the extensive Guanghou factory. While touring the factory, Milos sales and technical representatives showed participants Milos welding processes and techniques, materials for making Milos products, and the machinery used during manufacturing. Attendees also viewed the Milos parts stock and precision manufacturing techniques carried out for all Milos Structural Systems products. The first day ended with an enlightening presentation on lifting principles and how truss works.
The second day was focused on risk assessment and mitigation. The first part of the workshop had Milos speaking about “what goes wrong and why” when working with support structures, and some examples of what happens when things do go wrong. This was followed by a presentation about safety factors and logic, and then information about working safely at heights.
where they viewed a fully constructed Milos roof. At the end of the workshop, chains & towers and bridle load analyses were discussed. Upon conclusion of the workshop, all participants were given certificates of completion and went back to their home countries with a much deeper understanding of Milos Structural Systems and its products. www.milosgroup.com
To drive the presentation home, participants were taken out to the factory’s expo area,
NEWS January - February 2014
27
Pharos opens Asia Pacific office
HONG KONG: Tony Symms has been appointed as the Regional Manager for Asia Pacific and will be based at the newly opened Pharos office in Hong Kong. Nathan Chan joins him as Product Support Manager for the region.
Tony brings a wealth of experience and knowhow of control products gained through his many years in the industry, and Nathan will enable us to provide enhanced local support for sales within the time zone and in the appropriate language.”
A well-known figure within the lighting industry, Tony has been involved with many major lighting projects throughout Asia. He commented: “Pharos Controls is already recognised as an industry leader in providing innovative control solutions for architectural and themed entertainment projects. I have worked with their products for many years and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to develop and extend the Pharos presence within the Asian market.”
Both Tony and Nathan have already taken on their respective roles and can be contacted via the local office: Pharos Controls Asia Pacific
Chris Hunt, Pharos Managing Director, stated: “Our new Asia office represents a significant step in the expansion of Pharos’s international sales network. I am very pleased to welcome both Tony and Nathan on board to lead our efforts in this vital territory.
Unit 26 2/F Casey Building 38 Lok Ku Road Sheung Wan Hong Kong Tel: +852 2905 8828 Fax: +852 2854 2218 www.pharoscontrols.com
A&H Consoles Receive More Support NEW ZEALAND: New Zealand PA company, High Definition Audio Visual Ltd (HDAV), has invested in two Allen & Heath digital consoles, a Qu-16 rackmount mixer, and the new GLD-112 with accompanying AR2412 and AR84 for additional stage and FOH I/O racks. The Auckland-based firm has added Qu-16 to its hire stock to manage a national corporate roadshow that had a corporate element as well as a performance in each city by the band 'Moorhouse', a recent X Factor NZ contestant. The GLD-112 system was purchased to service events in the corporate and entertainment sector. On its first outing the GLD112 was required to handle 18 channels of corporate inputs and 22 channels of band and DJ inputs. In the coming months, the console will be managing acts such as Reece Mastin, Tiki Taane, and the Dozen, along with a host of high profile corporate events.. “This was an easy purchase decision for us,” says Head Audio Technician, Gareth Marsh. “With flying faders, quick and easy layer assignments, and the ability to control or monitor the console from our iPad, these mixers are an engineer’s ultimate tool. Both have the capability to switch between a common corporate set-up into managing a full scale band at the touch of a button.” www.allen-heath.com
BPS dSerpis™ Waveguide With M-60N drivers
DCD™ Interface with 2000 W Class D Amp
D.A.S. Audio, S.A. C/ Islas Baleares, 24 46988 Fuente del Jarro Valencia - Spain Tel. +34 961 340 860 sales@dasaudio.com
D.A.S. Audio of America, Inc. Sunset Palmetto Park 6816 NW 77TH Court Miami, FL. 3166 - U.S.A. Toll Free - 1-888-DAS 4 USA jvillegas@dasaudio.com
D.A.S. Audio Asia PTE. LTD. 25 Kaki Bukit Crescent #01-00/02-00 Kaki Bukit Techpark, 1 Singapore 416256 Tel. +65 6742 0151 jlgarcia@dasaudio.com
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NEWS January - February 2014
Turbosound Announces Relocation research facility in Manchester, UK, which houses over 60 engineers responsible for MIDAS and KLARK TEKNIK research and development. Existing staff have been offered the opportunity to relocate to the new premises.
INTERNATIONAL: Iconic speaker brand TURBOSOUND, headquartered at Partridge Green in Sussex, has announced it is relocating to new premises. The trigger for the move was the imminent expiry of the lease on their existing headquarters. As a result of this decision, TURBOSOUND's manufacturing will move to premises owned by MUSIC Group in Kidderminster, which serves as MIDAS and KLARK TEKNIK's UK manufacturing facility and MUSIC Group's European Care Centre. TURBOSOUND’s research and development activities will relocate to MUSIC Group's
Nigel Beaumont, Senior Vice President Professional Division commented, "I am very excited about the future of our Professional Division and TURBOSOUND is an integral part of our Vision. Our long term strategy includes the opening of a new acoustic and digital research facility in Manchester which will allow the seamless integration of MIDAS and KLARK TEKNIK’s world-class digital technology expertise with TURBOSOUND’s award-winning speaker technology. MUSIC Group also recently acquired multi-patented and cutting-edge technology for steerable line arrays that allows the control of up to 8 beams simultaneously, which combined with
our in-house expertise will give us a major lead against our competitors." Beaumont continues: "As a result of our massive investment, we are planning to launch the largest range of new TURBOSOUND products in its history at the upcoming Winter NAMM show." CEO, Uli Behringer commented, ”Our vision for TURBOSOUND closely matches that of MIDAS and KLARK TEKNIK. Three years ago MUSIC Group invested over USD 20 million in high-tech manufacturing equipment including high-precision SMT machines, automated optical inspection and X-ray equipment. We also invested in a USD 4 million state-of-the art building in Manchester to house our high-tech research and development center where the staff have grown from initially eight to over 60 in less than three years, and we are continuing to recruit. We are excited to equally invest in TURBOSOUND to offer complete solutions for our customers. This is a new chapter for this iconic speaker brand that was founded over 40 years ago and provided PA systems to some of the most famous artists.” www.turbosound.com
First Order in Asia for TG Amps with RCM28 module + OMNEO technology MYANMAR: Specifying a line-array loudspeaker system can be a challenge in a relatively unknown market. But in Myanmar, Pink Khine Zin Co Ltd took that challenge and specified an XLC line-array loudspeaker system from Electro-Voice for a local event company. This was the first order placed in Asia for TG amplifiers equipped with the newly launched RCM-28 module with OMNEO networking technology. The main XLC127 DVX line-array elements were supported by Tour X 1152FM floor monitors. With OMNEO networking technology, the RCM-28 devices were easy to set up and configure within minutes via IRIS-Net control and supervision software, which allows users to forgo the traditional assigning of various IP addresses for individual pieces of equipment in the network. The FIR (Finite
Impulse Response) filters from the RCM28 produces superb sound quality without the need to tweak any parameters. Application Support for EV/Dynacord Asia Pacific, Ronnie Lai commented: “The RCM-28s were my first choice for this system, as having onboard DSP in the amplifier allows much greater versatility during operations – large systems can essentially be broken down into smaller systems, allowing the user to deploy their inventory more effectively. This negates
the need for offboard DSP hardware, and system reliability is improved as a result of less cabling between equipment.” www.electrovoice.com
30
NEWS January - February 2014
D.A.S. Audio gives Siloso Beachfront a Facelift
SINGAPORE: From beach bars and restaurants to kids’ activities and cocktails, C Side – the revamped Siloso Beach strip on Sentosa Island – is Singapore’s ultimate escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. The multi-million dollar facelift of the 35,000 ft² beachfront area was no minor undertaking and D.A.S. Audio's Singapore's office was actively involved in the design and specification of various sound systems from the start. Work was completed in various stages and the first involved the complete renovation of three buildings to provide space for the new Bikini Bar, Makan² and a block of new facilities. Bikini Bar brings in live bands on the weekends and the bar’s resident DJ spins anything from the latest in R&B to Top 40 tunes. Requiring a versatile system, 6 x Avant 15As were placed into service; these powered 2-way loudspeakers
provide the solid sound base needed in the renovated space. Coastes, the biggest of the five venues, and its authentic island beach bar “Sand Bar” were next on the list. Laid-back and rustic, Coastes was fitted out with 4 x D.A.S. Audio Artec 28T systems. The sound team also opted for units from the Artec series at the “Sand Bar”, bringing in 6 x D.A.S. Artec 26T for this casual, no-shoes required standing bar and live music venue. Both the Artec 26T and 28T 2-way loudspeakers provide precise coverage and control with the added advantage of enclosures designed to resist tear and wear and protect the systems from dust and dirt. After work along the boardwalk was completed ,the focus turned to the beach, where D.A.S. Audio Avant 12As were
installed. 16 compact multi-purpose systems were set up along the beach in customdesigned weatherproof enclosures. These systems incorporate a 600W Class-D 3rd generation amplifier for dynamic range and low distortion. Thanks to the D.A.S. Audio systems, coverage across the beach is even and smooth and using powered speakers across a large area of beach creates a simpler infrastructure and redundancy that can’t be found with an amp-powered system. C Side’s exclusive launch party in June 2013 went off without a hitch and the quality of the D.A.S. Audio systems – which perform flawlessly under high temperatures, direct sun, high humidity and the salt air – ensured that guests enjoyed superb sound at Singapore’s ultimate beach destination. www.dasaudio.com
NEWS January - February 2014
31
Prolyte Campus 2013 comes to a close
INDONESIA: Prolyte Campus final session for 2013 was held from 25th to 29th November, 2013 at PAP oďŹƒce in Petaling Jaya. The response was well received with attendees from Indonesia, Sultanate of Oman and Malaysia.
The course oers the basic theoretical rigging skills such as Risk Assessment, Rigging Basics, Calculations, PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), Hoist Technology & Controllers as well as a hands-on workshop and truss technology. An examination on the last day of the course will give the attendees an indication of their comprehension of the oered topics. The rigging training and workshop is an absolute necessity in order to bring Asian Riggers to European and American level and standards and also to ensure that rigging is practised in a safe way.
The scheduled training & Workshop dates for 2014 will be announced soon. www.prolyte-asia.com
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NEWS January - February 2014
Avolites Competition for future industry kin
SINGAPORE: The Institute of Technical Education (ITE) in Singapore recently collaborated with Avolites Distributor, Total Solution Marketing to conduct the first ever annual Avolites Competition among the students representing College East, College Central and College West. Two students from each ITE college were selected by their respective lecturers and sent to the Total Solution office to polish up and advance their Avolites Titan Programming skills. The training was conducted by Total Solution’s In-House Trainer, Sanjay Jegatheesan. For the competition, the students were given 1 hour to programme a set of lighting cues for a pre-selected 1 min song clip; they were then given 15 mins for another 30 seconds song clip to test their capability to programme within a limited time frame. Whilst conducting the training, Sanjay shared, “It’s heart-warming to see the students take so much effort and pride in their work. Competition aside, these students were really interested in the console, as well as the creative thought process involved in designing a show. These kids will hopefully start working in the industry in a few years, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of their work on a larger scale. ” Lighting Lecturer, Kavin Prakasam shared the reason why Avolites Titan was chosen
as the lighting board for the competition, “We chose Avolites Titan due to it being an industry leading console and its ease of use. Its capabilities and ease of programming allowed participants who had no prior experience on the console to easily pick up programming on the console. The participants were very comfortable on the console and the console in turn allowed them to execute their lighting designs successfully.”
delighted with the massive support from Total Solution, “TSM has been extremely helpful and accommodating in the lead up to the competition. They helped ITE West with the planning of the competition as well as sponsored attractive prizes for the participants. They provided 2 days of intermediate training on the Titan OS to prepare the participants for the competition which aided the participants greatly. The competition was a large success and it was largely due to Total Solution's involvement. ITE has had a great relationship with Total Solution as it service partner and looks forward to continued success in their working relationship. “
The top three winners were awarded an Avolites Titan One Dongle each while the top winner was given addition Light Converse Visualizer 3D Show Platform. Avolites Titan One DMX USB Dongle will allows users to output one line of DMX with the full functionality of Avolites Titan Software with access to all its features such as Pixelmapper, Quicksketch, Media Clip Select and more. All prizes were sponsored by Total Solution Marketing.
Glenn Wong, Managing Director for Total Solution, who was also on the judging panel stated, “We are thrilled to be part of this event and we hope that through this sort of competition, a group of new lighting designers and programmers are born. Concerts, conferences, MICE and other events are ever growing in our region and at this moment there are limited lighting programmers available. Not only in the entertainment market, there are also limited people available in the architectural industry as we can see more and more buildings being put up with lightings to enhance their façade. With our close relationship with the various ITE institutes, we hope to contribute in nurturing the future lighting designers and programmers.”
Section Head for Electrical Engineering in ITE College West, Winna Chia was
www.avolites.com www.tsm-int.com
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NEWS January - February 2014
SSL goes Live
Philippines, and DMT in China with two consoles, one based in Hong Kong, one based in Beijing. In addition there are Live desks with Hanseo International in Korea and with SSL Japan in Tokyo.. We also have a number of dealers across the region in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, and while they don't have a demo desk yet they have pricing so there is somebody there who people can talk to locally. We have been and continue to evaluate our distribution network very carefully.”
(Left) Product & Marketing Manager for SSL Asia, Dominic Koh with Anthony Gofton, SSL Area Sales Manager.
SINGAPORE: Solid State Logic (SSL) officially released their first console for the Live market at PL+S Frankfurt in 2013. Since then the SSL Live has already been used on various tours around the world, including SSL's owner, English musician Peter Gabriel. Once the lead vocalist of the progressive rock band Genesis, Peter bought the company in 2005 and recently brought the SSL Live on tour with him to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his renowned “SO” album. Bringing the enthusiasm from its UK headquarters, SSL officially launched the Live into the Singapore market in December 2013. The event was organized and arranged by SSL Asia in co-operation with the ITE College, whose staff and students provided the production and staging. Opening the event, SSL Area Sales Manager Anthony Gofton, took to the stage to explain the background of the company and why they have decided to enter the Live market. Speaking to us after his presentation, Anthony explained why SSL are ready for the Live Asian market. “Asia is rapidly becoming the powerhouse of the world. This is an important and significant market for SSL. Throughout the thiry-five years we've building desks people have been asking us 'when are you going live?' A lot of people have been waiting for this and watching us closely and we have had one chance to get it right. The initial sales have exceeded our expectations and the feedback has been fantastic from experienced, bona fide users. They are calling it easy-to-use and reliable and it allows them to do things they couldn't do before. I am confident the Live console will rapidly become the standard across the Asian market.”
A console that is made purely in the UK, the SSL Live boasts features such 96kHz 64-bit processing through the entire signal chain, a suite of studio-grade SSL processing, a multi-gesture touch-screen and the flexibility to fit into any Live scenario, whether FOH or monitors. Dominic Koh, Product & Marketing Manager for SSL Asia but an “audio engineer at heart” took the stage after Anthony to provide a demo of the desk that was, as he said, “literally built from scratch”. After a short demonstration, Dominic together with Anthony opened the floor to answer questions from the audience. Audio Engineer, Jeffrey, from CtrlFre@k - a Singapore-based show design company that focuses on achieving complete integration for control systems within productions seemed to have the most questions of all. He provided us with his feedback: “My company does quite complex work so it’s important that we have confidence, especially in new products but of course SSL is a reputable brand. It’s good to have a demo desk for us to try out. A lot of times the reality of things is, we only really get to know a particular product by using it on show and we really don't need that kind of stress. I would much prefer going through it properly and understanding the infrastructure, how the design is and how it applies to my work. Part of us being professional is we are all sceptical but I guess, sceptical in a good way.” As if anticipating the scepticism, Anthony pointed out that SSL has demo desks with all its distributors in the region. “Right now there are Live consoles with SSL Asia in Singapore, Stage Craft International in the
Another concern for attendees seemed to be the subject of after service support, which as Jeffrey pointed out was something critical in the decision to purchase. “The reality is, whether we like it or not, Singapore is a small little island stuck in the middle of nowhere. Most of our manufacturers come from North America, Europe and the UK. That's why support is very important and it’s also a huge consideration when our clients approach us and they want to purchase and so on. So there's a lot of consideration and support is very important as well as product representation.” According to Anthony, SSL has two strategies to put the after-sales support worry to bed. “Every distributor of our console has to attend a certified three-day training program that includes a day of maintenance training. And in doing that, we make sure that the local team have got first line experience in servicing the consoles. The secondary backup to that is the service team in the UK. They are on the end of a phone and on the end of a pager as well. So if, for example, a spare part is needed, and the local team don't have one, we can run an exchange service and we can ship out parts extremely quickly.” The Live may be the first ever SSL live sound console but it carries thirty-five years of acclaimed SSLconsole design DNA. As stated on the SSL official website, “The Live presents a truly superb user interface and feature set that can work the way you work today and introduces a collection of powerful new features that could change the way you work tomorrow. It has more sheer power and connectivity than anything else available at its price and of course, as you would expect from any audio console that bears the SSL name... it sounds impeccable.” www.solidstatelogic.com
36
NEWS January - February 2014
Consolidation Excellence to be found in New CAN Service Center SINGAPORE: With the tagline, “We Care About Your Gear”, Consolidated Audio Networks Pte Ltd (C.A.N) started in 2010 with a mission to succeed expectations in the Pro Audio world. Expanding on this concept, C.A.N has established a Pro Audio and MI dedicated service center in Singapore. The centre aims to serve customers across SouthEast Asia by providing repair services for tube amplifiers, electronics and speaker reconing. “The reason for this centre is to provide our local market the best service centre for customers and it is also the first dedicated service centre to open doors to the public,” declared Director of C.A.N, Chad Batchelor. Leading the 4 man team at the service center, Chief Technician, Ravi C aka “Goose” explains a new concept they are trying to promote. “This is a service center for any brands as long as you support us with spares. We cater not only to your pro audio needs but to your MI needs as well”. Adding diversity to the already qualified team is Master Luthier, Luca. A trained engineer from Italy with over 10 years’ experience, Luca credits his passion as to what led him to join the C.A.N team's service center. “I like seeing old gear get restored rather than in a landfill,” he states. Adding, “It's been good
here that sometimes I get so absorbed in my work, I forget about lunch.” Luca is also a man who can make stringed instruments out of almost any item and is one of the few certified Master Luthiers in Singapore. Jesmin Kaur, Admin & Marketing, states, “If we have a project and our speaker or product needs servicing, customers are encouraged to bring it to us directly. That being said, even for brands that don't fall under our distribution, products whose spare parts we don't keep in-house are given an extension of more than 14 days for servicing.” K.T Quek is the Assistant Repairman on the electronic side and completes the roundup of staff at the center. With more than 30 years of experience within the Pro Audio industry, Quek considers electronic engineering as his “hobby”. He comments, “I'm lucky. I get to do what I like as a job - design and electronics.” Another added bonus of the service center is the dedicated after sales care. “We've had customer's walk in with equipment not related to the industry and we still service their goods. We even try to reduce our service labour costs to help out customers with large quantities of equipment,” states Jesmin. To which, Goose chimes in, “I will not buy a product if there are no after sales
(L-R) Director of CAN, Chad Batchelor is backed by Chief Technician, Goose, Master Luthier, Luca, Admin & Marketing, Jesmin and Assistant Repairman, K.T Quek
service and I tell my customers the same thing.” Besides being a one-stop shop for equipment, the center will also deal in selling Dirty Rigger gloves and accessories and will double up as a authorized warranty service centre for most major brands of Professional Audio Equipment, Electronic Musical Instruments, and Musical Instrument Amplification. Open from Mon-Fri: 9.30am - 6.30pm, the C.A.N Pro Audio Service Center is located at: Sim Lim Tower #02-22, 10 Jalan Besar Singapore 208787 can.sg
Walter Sounds and Stage Lighting invests in KV2 Audio systems warehouse space for its inventory and a staff strength of 100 comprising both full timers and freelancers.
PHILIPPINES: Walter Sounds and Stage Lighting is a 26 year old rental and staging company, based out of Manila in the Philippines. The company executes on average 3 events a day and thus not surprisingly it has a large 1000sqm
Walter Zamora, the owner of Walter Sounds and Stage Lighting, got introduced to the KV2 Audio systems in late 2013 and immediately saw business opportunities. “The first thing that caught my attention is the powerful sound coverage for a system that does not need so many speaker cabinets. In addition the speakers are light and set-up time is fast especially for speakers that need to be flown,” says Walter. Thus the company has invested in a full system to support their outdoor event
gigs. These comprises of the KV2 Audio 2.0 speakers, VHD1.0 speakers, HD2.16 Subs, VHD pre-amps, the VHD2000 and VHD3200 amplifiers and all the necessary accessories.
“Our main intention is to use the KV2 Audio systems for outdoor events where we can cater to an audience of 50,000 and down. With the advantages the system brings we believe we are on the right track to further grow our business. I must also mention that this would not have been possible without the great support from Efren Cruz of Montecruz Enterprise Inc., who are the KV2 Audio distributors for the Philippines.” www.walterzamora.com
ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
• Designed for permanent installations or for applications with shorter throw distances than the GLP impression Spot One. • Power: 300 Watt RGB LED Chipset • Average service life: 20,000 hours • Fixed Beam angle: 15° • Motorized Focus: 2m – infinity • Full red, green and blue additive color mixing system • Gobo wheel 1: 7 gobos +open, rotating and indexable, interchangeable • Gobo wheel 2: 9 gobos +open, fixed • Iris: Closes down to 4% • Prism: Rotating and indexable interchangeable 3-facet prism • Dimmer: Smooth electronic dimming 0-100% • Shutter: Electronic high-speed shutter 0-10Hz • Power consumption: Max. 400W • Power Input: Auto sensing 100-240V AC, 50-60 Hz • Fuse protection • DMX Data: XLR 5 pin in/out • DMX Data: XLR 3 pin in/out • Neutrik Powercon in/out • Dimensions (head vertical): 11.25”(286 mm)L x 12.5”(318 mm) W x 21.2” (538 mm) H • Weight: 33lbs (15kg)
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The Spot One has proven a big success in long throw applications but we believe the Volkslicht Spot will appeal to entertainment venues, corporate event spaces, cruise ships, theme parks and houses of worship who don’t require the same throw distance. Venues and rental companies can maximize the performance by taking advantage of a full feature set, while at the same time enjoying the low maintenance and running costs of the fixture.” - GLP GmbH CEO, Udo Kuenzler www.glp.de
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ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
Thanks to the introduction of three Bass Reflex Subwoofers, the Media Series family can be now considered as complete and optimized for an even larger spectrum of applications, from small pubs to large public venues.” - RCF www.rcf.it
Standard Features
• M20 standard pole mount in top section of cabinet • Recessed Euroblock Input-Output connectors • Protective metal grille, polyester fabric coated
S 5020-
S 5012 -
S 5022 -
• • • • • •
• • • • • • •
• • • • • •
2 x 10” 2.5” voice-coil woofer Max SPL @ 1m: 130 dB System Sensitivity: 98 dB Nominal Impedance:4 Ω Power Handling: 500 W Dimensions: 26.77” W (679.9mm) x 16.53” D (419.8mm) x 13.38” H (339.8mm) • Weight: 62.12 lbs (28.17 kg)
• • • • • • •
• • •
•
• • • •
• Integrated recessed hand carry points • Frequency Response -10 dB: 50 Hz ÷ 200 Hz
12” 2.5” voice-coil woofer Max SPL @ 1m: 127 dB System Power rating 300 Watt RMS System Sensitivity:96 dB Nominal Impedance:8 Ω Power Handling:300 W Dimensions: 17.72” W (449.8mm) x 16.53” D (419.8mm) x 14.96” H (379.8mm) • Weight: 40.01 lbs (18.2 kg)
Self-powered system Small lightweight footprint with no external amplification Frequency range: 55 Hz - 18 kHz Frequency Response: 60 Hz – 16 kHz ±4 dB Phase Response: 200 Hz – 16 kHz ±45° Crossover: 830 Hz3 Drivers: 2 x 10-inch low-frequency drivers, 1 x 4-inch diaphragm compression driver coupled to a 50o H x 70o V constant directivity horn Face of the cabinet slopes 40o from the stage Power: 3-channel class D amplifier. Intelligent AC power supply provides automatic voltage selection, EMI filtering, soft current turn-on, and surge suppression. Optional RMS remote monitoring system module provides monitoring of parameters from a Mac/ Windows -based computer Optional XLR 5-pin connectors allow the use of composite cables carrying both RMS and balanced audio Housing: Birch plywood, black-textured finish Dimensions: 23.18” (589 mm) W x 13.89”(353 mm) H x 20.90” (531 mm) D Weight: 67 lbs (30.4 kg)
2 x 12” 2.5” voice-coil woofer Max SPL @ 1m:133 dB System Sensitivity:99 dB Nominal Impedance:4 Ω Power Handling:600 W Dimensions: 34.13” W (866.8mm) x 16.53” D (419.8mm) x 14.96” H (379.8mm) • Weight: 73.14 lbs (33.2 kg)
The MJF-210 started with a customer’s request to bring the intelligibility and power of the MJF-212A into a more productionfriendly package. The end result is a product that reflects users’ needs in the field, and its small footprint also offers more flexibility in bringing the myriad self-powered advantages to the stage.” - Pablo Espinosa, Chief Loudspeaker Designer and Vice President of R&D www.meyersound.com
ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
Now, with the new Inno Color Beam Quad7, we’ve made these narrow, highly sought-after beams more colorful and more powerful than ever. Plus, we’ve put even more ‘edginess’ into hard-edge effects with the added feature of LED Zone Chasing, which produces some tasty eye-candy to top off your lightshow. - Alfred Gonzales, National Sales Manager for ADJ. www.adjchina.com.cn
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• Power: 7 x 10-watt 4-in-1 (RGBW) CREE LEDs with a rating of 50,000 hours • Strobe/pulse effect, with random strobing from slow to fast • Pan: 540° • Tilt: 200° • Dimming: 0–100 % • Stepper motors with micro-stepping • 3-pin XLR in/out • Easy-to-navigate four-button DMX LED display located on the rear panel. • Multi-voltage operation: AC 100–240V, 50/60Hz • Energy consumption: 130 watts • Height: 10.25"L x 6.75"W x 12"H (260 x 168 x 304mm) • Weight: 14 lbs (6kg) • Operating Modes: Sound-Active, Master-Slave, or DMX-512. • Description: When in Sound-Active or Master/Slave modes, it moves to its own internal programs to create instant lightshows. In addition to full DMX control (in a 1- or 13-channel configuration for versatile programming options), the unit is also compatible with ADJ’s optional UC3 controller (sold separately), which gives non-DMX users the ability to turn the unit on/off and navigate through the various settings and basic functions with fingertip control. Multiple Inno Color Beam Quad7s can be daisy-chained together via the unit’s IEC AC in/out connectors to cover larger venues (up to 3 units @ 120V, and 5 units @ 230V).
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ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
Our new PMP Series Powered Mixers provide an easy-totransport, all-in-one solution thanks to their 3-band channel EQ, “one-knob” compressors and highend KLARK TEKNIK FX processor(s). Moreover, their small size and light weight make them ideal for on-the-fly applications, such as small live setups or presentations,” - BEHRINGER Head of Conceptual Design, Frank Theilmann
Standard Features
• Power: 500-Watt Class-D amplifier • “Wireless-ready” for high-quality BEHRINGER digital wireless system (not included) • KLARK TEKNIK FX processor with 25 presets including reverb, chorus, flanger, delay, pitch shifter and various multi-effects • Studio-grade compressors with “one-knob” functionality and control LED for professional vocal and instrumental sound (not available on PMP550M)
• FBQ Feedback Detection system instantly reveals critical frequencies for feedback removal • Internal switch-mode power supply, noise-free audio, superior transient response and very low power consumption • Covered by MUSIC Group’s 3-Year Limited Warranty Program.
PMP500
PMP580S
• 2 x 250-Watt stereo powered mixer • 12-channel mixer section features 4 mono and 4 stereo channels, 2 additional stereo inputs plus separate Aux input • 6 mic preamps with switchable +48 V phantom power for condenser microphones • 3-band EQ, switchable Low cut filter and Clip LEDs on all mono channels • Stereo 7-band graphic EQ • Selectable stereo (main L/R), double mono (main/monitor) amplifier operation • Adjustable Aux input for connecting external signal sources • Standby switch mutes all mic channels during breaks while background music is provided via Aux input • Internal switch-mode power supply
• 2 x 250-Watt stereo powered mixer • 8 “Invisible” IMP mic preamps with switchable +48 V phantom power for condenser microphones • 10-channel mixer section features 6 mono and 2 stereo channels plus separate Aux input • 3-band EQ, switchable Pad and Clip LEDs on all mono channels • Stereo 7-band graphic EQ • Selectable stereo (main L/R), double mono (main/monitor) amplifier operation • Speaker Processing function adjusts frequency response to match professional speaker systems like BEHRINGER EUROLIVE series, etc. • Standby switch mutes all input channels during breaks while background music is provided via Aux input • Adjustable stereo Aux input for connecting external signal sources • Internal switch-mode power supply • Rack mount brackets included
PMP560M • 500-Watt powered mixer • 6 “Invisible” IMP mic preamps with switchable +48 V phantom power for condenser microphones • Mixer section features 6 mono channels plus separate Aux input • 3-band EQ, switchable Pad and Clip LEDs on all channels • Dual 7-band graphic EQ • Selectable dual mono (main/main, main/monitor) amplifier operation • Speaker Processing function adjusts frequency response to match professional speaker systems like BEHRINGER EUROLIVE series, etc. • Standby switch mutes all input channels during breaks while background music is provided via Aux input • Adjustable Aux input for connecting external signal sources • Internal switch-mode power supply • Rack mount brackets included
PMP550M • 500-Watt powered mixer • 5-channel mixer section features 5 mic/line channels plus separate Aux input • 5 mic preamps with switchable Pad and Clip LEDs • 2-band EQ on all channels • 7-band graphic EQ • 2 speaker outputs on 1/4” jack connectors • Rack mount brackets included
www.behringer.com
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ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
Bouncing with feature after feature, Rackoon would be considered pesky were he not so useful. Feed him media and he’ll reward you with an array of tricks.” - Green Hippo www.green-hippo.com
• Addition to the Hippotizer server range • 1U rackmount server provides 6 layers of full 1080p HD playback • Integrates with all other Green Hippo servers • Unrestricted output resolution • Full HippoNet compatibility • Full geometry control and support for integration into almost any setup via a host of native protocols
• Primary control app for Mackie DL Series Digital Live Sound Mixers • Input channel and aux send linking (iPhone and iPod touch) • Additions of mute groups and view groups (iPhone and iPod touch) • Quick Access Panel gives instant access to important controls without taking up screen real-estate • Pre-DSP aux source • Improved compressor/limiter graph UI • Option for independent channel aux mute for each aux send • Main mute • iOS7 Support • Master Fader v2.0 compatible with iOS 5.1 or later. My Fader v2.0 compatible with iOS 6 or later
• All Hippotizer tools for video-mapping and multi-server setup • Built-in timeline functionality and scheduling features makes it a powerful stand-alone playback device as well • PixelMap abilities include multiple universes via Ethernet • Able to display composite video inputs such as cameras or players on any or all of its six layers.
Master Fader v2.0 is all about increased control and workflow improvement. We are very excited to add many of the great features you have been requesting, all at zero cost to the user.”
Available for free download from the App Store : www.mackie.com/DLSeries.
- Ben Olswang, Mackie Product Manager.
ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
43 TOUCH THE
FUTURE TIGER TOUCH
• Remote control of Soundcraft Vi, Si Compact, Si Performer and Si Expression mixing consoles wirelessly from an iPad device. • Requires no additional hardware other than a wireless access router connected to the HARMAN HiQnet Ethernet port of the console • Si Compact, Performer and Expression users are able to adjust channel strip settings per channel including settings such as Gate, Compressor and EQ along with Pan, LR/Mono routing and phase invert switches. This functionality will be added to Vi consoles in a future update.
Functions controlled: • Channel naming • Input faders and mutes • Bus, master LR and VCA master faders and mutes • Channel contributions to each Aux Mix • Channel contributions to each FX bus • Mix contributions to each matrix bus • DMX Masters (Si Performer Only) ACS Settings include: • HPF • Channel EQ with grabable parametric EQ curve • Gate and Compression settings • Pan • Output Delay • LR and Mono routing • Phase Invert • Graphic EQs on all bus outs
Soundcraft ViSi Remote 2.0 provides a variety of benefits for engineers including: optimizing the front of house mix from anywhere in the room; adjusting monitor levels while standing next to the artist; adjusting channel strip settings remote from the console; extending the fader count of an existing control surface. It can be used in standalone mode for familiarization with console functions and controls a network of consoles (e.g. FOH and Monitor). It allows multiple users on the same console to control their own mixes.” - Soundcraft www.soundcraft.com
POWER CUBE
PEARL EXPERT TOUCH Avolites: +44 (0) 2089 658 522 avosales@avolites.com www.avolites.com
Total Solution: (+65) 6287 9878 sales@tsm-int.com www.tsm-int.com
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ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
APS has been designed to remove the problems caused by the large in-rush and earth-leakage currents common with modern switch-mode power supplies found in audio amplifiers, intelligent lights, video-walls and LED fixtures, resulting in unwanted breaker trips.”
YOU´ VE GOT THE SKILLS. SKILLS
- LSC www.lsclighting.com
WE´ VE GOT THE TOOLS.
www.tsm-int.com Phone: +65-62879878 sales@tsm-int.com
www.coolux.com
• Operating modes: Wash, beam, graphic • Unique optical system, featuring unmatched zoom range (4°-70°) and even light spread • Individual LED control and invisible front grid • Enhanced colour and colour temperature control, with arc lamp emulation • Exclusive parallel beam consisting of an array of individually controllable micro-beams • Enhanced electronic engine for dynamic beam pattern design, with digital accuracy and repeatability • Rotating front lens (K20 only) for countless kaleidoscopic effects, for aerial or projection use • Received an award for Innovation @ PLASA 2013
• Intelligent power distribution unit • For portable or permanent installation • Controlled application of power to output circuits • Offers power monitoring of voltage and current and frequency which can be displayed both locally and remotely. • Control via detection of any DMX512 signal, manually via the front panel LCD or remotely via RDM or external dry-contact closure. • Able to set voltage limits on each phase to protect equipment and program a staggered startup across multiple units • Available in 12x10A, 12x13A, 12x16A or 6x20A configurations with a choice of Australian GPO, Socapex, Wieland, Powercon, Shuko or Terminal outputs. • Each circuit protected by an MCB/ RCD combination circuit breaker (RCBO), with Neutral disconnect to provide a high level of safety.
The B-EYE has a ‘wow’ factor. It’s an innovative look and a modern retake on a classic effect. It’s also a fully-functional and versatile luminaire.” - Judges @ PLASA 2013 www.claypaky.it
ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
We have found that designers and specifiers worldwide are very pleased with the SL BAR 640 and SL BAR 660, yet they keep asking for a small product in the same range. By providing the same quality and features of the larger units in a more compact package, we are thrilled to be able to meet their needs with the new SL BAR 620 LED luminaire.” - Brad Schiller, Showline Product Marketing Manager
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• Based on the Showline SL BAR 600 Series • Power: 12 x RGBW LED light engine • Voltage: 90-240VAC, 250W • Optics: 60o beam angle • Color Gel filter preset • Manufacturer and User Created Chases Strobe + Duration control • Effect Engine • LED & Tungsten Curves selection • Harmonize Color Calibration • Luminance:6897 lm, 410 lx at 4M • CRI/CQS: 90(RGBW) • DMX-512A(RDM) • Local LCD control • Master/slave • Modes: HSIC, 8 bit RGBW, 16 bit RGBW, Simple 8 bit RGBW • Dimensions: 24” (609mm) W x 7” (180mm) H x 9” (227mm) D • Weight: 19 lbs (9kg)
www.philips.com/showline
• OSRAM SIRIUS HRI 330W integrative new lamp source • Color Temperature: 6700K • 1500h lifespan • Power: AC100~240V, 50/60Hz, 510W • Parallel beam angle 0°-3°, 5° extensible • 2 prisms system, one 8-facet prism with one 16-facet composite-prism, bidirectional rotation in variable speed • 16+1 fixed gobos, 12 rotating gobos, 14 dichroic color filters, Pan 540°/630°, Tilt 270° • Mechanical linear dimming 0~100%, 1-22/Sec mechanical strobe • High-precise optical lens, linear adjustment focus, independent frost • Three-phase motors moving control, fast moving in very low noise, LCD control panel • 20/18/15 control channels, DMX512 wireless optional, smart cooling and energy saving systems
With its integrated aspheric optics, the user can very easily switch between the beam effect and spot effect when operating the luminaire.” - GTD www.gtd-china.com
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ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
Standard Features
• Signal transparency and balanced midrange response even when the bass and master volume is increased sharply.
• Three inputs into the Pulsar tops • Switch system monitor / stand alone • Flat / Contour • Integrated DSP
PL 112 FA
PL 115 FA
PL 118 Sub A
• Active 12-inch woofer • Max SPL : 125 dB half space • Output: 1000W • Frequency response + / - 3 dB: 70 Hz - 16 kHz • Frequency response -10 dB: 56 Hz - 18 kHz • Amplifiers: Class D Biamped • Housing: Hybrid (MDF, particleboard) • Dimensions: 14.9” (378.46mm) W x 25.9” (660.0mm) H x 14.5”(368.3mm) D • Weight: 43.4 lbs (19.7 kg)
• Active 15-inch woofer • Max SPL: 127 dB half space • Output: 1000W • Frequency response + / - 3 dB: 58 Hz - 16 kHz • Frequency response -10 dB: 49 Hz - 18 kHz • Amplifiers: Class D Biamped • Housing: Hybrid (MDF, particleboard) • Dimensions: 18.3”(464.8mm) W x 27.1” (690mm) H x 17.7” (449.5mm) D • Weight : 56.66 lbs (25.7 kg)
• Active 18-inch woofer • Connections: 2 x XLR combo jack IN, 2 x XLR Thru, 2 x XLR-Mid/High Out • Max SPL: 125 dB half space • Output: 600W • Frequency response + / - 3 dB: 44 Hz - x-over • Frequency response -10 dB: 35 Hz – x-over • Housing: MDF / chip • Dimensions: 20.6” (523.2mm) W x 27.1” (688.3mm) H x 27.2” (690.8mm) D • Weight: 89.2 lbs (40.5 kg)
The PA cabinets are manufactured at HK Audio’s St. Wendel headquarters. To set new standards for this class of speaker, we deliberately chose wood for the enclosures in combination with the integrated digital controller and the generously sized power amp circuitry.” - Lothar Stamer, co-owner and head of R&D at HK Audio hkaudio.com
ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
47
Wireless done right!
For the low-frequency range and midrange, two lowdistortion DND 6130-16 neodymium chassis in a verticalarray configuration are used, whilst the high-frequency range is served by an Electro-Voice DH3 driver in a Constant Directivity HPT94 HF horn that can be rotated with supreme ease through 90 degrees for horizontal applications. The integrated crossover is phase optimized and provides all the loudspeakers with electronic protection against thermal overload.” - DYNACORD www.dynacord.com
• Passive 2-Way full-range • Housing: Light aluminum cabinets • Linear-phase FIR (Finite Impulse Response) presets as well as presets for conventional digital controllers • Crossover frequency: 2200 Hz
Connectors: • Model: 2 x NEUTRIK speakON NL4 • Contacts full-range 1+, 1• Contacts wired through 1+, 1-
TS 100
TS 200
• • • • •
• • • • •
Nominal impedance: 16 Ω Rated power RMS: 150W Program power: 300W Peak power: 600W Max. SPL at 1 m (calculated with peak power): 122 dB • Frequency range (-10 dB): 80– 20000 Hz • Dimensions: 7.83” (199mm) W x 13.7” (350mm) H x 9.42” (239.5mm) D • Weight: 15.6 lbs (7.1 kg)
Nominal impedance: 8 Ω Rated power RMS: 300W Program power: 600W Peak power: 1200W Max. SPL at 1 m (calculated with peak power): 128 dB • Frequency range (-10 dB): 90– 20000 Hz • Dimensions: 7.83” (199mm) W x 20.2” (513.5mm) H x 9.42” (239.5mm) D • Weight: 22 lbs (10 kg)
• Industrys most reliable wireless DMX/RDM system • Automated Cognitive Coexistence • Is not disturbed by and will not disturb other systems • Lowest latency in the industry at 5 ms • Link range: 500-1000 meters line-of-sight • Advanced 128 bit encryption • One button takes care of all setup
For more information about LumenRadio’s wireless control products, please visit www.tsm-int.com
www.tsm-int.com • Phone: +65-62879878 • sales@tsm-int.com
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ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
• True 4K projection ideal for independent or small screen cinemas • SXRD (Silicon X-tal Reflective Display) optical engine • Contrast ratio: More than 4,000:1 • Lamps: 4 x 450W High Pressure Mercury (HPM) lamps / 4 x 330W HPM lamps • Luminance: (Average) 9,000 lm (450W lamp) / 6,600 lm (330W lamp) • Power Requirement: AC 200 to 240V, 50-60Hz, Single-phase, 21.5A to 18A • Power Consumption: 450W lamp Max. 4.3kW, 330W lamp - Max. 3.2kW • Immersive 3D by adding an easy-to-fit optional dual lens and filter pack
Lumen Freaks everywhere rejoice! Philips Vari-Lite introduces the VL3015, VL3015LT & VL3515 Spot luminaires. All using the double-ended 1500W lamp that has been so effective and reliable in our large format wash luminaires, the VL3015 and VL3515 Spot luminaires feature 6:1 zoom optics and 27,000 lumens of output, while the VL3015LT boasts 10:1 zoom optics and can produce over 41,000 lumens. All of the fixtures possess features that are identical to those found in the famous luminaires they are based upon, with the LT model also boasting a second fixed color wheel, frost, and a prism option.
The best just got brighter.
www.tsm-int.com Phone: +65-62879878 sales@tsm-int.com
The SRX-R510P is designed to deliver the same kind of superior picture quality and reliable operation that the SRX-R515P has won acclaim for among cinema operators worldwide. ” - Sony pro.sony-asia.com
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2 x 10“ cone drivers 1 x 1.4“ HF driver High midrange headroom High LF transient response Setups based on FIR filters ensure a safe operation, a linear phase and transmission behaviour plus a very low susceptibiliy to feedback. Four Speakon sockets, one with reversed pin assignment, allow for 2-channel wiring without special reversible cables or adapters. Weight: 55.2 lbs(25 kg) Coverage width: 80 x 60o Ideal for: Medium - large stage sizes
Passive crossover ensures a phase-coherent separation of both ways over several octaves and allows for lowdistortion and uncompressed reproduction. - ProAudio Technology www.proaudio-technology.com
www.vari-lite.com
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Find out more. www.iseurope.org
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ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
Setting up a PA can be challenging even under the best of circumstances, and with the introduction of the DriveRack PA2, local musicians, weekend warriors, semi-pro players, wedding bands and even established artists and venues now have a remarkably effective tool for getting better live sound than ever before.” - Noel Larson, Market Manager, Portable PA, Tour, and Recording, HARMAN Signal Processing. www.harman.com
• Improved AutoEQ enables automatic and precise equalization of the loudspeakers to the venue • Mobile Control (Android, iOS, Mac, Windows) • All new setup Wizard guides you through easy, step-by-step processes to help you get the most from your loudspeaker system. Helps you easily configure level balancing, AutoEQ, AFS, and provides access to built-in and constantly updating speaker tunings from most major speaker manufacturers. • Ideal for: Bands, musicians and artists who carry their own PA and for a wide range of installed sound applications
Available Input Processing: • dbx Compression • AFS(Advanced Feedback Suppression) automatically finds and dials out any problematic feedback-producing frequencies. • Graphic EQ • 8-Band Parametric EQ (adjusted when using the AutoEQ) Input • Subharmonic Synthesis Available Output Processing: • Crossover (supports full range, 2-way, and 3-way systems) • 8-Band Parametric EQs (used for speaker tunings) Output • dbx Limiting • Driver Alignment Delays
• Extension for the Pharos TPC, creating a standalone, mains-powered, DMX lighting control solution • Programmed seamlessly as an extension of a TPC using the Pharos Designer software • Supplies power and data to connected TPC • DMX port provides straightforward DMX512 output from a TPC and supports RDM discovery and addressing
• DALI bus interface for DALI lighting control output and triggering from DALI messages • RS232 serial and 8 digital/analogue inputs augment triggering options on the TPC • Internal power supply supports worldwide mains voltages • Integrates with other Pharos Controllers and Remote Devices across an Ethernet network • Compact DIN-rail unit, solid state, instant-on, fit & forget solution • 5 year warranty
Award winning Pharos lighting controllers are ideal for sophisticated installations requiring advanced lighting control with conditional triggering. They integrate with building management systems, serve mobile web apps and allow remote management over the Internet. Timeline-based programming that supports all modern fixture types and rugged solid-state construction make Pharos the ideal all-in-one control solution.” - Pharos www.pharoscontrols.com
ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
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3-way speaker Expansion of VT speaker series Proprietary 70ºx40º ROTATABLE horn Housing: Heavy braced birch plywood cabinet (25 and 18mm) Power Capacity (50 – 15000Hz pink noise 8 hours) : 700W RMS LF + 300W RMS MHF / 1400W + 600W Program Nominal impedanc: 8 Ω LF + 8 Ω MHF Frequency response(-6dB half space) : 45~19000Hz with recommended preset Max SPL @ 1m: 132dB continuous / 135dB Program Low frequency driver: Custom made 15” CELTO driver, Neodymium magnet, 4” Voice coil High frequency driver: Custom made 6.5” CELTO driver, Neodymium magnet, 2” Voice coil, Horn loaded with phase plug Connectors: 2 x NEUTRIK Speakon NL4MP (1+/1- LF , 2+/2- MHF) Dimensions: 17.5” (445mm) W x 31.4” (800mm) H x 17.4” (442mm) D Weight: 77.1lbs (35kg)
The VT153HD is a multifunctional speaker that can suit most sound reinforcement applications such as on auditoriums, theaters, pubs, nightclubs, or as a front of house speaker. The mid and high horns can be rotated to offer the best possible acoustic coverage on each situation, and to further complete the whole audible spectrum it can be matched with a Verity Audio SUB series subwoofer such as the SUB121 or SUB218.” - Verity Audio www.vaudio.fr
• Light source: 50 x 15W RGBW LEDs • Minimum LED lifetime: 50 000 hours (to >70% luminous output)* *Figure obtained under manufacturer´s test conditions
By combining the lens shift possibilities first seen in the MAC Viper Quadray with the MAC Aura’s groundbreaking optical system, MAC Quantum Wash sets new standards for light and colour morphing effects from a wash light. Putting together the new beam twister, the patented Aura effect and the nice wash capabilities sets new standards for what is possible with effects in a wash light.” - Peter Skytte, Product Manager, Martin Professional www.martin.com
• • • • • • •
• • • • • •
Luminance: 15,400lm Zoom: 11° - 59° (one-tenth peak angle) Pan: 540° Tilt: 270° Pan and tilt speed: Adjustable via onboard control panel and DMX Beam effects: Beam twister, light and color morphing, color spin ‘Color wheel’ effect: 36 LEE-referenced colors plus white, variable-speed color wheel rotation effect and random colour Color ring effects: 36 split ring colours with variable-speed colour wheel rotation effects Location: Indoor use only, must be fastened to surface or structure Minimum distance to combustible materials: 0.2 m (0.7 ft) Minimum distance to illuminated surfaces: 2 m (6.6 ft) Dimensions:17.8” (452 mm) L x 17.8” ( 452 mm) W x 22.8” (580mm) H Weight: 46.3 lbs (21 kg)
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ENNOVATIONS January - February 2014
• Dedicated DAW control enables the Qu-16’s custom fader layer to be populated with up to 16 MIDI strips for direct assignment or ‘learning’ of faders and Mute, Sel and PAFL keys in DAW software • Users can also download the free DAW Control app for Mac OS X, which translates the MIDI messages to popular HUI or Mackie Control protocols, • Ability to have both 4-band parametric EQ and 28-band graphic EQ on all 12 mix outputs, • Processing Libraries: Users can store preferred channel, PEQ, GEQ, compressor or gate settings for recall or archiving. • USB Scene and Library transfer now available: Individual Scenes and Libraries can be copied to, or imported from, USB devices to allow backup or transferring to other Qu-16s • Enhanced global Scene Recall Filter: Block the I/O patch, channel processing or fader levels from scene recall. Also included are improvements in scene management and status information. • Channel naming on iPad • Colour coding for ‘send-on-faders’ views • Added control of Mute Groups and FX tap tempo
With its processing control strip, touchscreen, and remote I/O, the QU-16 is already the best sounding and easiest 19” mixer to use. The addition of the new features, such as DAW control and more processing, shows that A&H listen to their customers and will make the QU-16 even more enticing for potential users.” - Markus Sinsel, product manager at A&H’s German distributor, Audio-Technica. V1.2 firmware can be downloaded now from www.allen-heath.com
The high-efficiency stabilized SMPS power supply built in the PQM ensures the power modules have a strong support for the long-term full power use even on AC power fluctuations, and make the PQM amplifiers light-weight enough to be a perfect solution for the touring market.” - SAE Audio www.saeaudio.com
• Equipped with SAE Audio self-developed Class 'I' (Infinity) digital class variation capable of accurately tracking and reproducing input signals, achieving similar sound quality to class AB and efficiency as Class D. • Output stage circuitry, specifically developed for PQM series, can continuously work even with 2Ω loads thus delivering up to 2500W per channel on the PQM13 and 1600W per channel on the PQM8. • The stabilized SMPS power supply ensures the power modules have a strong support for long-term full power use even on AC power fluctuations.
Front panel: • Channel dedicated signal dB meters • LED indicators for bridge or parallel working mode • Warning LEDs for clipping, protection, continuous VHF signal input and overheating Back Panel: • 4 XLR signal input connectors with XLR link connectors for amplifier stacking • 8 DIP switches to set signal input sensitivity and stereo, bridge, or parallel working modes
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EXHIBITION PREVIEW January - February 2014
New International Exhibitors for Prolight + Sound Guangzhou Show attracts new international supporters
The continued alliance between Messe Frankfurt and Guangdong International Science and Technology Exhibition Company (STE) is resulting in new international exhibitors and supporters for the 2014 edition of Prolight + Sound Guangzhou which will take place 24 – 27 February in Area A at the China Import and Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China. Representing Messe Frankfurt, Fiona Chiew, Deputy General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (Shanghai) Co Ltd said: “We are working towards further developing and improving the show so that it becomes a global business platform for the pro audio and lighting industry. So far, we are already
seeing some positive results. For example, several new international leading suppliers have signed up for the show and we have new international supporters which further strengthen our efforts to attract international buyers to the show.” Among the new international exhibitors for Prolight + Sound Guangzhou are Beyerdynamic (Germany), FBT (Italy), Laserworld (Switzerland), and Maquinas (Portugal).
Jason Zeng, Beyerdynamic’s Sales Director said the company is participating in the show to promote its new products such as wireless and wired microphones. Jason added: “Trade fairs provide a very good platform for product displays and face-to-face communication with
customers and the media. Through Prolight + Sound Guangzhou, I hope Beyerdynamic’s brand awareness and sales can be boosted in Southern China.” FBT’s local marketing representative Jessica Yang believes that China offers huge potential for the pro audio and lighting sectors due to rapid growth in the Asian market. She explained that foreign brands are localising their production which lowers costs and diversifies product development. Commenting on Prolight + Sound Guangzhou, Jessica added: “Through the exhibition we can connect with potential customers, look for business opportunities, as well as understand customer needs and market trends.”
EXHIBITION PREVIEW January - February 2014
Laserworld attends many exhibitions around the world and views Prolight + Sound Guangzhou as a professional and wellknown exhibition in China. Benedikt Orthen, Director of Events, Trade Fairs and Rental said: “It is the ideal platform to meet existing customers, to introduce our company and our laser light show systems to an interested audience. The show will help Laserworld to tap into the fast-growing Chinese market boosted by an increasing number of hotels, clubs, discos and amusement parks now using laser light systems.” During Prolight + Sound Guangzhou, Maquinas will display its hoist series and new generation computer control systems. José Maria de Albuquerque da Costa Cabral, Director of Maquinas said: “We want to send a signal to customers through the exhibition that our advanced European stage machinery
technology is available to create greater value for customers. We are very optimistic about the Chinese market and in the next 10 years we will invest more in research and the market.”
New & Existing Associations support Exhibition As part of the show’s objective to become a global platform, it has attracted new supporting association – ANAFIMA (National Association of Musical Instruments and Audio Manufacturers) from Brazil. ANAFIMA is the association for Brazilian musical instruments, accessories and audio manufacturers.
Other associations that continue to support Prolight + Sound Guangzhou are: • China Association of Recording Engineers • China Association of Performing Arts
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• Guangdong Entertainment Association • Guangdong Association of Recording Engineers • Shanghai Performance Trade Association • Enping Electroacoustic Component Trade Association • Guangzhou University AV & Lighting Technology Institute Prolight + Sound Guangzhou is a brand event of the annual Prolight + Sound show in Frankfurt, Germany. For more details about Prolight + Sound fairs visit: www.prolight-sound.com For more information visit: www.prolightsound-guangzhou.com or email: plsgz@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
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SPECIAL FEATURE January - February 2014
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We asked, you answered! With the start of the new year, new ideas and expectations are afloat. What are industry personnel looking forward to in 2014? By Elissa Nadine “I’m looking forward to another very busy year and to be able to be part of a very vibrant and active industry and community. As for technology I am interested in networking across platforms and new, better and faster standards and for digital audio to hit new dimensions. And I am still hoping for some new and revolutionary transducer technology that won’t most likely happen. Other than that, I am very happy where I am at and to be allowed to participate in all this in Asia Pacific as this is the place to be these days.” - Alex Schlosser, Sales Engineer, Allen & Heath
“I would like to see an industry push to create quieter performance technology. The moving lights, projectors, network switches and LED lighting fixtures that now populate many theatres all have fans that create unwanted noise. This limits artists and sound designers because it forces show sound to be louder than this background noise threshold. Unfortunately, many venues and shows have lost the ability to create intimate moments because of this.” - Andrew Morgan,Senior Consultant, Arup
“I would like to see a technology that combines interactive control for visual and lighting.” - Suree Sirikorn, CEO, PM Center Co. Ltd
“We do not need more of the same product. Instead the rental and staging industry is awaiting for the next big revolutionary product that will be a game changer. We have, in the last year, witnessed some innovative products coming from factories, for example the IP Rated LED Lighting Fixtures. Personally I wished that more factories would take the initiative and effort to level up the knowledge of their users through certified courses or training workshops in this region. My belief is that it is the man behind the machine that will make the difference at the end of the day. I stay hopeful that the factories are working towards addressing the demand of the industry.” - Edwin Tan, Partner, AIMS Production LLP
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SPECIAL FEATURE January - February 2014
We asked, you answered! “Are LEDs the answer to our prayers? LEDs are now replacing lower wattage tungsten profile fixtures, but when will they be replacing the 2/2.5kW tungsten profiles or fresnels? I believe we will see a revival of high output tungsten fixtures in the coming years, particularly given the optics issues that manufactures are facing with attempts to design LED fresnels. Achieving the nice tight 7° spot of a tungsten Fresnel seems to be somewhat of a challenge with LEDs.” - Hugh Chinnick, Director, Pacific Lighting (HK) Limited
“With the wide availability of digital audio mixing consoles and DSP technologies offered today, it’ll be great if digital consoles can go one step beyond by providing non-experienced live sound operators options to automatically EQ input channels and to deal with acoustic feedback. This will certainly help improve and enhance the overall sound experience.” - Robert Soo, Owner, Cogent Acoustics
“Nowadays, the audio industry is churning out solutions faster then ever. I think one solution I look forward to getting is the unification of our technology needs. The standard sight at today’s concerts is an audio desk with tons of screens, each one hosting a system DSP control or a “tuning software. It would be nice to see all of this come under one roof.” - Utha Uthaiyan Kumanan, FOH Engineer, Black Beard Audio
“I’m looking forward to people working together rather than every man for himself. I think it has to happen because, you know, if you can’t beat your competitor, join them right? I think we’ll see more good partnerships and more people co-operating with each other that we haven’t seen working together before and that’s a good thing because it’s a people industry and we should not forget that.” - Thomas Mittelman, M.D, 1212GEAR
SPECIAL FEATURE January - February 2014
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“The lighting technology has advanced so rapidly, so much so that lighting designers are being pampered with varieties of features of the fixtures. Being one of the system integrators in the market, if only the intelligent lights can be installed wirelessly, i.e. the lighting fixtures have built-in wireless modem and signalled through a receiver. As such, no cable needs to be laid and run which will definitely cut-down a lot of time on installation jobs and the place will look tidier without cables hanging around and in the air.” - Lisa Low, Lighting Admin Manager, DTS Lighting Singapore Pte Ltd (subsidiary of Showtec Group)
“I’d like to see local engineers getting the recognition they deserve, enough to go overseas and work.” - Mark Spencer, (Head) Audio Engineer, The Republic Cultural Centre
“For technology, I’m looking to see fiber optic technology become more affordable. For the industry as a whole, I would like to see some sort of association being formed that will enable communication between rental companies to become easier and clearer.” - Siswa Azmi Mohd Mubari(Ajun), Director, Mubari Group of Companies
“Fixtures and the equipment are getting greater day by day and the demand and quantity is increasing more and more each day as well. With that in mind, we hope to see more rental companies synergizing in terms of production and equipment in this part of the region (Malaysia). This will result in healthier competition from all of us rather than fighting with each other and making it harder for every rental company to invest in new gear. We really hope and would love to see more of us working together in 2014 to take the rental market and the entertainment industry to a different era and to make a better and stronger Asian community.” - Jay Neil, Technical Director, EHQ Projects
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SPECIAL FEATURE January - February 2014
Better to be Safe than Sorry
An ETA exclusive by Elissa Nadine
“Information, instruction, supervision and training are fundamental to good safety management. Safety training protects people and equipment so it makes sound economic sense and training is a means of raising levels of competence in employees.” - Chris Hannam
Self-employed health and safety consultant, Chris Hannam has been in the live events industry for over 33 years. In 2005, Chris was awarded the John Peel Memorial Award in recognition of his work in the safety sector. The award also recognised Chris's various accomplishments with the Production Services Association Council of Management for the general good and wellbeing of the event and live music production industry. Nowadays, Chris runs “STAGESAFE”, a health and safety firm which provides consultancy services all over the world. From his home in Glastonbury, UK, Chris spoke to us about why safety is becoming a major concern in the industry.
ETA: From the very first truss till now, how has the industry's view of safety changed over the years? Chris: In the last twenty years there has been a considerable improvement in health and safety in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, the USA and Canada. In the beginning there was a great deal of reluctance towards safety, luckily, nowadays people realise how important good safety management is to a business for several different reasons. There are the huge cost of accidents, most of which are uninsurable, and these costs include loss of reputation. Accident and ill-health costs can be likened to an iceberg: costs that are recoverable are visible but those that are unrecoverable are hidden below the
waterline and are many times greater, if you think health and safety is expensive then try having an accident. We also have the obvious moral reasons - everyone wants to go home at the end of the day safe and healthy. It’s such an obvious point it’s hardly worth mentioning but without the efforts of employer’s, managers and workers, every day, in all workplaces, accidents would be much more common. In the UK, health and safety law is criminal law. There are legal responsibilities with high penalties for those who fall foul of the law with very high fines and prison sentences. We must remember that laws and regulations are designed to ensure health and safety is everybody’s responsibility.
ETA: In all the chaos that comes with productions, when you have to get a job done, sometimes the last thing on your mind is, “Am I being safe?” Should we be concerned that this brand of thought is becoming a norm? Chris: For health and safety to work properly we must have a positive health and safety culture so it is normal for safety to always be the first consideration for everyone. The secret is good planning and good planning includes planning for safety and having time to do the job properly. Probably the most dangerous time during a job is the load out
at the end of a gig when the crew are tired and exhausted. This is when corners get cut and accidents happen, so advance detailed planning is required to avoid not just these situations but every situation that could lead to a loss or injury. We must remember “Safety First”, and this may be a bitter pill to swallow for some people who don’t like the idea of putting safety before profits but that is precisely what we have to do.
ETA: Tell us about the Production Services Association and are you part of the organisation now? Chris: The Production Services Association or PSA is one of the production industry’s main trade associations in the UK and is open to both companies and individuals working in the industry. The PSA was in fact formed about twenty years ago, around the time I was getting interested in health and safety. I remember it was at the first PSA conference where I raised the subject of risk assessment in a question to one of the panel speakers but to my surprise he had never heard of risk assessment nor had anyone else in the room, some even claimed there was no such thing as risk assessment. I was staggered because risk assessment is the basis for all our safety management systems and the “captains of our industry” had never even heard of the concept! I was then asked to write an article for the PSA magazine on risk assessment to educate the members and that article grew
SPECIAL FEATURE January - February 2014
into my first book that was also published by the PSA, making me a pioneer in event safety in those days.
ETA: Tell us about the safety training you provide.
I am still a PSA member but at present I am not on the council of management but who knows, I may stand for election again one day in the future.
Chris: My company, STAGESAFE, was originally established as a vehicle to provide Safety Passport training as I was responsible for the initial introduction of the first safety passport scheme for the industry.
ETA: You have been all over the world, as an umbrella for numerous markets, where does Asia rank in terms of safety? Chris: Asia unfortunately is a long way behind but this is not surprising as some territories such as India have no safety laws or regulation. I first got interested in event safety in the UK twenty years ago and I estimate event safety in countries like Singapore is now where the UK was twenty years ago. Both territories have health and safety laws but, twenty years ago, we had not implemented them in the live music and event industry and the same now applies to Singapore. I think that countries with their own laws and regulations are lucky as they have the experience we have gained in the UK and other territories at their disposal and I would personally love to be involved in such an initiative.
ETA: What are some of the initiatives that Asia can undertake to improve? Chris: The laws and regulations are there but now the industry has to be proactive and take control of its own destiny. I would suggest that the industry gets to grips with and fully understand the relevant legislation and regulations. Trade associations have a part to play with helping in the education of their members and with the free exchange of information so perhaps the industry should first form new trade associations in the various territories. One association would not really work as each territory will have different legislation and requirements but the industry trade press (such as this magazine) should assist in the promotion of these trade associations and the work they carry out. I would also recommend the introduction of safety passport schemes and other industry required and related training, there is a wealth of training that can and should be introduced.
For those unfamiliar with this concept, a Safety Passport is like any other Passport; it identifies the holder as having undertaken basic health and safety awareness training and allows the holder access to “passport controlled” workplaces. Many industries insist that all workers hold a Safety Passport before they can gain access to the workplace or even obtain work. The safety passport course covers things like roles and responsibilities, manual handling, noise at work, basic electrical safety, plant, machinery and work equipment, hazardous substances, special effects, work place safety, emergency procedures etc. all the basic essentials that are required by everyone so they can move from job to job and employer to employer without the need for basic retraining every time. This is essential for freelancers! All Safety Passport holders attend a basic 1 day course after which they are provided with course booklets and credit card size plastic ID card (the Passport itself) made using a special finish to ensure the passport is tamper proof. The Passport contains a photo and personal information of the holder, and emblems to indicate what training has been undertaken and various security features. All Safety Passport holders are registered on a central database so verification is an easy process as clients can access this database. In addition I also provide Fire Safety and Fire Warden training. I would also love to provide other training such as work at height but I don’t have the facilities.
ETA: Do you think health and safety training should be a requirement for employment in a company? Chris: Without a doubt. Information, instruction, supervision and training are fundamental to good safety management. Safety training protects people and equipment so it makes sound economic sense and training is a means of raising levels of competence in employees.
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ETA: Many governments place considerable emphasis on inculcating a culture of safety and health in all workplaces. How do you encourage employees and stakeholders to take responsibility for workplace safety and health, and pro-actively plan to minimise risks? Chris: There is no single definition of “a safety culture”. It is a term best used to describe the way in which safety is managed in the workplace, and often reflects "the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and values that employees share in relation to safety". To make your health and safety policy effective employers need to get their staff involved and committed. This is often referred to as a "positive health and safety culture". A safety culture is one in which safety is regarded by everyone as being an issue which concerns everyone. As a result, safety rules are understood and adhered to, negative and macho attitudes to safety (‘we could not work if we followed health and safety regulations’/‘hard hats are for wimps’) go out of the window and accidents and nearmiss incidents are reported and investigated quickly and thoroughly. Strong safety cultures can be observed in many high-risk industries, such as offshore drilling installations but they are very conspicuous by their absence in our industry which has a "risk culture" instead of a "safety culture". The benefits of the safety culture to the organisation as a whole extend beyond a fall in the number of accidents. Studies have shown that companies demonstrating strong safety cultures also show improvements in performance, quality standards and staff morale. There is an exciting time ahead for safety management in Asia. If you would like to be part of the initiatives in place or have an idea of your own, get in touch with Chris at: info@stagesafe.co.uk
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SPECIAL FEATURE January - February 2014
How Safe Are You?
Be it MD, Engineer or stage-hand, everyone has a part to play in safety during a production. Are you being safe? Do you follow the right protocols? Take the Safety Quiz designed by Chris Hannam of StageSafe to find out! Give yourself a point for every correct answer. 1. Who has duties under current health and safety legislation at work?
6. Before using a machine you must: A: Check all of the guards are in position
A: All managers and supervisors
B: Be trained and competent in its use
B: Only employees
C: Know how to stop it in an emergency
C: Safety representatives
D: All of the above
You scored: 0-4 Safety? What’s that? You should not be working on site! Unfortunatey, you’re missing the skills you need to ensure you make it home at the end of the day. If you scored 3 or less on this quiz, the good news is that there’s plenty of courses offered on safety. You can easily learn the skills you need to transform into a safety superstar. Remember, a job isn’t just about you, its about your friend/ colleagues as well.
D: All employers and employees 7. The dangers of manually lifting a load 2. When working at height, your most important responsibility is to:
whose centre of gravity might shift are: A: It may be heavier than it looks
A: Check the weather forecast
B: It may overbalance
B: Keep away from the edge
C: It may be too light
C: Follow your instructions, and use the
D: It might crush you
equipment supplied properly D: Tie a rope around your waist
You scored: 5-7
8. Safe systems of work include:
Sure, when I can.. It’s hard to tell with you. Sometimes,safety is your main priority. Sometimes, everything else gets in the way. The good news is, you get it right most of the time and you know that one slip-up could mean the difference between life and death. Just don’t get distracted. Consider taking a break when you get tired to avoid skipping over the crucial details. Even if this means the job gets done a little later than scheduled. It will all be worth it in the end.
A: Risk assessment 3. What are the main requirements of a safe
B: Method statements
place of work?
C: Training and supervison
A: Safe plant & equipment, safe system of
D: All of the above
work, competent staff with safe behaviour B: Safety representatives
9. Why should you assist in an accident
C: Good welfare
investigation?
D: Good ventilation
A: We must find someone to blame B: To complete a compensation claim
4. A health and safety legislation is:
C: To help make sure the same thing
A: A series of rules made by production
doesn’t happen again
You scored: 7-10
companies
D: Because it is the rule of the site
Congratulations! You’re a safety superstar. Any project would be lucky to have you working on it. You really know your stuff! A worker like you has a healthy mix of focus and safety knowledge. If you’re looking to kick up your score, don’t forget to spread your knowledge to the rest of your team. Them and their families will thank you for it!
B: A law passed by the Government C: A set of rules governing the use of
10. In a fire the greatest hazard is:
emergency services
A: Water
D: A set of rules made by the industry
B: Heat C: Electricity
5. Loud noise on unprotected ears is:
D: Smoke and fumes
A: Likely to cause noise-induced hearing loss B: Alright, because your ears get used to it C: Safe, because ears recover quickly D: Safe if it is inside a cab
Answers 1: D 2: C
3: A 4: B
5: A 6: D
7: B 8: D
9: C 10: D
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REGISTER TO RECEIVE THE MAGAZINE ON A COMPLIMENTARY BASIS. ALL DETAILS MUST BE FILLED IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE MAGAZINE How would you like to receive the magazine? We appreciate you playing your part in saving the environment by choosing our digital options. Please choose ONLY ONE option. Mail Print copy to me. Send me a link to your Digital edition for me to browse in my computer. Send me a PDF to download onto my system.
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Title/Job Function:
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Please choose ONLY ONE category that best describes YOUR company’s business: IF YOU ARE FROM THE INDUSTRY:
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TECH TALK January - February 2014
Requirements of a Rig: Do you know what it takes?
With Truss and Hoist Chains being integral to any production, E-Tech Asia reached out to leading truss/ hoist manufacturers to open a conversation for companies who are frequently presented with more and more complicated rig requirements. The information presented is equally applicable for touring/rental professionals and those who are engaged in permanent installations. Read on to find out what these industry leaders had to say about the factors to considers when adapting/creating your rigs.
Marc Hendriks
Marco Stuve
Alexander Hartung
Prolyte Group Over a span of nearly three decades,the Prolyte Group has grown to become one of the largest manufacturers of aluminium trussing, staging and structural solutions in the world. With manufacturing bases in Wakefield, UK, Leek, Netherlands and Slatina, Romania, Prolyte Group has offices in Emsdetten, Germany and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as well as Tokyo, Japan.
Global Truss-China Global Truss-China has established a worldwide distributor network spread over more than 25 countries. The company prides themselves with being able to provide a level of service that can match the quality products they produce. As stated on their website, “To achieve this kind of service, most importantly is to establish communication on personal basis that is fast, accurate, informative, etc., and where a customer can build his trust.”
ChainMaster ChainMaster has developed a range of high-powered electric chain hoists and chain hoist controllers that make it possible to realise the creative ideas of directors, set designers and lighting artists with minute precision and absolute reproducibility. Within a very short time, they have became established as one of the major manufacturers of chain hoists around the world.
Technical Director,
General Manager,
ETAsia: What should users look for when considering purchasing truss/hoist chains? Milos: First of all they should be clear about what are they going to build up and what the application will be like? Will it be an exhibition stand, ground support, ceiling rig, roofs, etc,. They should also know where the structure will be used – outdoors or indoors? If they are building a simple exhibition booth with clear low loading, people can determine the truss system according to loadings charts
Sales Director,
Established in 1994,
Milos Structural Systems' dedicated commitment to new product development and endless enthusiasm for customer satisfaction has led to their status as one of Europe's largest trussing manufacturers. In recent years, the structured growth of Milos has seen the expansion of their production facilities to over 90,000 ft2. These facilities also include the latest semi-automated welding processes and CNC technology.
and standard parts – such information is published within catalogues or websites. If planned loading is less than half of the allowable loads and the structure is being installed indoors, they basically don’t need assistance. But in case of any doubts they should discuss it with their sales rep to confirm their steps. If structure is more complicated and being used outdoors, they should never decide by themselves but should discuss with their sales rep. Sales reps can lead them through the decision process and explain to them the possible risk and threats. After which, the sales rep will
TECH TALK January - February 2014
select a particular system suitable for the application which customer is planning to build. TOP manufacturers are employing well trained, certified engineers to confirm loadings, winds and truss configurations to prevent structure collapse. All structures should never leave the company without a static report, truss certification and control check. Milos does independent and voluntary loading and building tests before shipping custom and special structures out.
stock the usual chain hoists like ChainMaster RiggingLifts or maybe an additional special system for scenic effects that include mobile computer control systems and ChainMaster VarioLifts. Theatres, operas, and multi-purpose venues should think about systems for a long-term use, based on their experience and what kind of applications or events they will be using it for. Therefore we offer also worldwide consulting service from the beginning of the planning period.
Marc: There is a whole list of things to consider when one wants to purchase trussing or hoists. Mainly, what is the application? A manufacturer needs to know in order to judge which regulations are applicable for both the truss and hoists. For Truss, you have to consider, is the manufacturer able to supply service support and documentation such as manuals, certification and structural calculations? Truss constructions are engineered structures. It is a profession to design and calculate them. Also, what is the load you want suspend and where? Each truss has its application e.g.To span 20m of 40V truss is possible but when it deflects 25cm it doesn’t look good and doesn’t feel good, although the truss might be still within its capacity. A bigger truss should be chosen. Lastly, is the structure being used outdoors? Outdoor structures are subject to wind and it depends very much whether you are on the coast or inside the city centre.
Marco: Safety. That's why you should always buy from an established brand which can support any information or advice on any kind of set-up with safety being the most important.
As for hoists, if loads are lifted above people or if people are lifted, a completely different hoist and control system might be needed and you have to consider that prices can differ massively. Next, what is the load you want suspend and what lifting speed is required, the higher the speed the higher the dynamic impact on the load and structure it is suspended from. Lastly, make sure you buy a hoist which is easy to service, has live time warranty, has end switches and has a swivel hook on the hoist body.
ETAsia: What are the KEY FACTORS that users must consider when deciding on a truss/hoist set-up? Alexander: Before investing money in chain hoists, the customers should evaluate their future activities on the market and herewith the requirements of the hoists (safety features, working load, speed etc.). For rental companies, it usually makes sense to have on
Marc: Firstly, is my company capable of handling the job and do I have the skilled personnel to do the job? Secondly, is my supplier capable of providing the required support and are all my equipment well maintained, certified and therefore in good order? Lastly, what loads do we need to support and are my trusses and hoists able to hold the load exposed.
ETAsia: With trussing and hoist chains being integral and critical to the successful completion of a project, how has safety improved over the years? Marc: Over the past 2 decades, certain standards have been put in place as laws become more strict for the entertainment sector. The industry is moving from low tech to high tech with matching levels of safety but users do take risks which are in general much higher than they are aware of. Each set up needs sufficient risk analysis , structural calculations and decent material in order to safeguard men, material and environment. Marco: Safety has tremendously improved over the years from each key manufacturer who uses more advanced designs based on the experience of hundreds of users next to the already extensive standards for the entertainment industry. Ultimately, safety also depends on the correct use of structures which has also improved, especially with all data for Trussing available from the manufacturers, rigging classes as well many forums for the professional user. Milos: MILOS does training every year at our offices where we focus on safety use,
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rigging and static issues. On top of that, Milos provides manuals for truss maintenance and period checks, to make sure that the truss doesn’t feature any signs of wear and tear. Alexander: We as a manufacturer of chain hoists offer many kinds of safety features, but the awareness of users for the safety functions is the important point. More and more users request the opportunities that are provided by the latest technologies.
ETAsia: What are the key certificates that users should ensure that trusses and hoist chains have attained? Marco: The key certificates for Trussing is the TUV type approval for each Truss which should be fabricated by the manufacturer according to the new EUROCODE-9 with certified welders according to new European standard. Milos: Static calculation of the truss are must. Milos has TUV and SLV on top of that. It proves that the truss is manufactured according to world recognized norms. Namely German norms, which are accepted around the world. There is also BGVC1 norm for some products. Alexander: This question can not be answered generally. The necessary certificates always depend on local laws and regulations. We provide certificates and declarations according to European standards e.g. DIN 56950, DIN EN ISO 13849, DIN EN 60204-32, DIN EN 61508 and many more and the related IEC standards. Based on those standards the products must be designed according to the Necessary Safety Integration Levels (SIL) or Performance Levels (PL). Marc: Trusses and hoists should be type approved and/or CE marked. This ensures a user that the single products are manufactured according to the minimum safety standards applicable. Users should make sure their compiled structure is stable and strong enough for the application. This can only be achieved by doing a proper structural analysis. This issue of TECH TALK is to highlight the special requirement that must be considered before setting up a rig. We thank all those that contributed to this article. www.e-techasia.com
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EXHIBITION REVIEW January - February 2014
PALME Vietnam returns for its 3rd year Last seen in Hanoi, PALME Vietnam returned to where it all began at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Centre (SECC) after more than three years since its inaugural show in HCMC. Organised by Informa Exhibitions, the 2013 three day event featured an array of daily activities including outdoor live array shootouts by various renowned brands, seminars and a Pioneer DJ competition. Before even entering the SECC, the live line array demo caught the undivided attention of many visitors. Visitors were able to experience the quality of brands such as Nexo, DAS Audio, TW Audio, Master Audio, RCF, Loud Professional, JBL and Z-Sound. Christopher Lim of Informa Exhibitions oversaw the entire demo process and handled the activity from set-up to tear down. On the last day, he stated, “We decided to go with stereo instead of mono because we wanted to show off the capabilities of all the different brands' systems and we allowed the exhibitors to play their own music so they could play to their own strengths and I feel it was quite a success. This was also the first time we had done a live array demo on such a massive scale so we are very happy with the results.”
TW Audio Support for Asia, Augustine Edward added, “It was absolutely great. This showed exactly what high-end brands can do in a real
life set-up and we got to show the quality of our product to many Vietnamese clients.” Adding to the quality of the show, Bao Duong Co. Ltd organized a Pioneer DJ & Me competition directly outside of the floors main entrance. Drawing quite a crowd, the competition allowed visitors to participate and meet fellow DJs and DJ-enthusiasts over the 3 days. (Pio) In a market that has been showing gradual and steady growth over the years, many representatives from American and European manufacturers could be seen on the show floor this year. AMX's Business Development Director, Melissa Puran, highlighted that there were many different projects in the government and corporate sectors and she wanted to be present to support their distributor, Danmon Asia. “We feel this is a right place, right time situation”, she stated.
It was also networking night galore with get-togethers and presentations organised by manufacturers and distributors alike. The regular networking session of free flowing beer and good company at the exhibition itself was succeeded with an intimate presentation by Nexo to clients, press and friends at the Legend Hotel Saigon. Presented by Marketing Director, Ginny Goudy along with Sales Manager for Asia, Nicolas Kirsch, the latest offering from the French manufacturer, Nexo STM was formally introduced to the Vietnam market. Day 2 saw another intimate get-together of friends and clients by, among others, Next-proaudio distributor, ProAVL. Held on the 50th level of the Bitexco Financial Tower, the party was a definite hit with Technical Director, Tran Nhu Noi taking the time to thank each and every individual guest for attending. And though the quantity of guests on the floor may have left something to be desired, there was no shortage of variety. Visitors from as far as Spain and as near as Malaysia made the trip down to assess the market in Vietnam and show their support for the last PALME show of 2013. www.palmeseries.com/Vietnam
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FROM THE SHOW FLOOR
Pro AVL Gets Much Wanted Attention
The Pro AVL booth seemed to be the focal point for many visitors throughout the 3 days. Based in Hanoi, the distribution company considers it their mission to bring “the highest quality to the market”, according to Sales & Technical Director, Tran Nhu Noi. This was the reason they chose to highlight LSC Lighting Systems, Midas Klark Teknik and their new partner, D.T.S Lighting. “D.T.S is very good and it's the first choice for many rental companies,” said Tran. This was the first time that the Italian manufacturer was shown via their Vietnamese dealer. Franco Zaghini, VP Sales of DTS, could not have been more satisfied stating,“This was more than what we expected. I think Tran did a very good job and he has very clear ideas about the Vietnamese market which is a growing market for us.” Commenting on the strategy and evolution for Vietnam, Franco added, “We want to break into the rental market and though D.T.S is known worldwide, we are here to strengthen that market knowledge. When we first came to Vietnam we were almost unknown and now people know our products quite well. I see a more mature market, they have gone through bad quality and now that they know what good quality is, they want it.” PALME Vietnam 2013 was the first time that LSC was ever showcased in Vietnam. Technical Sales staff, Richie Mickan enthused, "This is one of the best shows that I've been to in a long time. Its very small but there are a lot of good customers who are very interested in our consoles and are very keen to learn.” Under the PRO AVL booth, LSC highlighted the Clarity LX series of consoles that are based on the titular Clarity software. “Being from 'down under', we do things upside down, so where most companies would bring out a new console and then introduce the software, we released the software first, got all the bugs
out and now we just released the new dedicated hardware to go with it,” stated Richie. The LX console is a MultiMedia console that allows seamless integrated control of lights, media servers, and audio playback all from a single device. Features like Smart Fixture Cloning, Copy/ Paste & Presets can save 2-3 hours of programming per gig, allowing more time for creativity whilst reducing costs. Rounding up the brand highlights at the PRO AVL booth was Midas Klark Teknik and Senior Manager for Custom Management Professional Division, Music Group, Graham Rowlands. It was the brand's first time showing the Pro2 console in public even though they had already sold units before the show. Graham was noticeably entranced by the console. Taking almost every and any opportunity to show it off to inquisitive visitors. “This is my favourite,” he states. “I like mixing on the larger ones [Pro 3,6 and 9] but this just works for me.” The Pro2, according to Graham, “has all the sonic qualities of the XL8 and Pro 3,6 and 9 consoles but doesn't have redundancy so it comes at a much lower price tag.” Stressing that Pro2 loses nothing in terms of delay management or feature set when compared with its larger counterparts, Graham pointed out the Collapsed Fader Flip as his favourite feature. The Collapsed Flip enables an operator to only be presented with input channels which are sending to a particular mix at once, a feature unique to MIDAS. “Vietnam is a very important piece of an overall strategy of recognising that Asia Pacific needs to be treated with respect and we need to be here and we need to learn what the companies in Asia Pacific want.” proavl-group.com
TW Audio Makes A Statement
“We are TW Audio and this is what we can do” was the general feel of the TW Audio booth. Highlighting their T24 high performance loudspeaker system, TW Audio Support for Asia, Augustine Edwards commented, “There is a demand for high-end products in this market and our speakers provide loudness with clarity and definition.” Not only was the team more than happy with the live line array demo that featured the T24s, but they also received many inquiries for their products and comments such as, “it was really incredible to see small boxes deliver that kind of audio.” The T24 is exemplary for the TW Audio philosophy. With a complex horn-in-horn design, it generates sound pressure above 143 dB peakSPL. www.twaudio.de
Ecler Learns About New Market
Pro Audio manufacturer, Ecler were present under their new distribution agreement with MPK Co. Ltd. In a booth located conveniently near the networking area of the show floor, Sales Director Luis Hanojar was seen hardly sitting down. Speaking to him on the last day of the show, he commented, “We have been in Vietnam for 3 years now and this has been a positive show for us because we managed to learn more about the country. People here prefer quality over quantity and are very professional.” The highlight of the Ecler booth was the MIMO88 8 in / 8 out digital audio matrix. A fully programmable and linkable matrix, with real routing from any input to any output. www.ecler.com
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Master Audio Strengthens Brand Name
D.A.S. Audio Unveils Aero 40A Showcased through their distribution partner of 15 years, Viet Thuong, D.A.S. Audio also took the show as an opportunity to formally launch the Aero 40A into the South-East Asian market. “The Vietnamese market seems to be really passionate about music and we are very strong in the rental and install markets,” commented Juan Luis Garcia, Managing Director, D.A.S. Audio Asia Pte Ltd. This could possibly be what led the brand to confirm 3 new sales of their Aero 40A 3-way powered line array system which incorporates connectivity for remote monitoring and control. “We are very happy with the show and especially the shootout. It allowed us to
be compared with some of the best brands in the world and we feel confident that we can continue to still tell our customers that there is no better line array out there,” he said. www.dasaudio.com
FBT Supports Dedicated Distributor
“We want to introduce a new choice of audio systems for Vietnamese customers,”commented FBT Export Manager, Roberto Mataloni. The Italian manufacturer of high-end audio, along with their dedicated distributor, TIN THANH TRADING - SERVICES of Ho Chi Minh City presented a wide selection of Showcasing their products with a Live performance from a homegrown band, Master Audio presented the Joker JK318 3-way active system, among others, for the first time in Vietnam. Seeing the show as a way to show more companies Master Audio's flexibility, R&D Manager, Joan Amate commented, “This is a very special product, you don't find many products in this size with this format.” A system ideal for medium sized rental companies, Joan informed us, “The people that have come to the booth have been very very impressed. We've been very busy and receiving many customers from other countries.” Adding, “We are already very established in countries like Korea, Malaysia and Indonesia and now we want to strengthen our presence in Vietnam and I think the show has been very useful in doing so.” www.master-audio.com
professional products to the Vietnamese market. Special focus was given to the MITUS 206LA active line array as well as the VERTUS MLA and CLA column arrays. Coming all the way from Italy, Roberto added, “We wanted to support and collaborate with our distributor to help them grow, even though they already have quite a high profile within this industry.” The companies have collaborated for 5 years and on numerous projects including the Ngoc Anh Disco in the THUA THIEN – Hue Province and Hotel Saigon in the DAKLAK Province. “We've got more projects cooking at the moment which should have significant results very soon.”
www.fbt.it
TOA Cements Reputation in Vietnam Japanese audio equipment manufacturer, TOA Corporation, has seen the demand and growth of such products in the Vietnam market for the past 5 years, and is positive of its future prospects, according to Product Manager of the Asia-Pacific regional office (TOA Electronics Pte Ltd), Colin Teo. “The Vietnamese market is quite open to our products because the brand has been in the industry for more than 20 years, and has gained recognition in product reliability. We have more than 6 distributors throughout Vietnam and our recent projects include the full PA system integration at Times Square in Ho Chi Minh City.” At the PALME Vietnam Exhibition, TOA also showcased their latest 3U rack mountable Digital stereo mixer, M-864D, and 1U rack mountable
Digital speaker processor with 2 inputs and 6 outputs, DP-SP3. www.toa.jp
EXHIBITION REVIEW January - February 2014
SAE Audio Gains New Leads
Utilising the principles of succinct technology and innovation in design, SAE Audio exhibited under their own booth, both their namesake brand as well as their distribution partner, Verity Audio.
While the company does design line array systems, Market Development Manager, Josep Maria Sans considers, their “big business” to be power amps. True to that statement, SAE Audio proudly displayed their PQM (4-channel) and PCM (2-channel) amplifier series along with Verity Audio's VT153 HD, highend 3-way speaker. With a distribution network throughout Asia, South Africa and America, SAE Audio gained many potential customers from the show. On the quality of visitors to the show, Josep adds, “You will find that while customers here are interested in economic products, they are also very detail oriented and all of them are really impressed with Verity Audio sound.”
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Laserworld Searches for Local Distributor
www.saeaudio.cn
Stage Professional Showcases Big Names
Placed near to the main entrance doors, Stage Professional had one of the largest booths on the floor. Initially a rental business, the company has recently branched into the installation market backed by brands such as Avolites, Harman Martin, Digico and Funktion One. Having partnered with Stage Professional for more than 10 years, Bill Woods from Funktion One flew in to show to support to their distributor. He commented, “The Funktion-One portfolio covers all sorts of market areas, from nightclubs all the way to stadiums, and while the entertainment sector is where we're strongest, our ambition
is to be a player in all sectors and we encourage our distributor to do the same.” www.stagepro.vn
Vistron Picks up On Trends
Distributor of Christie Digital, Vistron highlighted the manufacturer's DHD550-G 1-chip DLP projector on site but focused heavily on their IPTV solution. Sales Manager, Vincent Soh explained “IPTV is something that is picking up as a trend in Vietnam and we believe that this is the future of TV in Vietnam. In most of the developed Asian countries, alot of people are moving towards
IPTV. IPTV makes any TV into a smart TV or even smarter than a smart TV.” As a consistent exhibitor with PALME Vietnam and provider of end-to-end solutions and customisation, Vincent declared,“This is a system that is great for the Vietnamese market because cost of set-up is very very low and the flexibility of programming and customising the interface is unlimited.” Stressing that they are not a box selling company, Managing Director, Clarence Ewe added, “Vistron in Vietnam may register itself as a distributor but we are more than that. We are also a service centre, warranty provider and most importantly a consultant and solution provider.”
A fast-growing company and worldwide supplier of show laser systems, Laserworld had been making waves in Vietnam long before the show. Director of Events & Rental, Benedikt Orthen informed us the team mainly attended the show with one aim in mind – to find a local distributor. According to Benedikt, this was an opportunity for the company to visit many potential customers as well. “Every year we look for another company to distribute our products and Vietnam is now a big market for lasers. A lot of big clubs are willing to spend more for quality laser systems now and its across the board. Club owners have experienced cheap lasers which get damaged just a few months after installation so now they only want high quality systems.” And while he was shy about the details, Benedikt did state that the show had heralded a potential distributor and advised us to keep our ears to the ground in the upcoming months for the official announcement, among many other interesting product releases. www.laserworld.com
www.vistron.com.vn
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HONG KONG
Bigger & Better With Sennheiser Sound | Clockenflap 2013
By Audrey Anne Felix
A
s the saying goes, where words fail... music speaks. This was none more so evident than in early December 2013 when Hong Kong’s premier homegrown music festival, Clockenflap 2013, brought together more than 33 000 people to partake in the celebration of song, dance and art in good old fashioned festival style fun. Powered by Sennheiser Sound for the first time this year, Clockenflap pulled out all the stops and brought together one of the world’s leading audio companies for the best sound, and needless to say, the audience loved it.
©Photography by SLA
Set against the striking backdrop of Hong Kong’s devastatingly gorgeous skyline from the West Kowloon Cultural District Promenade, Clockenflap has, in its 6th year, come into its own and become a firm favourite among the local audience and international artists. Founded by Jay Forster, Justin Sweeting and Mike Hill, Clockenflap’s organic growth has been down to the discipline and ethos set by its founders. With a strong purpose of fostering community through music and the arts, the organizers have kept a firm focus on giving Hong Kong the kind of festival people have come to
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expect. 2013’s extended event featured 7 music stages, an artist’s village, a film tent, cabaret, a silent disco and kid-friendly areas to ensure that there was something for everyone.
Big Bang Theory If you weren’t sure about the power of Sennheiser sound before this three-day festival, you couldn’t have missed it this year. Sennheiser began preparations for Clockenflap at the start of 2013 when they began discussions with the organizers. Since then, Sennheiser has become a great partner
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to the festival and Marc Vincent, President of Sennheiser Greater China could not have been happier. “We are excited to be part of the Clockenflap family! It’s our first year as a sound sponsor and you know we’re going to do a good job, the music quality and entire standard of this festival is top notch, the organizers are an amazing team of young people with a purpose and there is a lot of ethics in the way they have gone around organizing this event and we respect them for all they have achieved over the past 4 years. It’s a pleasure for Sennheiser to be a part of this great team and let’s just say you’re all going to be pleasantly surprised!” Experts and active participants of large-scale live events globally, Sennheiser assumed full responsibility for the sound onsite at the venue for all the stages, including Harbourflap Stage (main stage), Robot Stage, Replay Stage, Your Mum Stage and the Vans Stage. Aside from offering full audio set up during the event, Sennheiser also brought in their own sound engineers to man each stage and oversee the audio output throughout the three days. “This was our first time to cooperate with Clockenflap. Even though we had been sponsoring a number of festivals across China, we felt like we had neglected Hong Kong a bit, which was how we came to be here. We were waiting for the right moment and the right festival and through some friends, we met with Justin, Jay and Mike from Clockenflap, and we clearly had shared visions of what we wanted for a festival and our ideas about a quality festival were aligned so we decided to give it a try this year and what can I say is, so far so good,” said Marc at the official Sennheiser
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press conference held at the W Hotel on the 2nd day of the event.
The Pursuit of Perfect Sound Sennheiser was founded in Germany in 1945 and has since grown into global business on the power of sound through developments and the manufacturing of microphones, headphones, wired microphone and monitoring systems, conference and information technology, products for assisted listening, and aviation headsets. In keeping with the company’s long-standing history and philosophy, Sennheiser participates in all of its events with one aspiration and that is they are always in pursuit of perfect sound. “Our approach is very hands on, our idea of sponsoring the festival is not like any others,
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we don’t want to give a bunch of products to have visibility and sit on the sidelines. We really believe in cooperation. Our tag line says “The pursuit of perfect sound” and for us that means to have control of the sound quality by providing all of the technology for improving the sound at festivals or any other event. For people who have been following the festival for several years, we want them to be able to experience the difference in the quality, the clarity, the detail which is superior to what it had been in the past.” “Our team worked closely with the festival team across all 7 stages and we provided new technologies while all the stages were geared with Sennheiser microphones, wireless microphones and our K-array speakers.”
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In total, Sennheiser provided more than 200 wired microphones, almost 300 wireless microphones and another 260 K-Array speakers for the entire venue. With a team of close to 100 Sennheiser supporting staff, this was one of the biggest logistical challenges faced by the company and Clockenflap organisers were grateful. “We are very proud to be associated with the fantastic Sennheiser brand and very excited about showcasing their products to our discerning audience. Sennheiser’s team is passionate about sound and they’re committed to making sure it’s the highest quality. Clockenflap 2013 is going to be the biggest and best so far,” said Mike, Festival Director.
©Photography by KITMIN LEE
©Photography by KITMIN LEE
The Strypes, Franz Ferdinand, Cui Jian… Opening day of Clockenflap was an evening session that began from 5pm onwards and saw some top international acts including Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Four Tet and The Strypes kick things off in fine fashion. Supported by the K-Array speakers, the main stage was enveloped by an excited crowd who were ready to rock out to the evening, but day two proved to be the winner. With almost 20,000 fans in attendance the venue was a sea of families and friends laid out on the green lawn enjoying the afternoon sun in cool temperatures while enjoying a fanfare of festival-ready food & beverages. The hottest acts included Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, 1975 and the one and only, Franz Ferdinand. Sennheiser, as part of their participation in
the event, was instrumental in getting three big named artists to perform at Clockenflap this year, and they don’t come bigger than China’s godfather of rock and roll, Cui Jian. What was most impressive is that Cui Jian has not been in the limelight since 2008 and so it was a tantalizing treat for all fans that caught his performance in Hong Kong. “We met Cui Jian through common friends and had a great conversation and it was nice. We got along well. I was already a great fan of Cui Jian and I saw his performances at some of the festivals prior so I had great admiration and respect for him as an artist, as well as his influence on society in China that caused a social impact to a generation of music fans.
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In terms of our musical aspirations, I’m a great music fan and music to me goes together with great sound and Cui Jian shared the same sentiments. We talked about the quality of recording and the quality of live sound and we were on the same wavelength. When the festival became a reality as a collaboration with Sennheiser, that was the time we realised that we had the opportunity to potentially invite one of the biggest names in China to perform if he so decided. Through our relationship with Cui Jian it was possible and he got on a plane and came to Clockenflap,” explained Marc. Sennheiser also invited Mongolian folk & rock group, Hanggai to showcase their unique brand of music at the festival and Hanggai proved to be a real show-stopper. The internationally popular band taps deeply into the roots of Mongolian folk music while
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blending it with contemporary styles of rock to produce a wholly original, other worldly sound. On the final day of Clockenflap, fans were treated to the eclectic mix of Tegan and Sara, Efterklang, Metric and 2ManyDJs, as well as Hong Kong artist G.E.M. to name a few. In total, more than 100 artists performed across the festival’s 7 stages while other fun filled attractions included the Art Village, Film Tent that screened award-winning films and documentaries, Cabaret side show, Silent Disco, the Clockencraft Market, a Dinosaur Enclosure and a Kids Area.
International Festival Local Flavour Sennheiser participated in more than 90 events in 2013 and that included some of the main music festivals across Greater China. Adding Clockenflap to that long list was a
coup and has established the brand as a formidable partner and Marc is very proud of his team. As for Clockenflap, this show is fast becoming a must-do for Hong Kongers who are beginning to realize what’s been missing and they are already looking forward to what surprises Clockenflap will have in 2014. Said one reveller at Clockenflap, “What a treat to have both up-and-coming local musicians share a stage with some of the world’s greatest artists. I’m proud to be a Hong Konger and to finally have our own international standard music festival in our backyard. Thanks Clockenflap!” With plans for 2014's event already well under way, the organisers are as committed as ever to doing their very best to continually improve each year and push Clockenflap forward to ever greater heights.” www.sennheiser.com.cn
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OMAN
Sir Tom Jones rocks Muscat with Outline
S
ir Tom Jones, the legendary superstar with over 100 million record sales, recently performed live in Oman's Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa, as part of his world tour. A resort backed by a hypnotic view of the deep turquoise blue water of the Sea of Oman. An image that contrasts vividly with majestic mountains that rise up from behind the resort. Having last performed there three years ago, Sir Tom requested a return. Aged 73, the legendary performer sang his classics including “It’s Not Unusual”, “Delilah”, “Kiss”, “What’s New Pussycat”, all aimed to rock the local and international expatriate audience of more than 3000. Production was provided by the Muscatbased Talentz Centre LLC, the largest production operation in Oman and whose expertise in large-scale events takes them all over the region, including the UAE. The company had invested significantly in Outline Butterfly systems with the MD,
Baltazar Fernandes, quoting the products’ “consistency, quality and flexibility” as key factors in his company’s ability to handle visiting international acts. The company deployed their compact Outline Butterfly system comprising of 12 x cabinets per-side flown as the main L&R system. Launched at the beginning of 2003, the Butterfly is now considered by many international engineers as one of the top Line Arrays for sound reinforcement of all kinds and dimensions (arena tours, stadia, theatres, indoor sports venues, etc.). Complementing the main PA, 4 x Outline Mantas enclosures were deployed perside as ‘down-fills’. 16 x Outline Subtech 218 subwoofers provided low frequency reinforcement, and the whole system was powered by Outline T-Series amplifiers. FOH engineer and producer Matteo Cifelli, whose many production and engineering credits include Tom Jones, Mike & The
Mechanics, Blue, Zucchero, and Il Divo stated: “Outline has always been my first choice when it comes to PA. After years, and hundreds of shows doing FOH for Sir Tom Jones, I have used every kind of PA around the world. The difference in quality I experience when putting my mixes through a Butterfly or a GTO system is astonishing. All the details that you miss with other systems are present: the vocal clarity is outstanding and the overall results are so good that the audience, promoter, manager and artist all have big smiles on their faces. They can all hear the difference, it's obvious.” www.outline.it
IN A HURRY? • • • •
Main: 12 x Outline Butterfly Down-fill: 4 x Outline Manta Subs: 16 x Outline Subtech 218 Amps: Outline T-Series
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CHINA
ACME glitters for Heavenly King
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ong Kong's leading Cantopop singer, Andy Lau rocked his "ALways Concert World Tour 2013" in Guangzhou city, China, with passionate and thrilling performances despite his age. The star is already 52 years old yet he proudly displayed his abdominal muscles and even danced intimately with a girl on stage, sparking crazy screaming from the fans at the International Gymnasium Art center in the Luogang District.
In addition to singing, Lau is also an actor, presenter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maintaining a successful singing career at the
same time. In the 1990s, Lau was branded by the media as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop. After a rugged selection process of top lighting brands, organizers went with ACME's professional stage lighting equipment to provide the full lighting set-up for the Heavenly King. Deployed were ACME's XP-1500SZ Spots, XP-1500WZ Wash, XP-1500 Beam, XP-5r Saber beam and BW54-3RGBW LED Par lights. On the night of the show, ACME complemented the glamourous stage with specially designed lighting effects that showed off Lau's muscle, beats and dance moves to a T.
The official release from ACME stated, “The concert in Guanzhou was a complete success. The lights performed with excellent effects and were were greatly relied upon to meet all the needs of the professional lighting engineer's requirements.” www.acme.com.cn
IN A HURRY? Full lighting deployed by ACME • XP-1500SZ Spots • XP-1500WZ Wash • XP-1500 Beam • XP-5r Saber Beam • BW-54-3RGBW LED Par lights
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INDIA
J Davis Goes Above &
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rance legends, Above & Beyond (A&B), recently brought their renowned radio show – Group Therapy Radio to the streets of Bangalore for the 2nd time running. Formed in 2000, the trio first visited Bangalore in 2012 when, against the beautiful backdrop of the Jayamahal Palace, they created a little piece of history with their Trance Around the World (TATW) tour. TATW was the title of the trio's weekly radio show, which ended its 8 year run in 2012. It was the lucky fans in India who watched and listened as members Jono Grant, Tony McGuinness, and Paavo Siljamäki performed their last radio show as Trance Around The World and their first radio show as Group Therapy Radio.
A show which ended to approximately 30 million listeners in 35 countries. Making TATW one of the most listened to radio shows in the world. In 2013, J Davis Prosound & Lighting (J Davis) were roped in, yet again, to provide the same excellent experiences they gave to the fans at the TATW in 2012. Santana Davis, J Davis' Chief Sound Engineer commented, “The technical aspects played a very vital role in creating the mood for the fans and I remember how a whole lot of people had spoken about it and congratulated me on great sound, lights and LEDs.” Bringing the audio crisp and clear to the millions tuning in, a full L-Acoustics system was spec'd. The team from J Davis, led by
Sound Technicians Bharath and Raunaq provided the renowned V-DOSC as the main PA where 20 units were complemented by 16 x SB218 Subs. 6 x L-Acoustics Arcs as well as 12 x L-Acoustics dV – DOSC provided fills. All powered via a LA48a Power Amp and handled via a Yamaha PM5DRH Console at the FOH. While of course the audio had to be clear, one could not forget this was a DANCE event and visuals as well as effect played a crucial part as well. The team went with 24 x Elation Platinum Beam 5R as the main mood lighting complemented by 16 x Cyan 8000 XE LED Wash and 12 x MX Prime LED Wash. Handling the main rig, Head Technician of Trussing, Anil Kumar went with a Wiefa 66
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Beyond for India IN A HURRY? Audio • Main: 20 x V-DOSC • Subs: 16 x SB218 • Fills: 6 x Arcs + 12 x DV – DOSC • Amp:LA48a power amp • Console (FOH): 1 x Yamaha PM5DRH Lighting • 24 x Elation Platinum Beam 5R • 16 x Cyan 8000 XE LED Wash • 12 x MX Prime LED Wash • 12 x Martin Atomic 3000 Strobes • 12 x 4 Lite Molefays • 24 x 3 watt LED Pars • FOH: 1 x Avolites Pearl Expert & Chamsys (For A&B Team)
x 30 x 40ft Box Roof Truss deployed with a Prolyft Chain Hoist. And kicking the party into high gear, in-house Lighting Technicians, Karthik and Johnny were sure to add 12 x Martin Atomic 3000 strobes combined with 12 x 4 Lite Molefays and 24 Par Cans. Control from the FOH consisted of an Avolites Pearl Expert with a Chamsys, used by the group's personal engineer. Despite the flashing lights and heavy bass, the crowd got an extra pump with 4 x Look Haze and 2 x Look Smoke Machines that were deployed at intervals, providing the perfect mix of head, heart and soul music to rave or chill to. Barely containing his excitement, Santana stated, “We are proud and absolutely thrilled to be a part of this Group Therapy event with Above & Beyond!!!! To be a part of what was truly, an international show celebrated by millions tuning in across the globe. This in turn will help raise further awareness about
India's electronic music scene to the rest of the world." Above & Beyond are currenly ranked 17 on DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs for 2013 and have always shown an affinity for the beauty of India. This is even reflected in the in the name of their record label ‘Anjunabeats’, named after the famous Anjuna beats in Goa.
Effects • 4 x Look Haze Machines • 2 x Look Smoke Machines Truss • Wiefa 66 x 30 x 40 H Ft Box Roof Truss with Prolyft Chain Hoist
www.jdavisprosound.com
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©Photography by MARJINAH JASMANI
MALAYSIA
Bromancing with D8 Productions & AVICII By Elissa Nadine
The team at Digital Aid Productions brought down the house with Swedish DJ, Avicii when he stormed into Malaysia for a massive year-end party at the Sepang International Circuit(SIC). Backed by L-Acoustics, Clay Paky, Robe and Martin, this is what “Sweet Dreams”are made of. Thanks to the folks at We Love Asia!, fans of Avicii were given an early year-end treat when it was announced that their favourite Electronic Dance Music(EDM) act would be returning to Malaysia for a one-night only performance. Upon deciding on the venue, organisers knew almost immediately which team would produce a night no-one would forget. Digital Aid Productions (D8) were called in to produce a rave party that could rival all others. This resulted in 8 hours of one-of-a-kind audio and a spectacular light show from the Swedish superstar and a long list of other EDM artists. To cater to the massive success of the talented performer, the Sepang International Circuit Welcome Centre was chosen as the most suitable location that would be able to
hold the 30,000 ravers that were expected to attend. A venue so breathtaking in its proportions(100m by 180m), it is used to park the containers used for the Formula 1 race. Avicii, born Tim Bergling, first turned heads in the mid-2000s after the release of his smash single "Bromance". After gaining a massive following in the worldwide house music scene, he now boasts an impressive resume of collaborations with renowned DJs such as Tiësto, Robyn and David Guetta. However, no matter how many times you listen to his amazing beats on your computer or iPod, it's a completely encapsulating experience to actually be there experiencing the music prodigy get into his groove.
LIVE January - February 2014
Press play, fast forward
Walking into the venue, one couldn't help but feel a tingle of anticipation. A mammoth stage greeted the eyes of guests when they stepped into the SIC. On a stage measuring 70m wide x 50m deep, 424 x transparent LED panels were used to make-up the entire Avicii backdrop. And if that wasn't enough, the team installed LEDs on either side of the stage made up of 100 panels each. But, the real treat could only be seen when the sun went down. The Avicii logo is considerably unique and was constructed via 20 Showtek Sunstrips Active DMX lamps. Like a prelude to the main act, when the screens would go blank in between other artists and seconds before the last panel darkened, the crowd could catch a glimpse of the logo behind the LEDS which caused them to scream even louder than they already were. “While you can't see it when there are graphics, once the LED fades into darkness, the logo flashes. We want to keep everyone on their toes and playing with the AV logo silhouette in a hide & seek fashion does the trick, ” explained D8 Stage-In-Charge, Syed aka 'Pendek'.
Having done numerous shows at the SIC, the 4-year old production company was already well attuned to the needs and limits of the venue itself. And even though there were many other acts involved this concert was, in essence, about Avicii. According to D8 CEO, Henry Karnan, “Everything that has been done for the concert was all for Avicii. Certain fixtures can't be used for other acts because they are kept special for the main and final act.” D8 were given the freedom to utilise the quantity of loudspeaker boxes that the budget allowed. The only thing that the Avicii rider specified? It had to be L-Acoustics.
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Realising that their current stock of L-Acoustics boxes would not be enough to cover the massive 100m by 180m throw distance, D8 reached out to their their rental partners, JSS Productions from Thailand and Team Sound & Light in Malaysia. With the joint inventories, the teams were able to provide a main PA consisting of 12 x L-Acoustics K1s flown on either side of the stage. These were complemented by 6 x KARAs that provided the downfill requirements. Pushing the coverage of the audio even further, D8 flew 24 x VDOSC as side hangs and completed the main set-up with 8 x KUDOs as front fills. And what would
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a rave be without subs? With the crowd needing to feel the power of the music in their chest, the team spec'd 32 x SB28s and 16 x SB218 subwoofers. Once the crowd's audio had been satisfied, Zakhir, D8 Sound Technician set out to fulfil Avicii's DJ stack/monitor requirements. Flanking all DJs on stage were 3 x dV-DOSC speakers and 1 x dV-SUB, the basic essentials for a DJ stack. What made it unusual was that Avicii had insisted on placing 2 x SB18 subs directly behind him along with his very own Monitor Engineer who operated on a DiGiDesign Profile. Zakhir explained, “The subs on stage and the monitor engineer are specifically because Avicii wants to feel what the crowd is feeling. He wants to be down in the audience, experiencing the show with them.” All international acts, including the main, mixed via a Pioneer CDJ 2000 Nexus with their own personal pre-sets uploaded. On the entire PA and monitor set-up, Henry commented, “Nowadays, shows are getting more and more...INSANE. Sometimes EDM artists can be more particular than even rock musicians. The monitors for the DJs are just getting bigger and bigger. Now is the time for EDM, and almost every artist knows it.” Freelance Audio Engineer ,Raj Kumar, frequently works with D8 and handled the second DiGiDesign Profile from the FOH for all acts including Avicii. Commenting on the boards' performance after the show, he stated, “I've used this board quite a few times before and even thought I really liked the plug-ins, I was not a fan. But I am really impressed by what it did today so you can say, I've been ‘converted’.”
Silhouettes While the audio was nothing short of spectacular, the night was really brought
to life by the lighting, effects and visuals. In short - a masterpiece of red, green and blue. “When it comes to a rave concert, artists will usually say 'OK we want this much of DB' and basically the local people should know how to configure the system from there. But the lights...they are very particular. They give you the numbers and a plot which you MUST follow,” stated Lighting Technician, Ipin. This would be the first show for D8 where very few lights were hung on the roof and instead were attached to the left and right truss, an idea brought to life by Henry. “We've got lights on the stage floor. We've got 2 truss in a zigzag pattern and we've got lights hanging on that as well,” said Henry. Adding, "Sometimes we take the effort of trying out new things especially with international artists because they are usually willing to take risks and try new things. It's a great feeling when we come together to form the layout of the show.” Spec'd by Avicii's team, Clay Paky quality dominated the lighting requirements with 48 x Sharpys, 22 x Alpha Spot HPE 1500 and 16 x Alpha Wash HPE 1500. Unlike other concerts where the lights help to get you into the mood, rave lights draw you in. They give you no chance to escape, they capture your heart, move your hip to a beat and before you know it you are sweating, fist-pumping
and flying with the rest of the rave party. And that was exactly what Simon Barrington, Avicii's Lighting Designer wanted. On top of the already impressive lighting display, Simon requested for more quality by adding 60 x Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam and 34 x Martin Atomic Strobes into the mix. If there ever was a concert for strobes to shine, this was it. 8 x strobes were placed on the side hang truss and alternated between the 8 x Sharpys hung on the side truss as well. The bass beats combined with the reverberation from the subs enhanced the effect of the strobes and lights helped transport ravers into a different world. “We didn't understand why they wanted so many strobes, at first. We thought they were going to blind everyone but when you see how they used it, it makes sense. It wasn't blinding but it was there, it served its purpose,”commented Kenneth Karnan, D8 General Manager of Operations. Rounding up the visuals were 16 x Molefays along with 8 x Smoke Factory Mini-Fan Foggers and 8 x Smoke Factory Tour Hazer II for effects. “When we first purchased the Clay Paky's, it was based on the riders that we kept getting. We realised that by having brands like Clay Paky in our inventory, we were already ahead of the game. Now we are in the process
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of purchasing more ROBE Robins as ROBE seems to be a good brand to work with, its cheaper than others buts delivers the same quality,” said Henry. Housed at the FOH, a Chamsys MagicQ MQ100 Expert with execute and playback wings was spec'd by Simon. According to Henry, “Chamsys is always spec'd by Simon and I purchased this board 2 years back because Simon, back then, was the LD for Tiesto. After the show, he said if I wanted a really good lighting show, I had to get him Chamsys. If I supplied him any other board, he would be able to do a light show at 90% but he assured me that if I purchased the Chamsys, he could do wonders. And I am so happy that I purchased this because I can see what he does with it. Every show with the Chamsys is now a 200% light show.”
Creativity at its Best The only real challenge faced by the production team was something no-one could control. Just hours before the show, the heavens opened up and released torrent onto the Sepang Circuit. While all crew were on alert and watching the dark clouds that were looming, no-one could have expected how fast it descended. Luckily, Pendek managed to get to cover most lighting equipment in the truss taken care of before too much damage was done. However damage was still done. This was where creativity ruled. With 2 hours left to the show, the D8 crew could be seen using hair-dryers to dry out whatever lights had been affected by the rain. It was a sight to behold and did not go unnoticed by the international act. “Avicii's people commented that that they found it interesting how we would do whatever it took to make the concert work. We had a tough time making all the lights work because of the rain. We managed to cover the speakers and for those lights we didn't cover, Pendek took a risk and suggested using a hair-dryer. Thankfully, it paid off, ” stated Kenneth.
Nobody would've suspected at that time, that the rain was a blessing in disguise. It provided a slight breeze to the otherwise scorching night. With the heat rising, acts seemed to be pushing their beats faster and harder. The climax was about to be had and everyone could feel it.
could. And we saw that today, but I don't want to forget to mention the crew. They did the patching and the work and they are amazing because they are willing to do it all over again tomorrow. It just gets bigger from here. Right now there's no way to go but up from here.”
The crowd erupted as Avicii took to the stage. The night ended with fireworks released to the beat of his hit single “Wake Me Up” and as much as the crew wanted to remain stoic and professional they couldn't help but tap their feet and shake their hips to the sweet Avicii sound. Moving into the last 45 minutes of the show, the rave was still going strong. Too bad the cut-off timing for SIC is 1am or else, who knows what time they would've stopped.
www.d8projects.com
Kenneth concludes, “The beauty of this show was that it was a challenge for us and we delivered and I think we'll do it again when we need to. I want people to understand that Malaysia has the capability to throw great parties and now we realise that if you have a good Engineers, you can actually achieve much more than what you thought you
IN A HURRY? Audio – L-Acoustics • Main: 24 x K1 array • Side Hang: 24 x V-DOSC • Front Fill: 8 x KUDO • Downfill: 6 x KARA • Subs: 32 x SB28, 16 x SB218 • Console (FOH):1 x DiGi Design Profile • DJ Stack/Monitor : • 6 x dV-DOSC • 2 x SB18 Subs • Console(Monitor): 1 x DiGi Design Profile Lights: • Clay Paky Sharpy x 48 • Clay Paky Alpha Spot HPE 1500 x 22 • Clay Paky Alpha Wash HPE 1500 x 16 • Robe Robin 100 LEDBeam x 60 • Martin Atomic 3000 DMX Strobes x 34 • Molefays x 16 • Console: Chamsys MagicQ MQ100 Expert Visuals & Effects: • 424 x transparent LED panels (backdrop) • 200 x LED panels (Sides) • 8 x Smoke Factory Mini-Fan Fogger • 8 x Smoke Factory Tour Hazer II
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PHILIPPINES
JMCIM’s Healing and Praising Message Rocks Manila
KV2 Audio's VHD systems prove their reliability with a 15 hour non-stop performance
s that all that is required? Will it provide sufficient coverage for this large space? Questions that Daniel Gonzales aka Murdoc of Exile Inc, has become all too familiar with. Daniel who has 25 years of sound engineering experience under his belt lets the system do the talking instead.
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The JESUS Miracle Crusade International Ministry, (JMCIM) is one of the largest and most successful apostolic churches based in the Philippines, with millions of followers nationwide and still growing. JMCIM is led by internationally known pastor and end-time prophet of God, Evangelist Wilde E. Almeda.
Since being introduced to the KV2 Audio solutions in July, he has become a firm believer of the capabilities of the KV2 and their philosophical approach to Point Source Audio system designs. Thus, not surprisingly when he was called upon to handle the sound requirements for the JMCIM praise and worship event in October, he specified the KV2 VHD system to provide sound coverage. He has been involved with the JMCIM event for six years but this year he decided to put his faith on the KV2s.
The JMCIM holds an annual major praise and worship event in Manila and in 2013 the “Jesus Saves and Jesus Heals” event was
held on 6 October at the Outdoor Amaranto Sports Complex that has a 40,000 capacity. With a range of performances to cater for, from the choir, to band performances, to string and saxophone performances and playbacks to contend with, Daniel had to ensure that he had a system that was reliable and capable enough to handle the different types of performances.
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driven by the VHD3200 amps. Daniel also added two VHD pre-amps onto his inventory to help him ensure that he had the ability to boost or cut the subs, if required. A further left and right side speaker cluster were configured to the same specification as the main stage systems, once again employing 2 units of the VHD2.0 with a VHD1.0 acting as a down-fill on each side. This configuration ensured that the Audio presentation covered the entire width of the stadium coherently. Monitor duties were assigned to 4 units of KV2 ESM26 and 4 units of ESM12 units.
Daniel Gonzales with Andy Austin-Brown, KV2’s Technical Project Director
To help Daniel ensure that the KV2s performed to expectations, KV2's Philippines distributor, Efren Cruz of Montecruz Enterprise Inc., flew in Andy Austin-Brown, KV2's Technical Project Director, to lend a helping hand. The main stage was configured with 2 units of KV2 VHD2.0 high performance touring and installation system and a VHD1.0 unit that acted as a down-fill, flown on either side of the stage. The speakers were driven by the VHD2000 amps. The VHDs are point source systems and KV2's technical expertise offer drastically reduced distortion levels and a hugely increased dynamic range that brings a new level of sound reproduction. VHD also reduces the amount of elements needed to cover a particular area for large-scale sound reinforcement, thus
removing the interference problems created by multiple sources in modern line array systems. Time alignment and phase correction is done via KV2’s new 20MHz digital delay line. Boasting the highest sampling rate of any digital speaker processor available, KV2’s on board hybrid signal processing uses the best in analogue and digital technology to provide incredible definition and resolution with true dynamic range. Daniel and Andy also configured two Subwoofer clusters that were ground stacked on the left and right of the stage. One cluster comprised of 4 units of the VHD2.16 double 15” subwoofers. The other clusters comprised of 4 units of VHD4.18, 18”subwoofer system. The subwoofers were
One element that stood out for Daniel and his crew was how easy it was to set-up the system. “We were able to fly the speakers and set up the rest of the speakers within 2 hours, which saved us a lot of time. Even some of the non-experienced crew were able to rig the system to fly without much hassle. The light weight of the speakers also meant that we needed less manpower to rig the system. This is a definite advantage of the KV2 speakers,” said a pleased Daniel. The event stretched to 15 hours of non-stop performance with the KV2 proving their reliability and consistent performance. “The KV2s were powerful and offered clarity be it the preaching or the singing and music. Having been involved in this event for six years, I was pleasantly surprised when the technical director for the event called to tell me that they were very satisfied with the sound system, which is credit to the KV2 Audio speakers.” Daniel further adds, “When an event stretches this long, you often experience sound fatigue but because the speakers continued to perform remarkably clear with no distortion, it helped to ensure that the audience continued to be in top spirit throughout the event.” www.kv2audio.com www.exile.com.ph
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SRI LANKA
PR Lighting on Duty @ Commonwealth People’s Forum
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he 2013 Commonwealth People's Forum (CPF) was held for the first time in Sri Lanka and catered to 500 invited guests at the historic Galle Fort. The CPF is meant to bring together civil society representatives from around the world to discuss and debate key issues facing Commonwealth people. Held every two years in the run up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the CPF is the single biggest opportunity for civil society to engage with Commonwealth leaders on global development issues.
The organising comittee designed the lighting to meet the requirements of both the live audience — comprising the Secretary General Commonwealth of the Commonwealth, Sri Lankan president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and various Ministers and Foreign delegates — as well as the television audience.
Live Productions Pvt. Ltd was contracted by another local company, Dynamic AV Technologies Pvt Ltd to provide the lighting which comprised entirely of PR Lighting moving discharge and LED heads from their large inventory of the Chinese manufacturer’s fixtures. Under the production management of Dhanushka Fernando of Dynamic AV, large quantities of PR Solo 575 fully-feature spots were specified, along with compact XL Beam 300 300W moving heads and super-bright XLED 1037s, each containing 37 x 10 Watt RGBW LEDs — plus some generic par cans on the overhead and side trusses. These were programmed into an Avolites Pearl 2010 to create different ‘looks’, which were assigned to the respective parts of the pageant provided for the guests’ entertainment.
According to Live Productions’ Kapila Peiris, this produced a combination of drama and mood lighting changes with rich saturated colours. His company has achieved similar results with PR Lighting solutions in Colombo, stretching right across the island. In fact Live Productions have now boosted their hire fleet of PR Lighting effects by ordering eight pieces of the new XR 200 Beams (with ultrabright Platinum 5R lamp), and six more of the popular PR Solo 575 moving heads (bringing their total of this Spot up to 22). www.pr-lighting.com
IN A HURRY? • • • •
PR Solo 575 spots XL Beam 300 moving heads XLED 1037 Par cans
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AUSTRALIA
20 Years of City to Surf! The P.A. People deliver quality audio systems
JBL CBT70J. Combined with a P.A. People designed and manufactured line transformer and custom street pole mounting brackets the compact two-way line array column speakers performed flawlessly and invisibly as a 100V line system in this application.
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he Sun-Herald City2Surf presented by Westpac is not just Sydney’s favourite sporting event, it is the world’s largest run, with 85,000 registered participants. It has become one of Australia’s most iconic sporting events and dates back to 1971 with Sydneysiders joined by participants from all over the world, elite athletes rubbing shoulders with locals to run, walk or watch the 14km race from Hyde Park in Sydney’s CBD to the finish at spectacular Bondi Beach. Over the years the scale of the event has increased significantly and the 2013 edition came with an amazing feat of logistics managed with the utmost precision by the Fairfax Media Events team. The Event Communications team from the P.A People have proudly been involved with the event for over 20 years and provided the start and finish line audio systems for the 2013 race. “It’s an honour to be involved year after year with such an amazing event”, said Matt Kirby, Manager, Event Communications. “The technical and logistical challenges combined with the unpredictable weather conditions provide us with our own sense of achievement, not dissimilar to those that have run the race!” The installation started for the P.A People at the control position on the corner of William and Park St in the city. “With a desire to generate a more festival-like atmosphere for
this year’s event, the client really stepped up the level of production from prior years and our control area and signal distribution reflected that change” said Matt. “We worked closely alongside BMA Event Group who had been contracted separately to provide video content that was fed to a number of LED screens spread throughout the start line area including Macquarie St. This involved plenty of interaction between the various start zones with two way crosses and various sponsor activations all requiring audio to be distributed to the entire crowd. We ran a significant amount of cable for this event including a 1000m tactical fibre-optic run between control and Macquarie St!!” The real fun began at midnight. With an operation of military precision, two teams ran concurrently throughout the start line area to begin the process of mounting and cabling a distributed system of over 60 speakers along the lengths of Park St, College St and Macquarie St to provide full and even coverage across the whole start line area. “The design of the system served two purposes” said Scott Davidson, Senior System Engineer and Project Manager for the installation. “It needed to be able to clearly provide all the runners with audible safety announcements and race information and also needed to contribute to the entertainment value of the event by providing full range sound. The P.A. People trialled a new generation of column speaker for this year’s event – the
Whilst the start line team continued working through the night, a separate team was deployed to Bondi to setup the finish line component. “We setup a number of horn systems throughout the whole Bondi Beach precinct that playback prerecorded messages to ensure that the crowd movement is managed effectively for the event” commented Dave Wright, Project Manager for the finish line installation. “We also provided one of our Clearcom Helixnet systems integrated with our Motorola two way radios to allow communication between the director, talent and roving camera operators from BMA” said Dave. Back at the start line, the pace was frantic as early runners began to gather at the various starting positions. “It’s very difficult to describe the period of time between midnight and 3pm,” said Matt. “It’s a real blur. Before you know it, the last speakers are being hung, the national anthem gets sung, the race starts and as the last runners cross the start line, the bump out has already begun following the runners down the street alongside the city’s street sweepers, fencing contractors and clean-up crews. The whole thing is complete and back in the truck by 2pm!! No one would ever know that the event took place, it was so fast.” www.papeople.com.au
IN A HURRY? • Main PA: 60 x JBL CBT70J speakers • Communications: 1 x Clearcom Helixnet systems integrated with Motorola two way radios
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INDONESIA
Shure Unleashes Harley’s Grooowwwlll
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elebrating Harley Davidson’s 110th anniversary, the Harley Davidson Club of Indonesia hosted Bikerockestra, an event in Bandung that attracted thousands of bikers and spectators. The pinnacle of the two-day event was a biker orchestra that harmonized music from traditional instruments with the sound of Harley motorcycle mufflers. The event had a live orchestra and rock performers on three stages. Bikers organized into different colour-coded groups participated by revving their engines when signalled by LED lights on the main stage that corresponded with their group. The sounds from the mufflers were picked up by Shure VP89S and VP89L shotgun microphones and KSM32s, and were then combined with the rock music on stage, for a stunning and oneof-a-kind performance. Prior to the celebration, the club engaged Sumber Ria, an Indonesian audio rental company, to select audio gear for the commemorative event. Understanding the
unique requirements, the rental company knew it had to rely on gear that could deliver clear sound to a large crowd while handling multiple performances that involved an array of traditional and nontraditional instruments. The microphones were required to not only withstand the outdoor environment including significant humidity, but also to deliver clear audio over a backdrop of revving bike engines. Understanding the challenges Vice President of Sumber Ria, Reza Sterling, (who has relied almost exclusively on Shure technology for other client events) turned to a combination of Shure wired and wireless microphones for their ease of use, durability and superior sound quality. The Bickerockestra event technology included Shure ULX Professional Wireless Systems with SM58 microphones, as well as over 40 x SM58, SM57, SM81, KSM32, Beta 91A and VP89 microphones. Authorized distributor for Indonesia, Goshen Electronics, was also present and pre-recorded some of the Harley
Davidson muffler sounds with music using KSM32 mics and a Pro Tools rig. The recorded mix was used during the biker orchestra and also for a surround sound DVD due out in 2014. “The two-day celebration was executed perfectly. Product quality and durability are critical at this type of outdoor festival, so we needed top-of-the-line audio gear that we could rely on,” explained Reza. “Shure technology was the perfect answer— capturing the unique mixture of sounds for each performance and delivering crystal-clear audio to a very large group of Harley fans.” The event was enjoyed by more than seven hundred audience members and nearly 1,000 bikers, who rocked the event both on and off the stage. “The event was awesome,” commented Franky Cahyadi, Senior Marketing Manager at Goshen. “All the Shure microphones worked perfectly—even in the dusty, outdoor environment.” www.shure.com/asia
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HONG KONG
Martin Brightens Hong Kong’s China Day Celebration
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he National Day of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is celebrated every year to commemorate the founding of the sovereign state. The holiday is observed throughout Mainland China, as well as the nation’s Special Administrative Regions of Macao and Hong Kong with a variety of government-organized events including fireworks and concerts.
The main event stage featured 24 x Martin MAC Viper Profiles and 24 x MAC Viper Wash DX moving head fixtures with 1,000-watt lamps and a unique compact form to produce impressive speed and superior light quality. In addition, a Martin M6 lighting console, which operates on the M-series software platform for fast programming and extensive playback management, controlled the design.
To celebrate, the organizing Committee of Compatriots in Hong Kong presented a cultural show at the Hong Kong Coliseum for the 64th Anniversary of the founding of the PRC. To ensure a lighting display worthy of the national holiday, the Committee turned to Tom Lee Engineering Ltd., who deployed several HARMAN Martin Professional lighting fixtures, controlled by Martin’s M6 lighting console.
“With the M6, programming was fast and easy. I was able to customize the console and show to meet my exact needs with its touch screens,” commented the FOH engineer from Tom Lee Engineering Ltd. “I was very comfortable relying on the M6 to control the main stage design and it proved to be an invaluable asset to the success of the China
The event featured performances by the Military Band of Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, the Art Troupe of Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, the Honor Guard of Army, Navy and Air Force of Chinese People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Children and Juvenile Chinese Opera Troupe, as well as many popular local singers and bands. More than 6,000 people from the Hong Kong region joined in the celebrations.
Day celebrations. Also, due to the rigorous environment and continuous operation, we relied heavily on the reliability and robust design of the Martin equipment that presented us with zero downtime.” Founded in 1987 and based in Aarhus, Denmark, Martin is the lighting division of global infotainment and audio company HARMAN International Industries. www.martin.com
IN A HURRY? • 24 x Martin MAC Viper Profiles • 24 x MAC Viper Wash DX • Martin M6 lighting console
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LIVE January - February 2014
AUSTRALIA
It’s a first: TDC & Barco project for Naval Spectacular
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o celebrate the first ever entry of the national Australian fleet into the Sydney Harbour one hundred years ago and to re-tell the story for The Royal Australian Navy's International Fleet Review, millions in Australia enjoyed an evening spectacle like no other. Visuals involved combining video projection with stunning fireworks launched from seven warships. Lighting from 28 land and ship locations, plus live action on board ships that culminated in an aerial fly past from the Royal Australian Air Force was enjoyed by the numerous spectators lining the foreshore. "The spectacular was created in seven acts, from introducing Australia's original fleet, through 100 proud years of service to Australia, current capabilities, a moment of reflection for the fallen and a finale to rival Sydney's New Year's Eve,” said Heath Campanaro, Project Director at Imagination Australia. “The show was a once in a lifetime project and will go down in history as one of the most inspiring, moving pieces of creativity at this kind of scale." Achieving the very first projection onto both sides of the epic and iconic Sydney Opera House as well as onto the pylons of
Sydney Harbour Bridge would, by no means, be a small challenge for any technology company. Creative team and Producer of the event, Imagination Australia, chose Technical Direction Company (TDC) as their video technology partner-in-crime for the mammoth task. To create such a visual spectacular, TDC worked for months planning and testing with Imagination Australia to design and realise the brightest projection ever delivered by the company. TDC deployed a total of 56 Barco projectors including models FLM-HD20, HDF-W26 and HDQ-2K40 that were positioned at great distances and angles, including projection towers located up to 2296ft (700m) away from across the Sydney Harbour. A vital detail since the projection had to be visible from all sides of the Harbour – a feat which had never been done before. TDC ensured that the content created by Imagination Australia was managed using Dataton WATCHOUT multi-image and display software and 26 computer servers. The entire proceedings were synchronised by timecode
and transmitted across Sydney Harbour using a citywide TETRA system and MediorNet real-time network, as well as Artist intercom systems provided by Riedel Communications. "The project took months of planning and days of painstaking projector alignment and positioning to get every pixel lined up and just right across various projectors,” enthused Olin Winton, Technical Manager at TDC. "Rarely does a project of this epic scale take place in Australia. Our team of projection experts did a great job and we're very proud of what we've delivered," said Michael Hassett, MD at TDC. Completing the TDC project team for the event were Project Manager, Kain Jones, Head Technician, Steve Cain, Projectionists, Drew Ferors, Matt Teale, Anthony Pellizzari, Isaac McKenzie and Assitants, Max Rowen and Gareth Marsh.
IN A HURRY?
• Projectors: 56 x Barco models including FLM-HD20, HDF-W26 and HDQ-2K40 • Display software: Dataton WATCHOUT • Signal Distribution: Riedel MediorNet
INSTALL January - February 2014
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S
ituated just 10 km from downtown Dalian, China, the Dalian Arena is one of ten venues comprising the city's new Sports Centre, which will cover more than 200 acres when completed. The 18,000-seat NBA regulation venue boasts the largest suspended dome roof in China, and was completed in time to host an array of events during China's 2013 National Games. Like most large, enclosed arenas, the Dalian presented as a challenging acoustical environment. The massive dome's reflections are exacerbated by the stadium's plentiful open passageways and hard playing surface, making intelligibility close to non-existent. Designing an audio system for the arena meant having to consider its requirements for hosting theatrical performances, conferences, and other large-scale events.
The arena's sound system was integrated by Dalian HuaChang Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd., and comprises 4 sets of Renkus-Heinz PN102LA line array systems facing north, south, east, and west. Each array consists of 12 x PN102LAR cabinets, augmented by 6 x DR18-2R 18” subwoofers. Downfill for the court is provided by a pair of ST7/94 loudspeakers on east and west arrays, while a pair of ST5M-2/42 boxes provide downfill for the court-side seating areas. A delay ring of 18 x ST7/94 cabinets covers the uppermost tiers of seating. The entire system is interconnected via RHAON for system delays and processing. "We evaluated many well-known brands of loudspeakers in great detail, and the Renkus-Heinz PN Series line arrays were truly the best choice for the Dalian Arena,"
commented a spokesperson from Dalian HuaChang Electronics Engineering Co., Ltd. "In a very large and reverberant space like this, speech intelligibility is always a challenge. But the PN series line arrays deliver a high degree of intelligibility, as well as excellent full range musical performance. Coverage is consistent to every seat in the house." The arena is able to host sports, music, cultural and family shows featuring Chinese, Asian and world-renowned artists, teams and performers. The venue stands as a central component of an 82-hectare entertainment district along with a 60,000-seat stadium, 40,000 sq. meter natatorium baseball fields and 43,000 sq meter indoor and outdoor tennis centre. www.renkus-heinz.com
Audio @ A Glance • Main: 4 clusters x Renkus-Heinz PN102LA line array (12 per side – N + S + E+W) • Support: 6 x DR18-2R 18” subwoofers. • Downfill: 2 x ST7/94 on East & West arrays (court) + 2 x ST5M2/42 (court-side seating areas)
• Delay: 18 x ST7/94 cabinets (Delay ring covers the uppermost tiers of seating) • Network: RHAON (Renkus-Heinz Audio Operations Network) software
CHINA
Renkus-Heinz Brings Powerful Audio to Dalian Arena
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INSTALL January - February 2014
Two South Korean theatres choose ETC lighting Cheonan Arts Center
the hall lights while concert lighting is being controlled from the desk. It makes everything really simple to use, while avoiding potential mishaps.”
“Both of these projects were very large, and we needed to work closely with the construction and architectural design firm, as well as the incoming technical managers, to ensure that they got the exact equipment they needed,” says Kwon.
SOUTH KOREA
“We’ve had some great feedback from the technical managers at both centres, and reviews have even mentioned the impressive lighting systems,” says Cheung.
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TC has been increasing its presence in South Korea, with dealer C&C Lightway recently outfitted two South Korean Theatres with a full ETC lighting system. The first theatre to get a new appreciation for lighting was the famed Cheonan Arts Center.
“Cheonan’s 1,642 seat grand hall and accompanying 443-seat performing hall host a range of different types of productions, including famous musicals such as Mamma Mia and Les Misérables, as well as ballet and opera,” says Oh-bum Kwon, design and engineering manager at C&C, “hence the technicians were looking for equipment that would be truly versatile.” An ETC system was the answer. C&C installed 3x Ion control desks in the venue’s theatres, along with almost 300 x conventional Source Four and Source Four Zoom fixtures, a Unison Paradigm architectural control system, and Sensor3 dimming.
dimming for the hall’s two stages, plus 3 x Ion desks to control it all. ETC Asia general manager Wynne Cheung says: “The combination of Ion and Sensor3 provides 16-bit fades, which means Guri Hall’s dimming is so smooth that the steps are imperceptible under normal circumstances.” Paradigm systems were chosen for both venues, because they allow complete control of a building’s architectural lighting. The buttons and LCD panels – which can be located anywhere in a building while being connected to the main control system – are easy for anyone to operate, even untrained staff, hence even cleaners or security personnel can set an appropriate state where they work. “The systems are set up so that the board operator is in charge,” explains Cheung. “Other users would never be able to turn on
The next venue in need of a good system was the Guri Art Hall near Seoul. With its new 600-seat grand hall and 280-seat concert hall, staff were looking for equipment that would be able to provide high-resolution fades and would be familiar to both incoming and resident lighting operators. They purchased over 200 x Source Four fixtures, a Paradigm system and Sensor3 Guri Art Hall
C&C, its project manager Sang-in Kim and field manager Yoon-kyun Lee advised the clients throughout the process to help them find the right products, and ETC staff made site visits to give demonstrations on a range of equipment before they decided on a system. www.etcconnect.com
Lights & Effects @ a Glance • Cheonan Arts Center: - 300 x Source Four & Source Four Zoom - 1x Unison Paradigm architectural control system - Sensor3 dimming - Control: 3x ETC Ion desks • Guri Art Hall: - 200 x Source Four - 1 x Unison Paradigm architectural control system - Sensor3 dimming - Control: 3 x ETC Ion desks
INSTALL January - February 2014
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Electro-Voice Provides Quality Sound for Kuala Lumpur Specifications for EVID and Live X loudspeakers are popping up all over KL
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1 Restaurant and Bar is a new and exciting restaurant and bar at the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s (KL) entertainment street, Chankat Bukit Bintang. It features performances by live bands and DJs while patrons indulge in a wide selection of food and drinks. To pump up the beat and create a livelier environment, the bar required loudspeakers that could provide high quality professional sound for both background music and live performances. The management of the establishment were already big fans of Electro-Voice (EV) products and were thoroughly impressed by the complete solution proposed by ElectroVoice/Bosch distributor, AV Electronics Marketing Sdn Bhd (AVEM). For ambient music playback, EVID 4.2T surface-mount loudspeakers and EVID 12.1 corner-mount subwoofers were installed to distribute sound throughout the venue. Along with this, Live X ELX115 powered loudspeakers and ELX118P powered subwoofers were installed on both sides of the main stage to provide sound reinforcement for live bands. AVEM was kept busy when yet another of KL's restaurant and bar's spec'd a full EV system. This time it was a darling of the Kuala Lumpur night scene, Frangipani Restaurant & Bar. The two-floor establishment combines
a fine dining area on the ground floor and lounge on the second floor. The lounge spins house music while serving some of the city's finest cocktails. The design and setting of the bar is akin to a tropical resort and is an excellent escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
surface-mount speakers (ELX112, ELX118, EVID 4.2) were installed at the bar area. EVID surface-mount loudspeakers now distribute music consistently throughout the whole area, while the Live X loudspeakers located at the four corners of the dance floor bring the bar and the floor to life.
To fill both the lounge area and bar with crystal clear sound, professional loudspeakers were required for two distinct reasons: to play ambient music for the lounge area and to provide powerful sound to heat up the dance floor at the bar.
The ease of use, durability and proven sound quality of EV products impressed both restaurant's respective management teams. “EV products will definitely be used in our future outlets,” stated Frangipani’s owner while 51 Restaurant and Bar's management commented, “The products are easy to operate, durable, have fantastic sound quality, are reasonably priced and come with excellent after-sales service. We will definitely install our future outlets with EV equipment in the future.”
AVEM presented a complete solution to the restaurant management, who were already familiar with EV sound quality – in particular the EVID series. EVID 4.2 surface-mount loudspeakers powered by Q66 amplifiers were installed in the lounge area and both Live X and EVID
Frangipani Restaurant & Bar
www.electrovoice.com
MALAYSIA
51 Restaurant and Bar
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INSTALL January - February 2014
Dolby Atmos with Electronics & Engineering at the largest movie screen in the west
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SINGAPORE
ovie patrons visiting the recently opened Cathay Cineplex Jem in Singapore now have many firsts to look forward to. Not only is it the largest multiplex in the country's west district, Cathay Cineplex Jem also debuted its Digital Xtreme hall – the largest movie screen in west Singapore.
With 278 seats and 46 Dolby Atmos channels, the Digital Xtreme hall was designed to create a larger-than-life cinematic experience for viewers. It boasts an extra-large cinema screen measuring 44.6ft(13.6m) by 23.9ft (7.3m), and includes the first-ever Dolby Atmos technology within a Cathay multiplex. Box office movies such as I, Frankenstein; X-Men: Days of Future Past and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are just some of the few titles planned for presentation in Dolby Atmos. Appointed for system integration of Dolby Atmos were Cinema and AudioVisual
integrators, Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd (E&E). “We are very excited with the introduction of Cathay’s first Dolby Atmos cinema hall in collaboration with E&E,” stated Leong-Yan Yoong, Regional Director of SouthEast Asia, Dolby Laboratories. “Dolby Atmos continues to set a new standard for immersive audio experiences in the cinema with the latest Hollywood blockbuster movies, and stunning new exhibition halls such as the Digital Xtreme hall at Cathay Cineplex Jem.”
“Our cinema engineers have a wealth of experience and are Dolby trained to ensure that we are able to meet all the necessary requirements set by Dolby Atmos. We are confident that this will undoubtedly appeal to movie-goers, as the new sound platform will be a truly unforgettable experience,” said Ronald Goh, Managing Director for E&E. “We are very proud to have been part of the team that has made this installation possible for Cathay,” continued Mr. Goh.
The core challenge for E&E with this installation was to design the directional configuration of the Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) speakers to ensure that it met Dolby requirements, as Atmos is object-oriented towards the audience so that they are able to enjoy the maximum effect of what it provides. The EAW cinema speaker system used in the installation complies with Dolby Atmos’s requirements for speaker configuration and the positioning metadata of the audio stream to optimise 46 channels playback in the hall.
“We are very proud to work with Dolby and E&E to implement the groundbreaking Dolby Atmos sound technology at the new and iconic Digital Xtreme hall at Cathay Cineplex Jem. This marks another significant milestone for Cathay Cineplexes as we continue to offer revolutionary systems and creative content to our patrons to ensure the most epic movie experiences,” added Suhaimi Rafdi, Chief Executive Officer of Cathay Organisation. www.enepl.com.sg www.dolby.com
INSTALL January - February 2014
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W-DMX creates magic @ the MusicHall Dubai
The brothers were approached when the luxury Jumeirah Zabeel Saray Hotel on The Palm in Dubai was looking to expand their event space and saw MusicHall as a good fit. The space already had an adequate stage, lounge area and dining facility, so it just needed an interior makeover and new lighting scheme. In addition to the proper areas in place, the venue had an existing infrastructure which included four over-stage trusses with winch control and some existing power and dimming provision through a hard-wired cable management system. DMX distribution was limited to a single universe across various hard-wired ports. With limited time available and a request to not change the
existing infrastructure, a wireless data system was the only solution and Wireless Solution W-DMX was the system of choice. Lighting and Visual Designer Ben Rogers was brought in to tackle the project and said, “After using Wireless Solution’s W-DMX system without fault on gigs for the last five years, this was a simple choice that also went hand-in-hand with the final fixture specification to include W-DMX receivers.” Rogers wanted the lighting and visual design to be multi-layered, where each lighting element could stand alone or work together to form a richly textured whole. His aim was that each type of fixture in the flown rig should be able to light the stage in its own right. On Rogers’ checklist was the need to strike a balance between brightness and long life versus power consumption and he chose the Elation Platinum series discharge sources. The Elation Platinum 5R Pro Beam and 15R Pro Spot fit his wishes perfectly, fulfilling his design ideals, while providing optimal size and weight with an attractive price that fit his budget. Another added bonus was the fact that the Elation Pro products featured on-board W-DMX that fit within his data distribution solution. “In fact,” adds Rogers, “ALL of the Elation Pro series fixtures have on board W-DMX and act as both a receiver and
a node for outputting the received universe which is how I used them for this application so that the moving heads provide DMX feeds to the non wireless fixtures on the bars as well.” He explained, “For my part, the lead time for lighting and video was a mere five weeks from concept to completion – a reasonably tight turnaround, which included working around the holidays for placing orders and shipping goods. There was also, as might be expected, a need to be cost-conscious on the new inventory both in terms of initial investment and operating outlay.” “It’s a testament to the manufacturers and installation team that we were able to get it right the first time. MusicHall Dubai proved to be an instant success and has played to packed houses since it opened. The show continues to evolve, with resident programmer Adam Street pushing the system further each week.” “This is a perfect use of W-DMX, where it’s flexibility and wide OEM partner range can solve a number of challenges,” says Niclas Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Solution. “Ben has a keen eye for creative solutions using W-DMX technology. We look forward to seeing more successful projects from him.” www.wirelessdmx.com
UAE
W
ireless Solution Sweden AB is creating magic at the new MusicHall in Dubai with a system that provides an intelligent solution to a multi-use space. According to the venue's website, the MusicHall has been described by international media as “the place where the heart of world fusion music beats”. Considered more than just another theatre venue and much more than a club, the original concept for the venue was launched by brothers, Michel and Jean Elefteriades who opened the original MusicHall in Beirut 10 years ago. It serves as a live entertainment hot spot as well as restaurant and nightclub.
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INSTALL January - February 2014
D.A.S. Audio brings the beat to Yinji “O” Show
CHINA
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he Yinji “O” Show complex, located in the new district of Kaifeng within China’s Henan province, was designed to cater to a myriad of events. From live concerts to lighting and laser shows, projections on water screens and fountain shows to fireworks, the impressive venue is now equipped with the cutting-edge technology provided by D.A.S. Audio professional sound systems. This also includes the the Yinji “O” Show’s massive central ring which is the largest of its kind in the world.
contracted to handle the Yinji “O” Show sound install and called in D.A.S. Audio’s China distributor Acton Audio&Musical Instruments to collaborate on design and supervision. After studying the particular requirements of the venue, the technical team decided to deploy line array systems from the D.A.S. Aero Series 2 catalogue of products.
The 150ft (46m) high and 118ft (36m) wide “O”-shaped central structure is located opposite the main stands. The structure's covered 72ft-wide (22m) covered area can hold up to 11,000 spectators and was packed for the Yinji “O” Show’s opening night during the Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Festival in 2010, headlined by South Korean superstar, PSY.
The rugged systems boast a fiberglass coating and extensive waterproofing which make them ideal solution for outdoor installations. The audio system was rounded out with 6 x D.A.S. DSP-2060A digital processors, an essential aspect of the system time alignment.
Local integration company, Beijing Jiaruifeng System Project Technology Ltd was
The team also brought in 8 x weatherresistant D.A.S. WR-6415DX systems to serve as stage monitors.
The technical team’s sound design combined with the performance and power of the D.A.S. Audio systems resulted in superb
sound coverage with uniform SPL levels throughout the Yinji “O” Show. Venue owners, Yinji Development Company commented, “We’re pleasantly surprised by the solution proposed by Beijing Jiaruifeng and Acton with the D.A.S. Aero Series 2 systems. They managed to cover the technical specifications with even less units than originally planned and those proposed by other brands.” Adding, “The massive power and response of the Aero 12As combined with the efficiency and professionalism of the technical team allowed us to get the system up and running in the shortest time possible. Both our director and our audiovisual consultant have commented on the power and quality of the Aero 12As. We are very pleased with D.A.S. Audio’s choice and are convinced that the systems will help make our “O” Show the leading show in the region.” www.dasaudio.com
INSTALL January - February 2014
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Creativity flows with Robe
lighter and brighter’. It was the ROBIN range which ensured them that they could offer the very best standards of excellence in lighting utilising the latest technologies.
The Robe fixtures chosen include 39 x ColorWash 750 AT Tungsten, 6 x ROBIN MMX Spots, 6 x ROBIN 300E Spots, 6 x ROBIN 600E Beams, 24 x ROBIN 300E Washes and 12 x ROBIN 600 LEDWashes. All fixtures were specifically chosen by Lighting Designer, Huaxiang Yang from Leafun, Robe’s Chinese distributor.
The theatre is both a producing and receiving house with a smallish stage, not unlike Broadway theaters, and a pit that can accommodate about 16 players. With a lively programme and a focus on musical theatre, the venue has presented Beijing Oriental Songlei Musical Development Company’s own musicals, including the “Love U, Teresa” and the magic-themed musical “The Joker’s Game. Taken into special consideration during planning, the team considered that during peak periods, the schedule can feature between 10 and 20 different shows a month. This meant that flexibility was a definite key for the lighting rig. The fixtures were selected to enable designers and creatives working in
the theatre a dynamic mix of lighting for all types of performances including musicals, dance shows, comedy and drama. Deciding to go with Robe, the team went into the project with a concept of ‘smaller,
www.robe.cz
CHINA
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ver 80 Robe moving lights have been installed at the Oriental Songlei Theatre in Beijing, a new 1200 capacity cultural and arts centre which is part of a major joint venture by the Beijing Oriental Songlei Musical Development Company and the Dongcheng District Government of Beijing.
With the new moving light rig in place, it aims to make an enormous impact in the potential quality and diversity of lightshows that will be produced. “I am confident the theatre’s LDs and all those working in the space with visiting productions will have all the creative choices they need,” stated Huaxiang.
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INSTALL January - February 2014
CHINA
M2 Club celebrates the night with Verity Audio
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ainan, located in the South China Sea, is considered as one of the top destinations for the countries local tourism. Its capital, Sanya, has been billed as "China's Hawaii" and consists of 20km long stretches of beach. As the only tropical city across the coastline, Sanya concentrates the biggest amount of holiday offers and entertainment options. Located along the south of Sanya, the M2 Club has become a renowned among the Chinese nightlife scene. With business booming, owners recently undertook a venue renewal project along with an upgrade of its entire sound reinforcement system. The M2 managers went looking for a sound system able to fulfill their need of advanced quality in the nightlife entertainment industry. They wanted a
system different from traditional speakers, a system as innovative and impressive as the club itself, but above all, a system without disregard for sound quality. After considering several options on the market, the management selected French manufacturer Verity Audio to provide them with loudspeakers and power amplifiers for the new sound system. A total of 12 units of the CLUB212 speakers, one of the companies flagship loudspeakers, powered by 6 units of Verity Audio's V4.25 4-channel amplifiers were installed. Completing the lineup of audio, the company matched the main system with 30 subwoofer units. With its fully adjustable asymmetric high frequency horn, the CLUB212 allowed sound system engineers to evenly cover all areas of the 500sqm floor. From a visual design point, the white piano paint of the
CLUB212 gave the lighting engineers another tool to decorate the venue as any light projected onto the speaker got completely reflected. Having discovered Verity Audio during the 2013 edition of the GET Show, management were quoted as being “very impressed” by a demo of the CLUB212. “The CLUB212 is a double 12” 2-way speaker specifically designed for top end clubs requiring the best possible sound performance. It mounts highgrade neodymium drivers and provides an enormously powerful SPL with an unmatched clean and clear sound at high levels. It’s the definitive speaker for clubs,” stated Verity Audio sales manager, Rocky Lee. www.vaudio.cn
HaAavve U Met...? January - February 2014
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MD & Chief Sound Engineer (JDavis Prosound & Lighting) – Bangalore, India Audio & Lighting industry. Whenever I used to get holiday breaks I would request for him to let me join him for events and I used to help as a loader so I learned from the very basics which really helped mould me into what I am today.
Santana Davis is the face of one of the top rental companies in India, JDavis Prosound & Lighting. Born with music in his blood (he was named after Carlos Santana!), he grew up in a home filled with music by some of the top artists of the seventies and eighties which, as he says, “was the golden era of music”. Read on to get to know the passionate music enthusiast who attributes his success to his very own dad who inspired him growing up and still continues to inspire him today. E-Tech: Looking at what you've accomplished over the years, how and where did it all begin? Santana: Well, I was born to a person who loved music. It was in his blood and I really thank God for that. My dad was so passionate about music and the Audio field that he named me after one of the greatest musicians in the world, Carlos Santana! School was where I really developed the passion for audio and though I had always
wanted to study in the audio field, I didn’t pursue anything until after I got married. I finally joined SAE and got my Diploma in Audio Engineering and I joined my company immediately after my degree. E-Tech: When did you get your first taste of the entertainment industry? Santana: My dad started JDavis when I was young so I used to accompany him to his shows and was always fascinated by the
E-Tech: Do you remember your very first show and how it was like? Santana: Though I was going for shows here and there during my school and college days, I never ever mixed for a show until one of our main mix engineers quit his job. At that time there were not many mix engineers in the industry and we got a call for a show for an artist named K.K (Now a very famous Bollywood Playback Singer) who had just shot up to fame with his new album PAL. My father was not a mix engineer as he was more of a System Tech & Engineer, so he asked me whether we could take up this show and I said yes with confidence, even though up until then I was just a system tech as well, setting up and tuning the systems. So there I was.. My first professional show as a mix engineer and what a show it was! The process, the energy, it's still in my memory today..It was incredible.. E-Tech: What are your tools of the trade and why? Santana: I remember the days when only Polarity checker was one of the main tools and then came the Audio Software tools like Smaart, Ease and so on.... System tuning and alignment was more of guess work with your
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HaAavve U Met...? January - February 2014
Carlos Santana
“I never ever in my wildest dreams thought that I would work with the greatest musician, Carlos Santana. I was named after him and my dad had been listening to him all through his younger days...” ears but now so much is available right on your phone and that makes today’s jobs a lot easier. Even with mixers, from Analogue to Digital, that's another giant leap that has made mixing a cool job. So in today’s world, with the loads of tools the Audio industry has to make systems sound better, all tools are very important and I love them all. E-Tech: What has been the most memorable aspect of your work thus far? Santana: I never ever in my wildest dreams thought that I would work for the greatest musician, Carlos Santana. I was named after him and my dad had been listening to him all through his younger days and one day we
provided the technical support for his show. It was a just a dream come true and like a fairy tale for me. Though I have been involved in some of the best shows in the world, this was the icing on the cake.. E-Tech: With your years of experience, what advice do you have for those just joining the entertainment industry today? Santana: I would just like to say that hard work, dedication, love and most importantly, passion for your work are what is needed to take anyone to the top. E-Tech: If your path in life had been different, what would you be today?
Santana: Ha ha ha ha.. I would have been a cricketer. Music and Cricket are really 2 big parts of my life. E-Tech: Who/what inspires and motivates you? Santana: I admire my father who gave me a platform to make my career stronger... So thank you Dad!!!!! And this very industry inspires me a lot. The fun, the tension, pressure, technology, travelling, shows and the people as well as artists you to get to work with is something which you would never get in any other profession. E-Tech: So what does the future hold? Santana: Well, I don’t have any personal future goals at the moment. Now I just want to give all I can to this industry for as long as I live. For more information on the man and the company behind the music, drop him an email at: santanadavis@jdavisprosound.com Know someone who has made an impact? Feel we should know more about them? Let us know!
Audio Light Asia Pte Ltd specialises in Design, Sales, Installation and After-sales for large displays
LED Installations
Multiple LCD Installations Call us for a non-obligatory quotation. Audio Light Asia P te Ltd, Blk 994, Bendemeer Road, #02-03 BCentral Te l : + 6 5 - 6 7 4 2 6 3 8 7 Fax : + 6 5 - 6 2 9 2 4 3 2 2 E m a i l : a l a @ a u d i o l i g ht . com . sg URL : www.a udi ol i g ht . com . sg