Entertainment Technology Asia July-August 2013 by Spinworkz Pte Ltd

July - August 2013

MICA [P] 008/09/2012 KDN: PPS 1663/08/2013 [022991]

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Singapore

Social gets

CASSIS goes baroque with Turbosound

Q-Sys by QSC

HaAave U met Alex Schloesser?

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CONTENT VOL 14 ISSUE 4 July - August 2013

95 24 FIRST WORDS

06 A Writer's release

NEWS

08 Essential news from the industry

PRODUCT FOCUS

24 All you need to know about Q-Sys

SNAPSHOT

THE INTERVIEW

IN PROFILE

LIVE

52 What's the Rental & Staging business like in Malaysia?

58 Outline turns 40! 60 Laser lovers LPS Lasersysteme

INSTALL

36 An in-depth look at PALM EXPO INDIA 44 The low down of PALM EXPO CHINA

64 Adlabs Imagica creates the ultimate experience 66 Sydney's Star entices with DiGiCo 69 Clay Paky a bright match for Singapore 70 Meyer Sound at Sohyang Arts Centre 71 Cassis goes baroque with Turbosound 72 South Korea gets a FBT makeover

IN PERSPECTIVE

TECH TALK

ENNOVATIONS

26 A round-up the hottest technology today

EXHIBITION REVIEW

50 Up close with PM Center's CEO, Suree Sirikorn

74 Talking Digital with Guillaume Ehret 76 OLED vs LED lighting

78 Panasonic's Asai Hirotasu's thoughts on the future

80 Mega Ultimate ramps up the classics for Malaysia 84 Mahajak SKM welcomes Spring with JBL Professional 87 Acme lights up King of MandoPop 88 Singapore gets Social 92 d&b auditechnik speaks louder than words 94 Visual inspiration with Christie 95 J Davis Prosound & Lighting zoom in with ETC 96 Martin gets people moving 97 Stage Craft International @ the 2013 National Elections 98 “Day of the Dead-Set Awesome” with L-Acoustics

HaAave U Met...?

101 Alex Schlosser aka Sound Superstar

FIRST WORDS July - August 2013

As many of you may know, I joined E-Tech Asia from an industry that had nothing to do with the world of Pro Audio and Lighting. As my one year mark quickly approaches, it’s amazing to look back on the things that I’ve seen and the people I’ve met. From meeting David Foster at The Star Performing Arts Centre to my first trip ever to Germany for Prolight + Sound Frankfurt, its been a wild ride to say the least. One of my main focuses for the magazine has been the Live events. And it’s really something seeing how events are put together and watching concerts from the other side of the barricade. The amount of hard work, team work, patience and stamina that goes into just ONE event is incredible. I know many of you may not realise it because you have been in the industry for so long, but seriously, sometimes we should take a step back and look at the work we do on a daily basis. Things that may be common or ‘normal’ for us are breathtaking in the eyes of others. Take this issue’s front cover story for example. Craig Burridge and his team put together a fantastic concert that brought smiles to the faces of so many people. Do you realise it? Do you realise the eﬀect you have on someone’s life by not only helping them experience the power of their idols but also giving them the time of their life when they step into a venue you have control over? I was one of them, sure I was there for work, but it was a bit hard to concentrate when Aerosmith came on stage for their first ever live performance in Singapore. Even while typing this and reminiscing, I still get goosebumps!

Publisher / Editorial Director Thomas Richard Prakasam thomas@spinworkz.com

INDIA AND MIDDLE EAST EDITOR Ram Bhavanashi ram@spinworkz.com

WRITER Rosalind Tan rosalind@spinworkz.com

ADMIN & CIRCULATION Julie Tan admin@spinworkz.com

I guess what I am trying to say is that while we may be a small industry, we are changing the lives of people around the world everyday from the technology we are coming up with to the innovative ways we rock out at concerts. And you, dear reader, should be damn proud of everything that you have accomplished and the more accomplishments that have yet to come. With that in mind, I welcome you to the new issue of E-Tech Asia and I hope you have as much fun reading as we did writing :)

“To dream by night is to escape your life. To dream by day is to make it happen.” - Stephen Richards, Author Elissa Nadine Writer elissa@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.

NEWS July - August 2013

Funktion-One China hosts F1201 dealer event China: Funktion-One’s distributor for China, Hong Kong and Macau has hosted a special dealer event at Louis Steakhouse in downtown Panyu District, Guangzhou, to help support the launch of the new F1201 speaker. Business Development Director, Bill Woods, flew out especially for the event, which welcomed more than 150 dealers and customers from all over China.

“It was such a pleasure meeting so many dealers in China. Over the years, I have made many product presentations and I was determined to make an impression,” shared Bill.

provided by Hing and Freddie - was amazing! W Lee and his team were great and the venue was stunning. I am sure we will be writing great business on the F1201 and its little brothers over the coming months.”

“The reaction we got to the presentation with the simultaneous Chinese translation

www.funktion-one.com

Hosted by W Lee, owner of Hiroshi Technologies/Funktion-One China, the showcase saw demonstrations of a number of Funktion-One products, including Resolution 2, Resolution 3, F218 Mk2, F101, F81, MB212 and F1201. The event provided the perfect backdrop and space for the guests to explore and interact with the products, and engage with company representatives including Product Specialist, Chan Yu Hing. Bill Woods took to the stage and presented the story of the F1201 and Funktion-One’s history, people and design philosophy, followed by an overview of the illustrious product catalogue.

Alex Schloesser appointed Allen & Heath Sales Engineer for Asia International: Allen & Heath's regional sales agency for Asia, Global Market Management, has appointed Alex Schloesser to the position of Sales Engineer. Alex will be working with distributors in training, pre-sales system design support as well as after sales support with an emphasis on helping distribution partners increase market share. With 25 years of experience in broadcast audio, FOH mixing, systems engineering, speaker system tuning, R&D, RF, speaker measurement and many other related pro audio functions, Schloesser makes a significant addition to the Global Market team.

“I was delighted to find a man with such high technical and business credentials recently relocated to the heart of the Asia Pacific territory,” commented Global Market Management President, Bardy Hayes. Schloesser adds, “Bardy and I clicked on our very first meeting and working with Global Market Management and their clients is a great opportunity.” “It has been a great ride so far and I look forward to the future. This is a solid company to work with and the relationships with our brand partners could not be better.” www.allen-heath.com

NEWS July - August 2013

Barco Rental Partner Meeting garners great turnout new HDX-W20 FLEX, which is equipped with Xenon lamps and a high-contrast optical engine that guarantees crisp and stunning images with rich colours for every occasion. The projector can be configured to generate any light output between 10,000 and 20,000 lumens in incremental steps of 2,000 lumens. What's more is that the HDX, HDF and HDQ series projectors now come with new firmware that supports direct warping. Thanks to the upgrade, users can now control their projector via mobile phone and send instructions to the projector via SMS.

Singapore: The Barco Rental Partner Meeting held over two days, on May 15th and 16th at the Novotel Hotel Singapore, welcomed a wealth of rental and staging partners from all over Asia. Clients of the company made trips from countries such as Philippines and Korea to see the latest solutions presented by the global technology company.

As part of the programme, a networking event was held at Clarke Quay’s Le Noir Bristro & Bar, as a platform for guests to mingle and socialise. Among which, Singapore-based rental partners AIMS Productions and Expo AV-Insync came together to help deliver a projection mapping showcase using a Barco HDQ 2K40 Three Chip DLP projector.

Day 1 oversaw key rental stagers and partners come together to share their knowledge and experiences of working with the diﬀerent Barco Image Processing and Projection products. 2012 was significantly coined as a great year for projectors, with several rental stagers from the Asia Pacific region, coming forth to share their case studies. Key speakers included Sugai Akinori from Japan, Kim Jae Duk from Korea, Mike Chen from China, and Peter Della Tolla from Australia, as well as presentations by AIMS Productions, Showtec and Cantuman.

Rental partner Ir. Pediarto Adiwibowo from Indonesia (center), with Nalin Advani and Salbiah Ibrahim of Barco.

Day 2 encompassed most of the company's updates and Product Manager, Alexis Skatchkoﬀ took the stage to introduce the

Attendee Masato Kadonaga, Managing Director at Kowa Co., LTD in Japan, says, “I feel the HDX-W20 is very very nice and good for Rental companies, the quality is good and the technology is professional.” Other speakers included Production Manager, Mamoru Miura for LEDs and George Koumis, IP Product Manager at Barco who spoke about the ImagePRO-II series, an all-in-one video scaler, scan converter and switcher. After the presentations, guests were invited for a special hands-on demonstration assisted by the speakers so that they could answer any queries attendees might have. Managing Director, Henry Ang from Showtec Communications in Singapore commented, “I find the event very eﬀective. I have made a few contacts from this and after the show, the team from Barco will be bringing their Japanese clients to take a look at my inventory to show them what a major player in Singapore uses. So both of our companies benefit.” Barco's General Manager for SEA Entertainment, Eddie Tan, adds, “I am glad that everyone who attended managed to share their experiences from their respective countries. We have many who were impressed with the with our pixel mapping and we have already received 3 orders for our price lists.” www.barco.com

Projection mapping at Le Noir.

THE NEW SEQUENZA 5

Sound & Light Professionals India gets onboard with L-ACOUSTICS

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION

India: Over the last six years, Sound & Light Professionals (SNL Pro) India has become one of the largest growing and most respected sound reinforcement companies in India, providing audio solutions to live production houses from India and worldwide. In response to a growth in the numbers of touring acts visiting India, SNL Pro made a strategic decision to boost their inventory with K1, KUDO, KARA and LA-RAK. Manish Mavani, Director of Sound & Light Professionals, comments, “We are very proud to own K1 - the flagship product of L-ACOUSTICS. It is the most rider friendly system and the choice of every engineer to work on. As we are the first company to be a K standard partner with a certified crew, it automatically puts us in a diﬀerent league.” Peter Owen, Regional Sales Manager for L-ACOUSTICS, adds, “India is a very exciting market for us not only with home grown artists but also many international artists visiting as well. With large sporting events coming up such as the Indian Premier League and large religious festivals I know that the K1 system will be working hard.” Vipin Pungalia, VP, Sales & Marketing, Professional Segment for Sennheiser Electronics India further states, “With sound rental partners like SNL Pro, we endeavour to give an unforgettable experience to performing artists and their fans alike.” Sound and Light Professionals will soon be deploying its new K1 system at several large upcoming tours and festivals in India. www.snlpro.com www.sennheiserindia.com www.l-acoustics.com

SEQUENZA 5 W with 4 x 5“ and 3 x 1“ Waveformer (100° x 15°) generates with only a few elements the required length for the line array function by its enclosure dimensions. Due to the innovative rigging system 'Snap&Fly+' and 'SafeLock', SEQUENZA 5 W and the ×own bass SEQUENZA 5 B (1 x 12“) are ready for use in a very short time. Top performance and efÖciency in one system: Performance that you can hear! Kling & Freitag GmbH · Phone + 49 (0)511-96 99 70 info@kling-freitag.de · www.kling-freitag.de

NEWS July - August 2013

ADJ Group enters China Market China: ADJ has opened a sales and distribution facility in the city of Pan Yu. The new Guangzhou ADJ China will sell ADJ products exclusively to the Chinese market. According to Toby Velazquez, president of the ADJ Group, the company’s move into China was prompted by feedback from Chinese consumers, club owners and concert managers. “End users in China have been exposed to our lighting products in other countries whether in Asia or elsewhere; and have been impressed by their performance as well as by our branding. Over the past few years, more of these end-users have been asking where

they can get our products in China. Our new operation in Pan You was started in response to this demand,” he shared. The ADJ products oﬀered by the new operation will be similar to the lighting ADJ has marketed so successfully in other parts of the world. However, some modifications have been made in some products to reflect the needs of Chinese customers. “We have a long and very positive history in China and our roots here are deep,” said Velazquez.

“We’ve drawn upon this heritage as well as the input from our Chinese associates to create products that reflect local consumer needs. In this respect, we’re doing what KFC, Walmart and other US companies that have succeeded in China have done.” www.adj.com

University Cultural Centre adorned with new acoustical curtains Singapore: With the campus’s cultural vibrancy growing year after year, led in part by their annual NUS Arts Festival and with University Cultural Centre (UCC) at the campus’ cultural nexus, the team at NUS Centre For the Arts (CFA) constantly seek to improve UCC’s facilities as a high quality performing arts venue. The upgrading of the Hall’s audio system was supplied and installed by Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd (E&E) recently and this new acoustical curtain installation was a natural progression from that project. "The curtains have helped to further improve the acoustics within the UCC Hall. The manufacturer was also gracious enough to run their materials through the various fire retardant tests to our satisfaction. They also had a wide range of fabrics which we could pick from to match the existing curtains we have on the side walls," commented K. Shyam, Assistant Director of Production Services at CFA. Gary Goh, Deputy Managing Director at E&E shares, “With advanced technology and equipment, Fuyi has successfully developed a series of multi-functional certified flame retardant acoustical products and this gives our customers’ added confidence

in using these products for their venues. Some of these new generation acoustical products have also managed to gain patent certificates.”

www.enepl.com.sg www.nus.edu.sg/cfa www.nusartsfestival.com

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NEWS July - August 2013

Shure Axient Wireless rocks out at Beijing Midi Music Festival Frequency Diversity enables audio signals from a single source to be transmitted on two separate radio frequencies.

China: The popular Midi Music Festival, held from April 29 to May 1, recently concluded its 20th anniversary performance in Beijing, with Shure Axient playing a key role in the event’s audio ecosystem. The Axient Wireless Management Network from Shure establishes a remarkable new standard for control, convenience and confidence in radio frequency transmission, reception and frequency spectrum management. Large-scale outdoor music festivals take place within very complex radio frequency environments where system design, frequency coordination and deployment leave no room for error. For that reason, audio technicians usually regard the use of wireless microphones as risky.

When Frequency Diversity mode is activated, the AXT200 Handheld Transmitter sends two frequencies with the same audio content simultaneously to the AXT400 Dual Channel Receiver. This dual transmission provides optimal audio output and avoids the annoying signal dropouts that occur when interference is present in one of the channels.” Guo enthused, “Our audio teams were very satisfied with Shure’s advanced Axient wireless system. It was evident that no dropouts or audio interruption occurred for the duration of the three-day festival. In addition, I personally feel that the rechargeable batteries have a very good design. Not only are they convenient to monitor, but they are also better for the environment.” www.axient.net www.shure.com/asia

Chief Sound Engineer and Audio Production Director of the Midi Music Festival, Jack Guo, shared that the festival’s environment was subject to various uncontrollable factors such as a large crowd, which could easily interfere with the wireless signal. “At previous music festivals, we made less use of wireless devices so as to guarantee a reliable signal,” he shared. However to guarantee the success of the Midi Festival performances, Guo chose Axient due to its Frequency Diversity and Interference Detection and Avoidance features.

Chief Audio Engineer Jack Guo

Nitin Speakers & Electrical invests in Robe Known for many years as a high quality audio rental company and also for building large portable venue superstructures, Nitin Speaker’s & Electrical opened its Intelligent Lighting division a year ago. “We were being asked more and more frequently if we could supply lighting,” explained Naik. (L to R): Kekul Sheth (Robe distributor IES), Sachin Naik (Owner of Nitin Speakers & Electrical), Sandeep Bhattad (Business partner) and Rasesh Parekh (Robe distributor IES).

“So we decided to do it properly and make a substantial investment so we could stock and supply the very best moving lights.”

India: South Indian rental company Nitin Speakers & Electrical has invested in Robe moving lights to upgrade their lighting inventory.

Reliability was a key – and Robe has the best reputation in this category. He also knew he could get great service and support from Robe’s Indian distributor, IES from Mumbai.

Run by the charismatic Sachin Naik, who has connected with many politicians, dignitaries, VIPs and celebrities in the course of his work, the Pune-based operation supplies technical production to events of all types from vast political rallies for half a million people or so to concerts and musical extravaganzas and corporate presentations.

The first purchase involved eight ColorSpot 2500E ATs, eight ROBIN LEDWash 600s and eight ROBIN 300E Beams. The small and light weight of the LEDWash 600 and Beam 300 fixtures make them a huge hit with the Nitin crew and technicians

for their ease of use, handling ability and also for the power saving capabilities. “The colour tones are really excellent from the LEDWash,” Naik enthused. “They are great for movie and video shoots and also for TV applications – and ideal for pleasing camera operators and photographers with their range of diﬀerent colour temperature ‘true’ whites.” The ColorSpot 2500E ATs were picked for their sheer intensity, which were perfect for large scale shows with huge stages and sets, and they also needed a set of fixtures with a really powerful throw. Recent events utilising the Robe fixtures have included a large show by music director-composer duo Ajay-Atul at Pune’s Balewadi Stadium, where the local heroes attracted 35,000 enthusiastic fans for their performance. www.robe.cz

NEWS July - August 2013

BCube Group debuts Aero8A for “The Drums”

Singapore: Having been awarded the contract to provide audio and lighting for “The Drums” third outing in Singapore, BCube Group decided to deploy their entire inventory of D.A.S. Audio products for the sound reinforcement needs of the event. These included their recently acquired Aero 8A-system that consists of 16 Aero8A 8” powered line array elements with 6 units of LX-215A, that are dual 15” powered band-pass subwoofers, that oﬀer impressive low frequency performance. “The Drums” live performance was held at Singapore's Scape warehouse which is a venue that champions youth culture and is located within Singapore's shopping belt on Orchard Road.

The indoor venue has a length of 23 meters which is a perfect length for the Aero-8A’s throw. Co-owner of BCube, Jason Lim echoes, “It is really simple to get the Line Array flown once you have the dimensions of the venue input into the EASE Focus 2 line array prediction software. Thereafter, it is just a matter of physically plugging in the supplied locking pins located on the pin holder on the side of the box, cabling the units and hoisting the system up via lifting towers.” Co-owner Christopher Ang continues, “Sound wise, the mixing engineer was extremely satisfied. The system was left as it was without any system EQ adjustments. One more thing, it has clarity that sparkles.” Monitors, drum-fills and front-fills were deployed as well, with those duties being assigned to the D.A.S Audio Avant-12A and Avant-15A powered point-source units respectably. BCube Group’s Technical Supervisor, Saravanan Siva sums it up best “The mixing engineer came in at 5pm, played his tracks, band came in at 6pm and by 6.30pm, they were ready to rock the 7.30pm show.” www.dasaudio.com

www. dt sl i ght i ng. com/ Pr of essi onal

NEWS July - August 2013

ETC Source Four jr Zooms in on Canberra Theatre Centre

Australia: Canberra Theatre Centre is the city's premier performing arts venue, providing world class performing arts and entertainment to the people of Canberra and surrounding regions.

acoustic & lighting system MALAYSIA Tel. +603 - 8075 8990 Fax. +603 - 8075 8266 Email. acoustic@alhq.com.my SINGAPORE Tel. +65 - 6423 0682 Fax. +65 - 6423 0683 Email. info@acousticnlighting.com THAILAND Tel. +662 - 769 8199 Fax. +662 - 769 8195 Email. veera@alhq.com.my INDONESIA Tel. +62 - 21 29078968 Fax. +62 - 21 29078794 Email. edwin@acousticnlighting.com

www.acousticlighting.com

didn't come up to the same specifications optically.” Juniors were the perfect solution because of their high output and compact size combined with significant zoom range.

The main venue is the 1,244 seat Canberra Theatre which up until late last year, was home to over 120 rather ancient Strand Patt. 23, which were last manufactured in 1983!

Andrew also commented that the ETC Source Four jr Zoom can certainly punch above their weight and that the venue technicians love them.

“I believe it may have been the largest operational rig of Patt. 23's in the country,” said Andrew Tweedie, Head of Lighting at Canberra Theatre Centre.

“We've found the ETC Source Four jr Zooms to be very punchy; two of them together is almost as much as our 2000 watt fresnels,” he remarked.

“But they were getting harder and harder to maintain, especially as you couldn't find spare parts, and were not as punchy as they should have been. They were also a bit of a running joke with touring technicians when they came here!”

“They are also very nicely manufactured and have a good feel about them. In the four months we've had the ETC Source Four jr Zooms installed we haven't had any failures.”

Fortunately, a decision was made to replace the Patt. 23's with the main criteria being that the replacement had to be the same size as the space they would be housed in is very small. Canberra's Sound Advice recommended the ETC Source Four jr Zoom and Andrew was impressed by their oﬀering. “Essentially they were the best optically for their size,” he shared. “There was another manufacturer that could supply a unit of that size but it

He further enthused, “Usually I buy 10% more of everything as I find that 10% of everything you buy these days goes back to the factory within 12 months - but the ETC Source Four jr Zooms have been 100% reliable.” At long last, Andrew and his crew will no longer suﬀer cruel taunts and can hold their heads up high in the knowledge that technicians Australia-wide will be impressed by their new rig of ETC Source Four jr Zooms. www.jands.com.au

Hexogon Solution reinforces inventory with Coolux Pandoras Box

(From Left) Tom of Coolux, Glenn Wong from Total Solution, Adrian Goh, Gerard and Samuel of Hexogon, with Vijay and Xiao Da from Total Solution.

Singapore: Hexogon Solution Pte Ltd, a Light, Sound and Video Projection company has recently taken delivery of a Coolux Pandoras Box Quad Server SSD and 2 units of Coolux Pandoras Box Dual Server SSD, along with the Media Manager STD and Widget Designer PRO. This deal was concluded by Coolux’s exclusive distributor, Total Solution Marketing Pte Ltd. Managing Director of Hexogon Solution, Adrian Goh shared his pleasure with the Coolux purchase, “It has always been our strategy to own different types of high end media servers in our video inventory so as to be competitive in the market and Coolux is definitely one of our main choices.” Adrian, also pleased with Total Solution Marketing support team added with delight, “There is only one thing to say for the attention that we have received in full from Total Solution and that is we are very glad with their services rendered so far and our collaboration have been proven extremely fruitful. They also have been attending to all our needs with patience and professionalism.” Glenn Wong, Managing Director for Total Solution continues, “Coolux Pandoras Box is a high-quality server featuring the most powerful render-engine offering real-time compositing in 3D and allows for projection onto any shape and any surface making it the perfect choice for Hexogon Solution. Their selection of Pandoras Box is a strong affirmation that the Pandoras Box is becoming the favourite choice Media Server for our industry.” www.coolux.com www.hexogonsol.com www.tsm-int.com

TY I T AN U DQ E UC D RE

NEWS July - August 2013

DPA Microphones sets up new office in Hong Kong discover the benefit of DPA’s high quality microphone technology and products. Kimura, who was previously based in Shanghai, says, “Establishing our new office in Hong Kong makes sound economic and geographic sense. By basing our office here we can significantly expand our reach as well as visibility within the entire region and thereby aim our ambitions much higher.”

Hong Kong: Headed by Ken Kimura, DPA’s general manager for the APAC region, the new oﬃce signals DPA’s commitment to its partners and customers by acting as a hub for sales, marketing and after-sales service. This move is set to expand the company’s sales network and develop new business channels in market sectors that have yet to

During the last trading year, DPA’s sales have been on the increase in virtually every APAC country with some showing growth as high as 40%. This incredible success has been achieved by DPA developing strong partnerships with its distributors and dealers so that they can fully support their customers. Christian Poulsen, CEO of DPA Microphones, shares, “The increased consciousness of good

quality in the Asian markets, combined with our ability to develop fantastic products, has resulted in our huge success in this region.” “To follow up on this, we take the next important step by establishing this new oﬃce to support our sales partners even more and encourage their commitment to the brand.” “The breadth and depth of our product range is really quite staggering and gives us plenty of scope to develop our customer base around the world,” Kimura adds. “The APAC region is no exception – there are many applications for our technology that have yet to be exploited and our aim is to be highly visible so that we can make the most of these new business opportunities.” www.dpamicrophones.com

Electro-Voice ZLX Launch in Vietnam The most interesting segment of the event was the product demo where guest singers performed live and filled the venue with wonderful music. The participants were fully immersed in the moment by the performances enhanced by the ZLX speakers. By the end of the event, the participants were fully impressed with the ZLX’s unique features; taking away the key message that ZLX speakers deliver best-in-class performance across every detail and has the most complete and innovative package of features. Vietnam: To launch the Electro Voice ZLX line of speakers in the Vietnam market, Bosch Security Systems and Truong Thinh Audio Co., Ltd., organized a ZLX launch event in Ho Chi Minh City at the Nam Quang Club. The event attracted more than 60 participants including pub and bar owners, lighting and audio companies, pro-sound resellers, music composers and more.

The event commenced with keynote addresses by Terence Ng, General Manager for Security Systems in Indochina and Wilfred Steeman. Vice President of Security Systems in Asia Pacific; followed by a brief introduction to the ZLX speakers by EV Product Manager, Edward Chia. A representative from the Royal Palace – one of the first customers using the ZLX speakers in Vietnam – was also at the event to share the positive experience and feedback using the ZLX speakers.

www.electrovoice.asia

NEWS July - August 2013

Acoustic & Lighting hosts RCF seminar the Tonic Sports Bar in New York City's Times Square. Rounding up the first day of presentations, a demonstration featuring all the discussed systems presented during the day was provided for attendees. Day 2 picked up with a continuation of an Installed Sound System fundamentals workshop, presented by Francesco Venturi from the Engineering Support Group of RCF Italy. The session also included an interactive analysis on EASE, as well as a hands-on demonstration of the DSP Matrix-Mixer (AX 8042) and commercial audio case studies based on the DXT series.

Singapore: Acoustic & Lighting, the official distributors of RCF Audio in Singapore, arranged a two day seminar, on 4th and 5th June, for both rental companies and system integrators to get to know the Italian company and the services they offer. Founded in 1949, RCF expanded and diversified throughout its history, and now satisfies every sound and music reproduction need from single systems to large-scale, complex projects. The team consists of real life engineers who know what it's like to set up for a big show which pushed them to create products that are lightweight and easy to transport. In accordance with this fact, all RCP boxes use precision transducers and Class D amplifiers with integrated DSP that manages crossover, equalisation, soft limiter, compressor and bass boost. Emanuel Morlini, overall technician for the Pro Audio division of RCF kicked off the seminar with an introduction to the company. He spoke about the many times the country has changes hands and even jests the quality of the company's products, “RCF is synonymous with Ferarri, meaning it plays really loud and really fast.”

RCF manufacturers all its products in house and is considered one of the biggest companies in the Pro Audio world. The company proudly boasts a worldwide network of clients which includes a total of 89 companies. According to Emanuel, “Whether a speaker system is designed for permanent install or portable PA, RCF has a solution that oﬀers a high level of audio fidelity and intelligibility resulting in superior sound definition.” For Day 1, Emanuel concentrated on the Pro Range of speakers including the ART 7, ART 4 series as well as the D Line range. Systems which have been featured in highend locations such as The Kameha Grand Hotel in Germany and

He enthused, “Every time you’re dealing with sound, RCF can give the answer to you. We hope that by sharing our knowledge on system design, our existing and potential customers and distributors will have a better understanding of our products.” www.rcf.it

James Last Orchestra, Royal Albert Hall, London

STM Show Files

“In any seat in the venue, the sound appeared to come from the band on stage rather than a PA somewhere overhead, thanks to the controlled dispersion of the STM system. This is a vast improvement in musicality over most line arrays. I particularly enjoyed the performance of the S118 subs, as it can be difficult to achieve a tight, punchy low end when high fidelity is required at low volume levels. I'll certainly be requesting the STM for future tours.” Paddi Addison, FOH Engineer, James Last Orchestra Artist

James Last Orchestra

Sound Contractor Sound Linear

System Configu ration

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FOH Engineer

Paddi Addison

FOH System

2 Hangs of 12 x STM M46 Main + 2 x S118 Sub Modules

Amplification

2 x NUAR Racks per side + NXAMP4X4 (Monitors)

Monitors

8 x 45ºN12, 2 x PS15R2, 14 x PS8

4 x STM S118 Sub Modules on the floor, 2 Hangs of 8 x GEO S12 (Side)

www.nexo.fr

PRODUCT FOCUS July - August 2013

Q-Sys by QSC We ask the experts at QSC to give us an insight to Q-Sys. Mark Bailey, Sales Director EMEA, Joe Peavey, Product Manager, Q-Sys and David Fuller, Director of International Sales help us with our Q&A.

David Fuller, Director of International Sales

Joe Peavey, Product Manager, Q-Sys

Mark Bailey, Sales Director EMEA

ETA: Let's start with the basics - What is Q-Sys? Mark: Q-Sys is QSC's integrated, scalable DSP-based audio management platform, designed to control, process and route audio in installed audio systems, from PA systems in 'one-room' venues to the large-scale complex alarm and announcement networks in public buildings, conference centres and stadiums. Based around non-proprietary, industrystandard Intel chips, Q-Sys can handle everything from the audio input of a system to its loudspeaker output, including all the required audio routing, processing, control and monitoring.

Q-Sys is more than just DSP, it is one product oﬀering in a line of products that includes amplification and loudspeakers all designed to work seamlessly together to provide a complete audio solution.

DSP systems. The Q-Sys development team had believed that implementing DSP on an Intel CPU might be more powerful and eﬃcient than anything that had ever come before. Little did they know that the result would go far beyond their expectations. With PCs, Macs, servers and netbooks all continuing to push Intel's development, QSC could only benefit from the rapid progression of the technology, safe in the knowledge that the code developed for today's CPUs could function for years to come, unlike what happens when a fixed DSP chip is discontinued or replaced. QSC engineers foresaw that being centred around what, for all practical purposes is a Server PC, could be used to control much more than just audio. QSC is currently partnered with many companies in other vertical markets (Video streaming, telephony, control products) to give the absolute best value for the investment. Q-Sys has been partnered with Cisco's StadiumVision product line

There are four key points to know about working with Q-Sys. First, Q-Sys is simply THE most powerful audio processing system in the market today. In the past running out of DSP processing power was a real concern but with Q-Sys and the amount of processing available, there is virtually limitless processing power available. Secondly, it is the simplest audio processor to use in terms of ease of use, it is easiest to specify and the easiest for the end user to operate. Third it has features like no other DSP. Some of our competitors can do some of the things that we can do but because of the incredible power of Q-Sys platform we can do it all. What others call or sell as enhanced features, are standard features in Q-Sys. And fourth

ETA: Why was it introduced? What was missing or needed improvement in the market that QSC felt the Q-Sys could achieve? Joe: QSC had long wanted to go beyond the digital speaker processor and networked audio products like RAVE, QSControl and Basis. At the same time, the team that had developed several generations of competitive DSP product was looking for a new manufacturing partner for their radically new concept of an Intel-based DSP product. This was the genesis of the Q-Sys system. The Intel platform had progressed much more rapidly than the fixed-purpose DSP chips that were the mainstay of all previous

“The centralized topology and immense processing power of Q-Sys has transformed our entire design and implementation methodology to a far simpler process.” Rod Louey-Gung, Integrated Media Pty Ltd — Australia

“Switching to Q-Sys, where everything is processed from the Core, made the design and installation so much easier — we simply chose the I/O peripherals we needed for each area of the resort. I really love the power, the flexibility, and how easy it is to use.” Kheng Keong Tan, Electro-Acoustics Systems Pte Ltd — Singapore Installer – Resorts World Sentosa. in Stadiums, used extensively in theme park attractions and in individual parade floats (with show control and SMPTE sync), controlling DMX lighting, and interfacing with third-party control surfaces. One of the main reasons is because Q-Sys features an onboard Lua scripting engine that allows custom command strings to control third-party devices like lighting dimmers, media players and video switchers via common protocls such as TCP/IP, RS232 and GPIO.

With the Intel DSP concept, QSC saw that we could return to the simpler and easier centralized approach and still handle requirements that would have otherwise required dozens of distributed products to achieve. With the Q-Sys Integrated Cores, the platform also scales down the size and cost to small projects where centralized was the only option all along, but still oﬀers the processing power that a larger system with dedicated DSP boxes provides.

Recent features, such as Acoustic Echo Cancelling (AEC) and Voice-over-IP support were added as software features rather than the special hardware like our competition requires.

We can still create what we call a "System of Systems," because we oﬀer our low-latency, high-quality QLAN protocol between our "Cores" (what we call our audio servers) with I/O devices anywhere on your Gigabit network. For a vast majority of projects, however, a single (or dual-redundant) Core can be appropriately sized to fit needs ranging from a dozen channels to 512x512, with a maximum latency of only 2.5ms from any analogue input to any analogue output (including network transport and DSP processing).

ETA: What are its key features? Joe: The key feature of Q-Sys is that it is a blank canvas with the power to create almost any type of audio signal flow with even greater control abilities of the world beyond just audio. Previously, centralization was the only topology choice with all I/O tied back to a single server unit--with very short, proprietary cabling. As concepts took hold, larger projects were being designed around DSP systems but there were limits to the extents that that generation of technology could provide and so the 'Distributed' architecture concept was born to spread out the workload among diﬀerent DSP boxes. That, however, added significant complexity to the design and maintenance of those large systems--taking away a former advantage of the centralized approach (namely, centralized management).

ETA: In how many countries would you estimate Q-Sys has been installed? David: All of our major International distributors around the globe are experiencing success with Q-Sys, however the Asia in particular (where new technologies are embraced), have been the strongest adopters. ETA: How is Q-Sys applicable for the Nightlife segment? David: Nightlife projects are all about zone control which is a key strength of the Q-Sys platform. Think about the different bars and eating areas of a restaurant or venue and the distinct requirements each zone may have. A Q-Sys Core can route and control the various audio parameters required in each zone and with our Q-Sys Designer software, zones can be easily defined, labelled and controlled by an administrator, either from a central control point or from a wireless-connected laptop. At the end-user level, dedicated touchscreen peripherals offer staff control of the localised elements of the system.” A few of the clubs where Q-Sys has been installed include: * The Chapel - San Francisco, California * The Chateau - Las Vegas, Nevada * Andre’s DC – Bogota, Colombia * Het Postkantoor – The Netherlands * The Marquee Nightclub – Sydney * Sync Nightclub – Goa, India qsc.com

“Q-Sys is the new century's version of the old system, with a lot more power, capability, expandability and far less hardware. When you add it all up, Q-Sys knocked everything else oﬀ the charts.” Rod Sintow, Pro Sound & Video – Florida and California Installer – New World Centre, Miami Beach, FL

ENNOVATIONS July - August 2013

Allen & Heath: iLive ﬁrmware update Interim firmware update for the iLive range of digital mixing systems, v1.91, contains a series of presets created by renowned sound engineer and regular iLive user, Ben Booker. Booker has toured as a monitor and FOH engineer with many artists, including Scissor Sisters, Spiritualized and PJ Harvey, and won Monitor Engineer of the Year at the Total Production Awards in 2009. Ben has extensive operating experience of iLive and has written his suggested presets for Dynamic EQ and Multiband compressors based on years of touring with the system. iLive users will love his tricks with these powerful tools, from the ‘Oﬀ Mic Boost’ to deal with bad mic techniques, to the ‘IEM Help’ to gently compress in-ear mixes, or ‘Bass Fix’ to smooth out bass guitars.

Dynamic EQ compressor

The Dyn EQ and Multi BD compressor are both creative and controlling in use. They are the “swiss knife” of the audio world as virtually any sound can be fixed or enhanced with them. Both are very powerful and will take time to be learnt in depth.

The firmware update can be downloaded by scanning the QR code: www.allen-heath.com

GLP: VolksLicht Spot + X4 conﬁgurator app motorized iris, rotating gobo wheel, static gobo wheel, rotating prism, and motorized focus all within a small body and a beam angle of 13 degrees. With a light weight of just 14Kg it has been designed for the installation market or for applications with shorter throw distances than the impression Spot One.

VolksLicht Spot unit is a scaled down version of the impression Spot One, and features a 300W RGB LED light engine with smooth field distribution. Its feature set includes

On the non fixture side, the X4 configurator is a simple tool that allows you to see all the pattern presets including the DMX channel of the GLP impression X4. A new iPad app for the impression X4, it brings up a graphic of the X4 front plate and allows you to

create lens patterns by simply clicking them on and oﬀ and the tool will show you the corresponding DMX values. When done, the screen displays the DMX levels you need to input to your desk to get the image to reappear. Users can also sort through the standard pre-set patterns and there's an RGB colour picker to individualize pattern designs as well. An iPhone and Android version will be following, but the iPad version can be downloaded now from the App Store. www.glp.de

NX Audio: PRX215 Active Mid Top A free-standing, 2-Way system that can be placed in any environment whilst leveraging a new generation of high output and quality. The PRX215 connects with XLR/TRS line input which allows for the use of long cables while reducing susceptibility to external noise. This cabinet can be linked with an XLR out. The PRX215 is a class D/

AB built circuit delivering 500 Watts (LF) and 100 Watts (HF) remote monitored system. It has a main volume controle with LED power and signal indicator. The frequency response of the driver is 40Hz to 20 Khz with a sound pressure level of 126db at 4 ohms. www.nx-audio.com

ENNOVATIONS July - August 2013

APG: SA20:2/SA30:2 amps + MXO loudspeaker

Based on Powersoft ’s flagship K Series range, SA20:2 and SA30:2 are dual-channel switch-mode class D amplifiers designed for mid-to high-power and high-power APG systems respectively. The SA20:2 is dedicated to small and medium-scale applications, such as Micro Axial, Micro and Dispersion Series speakers, whereas SA30:2 is intended for medium to large-scale applications such as Beam, Sector, Uniline and Matrix Series systems as well as “TB” subwoofers. The SA20:2 delivers 1950W into 4 Ohms per channel or 3900W into 8 Ohms (bridged) while the more powerful SA30:2 delivers a meaty 2600W into 4 Ohms per channel and 5200W into 8 Ohms (bridged). Providing there is sufficient headroom, both amplifiers are capable of working under a 2 Ohm load if necessary. Along with breaking new ground, APG also unveiled thier new MXO which is the baby of the range of Micro Axial dedicated installation loudspeakers. With the addition, the range now has four basic models plus variants. Featuring a 5-inch driver/ tweeter coaxial speaker assembly and sophisticated ergonomics for ease of installation, the MX0 is primarily intended for nearfield listening and coverage of small to medium sized spaces, or for larger spaces as part of a distributed system. The HF transducer is physically aligned with the LF driver, resulting in linear phase and frequency response. The refined acoustic baffling helps to generate smooth and even coverage with no diffraction. The external ergonomics of the MX0 are refined for ease of installation in any environment. It may simply be placed on a suitable surface, stand-mounted or wall- or ceiling-mounted using the optional ETMX0 bracket. The enclosure can also be customized in terms of finish and colour to better integrate into its environment. An impressive 4-year manufacturer’s warranty comes as standard. uk.apg.tm.fr

ENNOVATIONS July - August 2013

Visio: BW-1210 QW Building Wash A manufacturer of professional architectural LED lighting equipment, Visio has introduced the BW-1210QW Building Wash which consists of 12 x 10W CREE MCE Quad-Color (4 in 1) LEDs with specifically designed big lenses to deliver outstanding output and saturated colour mixing eﬀects. IP66 rated high quality die-cast aluminium housing highlights the capacity for heat ventilation, thus guaranteeing reliable performance under harsh environments. Specially designed power and DMX compartments make the wire connections much easier for the installer in environments where the main power and DMX cables are ready inside the buildings or underground. Installers need to just open the power and DMX compartments at the rear side of the unit and do the wiring.

BW-1210QW also runs built-in programs without DMX control, providing diﬀerent options for users in various applications. Equipped with touch-panel LED display for easy set-up navigation, users operate the light by just moving their fingers. BW1210QW also features a photocell (light sensor), which enables the unit to light up automatically while adjusting accordingly to ambient level of the environment; and it can also power oﬀ automatically. With the environment in mind, the BW1210QW Building Wash was designed without mercury and creates no harmful radiation emissions such as UV or IR. www.visio-led.com

D.T.S: RAPTOR Considered the the new peak in Beam fixtures technology, the RAPTOR is the latest oﬀering from D.T.S. At 37cm x 50cm, it is one of the most compact heads projecting a beam of 150.000 Lux/15m. Sharply focuses 17 gobos at any distance and has handled the problem of the typical 'hot spot' by use of its unique selectable smooth filter that evenly diﬀuses luminosity at any point in the light beam.

RAPTOR head rotates freely on its vertical axe without interruption, in either direction, never having to reverse motion. RAPTOR’s ability to quickly and precisely select any point within its sphere of movement means faster looks and scene changes, oﬀering creative control to the lighting designer. New Tri-phase stepper motor technology allows for ultra-fast and silent pan/tilt movements. www.dts-lighting.com

Features the FPR system (D.T.S. patented), which allows limitless pan rotation. The

Ayrton: DreamPanel The DreamPanel Floor HD18 is the first screen floor to be both HD and IP65 rated. The floor is a 60cm x 60cm IP65 modular video tile equipped with HDMI connectors and designed specifically for screen-floor applications. The internal structure of the DreamPanel is specifically conceived to sustain heavy loads without altering the appearance of the projected image. The exclusive 170° angle image diﬀusion system of DreamPanel Floor HD18 allows global vision of the screen, while the system resolution enables panel constructions of

36m x 19.8m spread over a total of 7,128 square metres with a pixel pitch of 18.75mm. DreamPanel Floor HD18’s control system can operate each individual tile as a portion of the standard video screen. The innovative concept of DreamPanel Floor HD 18 aims to be used optimally in television studios, concerts, exhibitions and convention halls as well as theme parks, clubs and other entertainment applications. www.ayrton.eu

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ENNOVATIONS July - August 2013

Chromlech: Elidy wall The Elidy Wall, is considered the world's first LED matrix fixture capable of projecting volumetric graphics. A matrix of 5x5 high powered LEDs, its output exceeds that of standard LED screens and can be used to provide projection eﬀects. Modular in form, the fixture is based around a single projector of 25 LEDs(1 sq ft.) which can be assembled to form up to 225 LED and arranged into screens, columns or any angled forms. Elidy implements an advanced and userfriendly pixel-mapping interface that makes it optimal for creating funky animations. Data management is handled using conventional DMX daisy-chaining but also via ArtNet daisychaining. www.chromlech.fr

DYNACORD: A-Line loudspeaker family Targeted at the mobile loudspeaker segment, the new A-Line family oﬀers three active and three passive models, comprising one 12” and one 15” two-way / full-range system and an 18” subwoofer, in both active and passive versions. The speakers oﬀer high powerhandling capacities and balanced frequency response which allows any of the speakers

to be perfectly matched with another and thus allowing a multitude of combinations that respond to a very wide range of sound reinforcement needs. All the speakers feature 15-mm-thick plywood cabinets. Making up the active models are the A 112A – 12” two-way / full-range; A 115A – 15” two-way / full-range and the A 118A – 18” subwoofer. Each of the two-way / full-range models, the A 112A and A 115A, boasts a Class-D two-channel (bi-amping) digital power amplifier as well as state-of-the-art signal processing. The integrated FIR filters result in a more linear frequency response as well as less overlapping in the crossover region. The 12” model is armed with an EVS-12K (A 112A), and the 15” model with an EVS-15K (A 115A), woofer, whilst the treble is served by a 1.5” tweeter with a titanium diaphragm and a 90 (horizontal) x 50 (vertical) degrees dispersion pattern. With both microphone- and line-level inputs on combo XLR and cinch (RCA) sockets, the devices aﬀord a wide range of connection options.

Because of their asymmetric footprints, both the 12“ and the 15” models can also be used as active stage monitors with a monitor angle of 60°. A switch is provided to select easily between EQ presets for monitoring and standard applications. A further switch activates a high-pass filter when operated with an active subwoofer. The A 118A active subwoofer features similar performance characteristics, the integrated power amplifier delivering 400 W (IHF-A) peak power to the 18” EVS-18K woofer. The device oﬀers, in addition, a master volume control, a phase-reverse switch and an XLR/RTS The passive A-Line models: A 112 – 12” full-range; A 115 – 15” full-range and the A 118 - 18” subwoofer can be operated inter alia by powered mixers from DYNACORD’s PowerMate series. www.dynacord.com

Americas

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Europe

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Asia

www.etcconnect.com

ENNOVATIONS July - August 2013

DPA Microphones: Podium Microphones The company has turned its attention to the installation market with the launch of two new microphones. At the top end of the range DPA is offering podium microphones that incorporate the modular capsules from the d:dicate Recording Microphones (formerly known as Reference Standard), which are acclaimed for their exceptional linear frequency responses, high SPL and superior gain before feedback. These new podium microphones combine the stateof-the-art capsules with newly introduced modular active booms to complete their modular nature. A number of different capsules are available and by choosing the exact capsule and boom combination, DPA customers can access the exact microphone for their needs. Alongside the high-end d:dicate solution, DPA has also developed a cost-effective, directional podium microphone based on its renowned 4060/d:vote 4099 miniature microphones.

This directional gooseneck microphone, which uses interference tubes and a prepolarized backplate, was originally devised for the Nobel Prize organisation. The organisation had requested a dedicated podium solution for its 2012 Nobel Peace Prize presentation, DPA adapted its existing miniature capsule to give an oﬀ-axis frequency response that negated room reverberation while preserving the needed on-axis sensitivity for voice level. The result was so well received that the microphone was quickly adopted as a standard DPA product and is now available to all installation customers. This miniature podium microphone can even be used in a wireless configuration by employing the company’s ingenious adapter range, which is already used for other miniature microphones. Both solutions will be available from August 2013. www.dpamicrophones.com

ENNOVATIONS July - August 2013

KLARK TEKNIK: DN9620 Extender A 1U, half-rack width AES50 extender, the DN9620 accepts two CAT5 AES50 streams, multiplexing up to 96 bi-directional channels of 24-bit audio via a single fibre-optic cable (up to 500 m), or a single CAT5E cable (up to 100 m). With its low input-to-output latency at a mere 0.105 ms, the extender can be operated at 96 or 48 kHz sample rates and provide multiple clocking options. Adding to its uniqueness the extender overcomes the limitations of CAT5 cabling (which limit cable runs between AES50 devices to 100 metres), MIDAS and KLARK TEKNIK Brand Development Manager Richard Ferriday explains: “The DN9620 serves many functions. It will operate as an optical

snake system for any MIDAS, or other digital console which uses the AES50 protocol, it will provide long-haul, optical connectivity between I/O boxes, as well as extending the deployment possibilities of I/O, recording, and other AES50 hardware throughout a building, or campus”. The AES50 is an openarchitecture digital audio transport protocol which benefits from extremely low latency (<70us.), feed-forward error connection and advanced system clocking. The KLARK TEKNIK DN9620 will be shipped in pairs, complete with a dedicated 19” rack mounting bracket. www.klarkteknik.com

LSC Lighting Systems: Clarity Version 2 Software features are common across the software and hardware platforms. The latest software also includes virtual consoles enabling users to operate their software as a virtual LX300, LX600 or LX900.

LSC Lighting Systems and OpenClear have released Clarity software version 2. This release brings the software in line with the recently released LX range of consoles so that

New features include: A topographical Rig view with 2D simulation and intuitive fixture selection; An audio fixture which enables playback of audio tracks; Enhanced intensity display for theatre and TV clients; Media server integration that now includes MBox from PRG; A universal controller interface for simultaneous control of diﬀerent fixtures; An improved fixture library for better control

of non-linear compound fixtures such as Mac Aura, Robe Robin LEDwash, ClayPaky A-LEDa, etc.; OSC protocol for remote control via Android and iPhone/iPad and other 3rd party devices and updated installers and compatible HASP drivers for both Mac and Windows including OSX Mountain Lion and Windows 8. The software for Mac or PC can be downloaded and tried for free at LSC’s website www.lsclighting.com

ACME: Professional Theatre/Studio Spotlight LP-TS200/100 LP-TS200 Cold White/Warm White applies 1 piece of 200W/258W LED with new technology that makes a safe replacement for traditional discharge lights. High luminous efficacy of up to 30.6lm/W. The LP-TS200 is more flexible in different applications as the front lens is equipped with a frost effect. The latest thermal optical cooling technology enables the physical temperature of the LP-TS200 to be lower than 56°C allowing it to meet studio requirements. Colour temperature up to 3183K in narrow angles and 3240K in wide angles for the LP-TS200

Cold White, while for the Warm White, the colour temperature reaches approximately 6202K in narrow angles and 3128K in wide angles. Comparitively, the LP-TS100 fixture has the luminous eﬃcacy of up to 34.64lm/W. Body temperature of the LP-TS100 is controlled lower than 58°C and it is considered more energy-eﬃcient with a life span up to 50,000 hours. www.acme.com.cn

Professional Theatre/Studio Spotlight LP-TS200

EXHIBITION REVIEW July - August 2013

PALM Expo 2013: Special Effects; Speciﬁc Directions The 2013 edition of PALM Expo – India’s foremost tradeshow and convention platform for pro audio, lighting and music segments – turned special for many reasons. While it appeared ‘bigger’ and better than the preceding editions, it scored some truly special eﬀects, and marked dimensions, apparently showing the future directions of the event as well as the industry segments it represents. An ETA perspective:

Enthusiasm Exhibited

Perhaps for the first time in recent years, PALM Expo sprung in many surprises some of which were truly fascinating, and probably hinted at the dynamics of the industry in respective segments, now, and in the times to come. The 13th edition of the event, organized by Diversified Communications at the Bombay Exhibition Grounds from 30 May-1 June, certainly brought to the fore new pro audio, visual, lighting and musical tenets. Be it the aweinspiring interactive audio-video show by Modern Stage Service-Christie-Hitech Audio combine; Harman’s announcement of foraying into lighting solutions through its latest acquisition of Martin Lighting, besides its scintillating arena presentation; kids drumming an aka Sivamani excitement at Sennheiser stand; rigging-trussing workshop by Prolyte; a horde of new global brands coming in with their latest; or the biggies’ taking up arguably large booth spaces besides being apparently more professional than ever- the PALM Expo tradeshow platform this year had many things to say, amidst a few hiccups.

A Quick Look

*Dazzling interactive AV show *Open-air Line Array demos *Over half-a-dozen new partnerships *Direct presence of global giants *Trussing workshops *Hordes of new product launches *Awards Bose Corporation taking to the PALM show floor for the first time or that Japanese audio giant Yamaha took to the show floor directly – instead of coming through its India partner Pace Communications – and with a bigger space than ever signified the impact and growing attraction of the event. A manufacturer stepping in directly into what has largely been a distributordominated event may be a key indication to the event’s dynamics. There have been as many as half-a-dozen new alliances or partnerships and some dazzling displays that marked the event. “The event is getting bigger and better,” said Fredrik Svahnberg, Marketing Director of Swedish audio-visual media tools/

TOUCH THE Alex Carru, CEO of Medialon with Vijay Sabhlok of Video Design.

Anindya Mukherjee of Sonodyne

solutions provider Dataton who exhibited its latest WatchOut solution in association with its India partner Video Design, which is in turn part of Modern Stage Service. “Palm show is gaining in professionalism; we have seen a high level of enthusiasm among the visitors, and a good number of them are professionals,” Svahnberg said, adding, “the event appears more professional now.”

Nuage integrated audio production system appeared to endorse the company’s conviction about its take on the event.

According to Arun Kumar, Divisional Manager-Professional Systems at Bose Corp, “Palm Expo has been unique in its appeal and value proposition,” which was why the thoroughly-consumersegment-focused audio giant that it has been, decided to take part in the event. “We are excited at this opportunity,” he said, adding, “we saw a great enthusiasm from the visitors, which is very diﬀerent from what we normally experience at our regular outlets, but it resembled the brand impression that Bose always stood for. Our coming here, I believe, has reinforced our brand.” For Vinay Prem, Senior Sales & Marketing Oﬃcer at Yamaha Music India, “Palm Expo has always been a major draw. Having seen the enthusiasm and requirement for more focused approach the company decided to take the floor directly.” The large crowds that watched in awe and excitement as the company’s rep Ashley Shepherd explained Yamaha’s newly launched

FUTURE

Says Sunny Sarid, noted audio consultant, and DJ expert: “Palm show has been the best and largest platform for pro audio, lighting and music industry segments in the country; we get to see and interact with manufacturers – global majors and their local partners – musicians, consultants, and integrators. It’s very pleasing to see the event growing in programming and professionalism.” According to him, “there is something for everyone who is connected with the entertainment industry in the country at the event.” “Palm Expo is certainly growing in size and scale,” endorses Tushar Srivastava, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Bosch (India) Limited- the holding enterprise for ElectroVoice. “It has improved a great deal in value proposition- which, I believe, is visible in most stalls taking bigger spaces.”

TIGER TOUCH

POWER CUBE

Big and bold

Even as many seasoned exhibitors and visitors maintained that the Palm Expo got smaller in size and spread this year, what most agreed on was the bigger size of the booth spaces taken by the exhibitors. Most exhibitors at Palm 2013 appeared to make their pitch rather big- significantly bigger than their previous editions. Most

PEARL EXPERT TOUCH Avolites: +44 (0) 2089 658 522 avosales@avolites.com www.avolites.com

Total Solution: Arun Kumar of Bose, Rajan Gupta of Hi-Tech with Sunny Sarid and Vibhor Khanna

Ashley Shepherd of Yamaha with Nuage

(+65) 6287 9878 sales@tsm-int.com www.tsm-int.com

YOU´ VE GOT THE SKILLS. SKILLS WE´ VE GOT THE TOOLS.

EXHIBITION REVIEW July - August 2013

Bernhard Wustner of TW Audio with Siddharth Chhibber of Acoustic Arts

Binny Sharma and Krishna Singh of TC Group

notable of the lot was clearly the Modern Stage Service. Arguably, the largest regular at the PALM events, the Delhibased entertainment systems distribution giant this time occupied almost close to one-third of the show floor space with multiple stalls and multitude of brands. While occupying almost one full side of the hall to display its generic product ranges, the company set up additional booths to demonstrate its specialty brands, and new additions.

New Deals

“We believe in making it big,” said Varinder Wadhwa, Director of Modern Stage Service. “It’s the only show of its kind in the country; we obviously want to make the best of it.” On one end of Hall-1, the company occupied almost end-to-end space. Beginning with Prolyte Group – where the Dutch staging and trussing solutions provider conducted workshops on staging/ trussing – the distribution major had next to it Dataton WatchOut’s dome projection solutions presented by Dataton’s Indian partner Video Design, followed by Medialon’s demo of Show Controller and V6 Manager; PR Lighting’s new range of LEDs (3100-3800); and K-array speakers. Adjacent to this long band of stands was the exclusive stand of Philips lighting solutions, the latest addition to the company’s lighting range.

www.tsm-int.com Phone: +65-62879878 sales@tsm-int.com

www.coolux.com

On the other end of the hall, Modern Stage Service staged what was hailed as the most fascinating aspect of the eventIntegration of Entertainment Demo (read separate box: Interactive AV). Weaving together multiple audio, video solutions, the AV demo held captive the visitors and the adjacent exhibitors as well. Other notable big booth players on the show floor were Harman, Vardhaman, Shure/SunInfonet, Electro-Voice, E&E, Bose, IES, Yamaha, Reynolds, Rivera and Narain.

Palm 2013 edition played platform for some of the most industry-impacting announcements and deals- much more than the preceding editions. The most notable among them has been Harman Professional India’s announcement of foraying into lighting solutions. While the industry is already informed of the company’s recent acquisition of Martin Lighting, Harman India chose the Palm Expo 2013 platform to announce the big, decisive initiative (read separate box). According to Dave McKinney, Senior Director at Harman India-Operations, the lighting foray is a natural extension to its dynamic initiatives to oﬀer complete range of solutions to its customers. Keeping in line with significant contribution towards spreading the cause of WatchOut solutions, Mumbaibased Video Design has been appointed WatchOut Premier Partner for India. This will mean that Video Design will organize WatchOut education, training initiatives in the country henceforth, as well as contribute to its sales. "Video Design has built a solid platform for education, marketing, sales and after sales-support of our products,” Svahnberg, said, adding, “we look forward to achieving many more laurels in India.” Delhi-based audio distributor Sun Infonet Pvt Ltd who is the Master Distributor of Shure in India has been appointed India distributor for Danish Interpretation Systems. That the American audio major last year acquired DIS, the audio conferencing solution development came to Sun Infonet as a natural extension. In what may be another key development for Indian entertainment industry, Delhibased Audio distributor Hitech Audio Systems has been signed as all-India Premium Partner by audio giant Bose Corporation. While the deal meant that Hitech demonstrated the new product ranges from Bose prominently on its stand,

Neeraj Chandra of Sun Infonet with Eric Ong of Shure

Richard Ferriday of Midas

Bose Corp as mentioned also took a direct presence to further reinforce its branding.

Marketing Manager Tushar Srivastava, the ZLX combines decades of proven proaudio engineering know-how with a bold new look and user-friendly features that gives an extraordinary amount of control over sound. Available in powered and passive 12- and 15-inch two-way versions and perfect for use as either mains or monitors, ZLX represents a new standard for musicians, DJs, and all performers looking for more from a portable loudspeaker.

Other important deals that came to fore on the show floor included Japanese audio solutions provider TOA’s signing of Chennai-based ProVisual Audio Pvt Ltd as its India Partner; German audio solutions developer TW Audio’s signing of Delhibased distributor-integrator Acoustic Arts, and American pro audio player Rane Corporation’s signing of another Dehi-based distributor-integrator Elgin Electronics.

New Product Launches

As if resembling the dynamically growing pro audio and lighting segments in the country, Palm Expo 2013 played platform for many exciting product launches in India. Almost all the major manufacturers, and/or their distributors brought their latest product solution oﬀerings to the show floor. Most prominent among them included Yamaha Music India’s Nuage integrated audio production system. “We are bringing this flagship integrated post-production system first time to this market,” said Ashley Shepherd product representative from Yamaha. According to him, and Vinay Prem, Senior Sales and Marketing Oﬃcer, though the system was prototyped at BEE Tokyo last year, the first honours of seeing it in full action came to Palm Expo. Integrated that the system is, the Nuage system is claimed to integrate the entire chain of digital audio workstations, controllers, interfaces, and professional post-production capabilities into perfect harmony. “It’s the most fascinating product I’ve seen from Yamaha,” noted Shepherd. Yahama also exhibited its latest MGP and MG Series of mixing consoles and Stagepas PA systems. Bosch India Limited brought to the show floor its newest range of ZLX series loudspeakers under its Electro-Voice brand. According to Bosch Senior Product

Among the other product ranges Bosch exhibited, the most unique was the latest DCN Multimedia System. Says Santosh Kumar of Bosch, “the DCN Multimedia is more than just a brand new conference system; it is designed from the ground up to inform, impress and inspire the audience, while providing key benefits to other stakeholders such as investors, installers and technicians.” According to him, the system is ideal for meeting areas such as city councils, regional councils and boardrooms. Sennheiser India introduced what it called the first of its kind innovative wireless PA system, the LSP 500 Pro that is claimed to simplify the investment of time and total cost of ownership for the end users. The company also announced the launch of the all-the-new Sennheiser E835 FX Microphone that comes with a unique ‘mic-control’ feature that allows the vocalists to adjust the output from the microphone itself. The microphone integrates itself seamlessly with TCHelicon’s vocal processors. Sennheiser also launched Neumann’s KH 320 A, the threeway studio monitor, vouching for accuracy of sound reproduction. The company also demonstrated its partner brands such as L-Acoustics and Apart audio systems. Says Vipin Pungalia, VP-Sales and Marketing (Professional Segment): “Palm Expo is a great platform to showcase

EXHIBITION REVIEW July - August 2013

Michael Case of d&b audiotechnik, Andrew Paul of Digital Advantage and Harry Gladow of Coolux

Kekul Sheth and Rasesh Parekh of IES with Harry Stemmen of Robe, Peter Kirrup of Lumen Radio and Ondrj of Robe

innovations and engage with audio professionals. We are glad to be able to present our oﬀerings on this platform.”

Upping the ante with the new launches, IES would organize nation-wide roadshows to promote the latest MLA systems from Martin Audio. Prominent among the product ranges showcased by IES included Robe’s recently launched Pointe and MineME lighting fixtures.

An interesting aspect of Sennheiser stand was the involvement of kids in playing drums and trumpets in a la-Sivamani style. First time entrant Bose Corp – in association with its newly appointed Premium Partner Hi-Tech Audio Systems – exhibited a whole big range of systems that included Panaray 802 Series III loudspeakers and Panaray MA12 line arrays; the popular RoomMatch (RMS215 and RM12020) and PowerMatch (PM8500 and PM8500N); and the LT 9404 Waveguide speakers. Besides the Bose Corp product line, Hi-Tech also showcased the Bosch Presaesideo PA system; CCS 900 Ultra Discussion System; and the next generation DCN conferencing system. The distribution major also had the Christie HD10K-M 3-chip DLP projection system to complement its visual solutions. “We are truly excited at this presence. Palm show is an acclaimed platform to bring together diverse segments of consumer and professional audio domain,” said Arun Kumar. “We are looking forward to adding and gaining greater value additions as we move ahead.” Integrated Entertainment Solutions (IES) presented a whole big range from its Principals Martin Audio and Robe, besides the latest addition of Lumen Radio. “The happy development for us is that our Western India distribution for Martin Audio is now expanded to national,” announced Rasesh Parekh of IES. “Now we are the sole national distributors of Martin,” he said, adding, “our oﬀerings also stand to benefit from the latest addition of Lumen Radio on the international front; all our fixtures will now come with Lumen Radio expertise built-in.”

Shure Asia’s national distributor in India Sun Infonet brought to the show floor a whole big range from Shure’s VP series LensHopper camera condenser microphones, besides the latest FP Wireless Systems. The company also showcased a wide range of VP shotgun microphones. “We are happy to be here at the Palm,” said Eric Ong, Regional Sales Manager at Shure Asia. “We have had some quality audiences; and we see the show is getting better.” Most important development from the show floor for Sun Infonet was its appointment as national distributor for DIS conferencing systems. QSC Audio – through its Bangalore-based partner Pro Visuals Audio – showcased its latest models from AcousticPerfomance Line and AcousticDesign loudspeakers, besides the Q-Sys Designer version 3.1 VOIP platform. ProVA, who has also been appointed by Japanese audio major TOA as its India partner, brought to show TOA’s HX-5 Series compact array speaker systems and, TS-770 Series conference systems. Besides, ProVA also showcased a wide band of Audio Technica solutions. “We are glad that we are chosen by TOA to be their India Partner,” said Natarajan Purushothaman, Managing Director, and R P Balamurugan, Executive Director of ProVA. “Palm Expo is the biggest pro audio platform in the country, and our association couldn’t find a better platform to announce.” E&E Systems India showcased a wide range of solutions from diverse brands it

Wireless done right!

Santosh and Tushar of Bosch

TOA Team with their distributor Pro VA - Takuya Kageyama, Mohit Kukreja, Mitsuhiro Ohmura, Natarajan Purushothaman and RP Balamurugan

deals with. DLM Series of loudspeakers and DL Series of mixers from Mackie; Entasys Series of column array speakers from Community; touring and install amps from Powersoft; NXP-3.04 DSPs from Ashley Audio; and Smart V.7Di from Rational Acoustics.

bullish about the install versions of the d&b V series,” said Andrew Paul, Director of Digital Advantage. “Palm show has always been an exciting proposition,” he said, adding, “we believe it would do so this time as well.”

Harman Professional India, besides making a big promo pitch through its Live Arena, showcased a whole range of product systems featuring the latest from SoundCraft, JBL, AKG, besides the recently acquired Martin Lighting. Kolkata headquartered audio major Sonodyne launched its SRP Series of monitors. “The SM series was Sonodyne’s first bold step into the world of professional monitoring,” said Anindya Mukherjee, Director of Sonodyne. “The new Sonodyne SRP Series embodies all the knowledge and experience from the critically acclaimed SM series and presents a fresh new look at what we believe is the new reference in near-field monitoring.” Coming with die cast molded cabinets, DSP-enabled bi-amplifier, acoustic waveguides, Kevlar cone LFs, and power coated finishes, the SRP Series is claimed to be the most fascinating oﬀering yet from Sonodyne. According to Anindya, SRP 500 and 600 are being launched now, and they would be followed by SRP 400 and 800 in Fall 2013. Delhi-based audio and AV solutions distributor brought to show floor its new alliance partner TW Audio’s product systems (besides the Tesira from Biamp; TG1000 and Quinta from beyerdynamic, and IPD range of Lab.Gruppen amps from TC Group) while another Delhi-based audio distributor Digital Advantage brought install versions of V Series loudspeakers from d&b audiotechnik, as well as the Version 5.5 Pandora Box media and show control systems from Coolux. “We are very

Dhanashree Electronics brought Pro-2; Pro-2/C and Pro-1 mixing console systems from Midas, and SquareOne Dynamic dynamics processor and DN-370 EQ systems from Klarkteknik. The distributor also showcased Crest Audio’s CC4000 and CPX 2000 amplifiers, besides HDL20A, 12A, NX12SMA audio systems from RCF. Bangalore-based Reynolds brought to Palm its newest member Eurotruss, the staging and trussing enterprise from Europe. Mumbai-based Roger Drego Music showcased its latest RD subwoofers and monitors; Narain launched a range of bi-amped active speakers and stage monitors, and the Y415 Pro addition to the Y Series speakers, in addition to two new products from Phonic- the IS16 16ch Touch Screen iPad Compatible Digital mixer and the i2600 2 in/6 out Digital Speaker Management system. Rivera International launched the new Pioneer XDJ R1 wireless combo DJ system, and CDJ Nexus Platforms, besides the Focal FM 9 studio monitors from its French principal Focal Professional. Overall, there was an exodus of new launches and alliances, making the Palm Expo 2013, seemingly one of the most dynamic events drawing some specific directions and dimensions.. However, there were concerns about nonprofessional crowds swooping in to distract serious business deliberations as well as tampering with the systems on show. “Quality of the crowds are significantly better, but better control needs to be put in place as well,” observed an exhibitor.

• 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.palmexpo.in

www.tsm-int.com • Phone: +65-62879878 • sales@tsm-int.com

EXHIBITION REVIEW July - August 2013

Interactive AV: Entertainment Integrated

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

Keeping in view the increasing involvement of professional AV into the wide ambit of entertainment domain, the 2013 edition of Palm Expo made a novel inclusion into its programming. The newest feature – named ‘Integration for entertainment demo – Interactive Audio Video’ – visibly held captive the audiences through an awe-inspiring demo of AV and lighting, bringing together a range of solutions and expertise. Presented by Modern Stage Service and Hi-Tech Audio Systems, the feature showcased a unique mapping done by Bart Kresa, the best known video mapping designer in the world. It displayed an agglomeration of top brands- highperformance 3-chip DLP projection systems from Christie; display control software by Dataon’s Watchout; highpower lighting by PR Lighting, audio by Bose Corporatin; and integration and control by Medialon. Christie’s projection systems included Roadster HD10K-M, HD18K, and HD20K-J meaning a combination of three projectors with 10,000; 18,000 and 20,000 lumen brightness with HD resolution. Embedded with Christie Twist, the projectors allow users to expertly edge-blend and warp multiple curved images seamlessly on all four sides to almost any projection surface – flat, curved or spherical. The audio set up was done by Hi-Tech Audio Systems with products on demo provided by Bose, which included

www.vari-lite.com

LT 9403 speakers, Room Match 215 subwoofers and PM 8500 amplifiers. The speakers were positioned on both sides of the screen and the subwoofers were strategically distributed to spread low end frequencies uniformly throughout. On the other hand, projectors were aligned in such a way that they ensured uniformity throughout the images projected onto the Mandela-inspired three-layered semicircle screen and a pyramid structure. The projection mapping masks the flat screen and pyramid structure to become a dynamic video display of 2D and 3D images that can transform what is reality for the audience into illusions and images of infinite possibilities. “Projection mapping is taking on the world by storm as more venues of attraction and events use projection mapping to create unforgettable experiences for their audiences,” noted Devendar Wadhwa, Director of Modern Stage Services. “Through our joint exhibit with Christie at Palm Expo, the broadcast, event, postproduction and stage specialists in India have a better appreciation of the power of projection mapping.” “Palm Expo is a melting pot of the most creative ideas for the broadcast, event, post-production and stage industry,” said Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific. “We are pleased that the most talented individuals from the industry appreciate Christie’s leading edge projection solutions.”

Harman Professional India announces foray into lighting Harman Professional India announced its foray into the lighting solutions space in India. The announcement was made during PALM Expo 2013, held in Mumbai recently. In February this year, Harman had announced the completion of its acquisition of Martin Professional A/S of Denmark marking its first venture into the lighting solutions space. The acquisition further advances Harman’s capability to serve customers in a wide variety of applications and geographic markets, including India, with the most advanced, highly integrated AV and lighting systems. Harman showcased Martin’s state-of-theart lighting capabilities at the innovative “HARMAN Live Arena” during the PALM Expo 2013. Renowned artists including Sivamani, Niladri Kumar, Ranjit Barot, and Louiz Banks enthralled the crowds using Harman Professional gear. David McKinney, Senior Director-India Operations, Harman Professional India said, ‘We are excited to bring forth Martin Lighting under the Harman umbrella for the very first time in India during the PALM Expo 2013. There is a lot of synergy between Martin Lighting and all the other Harman Professional brands across the globe, as we have a similar customer base. Our customers can now capitalize on joint innovations, eﬃciencies and access our in depth systems portfolios.” This acquisition allows Harman Professional to venture into providing a

complete package of audio and lighting solutions. This also significantly aids in helping Harman extend its footprint into various fast-growing segments, such as, entertainment including cinemas and sound tour; and public infrastructure in India. As a world leader in dynamic lighting solutions, Martin lighting systems are renowned the world over. Martin is in the process of launching new products across all of its product lines including new models in the award-winning MAC Viper family, as well as new creative LED video products, innovative lighting

control solutions, new atmospheric smoke solutions and more. Harman took the opportunity to showcase Martin's lighting fixtures at the Harman Live Arena. The Arena saw the deployment of a range Martin lighting fixtures by Harman Lighting Solutions that included MAC Viper Profile; MAC Aura; Jem Compact Haze; EC-10 Video Wall; P3-100 Processor; and Maxedia Media Server. The artistes and the bands that performed on the stage were equally excited with the use of the systems as the audiences they enthralled.

Harman Live Arena – A Musical Euphoria Harman proposition that has become so unique to Palm Expo. The programming included pulsating performances by renowned national and international artistes, and unrivalled set-up of stage, lighting and sound.

Harman Live Arena was yet again a phenomenal success at Palm Expo 2013. More or less a regular feature at the annual event, the Arena excitement resembled the growing enthusiasm among the music loving professionals and consumers, and particularly towards the

The Live Arena featured leading musicians and maestros including iconic artistes and bands with the likes of Andy James, Sahil Makhija, Darshan Doshi, Sheldon D Silva, Shyam Advankar, Manojit Dotta, Jai Row Kawi, Gino Banks, Niladri Kumar, Ranjit, Barot, Mihir Joshi, etc. creating sheer musical euphoria through the three days of the show. The sound output was crystal clear and extremely powerful

creating a life-like experience coupled with a great combination of stage and light eﬀects by Martin Professional range of lighting . Harman’s prowess as the complete solutions provider for Live Sound was presented yet again to 5000-plus strong audiences that had turned up for the various shows at the Harman Live Arena during the three days. Proof of the pudding was the deployment of the industry benchmarked JBL Vertec 4888 line array speakers; Soundcraft Vi 6 and Soundcraft Vi1 mixing consoles; Crown ITECH HD 12000 amplifiers; and BSS Signal processors, besides an entire range of AKG microphones for live sound application.

EXHIBITION REVIEW July - August 2013

PALM Expo China 2013 Review Four days of insightful presentations and discussion at Palm Expo 2013, held from June 7 to 10 in Beijing, have oﬃcially come to a close. This year’s event saw a substantial increase to last year’s exhibitors, including a diverse range of first-time exhibitors on the show floor. PALM Expo has exuded a sense of confidence in the Chinese market for the last few years. Day 1 and 2 were a testament to that as visitors swarm in to packed aisles. “It feels much bigger and we’re seeing more people,” commented Juri Tan, the Exhibitions Director at Informa Exhibitons. Co-organized by Informa Exhibitions and China Entertainment Technology Association (CETA), the trade show more than delivered as manufacturers, buyers, agents and distributors, come together to provide new insights to new innovations and technology. President of CETA, Zhu Xin Chun said the feedback from exhibitors, partners and visitors was incredibly positive, and he looks forward to an even more spectacular 2014 show.

Show Floor Excitement There was added excitement on the show floor whereby exhibitors went the extra mile to reel in the crowd.

Yamaha and Steinberg’s flagship Nuage audio post-production system took the spotlight as Ashley Shepherd, an audio renaissance man who has been an audio professional for over 20 years, warmed up the Director’s seat for

the Nuage console demo. It was indeed an amusing sight to see visitors taking turns to master the art of dubbing.

EXHIBITION REVIEW July - August 2013

Aimed at breaking the traditional limits associated with line array systems, FBT unveiled their newest Vertus MLA at the show.

The speaker can also link up to 16 combined elements using its integrated NL4 connectors. What an animal indeed!

Several exhibiting booths, most notably Pioneer DJ, DENON, STAGEPAS and QSC, carried the crowd with their extensive entertainment lineup involving renowned DJs such as Matsushima Ko, Alan K and Kaize spinning funky hip-hop and techno beats, as well as other musical performing acts.

FBT export manager Roberto Mataloni and Remo Orsoni

In addition to that, visitors had the opportunity to bask in the competitive spirit at this year’s musical fiesta through the much sought-after 8th Beta Band Contest Finals and the acoustic guitar contest, a first at PALM EXPO, which garnered a huge crowd. A number of exhibitors also stood out with their larger-than-life, bold and elaborate displays at their respective booths, which eﬀectively infused a sense of liveliness and excitement around the show floor.

FBT’s pro audio consultant Remo Orsoni shares, “The Vertus MLA is readily adaptable to any environment. It allows you to utilize the directivity of a classic J-form line array, either curved or straight. So now, whether is it digital directivity control or mechanical directivity, it is all condensed into one product with the advantages of both types of controls.”

Andrew Kong, Marketing Manager

Martin Professional (now part of Harman), returned to the new exhibition ground for the first time since their last exhibit at the old venue, showcased their RUSH series through a dynamic and stimulative live demo display.

Jason Zhao, Sennheiser Beijing

As they say, hearing is believing. People don’t realize the importance of great sound until they experience it. So it was no surprise that the Line Array Outdoor Demonstration, featuring a total of 14 brands, hit the right notes with the visitors.

Majors flex their muscles

Regional launches are a familiar sight at exhibition shows.

Sennheiser equally dazzled visitors with the Anakonda K-array, a bendable speaker that can adapt to almost any integration environment. Available in 6-foot lengths, it can be wrapped around poles, columns, or mounted to curved or otherwise uneven surfaces. “This opens up new set of possibilities for rental companies, integrators and end users,” commented Jason Zhao, the sales representative from Sennheiser Beijing.

Richie and Stanley Lee of Real Music

Adamson’s distributor in China, Real Music Acoustics & Lighting Technology Pte Ltd also wheeled out the big guns, by flaunting their latest purchase of the E-15 rig at the show. “We decided to bring in the four boxes of E-15s to garner interest from potential buyers. Feedback has been pretty positive

so far. We’re really happy with the visitor turnout,” shared General Manager Richie Wang. E-Tech Asia also caught up with several exhibitors and buyers who attended the fourday event.

What the industry is saying

General Manager Michael Munz of GLP, shares, “Even though the crowd is generally more quiet as compared to last year, it is still a must to be here. We’re still in the process of building relationships with the Chinese market, so it’s really a great place to meet with the customers here.”

Managing Director Menze van der Sluis from the Prolyte Group, shed some light on this shorter end of the stick, “Well it may be a plus that chain hoist is doing so well in the Chinese market and that we’ve been fairly busy, the noise nuisance problem continues unabated. This is the biggest disappointment. While there are more visitors as compared to last year, there is hardly any noise control! It is hard to hold conversations when you have to shout in someone’s ear to be heard.” “As compared to the old exhibition ground, there seem to be a slight step backward in terms of visitors. Even though the show floor is larger, the crowd appears to be the same if not, smaller. This is especially apparent after Day 2. I suppose it ultimately still boils down to the location. I feel that it is too isolated, and a great distance away from the city,” Andrew Kong, the marketing manager for Martin adds.

A Networking Success

International Sales Director Ernie Armas with Sasha

“Our booth was quite well positioned and we were really busy for the first two days. On top of our existing customers, we also see a changing profile of visitors at the show. There are more high-end customers now,” observed PR Lighting Assistant Sales Director, Sasha Xiong. Sophia Chen, the International Sales Represenative for Fine Art echoes this sentiment, “Overall, we’re quite satisfied with the quality of visitors at the show. There is also an increase in customers from overseas, which gives us the opportunity to reach out to the other markets.”

Nevertheless, the Hosted Buyers Programme had received much praise and recognition, with buyers from Latin America and Europe coming forth to network with industry peers.

Of course, for all things in the world, there’s bound to be some bittersweet truths and broken ends. PALM EXPO is not without faults.

Welcoming close to 200 unique qualified buyers and sellers from across the globe, the dinner reception, held at the Langham Place Hotel, on 8th June, provided a high-value business matching platform for the attendees to engage and interact; eﬀectively gathering the who’s who of the industry together for a pleasant evening.

The Prolyte Group team

Sergey Rusnak, General Manager of ART-R, a pro light and sound equipment supplier and distributor in Ukraine, enthused, “These networking sessions are very pleasant and great for business. On the exhibition floor, everyone runs, everyone is in a hurry. Whereas in here, everyone is more relaxed. You can have a glass of wine, and at the same time, make casual conversations like

EXHIBITION REVIEW July - August 2013

old friends. It allows people to work better together.” “It’s very impressive! Last year, I was here on my own. This time around, being a hosted buyer makes things a lot easier. There are also more one-on-one relationship building with business partners. This is a good start,” adds Sanjay Mudartha, Managing Director of Acoustic Control Pte Ltd, who provides pro sound, lighting and video system design and installation in Bangalore, India. Bob Oﬀenbach from BSL Lighting in The Netherlands, was also very pleased with this initiative, “This is my first time in China

and the networking sessions were really impressive. I managed to get suppliers and get to know new people, as opposed to sourcing these contacts online through Alibaba.com.” Juri Tan, the Exhibitions Director at Informa Exhibitons, said she and her team were taking exhibitor feedback on board and were looking forward to further enhance the visitor and exhibitor trade show experience next year. www.palmexpo.net www.informaexhibitions.com

D.A.S. Audio, S.A. C/ Islas Baleares, 24 46988 Fuente del Jarro Valencia - Spain Tel. +34 961 340 860

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

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

In Perspective July - August 2013

Suree Sirikorn: Producing by Elissa Nadine

PM Centre in Thailand is a leading supplier of solutions for the event organising industry. In 2009 alone, the company reaped a revenue of Bt200 million. Now one of the biggest key players in the Thailand market, the company has not stopped growing, especially under the leadership of Founder and CEO, Suree Sirikorn. A no-nonsense women who is empowered by her passion whilst inspiring those around her. She spoke with us in an exclusive interview to reflect on her goals for the future and reveals how the company has stayed relevant over the years. ETA: Thank you for speaking with us, its nice to get a woman's perspective of the industry. Tell us a bit about how you first got started within the rental industry and how long have you been in it? Suree: It’s my pleasure to share my story with you as well. PM Center was first established some 26 years ago with less than 35,000

USD in capital investment and 6 employees. Together with my deepest passion to own a small business catering to the “creative” industry, Presentation Media Supply Company (which is the original name of PM Center) was born. Even though 26 years have gone by, the same dream still lives and continues to grow adamantly. ETA: What were you working as before entering into the rental industry, and what prompted you to make the change? Suree: Surprisingly, I graduated from a nursing college and worked as a nurse at Chulalongkorn Hospital for 6 years, during which, I was taught not only responsibility, precision and how to be meticulous, but also of the value of the patients’ well-being during their treatment and after their leave. Even though I had learned very much from nursing, I knew then that I had another bigger dream to pursue. Taking into consideration my excitement and impression about presentation techniques and my love for the “creative” industry, I decided to first be a part of the industry and, if possible, to help drive it to the next level. ETA: Tell us about how the idea came about to start a company dedicated to local concerts and events. Suree: Before I came to the industry, several highly creative presentation ideas had failed, mostly due to low quality equipment and unqualified staﬀ. Therefore, I decided to start the very first-ever presentation supply company that could provide solutions to those problems. I am both founder and current CEO. PM Center has always been a dream business venture of mine and still is a great dream today. Nowadays, PM Center is not only the first turn-key event supply business in Thailand, but it also plays a leading role in this business within the

region. Our service concept is very simple: We ARE the Production Management Solution. Our services include Concerts & Live Entertainment; Corporate Events, Conferences & Seminars; Reality shows and competitions; Televisions; and Trade shows. ETA: How does it make you feel knowing that PM Center is one of the largest R&S companies in Thailand, even though the main revenue comes from local coverage? Suree: I have always believed that a good business should start from the home. Therefore, I decided to focus mainly on the local market. Furthermore, the local market itself has been growing rapidly for the last 10 years and has become one of the main markets in the region. When ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) comes into force in 2015, we will be ready to expand our market base to other countries. The three key success factors for PM Center are: 1. ‘Best supply’ – We always guarantee that our clients get the best value for money supply ever. With that in mind comes trust and repeat customers. 2. ‘Best advisory’ – Clients, existing or new, often have creative ideas or active imaginations, and seek new experiences which sometimes are diﬃcult to implement. PM Center is always there to help them make those dreams come true. 3. ‘Best partner’ – Our relationships consist of more than just mere clients-vendors, PM Center serves our clients as a longterm partner. We get involved in their projects from the inception stage, solving the challenges and celebrating their success. These 3 key factors lead us to work closely with our clients, walk along side with them, help them achieve the best solution and share the passion that drives long-term commitments. This brings us to our success strategies which are simplicity and sincerity. ETA: The motto of PM Center, is “Production Management Solution”. Can you tell me more about the concept?

Management Solutions Suree: It means we do not only supply the equipment, but also provide full service to the clients, starting from the conceptualization, knowledge transfer, budget management, quality control, runshow rehearsal to after-sales service. These full complete services define us as ‘PM Center - Production Management Solution'. ETA: You have separate venues dedicated to demos and training of staff. Can you explain the strategy behind this? Suree: We have separate areas to enable each department to control their work. Each section has different control methods. Some may require engineering, while others may require specialised skills. Having separate areas for each function means they can work creatively but within the controlled environment. Training is a must in our company. Since we deal with state-of-the-art equipment on a daily basis, our staff require an update and hands-on training regarding the technology and newly acquired equipment. ETA: What are some of the accomplishments that you, as an individual, are particularly proud of when it concerns your company? Suree: Three things regarding the company that I am personally proud of are: First and foremost, the fact that I have built this small business community where each team member has worked and lived here as a family; Second, that PM Center is being considered as a role model for professional supply management companies and has been well recognized by the industry in Thailand; Last but not least, that our company has long-term engagement with national events such as Annual Automobile Shows (Thailand Motor Show and Motor Expo), several entertainment show businesses, public launch events, national symposiums and welcoming events for world’s leaders to Thailand such as the U.S. President and etc.

ETA: As a boss, how would you define your working style? Do you consider yourself to be lenient or more of a perfectionist? Suree: I do not think of myself neither as lenient nor a perfectionist. The most important thing for me and my staff is to satisfy or even exceed our clients’ expectation. For each project, I allow my staff to share their thoughts and ideas with a shared objective in mind. It’s true that people have different ideas, but they have to aim for the same goal in order to reach it together perfectly. Brainstorming, discussions and sharing are essential. I coach my staff to do the job wholeheartedly, underlining the idea that every piece of their work can make great history. So while they do the clients’ work, they also write their own history. ETA: How close are you to everyday operations and what kind of approach do you take when it comes to staff and jobs on a day-to-day basis? Suree: At the very beginning, I had to engage myself in every step, to ensure that all processes were working smoothly. Today, PM Center comprises of a very strong management team, with senior executives heading several departments. Each department is responsible for their tasks like other large organizations. As the CEO of the company, I still have my hands on the operations, but in a different dimension. With the need to grow the business sustainably, while coping with the rapid change in the industry, most of my dayto-day job is now in planning and providing consultation to the team. For certain large projects, I may need to work with them closely, to make sure that our work exceeds our client’s needs. ETA: Even though more women are entering the industry now, the ratio of women to men is still low. How have you overcome the stigma/stereotypes that you have come across?

R&S industry, even in those days, people judged, men or women, by their abilities, not gender. From my perspective regarding women in business, I think women can make a big change and contribute to every industry just like men. Besides physical differences, males and females have equal potential in doing businesses. Personally, no matter what gender you are, you should work very hard with utmost passion, keep improving yourself and be patient. More importantly, they should not be afraid of failure, but instead, learn from it. In over 26 years of my experience in this business, I have never stopped learning. I believe that we will harvest the profit from what we do. Just “believe in the dream, work hard for it, and make it happen”…. ETA: What are the future plans for PM Center? Suree: For the next 5 years, we would like to grow the business with an insideout approach, that is, staff development, business expansion and brand building. As I have mentioned earlier, staff development is very essential in this industry since new technology is being introduced almost weekly. With strong and capable staff, PM Center can offer unlimited possibilities to the clients domestically and regionally. Since the ASEAN Economic Community will come into force in 2015, we strongly believe that we will be among the leading R&S companies in the region, counting on our strong client base in Thailand as a great jumping-off point for us. To achieve our 5-year goal, we realize that building the brand image is another, if not the most, important task. Our goal is to establish PM Center as the clients’ top choice company by being a trustworthy company that always offers professional and high quality production management solutions. pmcenter.co.th

Suree: I count myself as lucky because the

SNAPSHOT July - August 2013

Rental & Staging - Malaysia by Elissa Nadine

something to celebrate, “We won this award not because of revenue but because many didn't realise that such an industry existed. Many have always thought it was just the event companies that supplied equipment for events, they didn't actually know there was someone behind it all.” Thanks to Show Gear's award, Chng now feels the industry has benefited, at least with auditors. “After the coverage, now auditors know that our industry exists”, he says. From the corporate world, we expanded our reach into the middle ground with Mubari Group of Companies(Mubari GOC) and had a sit down with one of its Directors, Siswa Azmi Mohd Mubari(Ajun Mubari). A family company started by its patriarch, Hj. Mubari Nasuha in the early 80's, Mubari GOC specialises in TV events and foreign concerts.

f you have been following been following our past issues of 2013, our mission has been clear. To bring a comprehensive round-up of the rental and staging markets across different countries within South East Asia. This month's scope extends to the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural land of Malaysia. In our recent visit to the country, we were granted the opportunity to meet up with some of the country's key players as well as those who are up and coming. The rental and staging business in Malaysia expands over the country's thirteen states and three federal territories amounting to a cool total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi). Within its borders, it caters to a host of events ranging from concerts to corporate events. After research and interviews, we estimate that the industry in Malaysia to be worth between USD33 million in the higher end and USD20 million in the lower end, considering the exchange rate to average about 1MYR:USD 0.33. Most of the businesses we spoke to considered investing but not a large sum, the trend in the country seems to be 'Perfect what equipment you have before trying to own more'. A major piece of pie in the country belongs to the corporate events. Not only do locals take the opportunity to turn boring stuffy company affairs into a party, but foreigners are quite appreciative of the Malaysian flair for turning the simplest events into extravaganzas.

THE PLAYERS WE MET

Audio Synergy Projects & Concepts Sdn Bhd or better known in the industry as ASPC is one of those companies. Headed

by Directors, K.H Thong and T.H Lim, the company was first established in 1998 oﬀering a complete portfolio of rental equipment and services of sound and lights. ASPC has provided their services to many prestigious events for corporate bodies such as PETRONAS, who are the national oil company of Malaysia and are vested with the entire ownership and control of the petroleum resources in the country, as well as Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad, a leading integrated consumer media entertainment group in Malaysia and South East Asia. ASPC in one of the few companies that have branched overseas, with a branch in Shanghai, China. The company is doing so well that they average more than 50 jobs within a single month with each lasting between 1 day to 2 weeks. Another key player in the corporate world is Show Gear Production Sdn Bhd (Show Gear). We spoke to Seah Chng, who, alongside his wife, is the Founder of Show Gear. Seah is also listed as the Technical Director and has been in the industry for 20 years. According to him, corporate events are the “core” of his business. He elaborates, “We are the preferred supplier at the KL Convention Centre and we get a lot of opportunities to handle corporate events and foreign conferences that come into Malaysia. Being a preferred supplier means that a company must meet a minimum criteria of being ISO certified and OHSAS certified due to health and safety concerns.” The company was also awarded the Golden Bull Entrepreneur Award in 2012, an award that showcases outstanding entrepreneurs. However, Chng feels the win was not truly

They have since expanded their business into HD-MCP(multi camera production) with an initial investment of RM2 million in 2011 to upgrade their inventory bit by bit in order to cater to the broadcast requirements. “This enables us to supply HD cameras to the organizers for recording purposes,” says Ajun. And while plans are on hold to expand further it is not due to lack of revenue. According to Ajun, “Thanks to our staﬀ commitment and great service, most of our clients keep coming back to book us for their next event. In fact, we haven't stopped having events since the end of last year. There is no rest involved because we cover local concerts, TV, government functions and even carnivals.” Another family company, Team Sound & Light (M) Sdn Bhd (Team S&L), is the youngest company we had the pleasure of speaking with. And while its only been around for 3 years, it is headed by a veteran in the industry. Dennis David is the Chief Engineering Oﬃcer with more than 20 years of experience under his belt. Having already invested RM4.5 million at their inauguration,

Seah Chng, Founder & Technical Director of Show Gear Production Sdn Bhd

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SNAPSHOT July - August 2013

Thong of ASPC says, “The R&S industry may be growing but it is because many of the companies that are coming out now are actually just starting. There are only about 10-11 companies that are established or have been around for a long time. This means while we have more jobs and more events, the hard work is left to these few companies to keep up that growth.”

CHALLENGES Mubari Group of Companies, Director, Siswa Azmi Mohd Mubari

they have been keeping that number constant over the years and are planning a big upgrade soon. They have already set plans in motion to increase their inventory of audio and lighting equipment even though their edge has already been established as they are one of the very few companies in Malaysia who own a L-Acoustics VDOSC system. David says, “I have the system that many artists request for. And because of that system I have a lot of opportunities to do the shows.” Focused on international and local concerts, the company has already done shows in Thailand and Vietnam. They also bring in Bollywood artists for shows within Malaysia. Speaking to very diﬀerent companies with diﬀerent goals and aims, we felt that we had the chance to get sides to every argument and story. The good and the bad.

INDUSTRY GROWTH

The Good: The industry is growing. Ajun (Mubari GOC) says, “What helps the industry grow are the government functions, local and foreign concerts as well as broadcast.” A thought that was echoed by David (Team S&L), “ I can tell it's growing because, from the time I started, there have been a lot of R&S companies that have come up.”

More than just a job? A recurring theme between all the players in different countries is the lack of skilled manpower and competition in prices. In Malaysia, however, it was not quite the problem of having no skilled manpower. What bothered the companies was that the staff they have/had just don't seem to care any more and this in turn, affects the quality of their work. Thong (ASPC) explains, “People who are joining the industry don't care about it any more. They join just because they need a job and in order to be successful in this business, you must care. People in our business want those who are in it for the long term because they believe these are the people who will deliver well. There are a lot of companies, like mushrooms, who grow for about 2-3 months then disappear..” Could it be that the trend now is to get into our lucrative industry, make a quick buck then get out? Dennis(Team S&L) says, “Unless you have a passion for what you want to do, then nothing will change.” Dennis' son, Darryl, has been attending shows with his father since he was young which fostered a love for the industry. Straight out of school, Darryl mastered lighting and is now one of the first few locals who can program on a grandMA. Jumping jacks! This leads us to the topic of loyalty. Though many consider this is minor issue, companies

in Malaysia seem to be having real difficulty with this. Many nuisances comes from the fact that when companies do manage to hire passionate staff, once trained, these individuals will take their knowledge and jump to another company. This doesn't just apply to one/two companies in the industry. It's a resounding problem felt ALL OVER! Ajun (Mubari GOC) says, “It's very difficult to find loyal staff now because the possibility of getting a higher salary always tempts them. We are figuring out how to reduce the 'expertise-cum-technical' drain problem by offering them other perks that can match a higher salary”. Dennis (Team S&L) concurs, “People must learn that you cannot, especially in entertainment, rely on what you know. You're one step back if you do that and by jumping from company to company you miss out on bringing your knowledge to the next level because you never stay in a company long enough.” Thong(ASPC), even though he feels it happening, is not as perturbed. He finds that while many may be jumping around, many are also jumping out altogether to make it on their own. “Freelancing is quite common as it equals more money and free time but less amount of time for the business. Freelancing may be a better idea for some because in our business, working schedules are very hectic and some feel they need some time to rest so they decide to freelance which allows them to control their own schedule and time. He even provided a solution that allows loyalty and freelance work to co-exist. According to Thong, he has an ex-staff who, after being trained by ASPC, decided to go freelance and he still works with the company till today. However, be that as it may, freelancing is not for everyone. Thong adds, “Freelancing is difficult in this country. You have to be really hard-working and really good.”

The Bad: Growth ≠ Revenue While Seah (Show Gear) agrees on the growth, he takes a diﬀerent approach as to why and whether it benefits the industry as a whole. “ We are growing because there's too many copied products from China competing with the European products. An example are the LED screens. 10 years ago, LED screens used to be a premium product, nowadays LEDs have flooded the markets and the prices have dropped, as a result, now every event has an LED screen. This brings the industry to the next level in terms of standard but it does not benefit the industry's overall revenue.” Dennis David (centre) with his crew from Team Sound & Light (M) Sdn Bhd

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SNAPSHOT July - August 2013

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PROFESSIONALISM

Are industry players professional in Malaysia? Dennis (Team S&L) weighs in, “To a certain extent, we are. We've been doing a lot of international events and the people we work with don't seem to have a bad opinion of us. And while I believe a few years ago, clients would seek international companies to do shows, we don't see that happening now. Now the equipment, expertise and professionalism are available here, there's no need to travel across borders.” Chng (Show Gear) feels diﬀerent, “In order to use the word professional, you need to be familiar with the products. I would say we are not very professional as some companies just want to own high-end systems without knowing the safety required to handle the set up and this causes a lot of accidents. No doubt people can be trained but provided you should be trained before owning the system. It's like purchasing a car before getting a driver's license.” Chng adds, “Everyone should be certified before owning certain products. You may know how to buy LED screens but do you have the right knowledge of what category do LED screens belong to? These are the kind of questions that you should know how to answer BEFORE purchasing equipment. If we all were to put a little bit more thought into purchasing products then I would consider us professional.”

THE WAY FORWARD

Dennis(Team S&L) says, “I think the industry would do much better if we have more support from the government. Possibly getting back certain exemptions from the government in terms of taxes which in Malaysia, are very high. Here we have to pay the artists, artists tax and ticketing tax, all this even before we cover our own costs and also considering the conversion rate is quite high from Ringgit to USD. The only way to really profit from a show is if we get corporate sponsorship because they get branding in return.” According to Chng (Show Gear), its up to an individual's business planning. Proper thought must be put into the growth or maintenance of a company. “To grow you have to foresee the market requirements 3 years from now. Be more forward thinking and don't just buy what other people buy. Break the trend of 'I want what he has, just because he has it'.” Let us know what you think! Scan here to drop us a comment on our Facebook wall. www.e-techasia.com

IN PROFILE July - August 2013

Outline: Four Decades Of Delivering The True Audience Experience situation, which, after forty years, eﬀectively reflects that same initial philosophy.” To make the most of this philosophy, Outline conceives, designs and manufactures its loudspeakers systems, embedded electronics (iMode), acoustic prediction software and iOS APPs one hundred percent in Italy. The company employs local subcontractors with whom they have worked with for several decades and in turn, these companies work almost exclusively for Outline.

True Innovation in Design and Engineering

The company celebrates its anniversary at Prolight+Sound 2013

Italian individuals and companies have led the world in certain disciplines for centuries. In automotive and industrial design, in cuisine and wine, in fashion, in culture, in architecture, in art, in science and of course in music, ‘Italian Passion’ continues to inspire the heart and delight the senses. Following that passion, Italian manufacturer Outline has received numerous accolades for their “Product Innovation” and “Product Excellence” beating out other top-grade companies in the market. 2013 marks the 40th year for the world class company and to celebrate them, E-Tech Asia presents a look at how the company has grown and progressed over the years. It all started with Guido Noselli. A young musician and engineer who, driven by his dissatisfaction with contemporary audio systems started Outline in 1973 with not much more than a vision to improve the listening experience of his audiences. In the town of Brescia, near Milan in northern Italy, Outline started designing and developing a range of amplifiers, pre-amplifiers, mixers, tuners as well as measurement instruments for product engineers. It was through demand and opportunity that the company gradually started developing products designed for live performance use, and the later half of the 70‘s saw a variety of products including the

MX 500 audio mixing console launched by the fledgling company. Outline hit the ground running by producing high-end products since its inception, now after 40 years, Outline is a top grade manufacturer, with about fifty patents in the electroacoustic field. However, those familiar with the high-end world know that it’s full of hard-to-please perfectionists who are always looking for new audio experiences and that is precisely why Outline has made it a point NOT to produce a product that is not, at least in one sector, better than or diﬀerent from what its competitors have to oﬀer. And as Michele Noselli, Outline's Communication and Marketing Director, says, “Adopting this approach from the outset obviously influenced our company's present-day

Living up to the company motto of 'Delivering the true audience experience’ Outline started building its reputation within the decade of its inauguration. The company's first hit product was the MX 503 console for mixing audio sources. Michele explains, “With its ultra-slim avant-garde design, it was objectively appreciated and its high-end sonic performance - for that period - did the rest. The product was used in pro applications and to this day several MX 503’s are still being used in Italy.” Nowadays, it is the Butterfly that carries the pride of the company. The Butterfly was the first vertical line array launched by Outline, over ten years ago. It is currently owned by some of the world’s most successful (and legendary) rental companies. Michele says, “We’re particularly proud of Butterfly, especially because, it’s clear to all concerned that, in spite of the patents obtained regarding its special lines (without top and bottom “walls”) and the DPRWG waveguide it incorporates, this product has always been a “source of inspiration” for numerous (wellknown) manufacturers. An authoritative

such as iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, using the APPs (developed in Outline’s R&D labs) available from the Apple Store,” Michele adds.

Looking back to move forward

As Outline strides forward into the 21st century it does so with an ever-present awareness of its own past achievements, and a panoramic world-view that is shaping its future.

Outline owners (L-R): Michele Noselli, Giorgio Biﬃ & Stefano Noselli

The Founder of Outline, Guido Noselli

exponent of the international pro audio community even coined the expression 'Butterfly-type systems'. For a moment, readers should stop and think of which and how many systems resemble Butterfly – and have been launched in the last ten years...”

expectations. For Outline, however, Asia has always appreciated their products, for their quality and performance, but also for their reliability through time. “In fact, we have long-lasting distributors with whom we have had a solid relationship for over fifteen years, which goes to prove what has already been said,” says Giorgio.

The passion to create

From a humble business to a global giant, Outline has established itself as a household name. To date the company has a vast catalogue which covers 90% of the requirements for pro audio. An impressive feat that can only be accomplished with a combination of dedication and hard-work and one that also allows Outline to stay ahead of the pack. Outline's CEO Giorgio Biﬃ explains, “I think that the main reasons for our growth are an on-going search for quality by only using premium components and the great care taken with product design. Many have experienced and understood our passion along with the care we habitually take with work we do.” Distinguishing themselves has always been part of Outline’s DNA. Michele explains, “In terms of pure quality and after direct A/B comparisons, we often hear us being described as the leading company on the international market. In actual fact, our greatest ambition is just to further improve our equipment’s positive features. This simple passion and the cult for things that are “well made” guide us in everything we do.” And of course, as every other company does, Outline pays close attention to how the market sees them. According to Michele, the clients’ perception coincides with what the company aims to achieve. “We can’t deny that nowadays Outline is labelled by opinion leaders as one of the top five ‘loudspeaker companies’ in terms of absolute sonic performance.” The Asian market may be diﬃcult to conquer for some European manufacturers, seeing that we are a continent of highly diverse

Among the company's accreditations include the iMode, a proprietary technology, conceived to re-define the state of the art in loudspeaker system control. Every Outline loudspeaker system equipped with “iMode” has a PC, network and Web site on board. Users therefore access a computer, not a loudspeaker enclosure, and navigate in the enclosure’s “core” using a normal Web browser. Summarizing, Michele says, “A PC in the cabinet, with a Web site that is used as a control unit of the actual enclosure. Anything that has to be 'communicated' to the enclosure is done via its Web page. In the case of a group of enclosures (e.g. a line array), they 'communicate' with one another, like members of a social network.” Outline draws a very distinct line from its competitors with having nothing between the computer and loudspeaker system, which is an obvious advantage to users. “For us, iMode is the maximum expression of the “allin-one” concept, which has currently become very fashionable. More recently, every iMode-equipped loudspeaker enclosure can be controlled by means of iOS devices,

Outline’s evolutionary (and in some cases, revolutionary) technical developments continue to refine and extend the palette of products available to production professionals all over the world. The new GTO C-12 is a perfect example of how their never-ending cycle of development, refinement and incorporation of customer feedback consistently produces products that meet the needs of the most demanding users. One of the company’s main development paths in recent years has been the integration of standard computer components, transmission systems and protocols into key products. This work has appeared in the guise of the ‘iMode’ concept, which not only collates and delivers huge amounts of critical real-time system data, but does so via an imaginative range of standard devices. This process is ongoing and gives a clue to Outline’s vision for the future of live performance loudspeaker systems. It’s no longer about wood and wire or cones and diaphragms - it’s about giving users instant access to unparalleled levels of control and data via reliable systems and devices with familiar human interfaces. It’s about removing all obstacles between engineers and system technicians and the equipment they need to deliver their skills to the people. And as Guido Noselli said four decades ago, it’s about ‘...creating the true audience experience’. www.outline.it

IN PROFILE July - August 2013

For the love of Lasers! by Elissa Nadine

20 years ago, in the already historically rich country of Germany, Siegmund Ruff (aka Siggi Ruff),set out to make a little history of his own. Ruff took his interests and entrepreneurial views, combined them together and the fruit of his hard work produced one of the world's leading manufacturers in show lasers, LPS Lasersysteme. E-Tech Asia spoke to Founder and CEO of LPS to find out more about the company that characterizes itself by its philosophy of strong customer care, continuous innovations and a global mind. ETA: In the beginning, how did the idea for a laser company come about? Siggi: In 1990, I had already founded a laser company together with a friend of mine but as it often happens, the co-operation became difficult over time. Interests and views became so different that I made the decision to separate myself from my former business partner. In March of 1993, I founded LPSLasersysteme by developing my own show laser systems and elaborating on my own concepts. After a short time, I had enough

LPS headquarters in Germany

profit to hire my first employee thus the process of enlarging my One-Man-Company began. ETA: What a history! So, how much has the past influenced the company to become what it is today? Siggi: Well, life is a continuous process. During each project, like a fixed installation, or each show laser, you have the chance to collect a lot of experience. And the experience from countless show laser installations and show lasers are the ones that aﬀect our present day-to-day actions, ideas and realizations. And it is also incredibly important to have good employees. Again, this is a process that continuously takes place and bears fruit. I can proudly look back after 20 years and see that because of the close co-operation with my business partners and staﬀ, LPS-Lasersysteme is represented around the world with more than seven dozen dealers, freelancers and representatives. ETA: What was the company's first successful product and why do you think it did so well at that time? Siggi: The selection of show laser systems in 1993 was, of course, very limited. There were only water-cooled laser tubes which were,

seriously, just the white light laser and Argon laser. There were also the air-cooled Argon laser and He-Ne laser, but they were very far away from the needed laser power. Our bestseller at that time was the LPS-Event. With a laser power of up to approximately 5.5 W white light and a 16-fold optical bench, laser controller and laser software, it was an absolute eye-catcher for a long time. The higher, and of course much more expensive variant was the LPS-BigRock. It consisted of a white light system with 5.5 W and an Argon laser system with 10W where two satellites via fibre optics were injected to support the common double scanning. So the user had 4 scanner units and a 16-fold optical bench to produce a stunning laser show with animations, graphics and laser beams. ETA: How about yourself? Is there any product that you are particularly proud of and why? Siggi: As you surely know, a lot of lifeblood goes into every single product. Time, ideas, experience and of course money are invested, until each one is how we imagine and the market demands. However, my personal favourite show laser system is the LPS-Bax. It is a handy system that covers most of the customers needs being that it is available in diﬀerent laser power, in RGB or green, and it is very good value for money.

it if something happens. We are available for our customers almost around the clock and do everything humanly possible to help quickly and easily.

LPS CEO, Siggi Ruﬀ with his wife Martina Ruﬀ, Marketing Director

Another good strategy is to produce the show laser systems and accessories. Thus you get a good idea of what customers buy and, in turn, this allows us to properly advise our customers. Also, with our own show laser software LPS-RealTIME Pro, which is a professional software on the market that is constantly being enhanced by our German engineers, we can also consider our target markets’ needs better.

ETA: LPS has an unusual view on awards and accolades. Can you elaborate? Siggi: We are unlike other companies who rely on the namesake of an award. As our global market share increases, our products are becoming more and more popular with customers all around the world and those customers associate with the brand name LPS positively. Having satisfied customers is the most valuable award that a product or a company can get and that is why we are not so much on awards which can be obtained only within our industry.

have a strong, still growing dealer network and also our own clientèle, who know what it takes to run a successful laser show.

ETA: From your overall profit how would you say the Asian market received the companies products? Siggi: In 1998 we moved into the Asian market with our first sale to China. We learned that a rich Chinese individual, who knows his/her value prefers products made in Germany. In the meantime we have customers all around Asia as well as SouthEast-Asia.

We build on honesty, reliability and continuity as well as a good after-saleservice. A person who claims that his device always works and is completely free of maintenance, does not take his/her clientèle seriously. Everyone knows that there is absolutely nothing in the world that is perfect especially when it comes to electronics, it is merely a sign of strength and how to handle

ETA: Many companies face stiﬀ competition from cheaper and copied China-made products, how does the company deal with this competition? Siggi: In the beginning we were also worried about the initial flooding of the market with cheap and copied equipment. The big run on this commodity still continues and for small clubs, which can only invest cheap, this is may be OK. In the meantime and fortunately, rethinking has taken place among many people in our industry. If the goods are only cheap, nothing more, people learn why seemingly more expensive show laser systems are worth its money and that the investment is not unnecessary nor ineﬃcient. In addition, we

ETA: Can you share with us some of the strategies that have brought the company to where it is today? Siggi: LPS stands for high quality, reliability and customer care. That is why we enjoy a great reputation nearly everywhere on the globe – in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, South East Asia and on the doorstep of Europe.

Together with the cooperation with my business partners and friends we can also learn about the current situation and wants of the global market and so, we are able to estimate the needs of our clientèle better and faster. I feel, as long as we produce our show laser systems the way we would want them for our ourselves, we will deliver good and reliable systems for multimedia events. ETA: What are some of the segments that LPS has ventured into and are there plans to further extend into other markets? Siggi: In the past, we only oﬀered pure show lasers and laser shows and while we still do that, now more than ever due to its demand, LPS has expanded its portfolio. In 2012 we presented REALS by LPS during the Prolight+Sound exhibition in Frankfurt am Main in Germany, a highly creative combination of laser and video live tracking. As a multimedia performance, it allows companies, and many others who are using this medium as an eye catcher, to alert themselves in a very special and particularly interactive way. It is unbelievable, how many

IN PROFILE July - August 2013

REALS by LPS

possibilities have opened up for the entire advertising market, therefore, for companies that want that extra edge they should come to us and watch it. Currently we also have really great and close collaborations. An example would be a unique laser show and laser harp combination with the band Climelight that was done where visitors were taken into another dimension of audiovisuals full of brilliant colourful laser beams and mystical sounds from the awesome laser harp. For stage and exhibition shows, LPS oﬀers another highlight – the original laser robot Flagrob. The robot with six limbs, which is specifically intended for the industry, is known for its flexible limbs and guarantees a crazy laser spectacle. Every time it has been used it has proved to be a magnet for audiences especially when it is equipped with our laser systems and it makes show lasers and laser graphics more mobile and this is the aspect that is so appreciated by many of our customers. ETA: With the customer's satisfied, what would you say LPS is renowned for in the eyes of the industry? Siggi: In the industry, we are known for diﬀerent things. For example, when it comes to optical highlights at various corporate events such as anniversaries or annual general meetings or product launches all are made even more special with our special

laser productions. Recently, our expertise was called upon for the introduction of the new A-class by Mercedes Benz and the inauguration of the new Post Tower Carré in Schorndorf, Germany where we showed among others the logo of PORSCHE. For TV broadcasts we are often booked when a country wants to find its superstar, say, in Europe or Korea, our systems were used as a special stage eﬀect. Further, well-known and important personalities trust in our show lasers like Scooter and Pope Benedict XVI, or even the Saudi Arabian Princess Samaha Bin Turky. For installations, the reference list is very long. There are many entertainment centres such as well-known discotheques and Musikparks to bowling centres, casinos and theme parks, as well as international, multi-

media show laser installations for water projects with water fountains. ETA: Just before we end, can you tell us what is the company's forecast for the next 5 years? Siggi: On the basis of continued research and customer-friendly developments, as well as sales-political changes, LPS-Lasersysteme will maintain its strong representation in the laser market. Because of our strong dealer net, our handy show laser systems with amazing high power, and our good name all around the world we are realizing further large projects. The next 5 years we want to be as strong as today on the market, with show lasers and installations of our show laser systems made in Germany. To learn more about LPS and their services head to www.lps-laser.com

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INSTALL July - August 2013

INDIA

Adlabs Imagica creates the ultimate theme park experience

dlabs Imagica, the largest entertainment theme park in India, empowered experience beyond imagination for Indian visitors using 40 Christie projectors, to present multiple animation and live-action films. Six of its top attractions leverage Christie technology exclusively to project razorsharp images with ultra high brightness and detailed resolution to amplify the theme park experience. In the “Prince of the Dark Water” attraction, a Christie DHD670-E and six Christie WU12K-M projectors enable visitors on a virtual dive to discover the ocean with larger-than-life mermaids swimming in a 360-degree dome film on a 3100-square-feet screen. "The Curse of Salimgarh” utilizes a Christie DHD800 and seven Christie DWU675-E projectors to turn a haunted fort named after a Mughal-era fort in Delhi under the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb into a horror ride of macabre rooms filled with eerie creatures. Inspired by the Bollywood movie “Mr. India”, the simulated adventurous ride on an iconic car takes visitors into the animated film to fight against the evil villain of Magambo.

The simulation is powered by a Christie DHD670-E and three Christie Roadie HD+35K projectors, making it the most immersive experience in the theme park.

By oﬀering a mix of story-play and live experiences unique to India, Adlabs Imagica aims to attract three million visitors in its first year.

Under the “I For India” attraction, visitors will take an aerial ride for a stunning view of the gorgeous landscapes of India shown on a 90-feet wide screen projected by five Christie Roadster S+22K-J projectors.

“It was our vision to create an entertainment theme park of international standards in India and I am positive that this park will provide an immersive and wholesome family entertainment experience, something that each Indian will take immense pride in,” said Manmohan Shetty, the Chairman of Adlabs Entertainment Ltd.

Whilst The “Wrath of Gods” incorporates high-end technology with Indian mythological characters, leading visitors to a room with three gigantic idols of Indian gods via a hidden door. Visitors are then entertained by a blend of live theater with special multimedia eﬀects using four Christie DS+10K-M and seven Christie LX1500 projectors.

Rajesh Patkar, Deputy General Manager for Christie India also notes, “Working with the client from the scratch of conceptual stage to planning and execution, it took us two and a half years to see through the success of this project.” www.christiedigital.com

“Motion Box,” an attraction due to be opened, will also oﬀer a simulation ride delivered by a Christie WU12K-M projector.

INSTALL July - August 2013

AUSTRALIA

Sydney’s Star entices with DiGiCo

earing the end of a billion dollar transformation, The Star in Sydney's Pyrmont has morphed from a largescale casino into a full-blown leisure and entertainment complex. With its panoramic views of Sydney's harbour and skyline, the venue has been designed to entice and host international headliners and A-list celebrities from around the globe. Situated within The Star is The Event Centre, a world-class entertainment space suited to intimate concert settings as well as domestic and international conferences, exhibitions and awards functions, which boasts a combination of DiGiCo SD10s and SD11s at the heart of its audio system. The Event Centre is a huge 2400 square metre column-free space, the biggest of its kind in Sydney. The room caters for 4000 patrons in concert mode, 3000 guests with half seated, 1200 in a banquet ballroom setting and 1300 in a conference space. Head of Audio at the Event Centre, Ian Brown, made his assessments of what audio solution The Event Centre would need early on in the process. DiGiCo quickly surfaced as the best choice and Ian was quite vocal in his reasons behind going with an SD10 and SD11 in particular. "This was the first major purchase of audio equipment since the initial fit out of the Casino. From the beginning of this project we set a very high standard for all systems to be installed into the Event Centre, with special emphasis on the audio system. We had a huge list of special requirements the system had to meet.”

He continues, “It had to deliver the best sound available today; and be able to mix up to four independent events on one core system while integrating with our HD vision, conferencing systems and broadcast trucks, as well as be able to link to the existing audio system within the casino.” “Ultimately, my brief was simple. It had to be the best in the world. Nothing else would do." The flexibility of the console was paramount as Ian also notes, "We required a system that could easily switch from doing a concert for major International artists to a conference with the main room operating as two spaces, then go back to broadcast with MADI consoles from the truck linked to the system; and all with minimal time and minimal fuss.” “It also had to be a system that any sound guy (or girl) would be happy to use - and we can be a very fussy bunch. Above all, it had to be reliable. The SD series consoles were the only system that could meet all of the scenarios we could throw at them and they have exceeded all of our expectations," he adds. With such a varied cross section of events being held at the Event Centre year round, the ability to re-locate consoles and reconfigure them in various locations easily via optics proved very appealing to Ian at the onset and has since proven extremely practical. "We've had the consoles working hard since we opened. They have been used on the AACTA awards, the launch of the 2013 NRL season, a constant string of corporate events including product launches for Blackberry, HP, and Gala events with artists such as David Campbell, Dragon, Mark Seymour and a stream of major Chinese artists over Chinese New Year.”

Ian further enthuses, “The ability to put a console anywhere in or out of the venue and have it link to the rest of the system with a simple optical patch is a god send especially when sub mixing for vision and / or links to breakout rooms are required. Many events require some unusual operating locations and complex routing is the norm here. Optics makes this a breeze, also saving us a lot of cable and head scratching. Hum and unwanted noise are a thing of the past.” The ultra-low latency of the SD consoles has also ensured that syncing and streaming to HD video is easily achievable. "The SD system has met all of these challenges with ease. We are not only able to access the hundreds of inputs and outputs across the entire Star Casino property via our extensive Dante network, but we can also link to the other properties in the Echo Entertainment Group or any site worldwide via a secure DVN service. Indeed, there is no shortage of professionals remarking on the consoles in action, with Ian happily reporting some great feedback from some of Australia's leading engineers. Everyone who has used the consoles has been blown away by the clarity, abundance of features and the ease of operation with David Quinn stating that his first show on the SD10 was “like driving a F1 car”. Will King, FOH on the AACTA Awards also adds, “It’s not me, I didn’t do anything. All I did was push up some faders.” “I love the console. I am going to spec it on all my shows,” shared Matt Debien, who monitored for the AACTA Awards, adding “I had to put a guard on the console because he wanted to take it with him!" www.digico.org

INSTALL July - August 2013

SINGAPORE

Clay Paky a bright match for Singapore’s Star Gallery

ingapore’s technologically advanced new Star Performing Arts Centre has invested in Clay Paky’s Alpha Spot HPE 700 and Alpha Wash 700 fixtures to provide a bright solution for its 770-seater Star Gallery multi-purpose hall. The venue’s Technical Director Daniel Loh specified 16 of each Alpha Spot HPE 700 and Alpha Wash 700s as an optional upgrade to the standard lighting package in the theatre, choosing them due to their compact, lightweight build and quiet operation. “In addition to the Alpha Wash 700s and Alpha Spot HPE 700s’ relatively small dimensions, we needed fixtures that oﬀered good colour rendition and really packed a punch in terms of light output,” says Daniel. “The 32 Clay Paky fixtures will serve as floating stock that can be used in various venues in our facility, and the two Alpha ranges facilitate this due to their small scale size but powerful output.”

The Clay Paky fixtures were supplied by Selangor, Malaysia-based Acoustic & Lighting System Pte Ltd.

venue and storage of lights are a major issue - the Alpha 700 series fits perfectly for their usage,” Eugene enthused.

“The revamped Clay Paky Alpha Series (300/700/1500) and of course Sharpy have been an instant hit in our market,” adds Eugene Yeo, Business Development Manager at Acoustic & Lighting System Pte Ltd.

“Clay Paky has managed to establish itself to be the new industry standard of 700W which something we are very proud of.”

“As now more users has noticed the advantage of investing in better quality lights, we believe that Clay Paky will continue to grow in future.” The 700 series are favourites due to their relatively silent operation, which is useful for TV and theatre. Its quick pan and tilt movement are also great for rock-and-roll shows. “Due to its size and brightness, many people opt for this fixture over 1200W moving heads especially in Singapore, where most of the places are more towards medium size

The Alpha Spot HPE 700 is the smallest 700W spotlight available, weighing at just 22 kilos. The 700W lamp provides a level of brightness equal, if not greater, than that seen with higher wattages. www.claypaky.it

INSTALL July - August 2013

SOUTH KOREA

Meyer Sound maximizes diversity at Sohyang Arts Center necessary, but it does demonstrate to some guests how dramatically Constellation can change the reverberation time.” The Constellation system equips the venue with settings for unamplified orchestral concerts. It can also be used with the theatre’s Meyer Sound main reinforcement system for anything from jazz to classic rock musicals. The reinforcement component comprises eight UPQ-1P loudspeakers as left and right mains, a center cluster of 10 MINA line array loudspeakers, and two 700-HP subwoofers. Additional UPJunior, UPM-1P, and UPA-1P loudspeakers serve as delay and fill.

ongseo University’s Sohyang Arts Center is the newest and most technically advanced performing arts venue in Busan, the second-largest city in South Korea. Outfitted with a Meyer Sound Constellation acoustic system and sound reinforcement system, the theatre is sonically suited to host a spectrum of events ranging from musical theatre to orchestral and rock concerts. According to the AV systems integrator for the project, the current primary use of the venue is for musical theatre. However, Song Dae-young, general director of the Sohyang Arts Center, insisted in planning that the hall acoustics and sound system be able to handle a wide variety of events. In light of that requirement, Constellation was a logical solution for the space. The Constellation system at Sohyang is designed to create ambient acoustic environments ranging from an intimate chamber music hall to a vast cathedral. The system is built on Meyer Sound’s D-Mitri digital audio platform and uses 40 miniature microphones, 157 small mid-high loudspeakers, and 12 compact subwoofers.

A Galileo loudspeaker management system with two Galileo 616 processors provides signal processing. The D-Mitri core of the system comprises 17 frames, including four DVRAS processors (for the four acoustical zones) plus additional frames for core processing, input/output, GPIO, mixing, and WildTracks digital recording and playback.

Since its opening, the hall has hosted a steady stream of events, including screenings for the Busan International Film Festival, the musicals Chicago, Mamma Mia!, and Les Misérables, and the Korean musical Kwanghwamun Younga.

The precisely positioned loudspeaker assortment includes MM-4XP, UPM-1P, and UP-4XP loudspeakers, UPJunior and UPJ1P VariO loudspeakers, and the UMS-SM subwoofer, all of which are concealed around the side walls and overhead.

“When the Les Misérables team visited the hall, they were impressed by both the Constellation and PA system,” says Song.

“Acoustic flexibility a high priority for the space,” Song explained. “I asked the Constellation team to provide six presets with enhanced reverberation times from 1.3 to five seconds.”

The Avix Tech team responsible for system integration and installation was headed by Lee Sung-bok, project manager, with support from Eric Han, senior engineer, and Tom Jung, who served as project communicator and translator.

He continues, “I know five seconds is not

www.meyersound.com

“They decided not to bring their own equipment for reinforcement.”

SINGAPORE

CASSIS goes baroque with Turbosound 4 units of Turbosound Impact 55T passive two-way ceiling speakers, duly driven by 1 unit of MC2 Audio E100 4-channel amplifier, 1 unit of MC2 E-90 2-channel amplifier and 1 unit of MC2 E45 2-channel amplifier, further complement the system, while 6 units of Turbosound TCX18B and 1 unit of Turbosound TCX15B subwoofer supplement and provide for the low end. John enthused, “I love the crisp clear highs and the deep bass of the Turbosounds. We chose such a warm sound system because it is important that the feel of music is right. I’ve known Turbosound for a very long time and so it’s a system that I can invest in with complete confidence.”

et to bring a whole new experience to nightlife, CASSIS is a premium lounge that morphs into a nightclub by night. Cradled within Clarke Quay, the atmospheric bar boasts a Mediterranean vibe that is both lush and just a little decadent. Minimalist, it is not. Established in late December 2012, CASSIS flaunts a lavish rococo interior that emanates laid back glam with understated luxury, complete with plush cushions, Cherub statues, heavy draperies and crystal chandeliers. The entire space within houses the Nautilus bar, specially built in homage to the heady, beach parties of St. Tropez and Ibiza; notable for its private alcoves with baroque sofas for that tête-à-tête, along with plush, clustered seating for groups of friends.

Frequent themed evenings such as Bunny Brouhaha, The Cassis Deadly 7 and R&B Tuesdays also help to keep things fresh for patrons. “The concept developed because I’m European. With Clarke Quay being the number one entertainment spot in Singapore, we wanted to add a modern European flavour to the night scene here,” shared Cassis’ founder John Lee. To enhance the venue’s appeal as a premium nightlife destination, John approached Consolidated Audio Networks Pte Ltd to specify, supply and install a discreet, state-ofthe-art sound system. On surround sound duty are 4 units of Turbosound NuQ12 and 4 units of Turbosound NuQ15 full range loudspeakers, which seamlessly blend well with the stylish décor and luxurious ambience. "The bar needed a system that is both versatile and robust across all music genres for both live and high profile club nights. So, it was important that we got it right,” shared John.

DJ Booth

True to its the unobtrusive style, two units of Turbosound Impact 65T and two units of Turbosound Impact 55T loudspeakers are assigned for the bar’s al fresco area, distinctly created to “bring the outdoors in” with its alluring, comfortable low and deep seats.

“The speakers’ design were also visually neat and unobtrusive, which makes the NuQ range ideal for CASSIS."

Stage monitoring over at the DJ booth is accomplished via 2 units of Turbosound Milan M10 active loudspeakers, whilst processing is handled by a XTA DP448 processor. Indeed, this has worked well and CASSIS now boasts a packed house and some big names on its roaster of DJ acts. “As usual, the Turbosound system performed flawlessly. I’m very pleased!” www.cassis.com.sg

INSTALL July - August 2013

SOUTH KOREA

South Korea gets a FBT makeover

MITUS 206LA

MITUS rides on the hallyu wave at Ilsan MVL Hotel Ilsan MVL Hotel is Daemyung resort chain’s latest project, following the successful opening of Yeosu Expo Hotel in March this year.

FBT distributor AD&C International was tasked to install the FBT MITUS series speakers in four of five auditorium halls in the hotel.

MITUS range, which provided suﬃcient and consistent coverage throughout the hall.

Ilsan MVL is the only hotel housed in the Hallyu World complex, which is an integrated entertainment theme park constructed in Ilsan city for the purpose of exposing and promoting the Korean pop music industry, more commonly known as ‘hallyu’, to the worldwide stage.

Among which, the medium-sized auditorium hall features 12 units of FBT MITUS 206LA and 4 units of MITUS 212FSA sub-woofers.

For the purpose of outdoor performances, 16 units of MITUS206LA and 8 units of MITUS 212FSA were specified to supplement the whole setup, in addition to 8 units of FBT 210MA catered for stage monitoring.

Chosen for their compact and light weight, the hotel management were very pleased with the clarity and high SPL levels of the

A further 6 units of FBT MITUS 112A, provided for the sound system in three other conference rooms.

FBT SHADOWs Gyeonggi Fire Station of weatherproof products, the SHADOW Outdoor IP55 speaker series and HP600 amplifiers. F2: SHADOW, as seen from the top of the vehicle

“The fire station committee is equally impressed with the systems! From all the good responses that we’re getting, we’re optimistic about implementing this for the other fire stations in Korea!” www.fbt.it

The sound systems were neatly installed on top of the control center vehicles at the station. Gyeonggi province is one of the largest territories surrounding the capital of South Korea, Seoul. AD&C International recently adorn Gyeonggi’s fire station with FBT’s range

“As the scale is relatively small, the system can be controlled perfectly, without hindrance, in complicated and noisy environments,” shared a spokesperson at AD&C International.

SHADOW, as seen from the top of the vehicle

TECH TALK July - August 2013

Talking Digital with Guillaume Ehret

by Rosalind Tan

Following the series of training workshops hosted by Sennheiser Asia for the ‘Digital Wired Microphone Systems’ from Sennheiser France, and the recent ‘Acoustica Malam Edan Search Live’ concert, which marks Singapore’s first fully digital concert, E-Tech Asia felt that it was a great time to explore the shift towards fully digital solutions in the domains of live sound, broadcast and integrated systems. We sat down with Guillaume Ehret, the International Project Manager for Digital Microphones Global Sales, to discuss the virtues and challenges of this growing trend. What is the greatest challenge thus far in encouraging users to transform from analogue to digital wired microphone systems?

very interesting to see the change going at diﬀerent speeds depending on the countries, as well as in diﬀerent fields, where it comes down to the varying applications.

With good analogue microphones, you can overload very easily. And then, there’s the pre-amps. With digital, you don’t have any more pre-amps.

GUILLAUME: “We are in a period of transition. It’s an important step forward and so the biggest challenge is helping the users go through the process of change, in terms of equipment and their way of working.

In fact, we are now at a real turning point. In Singapore, we have a network of rental companies, closing on six, having fully digital solutions to oﬀer to their users. So, the market here is much more open which smoothens the transition towards fully digital solutions.”

It is also very transparent and allows one to remote control all the perimeters of the microphones from very long distances.

Generally, users already have some old and existing microphones. So, the question is how to steer these people towards newer technology and also, how to combine the analogue with digital. For the live sound industry in Europe, the people tend to have a firm grip on their specific working habits and traditions. So it’s important to find the right configuration and combination of devices which will best fit the individual. I would say, education and communication are the key to speeding up this transition. It’s

What are some of the key advantages of a digital microphone system, as compared to an analogue system?

What you have and hear, is what you get. There is no need for EQ. A good example of this is an interesting system used at a casino in Monaco, where digital microphones were installed and used

GUILLAUME: “It really depends on the field of application. Digital micophones, are very loud, in terms of SPL, and very powerful. More importantly, it can endure very high sound pressure level which makes it more flexible.

Digital 9000 wireless microphone system

in combination with IP video cameras. With access and the right configurations, It’s always amazing to know that you can control the gains of the microphones placed on the game tables with just your laptop.”

Both of these microphones should be part of the same system. The way you manage the gains, should be common between wired and wireless. It’s not the case so far, but we’re definitely working towards it.

Are there diﬀerent types of challenges for digital wired microphone systems in the diﬀerent fields such as live sound, broadcast and integrated systems? What would they be?

So, I would say it’s not so much as wired vs wireless. Instead, I see the potential of combining these two systems for digital

www.sennheiser.com

ABOUT THE MAN:

GUILLAUME: “For integrated systems, it’s almost always a breeze. For broadcast, I would say that it has to be very safe and achieved solution.

Guillaume Ehret is an audio specialist. For more than 15 years with Sennheiser, he has acquired a strong experience on the field as a product manager for microphones and wireless systems, undertaking responsibility for artist relations, and more recently, as the sales and marketing manager for Neumann in Europe.

For now, there is no broadcast mixing console in the market which can directly control the microphones. However, we should be able to see some breakthroughs starting from next year. The real broadcast adventure will only start when we have that kind of solution. It’s just a matter of time. As for live sound, it all boils down to the ease of use and setup time.” Wired Vs Wireless. What are your thoughts on this? GUILLAUME: “This is something that we are working on at the moment. KM183D series by Neumann

Acoustica Malam Edan Search Press Conference

networking, ultilising the same connectivity. It’s very much related to the possibility of control from a mixing desk, for instance. Once we have more of these solutions, we will see more common ways of managing both systems.”

TECH TALK July - August 2013

OLED vs LED Lighting: Is there By Dr Norman Bardsley, Bardsley Consulting & Dr Khasha Ghaﬀarzadeh, Senior Technology Analyst, IDTechEx

Dr Norman Bardsley

IDTechEx Research finds that in its “most likely” forecasts scenario OLED lighting will become a $1.3 billion market in 2023 – equating to 1.3% of the market size of LED lighting at that time. The new report by IDTechEx “OLED vs LED Lighting 2013-2023” finds that OLED lighting is likely to struggle to define and communicate its unique selling points and may remain an over-priced and underperforming option compared to LED lighting, unless Apple-like design innovation occurs. OLED lighting companies will inevitably have to capitalise on superior design features to carve out niche markets in the hospitality, shopping and architectural sectors. Profits for panel makers will be squeezed due to stiﬀ competition and value will migrate downstream to fixture/luminaire designers, who will be the demand creators.

OLED lighting performance today eﬃciency and lifetime

OLED displays are growing quickly but their lighting counterparts are still actively trying to define their unique selling points vis-à-vis LED lighting. Today, they lag behind in terms of efficiency. This is because LEDs regularly offer 90-100 lm/W at package level (the LED chip encapsulated), while OLED modules are still in the region of 20-50lm/W. The lifetime of LEDs far exceed that of OLEDs. Indeed, LED lamps regularly offer in excess of 50,000 hours, which is why they initially found a niche market in out-of-reach outdoor

Figure 1. A radar chart comparing attributes of OLED and LED lighting.

applications. In contrast, OLED lighting oﬀers 5,000 to 15,000 hours of operational life even when encapsulated.

Cost

LED lighting is also now low cost, selling at $5/klm at package level (luminaires costs $20-$100/klm). Contrast this with the extortionate price of OLED today. They cost $300-$500/klm at panel level, excluding the cost of fixture design, retail, installation and profit margins. The main cost drivers are the encapsulation layer (barrier, adhesive and desiccant) and integrated substrates (transparent conductive layer, substrate and out-coupling layer). In the current configuration, cavity glass is used as the barrier. This is expensive because (a) additional processing is required (sand blasting) to carve out a cavity, and (b) large glass manufacturers are reluctant to commit production capacity given the low demand. A change in system configuration from, first, cavity to frit glass and, second, from frit glass to thin film encapsulation is needed to drive the cost down. Today, encapsulation layers (including desiccant and adhesive) cost $400$500/m2.

The integrated substrate is also a substantial cost driver. The integrated substrate includes the substrate (glass), transparent conductive layer (mostly ITO), metal electrodes, planarization (all patterned by photolithography/etch) and external light extraction film. The entire stack today costs $800-$900/m2 although this can be driven down to $100-$120/m2 in 2023. Innovation is taking place here with the advent of printing, grid materials, etc. The situation is summarised in Fig.1 for the performance of OLED and LED lighting today. OLED lighting oﬀers high potential for large-area emission, although today OLED production takes place on Gen-2 substrates only. Similarly, OLED lighting oﬀers good form factors, although today most OLED lighting applications are made on rigid glass. Nevertheless, OLED lighting is still embryonic. It is of course important to add that LED lighting development is far more mature – and more money has been spent on it than OLED lighting. Recently many companies have become active in OLED lighting and

room for OLED Lighting? investment is increasing. For example, we expect the active materials to experience a fast cost reduction rate. This is because of leverage from the OLED display industry and also because costs will scale with volume. This is diﬀerent from the other two layers since the demand is mostly driven by factors outside the OLED lighting space. Currently, active materials cost $350-$400/m2 but expect this to fall to $70-$90/m2 in 2023. The growth of the OLED display industry will aid the OLED lighting sector with cheaper, higher performance devices over time – with some overlap in supply chains. The challenges faced in OLED lighting applications will not be solved by the panel manufacturers alone.

Design factors

LED lighting is intrinsically a point source light, whereas OLED lighting is a surface emission device. While OLED lighting is likely to have a competitive edge here, its advantage is not as compelling as first evident. This is because the use of multiple LEDs in conjunction with waveguides is enabling the eﬀective realisation of surface emission. At the same time, most OLED production today takes place on Gen-2 substrates.

Markets

The report from IDTechEx offers a broad yet detailed overview of both LED and OLED lighting, going through fabrication processes, material compositions, technology roadmaps, and key players. The device attributes of each technology are also critically assessed, examining parameters such as colour warmth and controllability, flexibility, efficiency, surface emission, lifetime, wafer size, and luminaire design. This report also offers a blunt market assessment. Detailed cost projection roadmaps are developed, factoring in estimated cost evolution of the integrated substrates, encapsulation layers and materials. Changes in system configuration and material composition required to enable the cost roadmaps are outlined. We also factor in production costs including capital and labour. Values are expressed in units of

$/unit and $/klm. A summary of the relative contribution of each lighting market segment to the total OLED market between 2013 and 2023 is shown in Fig.2. Based on our “most likely” scenario, IDTechEx forecast the market will grow to $1.3 billion in 2023 and initially grow at a rapid rate of 40-50% annually, although the initial market base in very small. We contextualize our assessment by expressing our market forecast in units of equivalent 60W incandescent bulbs. We assess the implications of our market forecast for the global capital investment and production capacity. We compare the market size to that of LEDs (including automotive, backplane and residential) at module level. Production capacities are compared too to further set out forecasts in prospective. Our methodology is clearly laid out in the report, as are all our underlying assumptions.

Form factor (mechanical flexibility) is often claimed as a major selling point too. Today OLED technology falls short due to the encapsulation layers being based on glass – but progress on flexible barriers for OLED displays is likely to help this in the future. OLEDs also have the edge on colour warmth, low weight and thinness. The onus over the coming years is therefore likely to be on luminaire/fixture designers who develop and sell niche products, capitalising on improved design parameters made available by OLEDs.

Figure 2. The relative monetary contribution of each lighting market segment to the total OLED market 2013-2023

IDTechEx forecast the market will grow to $1.3 billion in 2023 and initially grow at a rapid rate of 40-50% annually, although the initial market base in very small.

Scan here to read the full data IDTechEx report “OLED vs LED Lighting”

www.IDTechEx.com

THE INTERVIEW July - August 2013

Exclusive Interview with Asai Hirotasu Our Visual Systems Business Division will continue to focus on R&D to develop projectors that will suit the needs of our consumers, be it for small scale presentations or large scale projection mapping on surfaces of buildings. 2. Can you give us more insight to Panasonic's DIGITAL LINK Technology and its advantages? Asai: Digital signal transmission is becoming more and more common in projectors as consumers look to enjoy higher quality images.

E-tech Asia spoke to Hirotasu Asai, Manager, Professional Audio Video Department, Professional Systems Division, of Panasonic, on his thoughts on the company and its future. 1. I believe Panasonic now holds position number 2 in terms of overall projector sales in the world. Please verify if this is correct. What would the company's objectives be in relation to this. Asai: Panasonic holds the number 2 position in terms of overall projector sales globally, including home cinema projectors and volume zone models. If we look into more than 3,000lm category, which we are now concentrating, we are No.1 position in the market. We are currently at an exciting time for the company as we optimize our operations to meet future challenges. As part of this, we have restructured our 88 Business Units into 49 Business Divisions.

Other consumer needs that Panasonic has also identified include long-distance wiring and also flexible length adjustment. Facilitating long-distance wiring in a conventional system was very complicated and expensive and Panasonic recognizes this and aims to provide a solution with DIGITAL LINK. In a traditional system, extra costs are incurred via extenders and extra cables to link the systems together. More complicated systems might also require special construction that adds to this cost. The DIGITAL LINK system is essentially an intelligent single-cable solution that allows transmission of High Definition Video, audio and control signals via a single Cat5e cable for up to 100 meters.

Laser combined Light source DLP projector, the Solid Shine Series : PT-RZ470 (3,500lm WUXGA Professional), PT-RZ370 (3,500lm WUXGA Basic), PT-RW430 (3,500lm, WXGA Professional), PT-RW330 (3,500lm WXGA Basic) and High Brightness Portable projector: PT-VW430 (4,300lm WXGA). We are going to launch PT-DZ870 Series (WUXGA 8,500lm etc, total 3 models) as DIGITAL LINK projector in Jun and will expand the DIGITAL LINK projector line-up more and more. To add-value for the end-user, there is an optional digital interface box, ET-YFB100G, which makes it extremely easy for a user to interact with the system with additional features like analog-digital signal conversion, auto signal resize, auto setup, control & monitoring over a LAN network.

“Projection mapping taps on one’s imagination. If you go back only five years ago, people would never have thought it would be possible to project realistic moving images onto moveable props or surfaces of large buildings.”

The DIGITAL LINK system is also connectable with major AV control manufacturers’ control protocol including those from Crestron DigitalMedia 8G+, Extron XTP Systems, AMX Enova DVX series, and many more.

3. Projection mapping is gaining popularity worldwide. We understand that Panasonic has also been involved in projection mapping projects in Singapore (Resorts World Marine Life Park, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Maritime Gallery), Winter Wonderland and The Prosperity Show in Macau to name a few. Can you give us your view about Projection mapping - why its popularity and how projector technology is enabling such large scale projections to be done?

As of May 2013, Panasonic DIGITAL LINK projector line up are total 5 models, LED/

Asai: Projection mapping is gaining popularity in most large-scale events as it creates

To the consumer, it is a very cost eﬀective, and high quality solution that meets their long distance transmission needs.

unforgettable and dynamic experiences for the audience. We recognize this and are very glad to be at the forefront of the technology supporting such a feat. Growing alongside the scale, the technology is also fast keeping up to enable the light engineers to work wonders on our structures. The PT-DZ21K 20,000 lumen projectors used for large scale projection mapping were launched in June 2012. Panasonic uses dedicated software called “Geometry Manager Pro” for successful large scale projections. The video mapping for London 2012 Olympic Games and Venetian Macao Resort Hotel were also realized by “Geometry Manager Pro” together with other devices. The software allows the projected images to be warped and marked to fit perfectly onto irregular surfaces. Panasonic will continue to improve the software to further be able to project on any kinds of surfaces more easily and eﬀectively. In addition, Proprietary image-processing technologies, such as our Detail Clarity Processor, Daylight View and RGB Booster, help to produce impressively crisp, lifelike images. 4. In relation to the rental and staging industry can you provide us with the latest solutions that Panasonic has introduced for

“Our end goal is always to produce innovative products that provide a lasting solution to the consumers’ needs.” this segment and where does Panasonic see its positioning in this segment? Asai: With the launch of the PT-DZ21K 20,000 lumen projectors, Panasonic has managed to strengthen its foothold in the Rental Staging market. The series oﬀer four key benefits, namely its 4-lamp system (ensures business continuity for the client in the event one of the lamp fails); small and light weight feature (allows ease of handling and cheaper freight costs); low power consumption making it an Eco projector; as well as its feasibility as a portrait model. 5. On a final note, light engines including laser are changing life expectancy and maintenance aspects in relation to projectors. Please give us Panasonic's take on this and its solutions. Asai: Built on five pillars of reliability, picture quality, ease of use, flexibility and eco, Panasonic works constantly to make our products have an unmatched track performance. Our LED/Laser combined light source DLP projectors, the Solid Shine Series oﬀer

professional users up to 20,000 hours of maintenance free time, which is equivalent to more than 2 years continuous use without the need to replace a lamp or change a filter. These projectors also oﬀer unsurpassed reliability and minimal service downtime. Reliability comes from the technical knowhow of Panasonic projector engineering and manufacturing more than 30 years. www.panasonic.com

LIVE July - August 2013

Malaysia

Mega Ultimate ramps up the classics for 1Malaysia An E-Tech Asia Exclusive: Clay Paky Sharpys and L-Acoustics KARA stir up an audio and visual extravaganza to spread the message of peace, unity and prosperity.

Among the big acts scheduled for the night were international stars Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, and Redfoo of LMFAO.

Spanning across four decades of song history, the concert also welcomed Asian mega-stars Eric Moo, Grasshopper, Leon Lai, Alan Tam, Hacken Lee, George Lam and Angela Chang.

housands thronged to the 1Malaysia Penang International Charity Drive concert, held on 20th April 2013 at Han Chiang College, Penang, to celebrate a night of nostalgia where renowned singers from the late 90s to early 2000s came together to serenade the crowd with their signature hits. The event registered a total of 101,002 ticket sales and had since raised a total of RM5.35 million, which will be distributed to secondary schools, orphanages and old folks homes in the state.

Leon Lai serenading the crowd

Angela Chang performing her latest single.

The stage comprised of a 300ft wide platform with an extended catwalk that stretched to a hundred feet; including an extensive selection of large LED screens to provide live feed and presentation to the show audience.

Grasshopper rocking out one of hit songs, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hua Li Wu Tai (Magnificent Stage)â&#x20AC;?

Mega Ultimate catered the sound and lighting setup for the event which included a sizable mix of L-Acoustics KARA's and KUDO's as well as ESS Systems from China.

The FOH system consisted of 24 units of ESS WLF1248 MKII speakers, and 24 units of L-Acoustics KUDO’s which were flown in leftright arrays.

Anthony, who has more than 25 years of experience under his belt and is known as “Dr. Sound” in his home state, explains the decision to rely on L'Acoustics.

Another 24 units of L-Acoustics KARA were deployed for the far left-right arrays, with 24 units of ESS L18 subwoofers placed on each side of the stage. These were further supplemented by a total of 16 units of L’Acoustics SB28 and 8 units of L-Acoustics SB18 subwoofers.

“With ESS Systems being one of our main sponsors, we decided to incorporate the ESS with the L-Acoustics.

The stage monitoring consist of 24 units of ESS WLF152 and 24 units of L-Acoustics 112P, all duly driven by their respective power amps. Two units of DiGiCo SD10 consoles were each used at the FOH and monitor stage, with system design and management handled by Anthony Chow, Sound Engineer for Mega Ultimate; and Monitor Engineer Jim Teh respectively.

He adds, “With all the interchanging of artistes, most of the them came with their diﬀerent rider requests. So it was my task to make everybody happy with one good setup.” ESS systems engineer, Steely Chen further enthused, “This is a first, and definitely a breakthrough for us. I’m quite familiar with the L-Acoustics system. To spend these past few days calibrating the two for such a large event is quite incredible! We’re quite satisfied with the sound. There’s hardly any disparity.” ESS Audio’s boss, posing with the speakers.

“L-Acoustics IS L-Acoustics. There is no other. Speakers aside, it also comes down to the people to make it happen. I wanted the speakers to sound like one and the systems engineer from China came all the way down to do just that. And so that was the biggest challenge: making them sound like one.” - Anthony

LIVE July - August 2013

CONCERT HIGHLIGHT: CompressorHead The opening act, was a great kick-start to the event.

The all-robot band, CompressorHead warmed up the audience by rocking out tunes such as ‘I Love Rock N Roll’ by Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, complete with song lyrics cleverly displayed onscreen for the audience to sing along. “This is CompressorHead’s third show! Mega Ultimate spotted us at Music Messe in Frankfurt, which was held just the week before. Each robot is unique in its own rights, and they are mobile. The bass player is on tank tracks while the rest of them are on wheels. While music is all programmed, the robots are playing it. They work the music on the fly!” shared Steve, the sound engineer for CompressorHead.

“Sound is all about blending the frequencies. It is ART & SCIENCE, If you get the right frequencies together, you can hit the audience’s senses through mind, body and soul; which in audio terms, makes up your low’s, your mid’s, and your high’s.” – Anthony

Introducing the band: Stickboy (Drummer), Fingers (Guitarist), Bones (Bass Player) and the High Hat Humper.

Anthony with his son, Walter Chow.

Speaking about the audio after the concert, Anthony says, “It was the highest level of SPL I have ever generated. With the amount of power we had, it’s not easy to play soft!” Treading closely in his father’s footsteps is Anthony's son, Walter Fredrick Chow – who is the youngest sound engineer in Malaysia, who was also seen mixing for artistes such as mega-stars Busta Rhymes and Ludacris as well as aiding with the overall set-up of the show. With ten different acts performing on this spectacular night, King Tan, the lighting engineer for the show, was tasked to design and manage a diverse light show that is able to create a variety of looks, reflecting each artiste’s style and personality. The lights and effects came from a starstudded combo which, to name a few, included an assortment of Martin MAC700 Wash and Spots, Philips Vari-Lites and Clay Paky Sharpys – all of which added to a total of 800 moving heads and generic lights. In particular, King was very satisfied with the Sharpys for their lightweight, which makes it a lot easier for the crew to maneuver the towers when they are building the set. “We tried to get as many different feels as possible for the different songs, giving each singer a unique and personal touch to their performance,” continued King.

LMFAO’s Redfoo performing with his crew.

A dynamic light show

“Everyone loves the Sharpy for its bright beams! The brightness of the beams can easily be seen against the brightness of the LED screens.” – King Indeed, for the more adrenalized acts like Busta Rhymes, Ludacris and Redfoo, the lights adhered to a much bolder and energetic mood with lots of lasers and strobing; whereas the ballad acts by Leon Lai and Angela Chang went with a more solitary feel with shafts of light and interchanging hues of pink and blue. The console systems for lighting consisted of two grandMA2 full size consoles, chosen due

to their flexibility and the choice of presets available. The one day event definitely left the crowd energised, the organisers pleased with the charity drive and the performers exhilarated. It was indeed a successul event! www.megaultimate.com.my www.hnaudio.com

LIVE July - August 2013

Singapore

Mahajak SKM welcomes Spring with JBL Professional we keep a demo set of the items on hand so that if anything goes wrong, we can experience it and fix it as quickly as possible. Also, when there are new version upgrades, we are responsible for upgrading their products.”

erman brewer Erdinger celebrated the arrival of Frühling(Spring) with a second edition of the colourful German traditional festival, Maifest, in the sunny city of Singapore. Held right smack in the middle of the country's clubbing district, the Clarke Quay Central Fountain Square was bedecked with colourful drapery and green wreaths.

True to their word, the team from MSE was also at the event to help install the new V5 presets for the VerTec line array loudspeakers from JBL Professional. The new edition of V5 presets includes improvements in horizontal coverage due to the use of higher-order asymmetric filters providing refined tonal balance consistency across all models and superior sound quality through the use of arbitrary coeﬃcient FIR phase linearization.

The centrepiece of any Maifest is the Maibaum or Maypole, a massive pole erected at the centre of the festival and wrapped with multi-coloured ribbons by people dancing around the pole. To make things diﬀerent this year, Erdinger brought the first nine metre tall digital Maypole to Singapore, where festival goers were encouraged to participate in the decoration of the Maypole online. The designs were then periodically displayed on the Maypole’s LED screens throughout the two day festival.

Roger Lim, Application Manager for MSE, says “We are using the V5 presets for the first time tonight and presets play a big part in the rigging process such as which pins to use and what angles to take and after taking all this into account, we still have to think about the location of the event.”

Having supplied the audio equipment to rental production house Mediapix, Mahajak SKM Electronics Pte Ltd (MSE) was on site for the entire duration of the festival to provide their popular after sales support. MSE's General Manager, Dave Loh says, “At Mahajak SKM, we want to emphasise on post-sales because we feel that the after sales support is just as or maybe more important, especially for the rental companies. When companies purchase consoles and speakers from us,

The main P.A system was calibrated to hit 15m from the stage using 12units of JBL's VT4886 subcompact passive threeway speakers accompanied by the ground stacked VT4883 12" subwoofers acting as low frequency extension companions and running on 6 cabinets of 12'' drivers.

Max Krach on the Soundcraft Vi6 console

Being in the middle of the clubbing area, the crew had to take into account the amount of slapback that would be received from the surrounding buildings.

On the arrangement of the boxes, Roger says, “The speakers were angled to provide an even coverage and we did this by using the VerTec line array calculator software from the JBL website. Its really handy because anyone can go to that link and calculate what kind of angles they need for any event.” He adds, “These are very compact speakers which can deliver very high SPL. And while everyone may say size matters, they need to realise that compact also delivers.”

And while the festivities of the night included OisEasy's rendition of the famous beer drinking song, EIN PROSIT in both German and English, and a beer pouring competition where participants were challenged to pour that 'Perfect' beer, the enthusiasm really kicked in when the band's saxophonist got up on the tables to perform his solo. On the success of the show, Dave comments, “We never needed to do much because the amps and speakers Rock ‘N’ Roll quality have already been proven. During the set-up we just loaded the new software and made sure everything was working then Media Pix took over. We trust them and they trust us so all is good.” For the show, Max Krach, sound engineer for OisEasy mixed via a Soundcraft Vi6 console and the ViSi iPad Remote Control. Speaking to him after the first night, he enthuses, “My first choice of desk has always been Souncraft and seeing the Vi6 here was great because we own one at home. I have been a sound engineer for 14 years, meaning I've worked with A LOT of desks but I always come back to Soundcraft. I still have an old analogue Soundcraft console in my studio!” With the crowd hyped up and singing along, those involved considered the festival a great 9m digital Maypole success. All of which was made possible by the co-operation of Media Pix and MSE who ensured the performances were made spectacular by a sound that was as clear as the night was dark. MSE are the sole distributors of Harman Professional products in Singapore, representing brands such as Crown, AKG, Soundcraft and JBL Professional. www.mahajakskm.com

LIVE July - August 2013

China

ACME lights up King of MandoPop

anufacturer of professional entertainment and stage LED lighting equipment, ACME provided more than 400 LEDs for Jay Chou’s 2013 World Tour Concert in Shanghai, bringing the experience and brilliance of stage lighting effects to millions of screaming fans. Various lighting effects from different LED light combinations and top designs were used to create unique atmospheres which corresponded to the themes of the different live performances. The 'Opus Jay World Tour' is the musician's 6th world tour and Shanghai, China, was chosen as its first stop. The Taiwanese singer-songwriter,multiinstrumentalist and actor has been in the music scene for more than 10 years and has a ground-breaking record of releasing an album every year since 2000 with the only exception being in 2009. The show's lighting design included 70 units of ACME's XP-1500WZ Wash, an exceptionally powerful moving wash with a soft, clean, and even beam that comes with a rich CMY color mixing system and variable CTO as well as a staggering 300 units of the BW-54-3RGBW IV,

powerful heavy-duty LED wall washers with 54 3W LED lights each. Rounding up the lighting were 8 units of the XP-1500Beam whose battery for LCD display charges automatically when the fixtures connect to the main power, eliminating the need to change a battery. Along with 4 units of the LED-MTX25 IP, 10 units of the LEDMTX5B IP and 30 units of the AL-3000.

Featuring fast and convenient installation and replacement, ACME’s lights were well received by the stage designers and directors. All in all the first stop of Jay Chou’s 2013 world tour concert in shanghai has was considered a great sucess by all those who attended. www.acme.com.cn

LIVE July - August 2013

Singapore

Singapore gets Social

If you have ever sent a tweet, updated a status on Facebook or video on YouTube you would have definitely heard about the Singapore Social Concerts. Rock, pop, soul AND Gangnam style?! What more could a concert ask for? For a weekend in May, American rock icons, Aerosmith, YouTube sensation PSY along with breakout pop star Carly Rae Jepsen and soul-rap performer Cee Lo Green rocked out to a crowd of 20,000 hyper (and hyperventilating) fans at what has been considered one of the biggest music events ever in Singapore.

he Singapore Social Concerts, held at The Meadow, Gardens by The Bay, were meant to be post-award gigs to the inaugural Social Star awards which saw 288 awards handed out online to the most popular stars and brands in social media. However, organised by Starcount and Digitales Pte Ltd, with the site and production managed by Craig Burridge’s team from Dreadnaut Creative, the weekend of beats proved to be a music extravaganza that could hold its own while being broadcast to more than 140 countries and streamed live on YouTube.

The day before the concert CSP's System Engineer, Rudi Bin Kasim (left) and Freelance Audio Engineer, Zoul Mohamed take a time out to pose for pictures.

With the guideline, the biggest and the best show possible, Production Manager, Craig Burridge designed a (in his words), “Pretty f****** massive” stage with 35 tonnes of gear flown. “I started planning the shows based on a reasonable Singapore style festival budget but the organisers insisted on it being bigger.” says Craig. 2 months of planning, 4 days of set-up, a SGD1.2 million budget and 250 crew later, bigger is exactly what they got. The show almost had to go back to an all Singapore production when the Australian based roof was delayed for over a week. Craig explains, “When the roof finally came we set it up with the 7 feet high stage and all the rigging within 40 hours. We worked around the clock from 4am on a Sunday morning till 5pm on a Thursday evening to get it all done, but once the set-up was completed, it looked great.” Helping Craig bring his design to life yet again, CSP Productions provided audio and lighting along with Showtec Communications supplying 4 LED screens totalling 250sqm, Word Stages supplied the roof, ETG (Asia) Pte Ltd supplying cameras, BMC supplying Backline Equipment, MediaCorp supplying

video OB truck while Sin Hiap Mui supplied the stage and stage set for the concerts. Soon Heng supplied all the tentage and hoarding that made the site look great and housed all the back stage oﬃces, catering, dressing rooms, Media, and the Google/ YouTube hangout spaces. UE Power supplied 8 generators without a hiccup! Transerve supplied 12 PortaCabins. VIO Com and Singnet supplied 2 x 300mb/s and 4 x 50mb/s internet connections. S-Lite Event Support supplied 2km of barricades and fencing. Resembling a semi-family, the crews from Dreadnaut, CSP, Showtec, BMC, Sin Hiap Mui, ETG and Soon Heng have made quite a name for themselves in the Singapore concert scene. When asked what made the companies gel so well, Craig coyly quips, “They do it the way I like it.” With the pop acts and headline act Cee Lo Green performing on day one, and Aerosmith performing a full length gig on day two, the set-up was based largely on Aerosmiths' specifications for lighting. Craig explains, “Aerosmith has very high standards and it’s

a very rock(sic) show and required a lot of Par Cans but Pop bands require a different look. All of the Pop shows use lots and lots of moving lights so you can't suddenly do a pop band with lots and lots of Par Cans, or, maybe you could but it just wouldn't feel right! Pop acts these days have awesome light shows, and it’s all about moving and beams and colours and shapes whereas rock acts, like Aerosmith are going for huge lighting looks. You gotta be here to feel it, especially with the Showgun’s!” Distinctive in design, the revolutionary Showgun’s are essentially 2500W fixtures that can project images, change and mix dichroic colours, and switch from hard-edge to soft-edge all within a compact system. With 6 Showgun’s on the rig and 6 on the stage, the lights were used to create a unique effect to draw in the audience to the stage when walking into the venue. Aside from the 12 Showgun’s, CSP were able to fully support all technical rider specifications with 240 Par64, 64 ACL and over 180 moving heads consisting of 60 MAC 2000 Profile & Wash which according to Aerosmith's LD, are “An industry standard and a good workhorse.” Along with 48 Clay Paky Sharpys, 32 Robe ColorSpot 1200ATs, 48 units of Robe’s Robin 600 LED Wash and 4 Vari*Lite VL3000 fixtures that lit up the night sky. All distributed over 2 show rigs aimed to work around the LED screens and the design of all the shows. Kicking off day one were the five members of Blush who shook their booty and performed their set of girl-power dance-pop followed by Carly Rae Jepson with her tunes including her smash hit, 'This Kiss'. However, the crowd

Alan Lee (in red), with his CSP lighting crew

and effects really took off when Psy hit the stage to perform a ½ hour set which included his latest hit, Gentleman and ended with the song that shot him to global fame, Gangnam Style. It was during Psy's performance that the effects of the Showguns could be really seen along with mentally disturbing yet entertaining visuals of Psy in a horse outfit splashed across all 3 of the LED screens. The night concluded with Cee Lo Green's joyous F*** You number especially when he let the audience fill in the key words in the chorus. After the show, we spoke to the man behind the lighting system, CSP's Assistant Manager of Lighting, Alan Lee who ranked the Social Concert as one of the best shows out of his 15 year career. “Since I've been working in this line and even though every show and set up is different/unique, this show went perfect. I am very proud of my team and the artists were very happy with the lights and we were able to meet all their expectations. I wouldn't change anything tonight.”

After the concert on day one was over, the crew quickly set to work dismantling some of the lighting rig and setting up the stage for Aerosmith’s concert the next day. Craig comments, “We're doing a show on a scale that Singapore doesn't see very often and we're doing for two nights with 5 really spectacular bands, it’s not easy but we love it!” Aerosmith on day two was really a sight to behold. In Singapore to play for the first time, the bona fide rock gods won over the 12,500-strong crowd with their energy and charisma. The 65-year old lead singer Steven Tyler had boundless and manic energy throughout the 2hr 15 minute set and did not disappoint while running up and down the catwalk that was fit into the stage and disappeared into the crowd. Tyler and Joe Perry, who have been dubbed the Toxic Twins, owned

“Since I've been working in this line and even though every show and set up is diﬀerent/unique, this show went perfect. I am very proud of my team and the artists were very happy with the lights and we were able to meet all their expectations. I wouldn't change anything tonight.” CSP's Assistant Manager of Lighting, Alan Lee

LIVE July - August 2013

the stage and the night, striking clichéd rock postures and Tyler swinging around his microphone stand that had the words 'Lick Me' scribbled on the base. The biggest cheers, predictably, were reserved for arguably the band's most well-known song, 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing' which resulted in a mass sing-along session among the mixed age crowd. In turn, their performance was greatly magnified and sounded perfect due to the clarity of the L-Acoustics V-Dosc array on either side of the stage. Also on the top of the rider list, L-Acoustics was spec'd by all bands and the final result was a mix of the company's well-known systems. 8 x dV-Dosc as frontfill, and a total of 32 V-Dosc flown

left and right and 32 SB28 Sub bass speakers stacked either side of stage under the V-Dosc.

PM5D-RH, DigiDesign D-Show and a Digico SD7 for Aerosmith.

On stage, the sound was handled by (8) MTD115, (16) 115XT HiQ floor monitors and (6) SB28 and (6) ARC II’s for side fills. Drum fill was SB28 and ARC II’s. In addition (12) Nexo PS15 were used for the side ramps for Aerosmith. Monitor consoles were Yamaha

The dynamic audio duo overseeing the show from the FOH were Freelance Audio Engineer, Zoul Mohamed assisted by CSP's System Engineer, Rudi Bin Kasim. Rudi explains, “We manually calculated the arrangement of speakers and with the Low diaphragm being

“I feel absolutely satisfied considering that I worked so hard so many hours and it was such a good show. Sometimes you work so hard on a big show and the show is just not up to it, but this time it was exactly what it needed to be. I designed it and it’s my baby so I feel really good.” - Craig Burridge centred around the Mid and Highs within the box, this allowed the sound to be produced in a straight line and travel further. That is precisely what we needed because we aimed our throw to reach 200ft.” A veteran in the industry who has done shows for Celine Dion, Slash, and recently for JLO, Zoul was a sea of calm before, during and after the show. After set-up Zoul was stationed at the FOH and oversaw the use of the Midas Heritage 3000 that functioned as the Master board for the shows. “The Midas Heritage has the best pre amps I have ever heard. The sound is very warm and high in power and although digital boards are easier to work with, I prefer the Midas Heritage.”

“The Midas Heritage has the best pre amps I have ever heard. The sound is very warm and high in power and although digital boards are easier to work with, I prefer the Midas Heritage.” - Freelance Audio Engineer, Zoul Mohamed And while Zoul mixed for a number of the Pop acts, the music and lighting of Aerosmith was left up to the bands very own engineers, Cosmo and John. Cosmo, the Lighting Designer/Engineer who had previously done shows in Singapore was more than pleased with the outcome of the crowd and the show. He comments, “I was really happy because they pretty much gave me everything I wanted. I can't believe the lights lasted so long in this humidity because it really is humid tonight!” His weapon of choice for the night was a GrandMA 1 full size console that Craig specially shipped in from Australia. He explains that he used the same board to light hundreds of shows. This coming from a man who has done several thousand shows in his career and 600 just for rockers ACDC! “This show definitely ranks as one of the top shows I've done, especially as an international show. Everyone was top shelf and bent over backwards to help me and it was great.” Coming down from the high of the show, Sound Engineer, John also took the time out to speak with us. He comments on the equipment, “It worked out really well, and I am not surprised because I have worked with the V-Dosc before and I would say they perform best outdoors. The garden is really well set-up for throwing sound. The DigiDesign we brought with us was mainly for the ease of use and transferability of files. It’s

a really good and common console meaning that if something were to go wrong, you can always find another one.” He continues, “During this tour, in Asia especially, we had some really rough times so the fact that this went together really fast and really well made it a real pleasurable gig.” Attendee Steven Woodward who has been promoting events in Singapore for the past 15 years, also ranked the concerts as one of the best shows he had seen in Singapore. Steven has worked this year with Norah Jones, The Script and Swedish House Mafia and says that in order to pull oﬀ a great show you, “Should not expect anything to go wrong but be ready when it does” On the last day of the concerts he adds, “We don't get a lot of opportunities to show outside agents and artists that this country can handle a show of this size here. It’s a beautiful venue with an even more beautiful backdrop and everything tonight was alive and electric.”

time it was exactly what it needed to be. I designed it and it’s my baby so I feel really good.” While the awards show is new, there are already plans in motion to hold the event and the post-show concerts every year for the next 5 years in Singapore. The first major social media event of its kind ended on a note as high as when it started and will hopefully stay that way for years to come.

The main man of the hour, Craig was busy throughout the two days and long before, in order for it all to come down to the last curtain call. Sweaty and happy all at the same time, Craig shyly admits, “I feel absolutely satisfied considering that I worked so hard so many hours and it was such a good show. Sometimes you work so hard on a big show and the show is just not up to it, but this

Footnote from Craig!

Dreadnaut Creative team for Starcount Social consists of Craig (Event Design and Management), JoAnne & Jamie (Artist Area, FOH, Asst Event Managers), Peter McFee (Stage Manager), Zaki (Asst Site Manager), Hardy (Lighting- Blush, Carly Rae, Psy), Fysal (Monitors- Blush, Carly Rae, Psy, Cee Lo), ABIS (Site & Stage crew), Charlie (Site security). I would like to thank the companies involved in production of this event: Dreadnaut Creative, CSP, Showtec, WSI, Soon Heng, BMC, Sin Hiap Mui, Transerve, UE Power, Forklift Services, S-Lite, PortaPumper, Prive, Lian Yick, Event Planners, Cherry Road. I would like to thank Carmel, Paul, Becky, JoAnne, Sneak, Zaki, Vernon, ABIS, Kenny, Daniel, Zul, Alan, Henry, William, Gilbert, Ace, Patrick, Peter, Frank, CY, Elvis, Dennis, Jack and all their staﬀ for going the extra few miles this event took us!

LIVE July - August 2013

Singapore

d&b auditechnik: When audio speaks louder than words

year old has already done more than 100 shows in the business. He is also the pioneer of his own 'contact group' (as he calls it), Black Beard Audio, a team of individuals who are hired because of their reputation and skills. Leslie Chng, Co-Founder of KittyWu Records gushes, “Utha is awesome. He does everything for me and when I ask anything, he will take the time to explain it to me slowly. He doesn't just come in and do sound, he thinks of other things that I don't think about. Above all, he ensures everything runs smooth and then some and we are more than happy to hand over the reins and let him handle what he needs to to run the show.” All specifications of the show were left up to Utha's discretion and with a choice of any sound system he wanted, he chose a full range of d&b auditechnik speakers controlled with a full set-up of Midas consoles both of which “pair beautifully”, according to Utha.

YLON SINGAPORE is the Singapore edition of the American publication, NYLON, that focuses on pop culture and fashion. Its coverage includes beauty, music, design, celebrities, technology and travel. The year 2013 embodies the magazine's accomplishment of passing the one year mark amidst vicious competition. To celebrate, the company decided to throw a memorable bash at Singapore's most popular nightclub, Zouk. Even though the venue was already capable on its own when it came to the lighting, which consisted of Clay Paky's Spots and Beams, this was an event that would need a special type of audio. A sound that would bring up the mood, help everyone to relax and basically just let loose and party. Nylon decided to try something risky and have 2 diﬀerent live bands perform with a fashion show in between the artists sets. All just minutes apart to keep the flow of

entertainment going and happening on the exact same stage. They called upon KittyWu Records, a music label dedicated to Asian artists, to support the event and handle the hiring of the crew. However, instead of going straight to a R&S company which is the conventional method, KittyWu decided to go with what they knew best. That turned out to be a single FOH engineer who they had worked with regularly for 2 years. Utha Kumanan is someone you could definitely pick out in a crowd. With his soft demeanour and a beard that he's very proud of, you would never imagine, that this 22

For the PA system, 8 units of d&b auditechnik's T10 passive 2-way loudspeakers which house two 6.5" drivers each, positioned in a dipolar arrangement and a 1.4" HF compression driver. Usable as a line array as well as for the show, Utha decided to ground stack the boxes with 4 per side. The speakers went well with 4 units of d&b's V-SUB active subwoofers which house two long excursion neodymium drivers, 18" drivers in a bass-reflex design facing front and a 12” drivers in a two chamber bandpass design radiating to the rear. All of the boxes were powered by d&b auditechnik D12 amplifiers. On why he chose d&b, Utha comments, “M.Sofian@Ryan and Kenny Chng from d&b audiotechnik Asia have been communicating back and forth with me for the past few weeks. They were very detailed about the specs, even all the way down to display angles because I'm very limited by space in here so I need a minimal amount of hertz. For this kind of show, details are really important

...with a choice of any sound system he wanted, he chose a full range of d&b auditechnik speakers controlled with a full set-up of Midas consoles both of which “pair beautifully”...

Arron Jardine, musician by day and freelance audio engineer by night. The two met in 2011 when Utha mixed for the band which Arron was in and from there, as they say, the rest is history. Arron was tasked with being the monitor engineer during the show and was only given a in-ear mic for communication with FOH. He utilised the MIDAS Mixtender iPad App which provides wireless remote control for key functions of the MIDAS PRO series and XL8 consoles. The app automatically selects the right console type which removes the hassle of diﬃcult set-up. With the MIDAS Mixtender app engineers can monitor ALL input and output metering simultaneously in real time.

(L-R) Arron Jardine and Utha Kumanan stand behind their choice of console, literally.

and now, thanks to that communication, I don't have to bring in an external processor rack and it still sounds great.” Local R&S company, The Production People, were involved as a turnkey solution and supplied all the gear stated for the night of the show.

hardware had from guests bumping into him were the venue's cue polls which acted as semi-barriers. Being in such a small and tight area, he had to fly solo which is also one of the reasons he decided to use a small format console from Midas.

Just before the show, Utha had still not heard the PA but he casually commented,“I have worked with d&b so many times that I know what I'm going to get when I walk up to a d&b PA and its always consistent.”

The Midas PRO2 Digital Audio Console was used as the main FOH console which delivered the inputs and outputs from the Midas DL251. Utha explains his choice of console, “The PRO2 doesn't skip any steps along the way, its not like other consoles where it only tells you the signal flow. The console shows you what you've done and though this may be a bit more time consuming, you know what you've done with every step and you can retrace it back at anytime. As an engineer this means I can do multiple things because I have more steps in between and its great because I feel we need to challenge ourselves to do more with what is already there.”

Utha also spec'd the M4 monitors due to the fact that they are a “workhorse and they can take the beating. I can't aﬀord to put a sub on stage for the drummer so i know that the M4 can deliver enough low-end for me even when space is a constraint. Its got good coverage and it sounds sweet, what else can I ask for?” Notably, d&b's M4s deliver an accurately defined coverage area on stage and when used upright it is transformed into a powerful PA system. The 2-way high performance stage monitors are able to produce up to 134 / 138 dB SPL when driven passively or 140 dB SPL when driven actively. For the show itself, the main dance area of ZOUK, (which can fit around approximately 800 guests) was transformed into something that somewhat resembled a miniature photoshoot. The stage for the models and the band were all combined into 1 and the FOH area was within the VIP section. This meant that the only protection Utha and the

He continues, “It can go two ways, either you fail and learn or you realise that you have a new element which adds more depth and dimensions to your mix. Now I have different stages of compression and they each affect the tone of the particular instrument differently and it means that i have more control at the end of the day, thanks to the console.” Thinking on your feet in a small area where you need to do things fast is one thing. In this case there was no-one else to depend on so with his gear set in mind, Utha roped in

Aaron explains, “ I can be in a listener's position and actually hear what they are hearing on the spot and adjust it, on the fly, within a small area. I am using 2 iPads tonight so that I have at least have two hands on everything. This also means that I can run pre and post for all the EQs, the only thing I wish I had would be full control over the mixer via the iPad. This app is a little bit limited in that sense but the great thing is at least using both my hands allows me to do the drums and vocals at the same time which is especially important in a time crunch.” And while Utha and Arron were debating about issues back and forth just hours before show, the show overall went well. Both looked especially confident in their choice of equipment. Speaking to Utha after the show, he says “ I've always seen mixing as an art form. When you've got musicians who bring their soul into their performance, I try, as a mix engineer, to put that same kind of emotion into my mix. Its got to look like what it sounds like and that's what I get with equipment I trust.” www.dbaudio.com www.midasconsoles.com blackbeardaudio@gmail.com

LIVE July - August 2013

Korea

An inspirational journey of visual applications with Christie major television stations - including Seoul Broadcast System’s presentation of the 2012 presidential election results and a permanent MicroTiles installation in Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation’s (MBC) studio for its daily sports program. In the 4D Experience Zone, the guests sit back and relax in a 4D theatre experience delivered by a Christie HD10K-M with theatre seats provided by 4DX.

nlightening its Korean community of users, Christie Digital shared the company's enduring venture of visual applications through the “My Christie Home” roadshow, held at the Youngjin Demo Centre. Enhancing the experience was Berni Cho, project manager for the Big O installation at Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea, who presented the exciting three-month journey which welcomed more than 80,000 visitors with the company's signature multimedia projection displayed on the world’s largest water curtain. Nina Anh, Cummingham Group, also shared the group’s successful strategy of applying Christie’s visual solutions for the WW Resort & Theme Park. The sharing sessions by the two end users received an overwhelming response from the local user community. “We aim to create a platform to enable existing and potential users to share the experience of using Christie’s leading visual technology that is second to none in the market. The event takes the name of “My Christie Home” to highlight our commitment to sharing our inspirational experience of visual applications with the local user community, who are like family,” said Henry Khang, general manager of Christie Korea.

“‘My Christie Home’ is engaging and fun and users can have a hands-on experience with the many successful applications of our solutions throughout the country. We hope the users will bring home inspirational ideas to brighten up the visual display world using Christie solutions.”

Walk through success

As guests enter “My Christie Home,” a miniature Big O projection greets them at the entrance, with Christie reproducing that success on a mini curtain using a Christie DS+10K-M. An element of surprise is added when guests walk through the O-shaped curtain into the Aquarium Zone where they are fully immersed in a digital aquarium of marine life projected on three walls by three Christie DS+10K-M projectors. In the Broadcast Zone, guests are treated to Christie’s full suite of broadcast and control room solutions featuring Christie MicroTiles and a Christie Vista Spyder X20 video processor with the control room solution highlighting Christie EnteroTM HB video wall display cubes. - It must be mentioned that Christie has achieved resounding success in Korea with the deployment of Christie MicroTiles in the news studios of

It must be mentioned that Christie has achieved resounding success in Korea with the deployment of Christie MicroTiles in the news studios of major television stations.

The Christie History Showcase Zone is where guests pick up creative ideas from Christie’s visual application success in Korea. They also see a static display of several Christie projectors including the Christie DHD800, Christie DWU670-E, Christie Roadster S+22K-J, Christie DS+10K-M, Christie Roadie HD+35K, Christie Spyder X20 video processor and the Christie Phoenix, an open content management system for control rooms. “Thanks to our professional team and valued partners, Christie is recognized in Korea as a renowned brand not just for the cinema market but a wide range of visual applications. A strong testament is our appointment by the Expo 2012 Yeosu Korea organizing committee as one of the contents sponsors. Our participation enhanced our credibility in large-scale installations by supplying close to 250 visual solutions for many pavilions at the Expo site,” said Lin Yu, vice president, Christie Asia Pacific. “To strengthen our commitment to Korea, we’re pleased to organize the event of ‘My Christie Home’ to share our experience of visual application with the local user community.” www.christiedigital.com

India

J Davis Prosound & Lighting zoom in with ETC

he 5th Suvarna Film Awards is considered the most prominent award ceremony for Kannada films from the south-Indian state of Karnataka. Presented annually by Asianet Suvarna Channel, a Kannada-language division of Asianet, the prestigious awards are given to the Kannada Film Fraternities as a token of gratitude in lieu of their outstanding contributions to the Kannada language film industry. J Davis Prosound & Lighting were the rental and staging company chosen as the technical partners for the awards held at the Innovative Film City in Bangalore. The journey of the Suvarna Film Awards started in 2008, in order to appreciate & congratulate the Kannada Film Industry. It consists of 29 diﬀerent categories of awards, all of which, are aimed to showcase the excellence in the various aspects of filmmaking. Nominees are selected by a set of jury members as well as through a vote from all over Karnataka. For audio, the crew went with 16 units of the famous L-Acoustics' V-DOSC along with the DV-DOSC and SB 218 Subs. The Digidesign

Avid, which is becoming a prominent fixture in Asian Live events, controlled the show from the FOH. Lighting consisted mainly of 30 units x ETC Source Four Zoom Profile Spotlights with zoom ranges of between 15°- 30° and 25°50°. Rated up to 750 watts, Source Four Zoom provides Source Four's crisp optics for excellent imaging and field quality, here is a fixture that some say, you only need one of, for a variety of beam angles. ETC's patented one-handed zoom operation makes adjustments quick, simple, and safe, allowing technicians to focus on the fixture with one hand and hold the ladder with the other. The lens-tube door also provides quick and easy access when the lens assembly needs cleaning (tool-free). The patented dichroic mirror means shutters and accessories stay cool, and drop-in accessories are interchangeable with fixed-focus Source Fours’. Clay Paky's Alpha Spot HPE 1200 also added to the celebration of the night. The show featured 8 units of the lights which are considered the most complete highperformance eﬀects projectors in their power category. Its graphic system consists of 20 gobos on 3 wheels, an animation disc, two rotating prisms, three frost filters, a mechanical iris, a dimmer and a stop/strobe. Rounding up the rest of the lighting, the crew went with an array of Par Cans, Neo Neon LED Palcos and even 80 x Silver Star 3-watt LED Par Cans. The team chose the Avolites Pearl Expert and Avolites Pearl 2010 due to the fact that they had worked with and relied on the products before.

Graflex Inc managed the Video content for the show using Dataton Watchout V5.1 with a total of 4 Display Servers + 1 Program Server “Having been associated with the Suvarna Kutumbha Awards last year, it was a privilege again to be associated with the Film Awards this year and for the first time.” commented Santana Davis from J Davis Prosound & Lighting jdavisprosound.com www.etcconnect.com

LIVE July - August 2013

Australia

Martin gets people moving T

he small Australian town of Wee Waa (population 2000) made the headlines when it hosted the oﬃcial global launch party for Daft Punk's Random Access Memories at their annual agricultural show. After the pet show, dog-jumping, the crowning of Wee Waa’s Miss Showgirl, and a firework display, ‘Give Life Back To Music’ burst out of the speakers, which meant the party was well and truly on. The event was presented but not attended by Daft Punk, whose aforementioned album is set to become one of the fastest-selling in history – although in Wee Waa it played to a crowd of 4,000.

Daft Punk’s production house Daft Arts conceived and designed the space, which lived up to its description as a cross between Saturday Night Fever and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. The eye-popping circular dance-floor, with a giant disco ball hanging overhead, was the largest outdoor video dance-floor ever seen in Australia, and quite possibly the world. Australian lighting designer Jamie Centofanti was brought on board to make Daft Arts and Sony Music Entertainment Australia's vision a reality. Chameleon Touring Systems supplied the lighting and crew.

release in 2007, I am a big fan of the product. It really was a ground breaking product and a popular choice for many designers first foray into video integration. “With the continual flood of new video product on the market the LC Panels are not seen so often on show’s nowadays but as I explored other options, I kept coming back to the LC Panel as the best large footprint, lightweight reliable product that I could get my hands on. However 290 square metres is a considerable video wall, or floor, and in order to get the size required we used every Martin LC Panel available in the country, sub-hiring from eight production companies in four states."

Martin MAC2000 XB washes were positioned on the entry way arches to supply general wash to the dance floor whilst Atomic Strobes were mounted on the verticals of the arches. As well as strobing, the Atomics were used as large blinders to do stabs of lighting and big circular chases around the dance floor. Colin Rendell and Simon Downs were the technicians responsible for making sure the LC Panel dance floor became a successful reality. www.showtech.com.au www.martin.com

The dance floor, which resembled an LP record, comprised of 110 Martin LC Panels and 16 Martin LC Plus Panels. The 19 metre clear Perspex circle had a black surround ring taking the dance floor out to 28 metres in diameter. The Panels were run back to a Martin P3 processor and then into a Catalyst media server run oﬀ a grandMA console.The content was a collaborative eﬀort between Daft Arts and Australian creative collective Strictly & Lowdown, with visuals created by Daft Arts and Rachael Johnston while being operated and mixed live by Ken Weston.

"Daft Punk were aiming for the world's largest video dance floor which they wanted to be circular," commented Jamie. "Having used Martin LC Panels many times since their

Photos credit : Joshua J Smith

Philippines

Stage Craft International at the 2013 National Elections Barco Folsom Encore controller plays integral role at giant network’s live coverage Barco because it is a brand recognized for its performance and also comes highly recommended by the entertainment industry.” This being a major event within the country, Stage Craft followed the technical rider to a T. Luckily, the quality of Barco products was already widely recognized and the recommendation of the Encore system in the rider was approved. Besides equipment, Stage Craft was also contracted to handle technical support before and during the event.

hen the 2013 National Elections were held in the Philippines, citizens from across the nation trooped to the voting centres to cast their vote. The event was covered live by broadcast industry leader GMA Network, Inc. who provided reports from the field as well as at the studios. The network selected the technical support of one of the Philippines key rental and staging companies, Stage Craft International to provide the content projection for the elections. StageCraft has a 25-year track record of being one of the most successful professional lights, sounds, eﬀects and audio-video technology providers in the country. Over the years the company has consistently been at the forefront of new innovations introduced within the Philippines. For the elections, among other equipment, Stage Craft utilised the Barco Folsom Encore controller (at the studio in the main broadcast centre) which was responsible for the layering of materials projected on the 33 x 9 ft LED wall backdrop used at the studio. The coverage included the regular and special features news and highlights of the national elections from the preparation to the actual voting to the counting of the ballots. These needed to be captured and projected from wherever their source, be it from the live feed or studio itself. The Encore Presentation Switcher is considered one of the most advanced video processing and presentation control systems on the market today. The system

provides source selection, automatic source acquisition and configuration, advanced windowing features, seamless switching, video effects and integrated control for professional video presentations. Encores’ modular and scalable architecture allows the system to support a wide variety of show configurations while efficiently supporting anywhere between 1-32 screens. The basic Encore configuration supports six independent picture-in-picture (PiP) or key layers, or three transitioning PiP images. It fully supports seamless transition effects, Z-order control, window borders, drop shadows and a variety of keying effects. Each input board on the Encore provides two independent scaler channels with universal inputs that handle both analogue and digital video sources. The unit features 1:1 pixel sampling, motion adaptive de-interlacing for both standard and high definition sources, 3:2 and 2:2 pull down detection, low video delay, aspect ratio correction, real-time window manipulation. On why the company chose Barco’s Encore, Stage Craft's Corporate Communications Officer, E-Anne Enriquez says, “ We chose

Each Encore system consists of a Controller and one or more Video Processors, and each system is designed to grow in tandem with the users creative requirements. Thanks to the adaptability of the Stage Craft team, the switcher was manoeuvred by the operator and all preferences were pre-set. The endurance of the equipment was not an issue as it had proven its reliability when the company pushed it to its limits at previous shows so it was left to the operator and technical support to ensure they could handle the equipment. The professionalism and experience of both the operator and Stage Craft team contributed greatly to smoothing out the challenges before going and while on air. Stage Craft is very pleased to have provided technical assistance in support of GMA Network’s excellent coverage of one of the most exciting elections the country has ever seen. Stage Craft looks forward to, “The same reliable and quality performance with possibly a few enhancements, depending on the direction and preference of the client,” in future live coverages. www.stagecraft.pro www.barco.com

LIVE July - August 2013

Malaysia

L-Acoustics provides the beat for “Day of the Dead-Set Awesome”

he Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia thrilled crowds of over 60,000 this year when it played host to the epic Future Music Festival Asia - dubbed as the largest music festival to ever hit South-East Asian shores. The Future Music Festival 2013 (FMFA) aka “Day Of The Dead-Set Awesome” brought trance, techno, dubstep, house and electro music together across two main stages and then some. Day 1 of 2 saw fans of trance music and Armin Van Buuren( high flyer in the trance scene), come together for ‘A State of Trance 600: The Expedition World Tour’. An event dedicated solely to celebrate Armin’s legendary 600th radio show episode – one of the most popular radio mix shows on the planet – reaching an estimated 20 million people across 26 countries worldwide. Digital Aid Sdn Bhd (better known as D8) was appointed as oﬃcial contractor and worked closely with organiser, Livescape Asia's CEO, Mohd Iqbal and technical head

for the festival, Martin Rutter, to make history. Altogether D8 was tasked to provide sound, lights, staging, trussing systems, tentage, generator sets, and other related equipment. After 2 months of planning, 5 stages to prepare and 7 days to get ready, a hiccup would be something they just could not aﬀord. Not only was Armin hosting his legendary ASOT 600 event for the first time in Southeast Asia, but day 2 of the FMFA saw a host of other internationally acclaimed acts share the same stage. Future Music Entertainment Australia (the organizers of Future Music

Festival Asia) and Livescape Asia reeled in party goers by featuring big names like PSY, Rita Ora, Fun., Bloc Party, Temper Trap, Rudimental, Stafford Brothers, Timmy Trumpet, and Tenzin on the 2nd day of the festival. When planning for the event, the D8 team consisting of CEO, Henry Hari Ram, Co-ordinator and Event Manager, Peter Lim, Lighting programmer, Peter and System Engineer, Shafique immediately knew L-Acoustics was the way to go. This year's event anticipated to attract over 7,000 tourists from abroad with fans from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, India and Europe arriving in droves for the festival. Different cultures that knew what they liked and didn't. People with all different types of backgrounds who were coming to rave and party hard to trance music which can only be really pulled off with clear sound. With this in mind, the team went with L-Acoustics systems all the way.

“Not only are L-Acoustics rider friendly but they are also the most sought after sound system for most international concerts, rave parties, etc., that we have seen,” said Henry Ram. And it was thanks to the L-Acoustics solutions that the team hit the nail on the head by matching perfectly with all technical riders presented by the array of diﬀerent artists. Even though they only had 70% of the solutions in inventory, L-Acoustics is readily carried by many companies. All they had to do was pop on over to their neighbour, Singapore and fill up the 30 missing percent. L-Acoustics' systems are particularly suited to touring applications for which a reinforced LF contour is desirable. And in case, you have been living under a rock, here's why the designers and engineers chose L-Acoustics. The KUDO is a full range system that relies on the Rental Network K platform featuring the LA-RAK plug-and-play amplification, signal processing and signal distribution rack. The enclosures feature two direct radiating, bass reflex-loaded 12-in low frequency transducers, four 5-in midrange transducers mounted in a V-shaped configuration and two 1.75-in compression drivers coupled to individual DOSC waveguides and a usable bandwidth between be 35 Hz to 20 kHz (-10 dB). With an area the size of approximately more than 2 acres (INCLUDING the helipad and carpark in the Sepang track), handling the spacing of the area against the fact that the 5 stages were radically spaced out proved diﬃcult to manage when it came to the coordination of set up especially with the

Malaysian sun beating at their backs. Due to this, D8 called upon the expertise of Team Sound and Light headed by Dennis David and Orange Events to assist and handle the sound system for 2 of the sub stages and also assigned a few project managers to take care of each stage in order for easy communication. This helped especially when sound took a beating with one of the stages infamously named the 'Warrior’s Dance Arena'. This stage saw the mishmash of bands such as Feed Me, Kill The Noise, Zeds Dead, and Borgore share the spotlight with one of the best live acts in the world, The Prodigy.

As the festival came to a close, you could see two very distinct groups of people. Those who partied too hard and those who didn't party enough. And while the humans succumbed to the exhaustion of fun, the systems were clear as crystal throughout the 2 days without a hint of exhaustion. The team from D8 thanked the following individuals for helping to make the event a success: Derick Tham from Pyrotech, Sound engineer, Adam Sofian of Bsync productions and LED supplier, Mohd Zaris of Retina Production. www.l-acoustics.com

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HaAave U Met...? July - August 2013

101

Alex Schloesser Sound Engineer...Sound Designer and now.. Sales Engineer – Cologne, Germany 11 hours of *Skiffle music. It's was OK for the first hour or so but if you've got 6-8 bands playing all day Dixieland and then 11 hours of Skiffle the next day, its really bad and after that weekend I was almost ready to quit the industry! *(Skiffle = Pop music with jazz, blues, folk, and roots influences, usually using homemade/ improvised instruments.)

ETA: What changed your mind?

One of the most humble people you will ever meet, Alex Schloesser is a man who is not afraid to get down and dirty. Having started his career at the tender age of 23 in a brewery, Alex has already done more than 15,000 shows and has no intention of slowing down. His resume includes clients from American heavy metal bands to the United Nations. In an exclusive interview with E-Tech Asia, Alex takes us on a walk down memory lane through his 25 year journey in the industry and explains how it has lead him to where he is today.

ETA: Let's go back to the beginning, how did you first get started?

Alex: It all started after I got my Diploma in Technical Acoustics. Which is funny because when I was in High School I really enjoyed mathematics, so I initially set out to study that. It turned out to be a complete nightmare since it was all theory and I am a very hands-on guy and I quit after one semester. From there I decided to study Electro Acoustics and got my Diploma. And just one year before I completed my studies, private TV networks had just started, so there was a high demand for engineers and as long as you knew what a fader was and you could handle a system there was no problem finding a job.

ETA: Do you remember your first show and how it was like?

Alex: I remember my first ever live gig was a weekend at a Steam Beer brewery and I had to do 13 hours of Dixieland Jazz followed by

Alex: It just so happens that I met up with a friend who worked for a TV company as a Video Engineer soon after my first gig and he said his company needed people and if I was still interested I should just apply. So I went for the interview, and they asked if I could do the job and the next thing I knew they put me in an OB van for a live broadcast. They liked my mixes so they kept hiring me for their shows then, as it happens, networks talk to one another. Word got around and so did I and within one year I gained a tremendous amount of experience just by being willing to work and I fell in love with my work.

ETA: What would you consider your 'Big Break'?

Alex: In the late 80s there were a bunch of German boxers who were becoming quite famous but German producers didn't know how to produce a boxing event so they hired a Director, Lenny Stucker, who did boxing events for 16000-18000 people at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The problem there was, while they had a lot of permanent staﬀ, noone could speak decent English at that time so they asked me to do it. Lenny and I worked so well together and he liked what I did so much that he told me whenever he came to Europe he wanted me there in the OB van. It was like 'BOOM!' you go up to the top right then and there. I remember an instance where I had to do a recording for a TV show and I had a limo waiting outside to take me to the airport to fly to Vienna for a German boxer event. I literally mixed, waited until director said 'cut', put the faders down, grabbed my bag and ran to the limo straight to the airport!

ETA: Sounds exciting! You must have been on top of the world!

Alex: That's the thing, when you do the job you never recognise how wild it is. I just felt 'Hey I have to do the job, I have to hurry and I have to make sure I get into the airport on time', you never have the time to think you're special. I can tell you literally all my events in Europe have been covered by magazines but usually you do the event and you only see the article 2 months later but when you read it you go like, 'Wow that was damn cool and who did the job, oh it was me'.

ETA: Tell us about your transition from Sound Engineer to Sound Designer.

Alex: I became a sound designer because I prefer to create. Its like with tattoos. If you ask a tattoo artist do they prefer just putting someone else's picture on their skin or do they prefer to do a painting. Guess what they will say? And while you have to do both, I appreciate it when a client asks me to give my creative input but I also understand when a client says, 'Look I want this, is it possible' and we brainstorm from there.

ETA: Do you consider yourself to be a first class sound engineer?

Alex: I seriously believe you can never be a sound designer if you're not a first class sound engineer because how can you design something when you don't know if its feasible. That being said, I don't know what defines first class but I consider myself a very good sound engineer. When I listen to what I mix and when I listen to what everyone else does, I know that I'm good at what I do.

ETA: You've done a lot of touring, can you tell us some of the people you toured with?

Alex: I toured with mostly heavy metal bands, such as, Heaven and Hell, Manowar(loudest band on the planet), and pop group, US5. My first ever rock and roll tour was with Roger Taylor, who was the drummer for Queen, and his band, the Cross.

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HaAvve U met...? July - August 2013

ETA: What's the most ridiculous expectation you've come across from clients/artists?

Alex: The most ridiculous was an event where we had to have our PA system reach 126db of SPL at the FOH position which was 48m away from stage. We knew it was going to be tough because it was so far but I got to a point that I just didn't care already because the artists were just being a**holes. We eventually reached the level but we had LETHAL levels the first 20-30m in front of the PA because the level was louder than being next to a jet when it takes oﬀ. We had a situation at the end of certain songs when there was a lot of low end and literally the first 10 rows had diﬃculty breathing. We destroyed a lot of equipment that night but I had already made the band sign a document that held them liable for all the damage they did to my PA.

ETA: What's the most creative show you've ever done?

Alex: Sheesh.. That's a tough one.. When I was working for the German version of the TV show Pop Idol, I wanted to create the atmosphere of a concert in a TV studio and normally in a studio that's diﬃcult because then the quality of the broadcast sound will suﬀer. It would either sound very Rock ‘N’ Roll and the broadcast sound would not be good or vice versa. I managed to design something which I knew would work but when I told the boss, Alan Boyd, who used to be a sound engineer, he literally said, 'ARE YOU CRAZY'?! He was really worried it wouldn't work but everything was installed and he had no choice but to trust me. When we did the opening of the first show and I was in the sound control room, my hair stood up for 2 minutes. It was amazing!

ETA: Tell us a bit more about your time working with the United Nations.

Alex: For the UN job, it just happened that I had a creative idea and it landed on open ears and when it lands on open ears, that's when I can do crazy stuﬀ. I got involved when I served on a smaller scale for some local meetings in Germany and I invented a bunch of systems in the climate change negotiations which involved billions and billions of dollars. They recognized that I had some ideas for their main problem which was commercial companies bugging meeting rooms so they could gain access to information. So my responsibilities there as a sound engineer

was making sure there were no bugs and nothing confidential left the room during negotiations. It was an honour that the UN trusted me with this.

ETA: Coming from a sound background, you are now a Sales Engineer. Why the switch?

Alex: I wanted to work international and there are very few international German artists. I felt I had done everything you could do in Germany and I had hit the ceiling. So the only way I could go international was to take my knowledge and experience and put it into products, which is ultimately what sales is.

ETA: If your path in life had been different, where do you think you would be today?

Alex: Uh, hospitality? Yea, I would have a restaurant or a bar. I like cooking. There was always a running joke where I told everyone that if I can't make a living in this industry I'll buy a large frying pan and go make *Paella and sell it somewhere. *(Paella = popular Valencian rice dish)

ETA: What is your weapon of choice?

Alex: Laughs..Why would you ask me that?! It depends on the size, when I do large scale, I love Adamson's Y18 because I know and like how they sound. I know what they can do and I have mixed a number of really great shows on them so this is the tool that I really like. On a small scale, friends of mine, EM Acoustics, a small English firm, build stuﬀ that sounds amazing and I absolutely love the designs that Ed Kinsella and Mike Wheeler do, 2 wonderful and beautiful gentlemen with brilliant minds.

ETA: Is there anyone you feel that has had a great influence on your career? Alex: Yes while there are a bunch, obviously, but there is one who is my icon. He's not even a sound engineer, he's a musician, Frank Zappa. Listening to music when I was young I was interested in what more can you do, my ears like stuﬀ I have to analyse and when I listened to Frank Zappa, I felt it was genius. The more I listened to him, the more I admired his brilliance. I saw 6 or 7 Frank Zappa shows and I even got married on his birthday! I remember visiting his grave and crying when he passed. And I think the one thing for me that makes him an icon in

my professional career is he knew where he wanted to take the music and he was not willing to compromise. He did a lot of sound engineering and he knew everything, he knew how it should sound, he knew how it should be, and he was a perfectionist. That is something that I very much aspire to be because I am a perfectionist. I know I will never reach perfection but that shouldn't mean that I shouldn't try.

ETA: You have already accomplished so much, so what's next on your to-do list?

Alex: Its a diﬃcult question to answer, and I would like to quote Steve Jobs (I'm not a promoter for Apple products), but he said, 'Stay humble, stay thirsty'. That's what I strive for and I always want to learn. When I go, I want to leave a bit a of a stamp of something that I did. I want people to say maybe I've added something to the industry, I want to work hard to leave something behind, to accomplish something. Even though I have accomplished a lot, I'm still thirsty. There are still more opportunities, and if presented, I would definitely take them on.

ETA: What advise do you have for the boys on the ground that are just joining the entertainment industry?

Alex: Hmm... I would say if you have the feeling that this is your industry then go for it 100% if you feel its not your industry, leave it as soon as you can because it's not going to get better with the years. For me, this is my industry, I live, breathe,eat, drink and s*** this industry. This is me, I am as childish and stupid and silly as serious and as focused as you can be because being in this industry I can be all those things. So if this is your industry, if you feel this is it, then go for it and I'm sure you will have a good career. If you feel like you just want to be the cool guy then you will hit the ceiling very quick and you will be very disappointed because this line is definitely not about being cool. When you have to put on the cool, that's when you start to look like a giant c***. To get in touch with Alex, email him at: alex@ globalmrkt.com Like our last page features? Scan the code and drop us a message if you would like E-Tech Asia to interview someone noteworthy within the industry.