Entertainment Technology Asia March-April 2011 by Spinworkz Pte Ltd

MICA (P) 015/09/2010 KDN: PPS 1663/09/2011 [020160]

March | April 2011

Resorts World™ Sentosa -

49 Hectares Resonating with Hidden Potential

SOUL – The Latest Trance Club in Singapore

Fine Art at Jacky Cheung’s 1/2 Century Tour

FIRST WORDS

ntertainment technology asia

CONTENTS

VOL 12 ISSUE 2

MICA [P] 015/09/2010 KDN: PPS 1663/09/2011 [020160]

NEWS 10

Essential News from the Industry

ENNOVATIONS 34

Round-up of new products in the Market

SPECIAL FEATURES 52

Resorts World Sentosa: 49 Hectares of Grand Design, Resonating with Hidden Potential

INSTALL

The Integrated Systems Europe exhibition held in early February in Amsterdam saw more audio manufacturers participating than ever before. Ever since the NSCA show was incorporated within the InfoComm International exhibition in the United States, I figure a reckoning of sorts has occurred with the audio manufacturers – that there is a huge potential market in the AV sector that they need to “personally” address. This trend without doubt will grow. So what does this mean to shows that are purely targeted at the entertainment markets – I think they may see booth sizes slightly shrinking. These shows still play a very relevant role for the industry, for instance the upcoming Prolight & Sound exhibition in Germany. To many of us this is a MUST ATTEND event if we want to catch up with the latest. However with more exhibitions popping up for diﬀerent regions and the AV client being recognised as a significant revenue earner, manufacturers are placed in an unenviable position of proportioning their budgets quite “thinly”.

Integration is the Key for Preparing Eden Stadium for the 2011 Rugby World Cup

MC2 at the Kaohsiung Municipal Social Education Centre

SOUL – The latest Trance Club in Singapore

4500 Electro-Voice Speakers in Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse and Hotel Complex

ETC Seladors and Vari*lites for Lady Wardle Performing Arts Centre

Robe for Qingdao TV Station

D.A.S. Audio Sets the Tone for ChasWood Resources

Apex Processors Hit the Right Note at Super Stars KTV Clubs

Aviom’s Personal Mixing System at the New National Theatre Tokyo

Midas Digital Systems Installed into Guangzhou Opera House

Robert Juliat Causes a Splash at The House of Dancing Water

The past couple of years especially starting with the Beijing Olympics, followed by the Shanghai World Expo and then the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore and most recently the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and the Asian Games in Guangzhou, have showcased to the world that the Asian region is competent and ready to embrace the latest technologies. The experience gained by those from Asia who were involved in these events will put the whole region in good steed. We would expect that these events would have a trigger on eﬀect on national events where producers, designers and technical staﬀ would be expected to maintain an high altitude of creativity and competence.

IN PERSPECTIVE

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

coolux Ltd: One Year On in China

LIVE 70

PR Lighting Fixtures Dominate Asian Games Opening & Closing Ceremonies

Riedel Communications Excels at the Asian Games

MIPRO Portable PA Systems Support the 16th Asian Games

Q-SYS Makes its Mark at Asian Games

Electro-Voice at India’s 62nd Republic Day Parade

DigiCo SD9 Is Sound Bound in India

Fine Art Shares the Limelight at Jacky Cheung’s 1/2 Century Tour

Nexo’s New RS18 Subs Makes Their Debut in Malaysia

PR Lighting Goes High Profile with Technopro

Creative Events and Clay Paky light up Doha’s Tribeca Film Festival

EXHIBITION REVIEW 78

PALME Middle East

Prolight & Sound, Frankfurt

Publisher/Editorial Director Thomas Richard : thomas@spinworkz.com | Editor James Bose : james@spinworkz.com | Admin & Circulation Julie Tan : admin@spinworkz.com | Contributing Editor Jacqueline Khoo | Contributing Consultant Pushpa Veerappan | Freelance Correspondent Clarence Anthony, Audrey Anne Felix | Design & Productions By Jimmy Chin : jimmy@spinworkz.com | Printed By : Print & Print 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

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First edition of “Proel Middle East Conference” in Dubai The event included several specific product sessions during which the latest Proel products were discussed, with an emphasis on technical issues and application areas. The Sound Systems, Stage Equipment, AVL, DH and Sagitter discussed during these sessions demonstrated Proel’s commitment to researching and developing new solutions for the audio and lighting markets, both for fixed installations and for events. The “Proel Middle East Conference” did not only consist of Proel’s own people and products. Turbosound, another company in the Proel Group, sent its management team to introduce its latest products and to further consolidate its presence in the area.

Dubai: To support its strategy to keep up its expansion policy in the Arab countries, the Proel Group organized the first edition of the “Proel Middle East Conference” at the Novotel World Trade Center in Dubai, a threeday event devoted to Middle Eastern markets. The conference also hosted professionals from the Northern African countries, such as Morocco and Egypt.

for Proel. He went on to explain that the Group’s strengths were the Research and Development department, logistics and the new management system that would lead to greater general eﬃciency in the future.

The event was also an occasion to share information and network. Of particular importance was the participation of Mr. Magdy el Bouhy, sales manager of Adawliah Saudia Arabia, a very active distributor of many Proel lines and brands. He received an award for the best sales results in the Middle East region for 2009-2010. www.proelgroup.com

Fabrizio Sorbi, President of Proel Group, took part in the event together with Massimo Signor, Proel’s Managing Director, and Simon Sinclair, Proel’s Business Development Director. Sorbi stressed how strategically important these emerging markets were

Audinate Technology to be Incorporated in StageTec Products International: Audinate and StageTec Entwicklungsgesellschaft für professionelle Audiotechnik mbH announced a collaboration where Audinate’s patented Dante™ digital media networking technology will be incorporated into a range of StageTec products. “Audio over IP is the future. We have been looking for an integrated solution, and Audinate’s Dante is the answer,” stated

StageTec’s Managing Director, Dr. KlausPeter Scholz. “It’s important to us, that we partner with a company that understands not just audio, but have an expert understanding of IP networking as we develop new products.”

the opportunity to connect the IP-world to the synchronous world of the classic routing systems while de-risking the future by providing a migration path to upgrade to new standards under development such as Audio Video Bridging (AVB).”

“We are honored to be selected by StageTec as their networking standard,” said John McMahon, Audinate’s Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Support. “Dante oﬀers

www.audinate.com www.stagetec.com

NEWS

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Midas PRO6 marks a first in the Middle East Supplied by Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises (NMK), exclusive distributors of Midas and Klark Teknik products in the United Arab Emirates, the set-up will be deployed for major sports events, live performances and national celebrations across the region. Thanks to the Midas PRO Series’ integral 5.1 panning and monitoring capabilities, the system can support 5.1 mixes out of the box and enables engineers to have their own mix at a concert rather than relying on the FOH mix. The digital advantages of the PRO6 make it particularly suited to an OB role.

Se7en Productions’ Pierre Tabet with Midas PRO6 in the company’s HD OB truck

Dubai: Leading Dubai-based events and audio company Se7en Productions has selected a Midas PRO6 for its new High Definition (HD) OB truck, making it the first OB truck in the Middle East be to fitted with a Midas digital console.

According to NMK’s marketing manager Richie Hiranandani, “The cabling required for power and processing is minimal, making it a beautifully compact and flexible system, while retaining the signature preamps and quality Midas sound made famous by analogue consoles such as the XL4 and Heritage 3000.” www.midasconsoles.com

Robe Highlighted in Singapore Singapore: Singapore lighting design and rental company Highlight Systems, run by the charismatic Roy Chooi, has just invested in 36 Robe ROBIN 300 Spots for its hire stock. The company has been operating for 5 years and is currently based in the central Ubi Avenue area of Singapore. Highlight’s core business is lighting design. For these projects they will also usually supply the equipment as well as doing direct rentals and installations. Chooi bought his first Robe moving lights, ColorSpot 700E Ats, two years ago from Louis Teo at Robe SEA (South East Asia). They have been utilized for a wide array of shows and events and have been very reliable. Chooi has been extremely happy with their performance and reliability. When the ROBIN 300 Series was launched, Chooi immediately arranged a demo with Robe SEA, thinking that the smaller, lightweight and low power consumption characteristics of the ROBIN would be the perfect compliment to boost his moving light inventory .. which resulted in this latest sale. Being a design house as well as equipment supplier means all elements are carefully considered before making a purchase. The latest fixtures were not just bought because they were necessarily going to be the most specified or requested by rental clients.

L-R John Saunders (Director, Anolis), Harry von den Stemmen (Sales Director, Robe lighting), Roy Chooi (Highlight Systems) and Louis Teo (Robe SEA).

“I like the brightness as well as the features and functionality of the ROBIN 300 Spots” Chooi enthused. “And of course the fantastic support and service from Robe SEA.” He emphasized that this technical support element was vital to any rental company.

Louis Teo comments, “The fact that a respected designer like Roy has endorsed this product means a lot in Singapore…. many people look to Roy and other proactive lighting designers, and take their lead from the products they are using and specifying”.

He also likes the zoom as well as the CTO and CMY colour flag system of the ROBIN 300E Spot which produces very smooth fades and colour mixing. The light weight is also a great advantage and the low power consumption is also a definite bonus because in many Singapore venues the power supply is restricted to 1 x 63A 3-phase supply to be shared by all production departments.

Since the new ROBIN 300 Spots were delivered, they have been used for numerous University Cultural Centre dance shows in several diﬀerent theatres and for a THK produced charity variety show for Channel 8 TV, shot at the Mediacorp broadcast studios. www.robe.cz

NEWS

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Martin Professional Launches myMartin eBusiness Web Site International: Martin Professional’s popular eShop has expanded its functionality and changed its name to myMartin. Accessible at my.martin.com to preapproved customers, myMartin is a convenient, online source for purchasing Martin Professional lighting, video and smoke products, as well as accessories, spare parts, swag and more. The new, full-service eBusiness Web Site features a new look, a user-friendly navigation process and all new features. Users also have access to a host of useful information including all manner of product info, pricing, product availability, special campaigns, ordering information, account management and more. “Our mission is to be the most innovative and inspiring eBusiness partner in the industry with a vision to maintain and develop a full-service, global eBusiness environment that adds real value through dedicated cooperation with our customers,” says Martin’s eBusiness Manager, Katrine Bøje.

Simple to use with a shopper-friendly purchasing process and secure payment system, myMartin provides instant access to all things Martin Professional from one convenient location, anytime, anywhere in the world. www.martin.com

Kenneth Bremer Appointed to Public Relations and Strategic Marketing Role for RCF

In addition, Kenneth will also provide support for the Sales Division as well as the Research and Development department. Marketing has become more strategically important and it is essential to supply distributors with the right marketing and sales tools to be competitive in their local market segments. Hence, Kenneth will be required to work closely with the diﬀerent marketing team members.

Kenneth Bremer

International: RCF has appointed Kenneth Bremer to fulfil a new PR and Strategic Marketing role within the company from January 2011. Kenneth Bremer will work closely with the marketing team to uphold RCF branding internationally, develop marketing strategies and maintain good relations with members of the media. He will also assist in customer support by providing customers with fast product information and advice on purchasing professional audio equipment. Kenneth will also articulate RCF’s PR strategy and work closely with all RCF branches.

RCF will benefit from this new appointment because the company will be up to date with fast moving market trends and have the right information about what products are most needed in the market. RCF will also be able to eﬀectively communicate with the distribution network and this will help to strengthen their business relationships with their customers. Kenneth has extensive business experience in the professional audio industry. He has headed many successful sales and marketing initiatives and is a very dedicated and respected person. www.rcfaudio.com

NEWS

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Martin Professional To Use DELTACAST Products for Media Servers

International: Under a new agreement signed with Belgium OEM video I/O card supplier DELTACAST, Martin Professional will be using the DELTA-hd and DELTA-dvi video capture cards in its popular Maxedia PRO™ and Maxedia Broadcast™ media servers. “The DELTACAST capture cards give us the opportunity to oﬀer the fastest and highest quality video capture to our customers,” states Paul Pelletier, Commercial Product Manager – Controllers for Martin Professional. “Implementation of the DELTACAST cards was quite easy and fit perfectly with our highly eﬃcient Maxedia video engine. We couldn’t ask for a better fit.” Under the Martin brand, the DELTACAST capture cards are called the MCC HD-SDI (DELTA-hd) and the MCC DVI (DELTA-dvi). Both the DELTA-hd and DELTA-dvi capture cards are used for video input in the Maxedia products. The Maxedia Broadcast makes use of the DELTA-hd’s 8-bit HD SDI digital video to PCI Express PC gateways while Maxedia PRO uses the DELTA-dvi for DVI-D or DVI-A to PCI Express PC gateways. www.martin.com www.deltacast.tv

Meyer Sound D-Mitri Wins InAVation Award International: D-Mitri®, Meyer Sound’s new digital audio platform, received an InAVation Award for “Most InAVative Commercial Audio Product (non-loudspeaker).” The award was bestowed during the fifth annual InAVation Awards ceremonies, held on February 2 in conjunction with the ISE show in Amsterdam. The AVB (Audio Video Bridging) networking standard, which is incorporated in D-Mitri and CAL™ column array loudspeaker, won an InAVation Award for “Breakthrough Technology of the Year.” “This InAVation Award reflects the creative engineering and hard work of our entire D-Mitri team,” says John McMahon, Meyer Sound’s executive director, digital products. “D-Mitri represents not only the future of Meyer Sound digital systems, but with its open architecture, it also will be the keystone element in complex networked installations involving multiple AV and IT vendors.” A complete D-Mitri system integrates Gigabit network technology with a family of processing and input/output devices, a suite of high-quality signal processing firmware, and adaptable control software. Notable features include high resolution audio (96 kHz sampling with up to 64-bit floating point processing), simultaneous multichannel recording and playback, extensive user programmability, and options for hosting Constellation® capabilities. D-Mitri can be set up in a centralized processing scheme, a distributed design, or a hybrid of the two, using the emerging AVB standard for connecting all devices. In January of 2011, Meyer Sound shipped the 500th D-Mitri hardware module for a range of applications that include major theme parks in Los Angeles and Tokyo, as well as the sold-out Soldier of Orange musical in Amsterdam. Meyer Sound is a promoting member of the AVnu Alliance, an industry forum dedicated to the advancement of AVB. www.meyersound.com

NEWS

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Clear-Com opens New Oﬃce in China

(L-R):Production Department Manager of Beijing TV Zheng Xing, President and Managing Director of Clear-Com Matt Danilowicz, Team Leader of CCTV (China Central TV) Yang Sheng, VP of Engineering for Clear-Com Jiou-Pahn Lee, and China Sales Manager for Clear-Com Jeﬀrey Wu at the grand opening of SD9 Clear-Com’s new oﬃce in China.

China: Clear-Com® has announced the establishment of a new office in Beijing, China. The office is located at Room No.518, Tower A, He Qiao Plaza, No.8A, Guanghua Rd, Chaoyang District. This investment demonstrates the company’s long-term commitment to the Greater China and Asia-Pacific market. Clear-Com relocated from the Vitec China office to its new location on January 1, 2011. With the addition of this site, the company looks to strengthen its international presence as a global voice communication company with innovative professional intercom products and unparalleled customer support. The new office will be the central hub for promotional activities and sales support of all Clear-Com products in China as well as provide after-sales technical assistance, shipment coordination and transactions that reinforce the company’s distribution partners in this region. In addition to the new office location, ClearCom has hired several key staff members to help support its efforts in the area. Jeffrey Wu was employed as the Regional Sales Manager to focus on identifying new business opportunities in the broadcast and live performance markets and expanding the business scope to include sectors such as Medical, Offshore, etc.. Joining Wu is Stef Liu as Applications Engineer and Ferren Hu as Office Manager.

Managing Director of Clear-Com Matt Danilowicz at the grand opening of Clear-Com’s new oﬃce in China.

Clear-Com serves several of China’s most prestigious broadcasters including China Central Television (CCTV), Beijing Television (BTV), Shanghai TV(SMG), Guangxi TV, Hunan TV and Szechuan TV. Clear-Com products were also used for large event productions such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the GuangZhou Asian games. www.clearcom.com

NEWS

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Prolyte Group announces new approach to Customer Services and new corporate identity

The Customer Service Department

International: In the wake of the PLASA announcement of the merger between Dutch trussing and structural specialists, Prolyte and UK-based Litestructures, the first steps towards the integration of the two companies – a restructured Customer Service department and the formation of brand management teams – have been implemented. The move coincides with the launch of a new corporate identity. Designed to reflect the recent changes within the organization, the new look is a combination of existing brands and logos that have been updated for a fresher, more modern feel. The Customer Services department is the first area to benefit from the reorganization. Focusing mainly on quotations and order handling, Customer Service will be the first point of contact for customer enquiries. The increased capacity and investment in product know-how along with optimized procedures will result in better and swifter response to customer demands. Heading up the department is customer service manager, Wieze Klaver. Supporting the CS department will be the newly-created brand management team. The team has been selected based on their extensive product knowledge and handson experience. A brand engineer will support each brand manager in order to guarantee fast and eﬃcient product support. According to Technical Director Marc Hendriks, putting the brand management team in place was the logical step to take. “A dedicated product group specialist can answer questions much more quickly and eﬃciently and divide the workload better. We are particularly pleased to announce the appointment of a Prolyte specialist which is something that we are sure will elevate the brand. Michiel van der Zijde is well known by many of our customers and has decades of knowledge in the field of entertainment. We are sure that he will make a big contribution to the team.” www.prolyte.com www.litestructures.co.uk

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NEWS 21

New AMX Control Module Available for L-ACOUSTICS Amplified Controllers

International: L-ACOUSTICS has joined forces with control and automation specialist AMX to provide external control of the LA4 and LA8 amplified controllers from an AMX touch screen panel for fixed installation applications. “The new AMX module provides L-Acoustics integrators with an interface control solution to take full advantage of the flexibility and performance of our LA amplified controllers in fixed install applications such as places of worship, convention centres and sports facilities,” said Cedric Montrezor, head of Installation Support for L-ACOUSTICS.

The main features of the new module include: • Mute • Input gain • Delay • Input Selection: AES/analogue • Standby/Reboot • Monitoring Information: metering, clip, limit • EN60849 fault management • Preset management LA4 and LA8 AMX modules are available for immediate download at www.amx.com. www.amx.com www.l-acoustics.com

NEWS

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Informationsteknik along with DIS acquired by Shure

International: Informationsteknik Scandinavia A/S of Copenhagen Denmark announced on 2 Feb 2011 that it had been acquired by Shure Incorporated.

that both companies place a high value on our employees, and we both have a very customer-focused approach to doing business” he added.

CEO of Informationsteknik Group Mr. Finn Halken said, “From the very first contact from Shure expressing their desire to acquire the whole of Informationsteknik along with our DIS business activities we saw tremendous opportunities becoming a member of the Shure organization”.

DIS General Manager Thomas Frederiksen said, “At DIS, we are very excited to be associated with a strong brand like Shure and we look very much forward to exploiting the mutual technological opportunities.”

“There are several reasons this acquisition makes sense for us, especially the fact

“This acquisition is beneficial to both organizations,” said Sandy LaMantia, Shure President and CEO. “Informationsteknik and Shure are both industry leaders. By coming

together, we will significantly strengthen both companies’ global reach and market position. We welcome all of the members of Informationsteknik and we look forward to their continued success.” Mr. Halken will report to Christine Schyvinck, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing and Sales for Shure, and Informationsteknik will be operated as one of Shure’s business units. www.dis.cc www.shure.com www.informationsteknik.dk

coolux Connect Conference 2011 International: The first coolux Connect Conference, which was held in Cologne from 11-12 Jan 2011, was a great success and attracted approximately 180 industry professionals from all over the world. The conference was intended as a forum for experienced and prospective coolux customers to meet each other, learn about the latest technological developments and get answers to all questions related to coolux and coolux products. Designers, technical directors, operators and content creators were able to network and share valuable industry insights. Seminar topics included (among others) screen tracking, interactive show design,

24/7 installations, advanced warping techniques, WYSIWYG and multi-touch applications. The seminars covered topics that were related to the coolux product family and created opportunities for in-depth discussions and the sharing of live production best-practice experiences. During his keynote presentation, coolux CEO Jan Huewel revealed the newest developments of the Pandora’s Box product family. Huewel also presented the new coolux Widget Designer 3.0 featuring advanced multi-touch capabilities, camera based motion detection and Microsoft Kinect input.

The following companies supported the conference: Cast Software, publitec, sonic emotion, schokopro, LOOP LIGHT and VER rentals. When asked about the chance of more conferences to follow, Huewel said,“Due to the extremely positive feedback we have received, I am pretty sure that we will host another coolux Connect Conference in the not too distant future. We want to establish this conference as a regularly occurring event that oﬀers first rate international contacts, a wonderful atmosphere and cutting edge technological know-how.“ www.coolux.de

NEWS

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W-DMX™ Now OEM Installed in New DTS Fixtures International: Wireless Solution Sweden AB is proud to add yet another highly respected company to its growing list of OEM partners, DTS Illuminazione s.r.l. DTS is now oﬀering OEM installed W-DMX™ in two of its newest products, the NICK WASH 600 and the Delta 10 F RGBW.

for DTS added, “We have been working with W-DMX for over 3 years. As a leading manufacturer of LED fixtures, we at DTS want to make sure that we supply the industry standard for wireless controls, and W-DMX is the unoﬃcial standard for wireless control.”

The NICK WASH 600 is a self-contained compact high-output LED moving head projector with 13° - 40° motorized zoom. NICK WASH 600 is one of the brightest compact LED projectors on the market with luminosity no less than 9.750 Lumens, ideal in shopping malls, libraries, museums, exhibitions, clubs, restaurants, buildings, monuments, as well as special events, fashion displays, etc. The unit is easily installable even in the most refined settings, thanks to its attractive appearance.

Niclas Arvidsson, CEO for Wireless Solution said, “DTS is a highly respected manufacturer in this industry with some of the finest LED products available. We are proud to be oﬀered as OEM standard in their products. With G4 shipping the first week of March, these will be the most intelligent wireless products on the market and with over 35 other W-DMX OEM partners, the products are compatible with most products you’ll come across.” www.wirelessdmx.com www.dts-lighting.it

The DELTA 10 F RGBW is a new colour changer with LED technology, with a high protection rating (IP65), ideal for use both indoors and outdoors. DELTA 10 F RGBW is the brightest LED colour changer in its category: 7.000 Lux at 5 meters. W-DMX comes standard in the DELTA fixtures and as an option in the NICK WASH 600. Andrea Gabrielli, Chief Engineer at DTS commented, “At DTS we have a lot of experience using W-DMX from Wireless Solution in our DTS Antenna product, so it was a natural step for us to proceed with W-DMX as standard in our new high power LED fixture like Delta 10.” Franco Zaghini, Vice President of Sales

MA Lighting Training Program Singapore: MA Lighting is starting its training program again under the umbrella of the German MA University. Various training courses will be held throughout the year, covering topics like User Training, Advanced Training, MA System Specialist, MA VPU and grandMA 3D plus specialized courses on Macros and Telnet. The diﬀerent modules build upon each other.

Training Schedule:

22-24 March 2011: Advanced User Training 13-15 April 2011: User Training for Beginners Those interested in attending the training sessions to be held in Singapore can contact MA Lighting via email at infoASIA@malighting.com www.malighting.com

NEWS

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ArKaos Appoints ULA Group as Exclusive Australian and New Zealand Distributor

Australia and NZ: In February 2011, ArKaos announced the appointment of ULA Group as the exclusive Australian and New Zealand distributor for the ArKaos range of show and lighting media server products. ArKaos’ product line oﬀers software and hardware combinations that allow those working on shows of all scales (and budgets) to incorporate video, projection or LED control into their productions and integrate them with the show’s lighting. The range starts with the ArKaos Media Master Express software, allowing smooth integration of video into light shows, theatre productions and other performances. The ArKaos LED Mapper allows the video output to be mapped to drive LED panels. ArKaos’ MediaMaster Pro brings uncompromised control to twelve layers of high-definition video, including LED panel output and DMX controlled. All of ArKaos’ software solutions are compatible with both PCs and Macs. For those preferring an integrated hardware and software solution, ArKaos’ A-series Media Servers are optimized and pre-loaded with a vast library of high-quality digital media from the world’s best visual content providers. ULA Group will be showing the full range of ArKaos products during the workshops visiting major Australian cities - beginning 14 March through to 18 March - and is looking forward to meeting all ArKaos customers. www.ulagroup.com www.arkaos.net

Behrens appointed Business Development Manager by D.A.S. International: Claus Behrens, a professional with a long and distinguished career in the professional audio industry, has recently joined the D.A.S. Audio team as Business Development Manager. The position will allow him to capitalize on his experience in the distribution channels in the installation market and in live sound applications. His extensive knowledge on professionally applied audio electronics, both in amplification as well as in digital signal processors, is a perfect match with the decidedly technological profile sought by D.A.S. Audio in its constant quest to continue the evolution of its range of products. Behrens’ broad professional background includes collaboration with first-tier companies in the sector such as TC Electronic, TC Works, TC US and most recently in at LAB Gruppen and LAKE, where he took on management and sales direction roles. www.dasaudio.com

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NEWS 27

QSC Wideline-8 Line Array at Microsoft Cloud Summit Malaysia: The 25th of January saw Microsoft’s Malaysia oﬃce hold its Microsoft Cloud Summit at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which attracted about 300 participants. Ensuring quality sound at the event were the QSC Wideline-8 line array systems. Singesen Production was responsible for the setting up and operating of the sound system for the event. The system was configured into two L/R hangs of six units of the WL3082 line array speakers together with two units of WL212 Sub-woofers. The 140 degrees wide horizontal coverage featuring high acoustic output was more than suﬃcient to cover the entire venue. One unit of KW181 was also placed on the ground to give an extra oomph to the sub. The KW181 is an 18” sub-woofer that is able to produce 1000 watt power. Jackie of Singesen Production comments: “As the Wideline-8 is supported by EASE, we used the EASE Focus Acoustic software to design the line array system for the venue. I am very satisfied with the system – even though it is compact and lightweight, it produces a powerful sound and the frequency response

is great. I must also comment that the rigging system enabled us to set up the system with ease.” www.yosimtech.com

NEWS

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D.A.S. Audio Celebrates 40th Anniversary

International: D.A.S. Audio, recognized internationally as a leading manufacturer of loudspeaker systems, power amplification, signal processing, and related components, is pleased to announce that 2011 marks the company’s 40th anniversary. Founded in 1971 by a young industrial engineer named Juan Alberola, D.A.S. Audio has evolved into a global sound reinforcement leader with a comprehensive collection of products offering versatility and solutions for the contractor, sound rental companies, and the working musician. The son of a composer and music educator, music played a central role in Juan Alberola’s life. Being an avid music listener, he parlayed his love of music and high end hi-fi systems into a sound system installation business for nightclubs and bars. Due to the high cost of imported loudspeaker products, Alberola began designing and manufacturing his own loudspeaker systems. With a passion for audio, he strived to incorporate the finer aspects of high fidelity into every design. This dedication to the art of music and sound became the energizing force behind an amazing entrepreneurial evolution known worldwide as D.A.S. Over the years, D.A.S. Audio’s loudspeakers and compression drivers have earned an enviable reputation throughout the world for exceptional performance and reliability by incorporating the latest advances in transducer design and manufacture, including state-of-the-art coil winding technologies, the use of composite adhesives, and efficient cooling schemes. Similarly, the company pioneered the use of high-density structural polymers for the construction of acoustic enclosures. These advanced materials and production techniques facilitated unique loudspeaker system designs that differentiated D.A.S. products from those of its competitors and positioned the company at the forefront of European manufacturers.

As far back the 90’s, D.A.S. developed a global presence with distribution on all five of the world’s continents. In order to provide faster and more eﬃcient logistics on the American continent, D.A.S. established a subsidiary in the United States known as D.A.S. Audio of America, Inc. Coincidentally, 2011 marks D.A.S. Audio of America’s 15th year in the United States, making D.A.S. Audio one of very few European sound reinforcement manufacturers with a presence of such duration in North America. D.A.S. also has a presence in Asia, with its oﬃce established in Singapore in 2007. Sound quality and impeccable design are the common traits that characterize the D.A.S. product range. With a commitment that includes the finest service and support—both before and after the sale— D.A.S. Audio has established a stellar reputation for innovation, reliability, and, performance. The company’s products can be found at many of the most prestigious venues around the globe, including the Minsk Arena (Minsk, Belarus), The Stadium of the Alps (Turin, Italy), and the Mabee Center (Oklahoma, USA) to name just a few. Robert Giner, D.A.S. Audio’s International Marketing Director, commented on the company’s milestone achievement. “D.A.S. Audio is a special company with a unique culture that fosters and rewards entrepreneurship,” Giner remarked. “There’s a very special sense of commitment by everyone at D.A.S. to develop and sell cutting-edge products with the the highest level of sound quality, exceptional feature sets, and world-class reliability. As we move forward, I am confident our rich history of innovation will continue.” www.dasaudio.com

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NEWS 29

Taiwanese Rental Company Deploys New L-ACOUSTICS K1 on Jay Chou Taiwan: One of Taiwan’s leading artists, Jay Chou, held a mid-January concert in Guangzhou to welcome the New Year. Performing at Tianhe Stadium, Guangzhou before 30,000 fans, the show was even more memorable thanks to a L-ACOUSTICS K1 WST® line source system. This was provided by new L-ACOUSTICS rental network agent Reyn Yang Professional Sound Co, one of Taiwan’s biggest rental companies, which was using its new system for the first time. The system was configured into two L/R hangs of 12 K1s and three KARA modular line source cabinets for downfill flown beneath six K1-SBs, and two side arrays of 10 K1s beneath six K1-SBs for far field coverage at both sides of the stadium. It was driven by LA-RAKs housing L-ACOUSTICS LA8 amplified controllers. “This is a milestone and a revolution for the rental business in the Chinese market,” says Danny Lau, managing director of L-ACOUSTICS’ distributor for Taiwan and China, RACPRO. “We look forward to seeing more and more rental companies paying such close attention to their sound systems.” According to Mr Lau, Reyn Yang’s owner Mr Liao really appreciated the great performance from the K1 system. “The system provided perfect coverage and unprecedented SPLs that he had never experienced when compared to their previous system,” says Mr Lau. Prior to the concert, L-ACOUSTICS’ certified trainer Paul van Baasbank carried out some training with K1 and SOUNDVISION acoustic simulation software at the Tianhe Stadium. “It was good to do the training at the place where their first concert with K1 would take place,” says van Baasbank. “The team adapted very fast to the L-ACOUSTICS design criteria. Their experience, skill and eagerness to learn new techniques made this a great training course.” The multi-talented Jay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer, songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. Although trained as a classical musician he fuses Chinese and Western styles to produce R&B, pop and rock, often with a political content. He stars in the newly-released film, The Green Hornet as kung fu expert Kato. www.l-acoustics.com

NEWS

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Electronics & Engineering Celebrates 60th Anniversary in Style Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd celebrated its 60th anniversary in style at the ShangriLa Hotel Singapore. Almost 500 guests including manufacturer representatives, integrators, consultants, clients as well as E&E staďŹ&#x20AC; from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and India were present at the gala event. Free flow of wine and beer and a set course dinner together with light entertainment helped set the atmosphere. Mr Ronald Goh thanked everyone present in his speech and made it a point to inform everyone that his son Gary Goh will be taking over the helm of the company as of this year. Mr Ronald Goh will remain as Chairman of the company.

Gary Goh

Presentations for long serving staďŹ&#x20AC; were also made and guests were brought on a trip down memory lane via a video clip presentation about the birth of E&E to its present day status. All in all it was a very classy and enjoyable evening. www.enepl.com.sg

Joe Ng

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The elegant ambience and classy entertainment made it a memorable celebration.

NEWS 31

LIST OF EXHIBITIONS Prolight + Sound 2011 (Frankfurt) 6 - 9 April 2011 Frankfurt, Germany www.prolight-sound.com

Palme / Install Asia 2011 13 - 15 July 2011 Singapore www.palme-asia.com

InfoComm China 2011 22 - 25 February 2011 Beijing, China www.infocomm-china.com

Palme / Install Middle East 2011 26 - 28 April 2011 Dubai, UAE www.palme-middleeast.com

Integrate 2011 30 Aug - 1 Sept 2010 Sydney, Australia www.integrate-expo.com

PLASA 2011 11 - 14 Sept 2011 London, United Kingdom www.plasashow.com Palm / Install China 2011 26 - 29 May 2011 Beijing, China www.palmexpo.net

PALM Expo 2011 2 - 4 June 2011 Mumbai, India www.diversifiedcommunications.in

Prolight + Sound 2011 (Shanghai) 11 - 14 Oct 2011 Shanghai, China www.prolightsound-shanghai.com

VIETNAM Palme / Install Vietnam 2011 2 - 4 Nov 2011 Hanoi, Vietnam www.palme-vietnam.com

Broadcast Asia 2011 21 - 24 June 2011 Singapore www.broadcastasia.com

ENNOVATIONS

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Martin’s LightJockey 2™ Gets Repackaged Martin Professional’s industry leading PC-based lighting software, LightJockey 2, is now available with the new Martin One-Key™ protection device, one Martin USB DUO DMX™ and the MSD5™ MC Edition 3D Visualizer. Martin has also announced a LightJockey hardware replacement program. Through the program, old LightJockey hardware from an ISA PC card to a Universal USB device can be returned for exchange. The replacement kit includes the Martin One-Key, either one or two Martin USB DUO DMX’s, and an MSD5 MC Edition 3D Visualizer. www.martin.com

LTM Introduces All Black “C-Force” Manual Chain Blocks and Beam Clamps Entertainment Lifting Equipment supplier Lift Turn Move Ltd (LTM) have announced two additions to their already extensive product range, the “C-Force Manual Chain Block” and the “C-Force Beam Clamp”. These new products are all black in colour which makes them ideal for venue and touring rigging applications.

swivelling load and suspension hooks, light weight, low headroom as well as safe and easy operation. In addition, costs are kept low by oﬀering them pre-chained to 10m as standard. This reduces labour costs and these savings are passed on to the customer.

LTM have also supplemented their existing product range with the C-Force Beam Clamps. These are available in 1,000Kg – 5,000Kg capacities and again, are available from stock and come in an all black finish, making them ideal for the entertainment industry.

The chain blocks are available in capacities from 250kg – 1,000kg. They have been tested and certified and are available from stock in the UK and Germany.

The beam clamps come with several safety features. Aside from being of heavy duty construction, they also come complete with a special locking screw mechanism which ensures the unit stays tight, increasing safety. Furthermore, the clamping jaws are specially designed to distribute the load away from the beam flange edges which reduces flange stress and ultimately increases safety. For those who need it, these clamps can also be oﬀered to the German BGV-C1 standard.

With this range, LTM are hoping to make manual chain blocks as aﬀordable as possible while maintaining very high build quality. These professional duty blocks come complete with all the features required in chain blocks such as C-Force Manual Chain Block

C-Force Beam Clamps

Eurolite enlarges its range of LED moving lights with the impressive TMH-10. Eurolite’s new TMH-10 LED moving light features a modern 60-watt LED. Furthermore, it impresses with other technical specifications such as a low power consumption of only 170 watts and a weight of less than 8 kilograms. As a consequence, the TMH-10 is perfect for places with limited technical and mechanical options as well as for mobile use.

The TMH-10’s range of functions are extensive. Among other things, the 12 DMX channels show control options for the 3-facet prism, the color wheel has 7 colors (plus open), the gobo wheel with 6 rotating gobos (plus open) and separate channels for strobe and dimmer. For stand-alone operation, Eurolite provides programmed scenes with variable speed. www.steinigke.de

www.liftturnmove.co.uk www.winchshop.co.uk www.cow-lifting-tec.de www.LoadGuard.com

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ENNOVATIONS 35

Powersoft’s M Series Power Amplifiers Oﬀer Flexibility for a Wide Range of Applications Powersoft have introduced the M Series range of power amplifiers which consists of five new models that include two 4-channel and three 2-channel versions. As expected, the M Series amplifiers come in a one-rack-unit chassis, 358mm in depth and weighing just over 7kg. Thanks to Powersoft’s combination of switch mode power supply and PWM output stages, all M Series models are highly eﬃcient.

ohms, resulting in greater flexibility for a wide range of applications. The M Series features Powersoft’s advanced plug-in DSP module. When installed and preset to meet the needs of a particular installation, including settings for crossover frequency and curves, basic system EQ and protection functions, the parameters cannot be tampered with — making the M Series a “plug and safe” power amp.

“We are very pleased that the M Series, our newest amplifier oﬀering, is now available for purchase,” said Claudio Lastrucci, Powersoft’s managing director. “Because of our advanced engineering and design, we are able to oﬀer M Series amplifiers at a very attractive price without compromising the sound quality and features. This makes the M Series an outstanding value for small to medium-sized PA systems and stage monitors for live music and DJ applications. Even for dry hire, the M Series is safe with the DSP ‘hidden’ inside. Clubs, bars and other entertainment venues often have to pay extra for their systems to be tamper-proof. The M Series includes this as standard.”

“M Series is poised to set a new standard in its class,” concludes Lastrucci. “And, like all our products, it will be made in Italy according to our stringent quality standards.”

The M50Q and M28Q are 4-channel models, delivering up to 1,250W/ch into 4 ohms. The M30D, M20D and M14D oﬀer 2 channels each with a maximum output of 1,500W/ch at 4 ohms. The entire range reaches down to 360W/ch into 8

www.powersoft-audio.com

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ENNOVATIONS 37

Soundcraft Extends Digital Console Range with th Si Compact 16

The new Soundcraft Si Compact Series is a power-packed range of digital consoles that brings all the experience of Soundcraft’s digital mixing platforms to a very affordable price level for tour sound, corporate event, house of worship and theatre applications, amongst others. With full DSP functionality built-in to a small-footprint chassis, the Si Compact range provides up to 40 inputs to mix in 3 frame sizes. Motorized faders with patented Soundcraft FaderGlow™ operate on two layers, but the main difference from similarly priced mixers is the provision of a full encoder set for all the functions on a channel from input gain through EQ and dynamics to bus controls. Drawing on its acclaimed Si Series, Soundcraft’s new Si Compact packs powerful digital mixing facilities along with stunning Lexicon® effects into a trio of small footprint consoles available in 16, 24 or 32 mic/line input formats, with 4 stereo returns.

In addition, compact doesn’t mean compromise. The audio controls have no layering which makes operation fast and simple. The Si Compact also has four separate Lexicon FX processors with dedicated FX busses in addition to the main mixes, and BSS Graphic EQ for every bus. Legendary Soundcraft audio quality comes courtesy of EMMA Lite, the same DSP platform that has helped propel the larger Si Series to industry standard status and riders on events all around the world. Features like dedicated FX busses, 16 line outputs plus AES, an option card slot for MADI or other connectivity, a Global Mode for instant access to Pan, Gain and Filters, a colour touchscreen interface and FaderGlow™ equip Si Compact to easily handle a wide range of live sound mixing applications. www.harman.com

ENNOVATIONS

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QSC Launches KLA Line Array Loudspeakers QSC Audio Products, LLC have launched the KLA Series fixed arcuate, active line array system loudspeakers. Built on the same power platform as the successful K Series and KW Series powered loudspeakers, KLA is ideal for a wide range of portable and permanently installed applications including houses of worship, entertainment venues and a variety of other locations where the use of a line array is indicated. “Ease-of-use in terms of deployment and system tuning were the key elements driving the KLA design,” states Phil Sanchez, Product Manager at QSC. “In oﬀering the KLA solution, we’ve managed to bring to market a product that is both attractively priced and fast to implement. This arrangement makes line array technology more accessible to a larger customer segment and will serve as practical audio solution for many more users than ever before possible.”

KLA five-box array frame

The KLA Series is comprised of two models, the KLA1212-inch, 2-way, line array element and the KLA181 18-inch subwoofer enclosure. Both models feature a highly-eﬃcient, 1,000 Watt (continuous) class-D power module and include QSC’s proprietary Intrinsic Correction™, first introduced with the QSC WideLine™ Series for optimal acoustical performance across the entire sound field. The KLA’s unique, self-contained SOLO™ (Single-Operator Logistics) Rigging System enables users to quickly assemble (and disassemble) a line array in a fraction of the time of comparable systems — all without the need for special tools or external hardware. Another new feature found specifically on the KLA12 is Ar-Q™ (Arcuate Equalization) frequency optimisation. With a click of a dial on the back panel, the user selects the total number of boxes deployed in the array. In response, the Ar-Q system makes the appropriate frequency compensation adjustments resulting in an evenly balanced and accurate tonal curve. KLA three-box array frame

As a fixed array, each box is set at an 18˚ splay angle, allowing 90˚ arrays to be configured using only five boxes rather than the six typically found in competing products. For portable applications, the Tilt-Direct™ 35mm pole socket on the KLA12 allows the loudspeaker to be mounted on a tripod or pole and aimed for the best audience coverage.

KLA array with two subwoofers and three boxes

In establishing maximum flexibility, the KLA181 subwoofer includes a rotary polarity switch for low frequency directivity control, a threaded pole socket for mounting up to two KLA12 loudspeakers on top and can be flown via M10 fittings on the top of the enclosure.

Continuing the design elements established in the popular K and KW Series loudspeakers, both KLA Series models incorporate QSC’s DEEP™ DSP algorithm, providing extended bass response by actively managing potentially damaging low-frequency transients, and GuardRail™ circuitry protection which prevents the amplifier module from unnatural and destructive clipping. Additional power module characteristics include an analogue input section with a balanced, line-level XLR input in parallel with an XLR ‘Thru’ connector, PowerCon™ In and Thru connectors, Attenuation Control, LED indicators (Signal, Limit, Power / Standby Status) and Auto Standby mode which engages after five minutes of inactivity — an energy saving feature. Upon resumption of audio signal, the amplifier in the KLA power module awakens instantly. Fully supported in EASE and EASE Focus, the KLA Series is oﬀered in both black and white finishes. www.qscaudio.com/products/speakers/KLA

KLA array with two boxes over a subwoofer

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ENNOVATIONS 39

ETC Eos software update improves Eos range ETC has released an update to its Eos family of lighting control desks, providing improved and additional functionality for Eos, Ion and Element users. The major change for Eos and Ion is a new Virtual Media Server (sometimes referred to as pixel bit mapping) which allows the creation of grids of fixtures to which static and animated images can be applied with a variety of manipulation tools. Similar to a media server, images can be created or imported by the user. A second download, Eos Family Pixel Mapping Installer, allows the user to add media content to the console for use with the Virtual Media Server. For all three desks, shielded submasters allow a priority to be assigned to a submaster or a “shield.” When a submaster is shielded, the parameters assigned to that submaster are excluded from any live control other than the submaster.

They can’t be played back in cues and the user can’t take control of the channel parameters manually. Furthermore, it is now possible to use the colour- and gel-picker on “non-standard” LED fixtures, such as RGBA or RGBW. Import of ASCII files from Congo and NT control systems is also now supported. Channel and address check mode have been added for the RFR (radio focus remote), making it the default screen for the RFR when engaged. The software can be downloaded from either the product pages on ETC’s website or the downloads page at www. etcconnect.com/downloads.aspx . Oﬄine or client software should be updated at the same time. www.etcconnect.com

ETC’s Eos and Ion lighting control desks

ENNOVATIONS

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Proel’s New XEOS Series Features Improved Sound XEOS is a new series of installation speakers created by Proel to replace the existing Spark and MO/CSE series with a single range featuring a selected number of models, a renovated look and an improved sound. The series includes three 2-way surfacemount models: XE35TB/TW with 3.5” woofer, XE55TB/TW with 5” woofer and XE65TB/W with 6.5” woofer. The newly designed front baﬄe featuring a full protection grille with a new stylish and unobtrusive aluminium logo allows these speakers, available in black or white colour, to blend perfectly into any location. The horn-loaded dome tweeters and the improved crossover filters provide a smooth and detailed response, suitable both for voice paging and background music applications. All three models feature a c-shaped bracket for easy installation in vertical or horizontal position. Two square-shaped 2-way ceiling models are available, XE55CTX and XE65CTX, featuring 5” and 6.5” coaxial speakers and 70V/100V/8ohm operation. The round-shape

ceiling models includes the XE65CT, a twoway coaxial system with 6.5” woofer, and the XE51CT, a full-range 5” model. The XEOS speakers are elegantly designed and produce high quality sound. They also oﬀer users value and flexibility. www.proelgroup.com

XE65TW

XE65CT

Community Launches the VLF218 Subwoofer Community Professional Loudspeakers is expanding its VLF Series of powerful subwoofers with the re-introduction of the VLF218. Joining the existing VLF208 and VLF212 models, the newly updated VLF218 is a high eﬃciency, dual 18-inch subwoofer system with a slim profile and rugged Baltic birchply enclosure. With power handling of 1600W

continuous (4000W program) and sensitivity of 99dB/W/m, it oﬀers exceptional punch, high output, and low distortion. Additionally, the drivers may be configured internally to be driven by a single amp (1600W @ 4 ohms) or by dual amplifiers (800W @ 8 ohms each). The VLF218 uses a unique combination of techniques to keep voice coil temperatures low to avoid power compression that causes

reduced output at higher volume levels. Using a proprietary method known as ActiveAir Cooling, the motor structures of each driver are situated inside of the port where the outside moving air actively removes heat from the assembly. Additionally, cone movement drives air through the vented magnet pole-piece to cool the motor structures further. BCL (Balanced Cone Loading) improves the linearity of the system by balancing the front and rear air loads. The 3rd harmonic distortion at 40V (50% power) averages less than 1.9% over its operating range and the enclosure has strong internal bracing to reduce sound energy losses from enclosure vibration. Standard units are fully outfitted with pocket lifting handles, corner “hand truck” bar grip handles, tour grade casters, top and bottom stacking cups and rubber feet. Standard available options include front and rear seat track, pole sockets, custom colours, and fiberglass covered weatherized versions. www.communitypro.com

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ENNOVATIONS 41

Martin Professional Maxedia 4.40 Unleashed! The latest software release for Martin’s user-friendly Maxedia™ media server brings the Maxedia feature set to a higher level. Aligning simplicity of use with complexity of execution, Maxedia 4.40 shows how the most powerful media server on the market can also be a user-friendly one. Similar to lighting consoles, Maxedia now features a cuelist for automation. From simple drag and drop of cues through an intuitive user interface, cuelists are quickly built and ready to play back. Cuelists can be triggered manually, automatically using ‘Wait’ and ‘Follow Time’, or even using external timecode. This makes Maxedia the perfect media server for permanent installations as well as large events. Complementing the new cuelist is new timecode input. MIDI and SMPTE timecode can be used to synchronize one or multiple Maxedia systems together. Not only will cuelist cues be triggered at the right time by following external timecode but the actual video content of cues will also follow timecode. This means that video playback is exactly where it is supposed to be when the user jumps forward or backward in the timecode. The Maxedia engine now supports up to 8 HD SDI inputs simultaneously. Using the newly added MCC capture card, latency is kept as low as 2 frames per second, turning Maxedia into a super powerful video switcher. In addition to the high speed capture, the video input can make use of frameblending for smooth 50/60 HZ conversion, a unique feature of Maxedia. A choice of Dual HD-SDI and Dual DVI MCC capture cards is available from Martin Professional. When using several video walls and creative LED video curtains there comes a time when breaking, scaling, rotating and repositioning the engine output into sections is necessary. This task is easier than ever with the new Video Output Remapper. A portion or the entire video content can be sliced and diced anywhere on the actual video output. Keystoning, edge-blending and 3D warping are now available on both engines which makes each server really act like two servers. 3D warping in combination with keystoning and edge-blending can be done over six video projectors using a single Maxedia Broadcast and up to three projectors on a Maxedia PRO and Compact. A dozen new, high-quality eﬀects and plug-ins have been added to Maxedia 4.40. All the new eﬀects allow for more control and better tools for the ultimate creative mind. Included is Framing borders, Chainer, Color Motion, Sepia, Advanced Chromakey and more. www.martin.com

ENNOVATIONS

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B&C broadens product range Reaﬃrming their commitment to producing a full range of premium quality, value focused high and low frequency components, B&C has added a number of new products to their product range for 2011. New to the B&C range of coaxial components is the 6HCX51. Weighing in at only 1.5kg (3.4lb), this new minicoax features a single neodymium magnet assembly for both woofer and driver. The polyester diaphragm high frequency driver is loaded with a small 70° horn. The result is a warm and natural tone that compliments the woofer without overpowering it. A 300 watt power rating makes the 6HCX51 practical for a wide variety of applications, especially for small format fixed installation enclosures. www.bcspeakers.com

Electro-Voice adds RE320 dynamic Variable-D wired microphone to their RE Performance Group The latest addition to the ElectroVoice RE Performance Group of wired microphones culls key features of the venerable RE20 and RE27N/D Broadcast Group p r o d u c t s into an exceptionally versatile studio and live performance microphone. Engineered for stellar performance in virtually any imaginable application, the RE320 delivers excellent results when mic’ing vocals or instruments in the studio or on stage. Designed to meet the demanding needs of project and pro studio operators, live and studio performers and engineers, as well as podcasters and broadcasters at any level, the RE320 brings heritage Electro-Voice technology and performance to bear in an exciting and versatile new MI product. The RE320’s key features include ElectroVoice’s remarkable Variable-D™ proximity control technology for tight, bold, expressive, and consistent tonal performance; their patented humbucking coil for noiseless operation; and a high-output neodymium magnet structure capsule that delivers fast and accurate transient response and pronounced high-frequency detail.

Rounding out the feature set is the new “dual personality” switch which essentially creates two mics in one. One setting of the switch engages a response curve that is ideal for voice and most instrument micing, while the other switch position activates a response curve designed specifically for kick drums with dips and peaks exactly where kick drums need some attention. As a new member of Electro-Voice’s RE Performance Group, the RE320 joins the RE200 small diaphragm condenser, the RE410 and RE510 handheld condenser vocal microphones and the RE920 clipon condenser in an outstanding line-up of premium-grade performance microphones. www.electrovoice.com/re320 www.bosch.com.sg

The New EON515XT: JBL Professional’s Best EON Loudspeaker Ever JBL Professional have introduced the EON515XT active loudspeaker. As the flagship of the iconic JBL powered portable speaker collection, the EON515XT was engineered for durability, high performance and ease

of use. JBL has extended the reach of the current EON technology by improving input sensitivity, lowering the noise floor, adding user selectable EQ control and re-voicing the system for peak performance and enhanced audio precision. The 2-way EON515XT incorporates a JBL 2414H high-frequency neodymium compression driver and a 15-inch JBL 265F1 Diﬀerential Drive® dual-voice-coil woofer perfectly matched to a proprietary Crown® Class D amplifier. The system has been revoiced from previous models for better clarity and frequency balance and now delivers a stout 132dB maximum SPL. The input sensitivity has been increased by 10dB to accommodate keyboards, musical instruments, drum machines and lower output sound reinforcement and DJ mixers. The EON15XT now oﬀers user-adjustable EQ with individual bass and treble controls and

a simplified 3-channel mixer configuration— an especially beneficial live performance feature that allows users to plug in multiple instruments and microphones. Built to take the rigors of the road, the JBL EON515XT has been restyled for discretion with a tough, molded black enclosure, black metal grille, black JBL badge, and charcoal EON grille logo. The EON515XT can be polemounted on a subwoofer or tripod stand using its 36 mm pole-mount socket, used in a floor monitor position or flown using its integrated M10 suspension points. It oﬀers two 1/4inch TRS inputs, one combination XLR/TRS input and an XLR loop-through output for connecting another EON speaker, recording device or for routing to an external device. Weighing just 32.5 pounds, the EON515XT features multiple grip points designed for comfort, safety and balance. www.harman.com

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ENNOVATIONS 43

Philips Selecon PL3s delivers stellar LED lighting for Film and Stage The Philips Selecon PL3 LED Luminaire delivers the clean, colour balanced whites required for stage, television and film production together with a range of beautiful colours including subtle tints suitable for any entertainment application. The long life of the LED engine reduces maintenance cost dramatically and saves energy. This variable beam (15°–55°) wash luminaire delivers light levels in ‘warm tungsten white’ similar to that of a 1.2kW Fresnel and at higher colour temperatures with a power consumption of only 400 watts. From subtle tints to strident saturated colours, the colour mixing capability of the PL3 LED is complemented by three ‘white’ presets (Warm White, Cool White, and Daylight) to assist with matching to existing light sources. There is a convenient control solution available for all lighting situations. Choose from local keypad control across all functions to DMX, wireless DMX or infrared remote control. The PL3 focusable wash LED luminaire delivers a powerful, high output, full colour lighting solution with a beautifully homogenised beam of light. Users will not have to rely on high wattage Halogen or MSR lamped luminaires that generate heat and require dimming and switching systems to control them. www.seleconlight.com/pl3

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Planar Announces Ultra-High Resolution Wall Display

Planar Systems, Inc. have introduced the first video wall system that packs ultrahigh resolution image quality, seamless look and industry-leading brightness and contrast into a compact footprint. The new Clarity™ MegaPixel™ Wall display incorporates the innovative Clarity Interlock™ screen design, which delivers brightness and contrast not possible with traditional large-format seamless designs. With up to 5,760 x 2,160 pixels of resolution and a total system depth of only 18 inches (45.72 cm), the Clarity MegaPixel Wall is ideal for the display and sharing of high-resolution information in standard conference rooms. For applications such as oil and gas exploration, geospatial intelligence, engineering design, scientific visualization, military simulation and video

conferencing, the Clarity MegaPixel Wall’s combination of size, resolution and image quality are unequaled. The Clarity MegaPixel Wall is available in two models/sizes: the 8-megapixel, 100-inch diagonal Clarity mp100 and the 12-megapixel, 146-inch Clarity mp150. Both models deliver: Image quality. Planar’s proprietary Clarity Interlock screen design delivers seamless image quality with three times the brightness and ten times the contrast of other large-format video displays. Fine details are easily visible in normally lit conference rooms. One-touch calibration. Near-perfect geometric alignment and brightness

uniformity is maintained with a simple to use optical calibration control. Alignment is precise to within less than 1 pixel. Uniformity across the entire display is rated at 99 percent. Slim design. The compact design requires an installation area with a depth of slightly more than 18 inches – the smallest footprint in the industry and a fraction of the space required for rear-mounted projection systems. Application independence. Clarity MegaPixel Wall is source and application agnostic. Any source or application can be displayed correctly without special drivers or installing additional software. www.planarcontrolroom.com

JBL Professional Unveil EON210P Complete Portable PA System JBL Professional have introducted its EON210P Portable PA system, a complete, powered system that is compact, lightweight and simple to use. The JBL EON210P includes two 10-inch, 2-way speakers, an 8-channel powered stereo mixer with four digital eﬀects, two 15-foot speaker cables and a convenient storage compartment for microphones and accessories. The mixer and storage compartment attach to the rear of the speakers, allowing for ease of movement when transporting the system. At a total weight of just 33 pounds, the EON210P is 20 pounds lighter than most other package PA systems in its class. The EON210P can accommodate multiple microphones, instruments, portable music players and other audio sources. Channels

1–4 include XLR/1/4-inch combination connectors, individual Bass and Treble controls and an eﬀect send, channels 5-6 have a pair of 1/4-inch stereo and a pair of stereo RCA jacks, and channels 7–8 have a 3.5mm stereo jack. The mixer also features a 30V phantom power supply for use with condenser microphones, 1/4-inch TRS and RCA stereo output jacks for connection to recording devices or for external routing, in addition to a dedicated 3.5mm headphone jack. Although compact, the EON210P packs plenty of sonic punch, thanks to its 300-watt-peak stereo amplifier and higheﬃciency 2-way speakers, each with a 1.5-inch neodymium compression-driver tweeter and 10-inch high-excursion woofer. The EON210P can deliver 124dB peak system output and each speaker

provides smooth, even coverage over a 100º x 60º listening area. The EON210P’s speakers can be placed on a floor or table, or pole-mounted using the speakers’ 36mm pole-mount socket. www.harman.com

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ENNOVATIONS 45

Electro-Voice’s new R300 Wireless Microphone System is Quick and Easy to Set Up Electro-Voice’s R300 is a breakthrough wireless microphone system that opens up a brand new category in today’s wireless marketplace – Entry-Level Professional. Unique features like One-Touch ClearScan™ and EZsync™ make the R300 quicker and easier to set up and use than any other similarly priced wireless system. Its rack-mountable metal receiver, sturdy metal bodypack, handheld transmitters and remote-mountable antennas are of a build and performance quality usually reserved for higher-priced professional products. This unprecedented combination of value, professional features, and road-ready ruggedness make the R300 a perfect choice for a wide range of wireless applications, from live vocals and instruments to professional presentations. Three diﬀerent microphone configuration packages are available: handheld, headworn or lapel.

R300 Receiver

With a sleek, low-profile design and durable construction, the R300 receiver system is equally at home on a table top or in a 19-inch equipment rack. Its simple controls and easy-to-read display are designed to provide the ultimate in user-friendly operation. Rack-mount kits and front-mount antenna cables are available for professional installation. For applications with up to four receivers in one rack, the APD4+ antenna splitter can provide antenna and power feeds.

BP-300 Bodypack

The all-new BP-300 metal bodypack transmitter is rugged, compact, and easy to use. Using two AA batteries for 14 hours of use, the BP-300 is one of the most economical transmitters available for day-to-day operation. The unit’s mute function keeps the RF signal live while muting the audio, protecting the channel and preventing noise in the audio system. Two preconfigured bodypack systems are available, with either a lapel or a headworn microphone. The bodypack’s TA4 connector allows the unit to be used with other Electro-Voice lapel or headworn microphones.

HT-300 Handheld Transmitter

The HT-300 metal handheld transmitter is made to withstand the rigors of daily use while being comfortable in the hand. The unit’s PL22 dynamic microphone capsule oﬀers the perfect allaround solution for speaking, singing and emcees. The PL22’s cardioid pickup pattern rejects surrounding noise, helping to control feedback while still allowing an experienced vocalist to “work” the microphone.

ClearScan™

Electro-Voice’s ClearScan™ system scans through the R300’s 32 preset channels and selects the clearest channel – all with the touch of a single button.

EZsync™

EZsync™ uses infrared technology to set the transmitter to the correct frequency, confirming operation in one automatic step. www.electrovoice.com/r300 www.bosch.com.sg

ENNOVATIONS

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Crown Audio’s XTi 2 Series Amplifiers For Portable PA Enhances Value and Performance Crown Audio’s new XTi 2 Series of amplifiers oﬀer increased control, an enhanced feature set and a sleeker design. The XTi 2 Series amplifiers bring together features and performance never before available in an amplifier designed for portable PA applications. Providing a complete suite of integrated speaker processing, the new XTi amplifiers eliminate the need for external crossovers, limiters, and EQs, immediately saving rack space and money. The XTi 2 features enhanced control with Crown’s revolutionary PeakX Plus™ limiters. The limiters are derived from the same framework as those found in I-Tech HD and the new XLS DriveCore Series amplifiers allowing users to manipulate threshold, attack and release times. A new and improved subharmonic synthesizer oﬀers more accurate control over which frequencies are targeted and can be tailored for a specific system or room setup.

giving them the ability to tailor the fan performance to their specific application. XTi 2 also increases the amount of presets a user can save and recall from 20 to 30. Enhancing power management, a new status section on the amplifier allows for the monitoring of power supply temperature and AC line voltage making troubleshooting even easier. XTi 2 amplifiers are also fully compatible with HiQnet™ Band Manager™ software. The free-of-charge application provides a sleek redesigned function-driven interface, which has been re-skinned to simplify system setup and management while enabling audio professionals, musicians, and engineers to configure and control a rack of Crown XTi and now XTi 2 series amplifiers.

Oﬀering increased amplifier functionality, users now have Advanced Thermal Control

The amplifiers now feature integrated rack handles and an enhanced cast front panel that is more durable. The XTi 2 1002, 2002, and 4002 weigh 18.5lbs and the XTi6002 weighs in at 24lbs. www.harman.com

Soundcraft’s New Vi1 is Smaller and Lower Priced But Still Maintains Superb Sound Quality What’s really cool about the Vi1 though, is the new Widescreen Vistonics interface, which will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s driven a Vi6 or Vi4, as well as retaining the same ‘walk-up’ user-friendliness of the other Vi consoles. This new development displays all parameters for 16 channels side by side, on a single 22” Vistonics touch screen. The upper half of the screen handles the Output section control as well as Cue List or Menu displays. Parameter control is via two rows of 16 rotary encoders. Exactly the same channel functionality as the Vi6 and Vi4 is available here, along with all the same core snapshot, talkback and monitoring facilities. Soundcraft have taken its Vi Series platform to a more aﬀordable level with the release of the new Vi1 console. In the past, many users have asked for a smaller, lower-priced desk that still has the acclaimed VistonicsTM user interface and the optimal sound quality established with the Vi Series. The new Vi1 console is a complete standalone console package with 32 channels of analogue input to 27 analogue outputs, plus 6 digital inputs, 4 Stereo FX Returns and 6 digital outputs in one chassis. As standard, Input to mix capacity is 46channels, but

by adding a stagebox (compatible with the existing Vi racks), simultaneous channel count increases to 64. Channels are routable to 24 multifunction busses, plus LR and Mono Mix busses. Up to 8 of the busses can be configured as Matrix mixes, each with up to 16 sources. The surface is just over a metre wide, and includes 16 motorised channel faders with fixed and user-definable layers, 8 output/VCA faders and 2 master faders.

Naturally, the Vi1 inherits many of the facilities of its larger siblings, including Soundcraft FaderGlowTM, 4 stereo Lexicon eﬀects engines, BSS Audio graphic EQs on all output busses, and integral dynamics on all channels. The desk is compatible with Vi4 and Vi6 show files through the Virtual Vi oﬄine editor, which is available as a free download from www.soundcraft.com. www.harman.com

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ENNOVATIONS 47

James Thomas Engineering Launch X Truss James Thomas Engineering Ltd have announced the launch of its newest innovation, X Truss. X Truss was designed in direct response to the call to create more carbon neutral products. The new truss technology ticks that box in a way no other folding truss can, but uniquely, also retains the strength and versatility of a 52cm SuperTruss.

Open

X Truss is fully compatible with 52cm SuperTruss and uses the same overall sizes and connection methods of the existing technology. This means all existing 52cm SuperTruss Gates, Plates and corners are compatible with X Truss. X Truss can also be mixed in the same system as 52cm SuperTruss (excluding within the same span) and X Truss can be used with existing ground support towers and sleeve assemblies.

Flat

X Truss is easy to assemble. It replicates the proven SuperTruss style of corner, known for its versatility. The tried and tested nature of the technology is reinforced by traits that James Thomas is known for. The products are designed and British-manufactured to a high tolerance with ease of use in mind. www.jthomaseng.com

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Serious Sound: Electro-Voice Live X loudspeakers The new Live X series of portable powered and passive loudspeakers bring world-tourproven Electro-Voice performance within reach of a wider range of customers than ever before. Comprising three powered and four passive models, Live X sets new standards for portable sound, with the latest ElectroVoice-engineered components; lightweight, durable plywood cabinets; best-in-class SPL output, power-handling, and frequency response; and clean, stackable designs – all at a price point previously unheard-of for loudspeakers of a similar pedigree.

with the series’ acousticallymatched powered subwoofer.

Live X – Passive

The Live X family also features four passive configurations, including a formidable dual-15” system. These systems may be used with a wide range of amplifiers, due to their exceptionally eﬃcient design and power handling capabilities. www.electrovoice.com/livex www.bosch.com.sg.

Live X – Powered

Three versatile powered Live X cabinets are available: two full-range loudspeakers and a matching subwoofer. Each self-contained powered system features Electro-Voiceengineered components optimized for use with the integrated high-eﬃciency 1000-W and 700-W Class-D amplifiers. Both full-range systems may be pole-mounted or stacked

Elation Professional Showcase Innovative Range of Video Tiles Elation Professional’s new, innovative range of high resolution LED video panels – the Elation Pro Video (EPV) series - is especially bright, compact and easy to hang. They feature pixel pitches down to 6mm and are targeted at installers, system integrators and rental companies. The Moving Head panel from the range – the EPV762 MH – a lightweight moving tile, boasts 4096x 3-in-1 3528 SMD LEDs with total 2000 nits @ 2,000hz refresh rate and 16 bit processing depth while adding 540 x 265-degree pan and tilt capability via DMX. The EPV15 FLEX has a flexible design for creating curved video walls. Indoor and outdoor-rated to IP65 at the front (IP54 at the back), the EPV15 flexible tile features an inbuilt PSU for driving the DIP RGB 546 LEDs, making it ideal for install as well as mobile productions. The static EPV6, EPV7.62, and EPV10 panels complete the range and come in three pitch sizes, with a slim cabinet design and seamless mechanical system, being controlled by a DVI-to-Network Interface. www.elationlighting.com

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ENNOVATIONS 49

Beyond Bright – Martin Professional’s New Stagebar 2™ The new Stagebar 2 LED luminaire from Martin Professional is an extremely capable LED pixel bar and wash luminaire with twice the lumen output and 10 times the intensity of the Stagebar 54™. A new and advanced lens design provides a narrower, more concentrated field of light for better beam control and greater light intensity for overall improved floodlighting capability. A choice of lens options, which includes an opalescent diﬀuser lens for scenic on-camera looks, provides designers with beam angle flexibility. Overall responsiveness of the Stagebar 2 has been improved for more reactive dimming, color fades and visual content response like pixel mapping. Additionally, fan noise from the automatic heat management system has been reduced for the benefit of TV studios and other noise-sensitive environments.

Useful for displaying imagery and video or for floodlighting surfaces and stages, the Stagebar 2 oﬀers a vast gamut of colors and a wide range of shades from an RGBAW color system. For consistent looks, each diode has been calibrated for standardized brightness and color performance. The Stagebar 2 allows for individual pixels or groups of pixels to be controlled for increased design creativity.

The Stagebar 2 is an easy setup. Using 5-pin XLR and PowerCon connectors, it is simple to daisy chain both data and power and requires no external power supplies or additional cables and DMX boxes. A floor stand is available as an option. www.martin.com

ENNOVATIONS

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New iPad App for iLive The iLive MixPad connects to an iLive MixRack on a wireless network and provides the essential controls for live mixing, including channel faders and mutes, DCA faders and mutes, image controls, aux sends, channel processing, mic-pre control and full metering. Channel processing encompasses high-pass filters, gates, parametric and graphic EQs, compressors, limiters / de-essers and delays. iLive MixPad also oﬀers several useful tools for system set-up, including channel assignment to mixes, a real time analyser and the facility to name and colour channel strips. Glenn Rogers, Managing Director of Allen & Heath, commented: “As soon as we saw the iPad we were excited by the prospect of giving our iLive customers portable, intuitive control for mixing a show. In certain situations this app could even replace the console altogether, especially when supported by a PC or Mac for accessing set-up features using iLive Editor software. Whether its operating

standalone or complementing an iLive control surface, I can see front-of-house and AV engineers enjoying the ability to discreetly mix from anywhere in the venue, whilst monitor engineers will appreciate being able to balance monitors from the stage.” The new app is the latest addition to a family of control options for the iLive system which also includes control surfaces, software, PL series remote controllers and the iLive Tweak iPhone app. iLive MixPad is available to purchase from the Apple iPad Store. www.allen-heath.com

ARX Release MaxiDrive High Current Line Driver / Distribution Amplifier

ARX, the Australian based manufacturers of USB, Digital and Analogue interface and signal processors announced the release of their new MaxiDrive Six Channel High Current Line Driver / Distribution Amplifier.

preceding signal processors in the audio chain to drive multiple parallel loads at high voltage levels over long reactive cables, which can present complex loads to the preceding output drive stage” he added.

ARX’s Managing Director Colin Park said,”With the advent and widespread use of large self powered line array loudspeaker systems, the change in system signal drive requirements seems to have been missed by many Signal Processor / DSP Processor Designers and Manufacturers. It seems little thought has been given to what follows on in the signal chain and the demands multiple loudspeaker input impedance loads can place on processor output stages.”

“As an example, the combined eﬀect of 20 or 30 input RF traps in parallel as a load will adversely aﬀect both a Loudspeaker Systems High Frequency and Phase response when driven by a Processor with the standard 600 ohm output impedance.

“The perceived grittiness and lack of clarity at high operating levels sometimes attributed to large Line Arrays performance can probably be more attributed to the inability of the

In short, you need a line driver that can comfortably drive multiple inputs per channel with the headroom (+26dB) required for accurate low distortion reproduction. The new MaxiDrive is that line driver. Its very low output impedance and high current output stage virtually eliminates any deleterious cable loading eﬀects and high frequency loss.

The ARX MaxiDrive will of course also deliver the current drive and voltage swing to drive multiple power amplifier racks in large non self-powered systems, removing the requirement for individual signal splitters and line buﬀers in separate amplifier racks. The MaxiDrive’s switchable “link” function also enables it’s use as a Signal Splitter and Zoning Amplifier”. For the galvanically challenged, we oﬀer a fully transformer-isolated option, the MaxiDrive T - for applications where full Pin 1 / Ground isolation is required.” Full product specifications and details at: http://www.arx.com.au/International/ maxidrive.htm

SPECIAL FEATURE

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Resorts World™ Sentosa -

49 Hectares of Grand Design, Resonating with Hidden Potential by Pushpa Veerappan and Thomas Richard Photos by Dominic Phua (C) 2011 www.synesthesia.com.sg Resorts World®™ Sentosa was built on an island off the island of Singapore at a cost of US$4.4 billion in a record time of less than three years to be slated as Asia’s premier family holiday destination. Its intention is to create a unique and vibrant setting as a onestop MICE destination, as well as offering multiple unique event spaces, all being fused with a myriad of exciting holiday offerings. Resorts World™ Sentosa houses Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park, six hotels, a casino and a variety of Las Vegas-styled entertainment, world-class performances, restaurants by celebrity chefs and retail shops, and the world’s largest oceanarium, the Marine Life Park. The exciting mix of hotels such as the Hotel Michael™, Crockfords™ Tower, Festive Hotel™, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore™, Equarius Hotel™ and Spa Villas™ adds to the grandiose flavour and diversity of Resorts World™ Sentosa. Venues, Venues and more Venues… Resorts World™ Sentosa offers alluring possibilities to go beyond what we can conceive in terms of creative and technological design with its numerous

configurable and customizable indoor and outdoor event spaces that are capable of catering to groups of 10 to 10,000 delegates, for any event. Its total meeting areas cover approximately 27,820 square meters. Just for starters, Resorts World™ Sentosa has the capacity to host more than 35,000 delegates at any given time, and 12,000 delegates in just three of its formal meeting locations, also at any given time. There are 30 function rooms and over 20 indoor and outdoor venues, including the region’s largest column-free ballroom to choose from. Resorts World™ Sentosa also provides comprehensive support amenities such as business and media centres, equipped with HD Conference Facilities featuring Polycom solutions, as well as luxurious VIP rooms, all backed by their highly experienced event planners and operations staﬀ. Resorts World™ Convention Centre houses the main Compass Ballroom, with a total area of 6,000 square meters with an average height of 10 meters. It can

accommodate: Theatre style; 6,500 guests, Banquet style; 4,000 guests, Classroom style; 216–390 guests per hall. The Compass Ballroom is completely column-free and can be divided into three ballrooms or nine halls for multiple break-out sessions. It features the latest audio-visual equipment and modular-tiered seating. The lighting system is designed to illuminate the entire ballroom or it can be reduced for pin-point projection. While the other 30 function rooms, 25 in Resorts World™ Convention Centre, and 5 in Hard Rock Hotel Singapore™ occupy 3,000 square meters, with an average height of 3.5 to 4 meters and have a capacity to cater

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to: Theatre style; 4,350 guests, Banquet style; 1,410 guests and Classroom style; 1,730 guests. All these 30 uniquely-designed meeting rooms are equipped with MATV systems with cameras for rebroadcast within the Resort. Other accessories such as built-in flat-panel LCD signages and hanging rails can also be found at the entry-foyers. A typical meeting room’s fixed installation includes a Biamp Audioflex CM for seamless multi-audio channel distribution, Soundtube ceiling speakers that oﬀer a clean look and evenly distributed sound within the room, a QSC 8-channel power amplifier, Sennheiser wireless microphone system and for visuals motorised screens from Remaco, Panasonic projectors, Kramer interface unit, a Tascam DVD player and a Creator Matrix Switcher which are all controlled via a wired 5.7” Crestron TPS-6LW-T touch screen colour panel with an option of remote control via Crestron PRO2 equipment.

The Festive Grand™ Theatre is a single unit of approximately 3,000 square meters to 5,600 square meters (Back of House). It has a 1,500 square meter hall with a permanentlytiered seating for 1,600 guests. It was designed by world-renowned creative show director and stage designer, Mark Fisher as a Dual-purpose venue, featuring the latest audio-visual equipment. The Pre-Function Space for the Ballroom and Function Rooms, Supporting Facilities and the Back of House occupy approximately 15,820 square meters. On the visual front, The Festive Grand Theatre features Panasonic HD camera, with Extron switchers as well as HD-SDI transmitters and receivers. A Hippotizer HD acts as the main media server with projection by Barco, including two FLM22+ 22,000 lumens edgeblended projectors. A 16x9m Harkness Screens rear projection screen completes the picture. The sound system at the Festive Grand almost exclusively features Meyersound systems including the compact high power line array Mica model from Meyer. Mixing is done via a DiGiCo SD7 EXM and LCS Matrix3 CueConsole.. Lighting at the venue features

conventional luminaires from ETC, Robert Juliet and ADB. Automated luminaires is exclusively Martin Professional including their Mac III, Mac 2000E Performance II and Wash as well as the Mac 700 Wash and Profile. The main control console features a grandMA2 lite. The AV and communications infrastructure at the Festive Grand includes BES solutions for analogue audio and AES/EBU patching, digital audio patching as well as video patching. All the intercom needs are met by Clearcom with the paging systems featuring Bosch solutions. The permanent lighting at the Festive Grand mainly features ETC Dimmer models. The Stuﬀ of Dreams… Transmutable Environments Resorts World™ Sentosa aims to trigger a creative surge along new lines. It is totally open to new creative concepts and

approaches, unbounded by the limitations of immovable fixtures in rigid environments. Resorts World™ Sentosa is moving towards a new synthesis of arts and technology leading to new avenues of transient expressions. 30 function rooms and over 20 indoor and outdoor venues is more than suﬃcient space to unleash the creative mind and take it to the next level of expression, performance. Extensive use of inflatable shade canopies and an outdoor spot cooling system to counter Singapore’s tropical heat are just some of the clever architectural and engineering designs at Resorts World™ Sentosa that make outdoor events feasible and pleasant. Resorts World™ Sentosa was constructed to be reconstructed, to mould and shape itself into any given scenario, limited only by the imagination, prevailing technologies and inherent structures. Infinite possibilities within its finite structures. It oﬀers opportunities to excite the senses with their in-house inventory of the latest state-of-theart audio, visual and lighting systems. Resorts World™ Sentosa is geared to be an indoor, as well as an outdoor performing

SPECIAL FEATURE 53

arts and entertainment hotspot, a future venue of choice. The main reason is that it oﬀers versatility, flexibility and adaptability in fully customizable environments, providing a variety of staging configurations like proscenium, thrust and arena staging that can accommodate performances from soloists to full-scale Broadway productions and from Kabuki to Rock Concerts. Even opera, ballet, modern dance, live concerts, industrial shows, television and other ‘live’ presentations are just a few other possibilities at Resorts World™ Sentosa. The day to day running of Resorts World™ Sentosa as far as entertainment systems are concerned is a rather complex matter, as it requires the interaction of various hardware being deployed to various destinations in various configurations. All these will then have to be appropriately rigged up, tested and operated by the resort’s in-house technical crew, and then stripped down and stored after the event, ready to be deployed

once again. Resorts World™ Sentosa has the capacity to provide top-notch systems for 2 very diﬀerent events at the same time. The controlled and applied use of these stateof-the-art and other mechanical systems requires highly experienced and skilled operators. Resorts World™ Sentosa maintains a single in-house team, comprising entirely of Singaporean talent, to manage and operate all the equipment at all the venues. The Compass Ballroom, for example, is fully carpeted with a total area of 6,000 square meters and an average height of 10 meters. Spanning almost across the entire area is a large format truss, with multiple, equally spaced, 1 to 2 tonne rigging points, suspended from the ceiling. An environment such as this, without any columns is a designer’s dream come true. One could fly almost anything from any point, creating any number of scenarios, in any configuration. The flooring is just as impressively equipped, with numerous recessed microphone/lineinput plates and power outlets, also equally spaced. With fiber optic cabling concealed within the floor, the ballroom’s capabilities

SPECIAL FEATURE

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On the video end they have a range of Panasonic LCD projectors, including Panasonic HD Plasma displays. With emphasis on HD, the inventory also includes Panasonic HD cameras with video switchers from Panasonic, Kramer and Analogway and optical fiber device solutions from Black Magic, CSI and AVAIO. Da-lite portable and fast-fold screens for easy setup are also available. ride up a notch or two as it provides the infrastructure for next-generation audio visual conferencing as well as “live” broadcasting. Furthermore, numerous control rooms are located all around the Ballroom to cater for any design configuration, and last but not least, one could drive directly into the Ballroom with a 40 footer. Needless to say, this strong feature will certainly be appreciated.

Enviable Inventory Matthew Twist, Director – Entertainment Technical, aims to create a reputation for Resorts World™ Sentosa as a world-class location where artists, producers and technical specialists can perform their shows with the best equipment and excellent technical service. According to Matthew, the concept of Resorts World™ Sentosa is to be a one-stop shop providing the venue as well as supplying the technical needs of short or long term events at reasonable prices. In order to achieve those possibilities, Resorts World™ Sentosa has a huge inventory that would be an envy of many a production houses. They can supply the staging equipment, screens, scenery, backdrops, 9 portable audio visual racks, small array sound systems, video cameras and consoles. A 16m x 6m HD LED wall is also available. As for the lighting systems, they can oﬀer consoles, moving head luminaires, Par Cans and Followspots.

The inventory for audio mixing consoles includes Yamaha systems from the smallest 4 channel to the M7CL 48-channel mixer. There is also Mackie mixers as well as Midas Pro6 64 channel digital console as well as Digidesign’s Venue D-Show and and Venue Profile. Equalizers, Eﬀects, Compressors, Playback systems are all readily available. Amplifiers are from QSC and Lab Gruppen. Speakers include a huge inventory from Renkus Heinz including the Iconyx digitally steerable column array speakers, the JBL EON series and their latest addition from Clair Brothers – 16 units of i212-M Line Arrays, 8 units of iS281-M LineArray Double 18” Subwoofer, 16 units of Two-Way Active Monitor Speaker 12AM and 6 units of 8”LF 1”HF Frontfill Speaker FF2-H.

Lighting inventory includes a range of Martin Professional moving lights including Mac III profiles, Mac 2000 Wash XB, Mac TW1 Tungsten Wash, Mac 700 profiles, Mac 575 Krypton, Mac 600 Wash. Conventional lighting equipment includes ETC Source 4 Zooms and Ikon iStudio Koroma LED Parcans amongst others. Lighting consoles in the inventory include solutions from Strand, grandMa and Avolites. The technical department also the ability to set up a stage anywhere with its own inventory of trusses and staging products that include trusses from Weifa, Prolyte and Global, motor chains from Stagemaker and lifting towers from Mobile Tec.

Wireless transmitters and microphones as well as condenser microphones from Sennheiser as well as instrument microphones from Shure, Sennheiser and Neuman amongst others are readily available for concert performances. In keeping with ensuring that every need is met, Resorts World™ Sentosa also recently added a range of Riedel solutions for their intercom needs. This included a unit of Partyline Base station and a digital matrix intercom mainframe and all the related Riedel peripherals.

Matthew highlights that as almost everything can be provided in-house there are no logistic costs involved and they pass that saving to clients. All aspects of the events are carried out in an almost virtuosic manner by their highly skilled and trained inhouse staﬀ. In its opening year, Resorts World™ Sentosa Compass Ballroom has seen over 20 events including high profile concerts from artistes such as Janet Jackson, Tom Jones, Tears for Fears, Stefanie Sun, Boys Like Girls, The Chippendales, A*Mei, Sun Nan, Chen Kun, Francis Yip, and a Valentino Fashion exhibition. For a majority of these events, the in-house technical team has provided the full support. In addition they opened Voyage De La Vie, Singapore’s longest-running show

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SPECIAL FEATURE 55

(200 shows by the Lunar New Year). This show from creator Mark Fisher brings international circus acts to Singapore in a stunning musical show with cutting edge technology. “Our Chinese New Year Gala Dinner with A*Mei and Janet Jackson demonstrates that Singapore is on the map. We deliver events that look and sound great. Many of the visiting artiste management teams have expressed their appreciation that we are able to cater to their requirements quickly and eﬃciently. Our huge inventory and AV hire partners as well as our dedicated and well-trained staﬀ make any event at any scale possible and this is a huge factor in Resorts World™ Sentosa being able to continue to attract events to our venues,” says Matthew.

Warehouse

Matthew Twist on Systems Integrator Electric Acoustics Systems

EAS was the local Systems Integrator awarded contracts for theatre/AV specialist equipment and infrastructure across our ballroom, meeting rooms and Festive Grand theatre. They also did Background Music installation in all the RWS restaurants and our Universal Studios Singapore. They have local experience on major projects like the Esplanade Theatre and were a great company to work with. Their work was executed to high standard and their ability to remain flexible and ramp up to meet deadlines has been instrumental to our success.

frequency response across the whole range at all volume levels, and uniform directional coverage of our extremely wide seating area. The i-Series does not colour the audio – we found many competing products were too ‘warm’ for conferences and too ‘sterile’ for rock concerts. Riedel Intercom system: What can I say? It’s Riedel...anyone in this industry knows that there is no real competition for reliable and clear comms.

Matthew Twist on Recent Purchases

Matthew Twist comments on some of his inventory

The Denon DF400 is an amazing piece of equipment....for years we’ve had the Cue360 Instant Replay device, but it’s cost is prohibitive on smaller shows. The DF400 gives us hard drive playback in a rackmount unit with a nice remote control. Cueing audio eﬀects for shows is finally in the 21st Century. Martin Professional TW1...such a small and neat fixture with incredible output, it punches well above its weight. It is virtually silent which makes it ideal in theatrical situations and smaller venues. With a tungsten halogen lamp it closely matches colour temperature of conventional fixtures, we can use it anywhere.

Clair Brothers: We are pleased with the purchase of the Clair Brothers speakers. Clair Brothers are almost always on the inventory list of international artistes. The i-Series gives us the ability to configure the Line Array in diﬀerent ways to suite the various layouts of our ballroom. The system sounds great in our venue and is capable of handling any event we can throw at it. When auditioning we were particularly impressed at the flat

Martin Professional Lighting: We carry almost every moving head from Martin’s range except for some of the newer LED fixtures that weren’t available at our time of purchasing...but we’re eyeing them up for some small stage installations in our Hotel Michael and Equarius Hotel. Our most recent purchase was an additional 24 pieces of Mac III Profile and 24 pieces of Mac 2000 Wash XB to supplement our concert lighting. When building the resort we looked at prices and support from all major moving light manufacturers and Martin was able to oﬀer the quality we wanted with great prices. Most importantly, they have a local support shop & warehouse, so I know that any problems can be fixed in a couple of hours.

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New Zealand

Integration is the Key for Preparing Eden Stadium for the 2011 Rugby World Cup

In preparation for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Auckland’s Eden Park has undergone a multimillion dollar transformation which includes a new three-tier South stand and a new twotier East stand to replace the terraces thus increasing the crowd capacity to 60,000 from 42,000. The Rugby World Cup will be held from 9 September to 23 October 2011 in New Zealand. The redeveloped Eden Park, which will host the Opening Ceremony and Game as well as the Final, also features an internal concourse that will allow people to circulate around the grounds inside the stadium and worldclass facilities, including food and beverage outlets, toilets and corporate areas. As well as an update of facilities, the Stadium has had a complete overhaul of its sound systems courtesy of Bartons Sound Systems (BSS) who were subcontracted to Fletcher Construction to design and implement combined music, public address and evacuation systems. BSS and acoustic consultants Marshall Day Acoustics used EASE and SoundPlan software to create a 3-D acoustic model of the Stadium to help them overcome the

complexity of the project including design issues relating to stringent environmental concerns. According to Project Manager Robert Waddell, the most unique design element of the entire project is the combination of the professional PA system with the fire evacuation system. To achieve this Waddell specified a Bosch Praesideo system, the world’s first fully digital public address and emergency sound system which has been integrated with the Electro-Voice IRIS-Net System. The processing and communication of both audio signals and control data entirely in the digital domain makes the system superior to other currently available public address and emergency sound systems. “It’s a simple turnkey solution,” explained Waddell. “All of the speakers inside of the building are also used for the pre-recorded fire alarm messages. The Praesideo Digital PA and Emergency Sound System covers many zones, including toilets, public areas, private areas, oﬃces, and stairwells, as they are all defined as evacuation zones. They can all be activated independently or in groups. It’s a highly reliable system, amplifier or battery backed up, so if the mains fail it still works.”

The system’s unique optical network oﬀers Waddell total freedom in system design, interference-free audio and a high level of redundancy that traditional systems cannot oﬀer. It is fully programmable, and interfaces with other security systems.

The new Electro-Voice EVH-1152S/66PI horn loaded speakers

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Ease of use is a stand out factor with this system; a standard operator on any event day doesn’t have to bother himself with any aspect of the installation. He’ll have a simple system comprising of a PC from which he can remotely monitor the complete system - from microphones going in through the NetMax DSP processors to the amplifiers and speakers throughout the entire stadium.

INSTALL 57

“On event day the operator can click on icons on the screen, which is running under the IRIS-Net software, the proprietary software that integrates all of the Bosch products together under one network, such as a speaker and if they’re green he knows they’re OK,” explained Bryan Davidson, Bosch’s senior engineer. “If an icon is red he can then click on it to easily find the problem and fix it.” The Stadium bowl system features the new Electro-Voice Innovations EVH-1152S/66PI horn loaded speakers of which there are fifteen clusters of three. “The EVH-1152S/66PI doesn’t sound at all like a horn loaded box rather like a front loaded box,” commented Bryan Davidson. “I built an Ease model for the Stadium and looked at various solutions then I got the data for the EVH and it looked great. It maintains pattern control down to 400 Hz whereas other speakers tend to stop at best 500 Hz. EVH is a winner not only acoustically but price wise, it’s a very cost eﬀective solution for stadiums.”

Electro-Voice IRIS-Net System

The Stadium bowl system is comprised of fifteen speaker clusters of ElectroVoice EVH-1152S/66PI two-way full-range speakers specifically designed for stadium use, EVF-1181S sub-woofers all powered by

NetMax N8000 Networkable Digital Matrix Controllers

Dynacord DSA 8410 power amplifiers with RCM 810 remote control modules and three NetMax N8000 Networkable Digital Matrix Controllers. www.boschsecurity.com

Taiwan

MC2 at the Kaohsiung Municipal Social Education Center leisure activities, arts and lifelong learning, all to promote a more peaceful and optimistic society. To celebrate the consolidation of Kaohsiung County and Kaohsiung Municipality as one entity, the local government formulated an improvement plan for the Social Education Center, the focus of which was to improve the audio equipment and seating in the performance hall. MC2 Audio distributor in Taiwan, Superlight Technology, recently won the contract to supply and install a professional audio system to the Kaohsiung Municipal Social Education Center, a cultural and physical activity centre for young people. The Kaohsiung Municipal Social Education Center in Taiwan opened in June 1995 with the mission to provide diverse social education resources such as knowledge,

A total of 1180 new, multi-step seats have been installed in the auditorium, while an MC2 Audio driven McCauley loudspeaker system provides superb quality sound for the venue. A combination of MC2 Audio E45s, E25s, E475 and T1500 drive the McCauley main system, comprising 8 McCauley N90 line arrays and 2 NS1 line array bass speaker on each side of the stage, with 4 McCauley A6s for front fill.

FBT provided the stage system with 4 of their Verve 2M stage monitors, amplification by 2 MC2 Audio T1500s. Processing is provided by the McCauley M408 digital processor and mixing is through the Soundcraft MH2-48. Mr. C.J. Chien of Superlight Technology told MC2 Audio: “McCauley line array speakers have high power and high eﬃciency and we chose to drive them with MC2 Audio large current output amplifiers for an ideal result. After completion of the whole system, they did a sound test and revised the house equalization just a little. The sound pressure level and the coverage is even throughout the auditorium and the owner is very satisfied with that. The inhouse engineer has also commented on the excellent system dynamics”. www.mc2-audio.co.uk

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Visual imagery plays an integral part in the dimensional experience of the club’s essence

Singapore

SOUL – The Latest Trance Club in Singapore Despite the fact its doors have only been open since late December 2010, SOUL, conceptualised by Bryan Lee from Black & White Lifestyle Group, is the newest trance club in Singapore, and is fast building up a reputation as the place to be seen. With its distinctive black and white theme, designer furniture, and state-of-the-art 3D visual projections, SOUL represents club revolution at its best by offering a new dimension of visual euphoria - once inside, you will not be disappointed. The club is set in a long rectangular space on the 2nd and 3rd floors in Odeon Towers, a 23-storey office building located opposite the world famous Raffles Hotel. SOUL offers a variety of experiences for its patrons, either to head straight for the Dance Club to be immersed in the fusion of solid trance and house beats, or relax in the chill-out surroundings of Dance Club the Members Lounge and the adjoining VIP Room - a large private space complete with karaoke facility and a 7 foot pool table. In tune with the company’s image, the décor in the Dance Club is set in a symbiotic black and white theme with a minimalist and contemporary style for creating a voguish clubbing environment. The primary feature

is the large rectangular dance floor and open ceiling, with standing tables, alcove seating, and a full service bar to complete the indulgence. The upper balcony on the Mezzanine level allows a great view of the dance floor from above while being close to the house or guest DJs performing at their station. A few steps up from here is the Vodka

contractor for the project. IBA in turn brought in the services of OTTO Technology to help design and install the required audio and visual systems in the diﬀerent areas of the venue. OTTO Technology, headed up the project design team, with Chameleon AVL supervising the various AV crews during the installation process. OTTO designed the main audio for the Dance Club to have left and right speaker positions to face the length of the dance floor. The design firm chose to use the compact design and superior sound reproduction of Nexo’s latest PS Series and RS Subs and utilises two mounted arrays of Nexo PS15-R2 loudspeakers (three per side) and Nexo RS18SUB cabinets stacked two per side underneath the PS15 arrays for low frequency support.

Bar with a vibrant setting that boasts wide glass windows and a high ceiling allowing the bar’s patrons a postcard view of iconic city landmarks at night. Renowned interior design firm, IBA International, which has already established a relationship with the Black & White Lifestyle Group, was appointed as the main

All speakers are driven by four Nexo NXAMP 4x4 Powered TDControllers with speaker management via a Yamaha SP2060 Digital Speaker Processor. Fill for the lower service bar is from two Nexo PS10-R2, one behind each of the PS15 arrays (horizontally positioned with its horn rotated) and driven by a Yamaha XP7000 Power Amplifier. The eﬀects lighting for the Dance Club comprises eight DTS XR5 250W moving heads which are running oﬀ a DMXCreator 512 PC

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INSTALL 59

lighting controller. A key visual element is the stunning Laser projections from a combination of a 2W Multi Laser and “Laser Dancers.” There are also multiple small laser projection heads to criss-cross the dance floor. Other eﬀects include DMX Strobes, DTS FX5 Smoke Machines and an Antari ICE-101 Low Fogger to generate low lying fog eﬀect on the floor. For the upper balcony seating areas, sound coverage is deftly handled by just four Nexo PS10-R2 speakers which are being driven by a NXAMP 4x4 and a Nexo PS10-TD V3 System Controller. For the Vodka Bar, with its high ceiling and open setting, the two speaker positions are mounted at opposite ends of the room, with each end having two Nexo PS10-R2 and a Nexo LS600 Subwoofer. All six cabinets are driven by two Yamaha XP7000 Power Amplifiers with processing from Nexo PS10-TD V3 and Yamaha SP2060 Controllers. The sound in the Vodka Bar may be simple in form but it still thumps out the high SPL performance whenever that level is required. The DJ’s station has a pair of Pioneer CDJ-2000MK3 and a Pioneer DJM-2000 Mixer. DJ booth monitoring and processing is from two Yamaha DSR112 powered monitors and a Yamaha Q2031B EQ. SOUL aims to take the clubbing experience to a whole new level with the use of panoramic

OTTO Technology’s design uses LED Pendant Light rings which characterizes the emotive elements of the Vodka Bar

designed to transform one’s perception of a space.

and DMX strobes, which are controlled from a DMXCreator 512.

As a manufacturer of lighting products, OTTO Technology was asked to come up with a lighting solution that characterizes the emotive elements of the Vodka Bar. The solution was a unique design which uses thirty LED Pendant Light rings of various diameter sizes from 1200mm, 1000mm, and 800mm which would illuminate the entire bar while also being able to change the ambient mood settings through a series of colour changes programmed with a RBG controller. This design concept allowed the rings to be an integral component of the club’s visual experience whereas standard lighting fixtures would not blend well with the bar’s décor.

SOUL is just the club to illuminate the senses. It has gained a respected following by insisting on keeping true to its own identity with the music, the people, and the essence of SOUL. www.soul.sg www.iba-inter.com

Members Lounge

Nexo PS15-R2 with RS18-SUB positions on the dance floor

3D video imagery which has been specially designed by Oracle Projects International. The Entrance Foyer, with video mapping eﬀects from four computer controlled InFocus projectors oﬀers guests their first taste of the creative visual imagery that fills the inside. Visual imagery plays an integral part in the dimensional experience of the club’s essence and Oracle’s approach was to see the interior as a visual canvas, transforming the upper walls into a dynamic 3D visual backdrop. A fusion of art and technology, the installation piece utilises InFocus projectors and a media server filled with customised content that is

Despite the fact that a high SPL system was not a requisite in the Members Lounge, should the owners decide to crank up the volume, the four Nexo PS10-R2 and two Nexo LS600 Subs installed in the club are extremely capable of handling the high demands needed. The system is powered by Yamaha XP7000 amplifiers and managed via a Nexo PS10-TD V3 controller. The DJ station behind the service bar features Pioneer CDJ-350 Digital Media Players and a Pioneer DJM350 Mixer. A single Yamaha MSP5 powered speaker is the DJ monitor. The eﬀect lighting in the VIP Club consists of MSD250 scanners

Laser beams reflecting oﬀ the dancers suits

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Meydan Racecourse is one of the central pillars of the prestigeous Meydan City project in Dubai.

Dubai

4500 Electro-Voice Speakers in Dubai’s Meydan Racecourse and Hotel Complex Almoe AV Systems headed by Dave McMahon and his team – led by Meydan Project Manager Zahid Abbas Mir – had a hard task. Dave McMahon commented, “We had an enormous area to cover, extending from the track itself to the lower and main grandstands – fully 120 meters from front to The Meydan Racecourse, which blends back – and the associated delay perfectly into its environment, has an exciting posed a considerable challenge. ambience and is capable of accommodating We’re talking more than 4500 over 60,000 spectators at a time. It is an ceiling speakers across the entire enormous construction which requires a facility, all of which are actively Along its 2,400 metre left-handed turf race track, Meydan gigantic audio-installation of more than monitored. On race day, the Racecourse is able to accommodate over 60,000 spectators in a 1.6 4500 Electro-Voice loudspeakers. The fully network is designed to operate km long grandstand. redundant CobraNet infrastructure uses the as one massive super system all N8000 NetMax Digital Matrix Controllers controlled by one of the largest CobraNet Manager Zahid Abbas took the lead on and the latest CPS multi-channel amps. To installations in the Middle East”. this project and had his challenges. Zahid provide provi de the audience with a Abbas comments, “There are 21 remote Project state-of-the-art state -of-the-art acoustic Almoe’s Projec ct racks in Meydan and the tricky part was to experience, expe rience, the use the building’s network infrastructure Dubai-based for the vertical network and a new installed s e r v i c e horizontal network to cater for the system.” provider The network infrastructure with several interleaved and connected sub-networks was especially tailored to the projects’ topology. The integration of all 43 Electro-Voice N8000 network controllers and 114 remote controlled and supervisioned multichannel amplifiers of the Electro-Voice CPS series into one comprehensive IRIS-Net software file with individual GUI’s for convenient operation and integrated supervision was a successfully Over 4 500 Electro-Voice EVID ceiling loudspeakers were installed solved special challenge for Almoe and the across the entire Meydan facility. involved Electro-Voice Tech Support. Sundar Meydan City is the latest large-scale showcase project in the Arab Emirate of Dubai. Along with a marina, a five-star hotel complex complete with international restaurants and an IMAX cinema, the Meydan Racecourse is one of the central pillars of the prestige project - a hippodrome with the finest modern amenities.

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INSTALL 61

Meydan’s IrisNet™ controls the hotel and racecourse.

& Kannan from Almoe were given the job and created all the necessary GUI’s needed for both the hotel and the racecourse. These cover inter alia the VIP area, bar, dining and pool area. Almoe has long relied on Electro-Voice products as their performance in extreme circumstances like weather or temperature is outstanding. They have performed beyond expectations. Almoe’s decision to use the Electro-Voice product line for this prestigious project was

made in conjunction with Sanjay Kumar, Jonathan Tulip and Mediatech. It was a cooperation that proved highly eﬀective. Zahid Abbas comments “Three months after the installation, we are extremely satisfied with the sound system. Again, Electro-Voice proved to be the right choice.” Since its opening, the Meydan Racecourse has already established itself as a venue for events of major international importance.

43 Electro-Voice N8000 NetMax Digital Matrix controllers and 114 Electro-Voice CPS multichannel amplifiers were installed at the Meydan Racecourse.

www.electrovoice.com www.almoe.com

Australia

ETC Seladors And Vari*lites for Lady Wardle Performing Arts Centre

“As we have such a fast turnaround of shows and a wide variety of styles of dance and theatre, we needed something that would give us lots of flexibility. I never thought I’d be using LED for my sidelight of all things, but the excellent fade curve and accurate colours means I can use it in light pastels that look great on the performers and then switch to more saturated colours for the bolder looks.” “The units have performed flawlessly since purchase.” The VL500 80V is a 1200W automated incandescent wash light intended to be a workhorse wash product.

St Mary’s Anglican Girls School in Karrinyup, Western Australia is home to the Lady Wardle Performing Arts Centre, a 509 seat auditorium which hosts an array of school events including plays, concerts, debates, dance productions, assemblies and lectures. Recently the School decided to upgrade their lighting system with the purchase of eight Selador Vivid 22” and eight Vari*lite VL500 80V. The Selador Series high power Vivid LED fixture is ideal for stage and studio lighting and can be used anywhere strong colour and

high intensity is required. While maximised for high-brightness and deep colour output, Vivid also has the unique ability to match warm, tungsten white light, vibrant daylight white, and soft, tinted gel colours. “They have made an excellent side light replacing what was once a very patchy parcan wash in basic colours,” reports Peter Rubie, head lighting operator for the venue. “I love the 7-LED colour mixing. It gives me the ability to accurately match any gel colour instead of just the party colours you get from so many LED wash lights on the market.

“Replacing a row of static NSP par cans with the VL500’s has really helped bring some much needed colour and movement into the lighting looks,” remarked Peter. “The 80v’s are also extremely bright cutting over the majority of the rig. In fact we often have to turn them down so as not to overpower everything else! They’re great for that vivid ‘rock n roll’ feel as well as being useful as a soft backlight when used with the frost filter.” www.jands.com.au www.etcconnect.com www.vari-lite.com

INSTALL

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China

Robe for Qingdao TV Station

New Robe moving-lights have been installed in Studio 6 of the Qingdao TV Station in China, which broadcasts 6 regional channels throughout the Shangdong area. The new fixtures are part of a recent lighting upgrade, and were specified by Studio 6’s lighting designer, Liu Zheng Mao and his team, and supplied via Robe’s Chinese distributor, Leafun (formally known as Leifull). The 10 ColorSpot 1200E ATs, 10 ColorWash 1200E ATs and 4 ColorWash 575 ATs were chosen for their functionality and reliability. Studio 6 is a multi-purpose studio hosting a wide variety of shows. All lighting has to be as flexible as possible to cater for the diﬀerent requirements of anything from a documentary to a music show. The Studio had originally invested in Robe back in 2005 when they bought some ColorSpots. These are still going strong and have been worked extremely hard over that time. The Studio decided that Robe was the best choice again because of its proven reliability. Zheng Mao is also the main lighting programmer for the 400 square metre studio. He frequently designs the sets as well as lighting, so with the new Robes now

available, he can really integrate both these visual mediums into the look and feel of the shows they are producing. The Robes are rigged on the studio’s overhead bars which cover the whole roof space and can be moved and deployed to wherever they are needed.

Another regular is “Poker Hero”, a series for those serious about poker. Other lighting in the Studio includes a full set of white lights and numerous LED fixtures, all of which, together with the Robes, are controlled by an Avolites Pearl 2008 console. www.robe.cz

Robe’s ColorSpot and Wash 1200 Series are two of the most popular workhorses of its moving light range and have been used extensively for all applications across most sectors of the industry over the years. Zheng Mao likes the gobo selection, the zoom range and the general versatility of the 1200 units. “With this rig I can now light every scenario I need to in the studio. It opens up many more possibilities and makes the task of lighting a show so much faster and easier,” he comments. Zheng Mao is delighted with the new fixtures and that he can do so much with a smaller number of well-featured lights and clever programming. The programmes made in Studio 6 include “Go”, a lifestyle, tourism, fashion, entertainment and current aﬀairs series which also includes interviews and panels of commentators.

Eric Lee (Sales Manager, Leafun), Liu Zheng Mao (LD Qingdau TV Station, Studio 6), John Saunders (Director, Anolis) and Harry von den Stemmen (Sales Director, Robe lighting)

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Malaysia

D.A.S. Audio Sets the Tone for ChasWood Resources We all have our favourite restaurants and, to a large extent, the nature of the food served at any given establishment is only one of several elements that attract us. Atmosphere is, of course, another significant factor that appeals to patrons—be it the kick back and celebrate the weekend tone of T.G.I. Fridays or the happy-go-lucky ambience of Malones Irish Restaurant and Bar. When it comes to atmosphere, music is a key ingredient and that’s precisely why ChasWood Resources, one of Malaysia’s largest multi-concept operators in the restaurant industry, uses D.A.S. Audio loudspeaker systems. Felix Paul is ChasWood’s sound engineer. Throughout the company’s various properties, his responsibilities include consultation, design, and installation of all sound systems as well as system maintenance and mixing for live and special events. Paul recently completed the installation of new loudspeaker systems at several properties, including Laundry, Italiannies, Malones and T.G.I. Fridays. “Located at The Curve in Mutiara Damansara, Laundry is a popular gathering spot with an emphasis on music—both live and background / DJ’s,” explained Paul. “For this venue, we deployed two D.A.S. Audio RF15.64 passive/active 2-way loudspeakers atop two Compact 218 subwoofers per side for the mains and, for stage monitoring, there are four MI-112N 2-way, full-range loudspeaker enclosures. D.A.S. Audio H-3000 and H-4000

power amps—one each—plus two PS-800 amps drive the system while a D.A.S. DSP-26 processor handles loudspeaker management tasks.” “If you like pizza and other Italian foods, Italiannies is the place to be,” Paul continued. “Like Laundry, the D.A.S. loudspeaker system at Italiannies handles both live and background music. This system uses two D.A.S. Audio Artec 28 2-way passive loudspeakers at the bar along with eight Artec 26 2-way enclosures completing the setup. Stage monitoring is handled by two MI-112N loudspeakers. Six D.A.S. Audio PS-800 power amps drive the system.” Malones @ Sooka Sentral in Kuala Lumpur sports an Irish theme and, here too, both live and background music are central to the restaurant’s ambience. “At Malones,” said Paul, “we have four D.A.S. Artec 8 2-way, passive loudspeakers covering the outdoor area and, indoors, we installed D.A.S. Avant 12A, 2-way, powered loudspeakers. Two

D.A.S. Audio MI-112N loudspeakers handle stage monitoring responsibilities. We have a combination of two D.A.S. PS-800 and one PS-400 power amp driving the Artec loudspeakers. “At Menara Hap Seng in Kuala Lumpur, T.G.I. Fridays has a D.A.S. system comprised of four Artec 25 2-way, passive loudspeakers around the top of the bar plus four Arco 4 2-way loudspeakers in the surrounding outdoor area,” Paul notes. “For low end reinforcement, we installed six D.A.S. Arco 12 subwoofers throughout the ceiling area. A total of eight D.A.S. Audio CL-6TB ceiling loudspeakers cover the indoor dining area. Four D.A.S. PS-800 and two PS-400 power amps drive the loudspeakers. This system handles both background music as well as DJ performances.” When asked about those D.A.S. Audio qualities that most appeal to him, Paul oﬀered the following thoughts. “I love the full-range sound of the D.A.S. loudspeakers,” he said. “We get excellent coverage throughout and the loudspeakers’ ability to reproduce music sounds very natural. I’ve also been very pleased with D.A.S. Audio’s customer/ technical support. All the equipment is well made and works perfectly. Our customers have been very complimentary —and that’s always good for business.” www.dasaudio.com

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China

INSTALL 65

Apex Processors Hit The Right Note At Super Stars KTV Clubs

Its popularity in western countries may have been largely transitory but karaoke is still a huge attraction in the Far East, with high specification facilities providing entertainment for many thousands of people. The latest raft of karaoke or KTV clubs hasve recently been unveiled in China, with Apex Intelli-X48 processors at their heart. Dalian Wanda Group is one of China’s biggest real estate development companies, with the construction of many hotels and other high profile facilities to its name. The hotels are managed by a range of global chains including Hilton, Sofitel, Intercontinental and Crown Plaza. 2008 saw Apex audio processors recommended for use in a Sofitel-managed hotel’s private KTV club. Supplied via local distributor Budee Technology Development Co. Ltd, the system has proved a great success and so Apex Intelli-X48 processors were specified for Wanda Group’s latest KTV project. This project was the opening of public KTV clubs in the country’s Super Star discount retail stores. The project has been implemented in large and medium-sized cities throughout eight Chinese provinces.

For these systems, Wanda Group engineers looked at a range of audio equipment and chose systems which comprise Apex Intelli-X48 processors, plus Outline speakers and Lab Gruppen amplifiers, all supplied by Budee. “During the evaluation phase, our system was considered the best by Wanda’s technical engineers, with the sound of the Intelli-X48 being described as especially good,” says Budee’s Amelia Pei. The first phase of the project was completed in December 2010, but Wanda Group is now planning to build Super Stars KTV clubs in other provinces, which Budee is looking forward to supplying more systems for. These will also feature Apex processors. “We are very pleased that Wanda Group has been so impressed with APEX processors,” adds Apex marketing manager Jeroen Sierjacobs. “Budee has put together an excellent system featuring our processors and it is gratifying that they are such an important part of these KTV installations, by one of China’s highest profile development companies.” www.apex-audio.eu

Apex Intelli-X48 processor

INSTALL

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Japan

Aviom’s Personal Mixing System at the New National Theatre Tokyo Aviom’s Personal Mixing System has become the perfect partner to the orchestras that play at New National Theatre Tokyo (NNTT). The quick and simple set-up associated with the Aviom system allows the theater’s technical crew to move the monitor mixing system easily between the three stages located at the venue. NNTT hosts various operas, ballets, contemporary dance and dramas in its “Opera House,” “Playhouse,” and “The Pit” theaters. The day-to-day task of altering the audio set-up for the needs of each performance and performing group requires the flexibility and ease-of-use for which Aviom is so wellknown. “The Aviom network is the ideal solution for our theater,” says Hisashi Kurono of the NNTT technical department’s sound and visual division. “It is especially beneficial for our needs because the set-up and removal work is fast and uncomplicated.” This simplicity also transfers to the regular use of the A-16II Personal Mixers by the

various bands who perform at the theater. While not always the case, some stage sets require the orchestra to perform on opposite sides of the theater. The Aviom system allows NNTT to provide personal mixing to each of those bands. NNTT actually has two diﬀerent set-ups for personal mixing. In one system, the initial audio signal is distributed directly through an AN-16/i-M Mic Input Module or through the console via an Aviom 16/o-Y1 A-Net® Card to an A-16D Pro A-Net Distributor that is connected to eight A-16II Personal Mixers. The second system is connected to the digital console through a Pro64® 6416dio Digital I/O Module. This unit connects to an ASI A-Net Systems Interface which converts the Pro64 A-Net signal to a Pro16® one. From there the A-Net signal is routed to another 16 Aviom Personal Mixers. “We rely on our Aviom network a great deal during every performance,” Kurono continues. “It is especially useful when an orchestra is divided and situated on both sides of the stage, and yet we choose not to use the monitor speaker due to sound localisation.”

Originally constructed in 1997, NNTT features only the highest quality, state-ofthe-art equipment. Aside from the regular performances, the venue can also be utilized for young artist training programs and theater rental for outside performing groups as well as public presentations or conferences and student performances. Management of NNTT is commissioned to the New National Theatre Foundation through the independent administrative institution, The Japanese Arts Council. www.aviom.com

China

Midas Digital Systems Installed into Guangzhou Opera House a Heritage 2000. A second XL8 has been added to the networked system for stage monitoring, and can be moved depending on the application. A PRO6 live audio system and a Verona have been installed into the control room of the smaller, multipurpose theatre, and there are two Venice 160s in the rehearsal studio and one in the news room. Mr Zhou Xucun is front of house engineer at the Guangzhou Opera House. He explains that the decision to choose Midas consoles came after countless discussions and technical debates by audio experts:

Mr Zhou Xucun, FOH engineer at the Guangzhou Opera House, with the Midas XL8 live performance system

Over the past few issues, Entertainment Technology Asia has been covering the various solutions installed the Guangzhou Opera House. Here we highlight the Midas digital system that has been installed at the venue. The Grand Theatre in the main structure has been installed with an XL8 live performance system in the control room, together with

“Midas digital consoles have retained the legendary Midas audio quality, adding the power and convenience of onboard FX and dynamics processing while retaining their familiarly-laid out work surfaces, which make

them extremely convenient to operate,” he says. “The 24bit/96kHz sample rate is unrivalled by many other brands of digital mixing console. As for the powerful onboard FX, the EQ, preamps and general flexibility of the systems make even complicated productions just a breeze. “I always recommend the XL8 to other sound engineers now. After simple training, visiting engineers can operate the system with ease, and without having to change their way of thinking to feel comfortable. The stability, flexibility and reliability combined with ease and familiarity are just amazing.” Since the Opera House opened, the Midas XL8 has been used for FOH on almost every live performance, including the opera Mulan, the opening ceremony of the 9th China Arts Festival, concerts by famous Chinese tenor Wang Hongwei, singer Zhu Zheqin and the 2010 Chinese Film Awards. www.midasconsoles.com

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INSTALL 67

Macau

Robert Juliat Causes a Splash at The House of Dancing Water The world’s largest water-based permanent show, The House of Dancing Water, is located in a purpose-built, 2000-seat theatre centred around a 160ft diameter swimming pool within Macau’s City of Dreams resort.

Photos copyright of Franco Dragone Entertainment Group

This latest spectacular from Artistic Director Franco Dragone was 5 years in the planning and 2 years in creation and has taken the entertainment world by storm. Lighting Designer, Luc Lafortune, who has worked for many years with Dragone, designed the complex lighting for The House of Dancing Water which includes fixtures from French lighting manufacturer, Robert Juliat. Six Robert Juliat 1800W HMI Victor followspots and eighteen Robert Juliat D’Artagnan HMI zoom profile fixtures were supplied to the show’s lighting supplier, White Light Ltd, by Robert Juliat dealer, Pacific Lighting HK Ltd.

The theatre is a huge space to light with a large rig of moving lights, long throw distances from diﬀering levels above the stage and challenging lighting angles. Acts take place at pool level, stage level and on aerial trapezes and include Russian swings, a 10m high ship that rises and falls through the water, and a dramatic motocross act with riders making jumps of 20m across the stage whilst performing mid-air stunts at heights of up to 15m. Gary Bower, Head of Lighting at the House of Dancing Water Theatre says: “Almost all of our Robert Juliat D’Artagnans are used on Level 5, plus one at the North of Level 4 with a Turkish lace gobo and one at stage level

big shows of Las Vegas in the ‘90s,” says Sales Director, Lionel Garraud,

to light the hero’s motorbike as he enters. A large complement are used for the moto act to produce a nice bright path for the main jumps. They vary in angle of shot, but produce a corridor of light. The remainder are used with custom gobos on the centre lift within the pool to help change the “locale” of the scene. We chose the D’Artagnans for their ability to punch through almost any look or wash on stage. We also have two with Rosco Vortex spinners to emphasize the Dark Queen’s entrance.” The six Robert Juliat 1800W HMI Victor followspots are spread evenly around 270° of the circular grid above the audience to highlight the main protagonists. Followspot positions are restricted to 1.5m by 1.5m platforms with a swivel seat and swivel yoke and raised to a height of 12m to keep the operators out of sight line of the Drum Wall. “The House of Dancing Water is our most recent collaboration with Luc Lafortune who has favoured Robert Juliat profiles and followspots in his lighting designs since the

The House of Dancing Water is just the latest success for Robert Juliat in Macau where over 60 followspots (including Cyrano, Aramis, Heloise, Ginger, Victor, Super Korrigan and Topaze), profiles and DMX products have been installed across theatres and casinos on the island. Installations include the Sands Casino, The Venetian, the Wynn Casino and the Macau Cultural Center with all units having been supplied by Pacific Lighting (HK) Ltd. www.robertjuliat.com

IN PERSPECTIVE

ntertainment technology asia

coolux Ltd : One Year On in China

(L-R)Kim Lee, Harry Gladow, Daniel Schaefer, Francis Lee and Helmut Protte

China, with its population of over 1.3 billion people and staggering yearly growth rates, has proven to be a tough, yet potentially highly profitable market for western businesses to enter. On one hand the possibilities for business development seem endless, on the other hand, unexpected challenges await newly arrived western companies around every corner. Since especially smaller companies are not always in the lucky position of having employees that speak and read Mandarin fluently, having reliable business partners is an absolute necessity. The award winning German hardware and software company, coolux GmbH, established its China regional oﬃce, coolux China Ltd., little more than one year ago. coolux China Ltd. CEO Kim Lee encountered coolux for the first time in 2004. His extensive experience in the lighting industry enabled him to quickly appreciate the practical philosophy behind the Pandora’s Box product range: “We really liked the fact that you could separate layers and content on site. At that time, nobody else had a concept quite like it. We immediately thought that this would be the way forward in the next five to ten years.

Gradually we discovered just how many possibilities one had with media servers. We saw the potential opening up. Not just projectors, but the LED and the plasma market needed good control and playback systems as well. That is why coolux products became our favourite choice.“ The relationship between Kim Lee and coolux GmbH deepened over the following years and finally led to coolux China Ltd. being officially founded in 2009. Lee’s Hong Kong heritage was a definitive advantage in forming business relations with a European company like coolux. Being able to understand both the western mentality and the traditional Chinese approach to business meant that coolux China Ltd. was able to make a highly successful entry into the Chinese market in record time. Due to the hitherto unseen scale in terms of multimedia quality and quantity, opening up a branch office in Shanghai was a must. “It gives our Chinese customers a lot of confidence to receive support from here locally. We speak the same language, have the same lifestyle and know how the market works. coolux China Ltd. does not only sell coolux Pandora’s Box systems, but offers training sessions in Mandarin as well”.

There is little doubt in Lee’s mind that the Chinese market will continue to grow for the foreseeable future, a sentiment he shares with Mr Jian Min Xiao, president of Foremost Group. At the time when Foremost first came into being in 2003, the event industry in China was still in its infancy, compared to the current situation. It was greatly helped by the massive investment surrounding the Shanghai EXPO. One of the most memorable projects realised with the help of Foremost (in conjunction with the German agency Triad) is the impressive Urban Planet Pavilion with its breathtaking dome projection that was made possible using coolux Pandora’s Box products. After initial success with their work for the then newly-built Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Foremost quickly became one of the most important companies utilizing high-tech audio-visual equipment including media servers and related products in their varied project portfolio. When asked about possible growth opportunities, Foremost president Mr. Jian Min Xiao pointed to the fact that Chinese city planning schemes will lead to countless cities that will each have their own museums and

science centres at some point in the near future. He even goes so far to predict that the multimedia and system integration industry might grow to ten times its current size within the next few years. Besides their great experience and excellent contacts, Foremost oﬀers their customers complete solutions that span hardware and software as well as general planning and media production services. Regarding coolux, Mr. Jian Min Xiao had this to say: “I love the coolux product line and strategy very much. I have a lot of expectations for the future.” Amidst all these extremely positive future prospects, one should not forget that the same factors that have allowed Kim Lee’s coolux China Ltd. team to go from strength to strength could well be potential risk factors for new companies seeking to enter the Chinese market successfully. Lee thinks that finding the right kind of business partner is a key factor in achieving a lasting success.

subsequently end up in a wrong direction with their business. Understanding both worlds, Asian and Western, can be a great advantage. In addition to this, it is very important to have the actual personnel ready to take care of the products and oﬀer enough service to satisfy the customers’ needs. Having support personnel in the same country is definitely something our customers value very much”. “If things continue to develop the way they have for coolux China Ltd., we envision a situation, where we might branch out into four diﬀerent regional districts, with a network of highly trained partners who can use their own dialects for training potential new coolux Pandora’s Box users. We wish to grow to the point here in China so that at the end of the day, when a customer needs a media server or something related, they will think of coolux as the one brand to go for.” Whatever happens in the future, one thing seems crystal clear: The first year of coolux Ltd. in China was a great success across the board, satisfying a great number of high profile customers. www.coolux.de

“From what I’ve seen I think that some companies just find the wrong contacts and

One of the most memorable projects realised with the help of Foremost was the impressive Urban Planet Pavilion with its breathtaking dome projection.

LIVE

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CHINA:

ASIAN GAMES SPECIAL

PR Lighting Fixtures Dominate Asian Games Opening & Closing Ceremonies In November, Haixinsa Island, Guangzhou, played host to two spectacular events — namely the Opening and Closing ceremonies for the 16th Asian Games. Media from all over the world — as well as the Asian public — witnessed the stunning events, in which the Island became the crucible of the Games on this mega stage. PR Lighting was entrusted with the responsibility of presenting the festival of lighting which illuminated the event. During the preparation of the Asian Games, General Director Weiya Chen stated, “The ceremonies should not only be elegant, creative and unique, but also be multi-dimensional, and provide an allencompassing festival of artistry and culture.” And professional lighting eﬀects were the critical factor in realizing this ambition. “Light is the soul of the stage. Without lighting, the stage will have no vitality or vigour. The PR Lighting moving heads contributed enormously to the high impact,” said Xiaolan Sha, general lighting designer for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, who was also in charge of the 16th Asian Games. The Operations Director, Haoyang Jiang, also praised the brilliance and high impact of the lighting eﬀects. “Having cooperated with PR Lighting at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games we know we could trust in their quality,

technology and service — and it was an easy decision to choose them as the major supplier again this time.”

with an additional 100 XL1200 Wash added to the top of the audience seating — just before the start of the Opening ceremony.

The Opening ceremony lasted one hour forty minutes and the Closing ceremony ten minutes longer. More than 400 XL1200 Framing fixtures were deployed, along with 200 XL1500 Framing. Meanwhile, 150 XL1200 Wash were spread around the huge stage,

With 26 years of experience in the industry compressed into those three and a half hours, PR Lighting was again able to show their dominant position on the grand world stage. www.pr-lighting.com

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Riedel Communications Excels at the Asian Games Riedel Communications, one of the leading manufacturers of real-time networks for video, audio and intercom, installed a comprehensive communications system for the Asian Games. Riedel provided the venue communication system as well as the intercom for the opening and closing ceremonies, combining wired and wireless technologies. The systems for the ceremonies furnished an Artist digital matrix intercom system consisting of two mainframes connected via fiber, about 20 Artist 1000 series control panels and around 75 Performer digital partyline beltpacks.

radio network that covered the whole venue during the opening and closing ceremonies consisted of 16 semi-duplex channels for 720 conventional Motorola radios. Five FMtransmitters were used to address the 8000 radio receivers at the events.

opening and closing ceremonies over the fiber infrastructure of the event. Ten RockNet 300 input and output modules each oﬀered the needed connections for the events. To bridge the large distances four RockNet fiber converters were used.

Furthermore a Riedel RockNet installation provided the routing of the audio at the

www.riedel.net

To provide the infrastructure for venue communications, Riedel equipped the venues with a Performer digital partyline system oﬀering a versatile and easy to use communications system with high quality digital audio and more than 600 beltpacks. Riedel Communications also handled the installation of the analog radio network that was also integrated into the wired intercom infrastructure via RiFace interfaces. The

MIPRO Portable PA Systems Support the 16th Asian Games During the closing ceremony of the 16th Asian Games on 27 November 2010, 10 sets of MA-808 and 20 sets of MA-708 from MIPRO Portable PA Systems were used by the Guangdong Olympic Stadium oﬃcials to direct traﬃc and maintain public order. The equipment was supplied by MIPRO China. “The event was very successful and attracted a crowd of people. We are glad and honoured to support such a wonderful sporting event,“ said Managing Director Donn Ho. “The MIPRO MA-Series provides clear and powerful sound, is easy to transport and is the best choice for government, military and sporting events where a good quality PA system is a requirement.” www.mipro. com.tw

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Q-SYS Makes its Mark at Asian Games The opening and closing ceremonies to mark the 16th Asian Games, held on Haixinsha Island, Guangzhou, diﬀerentiated from similar events seen previously — with the spectacular event making the city the background and Pearl River the stage. In fact the event started on the river, with a ship sailing from the east. In order to make the ceremonies successful, the island was equipped with a series of highly intelligible public address systems, with QSC’s premium Q-Sys control chosen to provide tourists from all over the world with crystal clear sound reinforcement. A Q-Sys network provided coverage to every corner of the island, with a powerful Q-Sys Core as the engine, and Q-LAN’s low-latency Gigabit Ethernet network implementation as the transmission network. There were eight control rooms on the island, two of them based centrally and the remainder as satellites. With their huge processing capacity, two Core3000s provided back-ups for each other in the two central technical rooms. This redundancy meant that should any failure have occurred in one, the system would automatically have switched to the other (this feature greatly enhancing the reliability of the system). Other networking

Main server room cabinet and monitoring computer

audio interfaces were placed in the auxiliary control rooms to feed signals to the nearby loudspeakers. The system was programmed with the background music running according to the playlists and transmitted to the decks, fountain area, dock and gardens. These were played out through 534 specially treated QSC AD-S loudspeakers. These loudspeakers were weatherproofed guaranteeing the safety of the system in an extremely rainy city.

Aside from providing the background music function, the QSC Q-Sys was also linked to the emergency evacuation and fire alarm system. In the security centre, fire centre and service counter, 11 PS-1600H networked page stations were installed; this enabled operators to broadcast paging announcements manually. The networked page stations feature capacitive touch, programmable keypad and 240 x 64 graphics LCD for flexible customisation. The audio and control signals were connected to the Q-LAN network through a gigabit Ethernet Cat5 cable, while the page stations were routed and managed by the Core and could use both use Power over Ethernet (PoE) or local power supply. Other than the Public Address A QSC AcousticDesign speaker, specially-treated to operate functionality, the system can outdoors also record announcements and trigger playback of pre-recorded extended and local residents and tourists announcements. The Fire Alarm functions alike will continue to receive high quality were fully integrated into the system, which public address services. would be automatically triggered once any fire accident occurs. All QSC equipment is distributed in China by PCI. The eight control rooms on the island www.qsc.com were equipped with www.pci-china.com large quantities of equipment, distributed to the many diﬀerent zones including underground. All equipment on the network was under the command of the Q-Sys, and its remote controllability was not only very eﬃcient but also provided substantial cost saving. As planned, following the Games the Haixinsha Island will be transformed systematically into a large garden and the underground area will be reconstructed as a museum. Although the functionality has varied extensively before and after the Games, Beijing Oriental Prime Connections Film/TV Technology Co., Ltd., took everything into consideration with their initial design. Since Q-Sys is a universal (and extremely flexible) networking platform, the coverage has been

The call station of the underground scheduler work area

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India

Electro-Voice at India’s 62nd Republic Day Parade along the 2.6 km parade route to provide a very loud and spectacular reproduction of the commentary and music that also accompany the many traditional dance troupes taking part in the parade to symbolise the rich cultural heritage of India. The Electro-Voice Sx300PIX is a continuation of the popular the Sx-series and features a 300-watt, 12” composite 2-way full-range, high-sensitivity system with a built-in factory fitted transformer that ensured long signal transmission without signal loss and is considered to be the world’s best lightweight, high power speaker system. The Republic Day of India commemorates the date on which the Constitution of India came into force as the governing document of India on 26 January 1950. It is a national holiday in India and is celebrated with a Republic Day Parade which takes place in the national capital New Delhi.

and mechanized regiments from the Indian Army, the Indian Marines and the Indian Air Force marched in precise formation to receive the salute of The President of India, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Indian Armed Forces.

This year’s celebration marks India’s 62nd Republic Day, and the grand parade was held near Rajpath in New Delhi, beginning from Raisin Hill near the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace), along the Rajpath, past India Gate and onto the historic Red Fort in the old quarter of the city.

Having a proud role in this year’s parade is a strong Bosch contingent of 156 cabinets of Electro-Voice Sx300PIX loudspeakers. The system that was designed for the parade centred around the Sx cabinets fitted on a series of light poles that are positioned all

It was a vivid display of military pomp and pageantry as the diﬀerent infantry, cavalry

“It was a stiﬀ competition and EV was chosen over other major brands in the country and also from abroad. After a stringent technical evaluation conducted by the Indian Army, the EV Sx300PIX was seen to provide the perfect blend of great sound with the added value of a compact weather-resistant cabinet,” comments Tushar Srivastava, Senior Manager, Product Marketing, Professional Sound Group, Bosch Security Systems, India. www.bosch.com.sg www.electrovocie.com

India

DiGiCo SD9 Is Soundbound In India The end of November 2010 saw a prestigious music conference - Soundbound - held in Mumbai, with a range of live performances for participants to enjoy after the business of the day. The first two nights featured gigs by Shaa’ir + Func, one of India’s most successful indie bands, mixed on a DiGiCo SD9, the first to be deployed on the Indian sub-continent.

technology was on show at the Shaa’ir + Func shows, where production company Arowana Soundgroup deployed its DiGiCo SD9. Brought in by event management company Mix Step, Arowana Soundgroup chose to use the SD9 because of the console’s combination of high quality in a small footprint.

Soundbound and the associated live shows were sponsored by the British Council. It was part of the long-term SoundPad project, bringing together high profile names from the Indian and British music communities to engage in workshops, where everything from music technology and concert photography to good touring practises were discussed. Entry to the sessions was free and the whole event was enthusiastically received.

“The venue had very limited space available and we knew the SD9 would achieve the desired results,” says company owner Mr Rakesh Nalavade.

As well as British participation in the workshops, the best of the country’s audio

The show featured two support acts, as well as the headliners, with the console being set up with around 30 channels. “We were using a Nexo PS15R2a PA, so we used two outputs for the PA and the other six outputs of the D-rack for sends,” Nalavade continues. “We also used four Matrix outputs from the SD9’s local I/O to run fills in the pre-function area.

“The SD9 made our job much easier because it is designed to make live mixing as straightforward as possible. At the same time it has excellent sound quality. The bands, the audience and the client were amazed at the SD9’s sound quality. They loved it and we rocked the show!” www.digico.org

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China

Fine Art Shares the Limelight at Jacky Cheung’s 1/2 Century Tour Jacky Cheung is a renowned singer, songwriter and actor from Hong Kong. The Chinese language media refers to him as well as Aaron Kwok, Andy Lau and Leon Lai as “Cantopop’s Four Heavenly Kings” - a title that he richly deserves and which endears him to thousands of fans worldwide. In 2006, his album sales reached 120 million and became the best selling album in Asia.

The 1/2 Century Tour is named as such because Jacky wanted to commemorate his 50th birthday that falls this year with all the beautiful memories he has had in the music industry. The tour kicked oﬀ at the end of December 2010 and will see him performing 50 concerts across China before embarking onto the rest of the world.

The first stop of his 1/2 Century Tour saw him performing his suave moves with his baritone voice at the Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Culture Centre, which is also called the EXPO Cultural Center. This centre was built for the Shanghai World Expo and is now used as a multifunctional performance centre. The sold out concert provided an aural and visual treat for the audience. Known for his flamboyance on stage, fans were not disappointed with his performance. The stage was designed by Mr Zhou Binkun, who was also the stage designer for the Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. The stage featured the unique element of a movable 360 degree platform that meant that the setting was dynamic thus enabling design variations throughout the concert. The unique design breaks the traditional layer space by moving the background screen forward, backwards and 360 degrees, whirling it in diﬀerent directions so as to separate the stage space. Adding to the stage dynamism were the lighting eﬀects. As transparent materials were adopted to build the stage, light refractions formed onto the transparent materials as

well as the props within the stage thus giving the whole concert a surreal eﬀect. This was all achieved with lighting fixtures from Fine Art that produced strong and vibrant colours. In 2003, Fine art was awarded the “Excellent Stage Light” commendation in China. In 2008, Fine Art was awarded the “GuangDong Outstanding Products” award and in that same year Fine Art lighting solutions were used for the CCTV-1 Spring Festival ceremony. Fine Art also lit up the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and their lighting solutions were also used at the 2010 Shanghai Expo and Gaungzhou Asian Games. Thus it seems appropriate that 2010 ended with the “Heavenly King” performing on stage with the “King of stage lights”. www.fineart-light.com

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Malaysia

Nexo’s New RS18 Subs Make Their Debut in Malaysia output, and was able to predict that only 4x RS18 subs a side, teamed with the GEO SUBs, would provide more than enough coverage. “The clarity was impressive, and the coverage even, but the output of the RS18 was exceptionally good. Using these boxes together produced a whole new sound characteristic. We got great feeback from the organiser and the technical crew, who thought this was an excellent and powerful system”. All the speakers were powered by CAMCO power amplifiers with NX242-ES4 Digital TD controller. For stage monitors, PS15 and PS15 R2 were selected, powered by NXAMP4x4. www.rbsound.my www.audiosolutions.com.my ASTRO (All-Asian Satellite Television and Radio Operator) is a popular pay-TV service in Malaysia, and its big thank-you concert brought 25,000 people to the I-City in Shah Alam to see a variety of local artists - Anuar Zain, M Nasir, Datuk David Arumugam, Misha Omar, XPDC, One Nation Emcee and others – as well as special guests from Indonesia, Ahmad Dhani, T.R.I.A.D and The Lucky Laki. RB Sound and Lighting Sdn. Bhd, often known as Rainbow, NEXO’s rental partner in Malaysia, was selected to supply the sound and lighting systems for the concert. The

only rental house in the country to oﬀer the GEO D arena system, purchased in 2008, RB’s inventory also includes GEO S12, GEO SUBs and RS15. For the show, RB provided 24x GEO D10 modules, with 12x GEO SUBS handling 60Hz to 200Hz low pass and, for the first time, 8x RS18 with cross point at 80Hz for the front-ofhouse system. The system was supplemented by 8x NEXO PS15s for front fill coverage. Felix Tan from RB Sound and Lighting was using the NS-1 software to calculate system

Qatar

PR Lighting Goes High Profile with Technopro December 2010 proved a busy month as nearly 150 of the PR Lighting’s flagship products were deployed by local distributor TechnoPro LLC (Qatar) for the 2nd World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Doha. The three-day event, which was officially opened by His Excellency Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Chairman of WISE, in the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, was attended by over 1,000 delegates from different countries. Auditiore, one of the leading event management companies in Europe, designed and managed the production, which was held in eight different ballrooms within the Sheraton Resort and Convention Hotel. They, in turn, tasked TechnoPro with providing a complete technical infrastructure, including audio, light, and video equipment.

The company dipped deep into its PR Lighting inventory to meet the design, created by French lighting designer, Alexandre Lebrun. Distributed among the various ballrooms and main Plenary function area were 16 x PR XL700 Spot; 24 x PR XL-700 Wash; 34 x PR XL1200 Wash; 36 x PR XL-1200 Spot; 22 x PR XL-Beam 300 and eight PR XLED-590 LED washlights. www.pr-lighting.com

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Qatar

Creative Events and Clay Paky light up Doha’s Tribeca Film Festival

In its second year, the Doha Tribeca Film Festival has once again relied upon the stellar Clay Paky Alpha moving fixtures and their biggest stockholder in the Middle East, Creative Events (CCG), to deliver the best in lighting performance for this major event in Doha’s cultural events calendar. With Doha bestowed the honour of serving as the cultural capital of the Middle East in 2010, the expectations were set high for Tribeca 2010 to be above and beyond the level set by previous year’s debut. CCG provided more than 1300 mixed fixtures from its extensive inventory, for the Four Seasons Hotel screening venue and the opening night after-party held at the Pearl Qatar. At the fore of this massive lighting eﬀort, once again designed and specified by Adam Bassett Design Limited, were 88 Clay Paky Alpha units at Four Seasons and another 105 Clay Paky Alpha units at the Pearl. CCG’s head of lighting department Michel Khairallah noted, “The bulk of the moving heads this year were the larger units from the 1200W series of the Alpha line, with the notable addition of the Alpha Beam 1500 and

Alpha Wash 1500 moving heads, and some Alpha Spot 700 and Alpha Wash 700 moving heads for supporting details”. The new 1500 series of ultra-high power moving heads were used in Qatar for the first time at the festival. “It was the first time we used them for an event, and they delivered as expected from a Clay Paky unit, stellar performance and unquestionable reliability. The 1500 wash was crucial for colour washing of the Four Seasons façade, and the beam and spot units provided gobo projection for the VIP screening area at the beach front of the hotel. The 1500 beam was also utilized for the opening night after party at the Pearl together with over one hundred assorted Clay Paky units. The results were nothing short of stunning. The new 1500 line truly sets a new benchmark, and we’re proud to have it as the pinnacle of our oﬀering of automated moving lights” Khairallah added.

“The Clay Paky Alpha series are without comparison in the world of moving fixtures, and as such they are the centerpiece of our inventory which is the largest inventory of top-level sound and light equipment in the MENA region, and crucial to a complex lighting project like the DTFF,” he concluded. www.claypaky.it

EXHIBITION PREVIEW

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Prolight + Sound 2011 Prolight + Sound is the largest international trade fair for technologies and services in events and entertainment. At the 2010 event, 825 exhibitors from 40 countries came to present their products and services to close to 31,000 visitors who travelled to the fair. From 6 to 9 April 2011, Prolight + Sound will be presenting all the major products and services in the field of events technology, entertainment, systems integration and media technology. Prolight + Sound is the sector’s most important meeting place for exhibitors, wholesalers and retailers, international trade visitors and professional users from all over the world. The comprehensive range of products and services at the fair and the degree of internationality amongst exhibitors and visitors make Prolight + Sound the largest

and most important trade fair in the sector. In 2011 there will be a few small innovations in the way in which the halls are allocated.

Product groups and hall allocation

Products and services at Prolight + Sound are divided into Audio and Sound Systems and Lighting and Stage. The Audio and Sound Systems section in Hall 6.1 will display microphones, mobile sound systems and accessories. The Audio and Sound Systems section in Hall 8.0 covers ‘portable sound’, ‘concert sound’, ‘installed sound’, microphones, networks, production and broadcasting. The Lighting and Stage product group is spread between Halls 9.0 and 11.0. Theatre, studio and stage lighting, stages, trusses and rigging, display units and video will be on display in Hall 9.0. In Hall 11.0, visitors will find show and stage lighting, design and installation, lasers and eﬀects, stages, trusses and rigging.

to this area, in terms of content, there is the Media Systems Congress, the major information event at Prolight + Sound. Exhibitors in the Media Systems product group can be searched for by entering ‘Media Systems’ in the online exhibitor search engine. In addition, the ‘Media Systems Quickfinder’ gives details of all the Media Systems exhibitors and serves as an aid to finding them during the trade fair.

Systems Integration Outdoor exhibition area and MediaTechnology On the outdoor exhibition area, the Concert The two fields of Systems Integration and Media Technology in the ‘Media Systems’ product group are presented in an integrated manner in all halls at Prolight + Sound. Closely related

Sound Arena and the Portable Sound Arena will showcase mock-up presentations of large-scale stage constructions as well as small and large scale sound systems operating in realistic conditions. Manufacturers of large portable display systems and of mobile stages and marquees will also exhibit here.

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The Sinus Award

Award ceremonies and business meetings The Portalhaus is Prolight + Sound’s meeting place and serves as the main entrance at the western end of the fair. It is here that the award ceremonies will take place for the ‘Opus – German Stage Award’ and the ‘Sinus – Systems Integration Award’. Part of the Media Systems Congress will also be held in the conference section of the Portalhaus, Level Via.

Media Systems Congress and Prolight + Sound Forum The Media Systems Congress, the biggest information event at Prolight + Sound, will take place on the conference floor of Portalhaus as well as in rooms Symmetrie 2 and 4 in Hall 8. In some 50 lectures and presentations, speakers will pass on both their knowledge and their practical

experience. Integrated into the congress are presentations by the Association of German Sound Engineers (Verband Deutscher Tonmeister – VDT) and ALMA (International Loudspeaker Association) as well as the Manufacturers’ Forum, in which manufacturers will be presenting their products and services in the fields of media technology and systems integration. The lectures in the Prolight + Sound Forum (in rooms Symmetrie 2 and 3, Hall 8) will include information on security in the events sector, framework legal conditions, regulation and further professional development and training opportunities. Prolight + Sound is supported by the Professional Lighting & Sound Association of Germany (Verband für Licht-, Ton- und Veranstaltungstechnik - VPLT) and the European Association of Event Centres (Europäischer Verband der VeranstaltungsCentren - EVVC) The admission charge also includes second class travel to and from the fair with public transport services operated by the RMV transport authority. Admission tickets can be bought directly from the online ticketing service and can be printed out on from your own PC. www.prolight-sound.com

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EXHIBITION PREVIEW

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Visitors coming to the 2011 PALME Middle East with purchasing authority of more than US$ 1 billion Professional Audio, Lighting and Live Events technology have always remained a key indicator of the Middle East’s burgeoning market potential for international players. With the economy now bouncing back and spending power continuing to increase, entertainment and leisure remain important investment grounds for individual and corporate investors – opening greater opportunities for new and existing companies. Presenting an ideal mix of residential and commercial applications, equipment, technologies and services for a fast growing market, currently worth over US$ 4 billion annually and projected rise to US$ 6 billion within the GCC over the next five years, PALME Middle East oﬀers exceptional opportunities for new businesses as well as established market leaders to tap on growing markets. PALME Middle East, co-locating INSTALL for AV & Systems Integration and Smart Home technologies and MUSAC for musical

instruments, equipment and accessories, has established itself as the region’s largest trade show for professionals in this burgeoning industry. Now in its 9th year, PALME occupies a key position in the global trade show circuit and provides the Middle East with its own unique industry forum. Key international names have already confirmed their presence at the 2011 show as a testimony of the importance of this event for their business prospects in the Middle East and Northern African region. Some of them include: • Adder Technology – UK • AMC Baltic - Lithuania • ATEIS Middle East – UAE • Audicom MEA – UAE • Audioprof NV – Belgium • AV Leader Corporation - Taiwan • Avers Screens – Poland • Columbus McKinnon Corp - USA • Da-Lite Screen – USA • Digitcom Technology – UAE

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Dinitel - Spain Doughty Engineering - UK Elite Screens Inc - USA Extron Electronics – UAE Galtech – UAE Goboland - UAE Gross Funk GmbH - Germany GSL Professional - UAE Lift Turn Move - UK Mitsubishi Electric Europe – UK Module Décor LLC - UAE Procom FZE - UAE projectiondesign – Norway Prolyte Products Group - The Netherlands Renkus Heinz - USA Robe Lighting s.r.o. - Czech Republic SES Entertainment Services Ltd - UK Tannoy Ltd. – UK Unusual Rigging & Engineering - UAE Venuetech LLC - UAE Wolfvision GmbH - Austria Zio Technologies – UAE

“Market dynamics are now changing and regional buyers are not travelling as much

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EXHIBITION PREVIEW 81

to Europe or the US to source products and services as they used to three years ago. There is an immense potential for business growth and finding newer market segments for manufacturers who wish to explore the Middle East as a markets. Above all, the extraordinary spending power makes this region unique”, said Eben Botha, Exhibition Manager for PALME. “The purchasing authority of visitors that attended the 2010 edition of PALME Middle East accumulated to a whopping US$ 1.035 billion, which clearly indicates the size of this burgeoning market and how much business companies may attract by being part of the forthcoming edition of this show in April 2011”, he added. Scheduled from 26 – 28 April, PALME 2011 will feature areas for laser & lighting demos, simulators & home automation areas, music & DJ equipment demos as well as conferences, certified education courses and free to attend product / technology focused seminars. 3rd Lighting Solutions Conference This is a well established conference providing networking opportunities for lighting solutions professionals to enhance their knowledge of progress in lighting design, examine the future of lighting and integration solutions industry and to showcase contemporary approaches to lighting design and solutions. Projection Technologies Conference A prestigious one day event scheduled for 27th April 2011 at Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, this event will oﬀer professionals an unparalleled opportunity to learn from industry experts, gather new information and discover the latest technical advances in Projection Technology.

Building Automation Conference The inaugural Building Automation Conference will present breakthrough discussion topics and latest technological solutions that are influencing the developed world in creating an eﬃcient living and working environment. Key international AV specialists, integrators and automation experts will deliver papers and share their knowledge at this first ever conference of its kind in the region.

Another highlight for 2011 will be the second PALME Middle East Awards where achievements will be rewarded in 12 categories covering Audio, AV and Lighting sectors. The awards will shine a spotlight on the very best the industry has to oﬀer for the Middle East. Taking place on 27th April, the PALME Awards will greet the guests with a fantastic gala dinner, live entertainment and the unique opportunity to network with hundreds of industry peers. For more information, please visit www. palme-middleeast.com Email your enquiries to palme@iirme.com